Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

New Delhi:

The world cricket fraternity lavished praise on India`s batting icon Sachin Tendulkar for becoming the first player in the game`s history to cross the 17,000-run mark.

Sunil Gavaskar: `One of Sachin`s top efforts. Chasing 350 and had to try and get past 17000. One could feel the pressure, everyone was tense. The moment he got past it was when we saw the Tendulkar of old. He was free of the shackles he had imposed on himself. It was a serious privilege to watch from such close proximity. He has a childish enthusiasm for the game. He keeps raising the bar for himself, that`s what keeps him going. The moment his whole hearted involvement in the game drops, he will decide to get out of game.`

P K Balachandran

COLOMBO: Actors Surya and Simran would be in Sri Lanka next month to shoot for an Indo-Lankan co-production titled `Devadasigal`, the Sri Lankan director of the film, Suresh Kumarasinghe, told Express here on Tuesday.

Surya and Simran will join Sri Lankan stars Cletus Mendis, Rex Kodippily, Sandun Wijesiri, and Manjula Moragaha for the shooting in the picturesque Buddhist ruins of Polannaruwa and Sigiriya, Kumarasinghe said.

The seventy-fifth anniversary celebrations of Siddhalepa was held recently at the Hilton Colombo under the patronage Export Development and International Trade Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris.

Siddhalepa`s efforts to advance the local Ayurvedic system and the earning of a large amount of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka through the export of local herbs and medicines were appreciated at this meeting.

A video compact disk containing the life story of Victor Hettigoda, Chairman of Siddhalepa was also launched along with the celebrations.

by Saman Indrajith

The government yesterday failed to answer a question raised by the Opposition on the administration of Sri Lanka Cricket funds and requested for more time.

UNP Colombo District MP, Ravi Karunanayake, requested Minister of Sports and Public Recreation Gamini Lokuge to inform the House the names of persons who are administering funds of Sri Lanka Cricket the cash position at the moment and for the last five years on yearly basis the source of funds to the Cricket Board for the last ten (10) years on yearly basis whether all awards which help the country to earn revenue are decided by a Tender Board and if not, the method which is fairly applied.

Sri Lanka`s Munchee biscuit brand won top place as brand of the year, while Panadol, a paracetamol product, bagged the gold for the international brand at the eighth annual Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) brand awards.

Ceylon`s Biscuits Limited`s Munchee also walked away with the award for the top export brand. Diva won silver and Tiara bagged bronze in the local category.

DIMO Batta, a half-truck manufactured by TATA Motors of India, distributed by Diesel and Motor Engineering Company (DIMO) won a silver in the international brand category.

In remembrance of the 22nd death anniversary of the Late Sri Lankan Music Legend Kalaasuri H.R Jothipala, some of his immortal songs have been reproduced and have been made available on an audio CD format.

This production, consisting of 21 songs, features the 20 greatest hits of H R Jothipala. The CD also includes a tribute song [lyrics by Dr. Vicumpriya Perera] to H R Jothipala. Music direction has been done by several leading artistes and musicians [Sangeeth Wickaramasingha, Ananda Waidiyasekara and the popular band Seeduwa Sakura] contributing generously towards the recreation of the musical tracks. All 21 songs are vocalised by Nalin Jayawardena. Duets were sung by Santhuri Waidiyasekara, a 16 year old from Gampaha.

By Bipin Dani

Sri Lanka cricket team is set to make test cricket history as Umpire Decision Review System, will officially be implemented for the first time by the International Cricket Council (ICC) from the first Test match between India and Sri Lanka, commencing in Ahmedabad on November 16.

Since it was first introduced in the 2008 India-Sri Lanka Test series on a trial basis, the referral system has got mixed reviews from the cricketing world.

Tillakaratne Dilshan bagged three top awards, including the Cricketer of the Year award, while prolific all-rounder Angelo Mathews and fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekera walked away with two awards each at the CEAT Sri Lanka Cricket Awards gala held at Waters` Edge on Friday.

Dilshan, who was recognized as the world`s best T20 cricketer at the ICC`s Cricket`s awards held four weeks back in Johannesburg for his innovative and aggressive batting in the wham-bang version, was also named the ODI Batsman of the year and the People`s Player of the Year.

HONG KONG:

Sri Lanka led by Jeevantha Kulatunga qualified for the next round of the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes after finishing runner-up to England in the North Group at Kowloon cricket grounds on Saturday.

After losing their opening match to India, Sri Lanka came back strongly to defeat Pakistan and England to qualify for a place.

England and Sri Lanka finished equal on four points with two wins and one defeat from three matches. Pakistan and India were eliminated from the next stage of the competition.

New Delhi:

Former greats Sunil Gavaskar, Sir Richard Hadlee and Ravi Shastri voiced strong opinions on the future of cricket at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in the Capital on Friday.

Batting great Gavaskar proposed uniform pattern of bilateral series, which would mean equal number of Tests would be played across each series, and similarly in the case of one-dayers and Twenty20 games.

`The T20 format will have a lot more matches being played now,` Gavaskar said. `But without the Test matches actually being affected to the extent of frequency, you could possibly have a two-Test series, five one-dayers and five T20s and the schedule for all bilateral series.`

Bhubaneswar:

Sari-clad cheerleaders will perform for the first time during the day and night one-day international cricket match between India and Sri Lanka Dec 21 at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

The cheerleaders will wear Sambalpuri saris -- the oldest form of the tie-and-dye handwoven textile -- and perform whenever a boundary is hit or a wicket falls, Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) secretary Ashirbad Behera told IANS.

By Nizla Naizer

With the threat of aerial attacks over with the end of the war, Adventure-Asia, the only commercial balloon operator in Sri Lanka is looking forward to an optimistic season of hot air balloon rides starting November 7.

Adventure-Asia Director Peter Stewart explained that the company started their air-safari rides in 2003, but within five years, the business deteriorated with the escalation of the war and many were afraid to take to the skies in a hot air balloon.

Two uncapped Test players for Indian tour

By Sa`adi Thawfeeq

Sri Lanka named two uncapped Test players and recalled left-arm fast-medium bowler Chanaka Welegedera after a two-year layoff in the Test squad of 16 named for the tour of India next month.

Twenty-eight-year-old left-arm fast bowler Chanaka Welegedera played his only Test match against England at Galle in 2007 where he took four wickets for 76 runs and was hailed as the likely successor to Sri Lanka`s most successful fast bowler Chaminda Vaas.

Test

1. Kumar Sangakkara
2. Muttaiah Muralitharan
3. Mahela Jayawardena
4. T.M. Dilshan
5. Tharanga Paranawithana
6. Thilan Samaraweera
7. Anjelo Mathews
8. Thilina Kandambi
9. Prasanna Jayawardena
10. Kaushal Silva
11. Chanaka Welagedara
12. Tilan Thushara Mirando
13. Nuwan Kulasekara
14. Dhammika Prasad
15. Rangana Herath
16. Ajantha Mendis

ODI series

Two-tiered programme mooted with money not Test ranking-taking centre-stage

By S.R. Pathiravithana

Is there a serious effort by the `big` cricketing nations to force a divide? This is the question that is bothering the smaller nations in the ICC.

This is what an article headlined Big four aim to cut out small fry in the Australian newspaper, The Age, says regarding the dispute:

Cricket Australia has reached agreement in-principle to host the game`s biggest drawcard, India, in four out of six summers under the new Future Tours Programme.