How much has Sri lanka Cricket really lost?

Arjuna Ranatunga took over the helm of Sri Lanka Cricket in January of this year. He claimed he would stamp out corruption, audit SLC expenditure and "Be The Man". Twelve months into the post he has successfully managed to turn the players against him, drag Sri Lanka Cricket into a legal battle with Ten Sports and by hastily planning a tour - with little or no research - he managed to make an absolute mockery of the Sri Lankan cricket establishment in England. That’s just the tip of the iceberg folks when you consider the fact that Arjuna has also managed to destroy the good relations which existed between the Indian and Sri Lankan cricket boards.

Most of us have not fully grasped what the SLC has really lost. It is much more than the loss of a few cricket matches, soured relationships or half full pockets of the IPL contracted players. Arjuna has repeatedly pointed out what Sri Lanka Cricket has lost from the postponement of the tour to England ($2M). He fails to mention the losses incurred by the board due to the scheduling of a tour that would collide with the IPL. He has also failed to mention the price SLC is paying for his irresponsible comments directed towards the Indian backed IPL tournament. By not being supportive of the IPL, Sri Lanka Cricket over all, including the players, will loose out on revenue from the Champions League ($4M), Indian tour of Sri Lanka 2009 ($15M) and the proposed Indian tour in 2010, another whopping figure of fifteen million dollars.

Even in hindsight - knowing that going to England would bankrupt a board running on a huge over draft – would not have changed Arjuna’s stance. There lays the problem.

When the England – IPL tour conflict first arose India proposed a deal which was to secure Sri Lankan participation in the IPL for a lucrative price. Arjuna’s negative comments towards the IPL even after such a gracious endeavour by the Indian board pushed the Indians to put a hold on the deal. For a man running a cricket board on negative Rs. 375 Million Ranatunga cannot afford such confrontations and then claim his stance is for the benefit of Sri Lanka Cricket. Not when the facts are this obvious. No expense should be spared to researching a decision. The lack of any proper planning and complete hot headed vindictiveness has left Sri Lanka Cricket in dire straights. Such actions should not be over looked or ignored.

My stance has always been one of calling it as I see it; I don’t belong to either the pro Ranatunga party nor the anti Ranatunga brigade. I am merely calling it as I see it.

by Hilal +/- Expand Post

Interim Committee to be disolved?

Sports minister Gamini Lokuge is to meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa ahead of taking a final decision on a possible dissolution of the Interim Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket, reports the Ceylon Daily News.

A few excerpts can be found below you may read the full story here.

Minister Lokuge when contacted said that it was too premature to comment on the issue, but stressed that any decision regarding the SLC Interim Committee will be taken on the advice and recommendations of President Rajapaksa.

The Minister agreed that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the sport’s local controlling body was afflicted by a spate of ills as was recently highlighted in Parliament by SLC Interim Committee Chairman and MP Arjuna Ranatunga during the Committee Stage debate of the Ministry of Sports, and the only panacea could be either to hold elections to SLC or form a fresh Interim Committee.

Posted by Hilal Suhaib

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'We were given assurances that no tours would be added to Sri Lanka’s FTP that would clash with dates for the IPL' - Mahela

In a letter to The Island publication Mahela Jayawardena reveals that SLC had assured the players tours outside of the ICC's Future Tours Program will be scheduled in a manner that it will not clash with the 2009 and 2010 seasons of the Indian Premier League.

We had a meeting on 12 June, weeks before the ECB offered an England tour, with SLC Chairman, Chief Executive, Interim Committee members, SLCA representatives and several senior members of the Sri Lanka National squad in which we openly discussed our three-year IPL contracts and were give assurances that no future tours would be added to Sri Lanka’s Future Tours Program (FTP) that would clash with dates for the IPL in 2009 and 2010. At the same meeting, the players also committed to playing over 75% of the Provincial Cricket and also accepting a central contract salary freeze in lieu of our availability for the IPL. - The Island

Posted by Hilal

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[Video] Muttiah Muralitharan bowling with an arm brace

In 2004 Murali voluntarily performed a series of tests with live video cameras. Micheal Slater and Ravi Shastri witnessed it all unfold. Murali showed he could bowl all his deliveries including the Doosra with a brace on his elbow. The brace prevented any straightening of the elbow.

