Tuesday Sep 24, 2024
Tuesday Sep 24, 2024
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Dickwella did not train with the team on Tuesday, having just arrived from London, but will join the team for practice on the eve of the match, on Wednesday. Chandimal did train with Sri Lanka on Tuesday, before the selectors revealed he would be going back to England, after having been on the senior team’s tour there in May and June.
Chandimal has kept wicket in the last two Tests, after Prasanna Jayawardene sustained a broken finger, but while his keeping has been tidy, he has not produced consistent runs. He hit 45 off 55 balls in the first innings at Headingley, but has been out hooking in single figures in each of his three innings since. He has appeared shaky against the bouncer since Junaid Khan had him out hooking twice in the Test series in the UAE, in January.
His lack of form in the limited-overs formats will also have contributed to the selectors’ decision. Chandimal dropped himself from the side during Sri Lanka’s World T20 campaign, and was also left out of the squad for the recent one-dayers against South Africa.
Dickwella, 21, has been a rising star in domestic cricket, and had progressed directly to Premier League competition from school cricket. An attacking top-order batsman for Nondescripts Cricket Club, Dickwella has three first-class centuries and five fifties at an average of 34.45 in 35 innings. He had also been Sri Lanka’s schoolboy cricketer of the year in 2012, when he led Trinity College to the national championship.
Dickwella had not impressed for the A team against England Lions in February and March, but did return to form in Sri Lanka’s Premier League competition. He had put on a 170-run opening stand alongside Upul Tharanga in the final of that tournament, contributing 87 from 99 balls to that partnership.
Kaushal Silva is also a wicketkeeper, but the selectors are wary of giving him the gloves in Tests, because keeping may leave him fatigued when he opens the batting. Kumar Sangakkara can also keep, but he has not had the gloves regularly since 2006 for similar reasons.
Kithuruwan Vithanage, who is already in the squad, offers Sri Lanka another batting option if they decide to make further changes to the top seven . In addition to positive middle-order batting, Vithanage also offers part-time legspin, which may count in his favour if the SSC pitch is expected to take turn.
A good Sri Lanka or a bad England?By Daryll Cullinan Timeslive.co.za: Sri Lanka led me to believe they were going to be tough to beat at home after their recent success in England. However, judging by their defeats by South Africa in the recent ODI series and now this first Test, their success had more to do with a poor England side than their own quality; I suspect they have some thinking to do before the next Test. They lacked good old-fashioned heart against South Africa’s quick bowlers in conditions not exactly pace-friendly. This, and the fact that South Africa’s batsmen were comfortable against their spinners, makes me wonder how they are going to square the series. However, let’s not take anything away from South Africa’s win. I thought they played brilliant cricket and thoroughly deserved it. The top performer for me was Dale Steyn, who once again proved what a great fast bowler he is. He almost never fails to deliver – a captain’s dream because he can be relied on when a wicket is needed. Because he can bowl so quickly, his tremendous skill with the ball is often not fully appreciated. The best of these is his ability to avoid wasting deliveries; you just sense that batsmen know questions are going to be asked of them every ball. On a final note, I thought Hashim Amla’s declaration was a good one. I hope it signals his intent as a captain, because, if it does, we are in for some exciting cricket under his leadership. |
Sanjeewani de Silva, Head of Corporate Affairs/Brand and Marketing, Standard Chartered speaking of the bank’s support of the Sri Lankan Visually Handicapped XI said: “Standard Chartered has already contributed $ 1 million towards the national Vision 2020 Secretariat’s efforts to address avoidable blindness by funding eye screenings, spectacles distributions, cataract surgeries and other similar activities for young and old. But we thought that our ‘Seeing is Believing’ global initiative which has raised over $ 32 million to date could also focus a light on a very creditable effort by some very determined and talented sportsmen.”
Carlton Bernardus, Head of Cricket Operations, Sri Lanka Cricket commented: “This is an additional dimension to international cricket tours and both teams are looking forward to participating in all the planned events. We are very optimistic that there will be genuine interest and participation, not just for the great opportunities the events themselves provide, but also for the chance for us all to support our national visually handicapped team as they strive for this accolade. They recently trounced the touring Australian Visually Handicapped XI in a five match (40 overs) series with a compelling 4-0 series win over the tourists. The team has high hopes for the World Cup in South Africa and we hope to raise funds to make their dream a reality.”
