SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS – FEBRUARY 2017

(FEBRUARY 2017)
Compiled by Victor Melder

South Africa beat the touring Sri Lankans by 121 runs to win the 2nd ODI, played at Kingsmead, Durban. Scores:
South Africa – 307/6 in 50 overs (Miller 117no, de Plessis 105, Morris 26, Lakmal 2/4, Pathirana 1/19, de Silva 1/42, Sandakan 1/51)
Sri Lanka – 186 in 37.5 overs (Chandimal 36, Tharanga 26, Pathirana 26, Tahir 2/26, Duminy 2/30, Parnell 2/34, Pheblukwayo 1/21)
Player of the match: F. du Plessis (South Africa)

South Africa beat the touring Sri Lankans by 7 wickets to win the 3rd ODI, played at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. Scores:
Sri Lanka – 163 in 39.2 overs (Dickwella 74, Tharanga 31, Pretorius 3/19, Tahir 2/21, Pheblukwayo 2/26, Rabada 2/39, Morris 1/38)
South Africa – 164/3 in 32 overs (de Villiers 60no, Amla 34, Duminy 28no, du Plessis 24, Madushanka 1/15, Kumara 1/49)
ODI debuts: C. B. R. L. S Kumara and L. D. Madushanka (Sri Lanka)
Player of the match: D. Pretorius (South Africa)

A swarm of bees halted play and left the teams prone on the pitch during the third one-day international between South Africa and Sri Lanka in Johannesburg. Sri Lanka had just lost their fourth wicket with the total on 115 in the 25th over when, with new batsman Asela Gunaratne about to face his first ball, the slip fielders dropped to the ground. Other players followed and there was a short delay. At one time all 13 players and both umpires were lying face down on the field as the bees buzzed about. Play resumed but midway through the 27th over the bees converged on a helmet which had been placed behind wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock and the umpires stopped play. Ground staff at Wanderers Stadium emptied the contents of two fire extinguishers into the swarm. The players returned after a delay of more than 20 minutes but again left the field because there were still bees in the area where de Kock needed to stand. (Sunday Observer 5.2.2017)

The National Selections Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket is expected to meet on Tuesday (February 7) to decide the national squad for three T20 internationals Sri Lanka will play against Australia from 15 to 23 February. Prior to the meeting however, it has been announced that captain Angelo Mathews will not be part of the squad as he has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury. The skipper sustained an injury during the second T20 International against South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg last month. Although he had made prior arrangements to leave during some point of the tour, he made an early exit following his injury. The meeting on Tuesday will decide the squad and the captain who will lead the team for the three matches. Accordingly the team will arrive in Canberra on Monday February 13 with the first match scheduled for February 15. The team will participate in one T20 tour match and three T20 International matches. The national team has also been invited by the Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull to attend an early evening cocktail to celebrate the annual Prime Minister’s XI match at Parliament House upon their arrival. The team is expected to fly back to the country on 23 February.

MATCH SCHEDULE

15 Feb: T20 Tour Match v Prime Minister’s XI, Manuka Oval, Canberra
17 Feb: 1st T20 International v Australia, Melbourne
19 Feb: 2nd T20 International v Australia, Kardinia Park, Geelong
22 Feb: 3rd T20 International v Australia, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide.
(Daily News 6.2.2017)

Misfiring batsman Dinesh Chandimal will be the sacrificial lamb as he will make way for young Sandun Weerakkody in the playing XI for today’s fourth ODI against South Africa at the Newlands Cricket Stadium in Cape Town. South Africa lead the five-match series 3-0, having beaten Sri Lanka comprehensively in the first three matches. Though Sri Lanka cannot boast a single consistent performer in the series, Chandimal’s 12 consecutive failures with the bat provide ample motive for the team’s think-tank to swing the axe on the 27-year-old senior batsman. Chandimal was the country’s highest scorer in one-day cricket last year, having scored 697 runs in 17 matches at 53.61 but his form this season has been woeful, largely contributing for Sri Lanka’s horrendous run in the series in South Africa. He has struggled across all formats and is yet to score a half century after 12 innings in South Africa. His form has been a major worry for the Sri Lankans. “He is going through a bad patch just as any other cricketer. But we all know how good a cricketer he is and what he has done for the country. So I am sure he will get his form back,” said the chairman of selectors Sanath Jayasuriya. “I had a chat with him and he seems very low on confidence. So we decided to rest him for today’s game and bring in Sandun Weerakkody,” Jayasuriya added. Weerakkody, 23, made his international one-day debut at Port Elizabeth scoring just five runs but was left out of the last two matches as Sri Lanka opted for all-rounders-heavy team. (Daily Mirror 8.2.2017)

