Wednesday 31st August, 2011 Copeland and Lyon to make Test debuts

REX CLEMENTINE Lyon, meanwhile, picked up just two reporting from in the warm-up game, but was picked ahead of left-arm spinner Michael Beer, who made his Test debut he reading doesn’t look good for in Sydney early this year in the last in Test in the Ashes Test. His selection, however, Tlast 12 months. Since the retire- looks a huge gamble and Sri Lanka cap- ment of ace-spinner Muttiah tain summed up Muralitharan, the team has played eight the mood of his team-mates thus on the Test Matches without winning a single spinner. Test with five of those games being at “We have played well against spin home. But Sri Lanka have a fine oppor- bowlers in recent times and we have Prasanna Jayawardene during a net practice session at the Galle International Cricket tunity to win their faced some quality Stadium yesterday, Aug. 30. Sri Lanka will take on touring Australia in the first of their first Test in the post spin bowlers. I think three-match Test series today. Muralitharan era Warne-Muralitharan we can handle these when they take spinners.” batting could prove to be tough as the this tour. I think any team that loses Australia, who will Trophy first Test Although Dilshan game progresses. “Hopefully I can win a somebody of that class, it always has an field an inexperi- preferred to play six toss. By the looks of that it’ll be impact but as you’ve seen, Sri Lanka enced batsmen and five pretty important to bat first and set a still have some good spinners that will attack in the first Test between the bowlers in England, he felt the need to decent total. It looks like, I guess, we’ve have a lot of impact throughout this countries starting today here at the change the combination in Sri Lanka experienced it in the one-dayers, the series,” Clarke told journalists. Galle International Stadium. and hence will return longer the game goes on the more the There was a time when Test caps to the side occupying the number six wicket deteriorates and it’s going to be TEAMS were so hard to be earned in Australia position. Welagedara, who had a good tour of harder to score in your second innings Sri Lanka (Probable XI): and players like Mike Hussey and There were discussions to include England retaining their places in the than it is in your first,” Clarke felt. T.M. Dilshan (), Tharanga Darren Lehman had to wait for years. promising left-handed top-order bats- side. “With me there can be three spin- Only former captain Ricky Ponting Paranavithana, , But Australia are no more the world man , who scored a ners. I can bowl 10 to 15 overs and in has played a Test Match in Sri Lanka , Thilan champions now and today there will be hundred in the warm-up game against that case there’s no need for a third before, when he led Australia to a 3-0 Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews, two players who will receive the Baggy the tourists, but with a solid top-order, spinner,” Dilshan, who will be leading whitewash when they toured the island Prasanna Jayawardene (Wicket-keeper), Green after having done nothing sub- those thoughts were soon abandoned. the side for the first time at home in in 2004. , , Suranga stantial in first class cricket. Mathews, who returns to the side after Tests, said. Ponting stepped down from captain- Lakmal and Chanaka Welagedara. While Trent Copeland, a 25-year-old missing the Test series in England, has Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath cy after Australia surrendered the fast bowler from New South Wales has been named vice-captain for this game will partner off-spinner Suraj Randiv as Ashes and then were knocked out from Australia (Probable XI): played just 18 first class matches, 23- only, meaning he will have to show con- has been left out of the the World Cup quarter-final and Clarke Phil Hughes, Shane Watson, Ricky year-old off-spinner , also sistency with the bat if he refrains from side. who will begin his reign as full time Ponting, Michael Clarke (Captain), Mike from New South Wales has just played backing up as the third seamer of the Dilshan expected a lot of assistance Australian captain was glad the tourists Hussey, Usman Khawaja, Brad Haddin five first class games. side. for spin bowlers. “This (pitch) will be didn’t have to cope with a (Wicket-keeper), , Both players played the three-day Although it was expected that Sri slow and will assist the spinners a lot. Muralitharan. Ryan Harris, Trent Copeland and warm up game against Sri Lanka Board Lanka will torture the Australians with From the first day after tea, we might “Murali is what was to Nathan Lyon. President’s XI at P. Sara Oval and , playing as many as three see some turn,” he said. us,” Clarke said. “He’s one of a kind. He Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pak) and Richard Copeland impressed with his impecca- spinners, Dilshan said he would fit in His counterpart Michael Clarke was was an amazing bowler and I’m very Kettleborough (Eng) ble accuracy although he lacked pace. instead as the third spinner with hopeful he will win the toss and bat as thankful that he retired a little while Third Umpire: Tony Hill (NZ) and Chanaka ago and we won’t have to face him on Match Referee: Chris Broad (Eng).

