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Sri Lanka’s
emerging master blaster, batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan
won the ICC Twenty20 International Performance of the
Year in recognition of his 96 not out off 57 balls at
the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in
England.
This
is the second year the award has been given to recognise
the most impressive performance by a player in Twenty20
Internationals during the 12-month voting period and it
continues to mark the advent of this exciting format of
the game at international level.
During
the semi-final of the ICC World Twenty20 against West
Indies at the Oval, Dilshan smashed 96 not out in 57
balls, in a performance that included two sixes and 12
fours. He helped to steer his side into the finals of
the tournament after they beat the opposition by 57
runs.
The
award rounds off a good year of Twenty20 cricket for
Dilshan who took the ICC World Twenty20 by storm after
showcasing his astonishing flick-shot over his head and
also picked up the Player of the Tournament at the ICC
World Twenty20, 2009 after amassing 317 runs at an
average of 52.83.
According to the LG ICC Awards 25-person voting academy
Dilshan’s effort was the most impressive performance of
the voting period from 13 August 2008 to 24 August 2009.
It
beat competition from West Indies’ Chris Gayle for his
88 off 50 balls against Australia in the ICC World
Twenty20, 2009 in England at the Oval; Pakistan’s Umar
Gul for his 5-6 against New Zealand in the same
tournament at the same venue and Gul’s team-mate Shahid
Afridi for his 51 of 34 balls and 2-16 against South
Africa in the semi-final of the tournament at Trent
Bridge.
After
collecting his award from last year’s winner Yuvraj
Singh from India, Dilshan said: “This is a great feeling
for me. I can’t forget about that innings - it was so
important and I was really happy about my overall
performance in that tournament. It was a thrill for me
to do well in England and do well for my team.
“I’m
really proud of myself for having a new shot named after
me (the Dilscoop). That shot has given me confidence. If
I am under pressure I can play that shot and put the
pressure back on the bowlers.”
The
Twenty20 International Performance of the Year was one
of 11 individual and team honours handed out during the
ICC Awards in association with FICA. The event, held at
The Sandton Sun Convention Centre, Johannesburg
recognises cricket’s star performers over a 12-month
period.
Sad failure, but not the end of the world
Sri
Lanka’s elimination from the semifinals of the
Champion’s Trophy competition did evoke a sense of deep
disappointment country wide, and inevitably, will have
roused the wrath of critics in the days to come.
It’s
not that pre-tournament optimism had been overly giddy.
Days before the campaign in South Africa, it has to be
remembered, Sangakkara’s men had conceded the tri-nation
final to India and resided closer to the basement of the
world ODI ranking. Winning a semifinal slot from among
the world’s best eight ODI nations, so, was going to be
hugely challenging.
That
evaluation, however, was cataclysmically changed after
Sri Lanka stunned South Africa in the opening game – and
the islanders presence in the semifinal became a given.
And justifiably so: their domination of the world’s no.1
ODI team was so authoritative, so complete that you just
couldn’t relegate them to the status of also-rans.
But
for a team whose leader, in the days approaching the
event, had publicly admitted that he would rather his
team be spoken of not as one of the favourites, sparing
it of the accompanying pressures, to be suddenly
propositioned as a fancied team might’ve been
discomforting to say the least. Thrust with the weight
of heightened expectation was, perhaps, too much to bear
for Sangakkara’s young team – which probably is why they
succumbed to England and New Zealand, supposedly the
lesser hurdles in their group.
Reversal of form
It’s
quite a different situation when the world expects you
to win, a situation which, perhaps, they could not
adjust to as rapidly as was required. The game after all
is much about the state of mind – and might well be the
reason for the team’s dramatic reversal of form. If that
be the case, it offers some consolation: the failure has
more to do with a lack of mental strength than
deficiencies in ability. The team, it ought not to be
forgotten, is amidst a rebuilding process and there’s
time for lessons on how to live up to expectations
(never an easy thing to do) to be learnt.
Hard
boiled critics, rabidly passionate followers and indeed
international cricket itself, however, offer little
concessions to a team journeying to maturity. For them,
a team is as good as its performance on the day – so
they shall be judged. So expect quite some harsh
criticism to be levelled against Sangakkara’s team.
Whether that sort of criticism is more emotional than
rational is, of course, debatable, but this much is
certain: the criticism isn’t groundless. Indeed,
misjudgments by management and imperfections on the
field were plentiful, providing ample reasons to bring
the cane down on the team. Some of those lapses proved
costly, and, fair to say, precipitated our elimination.
A
weakness that was there for all to see was their
inability to adjust to pitches different from those at
home. It would be unfair, however, to pass outright
condemnation for the failure to cope with the fast and
bouncy pitches of South Africa, especially at the
Wanderers in Johannesburg. All of the teams taking first
lease of it encountered difficulties in coping with its
demons, including the four eventual semi finalists.
Fared worse
Sri Lanka,
perhaps, fared the worse, in their encounter with
England: Dilshan, Jayasuriya, Sangakkara and Jayawardene
had perished within the space 32 balls. The game was as
good as conceded in the opening 40 minutes; only
sensible batting from the lesser-established Kandamby
and Matthews ensured a prolonged contest.
