Sports
What’s up MJ’s sleeve?
by Rex Clementine
It’s been a tough couple of weeks for the national cricket team. They were thoroughly outplayed in Australia while the Indians have given them a hiding in the opening encounter of the three match series in Lucknow. The manner in which young Indian players walk into the senior side and punish the bowling has stunned many. There’s nothing to be surprised as India’s domestic structure is one of the best in the world whereas we have a system where players score more triple hundreds in a year than Sir Don Bradman has done his entire career.
Sanga and MJ are big stakeholders of the sport having considerable say in how cricket is run in the country. However, under their watch instead of the number of teams engaged in domestic cricket being reduced, it has increased. When they were not in administration they were vocal critics when Thilanga Sumathipala doubled the number of First Class teams in 2015.
Sanga and MJ have argued that the number of teams will be reduced eventually thanks to the promotion and relegation system. It’s only wishful thinking. They should know better. There are enough Sumith Pereras hanging around Maitland Place to get an interim injunction stopping First Class tournaments once their team is relegated. Then, it will be all back to square one. Instead, you should have the single mindedness of Imran Khan who wasted no time in bringing down the number of domestic teams in Pakistan to put cricket back on track. Shame on our legends!
The highest paid employ of any cricket board is their captain or the senior most player. But in Sri Lanka it is not Angelo Mathews or Dimuth Karunaratne. It’s MJ. But his commitment to Sri Lankan cricket could be questioned. Tours of India and Australia are the toughest ones. But he’s not in the dressing room when players need him most. He’s supposed to be providing instructions virtually. When he pulled out after the qualifying round of the World Cup in UAE due to family reasons, people didn’t ask questions. But now you get the feeling whether he’s pulling a fast one. Surely, Ambanis are not going to allow him to take a break middle of IPL.
MJ has basically got everything that he has asked for. The Chairman of Selectors is his puppet who has little clue. All coaching appointments are made after consultation with MJ. That’s too much power given to one man. That’s not bad. But with too much power one should also be held accountable.
You also sense that with MJ being a central figure in decision making coaching positions are given to those whom he can control. Chaminda Vaas not being given an extension probably is not a coincidence. It maybe that Vaas is too tough for MJ to handle. Hence, enter Lasith Malinga, no matter how much doubt you have about him being able to fit in as a team man.
Is cricket headquarters heading back to Perera Gardens?
Rumesh Ratnayake is one of the nicest men in cricket circles but him as a head coach was no brainer. He is so outdated that one day the Aussies had announced their playing eleven the day before the match while Rumesh was playing his cards close to his chest. Maybe he was thinking that he was letting out a state secret.
Clearly Sanga and MJ have faulted in not naming a Head Coach on time. The problem with these gents is that they are fixed with certain theories. They want us to believe that a crook like Charlie Austin is in fact a paragon of virtue. They would not look beyond Tom Moody, Graham Ford and Paul Farbrace when given a chance to headhunt a coach.
It is their fault that Sri Lanka does not have a Head Coach at the moment. Having too many sharp brains is one of the best things that happened to cricket. But at the same time, having too many cooks can mess things up.
A professional organization to succeed you can’t just have yes men. There will be people who disagree with your opinions. Healthy rivalry is in fact good for an organization.
Soon Sanga and MJ will be joining their IPL franchises. Their contribution towards Sri Lankan cricket over the next two months will be little. But there are other former captains who can make contributions. Is there any chance we can make use of their services?
Sanga and MJ stand accused of blocking the return of Sanath Jayasuriya back into the cricket fold. Let them be reminded that there’s no saint without a past and no sinner without a future.
The first truly heavyweight clash of this expanded T20 World Cup format comes freighted with both history and subplots. A rematch of the 2010 World T20 final at Kensington Oval, the match pits Jos Buttler’s defending champions – who are aiming to become the first team to retain the trophy – against the Australian winning machine, victors at the 2021 edition and current world title-holders in Test and ODI cricket. And that’s before you throw in the Ashes for afters.
Already there is added pressure on England, after the rain in Bridgetown led to a share of the points in their opener against Scotland (and that having conceded 90 runs from 10 overs without taking a wicket in a tepid bowling display). Lose to their oldest rivals and it will leave their Super 8 prospects open to being waylaid by the perils of net run-rate calculations, or worse.
The Scotland match was the third abandonment in five suffered by England, after a rain-affected home series against Pakistan, which has clearly hampered their readiness for this campaign after almost six months without playing T20 together. It does not take much for a side to click in this format – and England looked in decent shape when they did get on the field against Pakistan – but Buttler will be anxious for things to go their way on Saturday, if only to avoid further questions referencing the team’s disastrous ODI World Cup defence last year.
Australia, under the laidback leadership of Mitchell Marsh would love nothing more than to add to the English sense of jeopardy – having helped bundle them out of the tournament in India on the way to taking the crown. Their head to head record is less impressive in T20 however, with England having won six of the last seven completed encounters, as well as that 2010 final.
