Tuesday 21st July, 2009

Is there a cancer in WI ? — Rudi Webster Renowned sports psychologist W est Indies cricket? series against . import ant questions. Furthermore, they must place ance and the growth and well- Rudi Webster who had a role to W ebster is frustrated at the First, what are the first impor - their us values above their me being of West Indies cricket have play in the W est Indies becoming st ate of af fairs of Caribbean crick - Priorities tant priorities of W est Indies crick - values. been displaced way down their list a world-beating force in the mid et and the manner in which the W ebster, who three years ago, et? Second, in what order should Expanding on the cancer of import ant priorities. 1970s, has asked a very pertinent Board and players have fought. interacted with the Indian team they be placed? And third, how aspect, he wrote: Like the cancer, question in his piece in the This has resulted in W est Indies when Greg Chappell was coach, must we tailor our energies, selfish and greedy motives have T rinidad and Tobago Guardian a second string (cynics said: The board and players must resources and strategies to fit become their first import ant priori - newspaper: Is there a cancer in call it a third string) in the home now ask and answer three very those priorities? ties. As a , good perform -

Aussies sent crashing Late put SL on top

by Rex Clementine

W ith the series already lost, Pakist an Fiery Freddie and worked hard towards salvaging their pride on the first day of the third and final Test match here at the Singhalese Sport s Club ground, but three late s in the sp ace of eight deliveries brought right back into the game as continued to gif t away the initiative to the Swann combine host s, having been on top. At 285 for four , with just three overs to go for stump s, Pakist an had t aken major hon- ours of the day af ter Sri Lanka had decided to bowl first in overcast conditions, but the three late wickets to the new ball swung the game back in Sri Lanka s favour, who ll be now prove deadly wanting to mop the t ail of f on the second LONDON (AP) - Andrew Flintof f took five had 4-87 and removed Michael was hit on the shoulder when he failed to con - morning today. wicket s to help secure a 115-run win Clarke, who made 136 and was Australia s main nect with a hook shot when on 11. Two balls Sri Lanka opted for the second new ball in against Australia Monday on the fif th and final hope in an attempt to reach a record run chase later he connected for one of his nine bound - the 81st , but af ter just 15 deliveries day of the second Ashes test to t ake a 1-0 lead total of 522. Australia, seeking to ret ain the aries. , the Sri Lankan in the five-match series. Ashes, was eventually dismissed for 406 with Johnson edged towards Flintof f complained about the shape of the ball and The victory was England s first in a test contributing 63 from 75 balls. at second when on 15 but the ball just failed the umpires in agreement opted for a replace - against Australia at Lord s in 75 years. England heads to Edgbaston for the third to carry and the bat sman scrambled a single. ment. It was the replacement ball that swung Flintof f, through p ain in his right test on July 30 intent on keeping it s lead in the Later in the same over, Clarke reasserted his the game in favour of Sri Lanka as Thilan knee that led him to announce that he will retire series. authority by cover driving for a well-timed bound - Thushara struck in the second ball, trapping from test s af ter this series, finished with figures The hosts were humiliated in the 2006-07 ary . Shoaib of 5-92. He bowled ten consecutive overs from Ashes series, losing by a 5-0 margin. This series Swann produced the key breakthrough by Malik with a that the st art of play to earn his third five-wicket haul started dif ferently when the first test in Cardif f bowling Clarke, who had advanced down the came in late. in tests. was drawn after a battling match-saving ef fort by pitch only to see the ball dip under his bat and was brought in from It s been a good test match, Flintof f, named England. spin back on to the of f stump. Swann s ecst atic the other end and he struck two decisive man of the match, said. It s nice to t ake five W e have enjoyed playing here (Lord s) and celebration illustrated the team s relief at remov - blows, first by having Misbah-ul-Haq caught (wicket s) on the last morning and receive all the have a proud record over a number of years so ing Clarke. behind by a diving T illekeratne Dilshan and plaudit s but it s been a team effort. it s disappointing to lose any test match and Australia s vice-capt ain batted for 319 min - then finding Umar Gul driving lazily without There might be occasions when I m feeling especially here, Australia capt ain utes, faced 227 deliveries and struck 14 bound - moving his feet and dragging one on to the Sri Lankan bowler celebrates the tired or aching but Straussy (capt ain Andrew said. aries. stumps to leave Pakist an at 287 for seven. of Pakistan’s Fawad Alam , unseen, dur- S trauss) was never going to get the ball out of James Anderson set an early positive tone Nathan Hauritz (1) was