In
hindsight, it is excusable to suggest that the top four
ought to have exercised greater restraint. But this is
not to infer they self-destructed; the fact that the
pitch was at its most spiteful in the first hour or so
was a significant reason for the top order’s
disintegration. Of course, the top four will be scolded
for their rather intemperate ways, but then they’ve won
admirers the world over for their venture some
qualities.
That
apart, establishing command through aggression has been
a hallmark of our batting, nay second nature.
Translating that nature to success requires a blending
of experience and batting depth, a la the 1996 line-up.
This one, though, might have a batsman or two in the
class of ’96 but as a unit, it has to traverse some
distance yet down maturity’s road. Providing seniors
Sangakkara and Jayewardene can be counted on to shepherd
the young in the flock more consistently, there’s no
reason why ’96 level of reliability can’t be attained in
the two years before the next World Cup.
Toss influenced the out-come
Back
to last week’s failures. As we were saying, Sri Lanka
had conceded defeat to England in the opening 40
minutes. It has to be said the green-tinged Wanderers
pitch had more to do with the crumbling of our top
order. It assisted the English medium pace men so
prodigiously that the ball more than the bowler caused
the damage – in the first hour, certainly. It is, thus,
fair to say that the toss influenced the outcome;
Sangakkara lost it and
Sri Lanka
lost the match.
The
defeat to
New Zealand
was quite another story. Apart from the psychological
advantage accruing from last month’s successes over the
Kiwis, the coin fell right for Sangakkara – and he gave
the Kiwis first strike. Clearly, the horrendous 17 for 4
experience two days before influenced this decision,
notwithstanding the paler tinge of green on the pitch.
As things turned out the Wanderers pitch was nothing
like it had been two days ago. It might’ve been exported
from the SSC for all the ease with which the Kiwi
openers flourished.
Eventually, the Kiwis ran up 300-plus – a total that
might’ve been scaled down had our bowlers displayed the
sharpness they normally do. And Muralitharan opting out
of his own accord in the belief that a medium paceman
would be better suited at Wanderers (as it was just the
other day), didn’t help subdue the torrent of runs.
Before that assault, our fielding too fell into
disarray.
It was
one of those days when nothing quite goes right for a
team. But at least, at day’s end, it can’t be said that
Sri Lanka went down without a fight. Dilshan and
Jayasuriya set the innings off blazingly, but 300-plus
was always going to be difficult to achieve. There was,
however, hope that Jayewardene, with a calculated
assault, might manage it. But victory isn’t a one-man
job.
Dreams went awry
And
so, the dreams built on the sensational triumph over
favourites South Africa went awry. In won’t be wrong to
assume that
Sri Lanka
in some way became a victim of that success. As said
before it raised expectation to a level the team
couldn’t fulfill. As well, it wasn’t as if the
overcoming of S.Africa was a flash in the pan.
The
extremely successful start made by Sangakkara’s team
didn’t help temper down expectations, especially of a
team not quite ripened yet. Sangakkara himself is barely
six months in the job; on the permanent cadre is just
the skipper, his predecessor Jayawardene, Muralitharan,
Samaraweera, Dilshan (for Tests and ODIs) and an ageing
Jayasuriya for ODIs only. So, in numbers, what we are
talking about is about nursing some half-dozen players
into the ranks of permanency.
Even
so, the results under the new leader have been
remarkable: T20 World Cup finalist; first ever Test
series win on home shores against Pakistan, as well the
five-match ODI series; whitewash of the Kiwis in the
Test series. So, the first three/four months under
Sangakkara have been a roller-coaster ride, really. Bar
the T20 success, all of the other successes were
achieved at home, and an evaluation of the team’s
strength purely on face value of the achievements of the
first three/four months was not going be wholly
accurate. However, for what, as a team, is a fledgling
outfit, really, the promise it holds out is heartening.
The
more difficult examinations, however, are to be faced,
the first of which was last week’s Champion’s Trophy.
Though the bid for semifinal qualification failed, the
conquest of the world’s no.1 ranked team is, well,
inspiration enough to soldier on in quest of the
perfections that Sangakkara asks of his subjects. Not
finishing among the top four last week isn’t, as some
critics might make out, the end of the world.
Fast tracks and us
Sri
Lanka was not defeated by the English and the Kiwis by
themselves. We lost because we didnt come to terms with
the quicker wickets that we had to play on. Double back
to the game against the English side. The wicket was
quick and bouncy. The carry was low so that the wicket
keeper was collecting around waist height. That we lost
four wickets early was not the issue. The fronline were
jumping about to match the bounce and movement generated
by the opening bowlers. Sanga glimpsed one pitched up
though away from reach and his eyes gleamed.
Swished....caught. Very often this is the mode of
dismissal.
Now
hark back to the glory days of the Windies. If Malcolm
Marshall and Mike Holding were to bowl on that Wanderers
wicket?
The
Black Caps too were better adapted to survive on quicker
wickets than the Sri Lankans. We showed that we couldnt
get a partnership worthy to win these games. We didnt
deserve to win.
It is
futile to continue playing on slow, low bounce wickets
at home and in the sub continent. Our young players need
to be exposed on true, fast and bouncy wickets to hone
and complete their skills. Even the seniors failed this
time. Dilshan would do well to restrict his coconut flop
over the keeper’s head for the T 20 games.
