Warning of cricketers’ playboy lifestyles fell on deaf (ears) Years – By CALLISTUS DAVY Source : sundayobserver The case of disgraced Sri Lanka cricketer Dhanushka Gunathilaka did not happen overnight. It was some kind of a time bomb waiting to explode and warnings by the media over the conduct of present day players when compared to the gentlemen of the past was merely brushed off by an administrative system, or no system, that festered over the past 20 years. Ignorance or arrogance on the part of some so-called democratically elected administrators was the name of the game in governing the affairs of Sri Lankan cricket and journalists who have been in the business come hell or high water for 30 or 40 years and who have declined to subscribe to degradation were either seen as their enemy or the friend of their enemy. It had to take a World Cup in ...

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Sri Lanka face tough hurdle in qualifying round Source : sundayobserver Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka will have much on his plate when he marches his team out for the qualifying games of the T20 World Cup in Australia. The first of three qualifying round matches will be against the unpredictable Namibia on October 16 followed by games against the UAE on the 18th and the Netherlands on October 20. Shanaka will be captaining the team at his second T20 World Cup after leading the team on the first occasion in Oman and the UAE last year. This time he will have the services of batters Dhanushka Gunathilaka and Kusal Mendis who were unavailable due to a disciplinary ban. Sri Lanka suffered two series defeats against Australia, 4-1 down under and 2-1 on home soil while suffering a 3-0 whitewash in India in the run up to the T20 World Cup. ...

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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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Shanaka’s thunderbolts slam Aussies off the rails   Source:sundayobserver.lk Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka came like a bolt from the blues hammering an unbeaten 54 in just 25 balls as he helped his team chase down a 177-taget to win the third and final T20 International against Australia at the Pallekele Stadium in Kandy yesterday. Shanaka was at the crease when all seemed lost for Sri Lanka at 108 for 6 in the 16th over and Australia sensing victory. But then came what Shanaka is capable of doing as he struck the best bowler in the series Josh Hazlewood for two sixes and two fours in the 18th over to turn the match on its head and take Sri Lanka to victory that was brought up with a last ball wide from Jhye Richardson. Shanaka in all struck five fours and four sixes that hit the Aussies off the rails. ...

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Dickwella, Gunathilake and Mendis given a pardon, permitted to play in domestic cricket- Lanka Premier League to commence on 5th December  By sunil Thenabadu (sports editor-eLanka) Banned Sri Lanka cricketers  for misconduct for breaking the Bio-Bubble while touring England with SL team Niroshan Dickwella, Dhanushka Gunathilaka and Kusal Mendis in June this year have got a reprieve  before their one year ban period expired have been granted permission to play in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) that will have top players both overseas and local in action when it begins on December 5 in Sri Lanka.  The three players were banned from both international and domestic cricket and fined Rs.10 million each at a time they were also involved in a pay dispute with Sri Lanka Cricket.  The squads:  Jaffna Kings: Faf du Plessis, Thisara Perera, Wahab Riaz, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shoaib Malik, Usman Shinwari, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Avishka Fernando, Upul Tharanga, Chaturanga de Silva, ...

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Former St. Peter’s cricketer Berenger on the cusps of representing third national team-by Reemus Fernando Source:Island First, he played for Sri Lanka Under-19, then moved to Dubai and found a place in the national team there and now at the age of 30, the former St. Peter’s College cricketer Andri Berenger is on the cusps of representing a third national team, Qatar. According to sources close to Berenger, the former Sri Lanka Under-19 wicketkeeper-batsman is about to be picked in the Qatar national team which will compete in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia ‘A’ qualifiers starting next month. The hard-hitting batsman’s success with the United Arab Emirates attracted many budding cricket clubs in the Middle East but Berenger opted for Warriors, a team in Qatar. He has completed more than three years in the country to be eligible to represent that nation, a source close to the cricketer ...

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ODI turns ugly after Gunathilaka is given out obstructing the field   Dhanushka Gunathilaka (left) was given out obstructing the field. Source:Dailynews Sri Lanka slumped after opening batsman Dhanushka Gunathilaka was given out for obstructing the field and lost by eight wickets to the West Indies in the first One-Day International (ODI) on Wednesday. Gunathilaka made 55 and put on 105 in an opening stand with Captain Dimuth Karunaratne, which should have put Sri Lanka on course to a commanding total. ...

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