Sri Lanka Squad – Test Series against New Zealand Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Oshada Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milan Rathnayake   Click here to receive your free copy of the eLanka Newsletter twice a week delivered directly to your inbox!   ...

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Defiant Lankans react in savage response to thrash England by eight wickets. Pathum Nissanka and unsung pace attack were the X factors. BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE.  (eLanka Sports Editor) Sri Lanka bounced back with a vengeance and thrashed England by eight wickets proving the unpredictability of this remarkable team when everything looked like doom and gloom. Beaten comprehensively in the first two Tests, it seemed like a clean sweep was on the cards for a memorable summer for the English. But in true fashion, the pride of the Lion emerged in the battle of the Lions, this time by the seemingly beaten and subdued Lankans whose savage response to a seemingly hopeless situation was commendable.  This type of Sri Lankan performance personifies the team of glorious uncertainties  although it has created huge division among their cricket mad fans.  England had earlier recorded a one sided 3- 0 clean sweep ...

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Batters hit top gear as Sri Lanka smash Afganistan to a series win – Same team but different mindset appears to be selectors master-stroke – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE  (eLanka Sports editor) Sri Lanka shed their ‘inconsistency’ tag thrashing Afganistan by 155 runs while lightning up the hills of Pallekelle to the dawning of a welcome form turnaround, and silencing their critics in the process. Teetering on the edge of being written off in all formats, Sri Lanka appear to have discovered the correct horses for courses strategy from the available talent, and Coach Chris Silverwood can breathe easy as the new selection committee goes about putting together the pieces and the right squads for the different formats. There’s no disputing the talent in Sri Lanka cricket, but issues off field has derailed the games administration creating an unwanted distraction to their performances on the field. The new look ...

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Thirty member cricket pool named for Zimbabwe tour-by Dhammika Ratnaweera Kusal Mendis who was named ODI Vice captain playing football while at training (pix courtesy SLC) Source:Dailynews Sri Lankan ODI cricket team is getting ready for the world Cup qualification tournament which is scheduled to commence on June 18 in Zimbabwe. Sri Lanka already have been relegated to play in the 10 team qualifier tournament where the finalists will join the eight automatic qualifiers in the main draw. South Africa is the latest addition to automatic qualifiers list and they were able to edge out Ireland to qualify for the direct qualification slot. Sri Lankan also an uphill task to get qualification slot while Ireland, Netherlands, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka (five super league bottom teams), Nepal, Oman, Scotland (League 2 top three teams) and UAE and USA Qualifier play off top two teams) are expected to take part ...

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Three replacements for Sri Lanka Asia Cup squad-by Dhammika Ratnaweera Source:Dailynews Three replacements have been named in the 20-man cricket squad for the six nation Asia Cup T20 cricket tournament which will commence on August 27 in Dubai. The selection committee headed by Pramodya Wickramasinghe has picked a 20-member squad (17-player squad and three stand-by players) and Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe has given his approval to this squad. Two players who were originally named pacemen Binura Fernando and Kasun Rajitha got injured during the recently concluded SLC Invitational T20 League tournament while Sri Lankan white ball format main strike bowler Dushmantha Chameera who was rested for the T20 invitational tournament once again got injured last Friday during the training and selectors named three replacements for Binura Fernando, Kasun Rajitha and Dushmantha Chameera. The selectors earlier named two replacements pace bowlers Asitha Fernando who was the best player of the recently ...

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SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS (JULY 2022) By Victor Melder   The touring Australians beat Sri Lanka by 10 wickets to win the first Test played at the Galle International Stadium. Scores: Sri Lanka, 1st Innings – 212 (Dickwella 58, Mathews 39, Karunaratne 28, Nissanka 23, Lyon 5/90, Swepson 3/55) Australia, 1st Innings – 321 (Green 77, Khawaja 71, Carey 45, Cummins 26, R.Mendis 4/112, A.Fernando 2/37, Vandersay 2/68) Sri Lanka, 2nd Innings – 113 (Karunaratne 23, Head 4/10, Lyon 4/31, Swepson 2/34) Australia, 2nd Innings – 10/0 (Warner 10no) Player of the Match: Cameroon Green (Australia)    Test Debut: Jeffrey Vandersay (Sri Lanka) Points: Australia 12, Sri Lanka Sri Lanka have been hit by three more COVID-19 cases on the eve of the second Test against Australia, with Dhananjaya de Silva, Asitha Fernando and Jeffrey Vandersay ruled out of the game in Galle. It is understood that the trio had all reported feeling unwell which led ...

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Kangaroo’s move in for Lion’s annihilation – By Trevine Rodrigo in Melbourne Lanka’s curators must be scrambling to reverse their preparation of spitting spinning tracks to docile less venom turners in an endeavour to give the technically flawed local batsmen fewer worries against Australia’s superior bowling.  Usually accustomed to terrorising visiting teams in Galle, the Lankans were embarrassed by Australia’s spinning duo, Nathan Lyon and Mitch Shwepson who bamboozled the local batsmen and swing the scales the other way. To be bowled out in a similar way to a T20 disaster by Australia in the first Test,  the Lankans will be smarting about the hopeless capitulation by their batsmen who failed to address a first innings debacle after the Aussies gave them  a lesson on defiant fighting batting qualities in their first dig. Same venue, similar conditions, see Pat Cummins men with their tails up and much more the dictators of ...

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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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Roy’s class of 2016 delivering on big stage-by Rex Clementine Source:Island Cynics had dismissed Roy Dias as old school and didn’t give him the credit that he deserved as Sri Lanka Under – 19 won an ODI and unofficial Test series in England in 2016 but when you look at the players he groomed as the nation’s under-19 coach some five years ago, there’s something special about them. There’s Wanindu Hasaranga, who is a star in the world stage already and there are several others who could go on the same way. Within 48 hours this week, Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka scored their maiden ODI hundreds and match winning ones too as Sri Lanka buried the Aussies recording a come from behind series win. ...

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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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