Tuesday 15th December, 2009

Under-13 Cricket Division I and Run feast expected at Rajkot II semi-finals More than anything else, both India his batsmen have been in a good nick and and Sri Lanka will look for a winning that should give him a lot of heart. from today start in the five-game ODI series opener Sanath Jayasuriya, Sanga’s most by Reemus Fernando at Rajkot on Tuesday. In the last ODI experienced batsman, will be seen in a series at home, India were humbled 4-2 new role. The left-hand batsman will be by Australia’s scratch team, which had coming down the batting order to add The semi-finals of the Inter- nine of its regular players missing due to solidity to the line-up. His vast experi- School Under-13 Division I and II injury. The defeat must have hurt their ence will come to his aid in pacing the tournaments will be worked off at pride and the boys will make a concerted innings in the middle overs. M.C.A Ground and S. Thomas’ effort to redeem themselves. The bowling attack has received a set- College Ground, Mount Lavinia On the other hand, having lost the back as Lasith Malinga is indisposed and from today with St. Thomas’ College, three-game Test series 2-0 and squared coach Trevor Bayliss said he is not sure Kotte meeting Bandaranaike MMV, the Twenty20 series 1-1, Sri Lanka will be about the speedster. Medium pacer Veyangoda. looking to make a winning start and Nuwan Kulasekara is likely to play if St. Thomas’ who beat St. Peter’s return home with a series win in this for- Malinga sits out. In all probability, College ‘B’ in the quarter-final will mat at least. Dilhara Fernando will be sharing the take on Bandaranaike MMV who Return of the batting virtuoso Sachin new ball with him. beat Taxila Central by nine Tendulkar will add both solidity and fire As it is a day match, Sangakkara will in the Division II tournament semi- power to the batting line-up. It can’t get be going with his most experienced spin- final at MCA Ground today. better than Sachin and Sehwag walking ner Muttiah Muralitharan, whom the MCA is also the venue for to the to open the innings. young Indian batsmen may find a tough Division I semi-finals which will be Delhi dazzler scorched the Test series proposition to negotiate. played on the 17th and 18th. with his brand of blitzkrieg and the Going by Indian MS Dhoni Bandaranaike College Gampaha Twenty20 was no different. He threatens and the Lankan coach Trevor Bayliss, it’s will meet St. Sebastian’s College in to continue in the same fashion in the a flat track. However, wintry conditions the other Division II semi-final at ODI format as well. The suggestion from in the morning are likely to assist the Mount Lavinia tomorrow. coach of staying at the medium pacers for the first half-an-hour. While Royal College Colombo wicket for the first 10 overs seems to have So, the batsmen will have to be cautious encounter St. Peter’s College in the done wonders to his batting. Muttiah early in the session and then go for the first semi-final of the Division I Muralitharan feels Sehwag is playing his leather hunt. tournament at MCA on Thursday, best cricket; he should know better after Shorn of grass, the track will encour- Mahanama College will face Royal what happened to him in the Mumbai age batsmen to cover the line of the ball College, Panadura in the second Test. and go for their shots. The runs are semi final at the same venue on Sachin will also like to leave his mark expected to come thick and fast; bowlers Friday. on the ODI series, just the way Sehwag are likely to cut a sorry figure for them- The Division II final is scheduled and Rahul Dravid did in the Test series. selves. But then that’s One-day cricket for December 23rd while Division I Such has been his consistency over the more often than not. final will be played on January 5. last two decades that one never ceases to India (Probable XI) Virender expect big scores from the ageless run- Sehwag, , Gautam Semi final match schedule machine. Gambhir, , , M.S. Division II Semi finals The Rajkot game will be an opportu- Dhoni (capt/wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Bandaranaike MMV ‘A’ nity for the young players to come good. , Praveen Kumar, Veyangoda Vs St. Thomas’ College ‘A’ Virat Kohli is likely to replace Yuvraj , Kotte at MCA today(15). Singh and he should make this opportu- Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, right, and Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara pose Sri Lanka (Probable XI) Upul Bandaranaike College ‘B’ nity count. It’s another match where with the trophy in Rajkot, India, Monday, Dec. 14, 2009. India will play the first one day inter- Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Gampaha Vs St. Sebastain’s College Suresh Raina can make an impact in the Sangakkara (capt/wk), Mahela ‘B’ Moratuwa at STC ground Mount national cricket match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday. (AP) absence of . Jayawardene, Thilan on December 16. Among the bowlers, seamer Zaheer with medium-pacers Ashish Nehra and Kumar Sangakkara will like to start Samaraweera/Thilina Kandamby, Sanath Division I Semi finals Khan will be making his ODI return Praveen Kumar, will be a potent force the series on a winning note. Since the Jayasuriya, Angelo Mathews, Muttiah Royal College ‘A’ Colombo Vs St. after 10 months and that’ll give Indian against the Lankans and are expected to last Test in Mumbai, he has led the Muralitharan, Nuwan Kulasekara, Peter’s College ‘A’ Colombo at MCA bowling attack some more bite. He, along do some early damage. team’s batting from the front. Moreover, Dilhara Fernando on December 17. Mahanama College ‘A’ Vs Royal College ‘A’ Panadura at MCA on December 18. The Sri Lanka his players received ICC completes first inspection team has been fined 20-per-cent fines. If for maintaining a Sri Lanka Sangakkara is found slow over-rate dur- guilty of two further Yousuf helps of World Cup venues ing its six-wicket similar over-rate defeat to India in offences in T20Is by Rex Clementine Pakistan lead know very well having hosted Champions the second fined