England v India: Alastair Cook fails again after hosts' attack toils

England captain Alastair Cook's batting woes continued as India took control of the first Test with a record last-wicket partnership.

The opener was bowled off his thigh pad for five as England closed on 43-1 in reply to India's 457 at Trent Bridge.

On a day of fluctuating fortunes, the hosts had hurtled back into contention with four wickets for two runs after lunch to reduce India to 346-9 following Murali Vijay's 146.

But an extraordinary stand of 111 between number nine Bhuvneshwar Kumar and number 11 Mohammed Shami, who both scored their maiden Test fifties, sapped England's spirit and put the tourists firmly back in charge.

Having watched the unlikely duo punish his tiring attack for two-and-a-half hours, Cook walked to the crease desperate to end a run of 24 innings without a century.

However, in a moment typical of his recent cruel luck, he missed a ball from Shami down the leg side and watched in horror as it deflected off his thigh pad and down on to the stumps.

Cook, whose team have lost six of their last seven Tests, has now scored only 606 runs in his last 13 Tests at an average of 24.24.

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Dinesh Chandimal irejected offers to play in IPL

Dinesh Chandimal irejected offers to play in IPL

Colombo, Mar 31: Dinesh Chandimal, Sri Lanka's T20 international skipper and has rejected offers to play in the sixth edition of the IPL, cricket board sources claimed. Chandimal was not among the 13 Sri Lankan players originally contracted to play in the IPL auction. He is said to have rejected offers from Pune Warriors to fill in the void of the injured Australian captain Michael Clarke and from Delhi Daredevils to replace English batsman Kevin Pietersen, who is also injured. His rejection came amidst controversy over the Sri Lanka players' participation in the Chennai matches of the IPL. The ongoing political row with Sri Lanka involving the Tamil Nadu politicians and the resultant ban on Sri Lankan IPL players to play in Chennai has caused public anger in Sri Lanka. Nationalist organisations have urged the government to ensure that the players boycott of the T20 league.



(Source - TheCricket)

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Can Kusal Perera take Sanath Jayasuriya's role ?

Can Kusal Perera take Sanath Jayasuriya's role in the game of Lankan Style ? cricnews

After 75 year history of Sri Lankan Cricket a hurricane hit Sri Lankan cricket last week , Kusal Janith Perera, a 22 year-old left-handed batsman and wicket-keeper blasted 336 off 275 balls for Colts CC against Saracens at Havelock Park, Colombo. The innings featured savage hitting with 14 sixes and 29 fours.The innings is the highest score in the Sri Lankan domestic competition. It is also the only triple century in the 75 year history of the Sri Lankan domestic competition. Domestic cricket in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) was not recorded as first-class until the 1988-89 season, but there were no triple centuries in club cricket before that. The only other triple centuries in Sri Lankan first-class cricket were at Test level - Sanath Jayasuriya’s 340 against India in 1997 and Mahela Jayawardena’s 375 against South Africa in 2006.

Kusal Perera made his international debut against Australia in the ODI series this year. who, at 22, has just played 7 odis and 3 two twenty-20 for Sri Lanka. He scored 66 from 44 balls with massive 4 six’s and  5 four’s against Bangladesh in the first T20 match played at Pallekale stadium. More interestingly, he came in to the national team as a middle order batsman, whose first skill was to be a wicket keeper. But, just after 9 international games, his wicket keeping skills has been pushed back, and as a pure batsman he is regarded as a new ‘ Jayasuriya ’.

His excellent timing and quick footwork impressed instantly. Kusal Jenith Perera not just reminds of great Sanath Jayasuriya with his aggression, but his batting style is also similar to great men. Comparisons were drawn with another left-hander with a similar build and approach - Jayasuriya. Like Jayasuriya, Perera is a particularly strong square of the wicket. However, Perera plays straighter and with a more upright elbow.

He does share Jayasuriya’s hunger for tall scores. At 19, Jayasuriya announced his talent on the Sri Lanka B tour of Pakistan in 1989 by scoring two successive double centuries. Kusal Perera’s last three first-class innings are 93, 207, and 336. Clearly, Perera has the water-tight defence to add to his awesome hitting ability.

The uniqueness of Kusal Perera’s achievement is that the likes of Aravinda de Silva, Sanath Jayasuriya, and Duleep Mendis never came close to a triple century in club cricket. The legends in the pre-Test era such as Anura Tennakoon, C.I. Gunasekera, David Heyn, and Michael Tissera fell far short of a triple century. Mahadevan Sathasivam, the island’s finest pre-Test batsman, scored two double centuries, but not in club cricket. Very few players manage to attract the spectators as well as critics from the beginning of their career. Kusal Jenith Perera, Sri Lanka’s new opener in shorter formats of the game, has not only impressed the whole cricketing world, but he also brought a new debate in Sri Lanka and outside : that his style of playing strokes is so similar to his country’s greatest intertainer Sanath Jayasuriya, that sometimes he just look like a clone of him.

