SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS – By Victor Melder Chairman of cricket selectors Upul Tharanga said that Dhananjaya de Silva has been appointed the new captain of the Sri Lanka Test team succeeding Dimuth Karunaratne. Kusal Mendis will be the vice-captain. De Silva will become the country’s 18th Test captain when he leads Sri Lanka in the one-off Test against Afghanistan next month.  Karunaratne was Sri Lanka’s Test captain from 2018-19 till 2023 leading his country in 28 Tests with 12 wins, 10 losses and 6 draws. He captained Sri Lanka to three series victories, a rare 2-0 win in South Africa making Sri Lanka the only Asian country to win a series in Rainbow Nation in 2018-19, and 2-0 wins against West Indies (2021) and Ireland (2023). (Daily Financial Times, 6.1.2024) The first One Day International (ODI), played at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, between the touring Zimbabweans and Sri Lanka, ended ...

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SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS (DECEMBER  2023) Compiled by Victor Melder Members of the national selection panel are set to be the first casualties post World Cup in which the national cricket team had a disastrous campaign. Despite Sri Lanka finishing ninth in the ten-team event and failing to qualify for the Champions Trophy, none holding key positions within the national cricket team had stepped down. Although previous Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe and other bodies attached to the Sports Ministry were keen to change the selection panel headed by former fast bowler Pramodya Wickremasinghe, there was tough resistance from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). However, with Harin Fernando taking charge as Sports Minister following the dismissal of Ranasinghe, Fernando had discussed changes moving forward with fresh thinking coming in. Accordingly, SLC will advertise for selectors and in due time will pick a competent team.Under Pramodya, Sri Lanka ended up playing three qualifying ...

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Sri Lanka Legends edge South Africa in a thriller-by Dhammika Ratnaweera Tillakaratne Dilshan celebrates a wicket. Source:Dailynews Sri Lanka Legends made a superb team effort to beat South Africa Legends by 11 runs in their Road Safety World Series cricket match played at Indore in India yesterday. It was a very thrilling game until the very last over which was bowled by all-rounder Ishan Jayaratne. Sri Lanka Legends led by T.M. Dilshan well depended on 166 total to seal their third back-to-back victory. SA Legends managed to get 154 for 6 wickets in the allotted 20 overs with 11 runs behind. South African Morné van Wyk was the successful stroke-maker scoring 76 in 56 balls with 4 fours and 6 sixes to build up the innings but his efforts were not enough to seal the deal for the Proteas. ...

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Seven former Sri Lankan stars to play for Asia team-by Dhammika Ratnaweera Source:Dailynews Seven former star Sri Lankan cricketers Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Nuwan Kulasekara and Upul Tharanga have been drawn in to the Asia team for the Legends Cricket League 2022, which is set to begin from January 20th at the Oman Cricket Stadium.In addition some legendary names will confirm their participation in the tournament which is going to be keen tussle. All seven players were involved the first tournament held last year . Two Pakistan star players paceman Shoaib Akhtar and all-rounder Shahid Afridi also among the Asian team with Sri Lanka players. However, the tournament will not see Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar, who was a major attraction in the first edition of the tournament held in Ranchi last year. Even though the tournament promo included the name of Tendulkar, the master ...

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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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Tharanga misses ton in Sri Lanka Legends win Sri Lanka Legends celebrate their win. Source:Dailynews Upul Tharanga struck an unbeaten 99 in 47 balls as Sri Lanka Legends defeated Bangladesh Legends by 42 runs in their Road Safety World Series Cricket Tournament fixture played in Raipur, India on Wednesday. Sri Lanka Legends posted 180 for six from their 20 overs with Tharanga leading the way stroking 11 fours and five sixes while Skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan scored 33 off 23 balls including six fours. Bangladesh, in reply, were restricted to 138 for six from their 20 overs with Dilshan picking up three wickets in successive overs. With this win, Sri Lanka Legends made sure they remain on top of the points table. Chief scores Sri Lanka Legends: 180/6 in 20 overs (Upul Tharanga 99 n.o, Tillakaratne Dilshan 33) Bangladesh Legends: 138/6 in 20 overs (M. Nazimuddin 54, Khaled Mashud 28 n.o, Tillakaratne ...

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Dialog powers Sri Lanka Legends Team Sri Lanka Legends Skipper T. M. Dilshan (right) with Man-of-the-Match Upul Tharanga after the Bangladesh Legends match. Source:Dailynews Dialog Axiata PLC has come forward to power the Sri Lanka Legends Cricket Team, which at present, is competing for top honours at the T20 Road Safety World Series Cricket Tournament in Raipur, India. The Sri Lanka Legends Team is skippered by former Sri Lanka all-rounder T. M. Dilshan, while Sanath Jayasuriya, Rangana Herath, Upul Tharanga, Favreez Maharoof, Ajantha Mendis, Chamara Silva, Kaushalya Weerarathne, Nuwan Kulasekera, and Russel Arnold make up the squad. ...

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Upul Tharanga retires from International Cricket Source:Dailynews Senior cricketer Upul Tharanga has announced his retirement from international cricket. The left-handed batsman, who last played for Sri Lanka in March 2019, had been an integral part of white-ball cricket for the Lankans over the years. “I have decided to retire from international cricket,” Tharanga confirmed the news on Twitter.   ...

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Former England star Owais Shah to coach Dambulla in LPL-by Chandrika Fernando Owais Shah Source:Dailynews Former England batsman, Owais Shah has been appointed as the new Head Coach of the Dambulla Vikings Team for the inaugural Lanka Premier League Twnety20 Cricket Tournament, which begins later this month. The 42-year-old middle order batsman will take over the duties of the team while replacing another former Englishman and fast bowler Jon Lewis, the franchise owners announced yesterday. The Dambulla Vikings Team, under the guidance of Shah will come out for the first time when they take on the Kandy Tuskers Team on November 28, in a day game at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota. Shah will have the opportunity of coaching a star-studded line-up, which includes top foreign players in the calibre of Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies), Samit Patel (England), and Paul Stirling (Ireland). ...

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Lankans slip sliding from World Cup heroes to near zero BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE Sri Lanka’s triumphant Test match euphoria has quickly dissipated into the previously familiar role of eating humble pie as the South Africans exacted revenge for their embarrassment in the Tests by grinding their opponents into the dust leading 3-0 in the one-dayers in a relentless display of ferocity. Already, the series has moved into a dead rubber situation with two games remaining as the struggling Sri Lanka lineup find that their horses for courses squad does not match up to the heroes that dethroned the hosts in the two Test series a few weeks prior. One- day skipper Lasith Malinga’s desperate move to publicly scorn his squad for their lack of respect at being given national selection and reminding them of the pride associated with donning the Sri Lanka cap appears to have added more ...

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