REX CLEMENTINE SLC bans national cricketers reporting from Galle I wouldn’t have let Malinga to retire Former Sri Lankan batting from Tests, says former boss great has from speaking to media called the current Australian cricket team the weakest he Current Aussies, The Interim while the Chairman has seen. After dominating Committee running of the Interim world cricket for a decade and Committee Upali half, Australia were beaten in the weakest I have has banned national Dharmadasa played an home Ashes series for the cricketers from it safe avoiding first time in 25 years when seen – Aravinda speaking to the calls from journal- they lost 3-1 and were knocked they are a side in transforma- Muralitharan retired, having Aravinda de Silva media, journalists ists. out from the World Cup in the tion and this certainly is the gone through eight Test well in those conditions. covering the first No specific rea- quarter-final stage. weakest Australian teams I Matches without winning one Someone like Test between Sri sons were provided Currently Australia are have seen,” de Silva added. since the retirement of the off- would have been ideal, but he Lanka and Australia for the ban to speak ranked five in “I was surprised we could- spinner. De Silva said that had had retired from Tests (by in Galle were told to the media on the below England, , n’t win the ODI series. I he remained Chairman of then).” yesterday. Test series that gets India and Sri Lanka. thought we would do well in Cricket Selectors, he wouldn’t “Had we nursed him prop- “The current Australian Despite repeated underway today, but the ODIs, but that didn’t hap- have let fast bowler Lasith erly, he could have played Test side is the weakest I have requests, Interim ‘The Island’ learns pen. I feel if there are decent Malinga, who announced his cricket. I would have got him to seen,” de Silva, who has an Committee Secretary that the Interim wickets, we should do well in retirement from Test cricket at play a couple of Test Matches impeccable record against the Prakash Schafter Committee officials Tests, but we need a spinner the age of 27, quit. without burdening him to play Australians in Test and ODI informed that nation- were acting on the who can turn the ball,” de “In England I thought we all games. We could have used cricket, told ‘The Island’ yester- al cricketers will not instructions of Silva further said. missed out on a couple of him sparingly and we are miss- day. be available to speak to journalists their political bosses. Sri Lanka have struggled in swing bowlers. Nuwan ing him,” de Silva went on to “Their bowling is weak and Test cricket since Muttiah Kulasekara would have done add. Wijekoon breaks SL record to secure semi-final berth

Chaminda Wijekoon established a Incidentally, Wijekoon became the the country fielded an athlete in the new Sri Lanka record when he returned first Sri Lankan to break the three min- 1,500 metres. a time of three minutes 39 seconds to utes 40 seconds barrier, as he improved Before his departure to Daegu, qualify for the semi-finals of the IAAF on his Sri Lanka record of 3:40.78. Wijekoon told ‘The Island’ that his main World Athletics Championships in Wijekoon was selected as a wildcard aim was to secure a place in the semi- Daegu, Korea on Monday. entrant for the world event by virtue of finals. Wijekoon will compete in the Competing in the first heat in the his Asian Championship performance semi-finals tomorrow (Sep 1). (RF) men’s 1,500 metres, which eventually last month. Wijekoon won the bronze was the fastest of the three heats, medal at the Asian Athletics Wijekoon was placed seventh in a time Championship in a time of 3:44.01 sec- Chaminda Wijekoon, second left, competes of 3:39.61 seconds. Incidentally, his per- onds in Kobe, Japan. in the first heat in the men’s 1,500 metres at formance was ranked seventh after the According to Saman Kumara, the stat- the IAAF World Athletics Championships in completion of the three heats, where 38 istician of the Sri Lanka Athletics Daegu, Korea, on Monday. Kenya’s Daniel athletes were competing for 24 semi- Association and the manager of the Sri Kipchirchir Komen leads the pack. final spots. Lanka team in Daegu, it is the first time

Wednesday 31st August, 2011