Cricket - Int News
Fielding coach Anton Roux joins national squad for white ball games
BIPIN DANI
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has divided the fielding responsibilities of the national cricket team between the two coaches-Anton Roux and Manoj Abeyeickrama-, it is learnt.
Anton Roux, who was till now working at the High Performance Centre, has joined the Sri Lanka national team's coaching staff. The USA-born Roux, who turned 41 on Sunday will be the fielding coach for the white ball games.
Manoj Abeywickrama, who last was with the national Test team on Bangladesh tour will take over the fielding charge for the Test matches.
The team had an optional training on Monday, a day before the first T-20I night match on Tuesday. The team is also assisted by eight net bowlers, who come from their respective homes at the ground.
TV commentary
Former Australian wicket-keeper batter Brad Haddin is one of the TV commentators for the bilateral matches against Sri Lanka, commencing Tuesday, it is confirmed.
The 44-year-old Haddin has the highest experience of playing 226 international matches (34 T20Is, 126 ODIs and 66 Tests) among all five commentators. This has been his first Sri Lanka tour as a commentator.
The other fIve commentators are regular faces in Sri Lanka. They are : Russel Arnold, Farveez Maharoof, Roshan Abeysinghe, HD Ackerman and Aamer Sohail.
Both Arnold and Sohail have also played over 200 international matches for Sri Lanka and Pakistan respectively, although Sohail has not played the T-20Is.
SLC hires two separate analysts for white and red ball matches
BIPIN DANI
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board will hire the services of two different experienced computer analysts for the upcoming national matches against the visiting Australian team, it is learnt.
According to the sources in the SLC, Prad Navaratnam will be the analyst for the white ball matches (three T-20Is and five ODIs), whereas Shirantha Niroshana will manage the two Test matches.
Incidentally, Prad Navaratnam, who was a head of the Brain Centre and had resigned to move to Australia has now returned as a Lead Analyst for the National Team for the white ball games.
In the meantime, India's Sridharan Sriram has reached Colombo to join the Australian team as its support staff.
Australian players are in Sri Lanka from different destinations in batches.
Sri Lanka's former batter and wicketkeeper Upul Fernando (now settled in Australia), who has played over 150 First Class matches, will bring Melbourne West Cricket Academy U-16 team to Sri Lanka.
On their 12-day tour from June 25, the players will also have their parents on this tour, it is confirmed by Upul Fernando.
Kapil Dev to attend 50th Test Debut Anniversary of Sunil Gavaskar
BIPIN DANI
Sunil Gavaskar, who made his Test debut against the West Indies team at Port of Spain, Trinidad on March 6, 1971 could not celebrate its 50th anniversary last year because of Covid-19 pandemic, however, his well-wishers and friends in the USA have decided to felicitate him next month.
"Our preparation for the said event is on track and slated for July 30, 2022", PK Guha, one of the key organisers, who is well known in cricket circles in India and USA, said over the telephone from the USA.
Interestingly, Guha, the former player, who now resides in the USA for years but travels around the world to attend cricket events, is in touch with the cricket fraternity in India including several current and former stars.
"The great news is that Kapil has finally agreed to attend the event. The others: Sunil himself, Clive Llyod, Vishwanath and Farokh Engineer are confirmed to attend", he said.
"Our efforts are also to invite Vivian Richards for this function", he further added.
The event will be held in Farmington Hills, a suburb city of Detroit. The event is presented by PAD Associate and Title sponsor is Varchas Bourbon & V2 Soft.
Dinesh Lad is a phenomenal coach, says Makhaya Ntini's son
BIPIN DANI
South Africa's 19-year-old fast-bowler Thando Ntini, who took one-month coaching sessions from Rohit Sharma's childhood coach Dinesh Lad, says he is very much satisfied on being coached by a well-experienced coach and a lot of improvement in his own technique.
Speaking exclusively over the telephone before returning to his country on Wednesday, he said, "Coach Lad is phenomenal at what he does and understands the player very well. I have already seen plenty of improvements but excited for plenty more growth".
Incidentally, Thando Ntini is a son of Makhaya Ntini, who played 101 Tests, 173 ODIs and 10 T-20Is.
Thando Ntini had been in Mumbai since April 29.
"I had decided on coming to India to work on my cricket as it’s the biggest hub for producing and growing young cricketers. Also India has top coaches who shaped better both my knowledge and my game on and off the field".
The national academy program ( South Africa Emerging ) was not happening this year so I took matters into my own hands to upskill myself and not just sit at home".
