Jayawardene's batting had a huge impact on the series

Jayawardene's batting had a huge impact on the series

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene says England's negative approach helped his side win the Test series.

"I think we wanted to win this series more than they did. We saw a lot of negativity in that camp," said Jayawardene, whose side won 1-0.

"That's when we realised from that if we concentrate, focus well and play to our strengths then they could not get close to us."

Sri Lanka moved to third in the Test rankings. England dropped to fifth.

Although England batted out a draw in the rain-hit third Test, Jayawardene's men regained confidence from the series after being beaten 2-0 by Australia in November.

And the skipper credited their success to lessons learned under former coach Tom Moody, who was at the helm when they won key Tests overseas last year.

"This was an important Test series for us coming back from Australia. We needed to get things right," he continued.

"If you want to compete away from home you need to be a bit more positive and aggressive and believe in yourself - that's something Tom Moody wanted us to do.

"We saw the results of that change of thinking with wins in England and New Zealand in 2006."

Jayawardene believes his side deserved to win the series more emphatically but they were frustrated by bad weather at the end.

"It's unfortunate that we can't control the weather but I am very happy with the overall performance," he added.

"The first Test match was a close one as they really pushed us. We did well to win that. The second and third Test matches we dominated and improved as a team.

"I take 1-0 but probably we should have been 2-0."

Sri Lanka v England 3rd Test

Sri Lanka v England 3rd Test

Vaughan and Pietersen look on as England fight to save the final Test

Captain Michael Vaughan said Sri Lanka fully deserved their 1-0 Test series win over his England side.

Despite salvaging a draw in the rain-hit final Test, England drop from second to fifth in the world rankings, while Sri Lanka move to third spot.

"Throughout the whole series we have been beaten by a better team. Sri Lanka have been better in all the skills.

"The heavens have helped us get a draw but to be brutally honest it has saved us from a 2-0 defeat," said Vaughan.

Asked about the drop in the rankings, Vaughan said: "Those stats don't lie. We got to number two in the world because we beat most teams in the world.

"We're number five in the world because we lost to Australia and we've only got 20 wickets once in our last 14 Tests away from home."

Vaughan said his side would need to improve on their three-Test tour of New Zealand in March. The Kiwis are currently ranked seventh in the world.

"I can't fault the effort of the team but there are a few areas of expertise where we have to improve," Vaughan continued.

"We have to regroup and go to New Zealand and start winning some Test matches again. We have enough talent and I am sure we can put it right in 2008."

The skipper said he and coach Peter Moores had learnt a lot during their first away Test series together.

"It has been a real learning curve for me and Peter to assess where the team is at," he added.

"It has been hard to really balance the team when you are short of a good all-rounder or someone to be the fifth bowler.

"We were up for the challenge, we just could not get our game in order.

"We started well in Kandy in the first Test but I felt that's where the series was lost because we couldn't make the good start work for us.

We've seen how tough Test matches can be, especially when you play away from home in other people's backyards Peter Moores

"We had a good opportunity here when we won the toss here but we didn't get the ball in the right areas."

Moores felt his side's fielding had let them down.

"We dropped catches. It's hard work to get a wicket so you can't afford to miss chances," he said.

"We've lost some key fielders in key positions. We have to work hard to get new players in those positions."

But he also insisted the tourists learnt a huge amount from the tour.

"I think we've got masses out of it. If they use it wisely, they'll be better players for it," he added.

"We've seen how tough Test matches can be, especially when you play away from home in other people's backyards. It will toughen some of our players up a bit."

Final-day centurion Alastair Cook said England had to turn potential into results.

Cook, who has now made seven Test tons, said: "We can't say we are happy with what happened but we have to start winning rather than saying we are developing.

"As a Test side you can't lose three series in a row because you go down the rankings."

Warne highest paid in first IPL list - Sanga, Mahela, Murali, Sanath – Lanka’s highest with Rs. 98.25 lakhs

Sanga, Mahela, Murali, Sanath – Lanka’s highest with Rs. 98.25 lakhs
Warne highest paid in first IPL list

MUMBAI: The competition between rival Twenty20 leagues is really hotting up. And the men who are benefiting the most are the cricketers, for whom it’s raining money.
According to the figures released by BCCI, the players involved in the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be earning upwards of million dollars as per current indication. The inaugural event will be held in April-May 2008.

Topping the list of 34 players who have been paid an initial signing amount is recently retired Australian spin legend Shane Warne, who will be netting $400,000 (Rs 1.6 cr approx) for the 2008 season.

This is just the start for Warne, for he will also be part of the player auction to take place in January-February when franchisees will bid for the stars. So, the stock of Warne and others could rise further in the coming days, informed a BCCI official at the end of the finance committee meeting on Friday.

Compare this with Warne’s big-ticket rival in the ICL, Brian Lara, who came on board at a price of $1m (Rs 4cr). The terms, tenure and conditions of Lara’s contract are not clear because the former West Indies captain is locked in another round of discussion with the organisers. Plus the total prize money involved in the ICL which ends on December 16 is around Rs 18 crore.
Following Warne in the list of payments are compatriot Glenn McGrath and former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming (both $350,000). Pakistan’s prolific middle-order batsman Mohammad Yousuf follows next at $330,000. Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik ($300,000) is surprisingly in the list of the top five earners as of now.

Of the 12 cricketers who have been paid partly, Yousuf is the only one who has received his full amount. McGrath has received $200,000 and Stephen Fleming $150,000.

Around 49 cricketers had been signed on by the IPL, but only 34 names were revealed on Friday because the Australian cricketers are unavailable for the inaugural edition. The Aussie cricketers, including captain Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist will be busy with international engagements in Pakistan and West Indies, so will not be available.

****Nation.Lk****

Why do superstars like Sanath lies?

Why do superstars lie?

-------Nation.lk

Why can’t superstars be honest to themselves? Why do they want to hide behind a veil and take the sporting public who have supported and admired them for years for a ride?

Sri Lanka’s master blaster Sanath Jayasuriya in an interview with our midweek paper ‘The Bottom Line’ when asked ‘Did anybody force you to make this (retirement) decision or was it a personal choice?’ replied: “No, nobody forced me; this was my personal decision. I thought I should concentrate more on my one-day cricket.”

Why should a senior cricketer like Jayasuriya say that, when it was common knowledge to many that he was first approached by the selectors and given an ultimatum that they would not continue with him in Test cricket because of his poor batting record.
Jayasuriya we understand was asked what his position was to the ultimatum and he had told the selectors to give him one more Test to announce his retirement to which the selectors had obliged. The Kandy Test against England was his swansong and he signed off in style with a typical robust knock of 78 off 106 balls, the highlight of which was taking 24 runs (6 fours) off an over from James Anderson.

At least now the selection committee headed by former Sri Lanka fast bowler Ashantha de Mel had realised and got it into their heads to tell Jayasuriya that it was time for him to go. When the former selection chairman Lalith Kaluperuma retired Jayasuriya, almost for the same reasons, 14 months ago there was a big hue and cry made by Jayasuriya that he was not ready to quit and that his hand was forced by the then selectors.

