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Former cricket board president, Thilanga Sumathipala, has demanded 500million rupees (USD $ 5 million) damages from Sri Lanka’s Deputy SportsMinister, Mangala Samaraweera, after allegations made in a televisioninterview he helped topple the Sri Lankan government last week.According to Sumathipala, in a media statement released on Monday, “In arecent television interview had made serious false, misleading, maliciousstatements and even went to the extent to connect me with the LTTE through aTamil politician for the recent political crisis.”The ruling PA government, headed by President Chandrika Bandaranaike, wereforced to call fresh parliamentary elections on Wednesday night after thedefection of several high ranking MPs in the days running up to a crucial noconfidence vote.With the election expected to take place on 5 December the UNP oppositionlooks set for a return to power, opening up the possibility of a change inthe administration and thus the Sports Minister.Such changes would pave the way for fresh cricket board elections and thepossible return of a Sumathipala led administration, which had beendissolved in March by the then Sports Minister Lakshman Kiriella.Rumours ran rife in Colombo over the weekend that Sumathipala, renowned forhis canny politicking, had turned kingmaker and played a major hand in thepolitical defections.According to Sumathipala, Samaraweera claimed in the programme, broadcast onITN on Sunday night, that he (Sumathipala) had paid Rs 30 million to everymember that crossed the floor.He adamantly denies this, saying, “I must clearly state that I didn’t playany part in the recent political developments in the country and had nothingto do with any financial transaction whatsoever.”But admitted that: “Personally, I am very happy to see that some intelligentpeople have crossed over to the correct side at this moment in time.”Sumathipala has started legal proceedings by issuing a letter of demand foran astonishing 500 million Rupees. Should this not be answered within sevendays he claims further legal action will be taken.He then challenged Samaraweera to an open, televised face-to-face forum to”give us an opportunity to clear our name.”Rumours are also rife that Sumathipala is about to formally enter nationalpolitics and contest in the forthcoming elections. He, though, maintainsthat he is “interested in administration, not politics.”

Ravi Shastri will remain India team director till the World T20 in March-April 2016, the BCCI has announced. Based on the recommendations of the cricket advisory committee, the tenures of the three assistant coaches – Sanjay Bangar, B Arun and R Sridhar – have also been extended till the same tournament.”Acknowledging the performance of the Indian Cricket team and the efforts of the coaching staff in recent times, the CAC endorsed the extension of their tenure,” a BCCI release stated. The cricket advisory committee consists of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, board president Jagmohan Dalmiya and secretary Anurag Thakur.Shastri, and the three assistant coaches, had been brought in from the limited-overs leg of the England tour in August 2014 after India had lost the Test series. Their terms were then extended till the end of the World Cup by the BCCI working committee. They had been assured before the Bangladesh tour in June that their contracts would be renewed, but the tenure had been not agreed upon.

Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson and Ibrox manager Gio van Bronckhorst will be working alongside each other this summer to bolster the squad with new additions.

The Gers will be hoping to find the new superstars of tomorrow to improve the team by sniffing out gems in the transfer market.

Over the years, the likes of Ronald De Boer, Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup represented the Glasgow giants, and some other legendary players also came close to making the switch.

One player for whom the club reportedly chased a deal was Dutch icon Dennis Bergkamp in the 1990’s before he signed for Premier League giants Arsenal.

The Ger were keen to snap him up from Italian outfit Inter Milan but failed to get a move over the line quickly enough, allowing the Gunners to come in and secure his services in 1995 for a fee of £7.5m.

This ended up being a big howler from then-manager Walter Smith, who did win 10 Premiership titles with the Gers, as Bergkamp went on to demonstrate his immense quality in England.

He ended his career with 410 appearances for Arsenal, winning three Premier League titles and four FA Cups along the way. The mercurial playmaker produced 113 goals and 94 assists for the north London club in all competitions as he consistently showcased his ability in the final third.

Instead of regularly delivering goals and assists in the Scottish top flight for the Gers, he enjoyed a phenomenal spell south of the border.

Jaap Stam called him “world-class” and former Gunners boss Arsene Wenger once lauded his talents, saying: “Dennis is a player who is admired by all the other players and was the first push of Arsenal into the modern, international era. [ . . . ] He brought creativity to this group of very strong players and it was a good marriage.”