"This was also a great opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and be in a completely new space and environment and train and learn outside my country", he signed off.
Asia Cup to be held in Sri Lanka soon after LPL
BIPIN DANI
There has been no move to move the next edition of the Asia Cup out of Sri Lanka, it is learnt.
According to highly placed sources, the Asia Cup is likely to be played in Sri Lanka soon after the Lanka Premier League (LPL) this year.
Owing to the ongoing crisis and frequent power cuts and widespread shortages in Sri Lanka, the speculation was rife that it would be shifted to the UAE or Bangladesh.
However, according to the discussions the SLC officials (the president and the CEO), who were in India to watch the IPL final had a few meetings with the BCCI officials and it is learnt that they were able to convince the officials to host the Asia Cup as scheduled in Sri Lanka.
The BCB president Nazmul Hassan Pappon too was in India and had not voiced his concern if the tournament was held in Sri Lanka and has not even pushed for the shift of the Asia Cup to Bangladesh. The possibility of shifting the Asia Cup in the UAE is ruled out considering the extreme hot conditions in August in the UAE.
At present the SLC is concentrating on the forthcoming bilateral home series against Australia and Australia A teams. The Asia Cup is still a few months away.
The media reports of Sri Lanka playing two T-20I matches against India in the UAE to raise funds are not confirmed yet and no such matches are planned before the completion of the Asia Cup, it was confirmed by one of the officials aware about the scenario.
Charith Senanayake appointed team A manager
BIPIN DANI
Sri Lanka's former opening batter Charith Senanayake has been appointed as the manager for the "A" team.
The 59-year-old Senanayake will manage the home team against the visiting Australian "A" team to play two one-day and two four-day games in Sri Lanka during a bumper all-format Aussie tour in June-July.
Managing the Sri Lankan team and players has not been the first time Senanayake would be doing so. He was the manager of the national team which beat Australia 3-0 in a Test series.
More importantly, he was instrumental in swapping captains at the 2012 T-20 World Cup, following which the ICC was forced to change the rules.
In 2012, Sri Lanka switched the captaincy in its last World T-20 group match against England to avoid Mahela Jayawardene being banned for repeated slow over rate after the win against West Indies, and faced one match suspension.
To ensure this, it was Senanayake, who asked Sangakkara to toss the coin (the scorecard mentioned Sanga was the official captain) but Jayawardene to lead the team on field.
Unlike now, the ICC rules then didn't make any reference to switching captains before any international match.
Senanayake has also worked with current coach Avishka Gunawardene and toured Jamaica, Bangladesh previously.
England ODI squad named for The Netherlands Tour
Sports Bulletin Report
LONDON:-England Men's selection panel have named a 14-strong squad for the three-match ODI series of The Netherlands starting at Amstelveen on 17 June.
Lancashire seamer Luke Wood and Gloucestershire paceman David Payne are the uncapped players named in the squad. This will be Wood's first call-up to the senior squad, and Payne has been involved previously in last summer's ODIs against Pakistan.
White-Ball Head Coach, Matthew Mott, said:
"I'm very excited to be coaching a strong squad for my first series in charge. We have tremendous depth with a blend of youth and experience. We want to continue to play in an expressive style and let our players showcase their skills and firepower.
"Luke Wood deserves his call-up. He has been consistent for Lancashire over the past 12 months and we have been monitoring his progression. If given a chance to play, I'm sure he will make most of his opportunity.
"This is a historic occasion for the sport and the first time England Men have played The Netherlands in an ODI series. We can't wait to head over to Amsterdam and put on a show for the thousands of fans travelling to support the team.
"The ODI side has had limited opportunities and last played in July. However, with about 18 months to the next ICC 50 over World Cup in India, our preparation will start ramping up with nine matches over the summer and a busy winter ahead against strong opponents."
The three-match ODI series, which are part of the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League, starts a busy summer for England Men with Royal London Series against India and South Africa scheduled for later this summer.
England ODI Squad:
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex) Captain, Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Curran (Surrey), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), David Payne (Gloucestershire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Reece Topley (Surrey), David Willey (Yorkshire), Luke Wood (Lancashire)
ODI Series Schedule
1st ODI: The Netherlands v England, Friday 17 June, VRA Cricket Club, Amstelveen
2nd ODI: The Netherlands v England, Sunday 19 June, VRA Cricket Club, Amstelveen
3rd ODI: The Netherlands v England, Wednesday 22 June, VRA Cricket Club, Amstelveen
PCB decides to shift Pakistan-West Indies ODI series in Multan
Ali Ahmed
LAHORE:-The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League One-Day Internationals between Pakistan and the West Indies have been shifted to Multan. The games will take place on the dates announced earlier i.e. 8, 10 and 12 June, with the matches starting at 1600 PKT time.