Malings and Kulasekera would have gained by bowling on
these wickets but the experience should be taken to
heart.
Thajone: Flanker and Prankster
By Sharm de Alwis
Thajone was the very soul of wit and good humour. There
was never a dull moment when he was around. Either
coining an apt nickname like JAWS for Anton Benedict of
the long talk or plotting a prank like Bradman plotting
a triple century, Thajone Savanghan was the Master
Nonpareil.
We
worked together in our salad days in ‘Ulcer Gulch’ and
others who made life pleasant in and out of the ad
agency were Chris Greet, Ishan Bahar, Killy Pullendran,
Terry Louis, Bryan Ingram, Cyril B. Perera, Gunasiri
Colombage, Eardley Peiris, Ariyasiri Vithanage, Owen de
Abrew, Bentley Barsenbach, Tony and Brano Amit and Randy
Sims.
Thaj
will be unfailingly remembered for his pranks as well as
for his breath-taking deeds of valour on the rugger
field. Together with Jeffrey de Jong and Anton Benedict,
they formed the most feared and devastating third row of
their time for club and country. A High Priest of Sports
Writers proclaimed him ‘The Boy with the Ten Ton
Tackle.’
As a
flanker he takes his place in the Hall of Fame alongside
Gama Fernando, Sari and Tony de Sylva, Jeffrey de Jong,
Angelo Wickramaratne, Franklin Jacob, Geoff Weinman,
Normman Gunawardena, Mark Sunderalingam, Gogi
Tilekeratne and Ranjith Abeydeera. He was a
bone-crushing crash-tackler who could rub shoulders with
D.L.Y Pakstun and Michael Schokman.
Thajone Savanghan and his elder brother Juragan left
Trinity even as they cut their rugby teeth because
travelling from Kegalle to Kandy and, later, from Nuwara
Eliya to Kandy by bus and by train was too strenuous for
the schoolboys. The father did have a house in Kandy but
that was often abandoned with transfers he was subjected
to as a police officer.
Trinity lost two marvellous ruggerites but that was
Isipathana’s gain. Juragan captained Isipathana in 1968
and Thajone follwed suit the next year. Both brothers
played for the school from 1966 onwards and also for
Colombo Schools against Outstation Schools in the
Gratiaen Cup games.
Whilst
yet a schoolboy, captaining his alma mater, Thajone was
in the crack Havelocks outfit of ’69 captained by Jeyer
Rodriguesz. He came in as a flanker to fit the slot
vacated by Gama Fernando after several years of sterling
play.
Thajone’s occupancy of the flanker’s position went on
for 12 years from 1969 to ’80, well past his year of
captaincy in ’76. The formidable third row had a further
input when Angelo Wickramaratne came in as a hunting
flanker for speedy de Jong to move over to the winger’s
berth.
1976,
the year of Thajone’s captaincy, was the last time that
the Clifford Cup and the League were played for one Cup
and Havelocks clinched the title. Just two years
earlier, Desmond Harridge had piloted Havelocks to win
the titles and Jeffrey de Jong kept the trail ablaze in
’77, in his captaincy year. Those were the days of pomp
and glory for Havelocks.
Thajone played against Dubai Exiles, Germania S.C.,
French Navy and Nchauga Club. In 1972 he was in the CRFU
team Vs London Welsh and against the same opposition he
was in the President’s XV.
He was also in the CRFU XV captained by Y.C. Chang
against the Australian Emus. His other representative
games were against Blackheath and Bosuns. In 1976 he
captained Low-Country in the Capper Cup game.
Thajone considered Mohan Sahayam as “the greatest threat
that flashed against a flanker’s horizon. We just
hungered to take him on when he was on fire. And yet he
was quite elusive at times.”
The
best dummy Thajone sold was in Libya. The rules for
leaving the Port of Banghazi were as strict as those for
entering and papers had to be obtained from several
authorities. With his ship in dock, Thajone had little
courtesies for administrative nonsense that would waste
his time and deprive him of the glass that cheers.
He
approached the security desk and said, “Excuse me, Sir,
my ship is in port; can I go in?” The security officer
thundered back, “No, you can’t. Get out!” Thajone bolted
for his chilled beer.
When
he worked at Freudenberg Shipping in the pre-container
days, his team mates included Shafi Jainudeen, Lanil
Tennekoon, Roy Dias, Hafi Abdeen, Rohan Perera, Frank
Hubert, Jeff Rutnam, Naina Marikar and Anver Anver.
The
boys had to work long and hard on break bulk cargo until
the ship got clearance to leave the port but with
Thajone’s ingenuity to pal up the captain, the boys were
never short of scotch. Someone sneaked to Robert
Senanayake. A pow-wow was held, the culprit identified
and on the next night shift Lanil Tennekoon held the
sneak aloft and was about to throw him overboard when
the cargo supervisor stopped him, shouting, “Don’t do
that, don’t ever do that, you’ll pollute the water.”
The
practical joke Thajone and Maurice de Silva hatched to
fox Rusty is too rich to narrate here and I will only
remind those who are already privy to it so that they
may be in stitches. Maas has written in his moving
tribute, “I cannot think of anyone who threw caution to
the wind and milk life for all it had to offer. Heaven
will be a better place with the likes of him.”