He made a comeback to Test cricket a few weeks after announcing to the world that he had retired through De Mel’s powerful political connections to parachute into the Sri Lanka team which was touring England at that time. With Marvan Atapattu also unavailable for the England tour through injury the selection committee had then picked three youngsters looking ahead to the future – Upul Tharanga, Michael Vandort and Jehan Mubarak. Jayasuriya’s late entry into the team put the tour selection in disarray. They couldn’t find a place for him in the team as an opener but eventually played him in the final Test as an all-rounder batting in the middle.

With De Mel at the helm it was not long before Jayasuriya was installed to his original position as a Test opener. But what De Mel and Co had done by taking such a decision was pushing back the years and depriving another youngster from developing into a fully fledged Test opener. Had the veteran opener justified his recall no one would have grumbled. But he had not.
If the contribution of Jayasuriya as a Test opener is anything after his recall here are the cold facts: 4 & 4 v England, 4, 47 & 73 v South Africa, 5 & 10, 0 & 31 v New Zealand, 7 & 39, 3 & 45 v Australia, Total: 276 (avg. 21.23).

When the Kaluperuma led selection committee retired him from Test cricket they had very good reasons for doing so. Jayasuriya’s batting record then was: 47 & 5 (no), 22 & 2 v New Zealand, 3 & 15, 2 & 36 v West Indies, 46, 13 v Bangladesh, 6 & 13 v Pakistan, Total: 211 (avg. 19.18).

The failure of Jayasuriya as a Test opener is quite evident here. He had somewhat retained his place because of his good scores in the one-day matches played between Tests. He has not scored a Test hundred in his last 16 Tests since he scored 107 against Pakistan at Karachi in October 2004. That was the reason why his career Test average dipped from a healthy 44 to below 40 until he scored that farewell knock of 78 which once again brought it back to 40.

No one would dispute the contribution Jayasuriya made to Sri Lanka cricket with his bludgeoning bat that brought virtually every international bowler to his knees. Like his team-mate Kumar Sangakkara said: “He inspired Sri Lankan cricketers and he changed the face of Sri Lanka and world cricket especially in the one-day arena.”

Mahela Jayawardene said: “Sanath’s loss is going to be very huge especially in the dressing room. Somebody who’s played that amount of Test cricket was the ideal person to get advice for both of us (Sanga and me) out there in the middle. That is something that we will have to learn to live with.”
Jayasuriya deserves all the accolades that have been written and said about him of his deeds on the field. Beyond the boundary it is a different Jayasuriya whom very few people know.

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battling to host final Test at Galle, Sri Lanka VS England

Galle battling to host final Test

Groundstaff are working frantically to get the stadium ready

Sri Lanka v England
Dates: 18-22 December
Starts: 0430 GMT
Venue: Galle
Coverage: Listen live on BBC 5 Live

Unseasonal rain has left groundstaff battling to get the Galle venue ready in time for the final Test between England and Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

Heavy rain left much of the playing area under water on Friday while there was thick mud on one of the boundaries.

There was also no electricity or water inside the buildings for what will be the first Test at the ground since it was devastated by the 2004 tsunami.

But groundsman Jayananda Warnaweera said: "It will be ready come what may."

The stadium had been due to host the first Test of the series but that was changed because of delays in the reconstruction of the ground.

It will be a very poignant week here and that's why people are absolutely desperate for this match to take place Jonathan Agnew

"It has been a long haul but for the people of Galle this is a celebration and we will make it happen," added Warnaweera.

BBC Sport cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew said: "It's a building site. People are working day and night here trying to get this sorted out and they'll be hard pressed; there isn't even a scoreboard on the ground at the moment.

"It's difficult to see where people are going to sit - there's just areas of sand. The outfield is wet; it's very boggy - there's been a lot of rain in these parts.

"The pitch is OK. It's green and grassy at the moment but I'm sure they'll take that off.

"This is a week for cricket to look at the bigger picture and the terrible damage the tsunami did here three years ago and the scores of people who lost their lives, particularly those just behind the ground here.

"It will be a very poignant week here and that's why people are absolutely desperate for this match to take place."

England's Paul Collingwood surveys the scene at the Galle stadium

With a historic Dutch-built fort as its backdrop and views of the ocean, Galle has frequently been described as one of the most beautiful grounds in the world.

England need to win the match to draw the series after Sri Lanka won the first Test and drew the second.

"We're pretty much going to have to take the stance that whatever we have to play on, we'll go out there and play on it. It's as simple as that.

"It's obviously not finished at the moment but they are working very hard and progressing day by day so hopefully as the Test match comes around, it'll be playable out there and we can get on with it," said England batsman Paul Collingwood.

"It's a game we're all looking forward to. It's hard to believe the events what actually happened here three years ago.

"Driving down in the bus from Colombo, the further we got down, there was a real sickening feeling, seeing the destruction that was caused. That's why it's vital to put the smiles back on people's faces and get on with it."

I wont come back” says Sanath but people want him to - Sanath Jayasuriya

“I wont come back” says Sanath but people want him to

7% of The Bottom Line SMS poll respondents want master blaster to retire after Galle test

By Dharisha Bastians
Sri Lankan opening batsman Sanath Jayasuriya says he will not consider making a comeback under any circumstances despite a majority of respondents in a sample SMS survey asserting that he should retire after the final test against England in Galle.

A survey, done by The Bottom Line in partnership with award winning zMessenger, rendered the result that 71 percent of poll respondents wanted Jayasuriya to finish his test career in Galle, while 29 percent believed retiring after Asgiriya was the correct decision.

In our SMS poll, The Bottom Line asked people whether they agree or not that South’s golden boy Sanath should reconsider his retirement and do so after making the forthcoming third test in Galle as his last.

However, in an exclusive interview with The Bottom Line refused to change his mind, whether there was an outcry from his fans or the panel of selectors requested him to return for the Galle test.

zMessenger, an award winning integrated mobile media company, lead the way in the planning, creation, and execution of effective mobile marketing campaigns, branded community applications and content distribution strategies.

**********Thebottomline.lk***********

Jayasuriya clinches Bears switch

Jayasuriya clinches Bears switch

Jayasuriya won the World Cup with Sri Lanka in 1995

Former Sri Lanka skipper Sanath Jayasuriya has joined Warwickshire for next year's Twenty20 Cup competition.

The 38-year-old retired from Test cricket after the first match of the current series against England, but he will continue to play one-day matches.

A veteran of 110 Tests, Jayasuriya has amassed 12,207 runs and taken 307 wickets in limited overs cricket.

"His knowledge of the game will be crucial in the Twenty20 format," said Bears cricket director Ashley Giles.

"Sanath has vast experience in all forms of cricket but especially the one-day format.

"He will be a great man for the younger members of our squad to learn from, I am looking forward to working with him next summer."

Jayasuriya made his one-day debut for Sri Lanka in 1989 against Australia, with his Test bow coming in 1991 against New Zealand.

He was a member of Sri Lanka's World Cup-winning team in 1996, and is the only player in the world to score over 12,000 runs and take over 300 wickets in the 50-over format.

Jayasuriya played in the Twenty20 Cup for Lancashire last season.

