SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS
(MARCH 2022)
Compiled by Victor Melder
India beat the touring Sri Lankan by an Innings and 222 runs (in under 3 days) in the first Test played at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh. Scores:
India, 1st Innings – 574/8 dec (Jadeja 175no, Pant 96, Ashwin 61, Vihari 58, Kohli 45, Lakmal 2/90, Fernando 2/135, Embuldeniya 2/188, Kumara 1/52, de Silva 1/79)
Sri Lanka, 1st Innings – 174 (Nissanka 61no, Asalanka 29, Karunaratne 28, Jadeja 5/42, Bumrah 2/36, Ashwin 2/49, Shami 1/27)
Sri Lanka, 2nd Innings – 178 (Dickwella 51no, de Silva 30, Mathews 28, Karunaratne 27, Jadeja 4/46, Ashwin 4/47, Shami 2/48)
Player of the Match: Ravindra Jadeja (India)
Points: India 12, Sri Lanka 0
India beat the touring Sri Lankans by 238 runs to win the second and final Test Played at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru. Scores:
India – 1st Innings – 252 (Iyer 92, Pant 39, Vihari 31, Jayawickrama 3/81, Embuldeniya 3/94, de Silva 2/32, Lakmal 1/12)
Sri Lanka – 1st Innings – 109 (Mathews 43, Dickwella 21, Bumrah 5/24, Shami 2/18, Ashwin 2/30, Patel 1/211)
India – 2nd Innings – 303/9 dec (Iyer 67, Pant 50, Sharma 46, Vihari 35, Jayawickrama 4/78, Embuldeniya 3/87)
Sri Lanka – 2nd Innings – 208 (Karunaratne 107, Mendis 54, Ashwin 4/55, Bumrah 3/23, Patel 2/37, Jadeja 1/48)
Player of the Match: Shreyas Iyer (India)
Player of the Series: Rishabh Pant (India)
Australia will visit Sri Lanka for an all-format series in June-July this year. The tour, Australia’s first to Sri Lanka since mid-2016, will feature two Tests, five ODIs and three T20Is, to be played from June 8 to July 12, with the match slotted in Colombo, Kandy and Galle. The series will start with the T20Is and end with the Tests.
June 7: 1st T20I, Colombo
June 8: 2nd T20I, Colombo
June 11: 3rd T20I, Colombo
June 14: 1st ODI, Kandy
June 16: 2nd ODI, Kandy
June 19: 3rd ODI, Colombo
June 21: 4th ODI, Colombo
June 24: 5th ODI, Colombo
June 29 to July 3: 1st Test, Galle
July 8 to 12: 2nd Test, Galle
“We are in for some exciting cricket, especially considering that an Australian tour to Sri Lanka is taking place after five [six] years,” SLC CEO Ashley De Silva said. “The T20 Series will help our preparations for the T20 World Cup, whilst the Test and ODI segments are also competitions of immense value for us, as we aim to move through the ICC World Test Championship rankings and also gearing up for the ICC Men’s World Cup in 2023.” (Cricinfo)
The 2022 edition of the Asia Cup, which on this occasion will be a T20I competition, is set to be held in Sri Lanka between August 27 and September 11. The dates and the host were announced after an AGM was held between the member countries on Saturday. All five Test teams – hosts Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh – will feature in the tournament, as will one more Asian side that will be decided after a qualifying tournament which will be held from August 20.The Asia Cup, which usually alternates between ODI and T20I formats, was last played in 2018 and won by India. The pandemic, however, forced the postponement of the 2020 edition. Sri Lanka was supposed to host the 2020 edition, but Covid-19 pushed the event to 2021 before finally being moved to 2022. Pakistan, who were originally supposed to host the 2022 Asia Cup, now have hosting rights for 2023. The sixth team to join the tournament will be one of UAE, Kuwait, Singapore or Hong Kong – with each side earning their place in the qualifier by coming either first or second in the ACC regional events in 2020. The upcoming Asia Cup will be the 15th of its kind, having started way back in 1984 in Sharjah. Defending champions India are the most successful team, winning it seven times including the lone T20I edition in 2016. Sri Lanka has won the competition five times. During the AGM, it was unanimously decided that Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary, will continue as the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) president for one more year till 2024. Pankaj Khimji of Oman Cricket Board was appointed the vice-president of ACC and Mahinda Vallipuram of Malaysia Cricket Association was named the chairman of developing committee. (Cricinfo)