By Hilal


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Players speaks out on SLC - IPL conundrum

Arjuna's comments against the players' sports agents, and his suggestion that the SLC will eventually be the sole representative of all national players has not gone down too well with the players.

Secretary of the Sri Lanka Cricketers Association (SLCA) Graeme Labrooy termed this move as a direct intervening by the SLC on the players’ fundamental rights.

“It is the choice of the individual players to ascertain as to who is to be his manager. Managers for various sportsmen have been around for well over the past four decades handling various aspects of their careers. Some sportsmen even have their own media managers,” he said. - Sunday Times

Labrooy stated that the job of the sport's agent was to market the player and also ensure the player has financial income long after the player's days as a national sportsman has ended. “For this, every single sportsman has the right to choose his own manager,” said Labrooy.

In another twist to the story Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara were part of a press conference in which the players spoke out in regards to an article published by the local press. Some quarters in the media claimed the players duped the public and the sports minister in claiming the SLC was aware of their 3 year IPL contracts when they agreed to the tour of England. The SLC claiming no knowledge of a 3 year deal subsequently issued a press statement which claimed the players had only received a 1 year no objection certificate to take part in the inaugural season of the IPL.

"Yes, we were auctioned (with IPL) for three years. We were auctioned at a certain price and every single player who played in the IPL signed a three year contract," said Sangakkara. - PTI

Sangakkara made it clear that the SLC knew of the 3 year contract with the IPL but the players only sought clearance for 2008 as they were only bound by annual contracts with Sri Lanka Cricket.

"The SLC knew that we had signed a three-year contract, but our contract with the SLC are yearly contracts," Sangakkara said on Thursday.

"I was very perturbed by what went on in these months as a player. You always try as player to stay away from controversy, to do what is right and to play our cricket in peace," he said.

"But there was an article in a newspaper under the heading 'did the country's top cricketers dupe the public and the government'. (The article also published the letter written by Jayawardene and the SLC)."

"There are certain things that we can ignore and take and even though we worry about it basically (we are) not making any comments. But we may be accused of misleading the public and the government of Sri Lanka. I think it is time to clear that," Sangakkara said. - PTI

by Hilal Suhaib

For Sri Lanka Cricket news, videos, blog posts, and more visit: http://www.islandcricket.lk/ +/- Expand Post

[Video] Exposing Adam Gilchrist's True Colours

You may pause the video at any time to read at your own pace.

The purpose of this video is to fact check Adam Gilchrist's allegations in his autobiography. The following links are unbiased news sources which were used to verify Gilchrist's claims.

Click here to see Murali bowling with an arm brace which prevents any straightening!

ICC defends 'chucking' procedures - BBC

Bowling Report — Mr. Muttiah Muralitharan - The Hindu

ICC study reveals that 99% chuck - Wisden Cricinfo

Brace yourselves for new footage that may prove Murali's not bending the law - Sydney Morning Herald

By Hilal


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Modi Vs Ranatunga

Lalit Modi's abrasive and confrontational approach is fuel to the fire for a bloke like Arjuna Ranatunga. Recent media reports stated that Lalit modi had withdrawn a lucrative financial deal between IPL and SLC due to comments made by Arjuna Ranatunga. Modi claimed the comments were damaging to the Indian Premier League.

Earlier Modi and Co offered SLC a lucrative package in order to secure the participation of Sri Lanka's top cricketers in the IPL, this subsequently led SLC to postpone a tour of England. Modi then pulled out of the proposed dealing with SLC claiming SLC chairman Ranatunga's comments were hurting the IPL and the BCCI. The BCCI then chose to 'put a hold' on future tours to Sri Lanka scheduled outside of the ICC's future tours programme.

Sri Lanka Cricket gains nothing financially by allowing it's players to take part in the IPL - the cash strapped board regularly sets up tours outside of the ICC's future tours programme in order to fund it's development. As such the last minute tour of England which collided with the second season of IPL was not something that was constructed by Ranatunga due to his disliking for T20 Cricket. It was more a genuine attempt to fund a cricket board running on it's bank over draft.

Ranatunga has been quoted in recent media reports stating that SLC lost 3 Million USD due to the IPL- Clearly he has scant regard for Modi's opinion and he doesn't mind making statements that are detrimental to the IPL.

