Victory at Durban is the best of Sri Lankan cricket

Sri Lankan captain, Tillakaratne Dilshan, has claimed that victory in the Test match against South Africa at Durban is a historic one for Sri Lanka cricket and the captain claims that if his team plays its natural game, it can beat any major team of the world. The Islanders have faced a decline in performance since the retirement of the legendary off-spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan and veteran pacer Chaminda Vaas. Sri Lanka was completely outplayed in the recent series against Pakistan, and as a result, they were the underdogs against the Proteas. History tells us that sub-continent teams usually struggle on South Africa's bouncy pitches. However, this time, the islanders, with great determination and bravery changed the course of history by beating the Proteas in the second match of the series. The series is now level at 1-1 and the last match will played at Cape Town from January 3 onwards.

Dilshan said that he always had confidence in his boys. The Sri Lankan skipper is ecstatic after the victory and wants to fully enjoy it before preparing for the decisive encounter of the series. The Sri Lankan captain said, "I said before the game that if we can play our brand of cricket we can beat any team. We beat one of the best teams in the world. It's a fantastic feeling and great for the Sri Lankan fans. I'm really proud of my team. Definitely it is one of the great wins of Sri Lankan cricket." Quite surprisingly, the victory at Durban is Sri Lanka’s first Test win in South Africa. On the other side of the coin, the South African captain, Graeme Smith, admitted that his team was totally outclassed by Sri Lanka and the Proteas failed to adjust to the conditions in Durban. "It was a little bit slower. Reverse swing and spin played a role and they handled the surface better than us throughout the game. We were outplayed from the start. We just didn't get it together at all during the game", said Smith.

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SRI LANKAN COACH CLAIMS PLAYERS CANNOT RESIST IPL

The interim coach of the Sri Lankan cricket team, the former Australian batsman, Stuart Law, thinks that in present day cricket, players from around the world find it impossible to resist the temptation of money in the cash rich Indian Premier League.

Law, who would be in charge of the team on their tour of England starting next month, stated that players from the Sri Lankan team, as well as most of the cricketing nations around the world, are keen on having their share of the big bucks that are on offer in the league.

Law added that many players consider the option of pulling out of international cricket, or, limiting their careers at the highest level, so that they could make more money by playing different T20 leagues around the world, especially the IPL.

Sri Lankan cricket underwent a major controversy at the start of this month when their fast bowler, Lasith Malinga, quit Test cricket to prosper in limited over varieties. The right armer, who is touted as the best fast bowler with the old ball, due to his searing Yorkers, and subtle change of pace, decided that his body could not sustain the pounding that it goes through in the longest format.

He cited his knee injury, which has bothered him for the last many years, as the reason behind his decisions, Law for one understands his predicament.

"'It's disappointing that he doesn't want to play [the] longer [format cricket] but you can't make [force] a guy who goes through hell every time he bowls a cricket ball", Law told The Age. "I can sympathize with him. I would love him to play every game for us but that's impossible, no one does that these days”.

He added, that while Malinga had a genuine reason to quit Test cricket, many other players might take a similar route, as the money in IPL was too tempting to ignore, as the millions players make every season give them financial security early on in life.

''It's a tough one for the players because we're not talking about $10,000 here and there. We're talking about a million dollars and Malinga, when he bowls, he puts his body through hell, so… two more years of IPL cricket and he can put his feet up and not go through that pain again".

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Cricket has reached a compromise with players such as captain, Tillakaratne Dilshan, former captains, Mahela Jayawardene, and, Kumar Sangakkara, who are playing for their franchise in the tournament. The players have been asked to return in time to prepare for the tour of England where the Lankans play three Tests and five ODIs.

On the other hand, Law added that other cricket nations are very much under India’s patronage and have to now accept that India is the big brother. He stated that other Boards need to keep them happy as they were providing other Boards and players the opportunity of making big money.

He added that in the years ahead IPL would lure more and more players hence it was important that the International Cricket Council work with the member Boards closely and work out a strategy that can benefit both players and the administrators of the game.

