Sri Lanka have called up pace bowler Dilhara Fernando into an expanded 16-man squad for their five-match one-day series against Pakistan, which starts on Thursday. Fernando, 30, will provide strike bowling cover for Lasith Malinga, who is returning to one-day cricket after a year's absence and may not play in all the matches due to a congested schedule.
Reader Dr.Yadunandan T V sent us these pictures from Colombo.
The convincing win gave India an unassailable 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Pakistan found Lasith Malinga's pace and swing too hot to handle as they went down to Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the Super Eights match of the World Twenty20 at Lord's on Friday. Electing to bat, Sri Lanka were restricted to 150 for seven in their 20 overs, but Pakistan disappointed, finishing with 131 for nine.
'We didn't get wickets (initially) but Hardik came and picked up those wickets and I thought Krunal (Pandya) bowled brilliantly to keep the pressure on and it was a good combination'
Sunrisers Hyderabad face a formidable task without batting mainstay David Warner when they square off against Mumbai Indians in a crucial IPL match in Mumbai, on Thursday.
Habibul Bashar won the toss and elected to field against Sri Lanka in the first qualifying match of the ICC Champions Trophy.
Dinesh Chandimal will captain Sri Lanka in the T20 series against New Zealand in place of regular captain Lasith Malinga who has been forced out due to an injury, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews blamed his butterfingered fielders for the three-wicket loss against Pakistan which ended their campaign at the ICC Champions Trophy in Cardiff on Monday.
Sri Lanka Cricket's selection committee chairman Aravinda de Silva stood by his panel and took full responsibility for making last-minute changes to the team for the ICC World Twenty20. "All decisions were taken in the best interest of the team and we take responsibility," de Silva, the hero of Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup win, said. He replaced the committee headed by Kapila Wijegoonawardana. Wijegoonawardana's committee was sacked by the Sports Ministry just a few days before the team departed. De Silva's committee, which also included Kumar Sangakkara, made changes to the squad picked by the previous committee. Sri Lanka fared poorly and failed to make it to the semifinals in a woeful defence of their title won in 2014.
A young Sri Lanka team must play with arrogance if they are to upset holders India in Thursday's ICC Champions Trophy match at the Oval in London, former captain Kumar Sangakkara said.
With momentum on their side, Dhoni and Co need to justify the favorites' tag and go the distance.
Umar Akmal played a stunning cameo of 18-ball unbeaten 38 as Lahore Lions beat defending champions Mumbai Indians by six wickets in their opening qualifying round match of the Champions League Twenty20 in Raipur on Saturday.
He has been roped in to arrest the downslide in Sri Lankan cricket and Asanka Gurusinha's assessment of the fall is quite simple -- not grooming anyone to fill in Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara's shoes.
Kohli promoting Pandya ahead of Dhoni is an indication that the skipper is looking to use his former captain more as an accumulator -- in Javed Miandad mould who would rotate strike, frustrate bowlers and launch a furious counter-attack after getting his eye in.
His bowlers pulled off an incredible win under pressure and Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma said that he always had faith in his pacers to deliver in crunch situation.
Continuity is an important aspect of squad building, said Fleming.
India has been confirmed as host for the 2016 Twenty20 World Cup
Harbhajan will be playing for Chennai Super Kings this time after donning the Mumbai Indians jersey since the inception of the Indian Premier League.
The already depleted Sri Lanka team on Monday suffered another blow with left arm fast bowler Binura Fernando being ruled out of the T20 series against India after sustaining a hamstring injury.
India bulldozed Sri Lanka by 168 runs in the fourth one-day international on Thursday after skipper Virat Kohli and opener Rohit Sharma smashed blistering hundreds to put the tourists 4-0 up in the five-match series.
Opener Rohit Sharma smashed an unbeaten 124 to help India overcome a top-order wobble and register a series-clinching six-wicket victory in the third one-day international against Sri Lanka in Pallekele on Sunday.
List of players released by IPL teams ahead of next month's auction for 2020 season:
Bumrah faces risk of suffering lumbar injuries, feels strength and conditioning sciences expert
Openers KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan slammed quickfire half-centuries as India outclassed Sri Lanka by 78 runs in the third and final T20 International to win the three-match series 2-0, in Pune, on Friday. Images from the third T20 International between India and Sri Lanka, at Pune, on Friday.
Kings XI Punjab's bid to remain in contention for the play-off berth in the Indian Premier League received a major blow when their premier batsman Shaun Marsh was ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury. The Australian batsman had picked up a niggle in his back during the six-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders on April 19, which reportedly worsened in subsequent matches. Marsh is the third Australian in as many days to be heading home early from the competition, following younger brother Mitchell (side) and captain Steve Smith (wrist).
Teenager Trent Alexander-Arnold curled in a magnificent free kick on his European debut to set Liverpool on the way to a 2-1 win at Hoffenheim which put them on the brink of UEFA Champions League group stage place.
To celebrate ten years of its association with the hugely successful Indian Premier League, two-time champions Mumbai Indians are organising a special function in Mumbai on April 10.
Sri Lanka defeated Afghanistan by 34 runs in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup match at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Tuesday.
Suresh Raina figures among the 10 players, who will "define" cricket in the next decade.
Coach Stephen Fleming said that the planning for next season will start after Mahendra Singh Dhoni is back from the World Cup.
The West Indies ended their dismal tour of Sri Lanka with a consolation victory after Dwayne Bravo's all-round brilliance secured a series-levelling 23-run win in the second and final Twenty20 International on Wednesday.
Sri Lanka announced an unchanged 15-man squad for the second Test against South Africa which starts in Colombo on August 11.
The combination of India's flat pitches and cricket's most trigger-happy batsmen is certain to produce some torrid moments for fast bowlers during the World Twenty20.
Spinner Muttiah Muralitharan claimed a match haul of 9-140 to propel Sri Lanka to an 88-run victory in the first Test against England on Wednesday.
Sri Lanka continued to struggle in their tour match against Queensland on Saturday after going into stumps at 62-4 in their second innings, 23 runs behind the home side's first innings total.
'I'm disappointed that we get defeated by a team Rajasthan Royals with weak batting order. If we can't restrict a team for under 170 with our bowling attack then we will need miracles against a strong team like Mumbai'
Tendulkar made way for Ganguly while Zaheer was included as the sixth Indian in the revised 14-member team.
Sachin Tendulkar has said that international batsmen should constantly work on their game in order to counter world class bowlers, as he did during his playing days.
Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar feels that international batsmen should constantly work on their game.
