Kumar Sangakkara asks players to take responsibility

After slumping down to their 6^th defeat in the ongoing Indian Premier League, Deccan Chargers’ skipper, Kumar Sangakkara stated that team’s International players will have to take responsibility in order for the side to comeback in the tournament.
After a gruelling defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders on May 3, Deccan has slipped down to the 7^th position in the points table.
Expressing his disappointment, Sangakkara said, "It is a bit frustrating and not good for us. We take a lot of pride with the way we play our cricket and to lose as many games as we have done, it really hurts. It's very disappointing."
The Deccan Captain opined, "The overseas players have to take big responsibility. The international players need to come here and win games. Unfortunately, we have not been able to convert many of the starts and that's something we need to look at."
The last match saw some dismal performances from Deccan while chasing down the 170-run target. The captain himself went on a duck while the batting performance was poor over all.
KKR batsman Yusuf Pathan contributed a winning knock of 47 runs, thanks to two chances given to him by sloppy fielding. The Deccan side had to pay the price for their dismal performance.
"It's hard to give two chances to a batsman of the caliber of Yusuf Pathan who can be destructive. It is discipline that can change games. So, we really need to up our game on the field," Sangakkara said.
Talking about the target set by KKR, the left-hand player said that 170 was always an achievable total, especially in Hyderabad. He claimed that he and his team have had favourable batting conditions but the openers, himself and Cameron White could not capitalize on the situations.
Admitting his own mistakes, the skipper conceded that he also needed to take responsibility.
He stated, “Sometimes, you get out early which is not great. As a captain, I need to take responsibility and that is something that I always take pride on."

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KUMAR SANGAKKARA, MAHELA JAYAWARDENE BACK LASITH MALINGA’S DECISION TO QUIT TEST CRICKET

Former Sri Lanka skippers Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have endorsed paceman Lasith Malinga’s decision of retiring from Test cricket due to a worsening knee condition.

Malinga, who is playing in the Indian Premier League for Mumbai Indians these days, announced his retirement from Test cricket on Friday, April 22, 2011 and vowed to pay complete attention to just One Day International and Twenty20 cricket.

The injury-prone pacer had recently withdrawn his name from Sri Lanka’s upcoming tour to England as well. However, after being questioned by the Sri Lanka Cricket about his participation in the lucrative IPL, Malinga made the sudden move to bid adieu to the longest format of the game.

The fast bowler has been blamed for preferring to play club cricket over country. The slinging action bowler, however, clarified that he announced his retirement from Tests in a bid to prolong his career in the shorter version of the game.

Along with 127 wickets in 84 ODIs at an average of 26.84, the 27-year-old paceman has picked up 101 wickets in 30 Tests since making his debut against Australia in 2004.

Malinga claimed that although he had plans to quit Test cricket, the timing of his retirement made the situation awkward.

The former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara has stated that Malinga’s decision was in team’s interest while Mahela Jayawardene considered that it was the right call from the pacer from a personal point of view.

“While I was captain we tried to manage him as carefully and sensitively as possible during the past couple of years,” Sangakkara said.

“The truth is that Lasith is our best fast bowler in limited-overs cricket right now. If we forced him to play Tests we would be running the risk of losing him completely,” the Lankan wicket-keeper batsman added.

Sangakkara further said that Malinga’s presence in Sri Lanka’s ODI and Twenty20 set-up is a huge blessing. Considering Malinga as a team-man, Sangakkara further rubbished all allegations that the fast bowler quit Test cricket in order to extend his participation in the ongoing IPL.

Ensuring his full support to the fast bowler, Sangakkara made it clear that it is his injury problem which forced him to leave Test cricket.

Meanwhile, Jayawardene described that with a severe knee injury, it is pointless to risk Malinga for five-day cricket.

“If he breaks down then it will be bad for Sri Lanka. Some people have criticised the decision, arguing that he is being selfish. This short-sighted argument is very unfair given that he clearly has a chronic knee problem,” Jayawardene said.

The classy right-hander further explained that if Malinga had kept playing Tests despite injury, it could have put a full stop on his cricketing career altogether.

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SRI LANKAN STALWARTS SUPPORT LASITH MALINGA’S DECISION OF QUITTING TEST CRICKET

Two former Sri Lankan captains and members of the present team, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have jumped to defend fast bowler Lasith Malinga who was criticised by cricket fans and pundits in his country after he quit Test cricket owing to the condition of his knee.

Many experts of the game in Sri Lanka stated that Malinga made a selfish call and his decision was based around the notion that he wanted to make more money by playing in the lucrative Indian Premier League and other such T20 competitions around the world, which allow cricketers the luxury of making quick bucks.

