SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS (AUGUST 2021) Compiled by Victor Melder Sri Lankan cricketer Kande Arachchige Isuru Udana Tillakaratna, better known as Isuru Udana, announced his retirement from International cricket today (31). Issuing a statement on the matter, the all-rounder said “I am proud to have served my nation, and Sri Lanka Cricket with utmost dedication, commitment, and passion to my fullest with a bunch of people who have touched my soul with the relationship of never-ending friendship. However, I believe the time has come for me to retire from International cricket in order to make way for the next generation of players’’.  Udana, who played 21 ODIs and 35 T20Is for Sri Lanka in his 12-year international career, picked 18 ODI and 27 T20I wickets. He last played for Sri Lanka in the 2nd T20I versus India in Colombo. (Ceylon Today, 1.8.2021) Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC) revenue took a sharp dip in ...

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Sri Lanka players sign national contracts till end of 2021 Sri Lanka players had previously refused to sign national contracts, citing ‘lack of transparency’ Source:Island Angelo Mathews isn’t among the 18 cricketers who signed the men’s national contracts, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced. It further said that the contract offered this time had no “deviation” from the earlier contract which was rejected by the players alleging lack of transparency. SLC had revealed a five-point grading system back in May, bringing down the number of contracts from 32 to only 24. As differences continued over the nature of the contracts offered, the players signed “tour contracts” for their series against England and India as a makeshift arrangement. ...

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SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS (JULY 2021) Compiled by Victor Melder England beat the touring Sri Lankans by 8 wickets to win the 2nd ODI, played at Kennington Oval, London. Scores: Sri Lanka – 241/9 in 50 Overs (de Silva 91, Shanaka 47, Hasaranga 26, Curran 5/48, Willey4/64) England – 244/2 in 43 Overs (Morgan 75no, Root 68no, Roy 60, Bairstow 29, Karunaratne 1/34, Hasaranga 1/46) Player of the Match: Sam Curran (England) Match Points: England 10, Sri Lanka 0 The third ODI between England and the touring Sri Lankans played at County Ground, Bristol ended in No result after rain washed out play. Scores: Sri Lanka – 166 in 41.1 Overs (Shanaka 48, Hasaranga 20, Curran 4/35, Woakes 2/28, Willey 2/36) England – Did not bat. Player of the Series: David Willey (England) England won the 3-match series 2-0. Match Points: England 5, Sri Lanka 5. Former Sri Lanka batsman ...

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Deepak Chahar fifty leads India to stunning series win over Sri Lanka-by Chris Dhambarage Suryakumar Yadav plays a shot. Pix courtesy SLC-Wanindu Hasaranga in action Source:Dailynews Two maiden half-centuries from Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Chahar carried India to a thrilling three-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second One Day International (ODI) played at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo yesterday. Yadav hit a 44-ball 53 with six boundaries and Chahar remained unbeaten on 69 as India recovered from an early setback to overtake Sri Lanka’s total of 275 with three wickets and five balls to spare. ...

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 Thirimanne, Dhananjaya to join SL squad Source:Dailynews Left-handed batsman Lahiru Thirimanne and all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva are set to join the rest of the Sri Lankan squad in West Indies by March 7. Both Thirimanne and Dhananjaya are successfully cleared their fitness tests and were available for selection. Thirimanne was sidelined from the original squad and underwent self-isolation after he was tested Covid-19 positive along with National coach Mickey Arthur. He was finally cleared after another PCR test and is now ready to deliver the goods for the National team. ...

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‘We can turn the tables on England. This series is 50-50’ – Mahela Jayawardene Source:Island Jayawardene isn’t keen on taking up a permanent role in the Sri Lankan setup despite his status(Getty) Sri Lanka are raring to go ahead of facing an under-prepared England for a two-Test series, and the hosts see an opportunity for an upset.  England head into the series without Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes and with less than two days of match practice, while Sri Lanka are keen to bounce-back after a series defeat to South Africa.  Sportsmail’s Nasser Hussain caught up with Sri Lanka legend and Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene ahead of the series.  ...

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No Selectors but Sri Lanka picks disputable squad to South Africa-BY CALLISTUS DAVY Lahiru Udara Igalagamage: Outsmarted the big guns but no place in the Sri Lanka squad Source:Sundayobserver Sri Lanka’s best in-form but internationally untested batsman Lahira Udara Igalagamage has been sent into cold storage after a 22-member squad was selected for a high-intensity training camp outside Colombo in preparation for next month’s tour of South Africa with no official sanction. The 22 players, some of them regulars and made up of seven fast bowlers, were picked on what is said to have been “internal advice” meaning recommendations given by Sri Lanka Cricket’s technical advisers in the absence of an official Selection Panel whose term expired two months ago. ...

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Left-arm quick from Hungama could be next big thing in cricket-by Rex Clementine Source:Island Left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka has suddenly become the talk in cricket circles after he was drafted into the Sri Lankan squad that will tour South Africa later this year for the Boxing Day and New Year Tests. The 22 players who will go on the tour will begin a week-long residential training camp in Pallekele later this week and all eyes will be on Madushanka. The 20-year-old hails from the fishing village of Hungama in the Hambantota district. His father is a fisherman and his talent was spotted by former fast bowling great Chaminda Vaas. A couple of years ago, Madushanka had turned up as a net bowler in Hambantota as Sri Lanka were training and Vaas referred him to former Test captain Hashan Tillakaratne, who was the Head Coach of the Under-19 side. ...

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    SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS – (JANUARY 2020) – Compiled by Victor Melder The national cricket team will undertake their first assignment of this year taking wings to India today for a three match T-20 series. The opening encounter will be played on Sunday (January 5) in the eastern city of Guwahati. The port city in the state of Assam is bordering China. The remaining two games will be played in Indore (January 7) and Pune (January 10). The team will fly to Madras today morning, where they have a five hour layover before taking the next flight to Guwahati. The Sri Lankan series is sandwiched between the tours of West Indies and Australia. Lasith Malinga’s side will not be playing in any of the major cities with all premier cricket centers allocated for the West Indies and the Australians. The tour was not on the Future Tour Programme ...

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    SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS (AUGUST 2019)Compiled by Victor Melder Sri Lanka Cricket has decided to terminate the contract of Chandika Hathurusingha, the Head Coach of the national cricket team, after the two parties failed to come to a mutual agreement to sever ties. Following the ICC Cricket World Cup where Sri Lanka finished sixth, SLC had indicated to the Head Coach that they were looking for a replacement but Hathurusingha was interested in staying on till the end of his contract in December 2020. SLC had agreed to pay him six months of his salary to bring an early end to the contract but Hathurusingha maintained that he could still help development of players. Hathurusingha is expected to fight his case in courts, much like Geoff Marsh, who successfully sued SLC eight years ago after being unceremoniously dumped from his job. Interestingly, it took Marsh four weeks since ...

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