Tuesday 25th August, 2009 Sri Lanka move up to number two A final fling to remember of ICC Rankings Australia has been knocked off its long-held perch as the number-one team in the ICC Test Championship after losing the Ashes series 1-2 in England. South Africa is the new table leader followed by Sri Lanka, who is placed second with 119 rating points. as Flintoff says farewell England won the final Ashes Test at the Oval by 197 runs and regained the Ashes sparking joyful scenes across south London. But for the visitors, the "It's the first time I've picture was far more bleak. 's side has now slipped done that in my Test to fourth position in the rankings. Such is the competitive nature of Test crick- career," said Flintoff et at present, there are now just six rat- when asked about ings points separating the Proteas and Australia with Sri Lanka currently that instinctive direct occupying second spot, ahead of India in third by just a fraction of a point. hit. "I just picked it up For being defeated by fifth-placed England in the series, Australia loses and wanged it eight ratings points and is knocked off top spot for the first time since the cur- towards the stumps". rent method of ranking was introduced This was on receipt of in May 2003. The Test team rankings are only updated at the end of each a magnum of cham- series. For its part, England stays fifth but pagne for that gains six ratings points and now sits moment from BBC just 11 behind Australia. ICC Test Rankings radio. "If I had known Position Team Rating Points it was so easy to get 1. South Africa 122 2. Sri Lanka 119 this kind of reward, I 3. India 119 4. Australia 116 would have practised 5. England 105 6. Pakistan 84 the fielding a bit England's Steve Harmison, left and Andrew Flintoff celebrate in their dressing room after they won the Ashes against Australia by 2 7. New Zealand 82 Test Matches to 1, on the fourth day of the fifth Test Match between England and Australia at The Oval cricket ground in London, 8. West Indies 76 more" he said. 9. Bangladesh 13 Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009. (AP)

by Vic Marks Ponting, for a single. The Australian Flintoff's body did not permit him to Harmison and Stuart Broad praised captain was a little slow to respond but bowl with his usual velocity in this him to the skies. So did anyone else Udawatte and Tharanga As final flings go Andrew Flintoff's there were no immediate alarms. match. It was left to his old mate who was confronted with a micro- had been as flat as a Fenland field. In Flintoff gathered the ball and hurled it Harmison to hammer the final nails. phone, whether English or Australian. hit centuries his farewell Test he had compiled 29 at the stumps. Still Ponting was slow to And there were no significant runs. Yet Yet Flintoff strode politely from broad- A partnership of 222 runs for the recognise the danger. If he had the full- they find a way to intervene. "Special caster to broadcaster talking where runs in two innings and taken one first between Upul Tharanga and wicket and that was Australia's worst length dive was the appropriate athletes have these special moments", possible about everyone else in the Mahela Udawatte, who scored centuries, batsman, Ben Hilfenhaus. Here was a response. And, of course, that throw said a grateful Flower afterwards. "We team. strong case for sacking the scriptwriter. splattered the stumps. The moment are going to miss him". Well, Flower is His was such a dignified exit, avoid- was the highlights as Sri Lanka A Flintoff himself had already been they were broken Flintoff raised his never one for hyperbole. ing all the traps that were highlighted cruised to a 34 run victory over sacked as England's specialist second arms in triumph, the now familiar "It's the first time I've done that in when he announced his retirement Pakistan A according to D/L method in slip fielder. Maybe this position was too pose. A second later he was engulfed by my Test career," said Flintoff when before the Lord's Test. Yesterday was the third unofficial ODI match played at much of a strain for that fragile knee; his colleagues. Flintoff knew; his team- asked about that instinctive direct hit. more about the Ashes regained than NCC Ground yesterday. mates knew; the Australian captain did "I just picked it up and wanged it Flintoff retired. He looked on while maybe they were planning for the Sri Lanka A posted 300 runs and in future or – dare we whisper it? – per- not want to know. towards the stumps". This was on those younger and fitter than him did haps they had lost faith in his catching During that agonising wait for con- receipt of a magnum of champagne for the job. He was content in that role. But reply Pakistan were bowled out for 253 ability. No menace with the ball; no firmation that he was short of his that moment from BBC radio. "If I had he had to intervene once, just the once runs with Isuru Udana being the pick of runs with the bat and now he was field- ground Ponting must have cast his known it was so easy to get this kind of to leave us a reminder. the bowlers with three . Lasith ing at mid-on, the position that KS mind back to 2005 when reward, I would have practised the In 2005 the lasting image of the Malinga and Fervees Maharoof picked Ranjitsinhji in "The Jubilee Book of Gary Pratt demolished his stumps. fielding a bit more" he said. series was at Edgbaston as Flintoff up two wickets each. Cricket" described as "probably the best "Gary Who?" we all wondered then. As the players completed their lap of knelt to console Brett Lee. There is now Scores: This time the identity of the fielder honour, he described it all as "surreal". a very good chance that the picture that place for a duffer". SL A 300 for 6 in 50 overs (Mahela Whatever the reason, mid-on was was not in question. Ponting had to "I'm a bit older now", he said while pre- will become the image of 2009 will be where Flintoff was patrolling when drag himself from the ground, but at dicting a few drinks with the lads and that of the old duffer at mid-on grab- Udawatte 131, Upul Tharanga 107; Steve Harmison ran into bowl at least on this occasion there was no sign then a quiet meal with his wife – a bing the ball and his only chance to Mohammad Talha 3/60, Abdur Rehman Michael Hussey. The score was 217-2. It of a beaming England coach to greet tricky timetable and an ambitious one have an impact on proceedings and 2/46) wasn't going frightfully well. him as he returned to the players' bal- that was bound to encounter a few dis- demolishing those stumps. Not such a Pakistan A 253 all out in 44.5 Hussey clipped the ball to Flintoff's cony. Andy Flower is a discreet man. He tractions as the evening wore on. bad way to go. It is not just Andy overs (Ahmed Shehzad 91, Faisal Iqbal left and called his partner, Ricky would have kept his smile to himself. Yet amid all the celebration, Flintoff Flower and the England team that will 73; Lasith Malinga 2/49, Farveez What is it with the big men? did seem calmer than anyone. miss him. We all will. Maharoof 2/56, Isuru Udana 3/51)