Hoggard fitness boost for England

Hoggard fitness boost for England

Hoggard has been dogged by injury this year

Sri Lanka v England
Dates: 18-22 December
Starts: 0430 GMT
Venue: Galle

Swing bowler Matthew Hoggard could be in line for a return to the England team in time for the third Test against Sri Lanka which starts on 18 December.

The 30-year-old missed the second Test draw in Colombo after being plagued by a back injury in the opening match.

"The medical team tell me he is progressing nicely," said England skipper Michael Vaughan.

"Hopefully come Sunday and Monday he is available for selection. Having Hoggard fit will be a real bonus."

Hoggard suffered the injury while bowling on the fourth day of the 88-run first Test defeat and had to ask for a runner when batting on the final day.

The Yorkshire bowler, who claimed six wickets in Kandy, has been dogged by injuries all year.

He missed the last Ashes Test in Sydney, broke down in the first Test of four against the West Indies, and made just one further start for England last summer.

And England coach Peter Moores says Hoggard will not be forced into action in Galle if there is any risk of the injury recurring.

"Matthew has bowled two spells pretty well flat out so we will see the reaction he gets to it," Moores told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He got a little bit of pain on a couple of balls which shows that it is not quite there but we are still four days off a Test match. He will bowl a couple of spells on Saturday and Sunday and then we will see how it goes.

"We can only play him if there is no risk that anything will happen because the conditions out here mean that if you did lose a bowler, then it would become very difficult to get 20 wickets."

Moores believes his side go into the third Test full of confidence as they try and square the series.

He says he is particularly pleased with England's batsmen, particularly with the way the dealt with leading Test wicket-taker Muttiah Muralitharan in the second Test.

Muralitharan took only one wicket from 27 overs in the second innings in Colombo and Moores added: "We are gaining momentum.

I think it is going to be more of a celebration at Galle rather than anything else Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene

"I don't know if Sri Lanka are losing momentum but we are gaining it because we are playing Murali better all the time.

"We also played their seamers well so our batsmen are getting settled and are ready to produce that score we will need to win the Test match.

"We have got another three or four days to get our plans together and I think we will go there quite confident, if we play good cricket we can win the game."

The third Test in Galle will be the first since the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami devastated the southern Sri Lankan coast.

And Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene says walking out at the re-built international stadium will be "an emotional thing".

"A lot of our guys come from down south and they have lost quite a few relatives in the tsunami," he said.

"But we have moved forward as a nation and a team, we just need to concentrate on the cricket in hand.

"I think it is going to be more of a celebration at Galle rather than anything else. We will remember the people but it is a fresh new start for us in that province."

Dilshan secures Sri Lankan recall

Dilshan secures Sri Lankan recall

Dilshan made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in 1999

Sri Lanka v England
Dates: 18-22 December
Starts: 0430 GMT
Venue: Galle
Coverage: Listen live on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra, Radio 4 LW and BBC Sport website (UK users only); Watch on Sky Sports 2

Sri Lanka batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan has been recalled for the final Test with England in Galle on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old, dropped for the tour to Australia and the opening two Tests with England, replaces Jehan Mubarak who scored only 18 runs in the series.

Dilshan averages 37 in 42 Tests and has seven wickets with his occasional spin.

With Dilhara Fernando due to have ankle surgery in Australia, uncapped paceman Chanaka Weladegera is also added as the Sri Lankans protect a 1-0 series lead.

Dilshan was run out for a third-ball duck in the first Test at Lord's last year, but made 69 in the second innings and scored another half century in the next match at Edgbaston.

After some low scores in his first home series against England in 2001, he scored 246 runs in three innings against them on the next tour in 2003, including 100 at Kandy.

Given the retirement of Sanath Jayasuriya, Dilshan may be required to bowl some overs with his off-spin, and though he has only struck once since December 2005, he can boast the figures of 2-4 against the all-conquering Australians at Cairns in July 2004.

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Sri Lanka (from): M Jayawardene (capt), K Sangakkara, M Vandort, U Tharanga, C Silva, T Dilshan, P Jayawardene, C Vaas, L Malinga, M Bandara, S de Silva, M Muralitharan, C Welagedera.

Sri Lanka v England 2nd Test - 5th day ( The Final Day)

Sri Lanka v England 2nd Test

Second Test, SSC Colombo: (day five, close)
Sri Lanka 548-9 dec drew with England 351 & 250-3

By James Standley

Michael Vaughan helped his side towards safety on Thursday

England drew the second Test against Sri Lanka and kept the series alive after rain brought an early end to the match in Colombo.

England reached 250-3, with their top order all weighing in, before play was halted at tea on the final day.

Fifties from Michael Vaughan, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell ensured the tourists will travel to Galle for the final Test with a chance to level the series.

Kevin Pietersen was 45 not out at the close, with Paul Collingwood on 23.

England bossed the morning session on an easy-paced pitch with Vaughan and Cook completing their second hundred partnership of the match.

It was only the eighth time an opening pair had produced a century partnership in both innings of a Test match and the first time an English pair have managed the feat since Geoff Boycott and John Edrich against Australia in 1970-71.

In the first over Vaughan survived an lbw shout from Lasith Malinga but he also picked up two boundaries and the England captain looked in prime form.

However, a lofted check drive over mid-off when Fernando held one back was an omen of what was to come.

The big Sri Lanka paceman, who is playing through the pain from an ankle problem, was varying his speed cleverly and when he took the pace off a delivery Vaughan drove it straight into Fernando's midriff to depart for 61.

Bell joined Cook and they guided England to 152-1 at lunch with Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene regularly rotating his attack as he strove for a breakthrough.

Despite finding turn as always, Muttiah Muralitharan was dealt with fairly comfortably and it was part-time leg-spinner Chamara Silva who took the second wicket.

He had forced Cook to grope at a couple before lunch and with the first ball after the interval he persuaded the left-handed opener to edge to slip for 62.

Bell started brightly, taking two fours off his first over from Chaminda Vaas, and he was not afraid to use his feet to the spinners, dancing down the pitch to loft Muralitharan through mid-on for four off the last ball of the morning session.

Cook scored his second fifty of the game before edging to slip

He put on fifty with Pietersen but no sooner had the pair taken England into the lead, the Warwickshire man tried to attack Muralitharan again and succeeded only in lofting the ball to the diving Michael Vandort at long-on to depart for 54.

From a position of some comfort England, with the inexperienced Ravi Bopara at six and a long tail, were suddenly feeling a touch insecure.

What they needed was a calming influence and Collingwood was just the man to settle the nerves.

Over the next 10 overs the Durham scrapper ground out just 21 runs with Pietersen as Muralitharan and Vaas applied pressure.

Pietersen was as happy to graft away as Collingwood but the pressure was released when leg-spinner Silva came on and his first delivery, a horrible long-hop, was hoisted over mid-wicket by the Hampshire man for England's first six of the series.

With a 53-run lead at tea, England would have been very confident of saving the match and the arrival of the rain brought a swift conclusion to a game which had long since seemed destined for a draw.

Sri Lanka take a 1-0 lead into the Galle Test, which starts on 18 December.

Sri Lanka v England 2nd Test - 4th Day

Sri Lanka v England 2nd Test

Second Test, SSC Colombo: (day four, close)
Sri Lanka 548-9 dec v England 351 & 48-0

By James Standley

Harmison took two wickets before a painful afternoon for England

England face a struggle to save the second Test after conceding a sizeable first innings lead against Sri Lanka on day four in Colombo.