The right-arm pacer released a statement last week in which he said that he was not fit to play in the longest format of the game, and both Sangakkara and Jayawardene stated that they were fully behind their Number one strike bowler. Malinga had endured great physical pain to represent his country in the last few years, especially after he was plagued by a knee injury.

Sangakkara spoke to Sri Lankan media where he stated that he knew well about the condition of Malinga and how long it took him to recover from a Test appearance he made against India last year. Lasith guided the hosts in the opening Test with a sensational five wicket haul, yet pulled out of the remainder of the series due to the bad condition of his knee.

"We were all well aware of the seriousness of his knee condition and while I was captain we tried to manage him as carefully and sensitively as possible during the past couple of years," Sangakkara wrote in his column in a popular Indian newspaper. "We obviously wanted him to play Tests, but when we asked him to play theIndia tour it took him two months to physically recover from that."

Sangakkara, who relinquished captaincy after the ICC World Cup 2011 Finals loss to India earlier in the month, stated that he does not believe that Malinga quit test cricket to concentrate on the shorter more lucrative varieties. He further added that the call was made by the fast bowler owing to his physical condition which was far from ideal.

Kumar added that Malinga had always given his best as a national cricketer and if it was not for the knee problems he would have played test matches, as he loves performing for his country in any situation.

The left-handed batsman and wicket-keeper, who is hailed as one of the best in the modern game claimed that he supports Malinga’s decision and hopes that as a result of it he will end up playing international cricket for many years.

On the other hand, another former captain and accomplished middle-order batsman Mahela Jayawardene, who was in charge of the Sri Lankan side before Sangakkara took over, also stated that it was unfair to criticise the call made by Malinga.  

Jayawardene added that just like other professions, cricketers should also be allowed to make a call on their careers and chose paths that suit their circumstances the best.

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KUMAR SANGAKKARA TERMS THE NOTION OF LASITH MALINGA ABANDONING TEST CRICKET FOR IPL AS “NONSENSE”

Former Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara has termed the speculations regarding Malinga's decision against Test cricket for the sake of IPL (Indian Premier League) as utter nonsense.

Sangakkara in fact supported Malinga’s decision, believing that it was a prolonged knee injury that forced Malinga to bid farewell to the longest version of the game.

"I don't think there was ever a question Lasith did not want to play Test cricket. He wanted to play in all three formats of the game. Unfortunately for him, his body was not able to stand the rigours of Test cricket,” he said while defending the ace bowler.

'Slinga Malinga' this week announced his retirement from Test cricket in a bid to prevent his knee problem from further aggravation.

However, his decision was marred by controversy in Sri Lanka as some suggested that he had taken this step after Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) wanted him to leave the ongoing IPL and return home to tend to his knee before the Test series against the English.

With his retirement announced, Malinga now does not have to leave the IPL. However, Sangakkara reiterated that there was absolutely no chance of Malinga ever even thinking of abandoning national duty in favour of the IPL.

According to the left-handed batsman/wicketkeeper, the pacer Malinga had wanted to retire from Test cricket for a long time as he had been advised by his physiotherapists.

"His decision was not a surprise to me. He had spoken about it in January this year and looking at his long-term future for Sri Lanka, I think it's the right decision for him taken at the right time. I think this is the most sensible decision he can take at this time,” Sangakkara revealed while talking about Malinga.  

He also warned that had Malinga been forced to play Test cricket any further, Sri Lanka would have lost the fastest bowler in the history of Sri Lankan cricket to his degenerative knee injury.

He feels that now the pacer will be able to prolong his career which will enable him to represent Sri Lanka at least till the next World Cup which is scheduled to be hosted by New Zealand and Australia in 2015.

Former vice-skipper Mahela Jayawardene also supported Malinga’s decision to quit Test cricket and insisted that there was no controversy behind the pacer’s decision to retire from the five-day game.

Jayawardene also believed that retirement from test cricket will prolong Malinga’s cricket career in the shorter versions of the game.

The 27-year old Malinga is currently playing for Mumbai Indians in the ongoing season of the IPL.

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SRI LANKAN MEDIA CRITICISES SPORTS MINISTER’S U-TURN ON PLAYERS RETURN FROM IPL

Sri Lankan media slammed sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage for taking a U-turn on his earlier decision of calling Lankan cricketers back from the Indian Premier League.

Earlier, Aluthgamage ordered Lankan players to return home by May 5, 2011 in order to participate in the preparatory camp ahead of their crucial England tour. However, in a complete change of stance, the minister allowed the players to stay in India until May 18 and reach England directly.

