hope that india win this one...should give them a lot more confidence! They need to do well against the big teams if they aregonna have a chance in the WC! I say 3-1 india...but that all depends on which indian team comes out to play. Also, the WI tour mite have a sight influence on the outcome of this series! If india are confident, u never know wat cud happen!
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***Official*** Sri Lanka in India
- Thread starter adharcric
- Start date
Poor guy! its not that long ago that he was india's best bowler and one of the best swing bowlers around!
dinu23
International Debutant
Reports: Murali and Vaas to miss tour
Jan 10 2007
Sri Lanka bowlers Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas are set to miss the upcoming one-day international series against India, according to reports.
The duo, who combined to claim 14 wickets in the recent drawn one-day international series against New Zealand, are said to have requested the break to aid their preparations for the World Cup, which begins on March 13 in the West Indies.
The four-match tour of India begins in Poona on February 8 and finishes nine days later in Visakhapatnam.
Jan 10 2007
Sri Lanka bowlers Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas are set to miss the upcoming one-day international series against India, according to reports.
The duo, who combined to claim 14 wickets in the recent drawn one-day international series against New Zealand, are said to have requested the break to aid their preparations for the World Cup, which begins on March 13 in the West Indies.
The four-match tour of India begins in Poona on February 8 and finishes nine days later in Visakhapatnam.
should help india's cause!
silentstriker
The Wheel is Forever
chaminda_00
Hall of Fame Member
Warnapura is a number 3 batsmen, he'll bat in the middle order.
Also if the others haven't realised thats 20 man train on squad, not the final sqaud they are going to choice. The squad is basically a combined national and A squad.
With Vaas and Murali out it will be interesting to see if Dilhara or Perera can break Lewis' world record. It will be nice to see Bandara get a game though.
adharcric
International Coach
Not really. I've seen plenty who were quiet when Pathan was doing well and once he began to struggle, they acted as if he was always useless trash.
He's terribly out-of-form right now but some people act as if he was never a good bowler. He was a solid ODI bowler not too long ago.
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chaminda_00
Hall of Fame Member
He was never really that great/good TBH, always was just below international standard. But his still young and if he can learn how to bowl with some pace, he could be handy in the future.
adharcric
International Coach
He was never test-standard, that's for sure. In ODIs, he was a very good bowler for a while - not long enough to establish himself as world-class or anything, but long enough that people shouldn't be rubbishing himself as if he was never any good. I've seen that happen far too often on here.
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Jono
Virat Kohli (c)
Hewas never int'l standard at ODI level? Big call IMO considering the year he had in 2005.
chaminda_00
Hall of Fame Member
I don't think one good year equals international standard, its more flash in the pan, or something along those lines.
Pup Clarke
Cricketer Of The Year
He has shown considerable promise in his batting so if he gains confidence and form with his bowling will not be a "flash in the pan".Feel India need Pathan in the one dayers as he can bat at 3 or 7 and allows for an extra bowler like watson for australia.What's happened to his bowling?.I remember him as a big swinger of the ball in his debut tour to australia bowling in the mid to late 80s showing considerable promise.Still with ability with the ball and bat and is young enough to make a significant contribution in the world cup.
Just saw this -
http://content-nz.cricinfo.com/srilanka/engine/current/match/264430.html
It seems Lunch is being taken with Ruchira Perera sitting on a possible hatrick.
If he gets the next guy bowled as well, would it be a Unique hat trick .... 3 bowled ...wonder if it has happened before.... and whether indeed Ruchira gets his Hat trick...
http://content-nz.cricinfo.com/srilanka/engine/current/match/264430.html
It seems Lunch is being taken with Ruchira Perera sitting on a possible hatrick.
If he gets the next guy bowled as well, would it be a Unique hat trick .... 3 bowled ...wonder if it has happened before.... and whether indeed Ruchira gets his Hat trick...
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Murali involved in the development of New Cricket Stadium for Kandy ... an article I just found at another website ..... Edited -Link does not work...
