SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS (JUNE 2018) – Compiled by Victor Melder

                                                      

The touring Sri Lankans drew their first match against the West Indies President’s XI, played at Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad. Scores:

Sri Lanka, 1st Innings – 428 (Chandimal 108, Dickwella 74, M.D.K.J.Perera 65, Mathews 41,  Warrican 4/81, Cornwall 3/124, Reifer 2/75)

West Indies President’s XI, 1st Innings – 272 (Campbell 62, Powell 60, Cornwall 54no, Brooks 29, Dananjaya 3/46, Kumara 3/47, M.D.K. Perera  3/50)

Sri Lanka, 2nd Innings – 135/0 (Mendis 60no, M.D.K.J.Perera 50 retd hurt, Silva 22no)

 Bowling all rounder, Chamika Karunaratne, who was reported for suspected bowling action in the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Super Provincial Tournament 2018, has been cleared to bowl after a scrutinizing process. Karunaratne, 22, a right-arm fast bowler was reported of his suspected action by on field umpires Deepal Gunawardene and Gamini Dissanayake at the SLC Super Provincial match between Kandy and Galle played at Sooriyawewa in April and he was suspended from bowling pending tests.  He was kept out of action in the following SLC Super Provincial Limited Overs Tournament after the report from the umpires.   However, Karunaratne’s bowling action has been confirmed as legal and he could resume bowling after going through an Illegal Bowling Action Test at the Sri Ramachandra University in Chennai on May 16. The national prospect speedster was assisted by fast bowling coach Chamila Gamage in Chennai at the ICC Accredited Centre. According to the assessment, Karunaratne’s bowling action is said to be within the ’15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the ICC Illegal Bowling Regulations’. Karunaratne, a former Royal College and Sri Lanka Under-19 captain turns out for NCC at Premier level and is also a national badminton champion.   (Times online, 6.6.2018)

 

The West Indies beat the touring Sri Lankans by 226 runs to win the first Test played at Queen’s Park Oval, Post of Spain, Trinidad. Scores:

West Indies, 1st Innings –  414/8dec (Powell 38, Chase 38, Roach 39, Hope 44, Bishop 40, Dowrich 125no,  Kumara 4/95, Lakmal 2/55, Herath 1/67)

Sri Lanka, 1s t Innings –  185 (Chandimal 44, Dickwella 31, Cummins 3/39, Roach 2/34, Gabriel 2/48, Holder 1/15, Bishop 1/25)

West Indies, 2nd Innings – 223/7 dec (Powell 88, Holder 39, Kumara 3/40, Herath 2/52, Lakmal 1/32, Perera 1/50)

Sri Lanka, 2nd Innings – 226 (Mendis 102, Mathews 31, Chandimal 27, Chase 4/15, Bishop 3/48, Gabriel 2/52, Holder 1/24)

Player of the Match; Shane Dowrich (West Indies)

Sri Lanka suffered a heavy blow ahead of the second Test match against West Indies as the experienced Angelo Mathews was forced to return home due to personal reasons. Fast bowler Lahiru Gamage, who fractured a finger during the first Test also returned home. SLC has flown in Dasun Shanaka and Danushka Gunathilaka as replacements. The two players will not be available for selection for the second Test. They were expected to reach the Caribbean only Wednesday night. The second Test begins on Thursday in St. Lucia. (Daily Island, 14.6.2018)

The second Test between the touring Sri Lankans and the West Indies, played at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia, ended in a draw. Scores:

Sri Lanka, 1st Innings – 253 (Chandimal 119no, Mendis 45, M.D.K.J.Perera 32, Gabriel 5/59, Roach 4/49, Holder 1/56)

West Indies, 1st Innings – 300 (Smith 61, Dowrich 55, Chase 41, Kumra 4/86, Rajitha 3/49, Lakmal 2/50,  Dananjaya 1/81)

Sri Lanka, 2nd Innings – 342 (Mendis 87, Dickwella 62, Silva 48, Chandimal 39, Gabriel 8/62, Roach 2/78)

West Indies, 2nd Innings – 147/5 (Brathwaite 59no, Hope 39, Rajitha 2/23, Lakmal 2/48, Dananjaya 1/33)

Player of the Match: Shannon Gabriel (West Indies)

