Sri Lanka should find a spinner for Murali

(2010.07.25)

Muttiah Muralitharan, retired from test cricket after taking 800 wickets.
Now Sri Lanka cricket should start new life without Muralitharan.There are few
upcoming spinners like Ajantha Mendia,Suraj Randiv & Rangana Herath.Ajantha Mendis. Started his career with a huge reputation, now he is struggling a bit to take wickets. Ajantha should have improved his wicket tacking ability and come to the rhythem.Newly found spinner of Sri Lanka Suraj Randiv is good in ODIS yet to start Test cricket.Rangan Herath is also a good spinner in and out to the national team, he also should improve his career.Malinga Bandara,Sachithra Senanayake,Seekkuge Prasanna are also capable bowlers. The Selecting Committee should have given those new bowlers more chances and find one or two bowler who can drag the Sri Lankan team to the victory like Muttiah Muralitharan did for the last 15 years.

Sri Lanka Lead the Test Series (1-0)

(2010.07.25)
India tour of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Vs India 1st Test(2010 july 18-july 22) at Galle

Sri Lanka won the Toss & chose to bat
Sri Lanaka lead the 1st Innings and kept the advantage,with murali's
support(his last Game) Sri Lankans were given a target of 95 by Indians,Easily
chased without a wicket

Sri Lanka 1st Innings 520/8dec
NT Paranavithana 111
K Sangakkara 103
HMRKB Herath 80 n.o

A Mithun 4/105
I Sharma 3/145

India 1st Innings 276
V Shewag 109
Yuvraj Singh 52

M Muralitharan 5/63

India 2nd Innings(follow on) 338
SR Tendulkar 84
VVS Laxman 69

SL Malinga 5/50
M Muralitharan 3/128

Sri Lanka 2nd Innings (target:95 runs)
TM Dilshan 68 n.o

Sri Lanka won by 10 wickets

Murali The Magic Spinner,Achived 800 wickets

(2010.07.25)
Murali The Magic Spinner,Achived 800 wickets in his last Test match
against India in Gall,800th wicket was Pragyan Ojha

Muttiah Muralitharan has said that retiring after taking his 800th wicket and helping Sri Lanka win his farewell Test, against India in Galle, was one of the greatest moments in his life. Murali's 800th was the last Indian wicket in the follow-on, after which Sri Lanka chased the target of 95 without losing a wicket.

"I am very happy that God has given me everything - eight wickets, a victory, basically everything. This is one of the greatest moments in my life, retiring this way," Murali said. "I am not emotional in a way, frankly, I am happy that I have done it. I trained really hard. Even last week, I trained hard to play in this Test match and take it very seriously."

Murali also said that he had quit Test cricket at the right time, with Sri Lanka having younger spinners rising through the ranks. "I have played for 18 years and I thought that there are three other good spinners in the side," he said. "They are 24-25 years old and I am 38. I thought it's better to give them a chance. I have nothing more to achieve and I thought this is the right time.

"I chose to finish my career at the end of the first Test because I know my knees are not going to last to bowl 50-60 overs. If I am there it will be four spinners and only two can play. I will be blocking the place of another young spinner."

(by cricinfo)

Spin master,about retire from Test cricket

(2010.07.21)
Muttiah Muralidaran,the World record holder for highest wicket taker in Test and ODI will
retire from Test cricket tomorrow(2010.07.22).It will be a very sad moment for the all cricket fans
in Sri Lanka.Muralidaran will be the one and only spin magic in the world.Can any body break this
record for ever!!!!!!!!!!!!

InTests
Matches 132
Innings 228
Wickets 793
Best Bowling in an Innings 9/51
Best Bowling In a Match 16/220
5 wckets in a match 66
10wickets in a match 22

In ODIs
Matches 337
Innings 329
Wickets 515
Best Bowling In a Match 7/30
4 wckets in a match 14
5 wickets in a match 10

Sri Lanka Board president's XI end with four tons,match drawn

(2010.07.16)
India tour of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Board President's XI, who chose to bat, lead the match in both fields batting & bowling
five centuries for the match,four from Sri Lanka Board president’s XI,one from India, match drawn