"The SLC would have got USD 3 million including USD 2 million for TV rights which we have been deprived off as our senior players are contracted to play for the Indian Premier League and our tour to England has been cancelled," Ranatunga told PTI.

He said it was "unfair" the SLC does not gain any money for releasing its players for the IPL even while agents get commissions from the fee paid to players taking part in the BCCI-backed tournament.

"One thing the players should remember is that they are employees of SLC. Every year, we sign about 40 cricketers from the national and 'A' teams. We give them very attractive contracts.

"It is SLC that looks after the players from the junior level and brings them to the level of national cricket by spending a lot of money. SLC should get some money from these cricketers rather than allow them to make payments to some outside agent.

"This way, we will safeguard our cricketers and make use of the money for cricket development," - PTI

Unlike Cricket Australia which bent over backwards to accommodate the BCCI and it's boorish ways Sri Lanka cricket will not. This is a certainty with someone like Ranatunga at the helm - in his playing days and as captain of Sri Lanka Ranatunga always stood firm in what he believed was the best option for Sri Lanka cricket. This time wont be any different.

He has already spoken of doing away with 3rd parties who act as the players Sports Agents. Ranatunga claims the agents stand to gain more by signing the players up for tournaments like the IPL when the SLC looses out. More importantly Ranatunga will have more control over player participation in tournaments like the IPL.

“We are going to help the players by being their agent from next year. At the moment various individuals who have no connection with the development of cricket are lurking in the shadows and grab the players to become their agent. They make a cool ten percent commission by exploiting the player. We are hoping to a put a stop to it” said Ranatunga.

“SLC is bringing the player up to the international level by supporting them from the grassroot level. So, it is only just that SLC should get a commission if there is any. We have planned this as a mode of income generation for the next year” explained Ranatunga.

It is clear that Ranatunga will eventually even the playing field with Lalit Modi and Modi may have to reconsider his stance with SLC if he wishes Sri Lankan participation in the event.

"Ranatunga is totally unjustified in his continuous blasting of IPL," Modi said speaking to Cricinfo earlier today.

"Ranatunga is totally unjustified in his continuous blasting of IPL," Modi told Cricinfo. "At a meeting held in Bangkok a few weeks ago where BCCI officials met the Sri Lankan management - both board and government representatives - the BCCI secretary (N Srinivasan) had clearly pointed out that it had no idea why such hostility exists. We are looking for answers. We hope to find a solution which is beneficial to both boards at the earliest. The officials were also quite perturbed that the situation had escalated to where it is today and were also looking for answers."

Modi and the BCCI seem to have this preconceived notion that Sri Lanka agreed to tour England due to Ranatunga's disliking for the IPL. As I mentioned previously SLC has always planned tours in haste in order to fund it's cricket. Sri Lanka's ODI series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi after a gruelling World Cup 2007 campaign springs to mind. Not to mention the ODI series tour to Netherlands following a long tour of England. Furthermore the SLC has always maintained that it had cleared it's players for the first season of IPL - SLC claims they never authorised a three year contract which the players have subsequently signed into.

This stand off between Modi and Ranatunga may hurt the players income significantly and the players stand to loose out the most. Sri Lanka Cricket's pay package is barely lucrative in this day and age, the players require their agent's assistance to source sponsors and much needed revenue. The IPL has always maintained that it's tournament is no place for retired cricketers for it does not want to be the reason behind a mass exodus with players leaving International cricket for the IPL - so an early retirement is not an option. It will be interesting to see how all this will pan out. One would hope that for the sake of our sport that Modi and the BCCI comes back to the discussion table to bring some life in to their defunct proposal.

By Hilal

Sri Lanka Cricket

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ECB offers Bloomfield CC £500 to host Monty

England's Monty Panesar, hoping to fine tune his skills as a spinner, was scheduled to play club cricket in Sri Lanka.

The Sun reports of the paltry compensation offered to Bloomfield CC and how the deal has hit a road block.

Bloomfield president Upali Dharmadasa said: "We were going to sacrifice one of our players to accommodate Panesar so we told the ECB to compensate us with something so that the club and the player will benefit.

"Initially they came to us and said they would pay £500. - The sun

Read more here.

