Thursday 18th August, 2011 13

BY MANIK BANERJEE But some like 63-year-old football fan KOLKATA, India (AP) — The antici- Binay Mukherjee are not sure whether pated announcement of Lionel Messi in the big names will play here. an Argentina squad to play Venezuela “It would be great to watch Messi in an international friendly here next and Tevez, but a doubt has cropped up month is expected to unleash what among fans here on whether they will locals are calling Messi mania. be released by their respective clubs,” More than 15,000 tickets have already Mukherjee said. been sold online for the FIFA-sanc- Another worry is the steep prices of tioned Sept. 2 match at the 100,000- tickets. capacity Salt Lake Stadium, but organ- Suvadeep Ghosh, an 18-year-old engi- isers are predicting a surge of sales in neering student, says young people may coming days when the squads are not be able to afford the tickets. announced. “It would be a great experience for Football frenzies have struck in me to see Messi and Tevez. But I am not sure whether my desire would be ful- Kolkata before, most notably when ’s Lasith Malinga, front, runs to celebrate the dismissal Brazilian great Pele turned out for the filled as the cost of tickets is pretty of Australia’s Michael Clarke, rear, during their third one- U.S. club Cosmos in a friendly against high,” Ghosh said. local club Mohan Bagan in 1977 and The minimum cost of tickets is 500 day international match in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, when German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn rupees ($11) for registered football play- Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011. Australia leads the series 2-0. (AP) played for Bayern Munich against ers of the city and 1,200 rupees ($27) for Bagan in 2008. others. Local football administrator Utpal The match comes at a time when Tharanga and Malinga Ganguly says this game is more impor- national body All India Football tant than those featuring Pele and Federation is hoping to give an impetus Kahn. to the world’s most popular game in a star in Sri Lanka win country of 1.2 billion where cricket “Messi and Carlos Tevez are in the REX CLEMENTINE Bollinger provided the break- prime of their careers whereas Pele and reigns. reporting from Sooriyawewa through when he had Kahn played here during their twilight Last year, the AIFF signed a 15-year, Dilshan caught at the mid- years,” Ganguly said. “I’m sure the $140-million deal commercial deal with superb all-round per- boundary for 55. Lionel Messi crowd response will pick up once the IMG-Reliance, which will market foot- formance helped Sri Tharanga then added 81 runs list of players is announced.” ball in India at all levels. ALanka to keep their off 78 balls with Kumar chances alive in the five- Sangakkara to further steady match ODI series against things. Australia, after they won the Australia had a chance of TEXT AND PIX BY must win third game by 78 dismissing Tharanga when Roy Dias to M. FAROOK LANTRA runs here at the Mahinda he was on 89, but Mitchell Rajapaksa International Johnson failed to hold on to a D. B. Welegedera Maha Stadium in Sooriyawewa, Vidyalaya, Kurunegala bagged on Tuesday. the ‘Milo’ All-Island 10-a-side coach Oman Opener Upul Tharanga champions trophy in grand style set things up for the Sri by beating Asoka Maha Set to take up assignment Vidyalaya, , by 24 points Lankans with his 12th ODI (2 goals 2 tries) to 14 (2 goals), at hundred and the first early November the historic Kelani Valley against the Australians grounds, Talduwa, on August 15. and then Lasith Malinga At lemons, Asoka were lead- claimed a five-wicket haul, ing 14 to nil. But after the turn also his first against the around, the boys from Australians, as the hosts Kurunegala played a terrific secured a thrilling victory, game and planted four tries (two reaching the number two conversions). rank in ODI cricket, push- The Plate was won by ing India to third place. Devapathiraja MV, Ratgama, Tharanga became the who beat Moratuwa MV by 14 The skipper of D. B. Welegedara MV Kurunegala, M. A. Perera fifth Sri Lankan after points to nil, while the Bowl was receives the ‘Milo’ champion’s trophy from the chief guest, (2), won by Chandananda Buddhist return catch. Sajeewa Wickramasingha, Activation & Sponsorship Manager, (2), College, , who beat Kumar Sangakkara and Sri Lanka were set for the Nestle Lanka PLC. Also in the picture is K. S. P. Karunaratne, Mahinda College, Galle. The to score a kill with 220 runs on the Secretary, Sabaragamuwa RFA). Shield was won by St. Mary’s hundred against the board at the end of the 38th Australians and in the over and opted for the process went on to complete Batting Power Play. However, All-Island Schools U-14 Div. II 10-a-side rugby 4,000 ODI runs, becoming the instead of an avalanche of ninth Sri Lankan to reach runs, the five over period the milestone. produced three for D. B. Welegedera College, Kurunegala This was Tharanga’s just 18 runs without any Roy Dias return series after a drug boundaries being scored. ban ruled him out of all The first after BY RUSSELL PALIPANE forms of cricket for three Sri Lanka called for the