 “ Not only the style, in which he plays his strokes are similar to Sanath, but the way he grips his bat, is also reminds of great men” said brian murgatroid, tv commentator, during the third ODI and T20  in Pallekelle. During that match, his pick up shot over bowler’s head for the six, was again a reminder of Sanath, according to many other cricket observers. Just like Sanath, he uses the bottom hand with great effect, while launching his Audacious shots. Moreover, it’s not just about technical similarities, but the manner, in which he attacks the bowlers, is looks exact to great  Sanath Jayasuriya man who changed the environment of game of cricket.

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Muralitharan disappointed with IPL Governing Council ruling..

 Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan is disappointed at the IPL governing council's move to disallow players from his country to play matches in Chennai, a decision taken in view of the prevailing anti-Sinhalese sentiments in the state.

Bowing to intense political pressure, top Sri Lankan players were yesterday withdrawn from the Chennai matches of the high-profile IPL after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa refused to host them due to the growing political tensions in the state resulting from the treatment of ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka.

"It's a sad (day) for cricket as we are not allowed to play in a certain part of India. It is a government decision, if they cannot provide security for us, we have to be cautious," Muralitharan, who plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, told 'NDTV'.

"I have spoken to Royal Challengers, they do not have any problems. I can play the non-Chennai games," he added.

Himself a Sri Lankan Tamil, Muralitharan said he had never faced problems in the island nation.

"I played for 20 years in the Lankan team, I did not have any problems as a Tamil. The government and the cricket board always supported me throughout my career even when I went through a lot of problems."

"Earlier, there was a time of war between the Tamils and Lankans but now people are living in peace in my country. So the concerned authorities in India must come and see how we are living in Sri Lanka and forget what happened in the past. We don't want another war-like situation now."

The 40-year-old off-spinner, who retired from international cricket in 2011, said he was ready to play in Chennai.

"If they allow us to play, we will definitely play in Chennai. Chennai is like a second home for me as my wife Madhimalar is from there. It is a sentimental situation for me. We do not want to get into politics and we just want to play our cricket and entertain our fans."

(Source - timesofindia)

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Will Jayalalitha & Karunanidhi Play For Chennai Super Kings ?

Will Jayalalitha & Karunanidhi Play For Chennai Super Kings ?
IPLnewss

Top Sri Lankan players were on Tuesday withdrawn from the Chennai matches of the IPL after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa refused to host them in view of the prevailing anti-Sri Lanka sentiments in the State.


Ms. Jayalalithaa wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh making it clear that IPL matches would be permitted in the State only if there were no Sri Lankan players, umpires, officials or support staff in these matches beginning April 3.

A few hours later, the IPL Governing Council met to discuss the issue and decided that Sri Lankan players will not participate in IPL League matches in Chennai.

The Council will advise the nine IPL franchises accordingly, putting an end to the intense speculation regarding the fate of the Sri Lankan players.

Altogether 13 Sri Lankan players, two of whom are captains of their respective teams, are taking part in the sixth edition of the league which will start from April 3.

Chennai, the home for Chennai Super Kings, will stage 10 matches in all, including two eliminators, and will continue to remain a venue.

“The IPL Governing Council met this afternoon to discuss the issue. The security of all involved in the IPL, whether players, spectators or those working in the stadiums, is of paramount importance to the BCCI.

“The Governing Council decided that Sri Lankan players will not participate in the Pepsi IPL 2013 League matches in Chennai and will advise the nine franchises accordingly”, IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said in statement.

Mr. Shukla said that the Governing Council took the decision after the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister wrote to the Prime Minister stating that she would not permit the Sri Lankan players in Chennai.

“This is with reference to news reports last week that the government of Sri Lanka has issued a travel advisory that its citizens should exercise caution when travelling to Tamil Nadu”, the statement said.

“Today, the Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has written to the Prime Minister of India stating that she will not permit the participation of Sri Lankan players or umpires in matches in Chennai during Pepsi IPL 2013”, the statement added.

Mr. Shukla said the Governing Council had to take the local sentiments and the safety and security of Sri Lankan players into account before taking a final decision.

“We had to take two things into account. We have to take the local sentiments into account and at same time the safety and security of the Sri Lankan players are paramount,” he said.

“If the local administration has given something we have to listen to that as ultimately we need the help of the State authorities to hold the tournament like security arrangement. We can’t ignore the advice from the local administration,” he said.

Sri Lankan Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said that the Lankan players will be told not to take part in Chennai matches if the BCCI or the Indian government were not able to provide security to them.

“We have written to the BCCI whether they can provide security to our players. We have also requested the foreign ministry to ask the Indian government whether they would provide security to our players. Only in case our players are provided security we will allow them to take part in the matches in Chennai,” he said.

For the league stages, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils and Hyderabad Sunrisers will have to bench key players like Lasith Malinga, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, respectively for their matches in Chennai.

Barring Kings XI Punjab, all the other franchises have at least one or more Sri Lankan players in their squad.

Sri Lankans in the IPL:

CSK: Akila Dananjaya and N Kulasekara,

Delhi Daredevils: Mahela Jayawardene (captain) and Jeevan Mendis.

Knight Riders: Sachithra Senanayake.

Mumbai Indians: Lasith Malinga.

Pune Warriors India: Ajantha Mendis and Angelo Mathews.

Rajasthan Royals: Kusal Janith Perera.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Muthaiah Muralitharan and Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kumar Sangakkara and Thisara Perera.

(Source - thehindu.com)

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