South Africa beat the touring Sri Lankans by 40 runs to win the 4th ODI, played at Newlands, Cape Towen. Scores:
South Africa – 367/5 in 50 overs (du Plessis 185, de Villiers 64, de kock 55, Behardien 36no, Pathirana 2/55, Kumara 2/73, Madushanka 1/69)
Sri Lanka – 327 in 48.1 overs (Tharanga 119, Dickwella 58, Weerakkody58, Gunaratna 38, Parnell 4/58, Rabada 2/50, Pretorius 2/55, Tahir 2/76)
Player of the match: F. du Plessis (South Africa).

South Africa beat the touring Sri Lankans by 88runs to win the 5th and final ODI, played at SuperSport Park, Centurion. Scores:
South Africa – 384/6 in 50 overs (Amla 154, de Kock 109, du Plessis 41, Behardien 32, Lakmal 3/71, Madushanka 2/70, Vandersay 1/61)
Sri Lanka – 296/8 in 50 overs (Gunaratna 114no, Pathirana 56, Dickwella 39, Morris 4/31, Parnell 2/51, Tahir 1/57)
South Africa won the 5-match series 5-0
Player of the match: H. M. Amla (South Africa)
Player of the series: F. du Plessis (South Africa)

Dinesh Chandimal, who led Sri Lanka in the last of the T20Is in South Africa, has been dropped from the squad for the three T20Is in Australia, while a clutch of players stage a comeback to the side. The most notable of these is Lasith Malinga who has now recovered from injury. Allrounders Dasun Shanaka and Milinda Siriwardana, and batsmen Dilshan Munaweera and Chamara Kapugedara were also named, after being left out of the squad to South Africa. Upul Tharanga, who is currently leading Sri Lanka in the ODIs in South Africa ODIs, will lead the team in place of Angelo Mathews, who remained unavailable through injury. Dhananjaya de Silva, Thikshila de Silva, Nuwan Pradeep and Suranga Lakmal were left out of the squad. There was still no place for wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Perera or legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay. This is the first time Malinga was picked since he withdrew from the side ahead of the 2016 World T20, citing a bone bruise in his left knee. He was originally expected to only be unavailable for about five months, but had setbacks during his recovery – most recently suffering from dengue in December. If Malinga plays in the first T20I in Melbourne, it will be his first competitive match – international or domestic – in nearly a year. Chandimal’s omission was expected following his poor form across formats in South Africa. Sri Lanka did win the T20I series under Chandimal’s leadership, but he only contributed scores of 6 not out, 22 and 5, and made significant errors as wicketkeeper during the tour. He has a high score of 36 in his past 12 international innings – though he had been in better form before he broke his hand in a domestic match late last year. Of those who returned to the squad, opening batsman Munaweera had been out of the team longest, having last played against Bangladesh in March 2013. In the years since, Munaweera played in the Bangladesh Premier League and the Caribbean Premier League, but had most recently been playing in Sri Lanka’s first class competition, where he struck 191 off 179 balls three weeks ago. Siriwardana, who had some success in the Sri Lanka side before losing his place, enjoyed even better domestic form, hitting two hundreds and three fifties in his last eight innings, in addition to taking five wickets in those matches. Shanaka was among the runs and wickets as well. Kapugedara, however, was picked more on T20 reputation – he has not passed fifty in three games this first-class season. Sri Lanka play three T20 internationals and a practice match on their tour of Australia. The first international match is scheduled for February 17.

