Tuesday 5th April, 2011 Sri Lanka stand tall despite final defeat BY REX CLEMENTINE for Jayawardene who stroked an unbeat- Lanka’s coach. Bayliss, who took over en 103 off 88 balls to help Sri Lanka post four years ago, has an enviable record Many hearts have been broken follow- 274 for six. There was no trace of vio- having never lost a home Test series. ing Sri Lanka’s defeat in the finals of lence during his serene knock and he During his four year stint, the team also the ICC Cricket World Cup in Bombay not only richly deserved the accolades won the Asia Cup and recorded their on Saturday, but the national cricket showered on him, but should have ended first series win on Australian soil. team could be proud of the fact that this on the winning side, but Sri Lanka did- Opening batsman Tillakaratne was the closest game in a World Cup n’t bowl and field well as they had done Dilshan was the highest run getter in final so far. throughout the tournament. the competition scoring 500 runs in nine World Cup finals since it’s inception The first ball he faced, from innings at 62:50 with two hundreds and in 1975 have tended to be one-sided, but Harbhajan Singh, Jayawardene used his two half-centuries. Of the top five run the fact that Kumar Sangakkara’s side wrists to clip it for a single and that was scorers in the competition, three are Sri took the 2011 final to the penultimate the indication that a big knock was Lankans with Sangakkara third in the over of the Indian innings and lost to around the corner. list with 465 runs. Upul Tharanga is the best team in the competition is no He was involved in 50 plus partner- fifth with 395 runs. shame. ships with Kumar Sangakkara and Muralitharan finished the tourna- India had come into the finals having Thilan Samaraweera and when ment with 15 wickets, joint fourth with played two highly charged up games. Chamara Kapugedara fell with the total Yuvraj Singh and Robin Peterson. They took on Australia in the quarter- on 182 with ten more overs to go, Sri Lasith Malinga’s six for 36 against finals and Pakistan in the semi-finals. Lanka had a mountain to climb. Kenya at R. Premadasa Stadium is the On the way to the World Cup final they Jayawardene reached his half-century second best bowling performance in the had defended modest totals and chased in 49 balls despite wickets failing at the competition behind Kremar Roach’s six tough ones and beyond doubt were the other end he stood firm. Together with for 27 against Netherlands in Delhi. better side in the competition. Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera, Dilshan’s 144 against Zimbabwe is the It’s so disappointing that Mahela the Sri Lankan vice-captain turned third highest knock in an innings Jayawardene’s behind Virender Sehwag’s 175 in the knock came in a los- curtain-raiser of the competition ing cause. Prior to against Bangladesh in Dhaka and Saturday’s game, Andrew Strauss’ 158 against India in there had been five Bangalore. hundreds in World The 282 run partnership for the first Cup finals and Clive things around to give his team a compet- was announced after the final. Captain wicket between Dilshan and Tharanga Lloyd, Sir Viv itive total. Sangakkara and opening batsman against Zimbabwe in Pallekele is the Richards, Ricky Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan Tillakaratne Dilshan were the other two best partnership for the first wicket in Ponting, Adam had a rare off-day in the final, but bowed players to be named in the World XI. It World Cup tournaments. It’s also the Gilchrist and our out of world cricket having played his has now come to light that the ICC had second highest partnership for any own Aravinda de third World Cup final, an honour slotted Ross Taylor in the number four wicket in World Cup tournaments Silva had gone onto enjoyed by an exclusive number of position of their World XI, but following behind the 318 run added for the second become World cricketers. Mahela’s masterpiece opted for him. wicket by Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Champions. Both Jayawardene and Muralitharan The 2011 World Cup was also the last Dravid in Taunton in the 1999 tourna- Spare a thought were named in the ICC World XI that assignment for Trevor Bayliss, Sri ment against Sri Lanka. Dilshan reaches Speedsters make it easy for Joes BY REEMUS FERNANDO (Supun Nawaratne 29, Prabodha Piyushan Kulatunga 19) Arthavidu 16n.o, Thisura career best ranking Speedsters shared bowling honours Madurapperuma 14; Sahan Adeesha 2/15, Royal, St. Sebastian’s and ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 winners for St. Joseph’s College to record a con- S. Dulaj 3/10) St. Mary’s withdraw Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir vincing six wicket victory over Sri Royal College, Colombo, St. Mary’s have also moved up the rankings, with Sumangala College, Panadura in the College, Chillaw and St. Sebastian’s India’s opener rising one place to ninth, Inter School Under-19 Twenty-20 tourna- Under-19 Twenty-20 College, Moratuwa have withdrawn while Gambhir’s hard-fought 97 runs ment pre-quarter-final which was played from the Inter School Under-19 Twenty against Sri Lanka in the final of the ICC at Darley Road yesterday. Tournament 20 tournament making way for their pre Cricket World Cup yesterday has seen Former captains Dinal Dhambarage quarter final counterparts to secure the 29-year-old rise four places to occupy and Chathuranga Kumara shared six Ekanayake impresses as Rahula beat quarter-final berths without any compe- 10th. wickets between them, while Fabian tition. Karandeniya Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara Fernando picked up two wickets to rattle The Twenty-20 tournament which the minnows for 71 runs. Madusanka Ekanayake impressed still occupies fourth place while India’s draws only the top teams who reached In their essay Kevin Bernardus scored with a half century and two wickets as Yuvraj Singh, the ICC Player of the the pre quarter finals of the Inter an unbeaten 40 runs in 31 balls (3x6s, Rahula College, Matara recorded a seven Tournament for the ICC Cricket World School Under-19 Limited Overs 3x4s) for St. Joseph’s College to cruise to wicket victory over Karandeniya Central Cup 2011 remains in joint 17th place with Tournament got off to a start on Sunday. an easy six wicket victory with nine in their Under-19 Twenty-20 pre-quarter Australia captain Ricky Ponting, the lat- Royal College, Colombo, St. Mary’s overs to spare. final match which was played at ter having risen six places. College, Chillaw and St. Sebastian’s Scores: Karandeniya on Sunday. Meanwhile, Netherlands Ryan ten College, Moratuwa have withdrawn Doeschate continues to be the only Sri Sumangala 71 all out in 17.3 overs Scores: from the tournament citing different Associate player in the top 20 of the bat- (Kanchana Senarath 17, Tharuka Karandeniya 121 for 9 in 20 overs (L. reasons. That has helped their pre-quar- ting rankings with the Dutchman sitting Nadeeshan 19; Dinal Dhambarage 3/14, Eranga 27, S. Singappuli 23, Manaram ter final counterparts Gurukula College, in 16th place. Fabian Fernando 2/04, Chathuranga Uyanahewa 4/15, Vihanga Kalhara 2/13, Kelaniya, Mahinda College, Galle and Other batsmen moving in the right Kumara 3/12) Madusanka Ekanayake 2/18) Zahira College, Maradana secure a safe direction include England’s Jonathan St. Joseph’s 74 for 4 in 10.2 overs Rahula 124 for 3 in 17 (Madusanka passage to quarter-finals. Trott in fifth (up by four places), South (Kevin Bernardus 40n.o, Supeshala Ekanayake 58, Prasadika Gamage 34n.o, Africa’s Jacques Kallis in 12th (up by Jayathilaka 13n.o) three places), Ross Taylor in 19th (up by one place), Upul Tharanga in 26 (up three Aamil takes five wickets in Trinity win places), Mahela Jayawardena in 28th (up Trinity College romped to a 72 run by three places), India’s Suresh Raina in victory over De Mazenod College as Petes sweat to beat ‘indisplined’ Tillakaratne Dilshan plays a shot during the 31st place (up by four places), Misbah-ul- spinner Aamil Anas picked up five Science 48-14 Cricket World Cup final between India and Haq in 36th place (up by three places) wickets for 17 runs in their Twenty 20 and Jesse Ryder in 42nd (up by 13 places). pre quarter final match which was Sri Lanka in Mumbai, India, Saturday, April 2, BY RAVI NAGAHAWATTE seemed breaching the rules of the game South Africa’s duo of Hashim Amla played at Asgiriya Stadium yesterday. and referee Gamini Indrasena penalised 2011. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das) and AB de Villiers continue to occupy Scores: St. Peter’s College Bambalapitiya the ‘white shirts’ with as many as four Tillekeratne Dilshan has risen to his the top two positions. Trinity 156 for 9 in 20 overs opened their campaign in the 2011 yellow cards, three coming in the sec- career best ranking to date in the Reliance In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings (Niroshan Dickwella 35, Heshan rugby season with a hard fought 48-14 ond half. The Peterites too had a ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsman. for ODI bowlers, Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Wanniarachchi 16, Kavinda win over a courageous but ‘indisci- moment of ‘shame’ when a player was The 34-year-old all-rounder is occupying Mendis is one of the big movers with the Jayasuriya 16, Ron Chandraguptha 18; plined’ Science College team in their sent to the sin bin.