Asgiriya, Pallakalay & Rangiri
Michael Roberts - 18th January 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The recent announcement that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will invest large sums of money in building Pallekele (Pallakalay) Stadium as a replacement for its interests in Asgiriya Stadium is arguably a welcome step, even though it is not an open and shut case. For those without special interests the issue is not between these two stadiums. It is whether we need another dry-season venue in the mid-country when we already have Rangiri Stadium in Dambulla to fulfil this role during the critcal period May-to-October.
Before addressing that issue, for those unfamiliar with the tale let me introduce the manner in which Asgiriya became a major centre for international cricket in the 1980s as a result of the initiative of Gamini Dissanayake. Amidst Dissanayake's many illustrious services to cricket in Lanka, this decision is one of those that can be seriously questioned.
Dissanayake's election to the position of President of the Board of Control for SL Cricket in 1980 was engineered by Abu Fuard. This was a momentous step because the most pressing issue then was Sri Lanka 's effort to gain entry to full Test status, an endeavour that had been stymied for years by the conservatism of the ICC.
The groundwork for this demand had been laid by our cricketers. Under Anura Tennekoon they had won the ICC Trophy for affiliate countries on two occasions in England , in 1975 and 1979, and also fared reasonably well in the World Cup – even defeating India in 1979. They also impressed the West Indians under Kallicharan and the Aussies under Kim Hughes when the two sides toured Lanka in 1979 and 1981 respectively.
But in the 1970s they had constantly encountered two problems. One was the underlying “white power” interest of England, Australia and New Zealand who were reluctant to support the proposals presented by Pakistan and India from 1975 (alternately proposing and seconding) for Sri Lanka to be admitted to the magic circle. The veto powers of the big two, England and Australia , were a looming threat and it was not till Sri Lanka 's cricketers convinced Manager Fred Bennett through their cricketing prowess in early 1981 that one of these hurdles was circumvented.
Ironically this bloc drew support from the West Indies when Sri Lanka 's annual request entered the agenda in 1978. Their representative, Jeff Stollmeyer, also resisted the claim. Stollmeyer was "a white Trinidadian who hated black people" (Joe Hoad's words) -- so local Caribbean politics also conspired to undermine Sri Lanka 's claim in that year. However, the brown bourgeoisie were beginning to garner administrative clout and displace the Whites in West Indian cricket circles and as Manager of Kallicharan's side in 1979 Joe Solomon was won over to the Lankan cause by both the cricket and the genial hospitality of the Sri Lankan officials.
The second problem was the ostensible ground upon which the ICC rejected the request on every occasion: namely, that the ground facilities were second class and that suitable Test-Match venues were restricted to Colombo . It was this up-front objection --a cogent matter -- that Dissanayake met head-on and circumvented in July 1981 when he attended the annual ICC meeting.
He first laid the groundwork by providing the necessary ‘lubrication'. With the help of a leading Sri Lankan firm, Maharajah Organisation Ltd, as well as a British company involved in the Mahaweli Development Board projects, namely Balfour Beatty, he arranged for a number of impressive functions in London at which ICC and MCC officials were treated royally – truly man-management in a stylr reminsicent of O. E. ‘Kattaya' Goonetilleke's handling of the Soulbury Commission. Furthermore, as a Trinitian and a lawyer, Dissanayake had the social graces and the forensic skills to persuasively press his case and to promise government investment in developing Test venues beyond the Colombo area.
Once Sri Lanka secured test status on 21 July 1981 Dissanayake was true to his word. He chose Kandy as the first option and the Trinity school grounds at Asgiriya as the specific venue; and proceeded to twist the arms of Balfour-Beatty in order to transform the grounds in next to no time. Clearly, there were special interests organising his choice. Though he represented Nuwara Eliya in parliament, Kandy was his home town and one can speculate that “the Kandyan interest,” romantic notions associated with the last capital of Tun Sinhalaya and the grandeur around Asgiriya had some bearing upon this decision.
Though our cricket in the 1980s and 1990s definitely profited from the presence of another venue, it can be asked whether wiser counsel should not have led to a different site in, say, the Dumbara Valley or in the Habarana/Dambulla area being selected for this venue for the reason that such a site opens the door for more cricket during the (usually) wet season in the centre and south western regions of the island. As everyone knows the best window of opportunity for many cricketing nations (other than England ) to make longer tours is in the period May-October when the weather in the sou'west quarter is quite unpredictable and can ruin games.
