Sri Lanka Cricket

Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by 36 runs in the third one-day international in Dambulla to tie the series 1-1.

The hosts made 211 for eight in a rain-reduced 33 overs, forcing the Black Caps to chase a Duckworth-Lewis adjusted target of 216.

NZ were 126 for six in their reply after 25 overs when the umpires took the players off for bad light with Sri Lanka declared the winners.

The Kiwis won the second game in Hambantota on Tuesday off the final ball of a rain-reduced 23-over clash after the opening match was washed out at the same venue last Sunday.

After play was delayed by 90 minutes, the hosts made a strong start with veterans Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan putting on 91 for the opening wicket.

Nathan McCullum removed Jayawardene for 46 in the 15th over and, two balls later, clean-bowled key man Kumar Sangakkara.

Mitchell McClenaghan then had Dilshan caught behind for 53 and removed captain Angelo Matthews in the same fashion, caught by keeper Luke Ronchi, first ball.

However, Sri Lanka scored 111 in the final 15 overs with contributions all the way down the order.

The Black Caps’ reply started in catastrophic circumstances as they slumped to 26 for five in the 11th over with the top order all going in single figures.

Ronchi made 23 before becoming Rangana Herath’s third victim, and although James Nessham and McCullum put on an unbroken 63 for the seventh wicket, New Zealand were still behind the required run rate when the officials declared the light too dark to continue.

The first one-day international of the three-match series between Sri Lanka and New Zealand was abandoned as a no result in Hambantota due to persistent rain.

The Black Caps were 13 for one in the fifth over, chasing 289 for victory when the heavens opened.

The teams will try again in the second match of the series on the same ground on Tuesday as Sri Lanka look to maintain their fine home record.

A 137-run second wicket partnership between veterans Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara was the cornerstone of the hosts' innings.

Dilshan made 81 in his 268th ODI, while Sangakkara hit 79 in his 355th match.

Sangakkara chipped Anton Devcich to mid-wicket, and nine balls later the slow left-armer removed another stalwart, Mahela Jayawardene, for just one.

Dilshan was joined by skipper Angelo Matthews, and they maintained the momentum before the opener fell in the 38th over, when he was caught behind by Luke Ronchi off Corey Anderson.

Wickets fell in quick succession at the other end, but Matthews scored quickly and finished unbeaten on 74 from just 64 balls with nine boundaries and a six.

The Kiwis lost Devcich in the opening over of their reply when he was clean bowled by a trademark swinging Lasith Malinga yorker.

However, the rain arrived soon after, forcing the umpires to abandon the match.

New Zealand are looking to bounce back from an embarrassing 3-0 limited overs series defeat to Bangladesh but are under strength after Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor were rested and Kane Williamson was ruled out through injury.

Lasith Malinga turned 30 on August 28 2013. It's hard to believe that somebody who has had, what feels like a very long career is still so young.

Malinga made his Test debut in July 2004, taking six wickets on debut and picking up big scalps like Darren Lehmann—two times—Adam Gilchrist, Damien Martyn, Shane Warne and Michael Kasprowicz). As his career went on, he became Sri Lanka's fastest bowler and a really vital part of the team.

In 2011, he retired from Test cricket, saying he would like to prolong his ODI and T20 career. He revealed that the main reason was because of a degenerative knee disorder. He had struggled with injury for a long time, and although he attempted to make a comeback to Tests, he could not. 

Although I am sufficiently fit to play both ODI and T20 cricket, I have a long-standing degenerative condition in my right knee that needs to be carefully managed. The injury was a career-threatening injury and my orthopaedic surgeon was of the opinion that given his experience with other professional athletes in Australia I was very fortunate to play again. I have since been advised by the national team physiotherapist and my orthopaedic consultant that my condition will deteriorate when fielding or bowling for prolonged periods.

Malinga came under fire for that decision since it appeared that he was opting for T20 league cricket instead of sticking with playing cricket for his country. As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, the pace ace defended his decision, though, saying:

The Test retirement was never about money. I can't be a commentator, coach or umpire. But I can bowl well and get wickets. It's unfair to say money was the root cause of my decision.

Malinga still plays one-day and T20 cricket for Sri Lanka and still musters impressive spells in those formats. But has Malinga made the most of his skills?

His slinging action became his trademark and the subject of many debates. Malinga's action was deemed legal in 2007 and to this day he carries the nickname "Slinga Maali."