His sublime goal against Newcastle United in 2002 has been ranked as one of the greatest in the history of the Premier League. Now… imagine if he produced moments like that in a Rangers shirt!

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Who knows what would have happened had Smith and the Gers moved with a bit more urgency to get the deal over the line. Bergkamp may not have fulfilled his potential in the way that he did at Arsenal, or maybe he could have exploded at Ibrox and been a joy for the fans to watch.

Talk about one that got away…

AND in other news, Was £2.7m, went to £162m: Rangers fumbled deal for “alien” who’s the “god of football”…

Scorecard

Daniel Marsh made his first one-day century in three years to set up the win © Getty Images

Brad Haddin’s highest one-day score was not enough for New South Wales to steal a win after Daniel Marsh’s 106 set up Tasmania’s 50-run victory. Marsh had plenty of batting support but Haddin’s 138 not out was a solo effort as he tried to rein in a ballooning required run-rate after the top order struggled in chasing 326.Haddin played some fiercely powerful straight drives in his 116-ball innings and cleared the ropes twice but Nathan Wegman’s 4 for 45 and a tight opening spell from Brett Geeves (2 for 27) made the task too difficult. Wegman, the fast bowler who was making his debut aged 30, removed Grant Lambert for 38 and Simon Katich (0) in consecutive balls to have the Blues at 4 for 72.None of Haddin’s team-mates seemed to warm up in the freezing Hobart conditions – the temperature fell as low as nine degrees – and the bowlers also had trouble restricting Tasmania. Marsh justified his decision to bat by scoring his first limited-overs century since 2004-05 and he made Peter Forrest pay for dropping him at square leg on 3.Marsh had good support from Travis Birt, who opened with 79, and George Bailey, who was typically innovative in striking 65 from 47 balls to help the Tigers reach 5 for 325. Nathan Hauritz finished with 1 for 35 from his ten overs, remarkable figures given that all the Blues fast bowlers went for at least six an over.Last year the Tigers were the team to beat in the Pura Cup but struggled in the one-day competition; this season they have shot to the top of the FR Cup table with three wins and three bonus points. The Blues are yet to win a match with two losses and a no-result.

‘His greatest quality was the suppleness and his wristwork,” he said. “Hanumant would work on the bowler without offending him’ – Srinivas Venkataraghavan on Hanumant Singh © AFP

