TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016 SPORTS

Sri Lanka frustrated as 2 more players injured

PALLEKELE: ’s injury problems while bowling at practices. Both will be Australia captain Steve Smith also a test match in Sri Lanka. ner with left-arm spinner Stephen O worsened ahead of today’s opening test assessed by the team physiotherapist leads an inexperienced team keen to Both captains said that the pitch is Keefe. match against Australia, with fast bowler ahead but Lakmal’s participation is the make up for Australia’s poor recent dry and likely to offer early turn to the and allrounder more doubtful. record in Asia. Since winning its last spinners. Sri Lanka will heavily rely on Squads: joining the list of Mathews spoke of his frustration at three-match test series in Sri Lanka 1-0 left-arm spinner to keep Sri Lanka: (captain), possible absentees. the injury problems and urged for a five years ago, Australia lost against Australia batsmen at bay supported by , , Fast bowlers , stronger recruitment drive. “It has been a Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates and off spinner . Kaushal Silva, , , and leg-spinner very frustrating few months, not only on a tour of India: 2-0 and 4-0, respec- Roshen Silva who had scored heavily Dhananjaya de Silva, Roshen Silva, Jeffrey Vandersay were injured during Sri one bowler, we’ve lost so many. You tively. “We’ve got quite a few new play- at domestic level and averages more , Vishwa Fernando, Asitha Lanka’s recent tour to England while can’t blame them, the workload has ers, as well having just lost about seven than 50 in first-class matches is likely to Fernando, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan seamer Shaminda Eranga was suspend- been very high,” Mathews said. “We need of our senior players less than a year be handed a test cap, with Lahiru Perera, and Suranga ed by the International Council to try and look for more new players and ago,” Smith said. “This series going to be Thirimanne being dropped after some Lakmal. Australia: Steve Smith (captain), after his bowling action was found to be try and get them ready and fit to take up a difficult one for us, we haven’t played poor performances. Teenage fast bowler David Warner, , Usman illegal. Sri Lanka captain Angelo the challenge in the international level.” as well as we would have liked to in the , who has played two Khawaja, Adam Voges, Shaun Marsh, Mathews said that Lakmal, who had Sri Lanka is on a rebuilding phase sub-continent.” first-class games, or Vishwa Fernando are , Moises Henriques, Peter recovered from a knee injury he had sus- with many leading players having David Warner, Usman Khawaja, likely to make their international debut. Nevill, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, tained in England, has hamstring stiff- retired, and has lost five out of six test Nathan Lyon and Shaun Marsh are the Off spinner Lyon who thrived in Nathan Lyon, Stephen O’Keefe, Nathan ness and that De Silva was hit on a finger series in the past two years. only players who have previously played Australia’s last tour to Sri Lanka will part- Coulter-Nile, Jackson Bird. —AP

Murali mounts blistering attack on Sri Lanka

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s record-breaking skirts of Kandy, but said the issue had spinner Muttiah Muralitharan launched a been resolved “after discussions between blistering attack yesterday on his former the two management teams”. In lodging bosses after they complained about his the complaint, board president Thilanga behaviour in his new role as a mentor to Sumathipala accused Muralitharan of Australia. insulting Sri Lanka team manager After his former employers said Charith Senanayake. “Muralitharan’s Muralitharan was damaging his legacy, behaviour is unacceptable and we have the 44-year-old accused Sri Lanka’s board brought this to the notice of the of setting him up as a fall guy if the hosts Australian team management,” lose a series to the visiting Australians. Sumathipala told reporters. “It should And Muralitharan, the highest - not have happened. We are very disap- pointed.” Muralitharan is a hero in Sri Lanka after taking 800 Test before retiring six years ago. But his decision to impart his local knowledge to the tourists has raised eye- brows, not least because he was once labelled a “chucker” by Australia’s then- prime minister John Howard.