But that is not the principal objection to Asgiriya. The main problem is that it is a venue belonging to a school that also utilises it for rugger and standard schoolyard activities. However amenable the Trinity authorities have been in their liaison with SLC, there are debilitating administrative problems in maintaining the ground within suitable standards. Besides, any large investment must rest on solid tenurial control in the hands of the investor and not arrangements liable to annual negotiations.
It is within this context that one witnesses the entry of Muralitharan the entrepreneur. As a millionaire in his own right with a special interest in sponsoring sport in the Kandy area, he took up an idea mooted by those who had studied the rainfall statistics which showed that the Dumbara Valley possessed dry zone characteristics. He teamed up with an UAE entrepreneur to purchase land at Pallakalay and plan a sports complex. The UAE capitalist quickly let him down, the Mahaweli Development Authority and various bureaucrats impeded his efforts at every turn and Thilanga Sumathipala, the boss of SLC at this initial stage of investment, did his best to undermine the plans because the site would compete with an asset that was then in his personal pocket, namely, the Rangiri Stadium at Dambulla.
So Murali has been left with this particular financial baby for several years. SLC have now stepped in and I presume that they will become the new owners or controlling lessees. That the Tamil Union interests and Mathivanan of the Colts CC have important places in the present alliance governing SLC is obviously a backround factor in this decision. To be fair, however, SLC is now moving to gain tenurial security over Rangiri too (as they should have been done long ago – more on this in another essay). So it is not merely a case of Murali being bailed out by friends: cricket lovers in Kandy and business interests in Kandy will profit from having such a site.
There is irony here. In Sri Lankan political history the “Kandyan interest” stood for Sinhala forces hostile to the plantations and the plantation labourers known in the past as “Indian Tamils” (who now call themselves “Malaiyaha Tamils”). This tendency was exemplified in the disenfranchisement of these people in 1948/49 and in the Kandyan Peasantry Commission Report of 1953. Both in 1956 and in the land reform movement of the 1970s the chauvinist dimensions of the “Kandyan interest” stood out quite clearly.
But what do we see now: a grandson of a plantation-foreman whose son, Murali's father, turned worthy confectionery manufacturer, a lad schooled at St. Anthony's College who developed a magical bowling arm steps out to serve the “Kandyan interest.” SLC has now taken up the baton – partly to aid the local surrounds, but also in the interest of Sri Lanka 's cricket in general.
Asgiriya, in my view, is clearly untenable as a long-term interest. So the issue is whether Rangiri – recovered as an SLC venue rather than a personal pocket borough – would be an adequate mid-year site for cricket; and whether the money set aside for the project at Pallakalay could be better spent on other cricket grounds or programmes. If the coffers extend to both lines of expansion, then, the move may be a good one.
However, one can also take a long-term, 25-year view and argue that, given the existence of Rangiri Stadium, a new stadium-***-sports complex should be sited in the Wellawaya-Buttala area so that it services Uva, Monaragala and Hambantota Districts – a scheme that could be made an adjunct to a massive development plan that links the ongoing Matara-Kataragama railway line via, say, Buttala to Batticaloa (if the eastern theatre of war returns to peace).
What we need then is transparency in the financial accounts and a lucid summary of the present balances and the projected distribution over the next few years. Investigative journalism is sadly lacking in Lanka. It is an indictment of media circles in Lanka that some matters have to be brought to light – however incompletely -- by amateurs like myself. The shenanigans around the building of Rangiri and the nature of its tenurial rights have been kept hidden for many years. It would seem that powerful interests who have the capacity to create “pocket stadiums” also can keep mediamen and cricket clubs in their pocket.
Asgiriya, Pallakalay & Rangiri
Michael Roberts - 18th January 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The recent announcement that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will invest large sums of money in building Pallekele (Pallakalay) Stadium as a replacement for its interests in Asgiriya Stadium is arguably a welcome step, even though it is not an open and shut case. For those without special interests the issue is not between these two stadiums. It is whether we need another dry-season venue in the mid-country when we already have Rangiri Stadium in Dambulla to fulfil this role during the critcal period May-to-October.