Squad Upul Tharanga (capt), Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Asela Gunaratna, Dilshan Munaweera, Kusal Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana, Sachith Pathirana, Chamara Kapugedara, Seekkuge Prasanna, Nuwan Kulasekara, Isuru Udana, Dasun Shanaka, Lakshan Sandakan, Lasith Malinga, Vikum Sanjaya

The touring Sri Lankans beat the Prime Minister’s XI by 5 wickets in their encounter at Manuka Oval, Canberra. Scores
Prime Minister’s XI – 169/6 in 20 Overs (Heazlett 58, Voges 54no, Carey 21, Sanjaya 3/26, Malinga 1/26, Udana 1/50)
Sri Lanka – 170/5 in 17.1 Overs (Dickwella 47, Tharanga 47no, Munaweera 32, Siriwardana 25, Short 2/19, Worrall 1/31, Nair 1/32)

The touring Sri Lankans beat Australia by 5 wickets to win the first T20 match, played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Scores:
Australia – 168/6 in 20 overs (Finch 43, Klinger 38, Head 31, Malinga 2/29, Gunaratna 1/11, Sandakan 1/30, Sanjaya 1/35)
Sri Lanka – 172/5 in 20 overs (Gunaratna 52, Munaweera 44, Dickwella 30, Turner 2/12, Zampa 2/26)
T20 debuts: M.Klinger, B.Stanlake and A.J.Turner (Australia), J.R.M.V.B. Sanjaya (Sri Lanka)
Player of the match: D.A.S.Gunaratne (Sri Lanka)

The touring Sri Lankans beat Australia by 2 wickets to win the second T20 match, played at Simonds Stadium, Geelong. Scores:
Australia – 173 in 20 overs (Henriques 56no, Klinger 43, Dunk 32, Kulasekara 4/31, Malinga 2/31, Sanjaya 2/32, Prasanna 1/36)
Sri Lanka – 176/8 in 20 overs (Gunaratna 84no, Kapugedera 32, Tye 3/37, Faulkner 2/32, Turner 1/15, Richardson 1/24, Cummins 1/28)
T20 debuts: J.A. Richardson (Australia)
Player of the match: D.A.S. Gunaratne (Sri Lanka)

Australia beat the touring Sri Lankans by 41 runs to win the third and final T20 match, played at the Adelaide Oval. Scores:
Australia – 187/6 in 20 overs (Klinger 62, Finch 53, Head 30, Dunk 28, Shanaka 2/27, Malinga 2/35, Prasanna 1/25)
Sri Lanka – 146 in 18 overs (Munaweera 37, Siriwardana 35, Faulkner 3/20, Zampa 3/25, Head 1/16, Richardson 1/38)
Sri Lanka won the 3-match series 2-1.
Player of the mach: A. Zampa (Australia)
Player of the series: D.A.S.Gunaratne (Sri Lanka)

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has been ruled out of the Test series against Bangladesh as the hamstring injury that has ailed him since January 22 continues to pose problems. Sri Lanka’s selectors are expected to name the Test squad on Tuesday, and with it, the replacement captain. This will be the second Test series Mathews has missed over a six-month span, with multiple leg injuries also having prevented him from touring Zimbabwe in October and November. He had played a substantial amount of cricket in the two years leading up to this period, representing Sri Lanka in all three formats, as well as leading the team in the 2015 World Cup, in last year’s World T20, and in Tests. Rangana Herath had filled in as captain during the Zimbabwe Test series, and it is possible he will be picked for the role again. However, regular vice-captain Dinesh Chandimal – who had also missed the Zimbabwe tour through injury – may also be considered for the captaincy in this series. Upul Tharanga, who led Sri Lanka in the recent ODIs against South Africa and the T20s in Australia, represents a third option. Neither Chandimal or Tharanga have previously led Sri Lanka in a Test.

The first Test starts in Galle from March 7, before the action moves to the P Sara Oval, from March 15. A Sri Lanka Cricket release said Mathews was “likely” to be available for the ODI and T20 series that follow the Tests.