Sports
Let’s hope that SLSRFA considers reverting back to old rugby format
By A Special Sports Correspondent
The schools’ rugby season has faced a storm due to a vibe generated by top rugby playing schools who are frowning upon a decision taken by the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) to hold the Super Round matches of the inter-school league tournament at neutral venues.
The super round is the ‘second round’ of the league rugby tournament and venues are set according to a ‘home and away’ system. This system has been in practice since rugby was introduced to this little island; first to clubs and then to schools. One team that hosts the match this year will travel to the other school as ‘guests’ the next year and no one has complained about this arrangement. But it seems the SLSRFA wishes to change this tradition. The schools section of Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) maintains that this change will be implemented with the motive of preserving the quality of the tournament and avoiding any team enjoying undue benefits in terms of playing on familiar ground conditions. The SLSRFA affirms that it has no intention of taking home the gate collection generated from these second round matches. The SLSRFA also intends to conduct the super round of the league tournament in a ‘knockout basis’ which is a total contrast to how this stage of the tournament was conducted last season. Many schools have already voiced their disapproval as to how the format of the schools rugby tournament has been subject to change.
From the surface this decision by the SLSRFA seems logical, but we need to think deep from a rugby tradition point of view. Just imagine if ‘Bradby Shield’ brothers Royal and Trinity are grouped in a manner that they meet in the super round of this tournament! Luckily these two teams are not pooled in the same group this season and they can only meet if they qualify for the super round stage of the league tournament. If that happens at least one leg of the Brady Shield will be played at a neutral venue. Going by the history of these two schools, neither Royal nor Trinity would agree to this. The solution to this issue might come in the form of both schools pulling out of the schools rugby tournament midway during this much looked forward to sporting event. This would be very bad for rugby and the spirit of sport.
The schools rugby tournament has been subject to several changes since more schools playing the sport entered the fray and the SLSRFA became an authority in rugby. The tournament format till last season was fair for all top division rugby playing schools grouped in Division 1 Segment 1. This writer says this because the old format allowed the best teams in the tournament to make a comeback even after a surprise loss and still be in contention of the ‘plum’. This opportunity no longer exists with the schools rugby authorities demanding the introduction of a ‘sudden death’ or knockout flavor to the tournament. This is the other issue causing concerns to school teams this season.
Many rugby critics and veterans who have played the game have already opined that this would be too much of a change for schoolboys. Unlike clubs, most schools need time to settle down and play their best rugby. There have been some schools in the past which came back strongly midway during the season. In the year 1988, Ananda and especially Isipatana made strong comebacks in to the schools’ tournament after mediocre performances at the start. Isipatana lost around four games at the start of the league tournament, but made amends as the season progressed to finish on a high.
The schools section of the SLR back then hardly interfered in the conduct of the league tournament. Schools were free to pick their opponents and each school had to play seven games to be in contention of the league title. But at present there are too many regulations being imposed; which might dampen the spirit of the game.
The SLSRFA has affirmed that it’ll not stake a claim to the entire gate collection that’ll be generated during the super round of the tournament.
Many top rugby playing schools have already sent protest letters to the SLSRFA airing their grievances about the new format of the tournament. Let’s hope that the schools’ tournament doesn’t run into a snag because if a school that’s affected by this format change seeks legal assistance there could be a delay in starting the tournament.
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]
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
