SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS Compiled – by Victor Melder   (JANUARY 2023) Sri Lanka Cricket has appointed Chris Clarke-Irons as the Lead Physiotherapist of the National Team, with effect from January 1, 2023. Chris is on a two-year contract with Sri Lanka Cricket and his first official tour with the Sri Lanka National Team will be the Sri Lanka Tour of India 2022–2023. Chris, who holds a BSc (Hons) Degree in Physiotherapy obtained from the University of East London and an MSc in Advanced Physiotherapy from Kings College, London, was the Head of Science and Medicine and also the Lead Physiotherapist of the Essex County Cricket Club, before joining Sri Lanka Cricket. He also held stints with the England Men’s Team during an ODI Tour of Australia and also functioned as the physiotherapist for the ECB’s Senior Men’s Pace Program. (Daily Mirror, 1.1.2023) India beat the touring Sri Lankans ...

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Kusal, Dushmantha among key players to play against England Lions before NZ tour Source:Dailymirror The Sri Lanka Cricket Selectors have decided to play 14 players including Kusal Janith Perera and Dushmantha Chameera as and when needed during the upcoming games against the England Lions Team, as part of their preparation for the Sri Lanka Tour of New Zealand. The Sri Lanka team is scheduled to tour in New Zealand in March this year for 2 Test matches, 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is. It was reported that some key Sri Lankan players who have recovered from injuries will be included in the New Zealand tour. ...

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Wellalage lives up to his image – By Dinesh Weerawansa Source : sundayobserver Promising Dunith Wellalage seems to be the next rich contribution to Sri Lanka cricket from St. Joseph’s College, Colombo after former Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews. Wellalage emerged the Observer SLT Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2022. Having completed a superb final season for St. Joseph’s, he climbed to the top most level, while still being a 19-plus schoolboy. Prior to making his Test debut for Sri Lanka in July this year, young Wellalage captained Sri Lanka Under-19 with distension. When the voting for the most popular contests concluded a fortnight ago, Wellalage and Chushadi Kaushalya of Dharmapala College, Pannipitiya headed the respective Observer SLT Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy and Schoolgirl Cricketers of the Year 2022 with convincing margins. Dunith Nethmika Wellalage was born on January 9, 2003 in Colombo. After having his initial junior ...

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No walk-in-the-park for Sri Lanka in Galle-BY CALLISTUS DAVY The Sri Lanka team celebrate winning the five-match ODI series against Australia 3-2 at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday night ahead of the Test series starting in Galle on Wednesday Source:Sundayobserver Elated by their triumph in the ODI series, Sri Lanka will be looking for a repeat of the home Test series against Australia in 2016 when the two teams leave aside the fanfare of white ball cricket and get down to more series stuff with the first of two Tests starting in Galle on Wednesday. Sri Lanka had a 3-0 clean sweep of Australia the last time the two teams played in a Test series in the island but the difference this time will be that the home team will be without their supreme match winning spin bowlers Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera. The duo accounted for 41 ...

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Angelo Mathews wins ICC Men’s Player of the Month Source:Dailymirror Veteran Sri Lanka star Angelo Mathews has been voted ICC Men’s Player of the Month (POTM) for May 2022 becoming the first Sri Lanka player to win the POTM award since its inception in January 2021. Mathews beat off competition from fellow countryman Asitha Fernando and Bangladesh star Mushfiqur Rahim to win the award. Mathews was impressive in the two-match series against Bangladesh away from home, where he finished as the highest run-getter with 344 runs, which included two centuries. In the first Test in Chattogram, he narrowly missed out on a double ton at 199. ...

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Can Sri Lanka’s home-ground advantage unsettle Australia? Source:theroar.com.au Sri Lanka will ascertain their true strength against the rampant Australians fresh from a successful tour of Pakistan. Both teams are currently basking in the glory of series triumphs over Pakistan and Bangladesh away from home, making the outcome of the current two-Test series a defining moment in the Test Championship rankings. While the tour raises questions about its priority in a country suffering from impending bankruptcy and civil unrest due to political bungling and mismanagement, Sri Lanka Cricket believes it is a justified decision to go ahead due to the revenue it will generate. The cricket board has pledged a substantial sum of dollars generated from the games towards urgent medical requirements the country is unable to purchase due to the current crisis. Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Mohan De Silva is quoted as saying it will also create a much needed ...

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Sri Lanka geared up for 300th Test match-by Rex Clementine Although the Sri Lankans were whitewashed 3-0 in the T-20s that just finished, the Tests are expected to be a much closer contest with Sri Lanka banking on the experience of Angelo Mathews and Dimuth Karunaratne. Source:Island The Mohali Test that gets underway later this week will be a landmark one for Sri Lankan cricket as this is the nation’s 300th Test match. Since gaining Test status 40 years ago, Sri Lanka have gone onto achieve many unique feats over the years. The World Record for most wickets in Test cricket is owned by Muttiah Muralitharan, whose 800 wickets has been untouched for over a decade and it is expected to stand for quite a long time to come. The nation also has produced many fine batsmen. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, both of whom have scored more than 10,000 ...

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It needs a mastermind to win in South Africa-by Rex Clementine Source:Island Indian cricket had reached new heights last year winning in Australia, sealing the series of all places at the Gabba, where the Aussies had been unbeaten for three decades. Given such an epic performance, you thought this Indian team will complete a series win in South Africa as well. But the Indians were cut to size as the Proteas chased down a tricky target showing guts in plenty with their skipper Dean Elgar putting up a super show at the Wanderers this week. The series is leveled 1-1 and India could still go onto win it by emerging victorious in the final Test in Cape Town next week. The point is that you thought the series for this Indian side is a walk in the park given the parity between the two sides. If India do not win ...

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87th Joe-Pete Big Match on December 13 and 14 Handing over the sponsorship: From left: St. Joseph’s College Rector Rev. Fr. Ranjith Andradi, Dialog Axiata General Counsel/Vice President – Group Legal and Regulatory Trinesh Fernando, St. Peter’s College Rector Rev. Fr. Rohitha Rodrigo. Source:Dailynews Sri Lanka’s premier catholic boys’ schools, St. Joseph’s College, Colombo and St. Peter’s College, Colombo,will battle it out for the Rev. Father Maurice J. Le Goc Trophy on 13 and 14 December, at the SSC Grounds in Colombo. The ‘Battle of the Saints,’ which is renowned for its exciting and competitive brand of cricket, is the only annual two-day cricket encounter that strategically limits the first innings to 60 overs each to create greater interest and result orientation. In the 2021 encounter the lads from Darley Road will be led by Sri Lanka Under-19 Captain, the brilliant all rounder Dunith Wellalage, while the boys from Bambalapitiya ...

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Stage set for Lanka Premier League 2021 edition Source:Dailymirror Despite glaring omissions at the player draft and last-minute franchise ownership changes, the Lanka Premier League (LPL), Sri Lanka’s franchise T20 league, returns this Sunday – the second edition in the five-year partnership between Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and the LPL rights holders and tournament organisers ‘Innovation Production Group (IPG).    Last year’s title-winning Jaffna franchise will take on the Galle Gladiators – a rematch of the 2021 final – in the first of 20 group stage matches, leading up to the title-decider on December 23. The first round matches will be played at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, before the teams move to Hambantota for the knockout phase, all in front of a limited number of spectators.    If  you had an affinity and allegiance to one of the franchises last season, there’s a good chance that the team ...

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