By Hilal

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India - Sri Lanka ties fall apart over IPL

Miffed at the "hostile" statements from Sri Lanka Cricket officials against Indian Premier League, the BCCI has decided to put on hold India's all future bilateral series against Sri Lanka. - PTI

According to news reports from the Press Trust of India the BCCI has decided to 'put a hold' on future tours involving the two nations. The decision apparently stems from what Lalit Modi and Niranjan Shah deem as 'damaging statements' made by SLC officials towards the IPL and Arjuna Ranatunga's 'attitude' towards the IPL.

"Mr Modi and Mr (Niranjan) Shah were very puzzled and shocked at the attitude of Sri Lankan cricket towards the BCCI and had serious concerns with regards to some of the press statements which had been released by some SLC officials," - PTI

It has now come to a state where one cannot express any dislike towards the Indian cricket board or it's IPL tournament without serious repercussions. This is not the first time India has threatened to boycott or call off tours if it did not get it's way. Earlier this year the BCCI threatened to call off it's on going tour in Australia if Harbhajan Singh was found guilty of racially abusing Andrew Symonds. Click here to read The Sydney Morning Herald's piece titled 'Cricket's Day of Shame'.

WORLD cricket authorities have caved in to the game's financial superpower, India, and Cricket Australia has incurred the wrath of its own Test players by pressuring them to drop a racial slur charge against Harbhajan Singh.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India had even chartered a plane to take its players home tomorrow if the Indian player's three-Test suspension - for calling Australia's Andrew Symonds a monkey during the Sydney Test - had not been overturned at yesterday's appeal in the Federal Court in Adelaide.

Cricket Australia was anxious to have the charge dropped because it feared its board would be sued for a figure understood to be about $60 million if India quit the tour. - SMH

It could be argued that as chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket Ranatunga was duty bound to agree upon and sign the deal with the ECB. With SLC running on it's bank over draft it would have been ridiculous for Ranatunga to turn down such an offer for the IPL tournament. The player's representation in the IPL did not benefit Sri Lankan Cricket or it's governing authority financially.

I previously mentioned that the IPL's stance was one of International Cricket first and IPL second. This reaction from the BCCI and the IPL has put an end to that perspective. Ranatunga's comments may have been detrimental to the image of the IPL and BCCI but the actions of the BCCI's hierarchy has caused damage to more than just their image.

By Hilal


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IPL gives SLC the finger

Sri Lanka's sports minister Gamini Lokuge and The Sri Lanka Cricketers' Association (SLCA) worked out a proposal which could bring in $70M over the next few years - in return the IPL would be guaranteed Sri Lankan representation for all it's T20 events. The deal if worked out would have put a definite end to Sri Lanka's 2009 tour to England and seriously jeopardised the ICC and it's International tours.

The move was criticised by David Morgan president of the International Cricket Council. Speaking to the Telegraph Morgan said that the deal was "quite unacceptable behaviour against the background of Sri Lanka's signed agreement with the ECB".

A four man team comprising SLC's CEO Duleep Mendis, Sidath Wettimuny, Greame Labrooy and S. Liyanagama have just returned from a meeting with Lalit Modi and other IPL officials in Bangkok. The IPL has not agreed to such a deal.

Shock?? Not!

The IPL's stance has always been one of International Cricket first and IPL second. Therefore it does not surprise me that this proposal failed. The IPL cannot afford to play a game of tug-o-war with the ICC. In order to function on the long term as a successful business entity the IPL requires every bit of support from the ICC and creating a rift in the cricket world would not be the way to go.

This is an eye opener to players considering IPL over international cricket. Any move on the part of these individuals to jeopardise international cricket by choosing IPL over national representation may result in an abrupt end to their careers leaving them with a less lucrative alternative. The IPL may consider terminating contracts of those who bring the IPL into disrepute -- Lalit Modi and crew would hate the IPL to appear as the death of Cricket. That is just not the kind of image you would want for any business. The IPL stands to gain more on the longer run with the ICC on it's side and the loss of 10 players would not harm it on the longer run.

by Hilal


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Sri Lankan cricketers arrive leaving trophy in Canada

The Nation reports that the Al Barakah trophy was left behind in Toronto due to it's size. The Greater Toronto Airport Authority would not allow the Trophy on board due to it's size and weight.