Thajone Savanghan has crossed the Great Divide, leaving
behind his beloved wife, Noorani and sons, Dilshan and
Romesh. We know for sure he will have his friends in
howling laughter just as his mirth had the nurses in
stitches even when he was laid low at the nursing home.
Manilal – architect of Lanka’s football infrastructure
By Hafiz Marikar
Manilal Fernando’s service to the game of football in
this country is invaluable. He is a person who has given
a helping hand in this sport for every one — be a
league, clubs, referees, coaches, administrators, fans,
followers.
However few forget the glorious moments of sports, the
part played by the promoters and officials for the
upliftment of the sport. He is a person who has kept the
football flag flying in the country, and also a live
wire of the AFC as Senior Vice President and FIFA
Development Officer. Today he supports the game like no
one else.
This
great football promoter who can be called the god father
of the game in the country, was a happy man when he was
invited by the Asian Football Confederation boss
Muhammad Bin Hammam, to open three football stadiums
which was his dream.
The
first stadium will be opened on October 12 where the
Vernon Football Stadium in Kalutara will be declared
open by President Mahinda Rajapakse, another man who has
given a big hand for sports. He will share the opening
with Bin Hammam. And on the 13th the City Football
League Stadium will be opened and on the following day
they will open the Mannar Football Stadium.
Now
there is a request to Manilal Fernando and the President
Mahinda Rajapakse from the Kandy football lovers, to
give them a ground of their own to play football. Today
there are many teams participating in Kandy in the A & B
divisions.
There
is also a sponsor, but they lack a proper place to pay
the game, the only ground available is Bogambara where a
high fee is involved and also there are other sports
played here and they are finding it difficult to
complete their domestic tournaments.
So, it
is going to be three great days for football, and when
football history will be recorded.
Mohan Samarakoon — first interim committee head of a
sports club
By Hafiz Marikar
Mohan
Samarakoon, the famous Trinity ruggerite, became the
first interim committee head of a sports club, when he
was unanimously appointed as the Interim Committee
Chairman of the Old Trinitians Sports Club. Mohan who
was one time president of the club and did yeoman
service. Every Old Trinitian is expecting a lot from
him, and he is capable and sure to do a good job. He
played for Trinity in the late 1960’s and later for
Kandy SC, Dimbulla A & CC, Dickoya MCC and Up-Country
and also for the All Ceylon Barbarians.
Later
he became the President of the Central Province Rugby
Football Union and one time Council Member of the SLRFU.
A master organiser he knows how to get things done. When
he was the school administrator at one time, he did his
best to give his school the much need fillip.
Mohan
Samarakoon, after his appointment as Chairman OTSC
Interim Committee thanked all present for having
accepted the nominations to the Interim Committee with a
motive to serve a worthy cause and bring back the OTSC
to its glory days.
Samarakoon was very specific that the interim committee
will endeavour to fulfil its obligations within the
period of four months which ends in January
2010.
He is
well known for his good work in the field of sports,
social work and charity. Mohan’s main ambition is to
bring this club back to where it was at one time. They
played “A” division rugger, and also played Division III
cricket, hockey and athletics.
At the
meeting held last Sunday, the sporting principal of
Trinity College, Brig Udaya Ariyaratne was brought in
as Patron, Iswan Omar another hard worker as Secretary
and the rest of the members appointed were Dr. Sarath
Illangathilaka – Chairman Advisory Committee, Bimal
Fernando – Past President, Nimal Nug de Silva – Member
OBA / OTSC, one time Gold Club and Sri Lanka Golf
President, Michael Richardson – OTSC – President Elect,
Ruwan Ratwatte – TCK OBA – Kandy Branch and a past
president of OTSC with a wealth of knowledge, Channa
Kalugampitiya – President Scrummage, Nalin Perera –
Banker / Member OTSC, M. Muthukumaran – Bar Secretary
– OTSC 200, Daya Ehalamalpe – TCK Representative ,
R. Rajendran – SJMS Associates – Chartered Account R.
Divagaran – Sports Secretary – OTSC – 2009.
The
past Trinitians who had sent in their apologies were
Brig: Japana Jayawardena – President OBA Parent Body,
Nahil Wijesuriya Trustee, and Kumar Sangakkara -
Chairman Cricket OTSC who is in South Africa.
Aussies thrash England in first semi final
England crashed out of the Champions Trophy at the
semi-final stage as they were thoroughly outplayed by
Australia.
Batting first on a good wicket, England collapsed to
101-6 before Tim Bresnan (80) and Luke Wright (48) put
on 107 to help them to 257 all out at Centurion.
Ricky
Ponting and Shane Watson both hit centuries in a
national record stand of 252 as Australia cruised home
with nine wickets and 49 balls remaining.
Watson
hit seven sixes in his 136 not out while Ponting made an
unbeaten 111.
It was
the best ODI partnership by any Australia pairing and by
the end of it England looked just as innocuous as the
team thrashed 6-1 in the September one-day series
between these two sides.
Australia progress to Monday’s final against either
Pakistan or New Zealand, and on this sort of form the
defending champions will take some beating, while
England take the rest of the month off before returning
to South Africa for an 11-week tour.