When the tourists took their fourth wicket of the day soon after lunch they held hopes of restricting the lead.

But the hosts' ninth wicket pair of Prasanna Jayawardene (79) and Dilhara Fernando (36no) put on a defiant 98.

Mahela Jayawardene's 195 helped them declare on 548-9, a lead of 197, and England reached 48-0 at the close.

Sri Lanka's gritty first-innings display - they kept the tourists in the field for 13 and a half hours - effectively ends England's hopes of winning both the match and the series.

They lost the first match in Kandy by 88 runs and their best hope now is to avoid defeat in Colombo in order to go to Galle for the third and final Test with a chance of levelling the series at 1-1.

Sri Lanka, who resumed 28 ahead on 379-4, progressed serenely through the first 40 minutes and it was a surprise when England made the breakthrough.

Durham paceman Steve Harmison has shown signs of returning to form on his recall to the side following six months out with injury and he produced a brute of delivery to Jehan Mubarak which the left-hander could only fend to Ian Bell in the gully.

Prasanna Jayawardene turned the next delivery through square leg to take the hosts past 400 but his namesake and captain Mahela, who had looked completely unruffled, was soon back in the pavilion.

The Sri Lanka captain, who had resumed on 167, greeted Monty Panesar's arrival after an hour's play by merrily clumping his third delivery through deep mid-wicket to move within sight of a double century.

But his desire to dominate Panesar cost him dear when he tried to repeat his mid-wicket assault in the next over.

He succeeded only in skying the ball to slip, where Paul Collingwood pouched the chance to remove him for 195.

At that point the hosts' lead was 69 and when Broad followed up with his maiden Test wicket, Chaminda Vaas gloving a hook to Ian Bell at slip, the tourists were right back in it.

Prasanna Jayawardene's defiance took the game away from England

It could have been even better for England but Ravi Bopara and Bell failed to cling on to sharp chances at short mid-wicket and short extra-cover respectively off Prasanna Jayawardene - mistakes which were to prove costly.

Sri Lanka lunched on 439-7, a lead of 88, but Lasith Malinga's dismissal soon after the interval, trapped in front by Panesar, was a false dawn for England as Fernando joined Jayawardene.

Paceman Fernando rode his luck on occasion, twice edging between the keeper and the solitary slip and also surviving a good stumping chance when Matt Prior fumbled, but he dug in and provided Jayawardene with invaluable support.

Their partnership lasted more than 31 overs and it was just after tea before Jayawardene edged a short one from Harmison through to Prior and the hosts declared.

His 79 was his second highest score in Tests while Fernando more than doubled his previous highest Test score with an unbeaten 36.

Michael Vaughan got England's reply off to a rapid start and Mahela Jayawardene introduced his star turn Muttiah Muralitharan as early as the 10th over.

The all-time leading wicket-taker in Test history had time for just two overs before bad light brought a premature end.

However, because of the early close play will start at 0930 local time (0400 GMT) on Thursday and Muralitharan will have plenty of opportunities to weave his spell as Sri Lanka try to force victory on a final-day pitch which will turn.

Gooch mulling over selector job

Gooch mulling over selector job

Gooch is England's all-time leading Test match run scorer

Former England captain Graham Gooch is considering applying for the position of English cricket's national selector.

David Graveney is currently chairman of selectors but the role is set to be rebranded as national selector and will become a full-time post.

Graveney has said he will apply for the job, while 54-year-old Gooch told BBC Sport the role was "attractive" but he needed clarification on certain issues.

"I am considering the position," said Gooch, a former England selector.

"The job is an attractive one in as much as if you're keen on helping English cricket and have been involved in the game, as I have down the last three decades, it's the sort of job that would interest you.

"But there are a number of unknowns that I would need to get clarified before I, maybe, would put my hat in the ring."

Gooch had a prestigious playing career with Essex and England and became Essex coach in 2001 before stepping down in 2005.

He is now the squad's batting coach and also works as BBC Five Live's expert summariser on England matches.

606: DEBATE Is Gooch the right man for the job of national selector?

The national selector position was created on the advice of the Schofield report, which looked into the state of English cricket following last year's Ashes whitewash and the subsequent failure in the World Cup.

It is proposed the national selector would travel with the England team, therefore ending the policy of captain and coach selecting the final XI on tour.

England team managing director Hugh Morris revealed the closing date for applications was 17 December and a shortlist of candidates would be interviewed early in the New Year.

Morris explained that candidates would have to have played first-class cricket but that Test match experience was "desirable rather than essential".

The national selector would not be expected to travel with the England team for an entire tour, but Morris believes it is important that the selector be with the team during warm-up matches and for the first Test.

Asked why Graveney had not been given the job, Morris, the former Glamorgan batsman, said: "The rationale for that is that the role is slightly different.

"It has gone from part-time to full-time and there are some additional responsibilities and, as happens a lot in business, when a role does change it is open to recruitment.

"We are looking for the best person - it is as simple as that. It is a highly important job and we want the very best person. We are eagerly anticipating a very strong list of people applying."

Sri Lanka v England 2nd Test - Mahela Speaks after 3rd day

Sri Lanka v England 2nd Test - Mahela Speaks after 3rd day

Broad has yet to take a wicket despite bowling 25 overs

England coach Peter Moores admitted his team faced an uphill struggle after Sri Lanka closed day three of the second Test 28 runs ahead on 379-4.

Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene hit a superb unbeaten 167 as England toiled hard for just two wickets.

"There's been no lack of effort. We're disappointed not to take wickets but we kept them to under three runs an over.

"The game's still on but we've got to take two wickets early and keep their lead to a minimum," said Moores.

England, who need to draw the match to stay in the series, face the prospect of a large first-innings deficit as well as the threat of Muttiah Muralitharan's spin in their second innings.

Their chances will be boosted if they can remove Jayawardene early on Wednesday.

Jayawardene, supported by fellow centurion Michael Vandort, played magnificently on Tuesday to become the first Sri Lankan batsman to pass 7,000 Test runs.

Ryan Sidebottom and Steve Harmison were the only successful bowlers on a tough day for the tourists.

Harmison, playing his first Test since June after overcoming various injuries, got scant reward for his industry but did pick up the wicket of Chamara Silva in the last over before stumps.

"I'm glad he got a wicket at the end of the day," Moores said of the Durham fast bowler.

"He will bowl a lot worse than that and get wickets. I thought Jayawardene played him very well."

Jayawardene, who overtook the recently retired Sanath Jayasuriya as Sri Lanka's leading Test run-scorer, said: "I am very honoured to go above Sanath but every day you try to improve - that is what Test cricket is all about."

He also said he expected the wicket to deteriorate.

"If we can just try to bat for a couple more sessions and put 150 or 200 extra on the board we can give Murali something to play with.

"England will have to bat really well," said the 30-year-old.

Sri Lanka v England 2nd Test - 3rd Day

Sri Lanka v England 2nd Test - 3rd Day

Second Test, SSC Colombo: (day three, close)
Sri Lanka 379-4 v England 351

By Jamie Lillywhite

Jayawardene celebrates reaching his century on the third day

Mahela Jayawardene became the first Sri Lankan to score 7,000 Test runs as his team closed day three of the second Test 28 runs ahead of England on 379-4.

