23 21/ Distributers — Golden Key Consumer Products Limited 11, Avissawella Road, Hewagama Kaduwela. Tel: 5631342 Wednesday 9th January, 2008 Boozing raises ICC SOS to Chief Match its ugly head at junior cricket! Ref Ranjan Madugalla by Reemus Fernando At a time when discipline and The International Cricket the performances of junior crick- Council Tuesday night took the eters are constantly discussed as it dramatic step of sending an SOS never been before, what we have to to no-nonsense match referee As Steve Bucknor was sacked report today about Wesley College’s Ranjan Madugalle to act as a from the third Test, disciplinarian senior cricketers will be the last peacemaker between warring and ace troubleshooter Madugalle thing you would expect from a high camps India and Australia. No response profile cricket playing college, in As Steve Bucknor was was summoned in a bid to cool Colombo. sacked from the third Test, disci- from tensions in an explosive, and now As many as 11 First XI crick- plinarian and ace troubleshooter eters of Wesley College, including a Madugalle was summoned from 'Madda' endangered, Test series. Sri Lanka Under-19 poolist, were his Sri Lankan home in a bid to Madugalle's first task will be to found to be under the influence of cool tensions in an explosive, liquor by college officials on the eve and now endangered, Test 'The Island' get rival skippers Ricky Ponting of their Inter School First XI match series. effort to and Anil Kumble in a room against Trinity College, in Kandy, Madugalle's first task will be together and douse the ill-feeling last Thursday. to get rival skippers Ricky contact The senior players, including the Ponting and Anil Kumble in a from the SCG Test. captain and the vice-captain and room together and douse the ill- Madugalle over 19 players who are in the side, feeling from the SCG Test. courtesy Sports Ministry inter- As the Board of Control for last night vened age limit extension, had been Cricket in India held an emer- elicited no with both of the cap- Perth and have another fantastic found drunk in the hostel. gency meeting last night to tains," ICC chief execu- Test, because for me, personally, The First XI match played for determine whether its tour response. tive Malcolm Speed said. it has been really tough, hard, the R. L. Kannangara Trophy was to would go ahead, it was under- "In effect, he will be a uncompromising Test cricket begin the next day and when the stood top Indian officials were mediator or facilitator to and probably some of the tough- Wesley team fielded, opposition cap- delighted the error-prone make sure the ill-feeling est Test cricket I have played in tain Sachith Pathirana was the ben- Former Sri Lanka captain and the ICC's Chief Match Bucknor had been dismissed. that has evolved between my short career." eficiary of their boozing as he Australia also had no prob- Referee receives ICC SOS to defuse India-Australia the teams dissipates and Bucknor fell on his sword scored 85 runs after being dropped lem with Bucknor's sacking or cricket crisis. this Test match and the after his poor umpiring display in the 30s. the appointment of Madugalle - week's Perth Test. comment last night and match following Test match are played in Sydney.Some of his bloopers The captain, vice-captain, last with one insider insisting the However, cricket remained in referee Mike Proctor was under well and truly within the spirit were so bad, such as giving year’s captain, last year’s vice-cap- team would be happy to play crisis last night and there was a gag order from the ICC. of the game." Rahul Dravid out caught behind, tain and senior players who are con- under whatever officials were major confusion. Proctor will remain at his Australian batsman Mike that his sacking was inevitable. sidered to be candidates for next appointed. Even Billy Bowden, the post for the Perth Test but will Hussey insisted that the rival "It is accepted that Steve, and year’s leadership roles, are learnt to Bucknor's removal has gone eccentric New Zealand umpire, be assisted by Madugalle. skippers could make a peace his on-field colleague Mark be among the boozers. some way to calming Indian ten- was shocked to learn he had A match referee since 1993, deal to save the series. Benson, did not have good College authorities have sus- sions, but Harbhajan Singh's been summoned to Perth as Madugalle is the game's first "I hope Ricky and Anil can games," Speed said. pended the captain, vice captain three-match ban for calling Bucknor's replacement. chief referee and is highly get together and work this out "We