Lasith Malinga's Test record is absolutely fantastic, having taken over 100 wickets in the 30 Tests he played. Let's take a more in-depth look at how he fared throughout that period and compare his record to Chaminda Vaas.

Compared to Sri Lanka's second-highest wicket-taker and the Sri Lankan seamer with the most wickets, Chaminda Vaas, it's easy to say that Malinga would have gone on to have an equally successful career, if he continued to take wickets at such a rapid rate. Malinga never took a 10-wicket haul though, while Vaas took two. Malinga also had a much higher average, most likely because his action is of such nature that when he gets his line wrong, batsmen could easily hit him around the park. 

Malinga played most of his Tests in Sri Lanka and picked up his most wickets there, too. In the overseas countries he played, he was most successful in Australia and New Zealand, although at a slightly high average in Australia.

That Malinga's Test career was curtailed is a great shame. There is some room for the argument that perhaps he should have quit T20 and ODI cricket instead. However, the nature of Test cricket is far too harsh on his medical condition. 

Malinga has certainly made the most of his career. He's ensured that he continues to play cricket, and good cricket at that, for as long as he possibly can—just in a shorter format. Let's have a look at his records in the shorter format of the game. That's where his craft is currently being defined, and this is where he has excelled. When compared to Chaminda Vaas in one-day cricket, the two are evenly matched on average, but Vaas trumps Malinga on economy rate while Malinga has a superior strike rate.

Malinga might not be the most naturally talented, instead he has a freakish action which has helped him live up to his earning potential even if he has a poor record against some teams, particularly against India, against whom he averages 41.84.

Table source: Howstat

With proper management and restricting the amount of cricket he plays, Malinga could very well play for another three to five years. He will, however, continue to be criticised for his decision to play in various T20 leagues around the world. 

Happy Birthday, Slinga. Here's to many more yorkers.

Sri Lanka took an iron grip on the ODI series with South Africa by winning a rain-affected clash in Colombo to move two-nil ahead in the five-game series.

On a slow, low pitch where shotmaking was difficult, Sri Lanka posted 223 for 9 in 49.2 overs. The target was reduced to 176 in 29 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis Method, and it proved beyond the tourists who were 17 runs short of the par score of 121 when the rain came again during the 21st over.

And to rub salt into their wounds, South Africa saw star batsman Hashim Amla pick up an injury in the field that leaves him a doubt for the remainder of the series.

Kumar Sangakkara was the star turn in the opening game, with his career ODI best 169 propelling Sri Lanka to a 180-run win. There was no repeat on this occasion, as he was removed for 37 by Aaron Phangiso, but Tillakaratne Dilshan and Dinesh Chandimal both made 43 to propel the home side towards a competitive looking 223 for 9.

Morne Morkel was the pick of the South Africa bowlers, taking 3 for 34, but he also sent down five wides as the Proteas conceded 28 extras in the innings.

Rain was forecast, and it duly arrived with four balls of the Sri Lanka innings remaining and resulted in a lengthy delay and a revised target.

With no Amla, who was taken to hospital after twisting his knee when attempting to cut off a boundary, South Africa always looked on the back foot against the array of bowling options at Sri Lanka’s disposal. Lasith Malinga hammered home that point by removing Robin Peterson in the first over.

Alviro Petersen (24) and JP Duminy (15) steadied the ship with a partnership of 32, but the dismissal of the latter sparked a collapse. Four wickets fell for thirty runs, including that of key figure AB De Villiers who was given out leg before wicket on review to Dilshan after the initial huge appeal had been turned down.

Sri Lanka took the pace off the ball through Rangana Herath, Dilshan and Jehan Mubarak, and Ryan McLaren and David Miller found boundaries hard to come by.

South Africa were well behind the rate when rain returned to end the contest. They will now need to win the final three games to take the series.

The Sri Lanka Premier League has been cancelled this season, ostensibly due to a lack of interest in franchise investment, reports the Daily Mirror.

Sri Lanka Cricket took the decision after an emergency meeting with SLPL organiser Somerset Entertainment Ventures on Tuesday night.

The lucrative league brought in £1.5 million profit for the SLC during its inaugural season, according to the report.

The league had set a deadline of noon on Tuesday for franchises to deposit payments and guarantee fees for players involved, but no franchise met this deadline.

Sri Lanka Cricket was left with little option but to cancel the competition for this year, said the Daily Mirror.

According to the article, three investors had indicated a desire to continue the tournament in 2013, but would not meet the financial obligations unless other investors committed to the SLPL.