“We were forced to leave behind the Cup and along with it the replicas of the cup which all the team members received. They will be sent to us by the Sri Lanka consular general in Canada Bandula Jayasekera who undertook the responsibility,” said Ranatunga.

According to Ranatunga the Canada Cup which Sri Lanka won for emerging champions of the four-nation T20 tournament held in Toronto was about five feet in height and weighed over 20 kilos.

“One person couldn’t comfortably carry that trophy,” said Ranatunga. He said the Cup was expected to arrive by next week.

This is the first time the Sri Lanka cricket team had returned home without their prized silverware.

posted by Hilal


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England tour crisis deepens - Lankan cricketers will not change their stance

Pramodya Wickremasinghe president of the Sri Lanka Cricket Players Association speaking to the Sunday Times states that changes to the tour itinerary is the only option that SLC has put forth thus far - that change however is not feasible as the next T20 World Cup begins on the 5th of June 2009. Pramodaya goes on to state that with the current situation the only available option is to play a 3 match ODI series between May 26 and June 5 2008.

The IPL tournament is scheduled to end on the 26th of May 2009

Posted by Hilal


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Al Barakah Canada 20/20 Cricket Series - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good

If you recall my first visit to the venue in late September (video) the maple leaf Cricket ground was nothing but a large open field - much has transpired since that visit.

In under three weeks the organiser hired a Toronto based company to set up bleachers and stands necessary to accommodate a large audience. The temporary seating commonly known as bleachers were similar to that used in the Formula One Grand Prix in Canada.

The big screen at the venue also provided a nice addition and the fans caught a glimpse of replays and the live action.

The replays of the 3rd umpire referrals however needs more looking into -- the replay appears on the giant screen prior to the 3rd umpire ruling and as a result the players and the spectators were aware of the outcome before the ruling.

(Click images to enlarge)

The bad

Tickets were priced at $35 on the first day of the tourney as opposed to the $40 general admission rates for the remainder of the tournament; even with Pakistan playing their first international match in months the turn out for the opening day was low. A sign perhaps of high priced tickets. One would know for certain on Saturday where the organisers expect a full house.

The spectators found that parking was an extra $10 -- travelling to King city via public transportation is not feasible. The car park is located on the premises it however is nothing but a muddy field. The images below show volunteers and event staff frantically digging out vehicles from the mud under foot -- the driveway has no paving or tar and the there is just one gate which serves as an entrance and exit.

TIP: Parking at Seneca College which is a 5 minute walk costs a flat rate of $4.50 it is a secure environment with gated access.

The presentation ceremony took an insane twist when the announcer called upon the winning captain to accept the prize money. Mahela Jayawadene and his team were nowhere to be found; The Sri Lankan team was escorted out by the organisers as the match ended and they were not aware of the presentation ceremony that was taking place. Ajantha Mendis eventually strolled out to collect his 'Man of the Match' award.

Organised Chaos at the post match presentation

The Ugly

I visited Maple Leaf Cricket ground on the 9th to see what kind of progress had been made, what I witnessed there was the ugly.

Moments after my arrival I noticed a gathering of people arguing and screaming - profanity being hurled in all directions. I could not help but let curiosity get the better of me, upon questioning an onlooker it became evident that members of the organising committee were having a verbal showdown with a group of volunteers who were brought in as event staff.

"They (organisers) made us drive all the way from Oakville and wanted us to lend a hand as volunteers for tomorrow, after making us wait outside in the cold for 3 hours now they are refusing to give us passes and say they don't need any more volunteers," claimed one of the ladies present.

"We have driven for hours to get here to help them -- we have taken time out of our own jobs and school to be treated like this and now they have locked us out in the cold with no explanation" said another.

It appears that some members of the organising committee had invited interested parties to volunteer as event staff - a group of 20 individuals had been instructed to come to the venue. Once at the venue they had been instructed to wait for a prolonged period of time before being asked to exit the building with no further instructions - hours passed and eventually some could no longer take the bitter cold or the step brotherly treatment and decided to confront the organisers.

The organisers claim they had too many volunteers - when it takes 4 men to dig a car out of a muddy ditch wouldn't you reckon 20 more volunteers who are willing to work for FREE would count as a blessing?

By Hilal

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[Pic] Scenes from 'Victory'

Scenes for ‘Victory’, a story of a small town boy who dreams of playing cricket for India, were shot in Colombo last week with actor Harman Baweja playing against Sri Lanka’s national team.