The training camp of the Pakistan cricket team will be held in Lahore from 1-4 June before the squad will move to Multan on 5 June. Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan, who are presently playing county cricket in the United Kingdom, will arrive on 1 June and will join the camp from the next day. The West Indies squad will arrive in Islamabad on 6 June and will travel to Multan on a charter flight.
Series schedule with umpire and match referee appointments:
8 June – 1st ODI, Multan Cricket Stadium: Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza (on-field umpires), Rashid Riaz (third umpire) and Faisal Khan Afridi (fourth umpire); Mohammad Javed (match referee)
10 June – 2nd ODI, Multan Cricket Stadium: Aleem Dar and Asif Yaqoob (on-field umpires), Ahsan Raza (third umpire), Faisal Khan Afridi (fourth umpire); Mohammad Javed (match referee)
12 June – 3rd ODI, Multan Cricket Stadium: Aleem Dar and Rashid Riaz (on-field umpires), Asif Yaqoob (third umpire), Faisal Khan Afridi (fourth umpire); Mohammad Javed (match referee)
Pakistan squad for West Indies ODIs:
Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper/batter), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper/batter), Mohammad Wasim Junior, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani and Zahid Mahmood.
Player Support Personnel:
Mansoor Rana (manager), Saqlain Mushtaq (head coach), Shahid Aslam (assistant to head coach), Mohammad Yousuf (batting coach), Shaun Tait (bowling coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Drikus Saaiman (trainer/strength and conditioning coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi (media and digital manager), Col (retd) Mohammad Imran (security manager), Dr Najeeb Soomro (team doctor), Talha Ejaz (analyst) and Muhammad Imran (masseur).
Suranga Lakmal to miss English county season: Goes under the knife
BIPIN DANI
Sri Lanka's retired fast bowler Suranga Lakmal is scheduled to have his elbow surgery in London on Saturday.
The 35-year-old right-arm fast bowler, who retired from international cricket and moved to England to play for the Derbyshire County Cricket Club sustained a right elbow injury.
Speaking exclusively over the telephone from London, Suranga Lakmal said, "the surgery is scheduled to begin on Saturday at 7 in the morning. It will be performed by Dr. Ali Noorani, who is a specialist in shoulder, elbow and upper limb treatment".
Lakmal's family is in England but his wife would not be there at the time of surgery. "I have two children (Sayon aged 7 and Liyon 5 months old) and my wife has remained at home. This is the first time an injury of this kind has happened but I am not scared of it".
Lakmal confirmed that he would miss the season with English county. "I will be out of action for at least 3-4 months ".
"Lakmal has a plan to play Premier League Cricket in Australia after the recovery", his wife Dilani Chalanika confirmed.
Lakmal and Dimuth Karunratne have been invited to play for Endeavour Hills Cricket Club in Australia.
Praise for Ashitha Fernando
Lakmal kept the track of Sri Lanka's Test win against Bangladesh. "Ashirtha Fernando is a good bowler. He bowled good spells in this Test and I am sure he is the future of Sri Lanka".
Dimuth Karunaratne and Suranga Lakmal sign to play club cricket in Australia
BIPIN DANI
Sri Lanka's Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne and recently retired fast bowler Suranga Lakmal have signed with Endeavour Hills Cricket Club (EHCC) to play Premier League Cricket in Australia. This was revealed by the Club president Arjun Rajendran.
Speaking exclusively over the telephone from Australia, he said, "we are excited to have Dimuth (Karunaratne) play a few games when he does not have Test commitments later this year and Suranga Lakmal will join after his (English) county engagements".
The 34-year-old opening batter Dimuth will play for this club once the Test series against Australia and Pakistan are over, whereas the 35-year-old right-arm fast bowler Lakmal will join after his stint with Derbyshire is over.
"These Sri Lankan players and other Asian players have been signed to first support our club's vision with building and strengthening the Sri Lankan and Indian community and that attracts more members and players".
"Our club is very big. We have 10 junior sides, 6 senior sides and 4 veterans. All in all, ages 8 to age 80 play cricket. Our club has a very large Sri Lankan and Indian members and players. We have Dilshan as captain and coach. Lahiru Thirimanne played a few games. There are other players who have played First Class cricket in Sri Lanka also play for us", the president signed off.
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