It is not the first time the tournament has been clouded by controversy, with the initial launch year of 2011 shelved after Indian players were not allowed to compete by the BCCI, as Tariq Engineer of ESPNcricinfo reported.

The article stated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India had withdrawn the Indian players due to SEV handling the international players' contracts, which could lead to disputes over payments.

In 2012, high-profile players such as Shahid Afridi and Lasith Malinga were involved with the Ruhuna Royals, while Shoaib Malik and Chris Gayle were recruited for eventual winners Uva Next. 

However, the Uva team's success was marred by late payments to players, as Andrew Fernando of ESPNcricinfo reported.

The franchise will be unable to defend its title this year.

The player auction for this year's tournament had been scheduled for July 14 but was put back by six days. The tournament has now been shelved for the year.

The international cricket series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka will be contested with a total of one T20, five ODI matches and close it out with two Tests.

The ODI matches will start on November 1st in the city of Pallekele. It will be closely followed by one ODI match each in Colombo on November 4th and 6th and one each in Hambantota on November 10th and 12th. Later, the first Test will be in Galle on November 17th, and the last match between the two will be the Test in Pallekele on November 25th.

This series will mark the first time since 2009 that the two have met for a test series in Sri Lanka. However, history is not on the side of the Kiwis, since New Zealand has not won inside the island nation since 1998. But there is a new sense of vigor and hope since New Zealand's new bowling coach is none other than the legendary speedster Shane Bond who will be assisted by former Sri Lankan bowling icons Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan.

The Sri Lankan team, on the other hand, has been bitten by the injury bug. Ajantha Mendis, the talented Sri Lankan spinner, will be sitting on the sidelines till at least the fourth ODI due to an injury. Additionally, ex-captain Mahela Jayawardene and fast bowler Lasith Malinga also sat out for the rained-out T20, played on Tuesday.

Yet none of their absences greatly affected the match since New Zealand batsmen only managed a paltry 74. Their only saviors were the showers, and after only two overs of Sri Lankan batting, the match came to a halt.

Although the match ended in a "draw," Sri Lanka can take solace in the fact that they overwhelmed their opponents without some of their best players and have nearly all the momentum heading into the ODI series.

While that in and of itself is a newsworthy item, it takes a backseat to the fact that these two nations will be partaking in the first series to play with the adjusted rules the International Cricket Council have put in place.

Rule Changes for 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and Reliance ICC ODI Championship

As stated before, the ICC has made several important changes to the playing conditions in all three forms of cricket, and this tour is the first to experience it.

The changes to each format include but are not limited to: Bouncers, Power Plays and Umpire Reviews.

Other important changes include the Leg Before Wicket uncertainties; if the ball hits the pad, the TV umpires will replay each "out" in case the ball bowled was actually a no-ball.

For Test cricket in particular, each team can now check if they would like to play a day-night match, alter the specifics of the ball that is used and even reschedule the lunch and tea breaks.

ODIs, on the other hand, have switched to an allowable total of two bouncers per over and reduced the number of power plays to two.

During the matches themselves, it shall be interesting to watch whether or not these new rules will greatly affect the strategy that each captain employs when deciding which bowler to use and the areas where the fielders will be placed. Additionally, the batsmen will have to alter their swings since the reduced amount of power plays will make chasing the run rate that much harder.

One thing is for sure, though, these rule changes ensure that the fans are surely in store for some cricket they won't soon forget as each country prepares itself for the next eight months to win the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and Reliance ICC ODI Championship.

Mere moments after a heartbreaking loss in the ICC Twenty20 tournament final, Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene, 35, stepped down as Captain of his team in an emotional press conference.

The captaincy of Sri Lanka seems to be a batton that no one quite relishes, as capable players such as Jaywardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan have each relinquished the title in recent months without a clear replacement.

We have yet to see who will step up and fill the void of arguably one of the best ever to step between the wickets, but the whispers seem to be hinting at the name of all-rounder, Angelo Mathews.

Mathews, 25, is noted by several to have strong leadership qualities and has plenty of experience as the vice captain in all three formats of the game.

Whether or not the resignation of Jayawardene will also be effective for the ODI and Test teams remains to be seen. According to NDTV, Jayawardene declared "I think we need a young leader. It's a great opportunity for somebody to start (captaining) in the T20 format. I haven't stepped down from the other formats (Test matches and ODIs), obviously I took over till December...I will assess what I want to do after that."

