SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS(JULY 2018)Compiled by Victor Melder

SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS

(JULY 2018)

Compiled by Victor Melder

 

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) released the Test squad that will play against South Africa in the two-match series, which begins from July 12.  Sri Lanka has named 16 members in the squad, which includes two players — Kusal Janith Perera and Rangana Herath — who are yet to prove their fitness levels. The virtual side that last played in the West Indies has been retained as Dinesh Chandimal makes his comeback after serving a one-match ban. The first Test will be played at the Galle International Stadium from July 12 to 16 followed by the second Test at the SSC in Colombo from July 20 to 24, before the two sides engage in a five-match ODI series and a one-off Twenty20 game.  Sri Lanka Test squad: Dinesh Chandimal (Captain), Angelo Mathews, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Dilruwan Perera, Akila Dananjaya, Lahiru Kumara, Lakshan Sandakan, Kasun Rajitha  Stand by: Asitha Fernando, Dasun Shanaka, Malinda Pushpakumara, Shehan Jayasuriya. (Times onliine 7.7.2018)

The match between Sri Lanka Board XI and the touring South Africans, played at the P.Sara Oval, Colombo, ended in a draw. Scores:

Sri Lanka Board, 1st Innings – 287(Mathews 92, J. Silva 76, Gunathilaka 53, Shamsi 5/45, von Berg 2/82, Elgar 1/13)

South Africa, 1st Innings –  338 (du Plessis 79, Amla 78, Bavuma 58, Elgar 43, p. de Silva 3/72, D. de Silva 2/9, Ambuldeniya 2/83, Sanjaya 1 /4,  Gamage 1/57)

Leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay has been charged by Sri Lanka Cricket for breach of the code of conduct. He was sent home from the tour of West Indies ahead of the third Test match in Barbados. The 28-year-old has seven days to respond for the charges. If he accepts the charges, SLC’s Management Committee will determine a penalty and a possible suspension. However, if he challenges the charges, then the disciplinary committee will conduct an inquiry. (Sunday Island, 8.7.2018)

Sri Lanka defeated the touring South Africans by 278 runs, to win the first Test played at the Galle International Stadium. Scores:

Sri Lanka, 1st Innings – 278 (Karunaratne 158no, Gunathilaka 26, Sandakan 25, Mendis 24, Rabada 4/50, Shamsi 3/91)

South Africa, 1st Innings – 126 (du Plessis 49, Philander 18, Bavuma 17, Perera 4/46, Lakmal 3/21, Herath 2/39, Sandakan 1/18)

Sri Lanka, 2nd Innings – 190 (Karunaratne 60, Mathews 35, Lakmal 33no, Gunathilaka 17, Maharaj 4/58, Rabanda 3/44, Steyn 1/35)

South Africa, 2nd Innings – 73 (Philander 22no, Markram 19, de Kock 10, Perera 6/32, Herath 3/38, Sandakan 1/1)

Player of the Match: Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka)

Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal and coach Chandika Hathurusingha have been suspended for four ODIs, in addition to the two Tests they are already sitting out, after receiving the maximum possible punishment for their spirit of cricket offence. Team manager Asanka Gurusinha also receives the same sanction. Following a ball-tampering row, the trio had been charged with the level 3 offence over Sri Lanka’s refusal to take the field on day three in the second Test in St Lucia last month, a refusal that resulted in a delay of roughly two hours. Although they had pleaded guilty, and made the case that the entirety of the delay was not their fault, and that ICC match officials had failed to follow correct protocol, judicial commissioner Michael Beloff has imposed the harshest possible sentence, of eight suspension points. This is the severest sanction the ICC has handed out since the demerit points system was introduced in September 2016. Six demerit points have also been added to the records of all three men, which, for Chandimal, brings his demerit point tally to 10, having received four demerit points over the original ball-tampering offence. This means Chandimal is on very thin ice for the next 24 months. If he collects two further demerit points – for anything from slow over rate, to a breach of the code of conduct – he will be suspended for a further three Tests, or six limited-overs internationals, or a combination of the two depending on the schedule.  Sri Lanka had hoped for a much more lenient sentence, with the board expressing regret, and Chandimal publicly expressing remorse over refusing to take the field, labelling that decision an “emotional” one. The hearing had gone on for over five hours, in which Sri Lanka had made the case that although they were guilty of breaching the spirit of cricket, the circumstances that led to that breach were exceptional, but Beloff did not buy this argument.  (ESPN, Cricinfo, 16.7.2018)

Cricketer Jeffrey Vandersay was given a one-year suspension from all forms of international cricket, which will stand suspended for one year, for misconduct reported against him during the concluded West Indies Tour, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced today. It said Vandersay was also fined with 20 per cent from his annual contract fee over the misconduct. “He was imposed with the punishment, following his admission of guilt over the incident. The SLC also informed him that during the period of serving the suspended sentence, any breach of the contractual obligation shall be severely dealt with together with the suspension,” it said. (Daily Mirror, 20.7.2018)

Sri Lanka defeated the touring South Africans by 199 runs, to win the second and final Test played at the Sinhalese Sports Club Grounds, Colombo. Scores:

Sri Lanka, 1st Innings – 338 (D. de Silva 60, Gunathilaka 57, Karunratne 53, Dananjaya 43no, Herath 35, Maharaj 9/129, Rabada 1/55)

South Africa, 1st innings – 124 (du Plessis 48, de Kock 32,  Dananjaya 5/52, Perera 4/40, Herath 1/32)

Sri Lanka, 2nd Innings – 275/5 dec (Karunaratne 85, Mathews 71, Gunathilaka 61,  Maharaj 3/154, Ngidi 1/9)

South Africa, 2nd Innings – 290 (de Bruyn 101, Bavuma 63, Elgar 37, Herath 6/98, Dananjaya 2/67, Perera 2/90)

Player of the Match: Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka)

Player of the Series: Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka)

Sri Lanka won the 2-match series 2-0.