While
Australia were able to name the same side who had taken
them through the group stage unbeaten, England’s
build-up had been troubled by the continued illness to
Matt Prior and Stuart Broad’s torn buttock muscle.
Having
coped with the Prior setback by handing the gloves to
Eoin Morgan and putting Ravi Bopara in the team for two
games, the management decided they required a specialist
wicketkeeper.
So
Steve Davies, who is moving from Worcestershire to start
next season with Surrey, was shoe-horned into the middle
order.
Broad,
England’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 10
victims in the three round-robin matches, was not fit so
Bresnan was handed a first appearance in South Africa,
while there was also a third change from the side
comfortably beaten by New Zealand on Tuesday, with
Graham Onions in for a sick Ryan Sidebottom.
The
wickets at Centurion have generally provided
opportunities for big scores by the sides batting first,
and this, a brand new strip with just one or two cracks,
played beautifully for the batsmen. It was
disappointing, then, that England, having rescued one
crisis by going from 16-2 to 71-2, caved in miserably as
four more wickets fell for the addition of 30 runs.
After
the first two blows - skipper Andrew Strauss lazily
flicking to square-leg where he was brilliantly caught
by James Hopes and Owais Shah getting too thin an edge
on his leg-glance to be snapped up by wicketkeeper Tim
Paine - Paul Collingwood and Joe Denly launched a
spirited counter-attack.
Collingwood was the aggressor, driving on both sides of
the wicket, pulling and cutting as he gave Hopes and
Mitchell Johnson a torrid time - and the pair put on 55
off 53 balls.
But
there was one pull shot too many from Collingwood, who
top-edged to Paine, and then came a real clatter of
wickets.
Denly
reached for one without moving his feet, and Paine took
a third catch with a fine, diving effort.
Next,
Davies’s inside edge off a defensive prod resulted in a
harmless-looking ball being diverted straight into the
stumps - and worse was to follow when Morgan made a
scratchy nine before trying to cut a ball that was too
close to him and giving Paine a fourth catch.
Australia’s seamers had caused total havoc as Wright and
Bresnan began their counter-offensive, and the only good
thing was that England still had almost 30 overs of
batting at their disposal.
Sri Lanka U19 go down to Australia in opener
The
Sri Lanka under 19 team went down to the Australian
under 19 team by 16 runs in the opening youth one day
international worked off at the Gardens Oval in Darwin
yesterday. The home side hit up 181 for 8 from their
restricted 25 overs after bad weather had delayed the
start until 2.30 p.m. Opener T. M. Beaton made a top
score of 59 from 50 balls inclusive of three sixes and
one boundary.
In
reply
Sri Lanka
ended up at 165 for 6 from their 25 overs with middle
order batsman Kithruwan Vithanage smashing a 38 ball 47
with the help of two sixes and four boundaries.
The
second one day match will be played on October 4,
followed by matches on October 6, 9 and 11. Australia
under 19: 181 for 8 in 25 overs (T. M. Beaton 59, N. J.
Maddinson 46, Chatura Peiris 2 for 28, Charith
Jayampathy 2 for 39) Sri Lanka under 19: 165 for 6 in
25 overs (Andy Berenger 29, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 29,
Kithruwan Vithanage 47, S. A. Abbott 2 for 33)
Downpours disrupt Japan practice
Heavy
rain played havoc with Friday practice for the Japanese
Grand Prix at Suzuka as championship leader Jenson
Button sat out the final session.
Button
and Rubens Barrichello, his Brawn team-mate and title
rival, stayed in the garage as second practice was
reduced to just 13 minutes of action.
Force
India’s Adrian Sutil clocked the quickest time of the
second session.
McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen set the fastest time of the
day with his time of one minute 40.356 in first
practice.
Sutil’s effort of one minute 47.261 was enough to top
the timesheets in a second session that offered very
little indication of real race pace.
Red
Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, who needs to finish on the
podium in Japan to keep his slender drivers’
championship chances alive, was second quickest.
Force
India’s Vitantonio Liuzzi was third fastest as the lap
times tumbled when more drivers took to the track as
some of the surface water cleared.
Johnson – ICC Cricketer of the Year
Australia
bowler Mitchell Johnson was named Cricketer of the Year
at the prestigious ICC Awards, held at a glittering
ceremony in
Johannesburg
last week.
Johnson was also named in the ICC World Test Team of the
Year, as chosen by a panel of some of the greats of the
game. The 27-year-old fast bowler has had a magnificent
year with the ball and has become one the world’s most
dangerous and determined players.
Johnson was joined on the winners’ list by India captain
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who took the ODI Player of the
Year award for the second year in a row, while his
team-mate Gautam Gambhir was named Test Player of the
Year.
Meanwhile,
England’s
Claire Taylor followed in the footsteps of her captain
Charlotte Edwards to become the Women’s Player of the
Year and
Ireland
skipper William Porterfield left with the Associate
Player of the Year gong, an award recognising the
contribution that the teams below Full Member status are
making to the world of cricket.
In
total there were eight individual awards handed out, as
well as a Spirit of Cricket Award and the two ICC Teams
of the Year - for Tests and ODIs.