Despite a wobble with the bat, Australia avoided mishap against Oman earlier in the week, the experience of David Warner and Marcus Stoinis shining through in difficult batting conditions. Surfaces in the Caribbean – not to mention those games staged in the USA – have already had teams scratching their heads; rather than the “slug-fest” England had prepared for, following a high-scoring tour of the Caribbean in December, it looks as if boxing smart may be the way to go.
Speaking of Warner, this could be the last time he faces up against England in national colours – and another match-winning contribution would likely reduce the chances of them meeting again in the knockouts. On the other side of the card is Jofra Archer, fresh from an emotional maiden outing at Kensington Oval and ready to take on Australia for the first time in any format since 2020. Can Mark Wood fire up England’s campaign, as he did during last summer’s Ashes? Will Pat Cummins be back to harass the old enemy once again? Seconds out, it’s almost time to rumble.
Cummins is set to return after being rested for the Oman game, which saw Mitchell Starc leave the field with cramp. Starc is understood to be fine and could keep his place – which would likely see Nathan Ellis miss out. Marsh is still not fit to bowl, with Australia likely to continue with the allrounder combination of Stoinis and Maxwell to give them cover.
Australia (probable XI): David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis/Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
The one change England may consider is Reece Topley coming in for Wood, with the expectation that there will be some rotation among the seamers through the course of the tournament.
England (probable XI): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (capt & wk), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley/Mark Wood
[Cricinfo]
Once is coincidence, twice is a clue, and three times is proof.
To paraphrase Agatha Christie, that is the narrative around South Africa’s meeting with Netherlands at this T20 World Cup.
The Dutch beat South Africa at the 2022 tournament and ended their semi-final hopes in a match where South Africa appeared to be sleep walking, and then beat them again at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they exposed South Africa’s vulnerability in the chase. If they to do the treble, not only will Netherlands take the lead in Group D, but they will offer conclusive evidence of the threat they pose to Full Members, especially South Africa.
Of course, it will take some doing after South Africa’s opening performance against Sri Lanka, where they reduced their opposition to their lowest T20I total and chased it down in fairly straightforward fashion thanks to the most stable middle-order of their white-ball era. In Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, South Africa have bankers and big-hitters and, for this match, they also have the advantage of experience. They’ve already played at Eisenhower Park, and have first-hand knowledge that run-scoring doesn’t come easily;Klassen said they are prepared to use their “cricket brains” and play “smarter cricket”.
But the conditions could be good news for Netherlands, who are not naturally a line-up of big hitters and build their innings on a foundation of turning ones into twos. In other words, they tend to take a slightly more conservative approach to batting, which may work well here, but they’ll be wary of the uneven bounce of the surface and will have to come up with plans to counterattack especially against South Africa’s seamers. Their own bowlers were exemplary in Dallas and will look to build on that performance against a line-up that will likely be more proactive than Nepal’s, but who they have managed to keep quiet not once, but twice in the past. Third time’s the charm, they say.
Anrich Nortje’s stunning return to form against Sri Lanka means South Africa may not have to tinker with the bowling combination, and Gerald Coetzee and Tabraiz Shamsi may have to wait their turns to get a game. The batting line-up should be unchanged, with no space for Ryan Rickelton yet.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markam, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman, Anrich Nortje
Conditions in New York may tempt Netherlands to include an extra seamer and they have Kyle Klein in their squad. But it could come at the expense of a shortened batting line-up and they may not want to risk that.
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards (capt, wk), Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma
[Cricinfo]
Nuwan Thushara’s last over brought Sri Lanka screaming back into the match,as he first bowled Rishad Hossain, and then nailed Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps with a pinpoint swinging yorker. This left Bangladesh eight wickets down, with 12 runs still to get.
However, the experienced Mahmudullah was at the crease for Bangladesh, and despite some further nervy moments, pushed Bangladesh across the line off the last ball of the 19th over.
But this was a match chiefly decided by Bangladesh’s own outstanding bowling. Mustafizur Rahman was the best among them, using shorter lengths and his cutters efficiently, to claim figures of 3 for 17. Rishad Hossain’s three-for through the middle overs also kept Sri Lanka quiet.
Mustafizur was instrumental in Sri Lanka’s downward spiral through the middle overs, which culminated in a crash-and-burn end. Ultimately, their inability to find boundaries, or even rotate strike against good Bangladesh bowling resulted in their downfall. A score of 125 for 9 always seemed poor on a decent pitch, even if their bowlers made a match of it in the end.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 125 for 8 in 19 overs (Towhid Hridoy 40, Litton Das 36; Dhanajaya de Silva 1-11, Nuwan Thushara 4-18, Wanidu Hasaranga 2-32, Matheesha Pathirana 1-27) beat Sri Lanka124 for 9 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 47, Dhananjaya de Silva 21; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 1-24, Taskin Ahmed 2-25, Mustafizur Rahman 3-17, Rishad Hossain 3-22) by two wickets
[Cricinfo]
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