Hanumant Singh, the former Indian batsman, died at the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai on the morning of Wednesday, November 29. He had been in hospital for more than 20 days, in intensive care, battling renal and lung failure caused by Hepatitis B and Dengue, which led to his kidneys and lungs failing. He was in the intensive care unit on life support – ventilator and dialysis. The funeral is to be held in Mumbai at 4.30 pm today.Hanumant was in good health as recently as the beginning of November. He returned from Rajasthan, the team he coaches in the Ranji Trophy, earlier this month with the intention of watching the Champions Trophy final. However, he took ill soon after returning and could not attend the CK Nayudu awards function on November 4 or the final on November 5.A career spanning more than 20 years was highlighted by a century on Test debut (against England) and prolific run-scoring in the domestic game but was blighted when he was unceremoniously dropped from the Test team while at the top of his game.A dashing strokeplayer with immaculate footwork, Hanumant (known as ‘Chhotu’ for his diminutive size) followed up the debut Test century with good batting against Australia and the pace of McKenzie and co, making 94 in the second innings of the first Test at Madras. He did reasonably well in the Tests against New Zealand and West Indies at home and on the tour of England in 1967. Then at the peak of his career, he was inexplicably dropped for the 1967-68 tour of Australia.Vijay Merchant , then chairman of selectors, was instrumental in bringing Hanumant back into the national team for the 1969 series against New Zealand but the return was ill-timed. Personal problems occupied his mind and, as a result, he suffered against the pace of Dayle Hadlee in Mumbai. That was the last time he played for India.While his Test average of 31.18 belied his class, his statistics in the Ranji Trophy were more reflective. He amassed 6170 runs with 15 centuries at 43.90 and came close to breaking Vijay Hazare’s then record total of 6312. The 1966-67 season was his crowning glory as he totalled 869 runs at 124.14 and scored 109 and an unbeaten 213 in the final against the might of Bombay. A shrewd captain, Hanumant led Central Zone to their first Duleep Trophy triumph in 1971-72 and ended up with more than 12,000 runs in first-class cricket.Srinivas Venkataraghavan, former India offspinner and later an international umpire, rated Hanumant very highly against spin. “His greatest quality was the suppleness and his wristwork,” he said. “Hanumant would work on the bowler without offending him, he would cleverly play in the gaps, pushing and nudging the ball away and collecting runs. He had soft hands and was always in control of the shot, always on top. As a bowler you had to keep the ball away from his leg stump because he was very strong in that direction. He could place it at will if you drifted towards his pads, a bit like Azhar. Perhaps the best strategy against him was to peg away at the off stump, bringing the ball in because he was not strong on the cut. Which is why I would bowl outside off, slanting it in to keep him quiet. But he had solid defense and a very stable temperament.”After retiring as a player, Hanumant continued with the game as coach, administrator, selection committee chairman and ICC match referee. He was also an insightful commentator on the changing nature of the game, believing, for example, that deception in spin bowling was on the decline of late. “People are bowling the straight ball in a different way,” he said. “They are over-spinning it, bowling top-spinners, some of which go the other way, which only Prasanna used to bowl in my time. But the subtleties of pace variations are definitely not as good. This and the trajectory go together. And too much one-day cricket is affecting use of the crease.”Known for his straight-talking, Hanumant held strong views about chucking and believed umpires should be given the authority to call it as they see it. “They say it’s only after 15 degrees that the eye is first able to see a throw. That itself solves the problem: The moment you see it with the naked eye, you call it.”Hanumant, a teetotaller and non-smoker, was known for his health and fitness, and even at the age of 67 was an active member of the cricketing fraternity. He suffered a devastating tragedy four years ago when Suryaveer, his elder brother, two sisters and a niece were killed in a motor accident near Ahmedabad.

Scorecard
Clinton Heron and Shaun Marsh put on a stand of 145 for the fourth wicket to help Western Australia into a strong position on the first day of their Pura Cup match against Tasmania at Perth. Ryan Campbell was unbeaten on 76 by the close as the home side ended on 5 for 305.Heron built a steady platform with Chris Rogers, but Rogers’ dismissal to Scott Kremerskothen on 16 prompted two more quick strikes. From 0 for 42 and cruising, Western Australia were wobbling on 3 for 48, but Heron and Marsh rescued them – and more.By the time their partnership came to a close, when Heron became the second of Adam Griffith’s victims on 84, Western Australia were in the much healthier position of 4 for 193. They lost just one more wicket before the end of play, Marsh’s valiant knock ending just shy of his third hundred when he sent a catch off Shannon Tubb to Michael Di Venuto.

Sourav Ganguly has had his two-match ban lifted© Getty Images

The ICC has lifted the two-match ban on Sourav Ganguly, allowing him to lead the Indian team for the second Test against South Africa at Kolkata on November 28. Ganguly had earlier been penalised for India’s slow over-rate in the Platinum Jubilee one-day match against Pakistan on November 13, but he had appealed against the verdict to the ICC. The decision to lift the ban follows a teleconference on Thursday [November 25] in which Tim Castle, the ICC Appeals Commissioner, and Clive Lloyd, the match referee for that game, participated.In his judgement, Castle explained: “On any analysis, the delay of nearly an hour to the finish of a 50 over ODI game beyond its scheduled finish time, is out of an acceptable range. I am of the opinion that the circumstances were particularly unusual in this game and a large number of them conspired to cause the delays which occurred.” In his appeal, Ganguly had brought attention to frequent changing of the ball, the heavy dew and injuries to Rahul Dravid, the wicketkeeper, and Salman Butt, all of which would slow the over-rate.Malcolm Speed, the chief executive of the ICC, expressed pleasure at the way the appeal has been handled. “The decision today demonstrates the independence of the ICC’s appeals process,” he said. “His judgement highlights the exceptional circumstances that prevailed during this particular match while also emphasising the general importance of maintaining the required over-rates during international matches.”Reacting to the verdict, Ganguly expressed his elation and looked forward to playing in his home ground against the South Africans. “I thank God, the BCCI, Jagmohan Dalmiya, Siddhartha Shankar Ray [former West Bengal chief minister, who was provided legal counsel to Ganguly] and others,” he told reporters. “I am grateful for the the way they stood by me in the hour of crisis and gave me moral support.”Ganguly was also full of praise for Castle. “He gave me a very patient hearing. He heard all our arguments. I am happy that I was able to convince him. Now I can concentrate on the match [Kolkata Test].”

