Late City Edition

Wednesday 21st March, 2012 Chamara closes in on Test call up after swashbuckling 163 BY REX CLEMENTINE SCOREBOARD Given the amount of bungling that SLC President’s XI 1st Innings goes around on a daily basis at Sri D. Munaweera b Broad 19 Lanka , the national selectors M. Warnapura ct Bopara b Broad 00 will get away with it if they claim that C. Silva ct Trott b Finn 163 the replacement that went to Bangladesh T. Kandamby b Patel 64 was the wrong Chamara as the Board A. Perera 61 Secretary noted down the wrong sur- K.J. Perera lbw b Broad 35 name at the selection meeting! K. Lokuarachchi not out 22 Yesterday during the three-day Extras: (2b, 4lb, 5nb, 1w) 12 warm-up game against England, Total: for five 376 showed what Overs: 56 have been missing in Dhaka with a sen- Fall of wickets: 1-01, 2-38, 3-189, 4- sational 163 as SLC President’s XI 282, 5-342. reached an impressive 376 for five at To bat: I. Udana, S. Weerakoon, V. stumps on day one at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground. Fernando and T. Lakshitha. Silva, the in-form batsman in the Bowling: Broad 15-3-55-3 (2nb), Finn domestic season with over 1,000 runs for 15-2-64-1, Bresnan 16-0-47-0 (2nb) Bloomfield, batted at number three yes- (1w), Swann 21-2-102-0, Bopara 5-1-19- terday and was in the middle in the first 0 (1nb), Patel 18-2-83-1. over itself after Stuart Broad had dis- England: A. Strauss (), J. Trott, Bangladesh’s , left, raises his bat to celebrate his fifty as team-mate looks on during missed Malinda Warnapura for a . K. Pietersen, I. Bell, R. Bopara, S. Patel, the cricket match against Sri Lanka in Dhaka yesterday. Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets under Warnapura chipped one straight to mid- M. Prior, T. Bresnan, S. Broad, G. the DL Method to reach the Asia Cup final. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi) off in the fourth ball of the innings. Swann and S. Finn. Broad also accounted for Dilshan Toss: SL Munaweera for 18. Umpires: W.N. de Silva and Tyron Then followed a 150-run stand Wijewardene between Silva and captain as SLC President’s XI Silva reached three figures by step- ensured there wasn’t a repeat of a col- ping out to Patel and driving him lapse like what was seen at R. straight. He celebrated the milestone Bangladesh reach historic final Premadasa Stadium the last week where and a possible recall to the Test squad the hosts were bowled out for cheap later this week by driving the same scores twice to lose the game by an bowler for another through India eliminated after Sri Lanka’s loss innings. extra cover in the next . Silva’s first stroke of his innings was Injury to has put (AP) On a slow pitch, Bangladesh Earlier Nazmul Hossain took 3-32 and Kapugedera was ’s sec- a neat on-drive off Broad and that sug- Silva as a strong candidate to take up successfully chased a reduced target of Shakib Al Hasan and Abdur Razzak two ond in the 40th over at 169-5. gested that he was in good nick and soon the number six slot in the first Test in 212 off 40 overs to beat Sri Lanka by five wickets each to dismiss Sri Lanka for 232 Tharanga pushed the run rate to bet- played some attacking shots putting Galle. wickets, under the DL Method, and by in 49.5 overs. ter than expected with 48 off 44 balls, England on a doing so sent India too packing from the Earlier top- including a six and five boundaries, defensive Asia Cup four-nation competition in scored with 62 off 92 balls while Upul before he was caught behind off mode. The Dhaka last night. Tharanga and col- Shahadat Hossain in the 46th. three slip Bangladesh who bowled out Sri lected 48 each as Sri Lanka looked for a Bangladesh made one change to its and a gully Lanka for a modest 232 in 49.5 overs will consolation win at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla XI, bringing in Nazmul for , field soon now play for the first time in an Asia National Stadium. who injured a shoulder in the previous disappeared Cup final, against Pakistan at the same Of the eight other batsmen, only game against India. as the wicket three could reach double figures after venue tomorrow. Sri Lanka made two changes from offered rich Bangladesh won the toss and decided to Tamim Iqbal scored a timely 59 in 57 last week’s game against India, resting awards for field first. good shots. delivereis with nine fours to rescue his and Seekkuge Pakistan has already reached the Silva was team from three down for 40 in their Prasanna to include Sachitra eighth over. He shared 76 runs for the final on Thursday. exceptional Senanayake and Kapugedara. fourth wicket with Shakib Al Hasan who Nazmul set the course for Bangladesh on the drive Brief Scores: also countributed with a quick 56 which as he claimed openers Mahela and the pull Sri Lanka 232 all out in 49.5 overs came in 46 balls. He hammered seven Jayawardene (5) and Tillakaratne and was (Kapugedera 62, Thirimanne 48, fours. Both though got out to Sachithra Dilshan (19), and (6), immensely Tharanga 48; Hossain 3-32) lost against Senanayake. who came at No. 3, reducing Sri Lanka to helped by a 3-32. Bangladesh (212 for 5 wkts in 37.1 overs fast outfield. Nasir Hossain and saw SLC President’s XI’s Chamara Silva plays a shot as England’s wicket- them through with an unfinished 77-run Kapugedera and Thirimanne stopped (Iqbal 59, Al Hasan 56, Nasir Hossain 36*, The only stand for the sixth wicket with 17 balls to the slide with a stand of 88 before Mahmudullah 32*, Kulasekara 2-30, blemish dur- keeper Matt Prior watches during the second warm-up match between spare. Thirimanne was in the 32nd Senanayake 38-2) by 5 wkts. under the DL ing his knock England and SLC President’s XI at SSC yesterday. (Pic by Eranga over. Method. came earlier Jayawardena) on when he chipped one off Broad, but