Before addressing that issue, for those unfamiliar with the tale let me introduce the manner in which Asgiriya became a major centre for international cricket in the 1980s as a result of the initiative of Gamini Dissanayake. Amidst Dissanayake's many illustrious services to cricket in Lanka, this decision is one of those that can be seriously questioned.
Dissanayake's election to the position of President of the Board of Control for SL Cricket in 1980 was engineered by Abu Fuard. This was a momentous step because the most pressing issue then was Sri Lanka 's effort to gain entry to full Test status, an endeavour that had been stymied for years by the conservatism of the ICC.
The groundwork for this demand had been laid by our cricketers. Under Anura Tennekoon they had won the ICC Trophy for affiliate countries on two occasions in England , in 1975 and 1979, and also fared reasonably well in the World Cup – even defeating India in 1979. They also impressed the West Indians under Kallicharan and the Aussies under Kim Hughes when the two sides toured Lanka in 1979 and 1981 respectively.
But in the 1970s they had constantly encountered two problems. One was the underlying “white power” interest of England, Australia and New Zealand who were reluctant to support the proposals presented by Pakistan and India from 1975 (alternately proposing and seconding) for Sri Lanka to be admitted to the magic circle. The veto powers of the big two, England and Australia , were a looming threat and it was not till Sri Lanka 's cricketers convinced Manager Fred Bennett through their cricketing prowess in early 1981 that one of these hurdles was circumvented.
Ironically this bloc drew support from the West Indies when Sri Lanka 's annual request entered the agenda in 1978. Their representative, Jeff Stollmeyer, also resisted the claim. Stollmeyer was "a white Trinidadian who hated black people" (Joe Hoad's words) -- so local Caribbean politics also conspired to undermine Sri Lanka 's claim in that year. However, the brown bourgeoisie were beginning to garner administrative clout and displace the Whites in West Indian cricket circles and as Manager of Kallicharan's side in 1979 Joe Solomon was won over to the Lankan cause by both the cricket and the genial hospitality of the Sri Lankan officials.
The second problem was the ostensible ground upon which the ICC rejected the request on every occasion: namely, that the ground facilities were second class and that suitable Test-Match venues were restricted to Colombo . It was this up-front objection --a cogent matter -- that Dissanayake met head-on and circumvented in July 1981 when he attended the annual ICC meeting.
He first laid the groundwork by providing the necessary ‘lubrication'. With the help of a leading Sri Lankan firm, Maharajah Organisation Ltd, as well as a British company involved in the Mahaweli Development Board projects, namely Balfour Beatty, he arranged for a number of impressive functions in London at which ICC and MCC officials were treated royally – truly man-management in a stylr reminsicent of O. E. ‘Kattaya' Goonetilleke's handling of the Soulbury Commission. Furthermore, as a Trinitian and a lawyer, Dissanayake had the social graces and the forensic skills to persuasively press his case and to promise government investment in developing Test venues beyond the Colombo area.
Once Sri Lanka secured test status on 21 July 1981 Dissanayake was true to his word. He chose Kandy as the first option and the Trinity school grounds at Asgiriya as the specific venue; and proceeded to twist the arms of Balfour-Beatty in order to transform the grounds in next to no time. Clearly, there were special interests organising his choice. Though he represented Nuwara Eliya in parliament, Kandy was his home town and one can speculate that “the Kandyan interest,” romantic notions associated with the last capital of Tun Sinhalaya and the grandeur around Asgiriya had some bearing upon this decision.
Though our cricket in the 1980s and 1990s definitely profited from the presence of another venue, it can be asked whether wiser counsel should not have led to a different site in, say, the Dumbara Valley or in the Habarana/Dambulla area being selected for this venue for the reason that such a site opens the door for more cricket during the (usually) wet season in the centre and south western regions of the island. As everyone knows the best window of opportunity for many cricketing nations (other than England ) to make longer tours is in the period May-October when the weather in the sou'west quarter is quite unpredictable and can ruin games.