for slow over the next 12 An International Cricket Council dele- Trophy and Under-19 World Cup and other Twenty20 months, he will The series-deciding third Test is all gation yesterday completed the initial tournaments as well. It’s no a stranger to International in receive a one-match set for an absorbing finish come inspection of cricket grounds and practice international cricket and I am sure it will Mohali on Saturday suspension as per Tuesday after Mohammad Yousuf and facilities to be used live up to its very high 12 December. over-rate the provisions of company did his best to stave off the for the 2011 World standards. There will Jeff Crowe of the new, enhanced advances of part-time spinner Martin Cup. The ICC team be a brand new state the Emirates Elite ICC Code of Guptill at McLean Park in Napier. that included of the art media cen- Panel of ICC Match Conduct. Earlier Pakistan made excellent Communications tre been put in place Referees imposed in Mohali Commenting on progress to 278 for three by tea. Officer James for World Cup. The the fines after his decision, Mr The Black Caps appeared in con- Fitzgerald and Pitch previous media box Kumar Sangakkara’s side was ruled Crowe said: “Kumar was kept trol of the match and the series - cur- Consultant Andy will not be used and to be two overs short of its target at informed throughout the match by rently poised at 1-1 - after taking a 248- Atkinson at the con- construction of the the end of the match when time the on-field umpires of where his run first-innings lead in Napier. clusion of the initial new media centre will allowances were taken into consider- team was with its over-rate. Under But a pair of century partnerships inspection expressed start very shortly.” ation. the revised code of conduct, Sri saw the tourists take a 30-run lead their satisfaction on “Hambantota is In accordance with the new ICC Lanka was very close to being three after a rain-hit afternoon, with cap- the amount of work another brand new Code of Conduct regulations govern- overs behind and charged for a tain Mohammad Yousuf 75 . that has gone in for venue; the playing ing minor over-rate offences, players Serious Over Rate Offence which Yousuf in particular made a solid staging of the tourna- area has been leveled are fined 10 per cent of their match would have resulted in its captain but pedestrian start until seven runs ment. off. It’s a huge playing fees for every over their side fails to being suspended in the next two from an Iain O’Brien over more than Sri Lanka will area, the biggest in bowl in the allotted time, with the ODIs.” doubled his score and gave him some host 12 games of the Sri Lanka. captain fined double that amount. The penalty was accepted by momentum. tournament in three Construction has As such, Sangakkara was fined Sangakkara without contest so there He had a let-off when Martin different venues with James Fitzgerald (left), Communications begun on the outside 40 per cent of his match fee while was no need for a hearing. Guptill missed a run-out chance after R. Premadasa Manager of ICC and Andy Atkinson, Pitch building and the a ludicrous single, but hit four fours Stadium in Colombo Consultant address the media at SLC head- stands and all the var- and a six en route to a 117-ball half- hosting seven games quarters yesterday. Pic by Kamal Bogoda. ious other necessities century. including a quarter- that go along in mak- That maximum, off Daniel Vettori, final and a semi-final. While Pallekelle ing a world class venue,” Fitzgerald added. India shifts ODI took Yousuf to within two runs of the International Stadium will host three “At the moment we are content with the half-century, which was his 31st in games, Hambantota International Stadium time lines in place and we fully expect that Tests. will host two matches of the tournament. all three venues are ready to go on the first venue due to unrest He was cramped by a Chris Martin “The venue inspection tour has gone day of the tournament quite a way ahead of bouncer and was lucky to see the ball very smoothly and it has been very well the tournament.” NEW DELHI (AP) - The second lim- The day-night match will now be drop into space in the point area, but organized. The ICC is grateful for SLC for Contrary to popular belief that the ICC ited-overs international between India played in Nagpur on the same day, N. unfurled a glorious cover drive for that,” Fitzgerald told journalists yesterday is funding the construction of the and Sri Lanka has been rescheduled in a Srinivasan, secretary of the Board of four later in the same over. at SLC headquarters. Hambantota Stadium, it was revealed dur- new venue to avoid protests in the south- Control for Cricket in India, said in a He edged a four through the vacant Fitzgerald also gave a detailed descrip- ing the media briefing that it was SLC that ern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, statement. slips and almost nicked the next ball tion on the three venues. “In Pallekelle, the was pocketing the expenses of the construc- India’s cricket board said Monday. India and Sri Lanka will play five as well, but settled down to progress playing area is complete. They played some tion. The Indian government’s plan to one-dayers, beginning Tuesday at through to the interval. under-19 matches there recently and the SLC officials said that they were borrow- split up Andhra Pradesh state triggered Rajkot. Brief scores: Pakistan 223 and construction of the building and stands and ing money from banks for the construction protests by thousands of people last India already has won a three-test 347 for 4 (Yousuf 89, Faisal 67, Butt all the other necessary structures is under- purposes and were hopeful that the revenue week. Vishakhapatnam, a port town in series and drawn the two-match T20 66, Farhat 61) lead New Zealand way.“ they will generate from hosting the tourna- the state, was to hold the match on series with Sri Lanka. 471 by 99 runs. “R. Premadasa Stadium is a venue we ment could be used to pay off the debts. Dec.18. (cricket365.com)

Tuesday 15th December, 2009