Blog Archives
Chaminda Vaas will miss next week’s third Test against Bangladesh
Sri Lankan paceman Chaminda Vaas has been given permission to skip the third and final cricket Test against Bangladesh in Kandy so he could return to play for English county Middlesex.
A Sri Lanka Cricket official said the 33-year old Vaas who has played in 98 tests has been given special permission to leave the team after Sri Lanka warpped up the series with victory in the second test on Thursday.
“Yes Vaas will not be around for the last test”, said the official.
Sri Lanka won both matches by innings margins and look set for a clean sweep when the final Test starts at the Asgiriya stadium in Kandy on Wednesday. The selectors have all-rounder Farveez Maharoof, left-arm spinner Sujeewa de Silva and leg-spinner Malinga Bandara to chose from, when it comes to picking Vaas’ replacement.
Vaas could find himself playing his 100 Test during Sri Lanka’s tour of Australia in November this year.
Spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who is contracted with Lancashire, will also return to England after the Kandy Test and not play in the three one-dayers along with Vaas.
Powered by Post2Blog Express
Jayawardene to lead Asia
Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene will lead Asia in three one-day internationals against Africa for the Afro-Asia Cup in India next month, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) said on Friday.
Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who missed the World Cup due to injury, has been included in the 14-member squad that also features axed India spinner Harbhajan Singh.
The one-dayers, which have been granted official status by the International Cricket Council, will be played in Bangalore (6 June) and Chennai (9 and 10 June).
The series will be preceded by a Twenty-20 match between the reserve players of the two continents in Bangalore on 5 June, ACC chief executive Ashraful Haq told reporters.
Asia’s one-day squad features five Sri Lankans who reached the World Cup final in the Caribbean: Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga and Upul Tharanga.
Two other Sri Lankan stars, Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralitharan, were not available for the series due to commitments in English county cricket, Haq said.
The squad includes five Indians in Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan. Indian captain Rahul Dravid opted out due to personal seasons, Haq said.
Pakistan will be represented by Mohammad Yousuf, Mohammad Asif and Akhtar while Mohammad Rafique is the lone player from Bangladesh which qualified for the second round of the World Cup.
The Asian squad was picked by the ACC’s four man selection panel of Chetan Chauhan (India), Mohsin Khan (Pakistan), Lalith Kaluperuma (Sri Lanka) and Abdul Farooque (Bangladesh).
Former India all-rounder Roger Binny was nominated coach of the continental team.
Africa will be captained by South Africa’s Graeme Smith, Haq said. The inaugural Afro-Asia Cup, which was played in South Africa in 2005, ended at 1-1 with the third match rained off.
Asia’s one-day squad: Mahela Jayawardene (SRI-capt), Sanath Jayasuriya (SRI), Sachin Tendulkar (IND), Virender Sehwag (IND), Mohammad Yousuf (PAK), Yuvraj Singh (IND), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (IND), Harbhajan Singh (IND), Chaminda Vaas (SRI), Shoaib Akhtar (PAK), Lasith Malinga (SRI), Mohammad Rafique (BAN), Mohammad Asif (PAK), Upul Tharanga (SRI).
Asia’s Twenty-20 team: Shoaib Malik (PAK-capt), Tamim Iqbal (BAN), Imran Nazir (PAK), Mohammad Ashraful (BAN), Tillekeratne Dilshan (SRI), Shahid Afridi (PAK), Kamran Akmal (PAK), Abdur Razzak (BAN), Farveez Maharoof (SRI), Mashrafe Mortaza (BAN), Munaf Patel (IND)
AFP
Powered by Post2Blog Express
Sri Lanka Cricketers Reception at President’s House
The politicos were up to it again. They flocked to where the cricketers were in droves, this time at President’s House on Tuesday evening where President Mahinda Rajapaksa hosted the team for a felicitation after the World Cup.
Some of the politicians were attired in casual wear that even the players were unsure of the people who came up to chat with them.
Pix: Sudath Silva – via Pat and Mangala LA
Powered by Post2Blog Express
The moment the cricketing world has been waiting for has dawned
Incidentally this is a repeat of the 1996 final when these two teams met in Lahore and the Lankans carried away the trophy.
Will history repeat itself? Well your guess is good as mine.
What happened in Lahore is now just a memory and what matters is how the teams will play today.
Man to man there is little to choose between the two teams.
And the team that will climb the podium and hold aloft the trophy for the cricketing world to see, would be the team that is not overawed by the occasion, riding the pressure and playing the better cricket.
Here, not only in the other Caribbean Islands, they all want Sri Lanka to win the final. The Aussies are anathema to them.
Firstly to the wicket and viewing it from the Crozier Stand where the media box is housed, it looks devoid of grass and seems to be a good one to bat.
The side aiming for 250 and over should hold the advantage.
‘As for the Lankans every member of the team is fit and well and available for selection.
We have still not decided on the playing eleven’, said manager Michael Tissera.
The Sri Lankans cotton wooled Lasith Malinga, Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitheran when they last played the Aussies hoping to unleash them against the opponents today.
However Muralitharan is the one the Aussies batsmen fear most. His ‘doosra’ – the one that goes the other way – spits venom at the batsmen and it is instant death to those who cannot read the delivery.
However the Australian supporters who are here in their numbers are sure to try and unsettle him by chanting ‘chuncker’, ‘chucker’ or ‘No ball’ even time he begins bowling.
That’s how cowardly the Aussies are. But Muralitharan is made of different stuff and the shouts should inspire him.
When the Lankans bat, it is paramount that Sanath Jayasuriya gets back into run making. He has the temperament for the big occasion and there is no doubt that the Aussies would be targeting him, for if they allow him to cut loose, then they will have to chase a lot of leather.
Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, skipper Mahela Jayawardena, Chamara Silva, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Russel Arnold and Chaminda Vaas are all capable of making runs and must do it.
In Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitheran and Chaminda Vaas are three match winning bowlers, with Jayasuriya and Dilshan for support.
The Lankans will target opener Matthew Hayden who is enjoying a harvest of runs with three centuries already in the bank, and skipper Ricky Ponting.
The Lankans know that if they can get these two early, then they can run through the rest of the Kangaroos batting.
Nathan Bracken, Shaun Tait and Glen McGrath have all proved how good they are. If the early Lankan batsmen don’t gift them wickets, they could be frustrated.
The sides have some of the best fielders in the world and this aspect could play a big role if a team is to win.
Aussies are a bit jittery, knowing that they have still not had a bad day so far. And all Sri Lankans and their supporters are confident that today will be the day.
Kensington Oval, Barbados, Friday Courtesy:Daily News
Powered by Post2Blog Express
Its all yours Sri Lanka ~ICC World cup 2007~
Get to-gether & pray for it !
Lankan team needs it.
Now or never !