Apart form the cricket stars Sri Lankan tourism ambassador Alston Koch and cricket commentator Roshan Abeysinghe are also featured in the film.

The final scenes in the film shows the hero in the cricketing epic played by Harman Baweja receiving his award for the 'Man of the series' from the Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism & Tourism Ambassador Alston Koch on the awards podium especially erected for this film at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo.

This famous ground has witnessed the cricketing talents of Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Len Hutton, Geoff Boycott, Colin Cowdrey and Rohan Kanhai and the great man Sir Donald Bradman who was dismissed for a 'duck' at the venue.





By Hilal


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Mutiny on board Sri Lanka Cricket

By Hilal

One of the plus points of the IPL T20 were the riches on offer; International cricketers were given lucrative pay packages to play during off season. Sri Lankan cricketers earned wages on par with other prominent international sportsman.

The IPL's second season and a hastily planned tour to England in 2009 is on a collision course, there is talk of players contemplating retirement to honour their IPL contracts.

In a new twist to the tale Arjuna Ranatunga in an interview with the Observer appears to call talks of retirement bluff.

“As far as Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is concerned we will not change our decision to send the Sri Lanka team to play in England. We have signed an MOU with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and we have to honour that,” said Ranatunga

“They need to sign a two-year contract with the ICC and SLC even if they are to retire and go to the IPL,” contended Ranatunga.

The players with current IPL contracts are Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralidaran, Chaminda Vaas, Dilhara Fernando, T.M. Dilshan and Ajantha Mendis.

In recent times Andrew Symonds who is embroiled in a disciplinary issue with Cricket Australia also threatened to call quits to his career to concentrate on the IPL.

The Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi's statement to the Sydney Morning Herald has not only squashed Symonds' plans but it has also squashed the plans of the Sri Lankan Cricketers who utilised retirement as a bargaining tool.

"I would advise him to stay on with his country. It's very important to be playing for your country," Modi told the Herald.

"We need players who are playing international cricket. We don't need a whole bunch of retired cricketers in the tournament. Cricket Australia has the right to refuse that he plays in the IPL for two years after retirement."

Ranatunga also insists that the media has distorted the facts and claims President Rajapakse never demanded the players be allowed to play in the IPL over an official tour to England.

“That was a wrong information. The President never asked us to cancel the England tour and let the players go for the IPL.

What the President told me was to try to make a shift so that they could play in both,” Ranatunga told the Sunday Observer.

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Supernatural doctor heals Lasith Malinga

Posted by Hilal

A knee injury which sidelined Lasith Malinga from Cricket has apparently been miraculously cured by a doctor in Sri Lanka.


It was a little over four months ago Cricinfo reported that a MRI scan to Malinga's injured knee injury had revealed no improvement.

Despite treatment in Australia the Sunday Leader(LK) reports Malinga as stating there was no significant improvement to his injury.

"I was sent to Australia and underwent treatment over there. I was treated by Dr. David Young. Dr. Young gave me medication along with the saline drip. I found that the pain lessened. The pain was not as unbearable as it is used to be, but it certainly did not go away. I could not walk, or climb staircases and found it difficult to get up from a sitting position," remembered a bright-eyed Malinga, his memories about his dark times in life, equally clear in his mind.

"I was asked not to run. And I was not going to run anyway, because I could not run. I was given the assurance by several people that I will get better and that all I needed was some rest," recalled Lasith Malinga.

How then did this miraculous recovery occur you ask? The following is a few excerpts of his interview with the Sunday Leader. The full article can be found here.

And it was just two weeks ago that he received the telephone call that changed his life. The telephone call was from none other than President Mahinda Rajapakse.

"Despite all the work and the numerous engagements and the commitments that President Mahinda Rajapakse had he took the time to give a telephone call and requested my captain and manager to convey to me that he - the President- needed to speak to me.

"I could not get over the shock and in amazement, I telephoned the President," remembers Lasith Malinga.

"Inquiring in a very concerned manner as to what was wrong with my leg, he requested that I be present at Temple Trees on a given date. I was surprised and did not know what awaited me," said Malinga.

When Lasith Malinga hobbled along to Temple Trees, he was greeted very warmly by the President.

