SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS (SEPTEMBER 2019) – Compiled by Victor Melder

The touring New Zealanders, defeated Sri Lanka by 5 wickets, to win the first T20 International, played at Pallekelle International Cricket Stadium, Kandy. Scores:

Sri Lanka –  174/4 in 20 Overs (Mendis 79, Dickwella 33, Southee 2/20, Santner 1/22)

New Zealand –  175/5 in 19.3 Overs (Taylor 48, Grandhomme 44, Mitchell 25no, de Silva 2/21, Malinga 2/23, Dananjaya 1/30)

Player of the Match: Ross Taylor (New Zealand)

T20 debut: Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka)

The touring New Zealanders, defeated Sri Lanka by 4 wickets, to win the second T20 International, played at Pallekelle International Cricket Stadium, Kandy. Scores:

Sri Lanka – 161/9 in 20 Overs (Dickwella 39, Fernando 37, Mendis 26, Rance 3/33, Southee 2/18, Kuggleijn 2/38, Sodhi 1/34)

New Zealand – 165/6 in 19.4 Overs (Grandhomme 59,  Bruce 53, Dananjaya 3/36, Udana 1/18, de Silva 1/32)

Player of the Match: Tim Southee (New Zealand)

Sri Lanka beat the touring New Zealanders by 37 runs to win the third and final T20 International, played at Pallekelle International Stadium, Kandy. Scores:

Sri Lanka – 125/8 in 20 Overs (Gunathilaka 30, Dickwella 24, Santner 3/12, Astle 3/28, Kuggeleijn 1/21)

New Zealand – 88 in 16 Overs (Southee 28no, Santner 16, Malinga 5/6, Dananjaya 2/28, de Silva 1/12, Sandakan 1/33)

Player of the Match: Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)

Player of the Series: Tim Southee (New Zealand)

T20 debut: Lahiru Madushanka (Sri Lanka)

New Zealand won the 3-match series 2-1.

The national cricket team will leave for Pakistan on Tuesday on a two week tour where they will play three ODIs and three T-20 Internationals in Karachi and Lahore. Karachi will host the first leg of the tour consisting three ODIs and then the team will travel to Lahore for the T-20 leg. Sri Lanka will take wings to Karachi on Emirates via Dubai. After ten senior players pulled out of the tour, SLC was forced to select a second string team. All support staff agreed to make themselves available for the tour. Performance Analyst Hanish Shetty will not be able to go to Pakistan as he is not able to get a visa. Shetty is an Indian national. The tour was in jeopardy after the Prime Minister’s office warned SLC of a possible terror attack during their stay in Pakistan. The board then put the ball back into government’s court requesting for a new security clearance. Officials of the defense ministry went to Pakistan to study the security measures in place for the team and following government level negotiations, SLC was given the clearance to go ahead with the tour. Some 8500 security forces will guard the national cricket team and officials during their stay in Pakistan. The team will travel to the ground for games and practices in two armoured vehicles. They will be taken in a security convoy in a diamond shape and all roads will be closed down for public when the team is on the move. While SLC left the choice to tour for the players, the board will be in a spot if some of the young players who are making the tour come up with impressive performances. (Sunday Island, 22.9.2019)

The Sri Lanka ODI Squad: Lahiru Thirimanne (Captain), Oshada Fernando, Avishka Fernando, Isuru Udana, Danushka Gunathilaka, Shehan Jayasuriya, Angelo Perera, Dasun Shanaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Minod Bhanuka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakan, Nuwan Pradeep, Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara

Sri Lanka T-20 Squad: Oshada Fernando, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Danushka Gunathilaka, Shehan Jayasuriya, Angelo Perera, Dasun Shanaka (Captain), Lahiru Madushanka, Isuru Udana, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Minod Bhanuka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakan, Nuwan Pradeep, Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara.

Sri Lanka in Pakistan Schedule:

Sep 27 1st ODI in Karachi

Sep 29 2nd ODI in Karachi

Oct 03 3rd ODI in Karachi,

Oct 05 1st T20I in Lahore

Oct 07 2nd T20I in Lahore

Oct 09 3rd T20I in Lahore. (Sunday Island, 22.9.2019)

Sri Lanka will play three T20 International (T20I)’s in India next year, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said, replacing India’s scheduled encounter with Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe had been suspended from international cricket since July this year by the International Cricket Council (ICC) citing political interference in the game. The ICC’s decision is to be reviewed at its board meeting expected next month. Accordingly, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had invited Sri Lanka for a three-match tour which would begin on January 5 and end on January 10.

The schedule is as follows :

• January 05, 2020 : 1st T20I –  Guwahati
• January 07, 2020 : 2nd T20I – Indore
• January 10, 2020 : 3rd T20I – Pune         (Times Online, 26.9.2019)

Sri Lanka’s second One Day International (ODI) encounter with Pakistan has been rescheduled to September 30, hours after the first game had been washed out in Karachi today (Sept 27). The heavy downpour resulted in a soggy outfield at the Karachi National Stadium, which the PCB had said would take at least two days for ground staff to curate it for the next match. Both teams were expected to play the second game on September 29. However, Sri Lanka Cricket said the fixture had been revised after being consulted by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Sri Lanka, sans several senior players who dropped out citing security concerns, are to take on Pakistan in three ODI’s and T20 International (T20I)’s each.  The ODI’s would be played in Karachi while Lahore will host the T20I games. (Times Online, 27.9.2019)

The second ODI of the three-match series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which was originally scheduled for Sunday, will now be played on September 30 at the National Stadium in Karachi. The decision was taken mutually by both the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in order to ensure the ground staff get an additional day to ensure the playing conditions are better after the first match was washed out due to rain on Friday. “This week’s unseasonal heavy rains have forced us to review the series schedule. I am thankful to Sri Lanka Cricket as well as our host broadcasters for agreeing to amend the match schedule to ensure there are no further abandonments due to rain in what is an important bilateral FTP series for Pakistan,” said PCB Director, International Cricket, Zakir Khan in an official statement. The tickets sold for the first ODI, as well as for September 29 will be valid for both the second and the third ODI. Also, the ticket holders, who were unable to attend the game on the rescheduled day, will be refunded. The first ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was set to be the first in over 10 years that Karachi would have hosted an ODI match. The last match was also played between the two teams on January 21, 2009. The 2009 match was played before the tour ended when the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked outside the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.(Sunday Times, 29.9.2019)

Pakistan beat the touring Sri Lankans by 67 runs to win the Second ODI, played at the National Stadium, Karachchi. Scores:

Pakistan – 305/7 in 50 Overs (Azam 115, Zaman 54, Sohail 40, de Silva 2/63, Kumara 1/59, Udana 1/60)

Sri Lanka – 238 in 46.5 Overs (Jayasuriya 96, Shanaka 68, de Silva 30, Shinwari 5/51, Khan 2/76, Amir 1/21, Riaz 1/27)

Player of the match: Usman Shinwari )Pakistan)