‘LONG-TERM DAMAGE’ Sumathipala pointed out the irony of Muralitharan coaching Australia. “Professionally it is okay for Murali to coach any foreign team, but the irony is that he is supporting Australia which tried to get him out of cricket,” Sumathipala said. “He is creating long-term damage for himself among his fans. I feel sad.” Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews was more conciliatory, acknowledging his former teammate’s expertise. “The Australians obviously saw value in his knowledge of Sri Lankan conditions,” Mathews told reporters. During an 18- year Test career, Muralitharan-who was born with a partially deformed elbow- was twice cited by Australian umpires for a suspect action but was cleared both times by the game’s governing body. He once refused to tour Australia but has Muttiah Muralitharan been a regular visitor in recent years as a star of the Big Bash league. ANTIGUA: India’s bowls against West Indies during day two of their first cricket Test match at the Sir Vivian Richards taker in Test history, then accused the In his video statement, Muralitharan Stadium in North Sound, Antigua. — AP board president of knowing nothing said he had not received any approach about cricket and angrily denounced any from the Sri Lankan board to help the suggestion of being “a traitor”. island’s next generation of spinners and “If Sri Lanka loses, they (the board) will accused it of favouring foreign coaches India crushes W Indies say it is because of Murali,” he said in a over locals. “They don’t give an opportu- recorded statement which was sent to nity to talented Sri Lankan coaches and AFP. “They have no right to accuse me of prefer to bring white people from being a traitor. Have they done one hun- abroad,” he said. “That affects our econo- by innings and 1st test dredth of what I have contributed to my too because we have to pay them cricket in Sri Lanka? “This is a political dollars that leave the country. That is game to cover their shortcomings,” he treachery.” ST JOHN’S: West Indies crumbled to an innings But the gulf in class between the two sides rounder Ashwin supporting with 113. It was the added. “I am being used as a pawn to Sri Lanka has a history of employing defeat against India on the fourth day of the first was all too evident, and Shannon Gabriel was second time Ashwin has hit a century and taken cover their failings.” foreign coaches and re-hired South test on Sunday after Ravichandran Ashwin the last man out, bowled by Ashwin. five wickets in an innings in the same match. His outburst was sparked by a com- Africa’s Graham Ford earlier this year for a claimed seven wickets for 83 runs with some ’s side showed great professional- West Indies will look to improve on their dis- plaint by the board that he had bullied second stint. Although Sri Lanka won the inspired off-spin. ism in all departments, with the India skipper appointing performance in the second test groundsmen into letting the Australians World Twenty20 trophy two years ago, Having started the day on 21-1, following on recording his maiden double century and all- which starts July 30 in Jamaica. — AP practise on the pitch which hosts the the team has been on the slide in recent and still trailing India by 302 runs, West Indies opening match in a three-Test series years as it struggles to replace key players were under immense pressure from the start. SCOREBOARD from today. Cricket Australia confirmed such as Muralitharan and star batsman After losing Darren Bravo in the first over of the they received a complaint about the inci- Kumar Sangakkara. Australia are hot day, the tone was set for their second innings, dent at Pallekele Stadium, on the out- favourites to win the series. —AFP and the hosts never really recovered. Scoreboard at close of play on the fourth day in the first Test between West Indies and India on Sunday in North They managed 231 all out, losing by an Sound, Antigua and Barbuda. innings and 92 runs, after a succession of ill- India 1st innings 566 for 8 decl (V. Kohli 200, R. Ashwin C. Brathwaite 51 judged defensive strokes on a turning pitch saw 113, S. Dhawan 84, A. Mishra 53) D. Bishoo c Pujara b R. Ashwin 45 off the middle order, who either pushed down West Indies 1st innings 243 (K. Brathwaite 74, S. S. Gabriel b R. Ashwin 4 the wrong line to the spinners or offered easy Dowrich 57no; U. Yadav 4-41, M. Shami 4-66) Extras (nb-5) 5 nicks to one of a tight cordon of close fielders. West Indies 2nd innings (Overnight: 21-1) Total (all out, 78 overs) 231 Marlon Samuels hit a pacey 50 almost entirely K. Brathwaite lbw b I. Sharma 2 Fall of wickets: 1-2 K. Brathwaite, 2-21 Da. Bravo, 3-88 R. in boundaries but fell victim to Ashwin’s guile as R. Chandrika c Saha b R. Ashwin 31 Chandrika, 4-92 J. Blackwood, 5-101 M.Samuels, 6-106 the all-rounder followed up a succession of big Da. Bravo c Rahane b U. Yadav 10 R. Chase, 7-120 S. Dowrich, 8-132 J. Holder, 9-227 D. turners with one that drifted away from Samuels’ M. Samuels b R. Ashwin 50 Bishoo, 10-231 S. Gabriel solid defensive stride to clip the off stump. J. Blackwood c Kohli b R. Ashwin 0 Bowling: I. Sharma 11-2-27-1 (nb-3), M. Shami 10-3-26-0 Carlos Brathwaite and Devendra Bishoo R. Chase c sub b R. Ashwin 8 (nb-1), U. Yadav 13-4-34-1, R. Ashwin 25-8-83-7, A. mounted an entertaining rearguard action and S. Dowrich lbw b Mishra 9 Mishra 19-3-61-1 (nb-1). gave a little respectability to the hosts through J. Holder b R. Ashwin 16 Result: India won by an innings and 92 runs. their 95-run ninth-wicket partnership. Kohli targets period of test domination

MUMBAI: India need to dominate test think we are going to keep learning every wicketkeeper-batsman retired from that form matches and players cannot be content with series, learning every game, we will never get of cricket during the tour of Australia in late just looking to improve, captain Virat Kohli that hunger and that mindset to win games 2014. Kohli wants his side, who are currently said after the tourists thrashed West Indies by from difficult situations. “We need to chal- second behind Australia on the International an innings and 92 runs in the first test in lenge ourselves a little bit, which this team Cricket Council test rankings, to target consis- Antigua on Saturday. has been willing to do and which is a wonder- tency as well as wins. The margin of the victory, secured within ful sign. The way we finished the test, it all “If we have a chance to win 4-0, then why four days, was India’s largest outside Asia and panned out pretty nicely.” While Kohli has led not,” Kohli said. “We don’t need to get com- gave the side a 1-0 lead in the four-match India to a test series win in Sri Lanka and beat placent. If we end up getting a 2-0 lead, it’s series. “We are not at a stage now where we South Africa 3-0 at home, their record outside not that we would be playing for a draw in the need to come and improve,” Kohli, who scored South Asia in the longest format has been next two tests. his first double hundred during the test, told poor. They have lost series in South Africa, “As we know, if we learn to win test match- reporters. New Zealand, England and Australia on tours es, then we’ll learn how to win tests every- KANDY: Australian cricket captain Steven Smith (L) receives a ICC Test Championship “We should be ready enough in interna- since late 2013, something new coach Anil where. “We will learn how to play in different mace from ICC Chief Executive David Richardson (R) in Kandy yesterday. Smith tional cricket to start dominating test matches Kumble has said he wants to rectify. situations and we will know exactly what to received the mace for leading his side to the number-one ranking on the MRF Tyres and win those crucial situations and sessions. The 27-year-old Kohli replaced Mahendra do when a certain situation is going a certain ICC Test Team Rankings on the annual 1 April cut-off date. — AFP That’s how we become a better team. “If you Singh Dhoni as India’s test captain after the way.” — Reuters