Sri Lanka began on 105-2 but skipper Jayawardene shared 227 in 71 overs with Michael Vandort, who thwarted England with a battling fourth Test century.

Vandort finally fell to Ryan Sidebottom with the second new ball after lunch.

Jayawardene remained on 167 and added 128 in 44 overs with Chamara Silva who fell late on to Steve Harmison for 49.

England, who are 1-0 down in the best-of-three series, resumed with justifiable hopes of taking a first-innings lead, having dismissed the world's number one ranked batsman Kumar Sangakkara on day two.

However, the bowling attack looked short of penetration on a benign pitch and Jayawardene was in control for the vast majority of a commanding innings on his home ground.

The 30-year-old charged past Sanath Jayasuriya's career tally of 6,974 to become the most prolific Sri Lankan batsman in Test history.

He had scored 501 runs in his two most recent innings at the Sinhalese Sports Club, and duly added another record to his collection when he surpassed Graham Gooch's total of 2,015 at Lord's to become the highest individual scorer at any one Test ground.

England initially tried to target Vandort with short deliveries, Harmison trying to get the left-hander to fend to short-leg, but the placid pitch gave the batsman too much time to adjust.

Stuart Broad replaced the persevering but luckless Sidebottom after half an hour.

The debutant bowled from the end governed by Aleem Dar, the official who on Monday warned him twice for running too close to the stumps on his follow-through, but bowled only one over before he was replaced by Monty Panesar.

The spinner's opening delivery was beautifully flighted and spun extravagantly past the bat on off-stump before being taken by slip, but too often he fired down short of a length and failed to trouble the batsmen.

Kevin Pietersen was introduced in his dark sunglasses to bowl his under-used off-spin shortly before lunch and although inconsistent, he looked the most likely to take a wicket, producing the ball of the morning with one that pitched on middle stump and zipped sharply past Vandort's bat above off.

Pietersen continued after lunch and found more sharp spin to force an edge from Vandort but again the edge dropped short of Collingwood at slip.

The England attack put in plenty of effort but enjoyed little success

While the compact, correct Jayawardene barely played a false stroke, Vandort, the rangy left-hander, enjoyed moments of good fortune with controlled edges through the slips, although he too appeared to be booked in for the day.

England captain Michael Vaughan took the new ball immediately it became available and Sidebottom struck in the first over with it.

Much-maligned umpire Daryl Harper correctly adjudged that the ball had moved back in sufficiently to trap Vandort on leg-stump for 138.

The wicket revived flagging morale, particularly as it brought to the crease Silva, the man who had incensed England by claiming a catch to dismiss Pietersen when replays showed it had been grassed, and he was subjected to some choice remarks from the tourists.

Even with the aid of the shiny new cherry the chances failed to carry.

Jayawardene, having made his century, edged Broad, handed the ball ahead of Harmison who seemed to be experiencing injury niggles, but the ball dipped in front of Collingwood at second slip.

After tea Panesar resorted to his own form of bodyline by bowling into the rough outside leg-stump to the right-handers from around the wicket, and the ball regularly spat out of the rough up to chest height.

But it was more Harold Lloyd than Harold Larwood in terms of danger to the batsmen and Jayawardene merely continued to put together another sizeable partnership.

Panesar did manage to tempt Jayawardene to give a catch that found English hands, but it was those of a spectator in the stand beyond long-off and the captain's six took him to 150 in fine style.

Harmison returned for a final burst and found some lift to dislodge Silva, who fended to point, but another dominant Sri Lankan centurion ensured that the Durham paceman would be unlikely to be bowling for a victory in the second innings.

Sri Lanka v England 2nd Test - 2nd Day

Sri Lanka v England 2nd Test - 2nd Day

Dilhara Fernando glances at Prior as the England man reaches 50

England's batting hero Matt Prior said the team's bowlers would be looking for reverse swing to gain an advantage over Sri Lanka on day three in Colombo.

The second Test was well poised with Sri Lanka on 105-2 in reply to England's 351, in which Prior hit 79.

And the wicket-keeper said: "We've got to get this ball doing something.

"We saw a bit of reverse swing in Kandy and hopefully it might do something here. If we can get a few early wickets tomorrow this could be wide open."

Prior put on 74 with Ryan Sidebottom for the eighth wicket, and the two men later combined for each of the Sri Lanka wickets to fall.

"In pressure situations you've got to try to put the pressure back on the bowler so if you do get a bad ball, you try to put it away," added Prior.

"I thought we applied ourselves very well, and Ryan did brilliantly.

"He really gets up for it and it's fantastic to see a bowler who puts a lot of time into his batting, getting their rewards.

"We've said all along on this trip we've got 11 batters and you've got to trust your mate at the other end.

"It's been good, I've enjoyed batting in pressure situations and facing some of these bowlers.

"The hard work continues, I want to keep hopefully putting in some good performances."

Sidebottom said: "I've been working hard in the nets - and having a batsman like Matt talking to me helped me concentrate.

"It's a bit disappointing we didn't get 400. But it's still a good score, and if we can make a few inroads tomorrow morning it should set up a good game."

Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss was satisfied his team were in a favourable position.

"England were 160-1 at one stage - if you take that into consideration we've done pretty well," said the Australian.

"The wicket is not as slow as the Kandy wicket was [in the first Test, which Sri Lanka won].

"It will take a bit of turn, apparently on days four and five."

Sangakkara heads world rankings

Sangakkara heads world rankings

Sangakkara's knock of 152 against England put him in the record books

Kumar Sangakkara has become the first Sri Lankan to top the Test batting rankings after inspiring them to victory over England in the Kandy Test.

He has unseated Ricky Ponting from the top of the list after scores of 92 and 152 - and is the first man to score 150 plus in four successive Tests.

The 30-year-old is now also joint sixth in the all-time batting rankings.

And to complete a Sri Lankan double, world record wicket-taker Muttiah Muralitharan tops the bowling rankings.

Kevin Pietersen remains the highest ranked England batsman, retaining sixth place despite making 31 and 18 in Kandy.

The only other English players in the top 20 are Ian Bell (15th) and Paul Collingwood (17th).

Matthew Hoggard, who took six wickets in the match before suffering a back injury, is the highest-ranked England bowler, in fifth place.

Sri Lanka v England 2nd Test

Sri Lanka v England 2nd Test

England captain Michael Vaughan believes Kevin Pietersen's dismissal on day one of the second Test should have been referred to the television umpire.

Umpires Aleem Dar and Daryl Harper gave Pietersen caught for one in a slip cordon ricochet, although replays suggested the ball was grounded.

They did not ask for a TV replay and Vaughan told BBC Sport: "I honestly think that common sense has to prevail.

"You've got the technology, let's use it," he added.

"There's no way you can be 100% sure the ball carried.

"Common sense should have prevailed, and I'm sure the umpires will feel exactly that way now.

"It has cost us a wicket, but 258 is still a lot of runs on a first-day wicket."