Law also expressed hope that the leading Sri Lankan players keep themselves motivated for the tour of England after the toils of the World Cup and the IPL.

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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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BCCI PRESIDENT SHASHANK MANOHAR SAYS THE BOARD IN NO HURRY TO HIRE NEW COACH

The Board of Control for Cricket in India President Shashank Manohar said on Friday that the Board is in no hurry to hire a new head coach for the team.

The BCCI president said that the India cricket team has no international assignment until June 1, 2011 so they are in no hurry to bring in a head coach. He however, did confirm that they are in the process of finding a replacement for Gary Kirsten who stepped down from the position after India’s successful ICC World Cup 2011 campaign.

“We are still in the process of doing so (finding a new team coach). There's no hurry as the team is leaving for the West Indies only on June 1,” said Manohar while talking to media reporters on Friday.

He also turned down any possibility of deciding on the matter in BCCI’s Working Committee meeting scheduled to be held on April 27, 2011. Manohar said that the agenda of Wednesday’s meeting would include various sub-committees’ reports.

Many names, including England head coach Andy Flower are doing the rounds as the best possible replacement of the South African. There are also talks that the BCCI may hire an interim coach for team’s tour of West Indies starting in June 2011 if they fail to find a fitting replacement for Kirsten.

The BCCI president also confirmed that they have reached an agreement with the Sri Lanka Cricket and their players are now available to their respective Indian Premier League franchises until May 18, 2011.

When asked about the Sri Lanka speedster, Lasith Malinga– who was called back by the SLC for faking a knee injury– Manohar said that he does not know about individual players.

Malinga excused from joining the national side for tour of England citing a knee injury so that he could play for Mumbai Indians in the remaining part of the IPL but the SLC called him back to join a rehabilitation program.

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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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India and Sri Lankan Cricket Boards hope to resolve IPL row

India’s and Sri Lanka’s cricket boards are aiming to resolve the row of participation of Sri Lankan players in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the Sport Ministry in consultation with the cricket board decided to call back its players from India.

According to reports emanating from the two countries there is a resolution being drafted, this was confirmed by the Chairman of the IPL Commission, Chirayu Amin. He stated that a common ground is being found for the resolutions of all issues with the hope that the two boards would work together for the wider interest of the game in both countries.

The IPL supremo told Indian media that efforts were underway in this regard, and the needful was being done. "The BCCI top brass is in touch with SLC and they will resolve the issue", Amin told the Times of India. "It is an issue between SLC and its players, who are playing in IPL four. We are expecting that the issue will get solved by next week".

The Sport Ministry in Sri Lanka asked the players taking part in the cash rich league to report for training at the start of next month. The training camp is being established to help the team prepare for the tour of England set to start at the end of next month.

The national team is due to depart for England on May 10 where they will play three Tests, five ODIs and one Twenty20. The tour is of great importance for the Islanders, who are keen on reaching the top three in both ODIs and Test match format, additionally the tour is a real challenge for them considering the fact that they have not won a single Test series at the home of cricket.  

The call to bring players home has been made to make the players work on the challenges of playing with the red ball compared to the white ones that are used in limited overs cricket, something that the players have been exposed to regularly in the last few months.

Mendis, who is the Chairman of the selectors, stated that the players needed to concentrate on getting used to the change of playing with white balls rather than red.

Meanwhile, the greatest spin bowler of all time off spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan, who is playing for Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the IPL, has slammed the board's decision. The recently retired champion stated that the decision by the Board defies logic as players needed to play more in the league and guide their respective franchises towards the business end of the tournament.

"I think the board [SLC] has given them permission till May 20", Murali told a TV channel. "I don't know what happened suddenly. The players were told to come on May 5. It is the fault of SLC because they signed the NOC [No Objection certificate] till May 20 so if they change it to May 5 it is wrong. Players will get demoralized, because if they go back on May 5, they play half of the IPL and they are going to miss a lot [of it]”.

He felt that the players would be returning home half hearted and that might backfire for the team as they head out to England for what can be a real gruelling series against a vastly improved team.

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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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