The media has been demanding Aluthgamage’s resignation for changing his stance that the Lankan players must put country before the cash rich Twenty20 league.

“Now that the minister has not been able to deliver what he promised why doesn`t he seriously consider resignation,” a leading Lankan newspaper The Island wrote.

The paper further described that minister has blamed the Sri Lanka Cricket for issuing No Objection Certificates to players without setting any timeframe for their return.

“We feel the sports minister has completely lost the point here,” the newspaper added.

Under immense pressure from the Board of Control for Cricket in India to extend the earlier deadline, the Sri Lanka Cricket relented after meeting Aluthgamage and permitted its players to stay in the tournament for 13 more days.

The sports minister has been heavily criticised for changing his decision after possible backdoor negotiations with the BCCI.

The former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara is leading Deccan Chargers whereas Mahela Jayawardene is doing the same job for Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

Along with Sangakkara and Jayawardene, the key Sri Lankan IPL participants include Suraj Randiv (Chennai Super Kings), Nuwan Kulasekara (Chennai Super Kings), Dilhara Fernando (Mumbai Indians), Lasith Malinga (Mumbai Indians), Angelo Mathews (Pune Warriors) and Thisara Perera (Kochi Tuskers).

The Twenty20 League will continue until May 28, 2011 but the SLC has now allowed its players to leave the IPL by May 18.

Sri Lanka will start their tour of England officially with a warm-up game against Middlesex on May 14, 2011 followed by another one on May 19 against the England Lions.

The first Test of three match series is scheduled to begin from May 26, 2011 which means that the Sri Lankan players, who will reach England from the IPL, would have just a week to prepare themselves for the contest.

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SRI LANKA CRICKET’S DECISION OF CALLING THEIR PLAYERS BACK FROM IPL

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) condemned Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC) decision of calling back their players early from the Indian Premier League and revealed that the board is in negotiations with the SLC to fix the issue.

BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla also unveiled that the Sri Lankans were supposed to stay in India till the 21^stof May as it was mutually decided by the boards of both the countries and franchises are also bearing out the same agreement. He added that the Sri Lankan board now wanted the early return of their players, which is not fair.

"Nothing has been decided as yet. The BCCI president is in touch with the Sri Lankan board and some kind of a dialogue is going on between the two boards," he said.

The tensions between the boards of both the countries started when Sri Lankan government forced SLC to ask all their players playing in the IPL to return home by the 5^th of May in a bid to prepare for the England tour which starts with a Test Match on the 26^th of May. The tour includes three Tests, one Twent20 and five One-Day internationals.

BCCI sent a request to the Sri Lankan board asking that the star players should be allowed to play in the Twenty20 format tournament at least till the mid of May. However, SLC did not pay any heed to their request and simply stayed firm on their demand.

The main Sri Lankan players which are currently playing in the IPL include Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Lasith Malinga and the newly appointed Sri Lankan captain, Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Jayawardene is leading the new team Kochi Tuskers Kerala as their skipper while Sangakkara, who stepped down as the Sri Lankan captain following their defeat in the World Cup 2011 final, is leading the Deccan Chargers.

Media reports revealed that BCCI may strike back by asking franchises to seize the players’ salaries and may also refuse to pay SLC its share of 10 percent from the players’ incomes.

Shukla however, denied the reports saying that BCCI does not have any such intentions and is trying to sort out the issue through dialogue.

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EARLY EXIT FROM IPL MAY COST SRI LANKA PLAYERS THEIR SALARIES

Sources from Board of Control for Cricket in India hinted on Thursday that the Board may block the IPL salaries of Sri Lanka players if they leave the money-spinning T20 league in the midst of the tournament to meet their international commitments.

The source said that as per understanding between the India and Sri Lanka cricket boards, the players cannot leave their respective franchises in the midst of the tournament barring injuries. He further added that if SLC and its players did not honour their commitments, then the BCCI might not pay them their IPL salaries.

“As per the understanding between BCCI and SLC, Lankan players were to stay on till May 22. It was on the basis of that the teams had bought the Lankan players,” told a BCCI source to a leading India sports website.

“According to IPL rules, only those cricketers who are available for the whole season without injury are supposed to be paid the entire salary. We are telling the Lankan board that its cricketers' salaries would be blocked for now if they leave without honouring their commitments,” he added further. 

The sports ministry of Sri Lanka has ordered its players to come back home by May 5, 2011 to join the national team for the training camp for their tour of England starting from May 10. The Sri Lankan Lions have welcomed the Board’s decision and are willing to leave the lucrative Indian Premier League in the midst of the tournament.