bowled by Flintof f ing the first day’s play of the third and final Test my hand, he added. I for England with two lbw appeals in the first four after of fering no stroke and was cricket match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in have got three test balls of the day, though both were given also bowled by the Lancashire all-rounder, who , Sri Lanka, Monday, July 20, 2009. matches lef t and I by umpire Billy Doctrove. celebrated his fif th wicket with his usual mod - (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) will give my all. Flintof f then claimed the first wicket of the esty, kneeling on the Lord s turf and acknowl - about things purposefully. It s going to be morning before Australia had registered a run. edging the applause. and Misbah-ul-Haq added hard to get s resistance, which spanned 196 75 runs for the fif th wicket before both bat s- through them minutes, came to an end when he edged to men got out in quick succession. Malik, who but I will be at second slip for his overnight was dropped on 21 by giving every - score of 80. The score was then 313-6. Dilshan of f Vaas went onto make 45 in 70 thing. Flintoffs bowling speeds were consistently balls with six boundaries while Misbah Off- above 90 mph and, to emphasize his threat, scored 27. spinner struck est ablished bat sman Clarke on the glove Thushara was the pick of the bowlers for with a spiteful bouncer. The next ball swung into Sri Lanka as he picked up three wicket s while Clarke and cut away from the out side Kulasekara claimed two. The other wicket to edge of his bat. fall to the bowlers was picked up by Vaas. Johnson Sri Lanka dropped , who A p art from the two early wicket s in the experienced simi - had t aken just six wicket s in his last four T est morning, Pakist an were in control of proceed - lar hardship matches. They brought back veteran SCOREBOARD ings, having t aken lunch at 103 for two against Flintof f for his against a four pronged seam att ack that and England 1st innings (all out) 425 final Test match while Pakist an lef t out looked innocuous and if not for a slow out - Australia 1st innings (all out) 215 Abdur Rauf for the experienced leg spinner, field, Pakist an would have been in a better England 2nd innings (for six wickets . position. declared) 311 It was opener Khurram Manzoor and Australia 2nd innings Mohammad Yousuf, the best bat sman in the (overnight 313-5) world according to ICC rankings, who put Phillip Hughes c Strauss b Flintof f 17 Pakist an on top, through the af ternoon c Pietersen b Flintof f 6session. Both bat smen looked settled for hun - Ricky Ponting b Broad 38 dreds, but fell in the 90s with Chaminda Vaas, Mike Hussey c Collingwood b Swann 27 playing his last Test match involved in both Michael Clarke b Swann 136 dismissals. b Swann 6 Twenty-three-year-old Manzoor, who has Brad Haddin c Collingwood b Flintof f 80 played all his five Test matches SCOREBOARD Mitchell Johnson b Swann 63 against Sri Lanka, was on 93 when a full V aas delivery lef t him late, resulting in an out - Nathan Hauritz b Flintof f 1 Pakistan 1st Innings Graeme side edge as at first slip K Manzoor c Jayawardene b Vaas 93 Peter Siddle b Flintof f 7 Swann snapped up the catch. F Alam c Dilshan b Thushara 16 Ben Hilfenhaus not out 4 Three overs later, there was drama. Y Khan b Thushara 2 Extras: (8lb, 5b, 8nb) 21 Yousuf, requiring one run to become M Yousuf run out 90 T O TAL: (all out) 4 0 6 Andrew only the third Pakist ani to score 7000 Test M-ul-Haq c Dilshan b Kulasekera 27 Overs: 107. runs set of f for a single af ter pushing one of f S Malik lbw b Thushara 45 Flintoff Fall of wicket s: 1-17, 2-34, 3-78, 4-120, 5- Thushara to wide mid-off and returned for the K Akmal not out 1 128, 6-313, 7-356, 8-363, 9-388. second on the overthrow after some hesit a- U Gul b Kulasekera 2 tion. An accurate throw by Vaas to the strik - Bowling: James Anderson 21-4-86-0, D Kaneria not out 1 er s end found the bat sman well short of the Andrew Flintof f 27-4-92-5 (8nb), Graham Extras (10b, 2nb) 12. ground and a disgusted Yousuf walked back Onions 9-0-50-0, Stuart Broad 16-3-49-1, TOTAL: (for seven wickets) 289 Graeme Swann 28-3-87-4, Paul Collingwood cursing his ill judgment. He made 90 and missed out on an oppor- Overs: 86 6-1-29-0. tunity to equal Pakist an s record for Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-36, 3-203, 4-210, 5- Toss: England. The most number of hundreds held by 285, 6-285, 7-287 Result: England won by 115 runs. Inzamam (25). Still to bat: , Mohammad Aamer. Umpires: , South Africa and Earlier , af ter Sri Lanka decided to bowl Bowling: Chaminda Vaas 20-6-43-1, Nuwan Billy Doctrove, Dominica. first, Thilan Thushara picked up Kulasekera 14-1-43-2, Thilan Thushara 19-2- Third umpire: Nigel Llong, England. Fawad Alam, the centurion in the previous 77-3 (2nb), 23-4-76-0, Match Referee: Jeff Crowe,. Test and Y ounus Khan in the same over, but Anjelo Mathews 8-2-31-0, Mahela from thereon, Y ousuf and Manzoor went Jayawardene 2-0-9-0.

Published by Upali Newspapers (Private) Limited, 223, Bloemendhal Road, Colombo 13 and Printed at 195/187, High Level Road, Homagama on Tuesday 21st July, 2009