the ball fell Silva played some glorious shots well short of mid-on. after reaching the hundred, at times giv- Silva was particularly harsh on ing the charge even to the faster Play the ball, not the Service in Graeme Swann as he greeted him into bowlers. With him on song, England’s the attack by sweeping the off-spinner cause looked lost at one point. Silva fell memory of Ranil for four. when he attempted to hook Stephen Swann, considered world’s premier Finn, but was caught at long leg. A thanksgiv- name – Chamara spin bowler, was disappointing conced- His 163 came off 181 balls with 25 ing service will Ashes winning England attack and later ing over 100 runs without a wicket hav- splendid boundaries and one six. His BY REX CLEMENTINE be held in the speaking to journalists said that names ing bowled 21 overs and received a mock was largely responsible for Sri loving memory There was an hint of sarcasm from didn’t matter to him. applause from some of the ground staff Lanka maintaining an impressive run Chamara Silva yesterday after he made an “They have big names no doubt in of late Ranil once he conceded the 100th run, presum- rate of 4.1. entertaining 163 against world’s best team their attack, but whoever who bowls, you Abeynaike today, ably for his comments accusing Sri Middle-order batsman Angelo Perera in the three-day warm-up game at SSC as get the same ball and if you play right, Wednesday, at Lankans of cheating. then carried on the attack smashing 64 he said that he was not hopeful of reputations won’t matter. I don’t try to 6.30 p.m. at the England had a chance of breaking runs off 112 balls with four fours and playing the first Test in Galle, but complicate things when batting. Christ the Living the when Kandamby was three sixes. would grab the opportunity if it When you think of too many Saviour on 30, but Ian Bell put down a chance off England rested , who things it gets tougher. The best came his way. Cathedral, Swann at short leg. had smashed an unbeaten 163 in the pre- Exactly a decade ago, Chamara thing is to play the ball on its Ranil Abeynaike Bauddhaloka Runs kept coming fast as the two vious warm-up game. Fast bowler Silva was denied what was going to merit,” he said. Mawatha, Apart from scoring over 1,000 batsmen toyed with the England spin- Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar be his Test debut in against Colombo-7. runs in first class cricket this sea- ners. Eventually Samit Patel provided were also rested as the tourists opted to Zimbabwe when then Captain Abeynaike, a former cricketer objected to son, Silva has scored those runs at the breakthrough when he went play Patel and Stuart Broad. and a journalist, passed away last national selectors’ decision to give an impressive strike rate of over 90 through the defences of Kandamby. He The first Test between the countries Silva his Test in place of one of and is extremely happy with his month. made 64 off 141 balls with eight fours gets underway next week at the Galle his favourites in the team. Sanath Chamara style of play. and a six. International Stadium. being Sanath took the matters to “In three-day matches and Test , who was the Minister cricket you can score runs quicker than of Sports in then UNP government and a you do in say ODI matches. The main rea- cruel blow was dealt on Silva’s career as son is that fielders are not deep unlike in the Minister sacked the selectors and rein- limited over games. That allows you to stated the senior player. free your arms and that’s the reason for AASL to call for fresh nominations me to have such a good strike rate.” Chamara had to wait for five years to of AASL, several, including controver- to asses make his Test debut. Silva walked in to bat in the first over BY REEMUS FERNANDO sial athlete Rohan Pradeep Kumara, the candidacy of General Palitha This season he has been the in-form of the SLC President’s XI after Malinda Ranjani Jayakody, Director of batsman in the domestic first class compe- Warnapura departed in the fourth ball of Sports of the Department of Sports who had earlier been convicted of a Fernando, who was seeking a fifth con- tition, but yet, when a replacement was the morning. Development, told ‘The Island’ yester- credit card forgery, handed over nomi- secutive term, is likely to deliver their sought during the recent ODI series he “I would like to think that since I have day that the Athletics Association of nations on the previous closing date decision today and a date for the AGM didn’t get the nod. been in good form this season, I have Sri Lanka will have to call for fresh for nominations last week. will also likely to be announced today. Chamara put up a strong case for him- been able to carry that form into this nominations when the Sports Ministry Jayakody said that since the AGM Fernando, the incumbent president self yesterday with a sensational 163 off game as well. The big challenge was bat- confirms the date for the AGM which had been postponed indefinitely, the of the AASL was seeking the permis- 181 balls batting at number three and ting at number three and I had to go to was postponed under Sports Ministry nominations which were received by sion of the Sports Minister to contest a bat in the first over. The challenge was to with Angelo Mathews doubtful for the orders recently. the AASL are invalid. fifth term. At the time of his applica- see off the new ball and I guess the form I series opener; he could play the first Test Although the Sports Ministry She said that the Committee tion, he was the sole candidate for the against England in Galle. was in helped me to get on top of the ordered the postponement of the AGM appointed by the Sports Minister post of president. He had a good outing against the bowling,” he added.

Wednesday 21st March, 2012