Under-17 Division II Cricket Final Vimuktha de Alwis stuns Nalanda clinch Division II title Guyanga Weerasekera by Reemus Fernando by Revata S. Silva up to expectations to clinch the plum Girls U-18 Singles title by easily oust- All rounder Rangana Cooray emerged match Guyanga Weerasekera, a Sri Lanka ing Nilupul Goonasekera in the event’s winner for a second consecutive match as national tennis team member for Davis final also on Monday. The bottom seed Nalanda College ‘B’ defended a low score of 150 Cup this year and the holder of a Shankari Thayakaran’s resistance was runs to beat Royal College ‘B’ in the Inter School career high ITF Junior too much for Under-17 Division II final played at Moors world rank of 390 (singles Dinushki Ground yesterday. and doubles combined Junior Tennis Ranasinghe, in the Deciding to bat first on a track which assisted rank as on Jan. 1, 2009) Girls U-16 final, teams second in the past few days who is playing in his last Nationals 2009 which the former Nalanda put on 150 runs thanks largely to a top year in the Under-18 age won with relative score of 40 runs made by late order bat Rangana group, was beaten in a three setter by ease. Cooray who faced 81 balls for his knock. 15-year-old Vimuktha de Alwis, carry- Results on Monday (Aug. 24) Incidentally he was also the top scorer in their ing ITF (current combined) junior Boys U-10 Singles: semi final match. rank of 1,410, in this year’s Junior Quarter-finals: Aadavan Pushparaj In reply Royal struggled to score runs and lost Tennis Nationals Boys U-18 semi-finals (Seed 1) bt Rahul Wijeratne 9-1, Jerique wickets at regular intervals as Nalanda fielders worked off at the SLTA hard courts in Rajapakse (3) bt Nathrath Alam (from inflicted five run outs to skittle them out for 126 Colombo on Monday (24). Matale) (8) 9-6, Isuru Wijeratne (4) bt runs. Coorya was involved in two run outs. De Alwis, who thus created the B.K. Taraka (5) 9-6 Shenan Thenuwara was the pick of the bowlers greatest shock in the tournament so Girls U-16 Singles: with two wickets for 30 runs. far, booked a berth in the finals to meet Final: S. Thayakaran (2) bt D. Scores: bottom seed Thangarajah Ranasinghe (4) 6-2, 6-4 Nalanda 150 all out in 44.5 overs (Mandula Dineshkanthan. The latter overcame Girls U-18 Singles: Peiris 22, Nuwanga Lakshan 30, Rangana Cooray challenge from his semi-final oppo- Final: A. Muttiah (2) bt N. 40; Anjana Kudahetti 2/32, Chathura Rajapakse nent, the unseeded Eshan Jayamane Goonasekera 6-1, 6-1 2/11, Omal Rajapakse 2/28) who had toppled both the title defender Boys U-18 Singles: Royal 126 all out in 48 overs (Manoda de (Amresh Jayawickrema) and the sixth Semi-finals: V.de Alwis (5) bt G. Silva 17, Charindra Salgado 13, Dilhan A jubilant Nalanda College ‘B’ team with the Elephant Lemonade Trophy after beat- seed (M.A. Shakir) on his way to the Weerasekera 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(4), T. Jayathilaka 18, Supun Perera 26; Shenan ing Royal College ‘B’ in the Inter School Under-17 Division II final played at Moors semis. Dineshkanthan (2) bt E. Jayamanne 6- Thenuwara 2/30) Ground yesterday. (Pic by Jude Denzil Pathiraja) Amritha Muttiah, meanwhile, lived 4, 6-4.

Tuesday 25th August, 2009