pouch ‘Milo’ Champion’s trophy months and he provided the Power Play saw Sangakkara Former Sri Lanka vice captain Roy Dias, team a much needed solid being trapped leg before one of the most elegant batsmen to play for start, adding 139 runs with wicket by Bollinger and two Sri Lanka, told ‘The Island’ Wednesday captain Tillakaratne Dilshan. balls later, Dinesh Chandimal morning, that he will take over as coach of The opening pair saw off was well caught at slip by the Oman cricket team. some nervous moments as Michael Clarke. He also said that he is likely to take Australia’s pacemen beat Sri Lanka slumped to 230 charge early November. them on a couple of occa- for four from being 220 for As of today, no time frame has been sions with some accurate one when Tharanga nicked finalised, added Dias. bowling, but once the new one to wicket-keeper Brad Dias, who played 20 Tests and 58 ODIs in ball lost its shine, the flat Haddin, after compiling 111 the ‘80s, has plenty of experience supervis- track didn’t pose any threats runs off 139 balls with 12 ing upcoming nations, having spent the past to the batsmen. fours. decade in charge of the Nepal team. The openers were particu- “I am eagerly waiting to take charge of larly harsh against the spin helped the hosts finish things the Oman national team. The exact terms bowlers, with Xavier off in style as he scored 36 off [of the agreement with Oman Cricket] are Doherty’s five overs of left- 33 balls, with three fours and being worked out. But as of now, my imme- arm spin going for 41 runs, a six. diate assignment is to get the team ready while 34 runs were scored off Sri Lanka dismissed dan- for the ACC Twenty20 Cup, which will be David Hussey’s off-spin. Leg- german Shane Watson early played in Nepal in December,” Dias was spinner Steve Smith bowled and then Shaminda Eranga quoted as having told the ‘Muscat Daily’. two overs and Sri Lanka cleaned up Brad Haddin with “Once I take charge, I would like to get the The skipper of Chandananda Buddhist College, The skipper of St. Mary’s Tamil MV, Yatiyantota, N. scored 15 runs off him. extra pace in his very first boys to undergo a proper camp in Nepal in Kandy, Dikshan Heshantha receives the Bowl tro- Kushan, receives the Shield award from N. J. Left-arm seamer Doug over in international cricket. the build-up to the ACC tournament.” phy from Susantha Mendis, Secretary, SLSRFA. Mudannayaka, General Secretary, WPSRFA. Oman won the ACC Twenty20 Cup in SCOREBOARD 2007 and progressed enough to make it to Tamil MV,Yatiyantota, who beat Sri Lanka M. Clarke c Jayawardene b Malinga 46 the qualifying tournament for the 2011 Uva College, Badulla 22 nil. U. Tharanga c Haddin b Bollinger 111 M. Hussey c sub. Randiv b Malinga 63 World Cup. However, they fared poorly in The talk of the day was the T. Dilshan c M Hussey b Bollinger 55 D. Hussey b Mendis 8 that event, finishing 11th to be relegated to victory of St. Mary’s Tamil K. Sangakkara lbw b Bollinger 49 S. Smith run out (Kulasekara) 18 the third division of the ICC’s World School, Yatiyantota, who won D. Chandimal c Clarke b Bollinger 4 M. Johnson c Chandimal b Kulasekara 1 Cricket League. the Shield. M. J’wardene c M Hussey b Watson 36 B. Lee 14 Dias, 58, said he was familiar with Oman More than 450 participants C. Silva c Smith Lee 9 X. Doherty b Malinga 2 cricket since he had watched the team in from 30 leading schools took J. Mendis lbw b Johnson 1 D. Bollinger b Malinga 4 N. Kulasekara c MHussey b Johnson 4 Extras: (4b, 6lb, 1nb, 9w) 20 various competitions during his time as part in the two day tournament, S. Eranga b Watson 2 TOTAL: (all out) 208 Nepal coach. “Coaching in Nepal is quite which was organised by the Sri L. Malinga not out 1 Overs: 44.2. different from coaching in Oman. I am well Lanka Schools Rugby Football Extras: (4lb, 10w) 14 Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-18, 3-52, 4-123, aware of it. But I will focus on the system Association (SLSRFA) and con- TOTAL: (for 9 wickets) 286 5-138, 6-183, 7-183, 8-189, 9-198. that I work in - training the national team ducted by the Sabaragamuwa Overs: 50 Bowling: Malinga 8.2-2-28-5 (1nb, 4w), while working on building a solid supply RFA headed by K. S. P. Fall of wickets: 1-139, 2-220, 3-224, 4- Kulasekara 10-1-50-1, Eranga 7-0-38-2 line. Karunaratne, Secretary, 230, 5-252, 6-255, 7-276, 8-284, 9-286. (5w), Dilshan 10-0-39-0, Mendis 1-0-5-0, “I focus a lot on junior cricket, that’s Sabaragamuwa RFA. Did not bat: Ajantha Mendis. Mendis 8-0-38-1. where you get good cricketers from, whom The tournament was spon- Bowling: Lee 10-0-47-1, Bollinger 10-0- : Sri Lanka win by 78 runs you can groom. I tried this method in Nepal. sored by Nestle Lanka PLC, and 42-4 (5w), Johnson 9-0-45-2 (1w), Series: Australia leads 5-match series I focused on age-group cricket and over the the chief guest was Sajeewa Watson 9-0-58-2 (2w), Doherty 5-0-41-0, 2-1. years, the country began performing well in Wickremasinghe, Activation & D Hussey 5-0-34-0 (2w), Smith 2-0-15-0. Toss: Australia. Australia Umpires: Asad Rauf, Pakistan and tournaments ” Sponsorship Manager, Nestle The skipper of Devapathiraja MV Ratgama Uvindu Ashvika S S