SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS – NOVEMBER 2017 –
Compiled by Victor Melder

Sri Lanka arrive in India next month for a cramped tour that will have them playing three Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is in 37 days, with the first Test likely to begin in Kolkata on November 16, and final match to be played on December 24.

1st Test: November 16-20, Kolkata

2nd Test: November 24-28, Nagpur

3rd Test: December 2-6, Delhi

1st ODI: December 10, Dharamsala

2nd ODI: December 13, Mohali

3rd ODI December 17, Visakhapatnam

1st T20I: December 20, Cuttack

2nd T20I: December 22, Indore

3rd T20I: December 24, Mumbai

Nagpur and Delhi will host the second and third Tests, before the limited-overs leg kicks off with the first ODI in Dharamsala on December 10. Mohali and Visakhapatnam complete the ODI fixtures, after which the T20Is will be held in Cuttack, Indore and Mumbai. While the BCCI hasn’t made an official announcement yet, ESPNcricinfo verified the schedule with most of the hosting centres. The second Test will be Nagpur’s first Test since the ICC gave the Jamtha surface a ‘poor’ rating during the series against South Africa in 2015. The pitch in Nagpur has since been relaid, and it hosted the fifth ODI between India and Australia on October 1. Indore and Mumbai will be staging their second international games in the space of a few months, both hosting T20Is against Sri Lanka. Indore hosted an ODI against Australia, and Mumbai will host a New Zealand ODI. Thiruvananthapuram, which had been initially allotted a T20I against Sri Lanka, will now host a T20I against New Zealand on November 7 after swapping fixtures with Cuttack. (EspnCricinfo)

Angelo Mathews will be fit for Sri Lanka’s tour of India in November, while Kusal Perera and Asela Gunaratne are also expected to return to the national set-up. Sri Lanka Cricket expects to announce a new head coach by the end of the year, though it is unlikely to happen prior to Sri Lanka’s upcoming tour of India in November. SLC confirmed that they were in conversations with a couple of coaches about the vacant position. Interim coach Nic Pothas, who has been in charge since the abrupt departure of Graham Ford in June, is also in the running. “We are discussing with about three or four coaches, including Nic Pothas. We hope to finalise the decision by the end of the year,” SLC CEO Ashley De Silva said. “When it comes to recruiting a new coach, we have to be sure to select the right one, therefore it takes some time. As for the names, some of them are still working in other places so if it gets leaked they won’t be happy. We’ll reveal it when the time is right.” It means that Sri Lanka will head into arguably their toughest tour this year without a permanent head coach. De Silva refused to confirm if Pothas would retain his role as interim coach for the tour of India. All three were unavailable for the recently concluded Pakistan tour, but will be welcomed back warmly following Sri Lanka’s recent struggles in limited-overs contests. Sri Lanka have lost their last 16 white-ball matches, including both ODI and T20I series whitewashes against Pakistan and India. Their next assignment is a full tour of India starting with the first of the three Tests on November 16 in Kolkata, followed by three ODIs and as many T20Is. “Angelo and Kusal Janith [Perera] have both recovered and they will be considered for selection for the Indian series. Asela Gunaratne is fit as well,” SLC CEO Ashley De Silva said. (EspnCricinfo)

The 2-day warm-up match between the touring Sri Lankans and the Indian Board President’s XII, played at Jadavpur University Campus 2nd Ground, Kolkata, ended in a draw. Scores:

Sri Lanka, 1st Innings – 411/9 dec (Samarawickrama 105, Dickwella 73no, Mathews 50 ret, Karunaratne 50 ret, Warrier 2/60, Bhandari 2/111)

Indian Board XII, 1st Innings – 287/5 (Samson 128, Prem 39, J. Singh 35, Sandeep 33no, Gamage 2/41, Perera 1/22, de Silva 1/35, Fernando 1/51) 

The first Test between the touring Sri Lankans and India, played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, ended in a draw. Scores:

India – 1st Innings – 172 (Pujara 52, Saha 29, Shami 24,  Lakmal 4/26, Perera 2/19, Shanaka 2/59, Gamage 2/59)

Sri Lanka – 1st Innings – 294 (Herath 67, Mathews 52,  Thirimanne 51, Dickwella 35,  Kumar 4/88, Shami 4/100, Yadav 2/79)

India – 2nd Innings – 352/8 dec (Kohli 104no, Dhawan 94, Rahul 79,  Shanaka 3/6, Lakmal 3/93, Perera 1/49, Gamage 1/97)

Sri Lanka – 2nd Innings – 75/7 (Dickwella 27, Chandimal 20,  Kumar 4/8, Shami 2/34, Yadav 1/25)

Player of the match: Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India)

India beat the touring Sri Lankans by an innings and 239 runs with more than a day to spare, in the second Test played at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur. Scores:

Sri Lanka – 1st Innings – 205 (Chandimal 57, Karunaratne 51, Dickwella 24, Ashwin 4/67, Sharma 3/37, Jadeja 3/56)

India – 1st Innings – 610/6 dec (Kohli 213, Pujara 143, Vijay 128, Sharma 102no, Perera 3/202, Herath 1/81, Gamage 1/97, Shanaka 1/103)

Sri Lanka – 2n d Innings – 166 (Chandmal 61, Lakmal 31no, Thirimanne 23, Ashwin 4/63, Jadeja 2/28, Yadav 2/30, Sharma 2/43)

Player of the match: Virat Kohli (India)  

After all the good work in UAE, Sri Lankan cricket is back to square one as the national cricket team suffered their heaviest defeat in the history in Nagpur yesterday. The innings and 239 run loss at the hands of India with more than a day to spare is their heaviest in 35 years since being granted Test status. Sri Lanka’s previous worst defeat was their innings and 229 loss at the hands of Shaun Pollock and company on a green top where South Africa played four quicks. Sri Lanka had no business suffering such a massive defeat yesterday on wicket where three Indian batsmen had produced hundreds and their captain a double hundred. All what Sri Lankans could muster were three half-centuries – both innings put together. (Daily Mirror 28.11.2017)

Sri Lanka all-rounder Dasun Shanaka has been fined 75 per cent of his match fee after he admitted to ball tampering on day two of the Nagpur Test against India. Shanaka was charged by the umpires following the second day’s play, after television cameras showed him picking up an area on the ball next to the seam on several occasions. He duly admitted to “changing the condition of the ball” and accepted the proposed sanction handed down by match referee David Boon, meaning there was no need for a formal hearing. In addition to his fine, Shanaka has picked up three demerit points. Any player reaching four or more within a 24-month period faces a suspension. Boon said: “These are early days in Dasun’s career and I am sure this sanction will ensure he is more careful when maintaining the condition of the ball in the future.” (Daily Mirror 26.11.2017)

Ending weeks of speculation about the future of Upul Tharanga as captain, Sri Lanka Cricket yesterday confirmed Thisara Perera as the new captain of the ODI and T-20 sides. Tharanga’s future as captain of the ODI and T-20 sides came under a cloud after Sri Lanka suffered a third successive 5-0 whitewash under his charge this year. Never a natural leader, there were few eyebrows raised when Sanath Jayasuriya announced his former opening partner as Sri Lanka’s limited overs captain when Angelo Mathews stepped down in July. Less than five months later, he has been axed after Sri Lanka lost 12 ODIs in a row. Among full time Sri Lankan captains, his tenure was the shortest. Tharanga was made the stand in captain when Mathews was injured in January and suffered a 5-0 whitewash against South Africa. He was the stand-in captain in Sri Lanka’s maiden fixture of the Champions Trophy and was suspended for two games for slow over rate. (Daily Island 30.11.2017)