England ended the day on 258-5 against Sri Lanka in Colombo after their bright start was derailed by the controversy - and two wickets in two balls for Lasith Malinga.

Pietersen edged a drive at Chaminda Vaas and watched as Chamara Silva scooped up the ball narrowly above the turf.

It squeezed out of Silva's fingers after a juggle and was seized by the alert Kumar Sangakkara, fielding at first slip, to spark huge Sri Lankan celebrations.

Harper consulted with Dar but they did not deem it necessary to call for the third umpire and Pietersen was given out.

Pietersen started to walk but stopped after England fans booed the decision when the replay was shown on the large screen.

He was told to leave the field for a second time by Australian umpire Harper and vented his anger back in the pavilion.

It was later confirmed Pietersen would not face censure for the hesitation, but match referee Jeff Crowe did admit the referral rule may have to be changed.

"Maybe we have to look at how it's written, that's pretty much what I'd be saying to the ICC," he said.

"The umpires always try to run by the letter of the law - how it's written down. So that's why they are sometimes reluctant to refer it up because it is obvious to everyone their sight wasn't obscured."

Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss said Silva was convinced the catch had been taken cleanly.

"It was one of those ones that, if referred to the TV umpire, would be not out because on television when you get so close to the ground you can't tell," he said.

Bayliss was pleased with the way Sri Lanka came back into the game in the final session.

"To come back the way we did to slow them down in the second session and then to take four in the last session was a good effort," he said.

"It was like in Kandy where they showed some character to come back into the game.

"It is evenly poised at the moment - I am sure England will be looking at 400 and we would like to keep them under 350."

Vaughan confirmed that England would look towards getting 400 on day two.

"We have got five guys who can get us to 400 and beyond and put them under a lot of pressure.

"Apart from Sangakkara and Jayawardene, they have an inexperienced batting line-up, so if we get a good score we can put them under pressure."

Vaughan himself was frustrated he did not reach a century, after short-leg fielder Jehan Mubarak caught the ball between his legs, when the captain was on 87.

"I get out in peculiar ways. I'm disappointed I didn't go on and get a big hundred," he added.

Eng. VS Sri Lanka, Second Test, SSC Colombo:

Sri Lanka v England 2nd TestSecond Test, SSC Colombo: (day one, close)
England 258-5 v Sri Lanka

By Jamie Lillywhite

Malinga's late burst brought Sri Lanka back into the match

Lasith Malinga struck twice in two deliveries with the second new ball as England closed day one of the second Test against Sri Lanka on 258-5.

Michael Vaughan and Alastair Cook put on 133 in 39 overs, an England record for the first wicket against Sri Lanka.

Vaughan hit 12 fours in a fluent 87 but wickets fell in consecutive overs, Kevin Pietersen given out caught when the ball seemed to have been grounded.

Cook made a battling 81 from 234 balls before he was unfortunate to fall lbw.

Seeking to level the series following the disappointing final day slide in Kandy, Vaughan displayed a positive intent from the moment he chose to bat on an excellent looking batting surface in hot, humid conditions.

Counterpart Mahela Jayawardene suggested he was not too unhappy to bowl first, but neither the wily Chaminda Vaas nor the erratic Malinga was able to make an early breakthrough as England's openers ensured their team made the most of winning the toss.

After 10 overs he brought on Dilhara Fernando and, in a double change, Muttiah Muralitharan, who had taken 143 wickets in 21 previous Tests at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground - a record for an individual at any one venue - was introduced in the next over.

He began around the wicket to the right-handed Vaughan, but found surprisingly little turn in an initial four-over spell and a change of ends did nothing to improve matters as Cook hit him for two fours in the first over of his second burst.

Cook showed great resolve before falling to a debatable lbw decision

Fernando served up several loose deliveries which were exquisitely dispatched by Vaughan, but highlighted the extra bounce in the surface compared to the previous match in Kandy.

He then found the edge of Cook's bat and the ball flew at a perfect catching height, but bisected first and second slip and Jayawardene, diving to his right at second merely succeeded in distracting Kumar Sangakkara who appeared to be poised to take the chance.

Vaughan had seen plenty of the world's current number one Kumar Sangakkara in the first Test and played in similarly textbook fashion with an impeccably straight bat, while his cross-bat strokes were assured and played with precision.

The captain reached his 16th Test fifty from 75 balls when he hooked Fernando for his fifth boundary - by contrast Cook made 21 from 68 balls before lunch and when England's first century opening stand for 15 Tests was recorded from 194 deliveries his contribution was only 23.

Sri Lanka needed something out of the ordinary to produce a wicket and it duly arrived as Vaughan clipped Murali firmly off his pads and the ball wedged somewhere in the person of Jehan Mubarak at short-leg.

Cook began to find more rhythm in the afternoon session but Vaughan's dismissal, coupled with Murali extracting more turn as the pitch dried, slowed the scoring.

England were content to quietly consolidate but lost quick wickets after tea as the Sri Lankans tightened their lines.

Vaughan showed signs of his best form to give England a fine start

Ian Bell, who made fluent half centuries in both innings in Kandy, looked strangely hesitant and was superbly caught by Mubarak, far more aware of the ball's location this time as he flew to his right at short-leg.

The first major talking point involved Pietersen, who edged Vaas to second slip, where Chamara Silva dived to his left but appeared to touch the turf with the ball before flicking it up for Sangakkara to scoop it diving to his right.

Umpire Daryl Harper sought assurance from colleague Aleem Dar and felt sufficiently confident to send Pietersen back to the pavilion without a call to the third official, reviewing the events with the aid of slow motion replays.

Pietersen watched the incident on the big screen but the decision had been made and he was left to vent his anger on his return to the dressing room.

Paul Collingwood provided a calming influence, and advanced down the wicket to launch Murali for four as the fifty stand with Cook was recorded from 98 balls, but umpire Harper was soon back in the spotlight again.

Malinga found immediate life with the new ball but his full length delivery to Cook pitched outside leg stump and was moving further away only for the dreaded finger to be raised.

There was no doubt about the next ball as Ravi Bopara was emphatically yorked, leaving England with work to do to post a strong total for a revamped attack featuring debutant Stuart Broad and recalled Steve Harmison to bowl at.

Strauss hopes for England return

Strauss hopes for England return

Strauss hopes to rediscover his form in New Zealand

Andrew Strauss has targeted a return to Test cricket after signing a short-term deal with New Zealand club side Northern Knights.

Strauss, 30, has suffered a dip in form over the past year and was dropped for England's current tour of Sri Lanka.

But Strauss hopes the move will help him regain his Test place for England's tour of New Zealand in February.

"I am very focused on getting selected for this tour and winning my place back," said Strauss.

"I am really excited about the possibility of playing cricket in New Zealand ahead of England's tour there in the new year."

The Middlesex left-hander is to feature in the Northern Knights' State Shield and Twenty20 competitions in January and February.

Northern Knights confirmed the deal on Friday, with coach Andy Moles saying: "As well as his outstanding playing record, Andrew will bring his experience of Test match cricket which will be a great opportunity for our younger crop of players coming through."

Strauss is positive the move will help him win back his Test place.

"I have been really impressed by the professionalism and ambition of Northern Districts and I feel that this is a golden opportunity for me to score some runs ahead of England's tour," he added.