The start of the third day’s play of the second cricket Test between Sri Lanka and West Indies was delayed by over two hours due to a ball-tampering controversy yesterday here at Darren Sammy International Stadium in St Lucia. The delay was caused when the two on-field umpires, Ian Gould and Aleem Dar along with ICC Match Referee Javagal Srinath, decided to change the ball, that was in use at the end of day two, suspecting a ball-tampering attempt by the Lankans. Sri Lanka have protested. Then eventually the match began at 10.50 am, one hour and 20 minutes past the scheduled 9.30 am start, and the two West Indies batsmen were given the choice of a replacement ball. But before Lahiru Kumara delivered the first ball, the Sri Lanka team walked off to the boundary-line near their dressing room, the periphery of the ground, not crossing the line. Their move looked a reaction to two umpires’ decision to award West Indies five penalties, raising their overnight total from 118 to 123 for 2. They were replying to 253 all out, the first-innings total of Sri Lanka. After nearly 40 minutes of discussion on the periphery of the ground, with the officials, Sri Lanka took the field at 11.31 am. Kumara sent in three juicy bouncers to start with and he was given no-ball in the third delivery, according to laws. The repercussion of the match being delayed for over two hours, amid a sparse, improved number of weekend spectators in the stadium, especially on the international TV coverage, and how the ball-tampering complain is handled by the Lankan authorities were not clear by the time we went to press last night. Anyway, the relations between the two teams, Sri Lanka and the West Indies, looked soured at least for the time being as the mood of the players in the middle was of any indication. In a similar ball-tampering controversy in 2006, Pakistan forfeited a Test in the Oval to the home team England after umpire Darrell Hair decided to change the ball, after tea on the fourth day’s play, awarding England five penalty runs. (Sunday Island, 17.6.2018)

Captain Dinesh Chandimal will miss Sri Lanka’s third Test against the West Indies after being found guilty of ball tampering by the International Cricket Council on Tuesday. Chandimal was found guilty of changing the condition of the ball during the second day’s play of the second Test, which concluded at Gros Islet on Monday. “It is clear that Dinesh Chandimal applied an artificial substance to the ball, namely saliva containing the residue of something he had in his mouth, an action which is prohibited under the ICC Code of Conduct,” said match referee Javagal Srinath after the judgement. The player was suspected of using saliva and a sweet to tamper with the ball and give it more spin after television images picked it up. The Sri Lanka captain got two suspension points and was fined 100 per cent of his match fee. The points equate to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whatever comes first for the player, Chandimal will now miss the day/night Barbados Test, starting from Saturday, June 23. 2018.  Explaining the decision Srinath said he had reviewed the images carefully. He commented: “Dinesh took something from his pocket and put it into his mouth. After sucking or chewing whatever he put in his mouth for a few seconds Dinesh then proceeded to spit on his finger and polish the ball with his saliva which would have contained the residue of the artificial substance that he had in his mouth, on two separate occasions. The referee also said that Chandimal had been less than convincing in his defence. “During the hearing, Dinesh admitted to putting something in his mouth but couldn’t remember what it was, which I found unconvincing as a defence,” he said. At the time of the incident Chandimal denied charges when they were filed by on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Ian Gould, and third umpire Richard Kettleborough. There were concerns that the Test match was in jeopardy on the third morning on Saturday when Chandimal refused to lead his team onto the field for the continuation of the Windies first innings after he was informed of the charge by the umpires and the application of a five-run penalty. Play was delayed for two hours as animated discussions took place involving Srinath and Sri Lankan team officials. With the second Test drawn Windies lead the three Test series 1-0. (Daily Island, 21.6.2018)

 

Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal, coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and manager Asanka Gurusinha have admitted a “serious law breach” after the team delayed play during the drawn second Test against West Indies.

The International Cricket Council said the two-hour delay on day three was “contrary to the spirit of the game”. It was a protest over Chandimal’s ban for ball-tampering on the second day.The 28-year-old lost an appeal against his one-match suspension on Friday. Sri Lanka said they played the remainder of the second Test “under protest”. The third Test begins in Bridgetown on Saturday, with West Indies leading the three-match series 1-0. (BBC Sport, 22.6.2018)

 