Aleem
Dar of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires won the
Umpire of the Year award for the first time, while New
Zealand took the Spirit of Cricket Award as it did in
2004.
ICC
President David Morgan said: “This past year of cricket
has been another exciting one for players and supporters
around the world in a time that included the ICC Women’s
World Cup, the ICC Men’s and Women’s World Twenty20 and
plenty of competitive Test and ODI cricket. These
players have contributed hugely to our enjoyment and
this night is all about recognising that excellence.
This is the sixth annual ICC Awards night and each year
it gains in prestige and importance.”
The
full list of winners is: Cricketer of the Year Award -
Mitchell Johnson (Aus), Test Player of the Year Award -
Gautam Gambhir (Ind), ODI Player of the Year - Mahendra
Singh Dhoni (Ind), Women’s Cricketer of the Year -
Claire Taylor (Eng), Emerging Player of the Year - Peter
Siddle (Aus), Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year
- William Porterfield (Ire), Twenty20 International
Performance of the Year - Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL),
Spirit of Cricket Award - New Zealand, Umpire of the
Year Award - Aleem Dar.
Test
Team of the Year is as follows (in batting order):
Gautam Gambhir (Ind), Andrew Strauss (Eng), AB de
Villiers (SA), Sachin Tendulkar (Ind), Thilan
Samaraweera (SL), Michael Clarke (Aus), MS Dhoni (Ind,
WK and captain), Shakib Al Hasan (Ban), Mitchell Johnson
(Aus), Stuart Broad (Eng), Dale Steyn (SA), 12th man:
Harbhajan Singh (Ind)
ODI
Team of the Year is as follows (in batting order):
Virender Sehwag (Ind), Chris Gayle (WI), Kevin Pietersen
(Eng), Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL), Yuvraj Singh (Ind),
Martin Guptill (NZ), MS Dhoni (Ind, WK and captain),
Andrew Flintoff (Eng), NuwanKulasekara (SL), Ajantha
Mendis (SL), Umar Gul (Pak), 12th man: Thilan Thushara
(SL)
ITF Junior Circuit kicks-off in Colombo
The
SLTA is to host two ITF Junior Circuit events, the first
of which will be held thgis month at the Green Path
courts.
The
events have attracted 88 entries, 32 of which will
compete for the girls’ titles.
Sri Lanka’s
girls representatives, Amreetha Muttiah, Kemalie Herath,
Sheren Wijesinghe, Shankari Thayakaran and Nilushi
Fernando will face a strong overseas challenge from
India, Thailand, Mauritius, USA, IRAN, Korea, Pakistan,
China and the Philippines.
Amreetha Muthiah, listed 661 in the ITF junior rankings,
is nominated bottom seed while Zainab Ali Sajjad of
India, ranked 491, is the top seed in the Girl’s
category. i.e. ITF rank 491 followed by compatriots
Tarranum Handa and Parminder Kaur, ranked 698 and 777
respectively.
In the
girl’s category 21 players from India, Thailand and
China will figure in the Qualifying Round.
In the
boy’s category, 56 entries have been received, with Sri
Lankan Thangarajah Dineshkanthan nominated as fourth
seed by virtue of ITF ranking of 780.
Sidharth Sivakumar (ranked 362) is the highest ITF
ranked player, followed by Zhaoyi Cao of
China
(ranked 552 (China) and countryman Junnan Tai (617).
The
qualifying round for the first tournament was held
Friday; the main draw begins tomorrow. The Week 2
qualifying draw will be on Oct.9 the main draw on Oct
11.
The
tournament referee is Ms. Ishara Seneviratne (ITF white
Badge) and the Tournament Director, Irshard Othman
Wilson
has come forward as the ball sponsor for the tournament.
Newly re-opened Cinnamon Lake is the official hotel and
also hosted the press conference last Thursday.
For
the first time organisers of the event have appointed
Jet Wing as official travel agents. The official soft
drink partner is Ole, thanks to efforts of former SLTA
vice president. Angelo Patrick.
SLC Premier League cricket
Ragama
CC were struggling at 107 for 7 in their first innings
on the opening day of their rain hit SLC Premier League
cricket tournament match against Colts CC which
commenced at Havelock Park yesterday.
Ragama
CC: 107 for 7 (L. Thirimanna 46 n.o, S. Baidwan 2 for
11, D. Perera 2 for 26) v Colts CC
BRC vs
Sebastianites
BRC
were skittled out for 168 runs in their first innings on
the opening day of their SLC Premier League cricket
tournament match against Sebastianites SC which began at
Havelock
Park
yesterday.
BRC:
168 (N. Perera 22, G. Fernando 23, S. Vithana 45, M.
Madushanka 24, Y. Dilukshan 2 for 34, S. Madushanka 3
for 52, N. Wanasinghe 2 for 30) v Sebastianites SC.
Singha
SC vs Lankan CC
Opener
Denver Faux hit a top score of 49 to help Singha SC
reach 172 for 6 in their first innings on the opening
day of their SLC Premier League cricket tournament match
against Lankan CC played at Katunayake y esterday.
