Category Archives: cricket selections

Afghanistan ‘talibans’ Australian T20 Cricket Aspirations

Michael Roberts

In what must have been a nerve-tingling match-up, the Afghanistan cricket team undermined and shattered Australia’s cricket team at  the T20 match in Kingstown on 22nd June. This was achieved via a team ffort involving several star interventions (as it should be in good cricket). I did not watch the match but the figures reveal that there were several stars — from the big opening stand between Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran when Afghanistan batted first to Naveen Ul-Haq’s 2 for 20 runs in four overs to Mohammad Nabi’s allround feat of 10 runs in  ten balls at the tail-end of their innings and then one wkt for one run — and that was opening bat David Warner — in the only over he bowled.

 

 

 

 

 

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A Derisive Comment on Sri Lanka’s T20 Word Cup Performances

Punchi Putha in the Sunday Times [of Sri Lanka], 16 June 2024 … an item with this title  “Chased away”

My dear Wanindu and team, I thought of writing to you at a time when you have been knocked out of the T20 World Cup with such certainty when there is still a game to be played. Once again questions are being asked about what is wrong with our cricket. Whose fault is it – you, as players,

or is it all the fault of the administrators?

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Sri Lanka Overwhelm Netherlands in Final T20 Match

Madushka Balasuriya in ESPNcricinfo.com, 17 June 2024 , where the title reads “Netherlands knocked out after Bangladesh beat Nepal; SL sign off with win”

Netherlands folded for 118 in their chase of 202 as SL’s varied attack proved too tough to handle

Sri Lanka ended their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign in a resounding fashion with a dominant 83-run win over Netherlands in Gros Islet. It meant they ended on three points and third place in Group D behind South Africa and Bangladesh, who had confirmed their place in the Super Eight after beating Nepal in Kingstown.

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Canadian Cricket …. Now & Then

Brian Thomas in Facebook

OH CANADA….Sad to see you cross the border and get back home after your elimination from T 20 2024. I still remember Canada visiting Sri Lanka back in 2011 for the 50 over World Cup when I was the Media Manager for SLC. The boys at that time were timid , facing a giant like Sri Lanka, under Kumar Sangakara. In fact they got peppered to state the least. However 2024, and CANADA has grown in stature from a Cricketing perspective. They recorded a win against the Irish, made 194 for 5 against Super 8 Qualifier USA , further recorded 137 against the Irish and 107 against the might of Pakistan. Personally I think leading run scorer for CANADA Nicholas Kirton with an aggregate of 101 in 3 matches, Aaron Jhonson with 89 , Naveet Dhalivale with 71 look promising with the willow. The bowling cordon is a weak link. Dilon Heylinger 5 wickets for 58 in 11 overs at an economy rate of 5.5 , is something to write home about.
    Naveet Dhalivale ….. pix below
Brian Thomas
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As the Manager of the Canadian Team to this World Cup, I thank you Brian and the awesome Sri Lankan folks, who hosted us for our training last year. We remember you all very fondly for your hospitality and friendliness, Cheers.

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Don Bradman Memorabilia in Adelaide Sri Lankan Realms

Michael Roberts in Adelaide, June 2024

Sir Donald Bradman chose to reside in Adelaide following his retirement…rather than in his hometown of Bowral in New South Wales. This had incidental benefits for Sri Lankan cricket lovers in Adelaide; and even for cricketing enthusiasts of the Harry Solomons kind.

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Lankan Cricketers Mauled by Travel-Toss Decision-Safs

Sidarth Monga, in ESPNcricinfo, 3 June 2024 where the title reads thus: “So unfair – Sri Lanka, given a raw scheduling deal, struggle to find their bearings”

Delayed flights, matches at different venues, hotels far from the game venues have made life difficult for Hasaranga’s team. Sri Lanka’s players were in a hurry to complete the media commitments after their first match of this T20 World Cup. That’s because immediately after the match, they had to rush to their hotel in Brooklyn, an hour-and-a-half away, pack, check out, and then make their 6pm flight to Dallas where they will be playing what is now a must-win match against Bangladesh. This after they had to wait for seven hours at the Miami airport to take their delayed flight to New York to play this match.

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Safs face Sri Lanka in T20 World Cup

Andrew Fidel Fernando in ESPNcricinfo .… re Sri Lanka vs South Africa … at Providence, 10.30am local … “Big picture: Recent form against South Africa” …. The power of South Africa against the variety of Sri Lanka”

It is possible that both Sri Lanka and South Africa kind of suck. Since the start of 2023, South Africa have lost nine of the 11 completed T20Is they have played. Most recently, they were thrashed 3-0 by West Indies. None of those results were close. Sri Lanka, who won the T20 World Cup ten years ago, and for several years before that were arguably the best T20 outfit on the planet, have never really got close to making the semi-final of a limited-overs global trophy since then. They have won their last three T20I series in a row. However, those were against a Bangladesh team missing some key players, Afghanistan minus Rashid Khan, and Zimbabwe, who have not even qualified for this tournament.
Fair to say neither Sri Lanka nor South Africa come in with a lot of expectation.

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Tamils in Ceylon Cricket, 1901-2024

Michael Roberts

DEAR FRIENDS, A major error by a Sri Lankan lady re Tamil representatives in Ceylon/Sri Lankan cricket in the exchanges in LINKED IN drives me to compose an item in TPS on the Tamil cricketers who played cricket for the island at the highest level in the 20th and 21st centuries.

The Janashakthi Book on cricket sponsored by the Schaffters, which places SS Perera’s wonderful archive of work on the bookshelves, is an example of Sinhala Tamil cooperation that places sources for all manner of information on the island’s rich cricket history within our reach. While I will be scouring this work for data, I reach out here to aficionado seeking data (and photographs) displaying information on Tamils who represented Ceylon/Sri Lanka at the highest level in the years stretching from 1901 to 2024.

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The Schaffters: Ceylonese serving Sri Lanka down the Generations

Michael Roberts

A major error by a Sri Lankan lady re Tamil representatives in Ceylon/Sri Lankan cricket in the exchanges in LINKED IN drives me to compose an item in TPS on the Tamil cricketers who played cricket for the island at the highest level in the 20th and 21st centuries (this is in process and will take time).

The Janashakthi Book on cricket sponsored by the Schaffters, which places SS Perera’s wonderful archive of work on the bookshelves, is an example of Sinhala Tamil cooperation that places  all manner of information on the island’s rich cricket history within our reach. While I will be scouring this work for data, I reach out here to aficionado seeking data (and photographs) displaying information on Tamils who represented Ceylon/Sri Lanka at the highest level in the years stretching from 1901 to 2024.

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Netherlands stump Sri Lanka in T20 Warm-Up

TrevineRodrigo  in eLanka deploying this title:;  Netherlands humble cocky Lankans in warm-up boilover”

Sri Lanka made an inauspicious start to their T20 World Cup campaign losing by 21 runs to the Netherlands in the USA in their first warm-up game before the tournament proper.  Obviously thinking too far ahead by being focussed on the real tournament, Sri Lanka let their guard down by resting several key players and paid the price as the underdogs turned tables on them.

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