Judicial Commissioner Michael Beloff QC has dismissed Dinesh Chandimal’s appeal after he was found guilty of changing the condition of the ball breaching clause 41.3 of the ICC’s Standard Test Match Playing Conditions, during the second day’s play in the second cricket Test against the Windies in St. Lucia on Saturday.  The International Cricket Council (ICC) said Mr. Beloff’s written reasoned decision will be provided on Wednesday 27 June .Accordingly, the original decision of the ICC Match Referee Mr. Javagal Srinath, handing Chandimal the maximum punishment available under the code, i.e. two suspension points and a fine of 100 per cent of his match fee, will stand. Chandimal will therefore miss the day/night Barbados Test, which commences on Saturday. Furthermore, and because two suspension points correspond to four demerit points, these will remain on Chandimal’s disciplinary record. Mr. Beloff QC, who is also the Chairman of the ICC Code of Conduct Commission, heard the appeal on Friday in a four-hour hearing in which both parties were represented by legal counsel. In announcing his decision, Mr Beloff QC said: “I express my gratitude to all who, though located in four different places, London, Colombo. Dubai and Barbados, collaborated in enabling me to reach a decision in time for the third test between the West Indies and Sri Lanka.” Meanwhile, Mr Beloff QC also held a preliminary hearing to establish the procedural schedule on the Level 3 charges after Chandimal, coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and manager Asanka Gurusinha admitted to breaching Article 2.3.1, which relates to “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game”. The preliminary hearing determined that the hearing will take place on 10 July by way of video/telephone conference, with the decision on sanction to follow.Until the hearing takes place and Mr Beloff QC determines the appropriate sanctions for the Level 3 breaches, Mr Hathurusinghe and Mr Gurusinha can continue to perform their professional responsibilities, including in the Barbados Test. (Daily Mirror, 23.6.2018)

Sri Lanka’s troubled West Indies tour took a fresh turn for the worse yesterday with the home board recalling leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay home on disciplinary grounds. The board did not specify the exact nature of the incident which led to the Lankan leg spinner’s expulsion ahead of the third and final Test in Barbados but the Sunday Times can confirm it was related to a late night out by the player concerned. The fact that another player has been drawn into off-field controversy is a huge embarrassment for Sri Lanka and is the last thing they needed following the ball-tampering saga involving national skipper Dinesh Chandimal that has overshadowed the tour. Chandimal remained suspended for the third and final Test and likely to miss the whole or part of the South African series along with team coach and manager for holding up play for two hours. Trio has admitted to the offence and will face hearing on July 10. Sri Lankan players have been subject to a midnight curfew for many years. However the Sunday Times reliably learns that while the rest of the players had returned to the hotel in time, Vandersay has gone missing until next day morning. With Vandersay missing, the team management has lodged a police complaint. Vandersay has later returned to the hotel and had said he could not remember what happened to him. He has also lost his mobile phone sources said. “He is returning on disciplinary grounds,” confirmed Ashley de Silva refusing to divulge any further information to the incident. He will now likely to face a local inquiry and could even face a ban. Vandersay, 28 has been identified as future prospect specially at a time when country’s premier spinner Rangana Herath is nearing the end of his international career and was drafted into the side in order to give him the required exposure and experience. He is yet to make his Test debut even though he has represented Sri Lanka few times in limited over cricket in the recent past. Vandersay has a history of disciplinary issues. He was suspended by his school Wesley College over drink charge few years back and most recently he was pulled out of the India tour for not showing up for domestic matches without a reason.(Sunday Times, 24.6.2018)

 

The touring Sri Lankans beat the West Indies by four wickets to third and final Test played at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados. Scores:

West Indies, 1st Innings – 204 (Holder 74, Dowrich 71, Kumara 4/58, Rajitha 3/68, Lakmal 2/52, M.D.K.Perera 1/16)

Sri Lanka, 1st Innings – 154 (Dickwella 42, Gunathilaka 29, Mendis 22, Holder 4/19, Gabriel 3/52, Roach 2/30)

West Indies, 2nd Innings – 93 (Roach 23no, Dowrich 16, Holder 15, Cummins 14, Rajitha 3/20, Lakmal 3/25, Kumara 2/3, M.D.K.Perera 1/13)

Sri Lanka, 2nd Innings – 144/6 (M.D.K.J.Perera 28, Mendis 25, M.D.K.Perera 23no, Gunathilaka 21, Holder 5/41, Roach 1/33)

The three match series ended in a draw 1-1.

Player of the match: Jason Holder (West Indies)

Player of the series: Shane Dowrich (West Indies) 

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