Singha
SC: 172 for 6 (D. Faux 49, A. Wewelwela 35, S. Gallage
36, M. Ishanka 24 n.o, I. Perera 2 for 45, T. Abeyratne
3 for 36) v Lankan CC
Seeduwa Raddoluwa CC vs Navy SC
Two
fighting half centuries from Buddhi Samarawickrema and
Umesh Karunaratne helped Seeduwa Raddoluwa CC reach an
impressive 207 for 4 in their first innings on the
opening day of their SLC Premier League cricket
tournament match against Navy SC which began at Welisara
yesterday.
Seeduwa RCC: 207 for 4 (D. Gunatilleke 32, G. Kumara 43,
B. Samarawickrema 58, S. Karunaratne 59 n.o) v Navy SC
The
following matches were washed out without a ball been
bowled. Moors SC v Tamil Union at
Braybrooke Place,
Police SC v Moratuwa SC at Moratuwa, NCC v Baduraliya CC
at
Maitland Place,
Saracens
SC
v Bloomfield at Reid Avenue, Air Force SC v Panadura SC
at Rifle Green and Sri Lanka Army SC v Chilaw Marians SC
at Panagoda.
Moors’ cricket on solid ground
The
Ceylon Agro Industries Ltd. has come forward to sponsor
the Moors Sports Club cricket team this season.
President of Moors SC, A.J.M. Muzammil thanked Ceylon
Agro Industries Ltd. for this sporty gesture. He also
said that Moors has a proud history in the field of
cricket and the club has completed 100 years and the
centenary celebrations were conducted quite recently.
Ceylon
Agro Industries Ltd. has already agreed to promote
cricket in Sri Lanka by sponsoring Sri Lanka Under 15
Cricket in collaboration with Sri Lanka Cricket. This
company, for the first time has come forward to sponsor
a national cricket club by sponsoring Moors Sports Club.
It is
worthy of mentioning that Rangana Herath, one of the
most outstanding players in the present Sri Lankan Test
team is captaining Moors Sports Club. Under his able
guidance, the club has players of repute such as Dilhara
Lokuhettige, Chanaka Welagedera, Suresh Perera, Hasantha
Fernando, Shantha Kalavitigoda, to name a few.
The
Club is also being represented by Under 19 National
players, namely, Shameera Weerasinghe, Buwaneka
Ekanayake, Imesh Udayanga and Chaturanga de Silva. The
team is coached by the former Sri Lankan all rounder,
Eric Upashantha and assisted by Ruwin Peiris.
It is
noteworthy here to mention that D. S. de Silva, the
present Chairman of the Sri Lanka Cricket Interim
Committee, Asantha de Mel, Chairman of the Selection
Committee and Anusha Samaranayake, the fast bowling
coach were some of those who played for Moors Sports
Club.
Hillwood Swimmers make Kandy and country proud
By Hafiz Marikar
Hillwood
College
swimmers produced a fine performance at the invitation
swimming meet organised by the 21st century Sports Club
in
Bangalore.
Their under 8, 10, 12, 13, 16 and 18 teams took part and
skipper Amanda Kurian pocketed the under 18 champion
award at this prestigious event.
Due to
their performance they were placed second in the overall
championship out of several schools from a number of
countries. The squad included some top swimmers like
skipper Amanda, Hasini, Manthika, Ruvini, Damayanthi,
Tharuprabaha, Inuri, Gayanthi, lshini, Janani, Nethmi.
Hillwood College, Kandy one of the oldest girls schools
in the country, began on May 15, 1890, called Clarence
Memorial Girls School, and little later came to be known
as Kandyan Girls Boarding School, and the name Hillwood
came to used in 1900.
This
school now under Principal Mrs. S. Hettige is doing well
both in studies and sports. She is happy over the
performance and said that the Chairman of Board of
Governors Bishop of Kurunegala Rt. Rev. K. Ilangasinghe
and the school Manager Col A.A. de Alwis gave their
fullest support for the school. It was due to their
backing that they are doing well both in studies and
sports.
Hillwood has organised games such as net-ball, tennis,
table tennis, badminton and athletics. Tennis was
perhaps the first game introduced to Hillwood, followed
by netball in 1921; they were the second school to take
up netball.
It is
interesting to note in the good old days, that these
games, in accordance with the Hillwood tradition of
preserving as many Kandyan customs as possible, were
played for number of years with the players in Kandyan
saree.
Picture shows the team. (BACK ROW L-R) Amanda (Captain),
Hasini, Manthika, Ruvini, Damayanthi, Tharuprabaha,
(MIDDLE ROW L-R) Navodya, Nipuni, Rukshani, Nisali,
Gayanthi, Suasha, Kavya, Inuri (SEATED L-R) Sandimini,
Nethmi, Bhagyavi, Janani, Divanjali, Vidhrashi, Semini,
Onethra, Ishini.
Milo football kicks off
Over
125 schools in three divisions will be vying for honours
in the Milo Schools all island under 18 football
tournament which is now in progress in Colombo and in
the outstations. The tournament is conducted by the Sri
Lanka Schools Football Association and sponsored by
Nestle Lanka Limited after a lapse of six years.
The
division one tournament will be worked off in three
groups with 18 teams vying for top honours. A total of
58 schools will participate in the twelve groups in the
division two tournament while 49 schools will compete in
the division three tournament in ten groups.