Currently eleven Sri Lanka players, including Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Lasith Malinga, are playing for different IPL franchises. The BCCI had made an informal request to the Sri Lanka government as well as the cricket board but it is learnt that the islanders have decided to ignore the request and are stern to call back the players.

However, the Board officials refused to confirm any such news saying that they are in discussions with the Sri Lanka Cricket and it would be a bit early to comment.

The BCCI official asked the reporters to wait and watch over the developments however, he did agree that there was no signal that the SLC may change its stance.

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Kapil Dev believes the Indian cricket team outshined the 1983 World Cup Champions

India former cricket captain, Kapil Dev, claimed that the squad under the flagship of Mahendra Singh Dhoni is better than his 1983 World Cup winning team.

“We had our good team but these young boys are far better than what we were in our time,” claimed Dev.

Refraining from judging the teams from two different periods, he said the current Indian cricket team comprises of seasoned match winners. Recalling the 1983 win, he said his squad lacked the winning experience. He particularly, highlighted the names of Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh, terming them as the team’s strength that was unavailable to his men during his time.

 “We did not have the experience of winning and we did not have a player called Sachin Tendulkar or (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni, (Virender) Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh. They have these cricketers who on their own ability can win the tournament,” Dev added.

Hailing the leadership provided by skipper, Dhoni, Dev said his vote would still be with the captain even if the team had been unable to bag the ICC World Cup 2011. He deliberated on how all goodwill falls in the captain’s favour when the team wins but preferences change in case of a loss.

India had convincingly won the World Cup 2011 trophy after defeating Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final at Mumbai on April 2, 2011.

Acclaiming the Men in Blue, Dev said the team’s potential goes beyond the World Cup victory. The prolific cricketers have more skill and talent to show to the world.  The cricket expert rests full confidence in the hard-hitting abilities of the batting line up.

The 52-year-old cricketing veteran offered honorary words to the World Cup contenders, specifically praising Sri Lanka and Pakistan for their outstanding performances in the mega event. He lauded Pakistan skipper, Shahid Afridi and Sri Lanka captain, Kumar Sangakkara for the unrelenting leadership and control of their respective squads.

“I also love (Kumar) Sangakkara, Afridi. We have to respect the other teams also. The way they played,” Dev maintained.

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Kings XI Punjab owner Preity Zinta says Adam Gilchrist is no magician

Indian Premier League franchise Kings XI Punjab co-owner Preity Zinta has said that the captain of her side Adam Gilchrist does not have any magic wand in his hand and needs time to put the side back on winning track.
Preity is quite hopeful to see things turning around after her team’s convincing victory over Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday.
“I am hopeful of a turnaround and know that Gilchrist is a brilliant team leader. But he is not a magician and should be given time to settle down,” Preity said.
After being thrashed by the Pune Warriors in their opening game, Kings XI Punjab made a fantastic comeback and routed defending champions Chennai Kings comprehensively by 6 wickets in their own backyard, Mohali.
Chasing Super Kings’ massive total of 188, the Punjab batsmen held their nerves in front of home crowd, which eventually helped them to perform superbly. The opening batsman Paul Valthaty scored a marvellous unbeaten innings of 120 runs, guiding his side to glory single-handedly.
Kings XI Punjab lost some of their star players in the IPL auctions 2011, as Yuvraj Singh, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, who represented Punjab in the previous IPL editions, are leading different outfits this season.
Meanwhile Gilchrist, who led Deccan Chargers to victory in the second season of the IPL, has been trying to continue with the good work for his new side.
The Bollywood star Preity Zinta is also looking forward to the team’s improved performance in the upcoming games.
“We have lot many games left. We will definitely emerge stronger,” the Indian actress said about her team.
Showing her enormous delight over Wednesday victory, Preity further hoped that every player from the side will contribute to the team’s success in the competition.
“Everybody has to realise that they have to chip in. Cricket is not an individual sport and everyone needs to contribute,” the KXIP co-owner added.
Earlier in the tournament, Kings XI were beaten by the Yuvraj-led Pune Warriors.
The Shimla-born actress reposed faith in the players and expected that the team would shine in the competition without having big names in the line-up. Except their semi-final appearance in the 2008 edition of the Twenty20 League, the Kings XI Punjab have failed to make an impact in later IPL competitions.
After their win against Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai side, Kings XI Punjab have jumped up to 7^th position in the IPL points table.
Punjab are scheduled to meet the Kumar Sangakkara-led Deccan Chargers on Saturday next.