The stylish batsman also made sure to mention that the loss in the final against the West Indies had no bearing on his decision. SportLive claimed that Jaywardene indicated that he "had a chat with the selectors before the tournament started. I was going to step down from T20 captaincy after this World Cup."

The next Twenty20 match for Sri Lanka will be on October 30th, at home in Kandy, against New Zealand.

Sri Lanka and West Indies have emerged from Super Eights play with a shot at the ICC T20 World Cup, 2012 edition, and the host nation can't afford to suffer anymore setbacks in big matches.

After losing in Barbados in 2007, England in 2009 and Mumbai in 2011, home-field advantage looks to play a major role in Sri Lanka capturing their first cricket World Cup victory since 1996. It was their only win in the event.

But standing in the way of Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene and his squad is West Indies, led by captain Darren Sammy and long smasher Chris Gayle. Gayle led the way for West Indies in the semifinal match against Australia, marking an impressive 75-of-41 balls and helping his team to one of the highest totals of the tournament at 205-4.

But this match is anything but easy for the West Indies, especially after looking at the results of the last two duels between the last two teams standing.

Sri Lanka defeated their finale counterpart by nine wickets in a practice match prior to the tournament and then knocked them off by the same margin in Super Eights play.

However, it's Gayle and the West Indies who seem to have the confidence heading into the championship bout. Gayle commented after the 74-run win against Australia that host nation or not, his Windies squad was going to have no problem taking out Jayawardene and the Sri Lankans, despite the previous results:

World Cup is definitely ours, sorry Sri Lanka, but I think it is our World Cup. The support will be more for West Indies on Sunday. We love Sri Lanka, but sorry, it is going to be West Indies all the way.

The host nation has some confidence of its own, though. Sri Lanka has felt the pain of defeat three times over the past five years. But they've been the best team through this tournament, and they've done so with impressive bowlers and timely hitting.

Captain Jayawardene has been a part of the three-time losing squad. He's stepped his play up this year, knocking 210 runs and finding himself near the top of the statistical leaderboard heading into the finale.

For both teams, it seems that the key is going to be the bats of the Caribbeans. Stopping them, specifically Gayle, is key for a host victory, while continuing the impressive onslaught is the key for West Indies.

Always gracious in victory and defeat, the Sri Lankans are the definition of class. But it's time for them to step up to the plate, in both a literal and figurative sense, and turn this impressive tournament run into a World Cup.

In a game that should provide two cultures with a fierce desire for victory, this could be a big game for the winner. The atmosphere will be loud and Sri Lanka-proud on Sunday for this tilt, and Sri Lanka will emerge the victors in front of their home fans with the same effort they've had all tournament long.

Despite a very attainable target of 140 runs, Sri Lanka was able to hold off Pakistan in the first semifinal at the T20 World Cup. The host team delighted the home crowd with a display of clutch bowling to come out victorious, 139/4 to 123/7.

They will now await the winner of the Australia and West Indies semifinal match.

The triumph was not purely based on skill, Sri Lanka did receive a few key breaks. Umpire Walt Tucker blew a call when Sri Lankan bowler Angelo Matthews clearly bowled to the left of the zone.

It wasn’t called and it allowed Sri Lanka to stop Pakistan’s momentum. Sri Lankan bowlers had to overcome less-than-perfect defense in the grounds, though Lasith Malinga was notably shaky.

His performance was up-and-down throughout the match. He continually fumbled and stumbled in the field, but his bowling helped to spur Sri Lanka to the win. He allowed only 19 runs in four overs, so his fielding gaffes were much easier to absorb. 

Perhaps the back-breaker came in the 14th over. Rangana Herath stumped Mohammad Hafeez and Shahid Afridi consecutively. The crowd exploded for the Sri Lankans at this point, and the potential outcome of the match became more apparent. 

Despite a late push, the Pakistanis couldn’t overcome a slow start from their batsmen. Nuwan Kulasekara closed the match out, and Sri Lanka moved on with the 16-run win.

The Man of the Match was the Sri Lankan captain and 2006 ICC Captain of the Year, Mahela Jayawardene. He produced 42 runs in the match.

With the atmosphere in Sri Lanka, it is hard to imagine Australia or the West Indies overcoming the host team. Australia is my pick in the second semifinal match, but they were snuffed by the bowlers of Pakistan prior to the semi final.

Sri Lanka's bowlers proved to be far superior to the Pakistanis. Australia's batsmen will struggle to score runs against them. Barring some unforeseen events, injuries or uncharacteristic performances, Sri Lanka will be crowned the champion on Sunday.

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