Australia v Bangladesh, second Test, Cairns, starts 0000GMT Friday

Adam Gilchrist practises ahead of the second Test at Carins

Surprisingly, given the ease with which the top-ranked Australians disposed of cellar-dwellers Bangladesh in their first Test match last weekend at Darwin, it is the home side who are under pressure to perform again in the second Test starting at Cairns on Friday.Victory is expected of the Australians, and sooner rather than later. While that is the case whenever the side takes the field nowadays, an acknowledgement of the outstanding record they have developed under leader Steve Waugh, who is now the most successful captain in Test cricket history, the fact remains that there was a rustiness about the Australians at Darwin.Given their own demands for excellence, the Australians can be expected to make the most of the faster pitch that is anticipated in this match. Already, the bowlers have made their mark on the tourists. Dismissing them for 97 in the first innings on a slow pitch at Darwin, they will only need to ensure that they remember the fundamentals of bowling on a quicker strip to test the tourists yet again.Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee will be the key players in this match as they attempt to utilise the conditions on offer and their control will determine how quickly the game is decided.At the same time, there are pressures remaining on the batsmen. One of the problems with being so dominant over the opposition as in this series, is that there is not the chance to have two innings in matches. For players like Martin Love, who has a rare opportunity for international play as Damien Martyn recovers from his finger injury, that reduces chances for what is a crucial step in his career.Love, dismissed first ball in Darwin, needs a score if he is to remain first cab off the rank in the event of other players suffering injuries or to force his way into the side if top players suffer a loss of form. While he is not batting in his preferred position of No. 3, where he has been such a significant operator for Queensland, the adjustment to No. 6 can only stand as an excuse for not playing to ability for so long.Matthew Hayden missed out in Darwin and can be expected to cash in this time around. That merely increases the pressure on the touring attack to contain and subdue the Australians, something the best opposing attacks in the world have struggled to do.Waugh has been very kind in his assessment of the tourists. In his newspaper column in today, he said: “Tempo, poise, purpose, intensity, body language, patience and self-belief are words that they need to use and put into practice. They have talent in all areas of the game, which will develop as they acquire match practice in pressure situations.”He cited Mohammad Ashraful as a player with a solid technique but lacking the knowledge of how to construct an innings, with the ability to understand the occasions when graft is required and when he can unleash the shots he undoubtedly has. That could describe all the batsmen in the side, who still seem to be getting out of the groove of batting in 50-overs matches. The ability to exercise patience and application to get through the hard phases of an innings still eludes the tourists and until that is realised the way is going to be tough for them.The Australians, have been free with their advice for the tourists, but tomorrow it is back into the game’s classroom, in the middle, for the toughest examination yet, in conditions more suited to the attacking Australian attitude. While there were some encouraging signs for the tourists in the first Test, not least the ability to get good batsmen out in the manner shown by fast-medium bowler Mushrafe Mortaza, it is certain that this is going to be a much more demanding experience for Bangladesh.Teams:Australia 1 Justin Langer, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Darren Lehmann, 5 Steve Waugh (capt), 6 Martin Love, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Brett Lee, 9 Jason Gillespie, 10 Stuart MacGill, 11, Glenn McGrath.Bangladesh (from): Khaled Mahmud (capt), Javed Omar, Khaled Mashud (wk), Habibul Bashar, Hannan Sarker, Mohammad Ashraful, Al-Sahariar, Manjural Islam, Alok Kapali, Tapash Baisya, Mashrafe Mortaza, Sanwar HossainUmpires: Rudi Koertzen, David Shepherd (Peter Davis – 3rd umpire)Match referee: Mike Procter

Former Australian Test cricket batsman Peter Burge died today in Brisbane, aged 69. Burge is believed to have suffered a heart attack.The Queensland Cricket Association was not aware of any other details.Burge played 42 Tests between 1954/55 and 1965/66, scoring 2290 runs at 38.16 with four centuries.The hard hitting Queenslander also scored almost 15,000 first class runs with 38 hundreds.He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1965.In recent years Burge had served as an international cricket match referee.