Strauss made a flying start to his Test career with five centuries in his first 11 games but he had a torrid time during the Ashes series in Australia and his plight continued at the World Cup in the Caribbean earlier this year.

But despite having averaged only 27 in Test cricket in the last year, without making a century, Strauss was handed a central contract by the England and Wales Cricket Board in September.

And with New Zealand's grassier pitches and seam-oriented bowling expected to better suit Strauss than the slow surfaces in Sri Lanka, the Middlesex opener is expected to return to the England set-up.

England play three Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international in February and March.

Sanga toast of Sri Lanka

Sanga toast of Sri Lanka

Lakbima News
Kumar Sangakkara joined spin-king Muttiah Muralitharan on top of ICC rankings when he knocked off Australia’s Ricky Ponting following a dazzling run feast in the 2007 season. Sangakkara has scored 938 points, two points ahead of Pointing, who was dominating the batting rankings for a while.
Though his first innings brought him just 6 runs, Sangakkara made a remarkable come back since then scoring 200*, 222*, 57, 192, 92, and 152. The first two double tons though came against a relatively meager bowling attack, Bangladesh, his 57 and that magnificent 192 against mighty Aussies at Hobart is a proof of his excellent form which he continued at Asgiriya against England.
After being denied a deserving century in the first innings (92) Sangakkara continued his tremendous run form hammering a match winning 152. In the process he became the only cricketer in the annals of world cricket history to score 150 or more runs in four consecutive matches.
His 921 runs in seven innings came with an outstanding average of 184.20, one of the best averages in world cricket during a season. He also became one who has scored a century against all nine Test playing countries.
World record-breaking spinner Muttiah Muralitharan already tops the Test bowling rankings with 910 points.
The graphic that appears below shows how Sangakkara has progressed since he made his international debut in 2000.

Murali - emblem of unruffled courage

Murali - emblem of unruffled courage

By Champika Fernando

http://www.lakbimanews.lk

Muttiah Muralitharan entered his name into the great filing cabinet of history as a hero of unruffled courage and perseverance, a victim of injustices and bias, than a villain whose dark deeds tainted his otherwise greatness.
But even then a great ambiguity surrounds his career as some paint him a sinner while others hail him a saint of the modern game.
However the arguments over Muttaih Muralitharan and his bowling action are never-ending as they are alive with bias and conceptual conclusions reached by men suffering from attention deficiency, despite being cleared by the sports governing body, ICC, after years of medical examination.
The beauty of his illustrious career may have been somewhat overshadowed by the controversy surrounding his bowling action, but to put him in the company of those of Marion Jones, a drug cheat, Hansie Cronje and Mohamed Azharuddine, match-fixing cheats, and of course, the Australian spin legend Shane Warne, a doping accused, may be bigotry.
He is no drug cheat like Marion Jones, no criminal like Mike Tyson, no match-fixer like Hansie Cronje and no has he used any unfair means to succeed in the field he has chosen.
Yet he is the centre of attraction whenever he bowls, cameras focused at his arm, commentators watchful of his action, umpires eager to no ball and of course the spectators to utter a word to defame. Such is the psychological pressure put on by men who were eager to see the fall of this man.

Stood firm

A smiling assassin, as one would call him, Muttiah Muralitharan stood firm during the times of trial and tribulations and proved that he is a man of grace than a man of disgrace, a hero than a villain and most importantly a civilized one than those uncivilized individuals who cast stones at him.
Murali faced adversity psychologically more than physically. His detractors more frequently bully him calling him a ‘chucker’ or ‘cheat’ but evidence is in abundance that he isn’t either, as the University of Western Australia through biomechanical evidence, after thorough examination, accepted the legality of his action. But still there are some who question his action.
The controversy though began even before the famous ‘no ball’ incident Down Under when the controversial umpire Darrel Hair no balled Murali seven times in the Boxing Day Test.
Murali received the same treatment at the ODI series that followed and it appeared that the career of Muttaih Muralitharan was under tremendous pressure.
However, the ICC then came to the defense of Muralitharan who concluded after extensive testing that his ‘throwing’ was an illusion caused by a genetic deformity in his arm.
After three years into Sri Lanka’s World Cup triumph in the 1996, Murali again became the subject of discussion during the 1998-99 series in Australia.
Muralitharan’s doosra was termed ‘suspicious’ in an official report by match referee Chris Broad during Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2004.
In November 2004, the International Cricket Council conducted more research into illegal bowling actions and found that many bowlers whose actions were considered legitimate were actually transgressing the rules.
Thus the International Cricket Council in 2004 extended the legal limit of arm-bend for all bowlers to a uniform 15 degree after a detailed study found that all bowlers do have some form of bent-arm.
In February 2006, in an attempt to silence the Australian crowds and their ‘no ball’ chants, Muralitharan took another test at the University of Western Australia, which saw all of his deliveries deemed legal, including the doosra.

The difference

Murali has been the heart and soul of Sri Lanka cricket ever since he made his international debut in 1992 against Australia at home just like Sanath Jayasuriya, the greatest-ever all-rounder Sri Lanka has ever produced to date.
It may not be appropriate to say that he is the backbone of the Sri Lankan side, but he has often been the difference between a good team and a very good team.
Ever since Shane Warne announced his retirement from international cricket, it has been a one horse race for the 35-year-old Kandy born Sri Lankan who was counting his days to reach the record mark. Murali has finally set the world record, a record which will presumably stand for another few decades until we find a genuine bowler of Murali’s grace or Shane Warne’s mastermind steps in.
But the reality is that, none of the leading bowlers at present are even closer to this greatness. So Murali will remain immortal for many decades even after he retires from international cricket.
For now, there’s no sign that the world’s leading spinner calling it a day in the near future and 1000 wickets are a possibility if he plays for another three years or so.
But the ambiguity on Muralitharan and his bowling action will haunt him forever, as long as men of ignorance and arrogance exist.

- Murali Milestones -

Muttiah Muralitharan is now Test cricket’s greatest wicket-taker. We check out the landmarks on his way to overtaking Shane Warne’s record.

1st wicket
Opposition: Australia
Venue and Date: Colombo, August 1992
Victim: Craig McDermott
How out: lbw

50th wicket
Opposition: India
Venue and Date: Ahmedabad, February 1994
Victim: Navjot Sidhu
How out: caught

100th wicket
Opposition: New Zealand
Venue and Date: Hamilton, March 1997
Victim: Stephen Fleming
How out: lbw

150th wicket
Opposition: Zimbabwe
Venue and Date: Colombo, January 1998
Victim: Guy Whittal
How out: caught

200th wicket
Opposition: England
Venue and Date: Kennington, August 1998
Victim: Ben Hollioake
How out: lbw

250th wicket
Opposition: Pakistan
Venue and Date: Karachi, March 2000
Victim: Naved Ashraf
How out: lbw

300th wicket
Opposition: South Africa
Venue and Date: Durban, September 2000
Victim: Shaun Pollock
How out: caught

350th wicket
Opposition: Bangladesh
Venue and Date: Colombo, September 2001
Victim: Mohammad Sharif
How out: caught
400th wicket
Opposition: Zimbabwe
Venue and Date: Galle, January 2002
Victim: Henry Olonga
How out: bowled