These
schools will play home and away matches in their own
Districts as scheduled before the start of the final
round which will consist of eight teams in the division
one, 21 teams in the division two and 18 teams in the
division three.
National Sports Festival gets underway
The
35th National Sports Festival organised by the Ministry
of Sports and Recreation got underway at the Polonnaruwa
National Stadium following a colourful opening ceremony
yesterday.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Chinthana Geethal
Vidanage and national badminton champion Renu Chandrika
de Silva participated in lighting the traditional
Olympic Torch while W. M. Sonali Kumari Weerasekara took
the Olympic oath.
Mercantile badminton tourney
Over
350 shuttlers from 30 affiliated member firms will
compete in the Mercantile Badminton Association open
championships which will be worked off from October 6 to
11 at S. Thomas’ College indoor stadium in Mount Lavinia.
The
events that will be worked off the men’s singles and
doubles, women’s singles and doubles, masters doubles.
Mixed doubles, men’s and women’s veterans singles and
doubles, masters doubles.
All
present and former national badminton players will be in
action including the reigning national champion Niluka
Karunaratne who will be representing Seylan Bank for the
first time. All finals will be worked off on October 11.
Zahira Old Boys Vs Present Boys today
The
annual rugby encounter between the Old Boys and present
boys of Zahira College Colombo organised by the Zahira
College Old Boys Association played in memory of late
Major Ifthikar Yoonoos will be worked off at the College
grounds in Maradana today.
This
encounter was inaugurated by the Group of 90’s and Group
of 2002 and this year the Zahirians have taken another
step further by transforming the memorial trophy to
remember not only Major Ifthikar Yoonoos but also to pay
tribute to all old boys who lost their lives during the
war.
In
addition the organising committee will felicitate the
families of the late servicemen of
Zahira
College
at this occasion. Former President of Sri Lanka Rugby
Football Union (SLRFU) Senior DIG Nimal Lewke will grace
the occasion as the chief guest.
Young Birds SC win Mayor’s Cup
Young
Birds Sports Club retained the Mayor’s Trophy for the
third successive year when they edged out the Municipal
Council team by a solitary goal in the Nuwara Eliya
Football League tournament final played at Race Course
grounds in Nuwara Eliya. Centre J. Sanoj netted the
match winning goal for Young Birds SC in the 67th minute
of play.
A
total of 15 teams participated in this tournament and
the champions Young Birds SC received the Mayor’s Trophy
and a cash award of Rs. 20,000 together with replicas
and certificates.
The
runners up Municipal Council team received a trophy and
certificates while the third placed team Rangers SC
received certificates. The tournament was organised to
mark the 75th anniversary of the Nuwara Eliya Football
League.
Visakha Wins Tennis Championship
The
under 13 tennis team of Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo 5,
emerged champions at the all island inter-school tennis
tournament organised by the Sri Lanka Schools Tennis
Association held at the SLTA.
Team
members standing from left ; Jayathma Nawaragodagedara ,
Hasindi Lokuge, Sachini Mudalige, Thisuri Molligoda,
Hemali Ediriweera, Thisuri Mendis, Nethmi Waduge.
Seated
from left ; Mrs. P.A. Wickramathilake (TIC), Mrs.
Sandamali Aviruppola (Principal), Mrs. S.Perera (Deputy
Principal), Mr. Jayendra Wijesekara (Coach)
Speed Drome – Go-Kart Centre comes alive
A
gaping hole in
Sri Lanka’s
motorsports ladder was filled last week with the launch
of the Speed Drome in Battaramulla. The Speed Drome, a
fully-owned subsidiary of the McLarens Group of
Companies, is a dedicated Pro-Kart facility that
features unlimited track layout options, live electronic
timing down to the thousandth of a second, and very
quick, yet fun to drive karts.
The
colourful opening ceremony was attended by Yoshitha
Rajapakse as chief guest and
Sri Lanka’s
motor sports community. The programme started off with a
celebrity race featuring local performing artists
Dushyanth Weeraman, Jackson Anthony along with eminent
personalities such as Michael Wijesuriya and Kavinga
Perera together with lady drivers Lakshika Wijerathne
and Purnima Ranasinghe. Also flanked by our own cricket
hero Aravinda De Silva alongside Yoshitha Rajapakse who
made an electrifying podium finish.
It was
a treat to watch the cream of Sri Lanka’s racing drivers
battle it out in the second race. Rohan De Silva –
Maestro in Formula racing and the Managing Director of
McLarens Group flagged off the race drivers Romani de
Silva, Dinesh Senanayake, Dinesh Deheragoda, Pasindu
Pieris, Janaka Dias, Ashan Silva and Ricazz Kalid.
For
Dinesh Jayawardene, CEO of the Speed Drome, the launch
of the kart centre has been the culmination of a dream
that he has been working towards for a long time. “I’ve
always believed in promoting karting as it is the most
cost-effective way of going racing. Having raced
Go-Karts competitively in India as well as in Sri Lanka
in the past and having seen the progression that young
karters abroad have made, I know for certain that the
Speed Drome will play a huge part in the motorsports
ladder in Sri Lanka,” said Jayawardene.
The
SpeedDrome is located at 260/1 Pannipitiya road,
Pelawatte, Battaramulla and will be open from
10 am to
10 pm
daily..
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