Sri Lanka confirms visit to Lahore for T20 clash
The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has officially confirmed its national team’s tour to Pakistan for the last T20 match of the on-going series, to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Oct 29.
“Sri Lanka Cricket today (Monday) has confirmed its commitment to play the third and final T20 game of the ongoing Sri Lanka series against Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on the 29th of October,” an official press release of the Sri Lanka Cricket stated on Monday.
“SLC have over the past two months conducted a thorough evaluation with the assistance of the Government of Sri Lanka, the Government of Pakistan, the PCB and independent security experts and The Executive Committee today, October 16, evaluated the reports obtained together with the recommendation of the International Cricket Council – which successfully conducted the Independence Cup tournament in Lahore fielding a World XI Team — and having been fully satisfied with the stringent security measures in place, the SLC ExCo unanimously decided to play the 3rd T20 in Lahore on the 29th of October,” it further said.
Accordingly, the Selection Committee of SLC will finalize a squad of twenty two players by the Oct 17 and announce the final 15 on the 20th of October.
“SLC President, Hon. Thilanga Sumathipala who will accompany the team to Lahore, extended his best wishes to PCB Chairman Najam Sethi and his board on the occasion of this historic game, which is set to bring back bilateral cricket to Pakistan,” it concluded.
Sethi was quick to respond with a positive message to SLC’s decision.
Talking to Dawn News late Monday evening, the PCB chairman said: “This is a historic moment. I am grateful for the understanding and support given to me by the President of the SLC, my friend Thilanga Sumathipala, who made a pledge two months ago to me during the ACC moot in Colombo to break the ice and come to Lahore and help Pakistan bring international cricket home.”
Meanwhile, the decision of Sri Lanka to come to Lahore will definitely be a boost for other teams and will further convince the West Indies to fulfill its commitment of playing three T20 matches in Lahore since the West Indies Cricket Board had conditioned the visit of its national cricket team to Pakistan with the safe return of the World XI and subsequently of Sri Lanka.
(Dawn)
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SL was the victim of this vicious attack. Why Pakistan Cricket Board put pressure to SL to play this T-20? Why they can’t invite other cricket playing nations? Auz, NZ & Eng for that matter?
These terrorists chose to attack SL as it is a defenseless small nation. They will never think of attacking Australia or England. This is another senseless act by our Cricket boss Sumathipala.
The Discrimination of a young and Experience Leg and Off Spinner with various other variations Adjantha Mendis
What is the reason Ajantha Mendis is not given a opportunity of using his skills as ODI and 20/20 bowler one of the best in the world when he was thrown out of the squad in 2014 from the credible evidence from Crick Info which supports the above statement and is given below
It is the Sri Lanka team that has suffered from the day Ajantha Mendis was thrown out of the squad about the year 2014 the very next day he was named the best ODI bowler in the world for year 2014 by the elite ICC panel , this same panel selected him has the only Sri Lankan Cricketer to be in the eleven for the world ODI team for the year 2014. He was left out of the ODI squad to New Zealand and left out of the world cup 2015 no reason given by the captain and selectors for such actions and also our so called independent media not a hum so was fidel Fernando editor Crick Info not even a comment in respect of Ajantha Mendis was published. We may see him sitting on the bench not been chosen for the playing eleven due to the captains decision of playing S Senanayake similar to what the captain did in the last Asia finals of 2014 leaving out Ajantha Mendis after he had help eliminating mighty India in the semi finals of the Asia cup when before this Finals Ajantha Mendis had taken the most Number of Wickets 9 Malinga 6 S Senanayake 4 he dropped Ajantha Mendis, only Malinga took 5 wickets in the finals and non of the others a wicket the captain’s favorite bowler Senanayake No wickets.
Quoting From Crick Info ” Ajanta Mendis: Even as the Sri Lankan mystery spinner found himself out of favour many a times through the year, he ended up as the leading wicket taker of 2014 in ODIs. In 17 matches, he took 38 wickets at an average of 21.63, with a wicket every 22.5 balls economic rate 5.76. Apart from some steller batting performances, Ajantha Mendis’ fin form with the ball played a key role in Sri Lanka’s success in 2014, the 5-0 thrashing against India notwithstanding”
He also in the 2011 world cup with the limited opportunity he got performed better than Murali in getting wickets in the semi finals against New Zealand taking wickets and having in the whole tournament the least economy rate of 3.1 to Murali 4.1 but the selectors left him out in the finals and we lost the finals no reasons given by the selectors .Sanga the then captain resigned .
20/20
You get only 4 overs to spell your magic.. quick and conditional cause fast bowlers can’t bowl bouncers or too wide outside stumps. no overstepping the popping crease and field restricted!
Best Bowling figures in Twenty20 (T20) cricket matches.
Bowler (Country) Wkts Ovs Runs Versus Venue Date
Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka) 6 4.0 8 Zimbabwe Hambantota 18 Sep 2012
Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka) 6 4.0 16 Australia Pallekele 8 Aug 2011
Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka) 5 3.3 3 New Zealand Chittagong 31 Mar 2014
Umar Gul (Pakistan) 5 2.2 6 South Africa Ceturion 3 Mar 2013
Umar Gul (Pakistan) 5 3.0 6 New Zealand The Oval 13 Jun 2009
Elisas Sunny (Bangladesh) 5 4.0 13 Ireland Belfast 18 Jul 2012
Tim Southee (New Zealand) 5 4.0 18 Pakistan Auckland 26 Dec 2010
In the Bangladesh tour there were head lines that Ajantha Mendis has been recalled from the big bash in Australia for test but he was not included in the 1st test. He was included in the 2nd test and in the 1st innings he took 6 wickets. However in the 2nd innings most his overs he was given to bowl was when the seam of the ball being not prominent and on a dead wicket he went wicket less. In the ODI series he was dropped for the 1st taken for the 2nd and he took 2 wickets but he was dropped for the 3rd while the selectors’ 1st choice spinner played for all the 3 ODI and had a strike rate of 31.2 compared with Mendis’ 24 these statistics can be obtained from Crick Info
when the selectors’ and the Selectors’ policy is encourage cricketers who have performed and give opportunities to those who perform but from the above facts it appears that it is the reverse in the case of Ajantha Mendis and a emerging spinner who was world class is not given a chance to come up to his former bowling skills after injury, he was working in combination with Murali and that is the reason Rangana Herath was unable to gain prominence
I am a professional Engineer and a Cricket Fan age 86 years and I have had the opportunity of seeing Bradman play at the Oval in Colombo and also the famous (3 ws ) Weeks Worrel Walcot play in the Oval in Colombo with my younger brother Marshall who is now the governor of Sabragamuwa Province and during this period of interest in cricket I have not seen any cricketer discriminated against than Ajantha Mendis for no reason with credible evidence that a sportsman has been discriminated .I have sent letters to the secretary Ministry of Sports to the SLC Prsesident to 3 Sports Ministers and the Prime Minister but no worth wile reply from any of them while our cricket is going down and down