450th wicket
Opposition: New Zealand
Venue and Date: Kandy, May 2003
Victim: Daryl Tuffey
How out: caught

500th wicket
Opposition: Australia
Venue and Date: Kandy, March 2004
Victim: Michael Kasprowicz
How out: bowled

550th wicket
Opposition: Bangladesh
Venue and Date: Colombo, September 2005
Victim: Khaled Mashud
How out: caught

600th wicket
Opposition: Bangladesh
Venue and Date: Bogra, March 2006
Victim: Khaled Mashud
How out: caught

650th wicket
Opposition: South Africa
Venue and Date: Colombo, August 2006
Victim: Makhaya Ntini
How out: caught

700th wicket
Opposition: Bangladesh
Venue and Date: Kandy, July 2007
Victim: Syed Rasel
How out: caught

708th wicket
Opposition: England
Venue and Date: Kandy, December 2007
Victim: Ravi Bopara
How out: caught

709th wicket
Opposition: England
Venue and Date: Kandy, December 2007
Victim: Paul Collingwood
How out: bowled

Magic Murali as tricky as ever

By Kumar Sangakkara

The people of Kandy, his hill country home town, love Muttiah Muralitharan as one of their own. I still remember the thousands that spilled onto the street to celebrate his return from the Oval in 1998 where he ran amok with an incredible 16 wickets in the match.
I was 13 when I first met him. I am also from Kandy but played for a rival school - Murali played for St Antony’s College while I was at Trinity College. Although some might have felt I was being treacherous, I used to attend private cricket classes with coach Sunil Fernando and some of the kids from St Antony’s. One day, Fernando pulled Murali into my cement net. I was astonished by the prodigious turn he was getting from such an unresponsive surface. Afterwards, although five years my senior, he was chatty and friendly - a boy that crackled with enthusiasm for the game.
He was already a schoolboy star and I remember my brother’s preparation for the annual derby against St Antony’s. Like this week, all the talk was about Murali and how to combat that unique, prodigious turn. Our curator back then, Alex Lazarum, pledged he’d prepare a pitch that even Murali could not turn the ball on. But, of course, his off-breaks turned outrageously. The players turned on Lazarum at the close. “I made a track that turns so much he would not be able to bowl anyone or get lbws,” he mumbled defensively.
After that Murali was whisked away to Colombo and very quickly into the national team. We bumped into each other occasionally but most of the time I watched him on television. I can still remember my teenage anger and outrage at the way he was treated in Australia during that Boxing Day Test match. For me, and many others, it was nothing less than a national insult. I followed his progress intimately and rejoiced at his performance against England in 1998.
I never dreamed that one day I’d be keeping wicket to him in international cricket. The only advantage you have is the knowledge that the off-break will turn a lot. Nevertheless you can still be taken by surprise and I’ve found it necessary to move earlier than you would normally because you have to move so far to collect the ball.
And, of course, you then have to read him. This took me over a year and that’s despite him helping me all the time. There are two doosras: the first like a top-spinner that kicks on straight and bounces; the second that spins sharply to leg. He bowls variations of both with a scrambled and unscrambled seam. Then there is the newer flipper, his version of the slider that comes from the front of the hand, has no spin and floats on straight - he trapped Kevin Pietersen with that at Edgbaston in 2006.
Comparisons are naturally made between Shane Warne and Murali. But these are very difficult to make. Murali, without the back-up that has helped Warne, is perhaps more direct, attacking the stumps for wickets, while Warne was traditionally more subtle, using different ploys to ensnare batsman. Warne seems to be considered the shrewder operator but I am not all convinced by that. I know that Murali has an instinctive feel for different situations and how to bowl at particular batsmen. Personally, I think Murali has been a significantly more dangerous bowler for all but Warne’s glory years in the mid-1990s.
The great thing, though, about this man is that he is not only one of the most skilful bowlers that has ever graced the game but also the greatest human being I have ever had the privilege of knowing. He is simple, down-to-earth, polite, honest and a great humanitarian. His father may have been the inspiration for this, investing an enormous amount of time improving conditions in Kandy prison, but Murali has gone well beyond the call of duty with his own charity, the Foundation of Goodness.
He is the most loved guy in the dressing room. All the young guys adore him because he makes a special effort to make them feel welcome. He takes them for dinner and he talks cricket with them for hours. And in the dressing room he keeps us in stitches. I have met no greater chatterbox. On one particularly noisy bus journey to Kandy we challenged him to stay silent - he lasted no longer than 10 seconds before kicking back into life. Fortunately, for Sri Lanka, this energy and enthusiasm is still there. Remarkably, despite more than 100 Tests and 700 wickets, he is still racked by nerves in the lead-up to a Test match. He struggles to eat, gets queasy and is hypersensitive. He’ll usually be found in the toilets prior to the start of the game.
The routine is the same today as it was 15 years ago and it shows that he has not gone stale.
Telegraph.co.uk

‘Sir, I’m no cheat’

Murali’s school coach Sunil Fernando talks about his world conquering pupil

By Ranjan Paranavithana

Sunil Fernando was the cricket coach of St. Anthony’s College, Kandy from 1973 to 1996. He is credited for grooming spinners like Muttiah Muralitharan, Ruwan Kalpage and Piyal Wijetunga who went on to represent Sri Lanka. Kumar Sangakkara, although a Trinitian, too had come under Fernando’s wings at his private cricket coaching school.
Following are the excerpts of an interview LAKBIMAnEWS had with Fernando after Muralitharan claimed the world record for the highest number of Test wickets.

Q: Murali has started his cricket as a medium pace bowler. Tell us more about it.

A: When I was the coach of St. Anthony’s I used to watch children play tennis ball cricket at the college ground. Once I saw a small player (Muralitharan) bowling fast. I realised that he had something special and asked him if he liked to play leather ball cricket. He said he would first ask his mother, but he didn’t come back. Sometime later Murali’s mother brought him to my cricket school. He first started as a paceman. When he was playing for St. Anthony’s Under 15 team I thought considering his build he would have a good future as a spinner. So I asked him to bowl off-cutters, which he accepted readily. In his first match, which we played against Maliyadeva, he took five wickets.

Q: There has been a huge hue and cry about his action. Was it same during his school days?
A: Those days nobody questioned his action. Even when he first played for Sri Lanka no one had a problem. He soon developed into a formidable spinner and clamours rose against him. The Australians used them to undermine him.

Q: How did Murali cope with all that?

A: I can still remember how he told me ‘sir, I’m no cheat. I don’t willingly bowl that way’. Even today he phones me if he has any problem about bowling. He has not forgotten his beginnings.

Q: Why don’t you groom another spinner like Murali?

A: We can’t create somebody like him. Like Sanath, he too is a unique cricketer. But we should prepare spinners to take his place in the team.

Q: But we don’t see that many spinners coming out of the system?

A: There are many talented spinners in our country. We should not try to change them. I’m not blaming our coaches. But because of today’s way of competition they have made spinners bowlers who always look to stop the flow of runs. They are in a way restricted to that role only.
When we play matches in Sri Lanka, I think we should field another spinner alongside Murali. If not, another spinner will not get a chance to develop himself.