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SRI LANKA NEEDS LONG-TERM CAPTAIN CLAIMS KUMAR SANGAKKARA

Outgoing captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team, Kumar Sangakkara, hopes that the national cricket board appoints a long term successor in his place.

The stylish left-handed batsman admired the world over for his skills and mannerisms on and off the field thinks that the Islanders need someone, who can take the team to the next World Cup, and, ideally should have the backing of the cricket administrators of the game as he learns the nuances of leadership at the international level.

Sangakkara has two candidates in mind, one is the flamboyant opening batsman, Tillakaratne Dilshan, and, the other one is all-rounder Angelo Mathews.

Dilshan has had phenomenal success at the highest level in the last three years, or, so, he was the leading run getter in the World Cup amassing a tally of more than 500 runs.

On the other hand, Mathews is regarded as one of the brightest talents in the country, he is yet to fulfill his potential as a top class all-rounder but at the age of 23 he has time on his side.

Sangakkara thinks that one of the two should be backed for the longer haul, especially in the case of Dilshan, who does not have many years of cricket left in him and would need to work hard on his fitness if he has to be in the reckoning for the next 50 overs World Cup.

"You have to look long term. Not just what is good for now. If you want to go for Dilshan, give him the confidence for a long term", Sangakkara told ESPNcricinfo. "Don't give the captaincy to Dilshan and say, 'You are just going to be captain for a year and half.' It's not going to be good for him, for he is going to think, 'My days are numbered anyway. And so it won't be good for the team”.

Sangakkara did not choose any one of the two. However, he is of the opinion that Dilshan has that Midas touch, which makes him a real asset to the team, but at the age of 34 he does not really know how long he is going to last.

"Both Dilshan and Angie [Angelo] are suitable. If they think Angie is too young then Dilshan will do a good job because he has these little touches for success. Anything he does on the field, he has this little knack. I don't know whether he will be the long-term candidate with his age, but if he keeps himself fit he can easily play the next World Cup”.

Sangakkara, who stepped down from the captaincy after the loss in the final of the World Cup to India earlier in the month, thinks that it is the national selection panel that has to make the call.

He added that whosoever gets the call needs to have pressure shared if they make a call and if things don't go well in the first or second year. He feels that the Board has to play a pivotal role in giving that cushion to the captain and selectors especially when things become a tad tough and results don’t come the way as expected in the cricket mad nation.

The announcement for the new captain is expected shortly, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board has to finalize a team for the tour of England, which includes three Tests and five ODIs.

Sri Lanka has a long way to go in the Test match format and needs to start with a winning series in England,South Africa, and, Australia, if they are to be rated as a top class Test nation.

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SANGAKKARA ASKS DECCAN BATSMEN TO RETHINK THEIR APPROACH

After facing two consecutive defeats in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Deccan Chargers captain, Kumar Sangakkara, has asked his batsmen to rethink their approach for a better performance in the remaining matches in the competition.

Sangakkara’s XI was thrashed by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the sixth match of the league. Chasing 164 for triumph at Eden Gardens, the Deccan batsmen were unable to deal with some quality bowling from the opposition, failing to build any big partnership.

After making a slow start, the Chargers lost quick wickets in the beginning and towards the end, which eventually left the side 9 runs short of the target.

Deccan Chargers have already tasted a defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals because of a terrible batting show from the side. Nonstop poor batting has been troubling the skipper, and he asked his batters to step forward and do the trick for the team.

"Our batsmen now have to start rethinking and attack slow bowlers", Sangakkara said about his batsmen’s slow approach against Knight Riders’ new ball bowlers.

The Chargers’ batsmen could not manage to make fluent runs against Kolkata’s left-arm seamer, Iqbal Abdulla, who eventually returned with outstanding figures of three for 24. "He (Abdulla) is not a bad bowler and he managed to bowl a couple of good overs at the start. We need to bat a bit smarter. A few less mistakes would have got us over the line", said the former Sri Lankan One Day captain.

Although, Sangakkara admired Kolkata’s fine bowling, the captain regarded 164 as a gettable score on a pure batting track. The skipper found ‘losing wickets at regular intervals’, as a major source of Deccan’s defeat in the crucial game.

Sangakkara backed Ishant Sharma, who was lacklustre against the Riders. However, the skipper also showed his concerns over 15 extras, given away by his bowlers.

The Lankan wicket-keeper batsman, vowed that his side needs just one win to pick the winning tempo in the tournament and with the kind of bowling attack, Deccan Chargers have, that victory is not very far away.

"As a team we need just one win under our belt", Sangakkara put in plain words.

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