But that is not the principal objection to Asgiriya. The main problem is that it is a venue belonging to a school that also utilises it for rugger and standard schoolyard activities. However amenable the Trinity authorities have been in their liaison with SLC, there are debilitating administrative problems in maintaining the ground within suitable standards. Besides, any large investment must rest on solid tenurial control in the hands of the investor and not arrangements liable to annual negotiations.
It is within this context that one witnesses the entry of Muralitharan the entrepreneur. As a millionaire in his own right with a special interest in sponsoring sport in the Kandy area, he took up an idea mooted by those who had studied the rainfall statistics which showed that the Dumbara Valley possessed dry zone characteristics. He teamed up with an UAE entrepreneur to purchase land at Pallakalay and plan a sports complex. The UAE capitalist quickly let him down, the Mahaweli Development Authority and various bureaucrats impeded his efforts at every turn and Thilanga Sumathipala, the boss of SLC at this initial stage of investment, did his best to undermine the plans because the site would compete with an asset that was then in his personal pocket, namely, the Rangiri Stadium at Dambulla.
So Murali has been left with this particular financial baby for several years. SLC have now stepped in and I presume that they will become the new owners or controlling lessees. That the Tamil Union interests and Mathivanan of the Colts CC have important places in the present alliance governing SLC is obviously a backround factor in this decision. To be fair, however, SLC is now moving to gain tenurial security over Rangiri too (as they should have been done long ago – more on this in another essay). So it is not merely a case of Murali being bailed out by friends: cricket lovers in Kandy and business interests in Kandy will profit from having such a site.
There is irony here. In Sri Lankan political history the “Kandyan interest” stood for Sinhala forces hostile to the plantations and the plantation labourers known in the past as “Indian Tamils” (who now call themselves “Malaiyaha Tamils”). This tendency was exemplified in the disenfranchisement of these people in 1948/49 and in the Kandyan Peasantry Commission Report of 1953. Both in 1956 and in the land reform movement of the 1970s the chauvinist dimensions of the “Kandyan interest” stood out quite clearly.
But what do we see now: a grandson of a plantation-foreman whose son, Murali's father, turned worthy confectionery manufacturer, a lad schooled at St. Anthony's College who developed a magical bowling arm steps out to serve the “Kandyan interest.” SLC has now taken up the baton – partly to aid the local surrounds, but also in the interest of Sri Lanka 's cricket in general.
Asgiriya, in my view, is clearly untenable as a long-term interest. So the issue is whether Rangiri – recovered as an SLC venue rather than a personal pocket borough – would be an adequate mid-year site for cricket; and whether the money set aside for the project at Pallakalay could be better spent on other cricket grounds or programmes. If the coffers extend to both lines of expansion, then, the move may be a good one.
However, one can also take a long-term, 25-year view and argue that, given the existence of Rangiri Stadium, a new stadium-***-sports complex should be sited in the Wellawaya-Buttala area so that it services Uva, Monaragala and Hambantota Districts – a scheme that could be made an adjunct to a massive development plan that links the ongoing Matara-Kataragama railway line via, say, Buttala to Batticaloa (if the eastern theatre of war returns to peace).
What we need then is transparency in the financial accounts and a lucid summary of the present balances and the projected distribution over the next few years. Investigative journalism is sadly lacking in Lanka. It is an indictment of media circles in Lanka that some matters have to be brought to light – however incompletely -- by amateurs like myself. The shenanigans around the building of Rangiri and the nature of its tenurial rights have been kept hidden for many years. It would seem that powerful interests who have the capacity to create “pocket stadiums” also can keep mediamen and cricket clubs in their pocket.
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Not sure if I will find the time to go to the city to watch it but good news neverthless.
alternative
Cricket Web Content Updater
I can't wait for this series to start and Ganguly to take strike at Kolkota, this is going to be a ripper of a series. I once again fail to see the importance of a 4 match series 
alternative
Cricket Web Content Updater
I know the point of the series, but having a 5 match series or something in the odd number of matches can give you a clear indication of the better team in the case of a draw.