feel that given the added and another player for a number of Andrew Symonds a "big mon- "At this stage I don't know regarded within cricket circles. and we can move past it. It has pressure and attention Steve's matches while the others have been key" remains a flashpoint. too much. You probably know "He is widely respected been disappointing the way it presence would have at the third reprimanded. It seems likely Harbhajan's more than me," Bowden said last throughout the cricket commu- has been played out," Hussey Test, it is better for the match appeal may not be heard in the night. nity and his major function, in said. and for Steve, himself, if he does near future, meaning the spin- Bucknor, the world's most fact, his only function, in the "I certainly hope we can all not take part." ner will be free to play in next experienced umpire, refused to Perth Test match will be to work work through this and get to (Melbourne Herald Sun) India’s cricketers Inter-Provincial L/O Cricket get good news on Basnahira South record first win Young players struggle because they by Revata S. Silva Singh, umpire Basnahira South, led by Tillakaratne Dilshan, enjoyed MELBOURNE, their first win on Tuesday, by defeating fancied Basnahira want technical perfection – Aravinda Australia (AP) - North by six wickets under the Duckworth-Lewis Method in India’s beleaguered their rain-hampered last preliminary round encounter by Rex Clementine played at the SSC grounds, Colombo. cricketers got good Opener Ian Daniel hit the limelight after a long time in a Having walked to Lord’s to news on two fronts - first class match, by smashing a 75-ball 74 to guide his make his Test debut before his 19th their suspended spin team to the win which left Vaas’ side dependent on a birthday, it must be very hard for bowler can play until favourable result in the Wayamba vs. Kandurata encounter a hearing is held to to be played this Friday (11). Aravinda de Silva to see Sri discuss his appeal, Daniel’s domination in the middle was graced by five Lanka’s junior cricketers losing to The ICC bent to fours and two sixes as afternoon rains reduced their target Bangladesh heavily these days. In and the umpire they India's key to 175 in 36 overs. Basnahira Northerners made a modest recent times, Sri Lanka have never complained vocifer- demand by 207 for nine in their fifty overs leaving a manageable task threatened to beat any major ously about won’t offi- replacing teams in Youth World Cups and for Dilshan’s side as they now could fancy their chances of ciate in the next test. Jamaican umpire what’s more embarrassing is that entering the final by doing well in their last match on Friday International Steve Bucknor. against Ruhuna. Sri Lanka is becoming an easy tar- Cricket Council presi- Brief Scores: get for some of the minnows too. dent Malcolm Speed said Tuesday Basnahira North 207 for 9 wkts in 50 ovs (Ruwin The country’s cricket authori- that a hearing into the India-lodged Peiris 64, Kaushal Silva 43, DhanukaPathirana 34 n.o., ties have realized the need to reme- Chamiinda Vaas 10, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara 13; dy the situation and as a result, appeal of Harbjajan Singh’s three- Milinda Siriwardene 6-40, Nuwan Zoysa 1-16) brought in Aravinda de Silva as test ban on a racism charge will like- Basnahira South (target 175 in 36 ovs) 175 for 4 wkts the team’s batting coach, leading ly be held before the next test, which in 28 ovs (Dilruwan Perera 24, I. Daniel 74, T. Dilshan 13, up to the Youth World Cup in is scheduled from Jan. 16 in Perth. Milinda Siriwardene 22, Chamara Silva 25 n.o., Hasantha Malaysia in March. Since the new The Board of Control for Cricket Fernando 10 n.o.; M. Pushpakumara 2-29, Vaas 1-25). year, de Silva has been working in India has suspended its tour pend- Kandurata on top with the country’s Under-19 crick- Kandurata were closing in on a possible third consecu- ing the outcome of Harbhajan’s eters and having taken a first hand tive win in the Inter-Provincial Tournament as their opposi- Aravinda de Silva conducts a batting session for Under-19 cricketers at the R. appeal hearing. look at the youth cricketers, de tion on Tuesday, Ruhuna, were struggling at 192 for seven Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday. (Pic by Kamal Wanniarachchi) Speed said if the hearing was in their 36th over, while chasing a massive 282 to win in 47 Silva noted a few pertinent points not held before the start of the Perth fused on techniques and theories am trying to see whether we can overs, at the time this edition went to press.