Sri Lanka stutter in warm up games but may still provide some fireworks.  – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE.  (eLanka Sports editor) Sri Lanka made an inauspicious start to the World Cup losing both warm-up games to Bangladesh and Afghanistan and the writing on the wall about their chances of success seems dismal to say the least.  Just recently they overcame both these teams in the Asia Cup before making the final against India.  But the preparation since has see both Asian neighbours step up their campaigns while Sri Lanka’s course appears at this stage to be heading backwards.  Both losses were convincing, by seven wickets to Bangladesh and six wickets to Afghanistan,  and throws up concerns about the composition of the team that has failed to deliver with and without Skipper Dasun Shanaka who seems to be the focus of attention rather than the team’s overall performance.  Apart from ...

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Sri Lanka selectors make calculated risk on an improving squad much in line for their unorthodox game plan – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE (Elanka Sports Editor) Sanity has finally prevailed as Sri Lanka’s cricket selectors boldly shunned and thumbed their noses at the call for Skipper Dasun Shanaka’s sacking and stuck with a recently proven outfit for the World Cup in India. Yes,  ramifications could be diabolical if the plan backfires, but it does make sense to stick with an outfit that has jelled in a way.  Fourteen wins from 16 games is no mean feat although expert commentators claim that most of those wins were against ‘minnows ‘. That term has little relevance and no place in cricketing parlance anymore. This World Cup will reveal that.  Informed sources say that Shanaka was given the choice of resigning and accepted it. But in true Sri Lankan fashion, a flurry ...

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A burst bubble and skilful Sweden push the Matildas to fourth – By TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE (Elanka Sports Editor) The English burst their bubble 2-1,  but the Matildas although deflated were on a high in the Semi-Final after an arm wrestle against their arch rivals, and it breathed belief that they would clinch third place in the World Cup.  A flamboyant Sweden decided otherwise,  as they stifled and snuffed out home crowd support to claim third place despite the deafening home crowd support with a truly calculated 2-0 win. I was one, among a few million Australians, who firmly believed the Matildas would end on a high after their heartbreaking loss to England.  But it was not to be,  as one of Soccer’s World Cup heavyweights showed skill, flair, and deadly accuracy to kill off any chance of an upset.  While the Matildas fourth place was irrelevant to the ...

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Pumped up Sri Lanka burst Dutch bubble. Shanaka’s men annihilate Netherlands in emphatic fashion in qualifying final. – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE Dasun Shanaka and Sri Lanka basked in the glory of a complete whitewash of the qualifiers with a comprehensive thrashing of the Netherlands in the final at Harare.  The Sri Lankans showed remarkable fight when their backs were against the wall as the went on to remain unbeaten and throwing out a warning that they are up for the fight against the best.   Maheesh Theeksheena and Dilshan Madushanka ensured that Sri Lanka’s modest total of 233 all out in 47.5 overs was defendable, when they routed the Dutch for 105 in only 23.3 overs making the decider a cakewalk.  Theeksheena followed his four wicket haul against Zimbabwe with another similar effort and Madushanka grabbed another three and with Wanindu Hasarsnga De Silva two more to his remarkable ...

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Jack-in-the-box Sri Lanka storm into World Cup contention – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE (eLanka Sports editor) Sri Lanka overcame the embarrassment of possible elimination in emphatic fashion to seal a spot on the main stage of the upcoming World Cup in India in October.  Poor performances prior to this saw the struggling former World Cup champions and twice runners up relegated to the bottom tier and having to prove themselves worthy of rubbing shoulders with the best.  Dasun Shanaka’s men did just that, spurning the doubters and shoving it up the insensitive critics, as the team jelled when it mattered. Just to set the record straight,  it certainly wasn’t a cakewalk. They were stretched by Scotland and the Netherlands before making the cut, with six wins in as many games.  The last encounter against the shell shocked and demoralised departing West Indies is of academic interest. But if they ...

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Sri Lanka, four other teams battle for two World Cup slots Source:Sundayobserver West Indies, Ireland, Netherlands and Zimbabwe also jostle for places: A washout in the opening one-day international between Ireland and Bangladesh last Tuesday saw South Africa pip Ireland to the final automatic World Cup slot leaving five teams in the fray to play in a qualifying round for the last two slots. The five teams that will have to play in the qualifying round stage are West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands and Zimbabwe, the host country in June this year. Ireland were 63 for 3 after 16.3 overs in response to 246 for 9 by Bangladesh in the first ODI and needed to win the series 3-0 to secure direct qualification to the World Cup that takes place in India in October this year. Ireland also lost the second match on Friday. Bangladesh had already qualified. ...

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Nostalgia of “brawl” of late Gamini “D” in conquering Test status – by Sunil Thenabadu When Sri Lanka seized the World Cup from the Australians in the year 1996 they unequivocally proved to the whole World that the Sri Lankans were a powerhouse in the cricketing world. The whole country was jubilant. Youth danced in delirious delight. The moment was ecstatic. Grateful as Sri Lankans usually are many a mind recalled with joy and profound gratitude, inter alia, the one man who made the Sri Lankan dream a reality. In silent appreciation they remembered the name of Gamini Dissanayake.  GD was born into a family of dignified lineage in Kandy. He qualified as a lawyer. Forsaking what would have been a lucrative legal practice he entered politics and soon was given the coveted position of Minister of Mahaveli Development. Having forsaken his lucrative legal career to pander to his innate desire to ...

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Australia destroys England euphoria with a one-day hiding.- BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE (eLanka Sports editor) England were drowned by the  T20 World Cup success and found swimming in the waters of euphoria does not translate to continued success.   Well, Australia made that wake up call.  Recovering from the hangover of a fantastic and unexpected World Cup glory, England found that maintaining that aura was about focus and consistency.  Australia reminded them that it was built around continued focus which the triumphant Englishmen found they were caught out in a program planned on maintaining status quo. It also brings into focus that Australia is never off the radar as the most fierce competitor in world cricket, also in most sports in the world.  The one-day whitewash clearly demonstrated the frivolous nature of the white ball game and gives hope to all competing nations in the next edition of the World Cup.  ...

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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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