Sri Lanka Board president’s XI vs India(tour match,3days) July 13,14,15

Sri Lanka Board president’s XI 1st innings 514/9 dec
WU Tharanga 110
TT samaraweera 102
SHT Kandambi 101

PP Ojha 5/153

India 1st innings 291
Yuvraj Singh 118
G Gambhir 89

BAM Mendis 6/67

Sri Lanka Board president’s XI 2nd innings 260/6
HDRL Thirimanne 102
LD Chandimal 69

PP Ojha 3/85

Match drawn

No UDRS(Umpire Decission Review System) for Sri Lanka-India Tests

(2010.07.14)

The Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) will not be used during the upcoming Test series between Sri Lanka and India. "The decision at the ICC meeting was that both the teams should agree with having the DRS system.India didn’t agree the the UDR system.It used for the previous Test series which india play in Sri Lanka in 2008.
The UDRS, which has courted controversy since its implementation, was first used in the 2008 series between the same teams, and immediately became a key player in the contest. The controversial and impractical Virender Sehwag dismissal aside, Sri Lanka used the challenge system way better than India, securing marginal lbw dismissals for Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis that would have otherwise needed brave umpires to call. Sri Lanka made 11 successful reviews in that 2-1 series win, as opposed to India's one.
On their return tour to India, Kumar Sangakkara lamented the absence of the UDRS. He said it cost his side "over 500 runs and a lot of wickets" during the 2-0 defeat. To add to his frustrations then, the review system was used in two simultaneous series being played elsewhere.
India haven't really been fans of the system, and haven't been involved in any series since then that has used the UDRS. Sachin Tendulkar had said he wasn't won over by the system, largely due to the inadequate technology that has prevented its successful implementation. The Hot Spot, he said, was a better means to establish contact between bat and ball, and ball and pad.

(by cricinfo)

Sanath Jayasuriya, out of the BCCSL contract

(2010.07.14)
Sanath Jayasuriya has received another blow after being left out of the 20 players Sri Lanka Cricket offered central contracts for the current year. Muttiah Muralitharan, who will retire from Tests at the end of the first game against India at Galle on July 22, has been retained in the top category.

Jayasuriya, 41, who became a permanent fixture in the Sri Lanka side after playing a key role in the 1996 World Cup, found himself dropped from the list. The veteran of 110 Tests and 444 ODIs has stated that he would like to play until the 2011 World Cup before finally calling it quits. However, his recent batting form has been poor. In the World Twenty20 in the West Indies he averaged only 3.75 from six matches and in his last six ODI matches his highest score was 31.

"We had discussions over the last few weeks with senior players, Sri Lanka Cricket, selectors and team management to try and put a value on the national contracts," Sri Lanka's chairman of selectors Aravinda de Silva said. "In that regard we decided we will try and reduce the number of national contracted players to 20 rather than have one of over 30 which are currently in existence. We felt that having that number of players will give us the cream to be signed up on a contract for the national squad.

"The contracts are worked out on the previous year's performances and in Sanath's case, since he had not performed up to expectations, we decided to leave him out. We also allowed him to go to England and play some county cricket to see how he performs. As I've said before we haven't let either Chaminda Vaas or Muralitharan out of our minds for the World Cup."

de Silva said that when the contracts were done and due to be signed in March no one knew that Muralitharan was going to retire. "To be fair by Murali he mentioned to us that we could leave him out of the contract and consider him only for the one-dayers if we require him, which I have basically from our side told him that we definitely require him for the World Cup," de Silva said. "We will evaluate the contract matter with Murali once we have a chat with him. He will have to remain because he will definitely be part of the World Cup campaign."

The two newcomers to the central contracts are off-spinner Suraj Randiv and batsman Dinesh Chandimal who have been placed in Category Six. Sri Lanka's captain Kumar Sangakkara, Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Thilan Samaraweera occupy the top category.

The other contracted players are: Nuwan Kulasekara (Category Two), Angelo Mathews (Category Three), Upul Tharanga, Thilan Thushara, Rangana Herath, Prasanna Jayawardene, Ajantha Mendis, Chamara Kapugedera, Lasith Malinga, Thilina Kandamby (Category Four), Dilhara Fernando, Chanaka Welagedara, Tharanga Paranavitana (Category Five).
(by cricinfo)