Match facts

Thursday, July 30, 2015
Start time 1900 local (1330 GMT)Captain Lasith Malinga will be hoping to find a few exciting prospects from the youngsters included in the squad•PA Photos

Big Picture

Sri Lanka have more-or-less been the top-ranked T20 side in the world since September 2012, but no one will argue that it means much. T20 is the format most international sides forget about for 18 months in each two-year cycle. Sri Lanka are a full 13 rankings points clear of the next-best side, but have played only one T20I in the 16 months since winning the World T20.But now, with the next World T20 in India on the horizon, sides are again dusting their T20 kits and beginning to put wheels in motion. Sri Lanka are taking the opportunity to experiment. Five uncapped players have been named in the squad, with captain Lasith Malinga seemingly intent on discovering one or two rough diamonds among them. Pakistan have played it slightly safer, but even they have uncapped left-arm seamer Zia-ul-Haq and rookie batsman Nauman Anwar in their squad.Pakistan have outclassed Sri Lanka in both formats so far, but Sri Lanka have had their moments as well. with the young players often leading the hosts’ good days. But with so much youth in the Sri Lanka side, Pakistan will like their chances of completing their third series victory on tour. Pakistan have also played more T20 cricket in recent months; they recently played Zimbabwe at home, as well as Bangladesh away, and their captain Shahid Afridi is coming off a Caribbean Premier League stint. A few low-key practice matches in Colombo is all the preparation Sri Lanka have had.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka: WWWWLPakistan: WWLLW

In the spotlight

Nuwan Kulasekara was for so long the most consistent man in Sri Lanka’s seam attack, bringing disciplined bowling and occasionally vicious inswing to the early overs. A decline in pace accompanied a loss of control, however, and he fell sharply away in the latter half of 2014. He has now been dropped from the Test and ODI teams, and will be desperate to prove he deserves a T20 place at least. Still 33 years old, and generally injury-free, he may see the T20s as his route back into the ODI side as well.Mohammad Rizwan has been a revelation in the ODIs, leading a Pakistan fielding outfit almost unrecognizable from the side that bungled their way around the World Cup, while also producing impactful cameos towards the end of the innings. He did not have much luck in his only T20 international innings so far, falling for 6 in a match in which he also kept wickets, but his natural athleticism and ability to manoeuvre the ball makes him an exciting prospect.

Teams news

With so many new names in the Sri Lanka squad, it’s difficult to work out what the final XI might be. Of the uncapped cricketers, legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay and left-arm seamer Binura Fernando appear likeliest to debut. Chamara Kapugedara and Kithuruwan Vithanage are also likely to feature somewhere in the batting order.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Kusal Perera (wk), 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Chamara Kapugedara, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Kithuruwan Vithanage, 6 Milinda Siriwardene, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara 9 Jeffrey Vandersay, 10 Lasith Malinga (capt.), 11 Binura FernandoPakistan will consider playing left-arm spinning allrounder Imad Wasim, but he may find it difficult to displace Yasir Shah from the side. Mohammad Hafeez will also likely keep his place in the top order after picking up the Player-of-the-Series award for the ODIs.Pakistan (probable): 1 Mukhtar Ahmed, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Sarfraz Ahmed/ Umar Akmal (wk), 6 Shahid Afridi (capt.), 7 Mohammad Rizwan, 8 Anwar Ali, 9 Yasir Shah/ Imad Wasim, 10 Sohail Tanvir, 11 Mohammad Irfan

Pitch and conditions

The weather is expected to be fine and the pitch, full of runs.

Stats and trivia

• In 12 matches against Sri Lanka, Pakistan have won seven and lost five. Sri Lanka won in their only meeting in Colombo.
• Tillakaratne Dilshan needs 34 runs to complete 1500 T20 international runs.

Quotes

“There’s no domestic T20 league in Sri Lanka between now and the World T20, so we have to choose the players who have shown talent in the last season and work out whether they are suitable for international cricket. We’ll try to work out which players we can take into that World T20, in the next five matches.”