"Together with the President was a fair, tall gentleman. He told me that his name was Dr. Eliyantha White and that he was the President's personal physician. Then I remembered the name. I had read several newspaper articles about him and his powers and about how he had cured several people.

"I am not a person to believe in this kind of thing. But honestly it is amazing. I just can't think what happened and how he did it. The pain has gone away," said Malinga.

"After six months of X-rays, MRIs and bone scans, if this one person whom the President arranged for me to get treatment from could make me better in four days - then I really don't know what it is. Truly it is a dream-treatment come true," said Lasith Malinga.

"I am truly grateful to President Mahinda Rajapakse for being so considerate as to arrange this treatment for me through his personal physician. I owe a debt to President Mahinda Rajapakse, amidst all the things that are happening in this country, the President had time for me - he took time to arrange this treatment for me.

"I am truly grateful to the President and Dr. Eliyantha White for it is they who have sent me back to the cricket field. I take this opportunity to thank President Mahinda Rajapakse and Dr. Eliyantha White for giving me back my career, for without cricket I would have been lost in life," said Malinga.

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Dilhara Fernando to play county cricket

Posted by Hilal

According to BBC sport, Worcestershire have signed Sri Lankan paceman Dilhara Fernando as the club's overseas player until the winter.

"The Sri Lankan Cricket Board has been very helpful as they want Dilhara to play some cricket rather than rest. It has been a rush to get the paperwork in place but we're there."

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SLC demands $1Million to participate in Tri Series

Posted by Hilal

The ExpressIndia reports that the Sri Lankan Cricket Board has set an exorbitant figure for it's teams participation in the Tri Series in South Africa.

Sources said Pakistan had offered a fee of USD 300,000 to the cash strapped Sri Lankan Board to take part in the tri-series but it had asked for one million dollars.

"The interesting thing is that even the Pakistan Board is close to a financial crunch and not in a position to shell out one million dollars for this one series," revealed one source. Sources also say that PCB is doing all what it takes to make the series happen.

"Pakistan is now trying to first rope in sponsors and broadcasters for the series and have asked them to up their prices to meet the Sri Lankan's demand," the source said. However, it is not only the monetary hurdles but the internal administrative problems which the PCB is countering in organising the series.

"The fact that the Pakistan board is presently operating without a Chairman has not helped matters," the source said adding "obviously before committing such a huge amount to the Sri Lankans the board officials have to get the approval of the international cricket committee and the governing body members."

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Sri Lanka to play Tri-Series in September

The PTI reports that the Pakistani Cricket Board plan to rope in the Lankans and the Proteas for a triangular in September.

Sources in the Pakistan board confirmed that Sri Lanka has given its consent to play in the tri-series while India has expressed its inability to be involved in a one-day tournament.

"Pakistan had approached some countries including India to support the board in organising a triangular or quadrangular tournament in South Africa to fill in the gap left open in Pakistan's cricket calender with the postponement of the Champions Trophy," one source said.

He said while India had expressed its regrets as it was already due to visit Pakistan for a full series in early January, Sri Lanka agreed to a one-day tournament.

"Now the modalities including venues and dates for the tri-series is being worked out but tentatively it should start from September 12," the source stated.

Former cricketers had lashed out at PCB for trying to hold the series in South Africa which refused to send its team to Pakistan leading to postponement of Champions Trophy.

But senior Board official Shafqat Naghmi said Pakistan could not afford to ignore or boycott the countries which refused to send teams to Pakistan.

"We are not going to adopt a tit for tat policy because the decision to postpone Champions Trophy was in the end unanimous. People don't realise that Pakistan has still got the hosting rights and it was because of strong stand taken by some boards that the tournament was not relocated to Sri Lanka," Naghmi said. PTI

The ICC earlier announced that the Champions Trophy tourney scheduled to be held in Pakistan in September was to be postponed for next year due to security fears.

The Australians who also voiced concerns over touring Pakistan are scheduled to play a Test match in Bangalore, India despite the recent terrorist attacks which took place there.


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Tickets Sold Out at the Premadasa

by Hilal

Sri Lanka Cricket has announced that tickets for the 3rd ODI between India and Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium today have sold out- 50 Rupees tickets appear to be available.

Expect a full house and a humdinger of an ODI tonight folks!



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