Sri Lankan opener Danushka Gunathilaka faces an uncertain future after Sri Lanka Cricket charged him with breach of Code of Conduct during the second Test match against South Africa at SSC. SLC officials said that they will launch their own inquiry after an ongoing Police inquiry into misbehaviour. Gunathilaka is alleged to have booked two additional rooms in the Five Star team hotel on Saturday. While the Police have cleared him of serious misconduct, his friend, for whom Gunathilaka had booked the second room is under arrest. Gunathilaka, who hit twin fifties in the second Test that Sri Lanka won by 199 runs, is believed to have turned up at his SLC booked room at 2am on Sunday, breaching team curfew. Sri Lanka’s senior players are believed to have put down their foot and demanded maximum punishment for the batsman. A previous disciplinary issue is sure to invite more trouble. Gunathilaka was suspended last August for being drunk, skipping training and arriving on the match day without his kit bag. The incident happened at Pallekele during India’s tour last year.SLC withheld his payment for the second Test and suspended him from all forms of international cricket until an inquiry was conducted. A regular in Sri Lanka’s white ball team, Gunathilaka was not named for the five match ODI series that gets underway later this week in Dambulla. Angelo Mathews will return to the side as captain as Sri Lanka’s ODI specialists such as Dasun Shanaka, Upul Tharanga and Thisara Perera were named in the 15 member squad. Uncapped left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya was named in the squad along with all-rounder Shehan Jayasuriya, who last represented Sri Lanka two years ago. Test opener Dimuth Karunaratne was named as one of the four stand-bys after a prolific Test series against the Proteas. The 30-year-old scored an unbeaten 158 in the first Test in Galle and into the bargain scored three half-centuries completely dominating the series. He was Man of the Match in both Tests and walked away with Player of the Series award as well. Sri Lanka have an axe to grind with the Proteas after being whitewashed 5-0 in the last series between the countries in South Africa. Sri Lanka Squad: Angelo Mathews (Captain), Dasun Shanaka, Kusal Janith Perera, Dhananjaya De Silva, Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Thisara Perera, Niroshan Dickwella, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha, Akila Dananjaya, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lakshan Sandakan and Shehan Jayasuriya. Standbys: Dimuth Karunaratne, Isuru Udana, Nishan Peiris and Jeffrey Vandersay. (Daily Island, 25.7.2018)

The touring South Africans beat the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI, in the one-day warm-up match, played at the P.Sara Oval, Colombo.

Scores:

South Africa – 293/10 in 49.4 Overs (du Plessis 71, Hendricks 59, Mulder 56, Miller 40, Jayasuriya 2/46, Peiris 2/47, A. Fernando 2/48)

Sri Lanka – 230 in 44.1 Overs (Udana 53, Karunaratne 50, D. de Silva 36, Mulder 3/12, Shamsi 3/41, Dala 2/15, Duminy 1/16. Ngidi 1/37)

Sri Lanka’s cricket board Friday slapped a six-match ban on batsman Danushka Gunathilaka for breaching player rules as police investigated the alleged rape of a Norwegian woman in his hotel room. Gunathilaka, 27, was questioned by police on Tuesday after his associate Sandeep Jude Selliah, 26, was accused of raping one of two Norwegian women with them in a room at the team hotel.Police said Gunathilaka was not an accused, but a cricket board hearing found him guilty of breaching team discipline and violating his contract. The incident is said to have happened in the early hours of Sunday just before Sri Lanka completed a Test win over South Africa. SLC rules stipulate that during matches players must be in their hotel rooms by midnight and cannot have guests. “Sri Lanka Cricket decided to suspend Danushka Gunathilaka from six international cricket matches for breaching the ‘Player Code of Conduct and Contractual Obligation’,” said a board statement. Gunathilaka will now miss five one-day internationals starting Sunday against South Africa and a one-off T20 match.  He had already been excluded from Sri Lanka’s ODI squad pending the disciplinary hearing. Gunathilaka was already on probation for another transgression when the new charges were slapped over his conduct at the weekend. The six-match ban takes into consideration a misconduct offence in October last year. Local media said that punishment came after he missed a training session following late-night partying. Sri Lanka Cricket said he will forfeit his match fee for the second Test against South Africa and any other bonus payments for winning the two match series. Gunathilaka and Selliah were with two Norwegian women at the team hotel in Colombo during the 2nd Test. One woman later accused the Selliah, a British passport-holder of Sri Lankan origin, of raping her. He was later arrested by police. (Daily Island, 28.7.2018)

The touring South Africans beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets to win the first one-day International played at Rangiri International Stadium, Dambulla. Scores:

Sri Lanka – 193 in 34.3 Overs (M.Perera 81, N.Perera 49, Shamsi 4/33, Rabada 4/41, Ngidi 1/29)

South Africa – 196/5 in 31 Overs (Duminy 53no, de Kock 47, de Plessis 47, Dananjaya 3/50, Lakmal 1/37, Sandakan 1/74)

Player of the Match: Tabraiz Shamsi (South Africa)

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