Sports

For two straight days the Black Caps have re-written the record books – but today, they were on the wrong side of history.

For the first time in the history of cricket tests played in New Zealand, a full day went by without a wicket falling, as the Sri Lankan pair of Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews put on a batting masterclass at the Basin Reserve.

It came at a superb time for the visitors - the Black Caps were marching towards victory in the first test, but now, an incredible fightback and a bleak weather forecast looks to have rained on their parade.

After all of the twists, turns and incredible comebacks of the Pakistan series, it looked like the Black Caps' return home would produce far more formulaic tests, but Sri Lanka had other ideas.

A 246-run partnership between Mendis [116*] and Mathews [117*] lasted the entire day – it was also the first wicketless day in any test since 2008 - allowing Sri Lanka to get to stumps at 259-3, and surely denying New Zealand an expected victory.

Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews celebrates with Kusal Mendis after their historic day. Photo / Photosport 

Sure, Sri Lanka are still 37 runs behind with a day to go, but weather looks set to have the final say, with the forecast predicting steady rain for the whole day. Besides, even if it cleared – what evidence would there be to suggest the Black Caps could snap their partnership?
Still, rain would be a limp conclusion to a strangely compelling test. A day after Tom Latham sent records tumbling, Mendis and Mathews compiled the biggest partnership of all time for Sri Lanka against New Zealand, barely offering a chance in their marathon stay at the crease.

The pair displayed the type of discipline Latham had displayed in his 264, and after losing three wickets in 12 overs the night before, it was like a new wicket had been inserted overnight, such was the ease they batted with. 

Mendis was the early aggressor, pulling with aplomb and negating – and angering – Neil Wagner, whose usual short-ball danger soon turned into monotonous surety as he went for 100 runs in 21 overs.

So long the Black Caps' fail-safe when their first option wasn't working, Wagner couldn't muster any chances, and his combination with a tidy Ajaz Patel couldn't repeat their heroics from the United Arab Emirates.

As Mendis slowed down, showing good discipline, Mathews stepped up. In his second resurrection of the test – having scored 83 after coming in at 9-3 in the first innings –Mathews first battened down the hatches, then also joined in on the short-ball fun – scoring the bulk of his runs via pull or hook shots.

New Zealand's bowlers couldn't even muster appeals, as session by session went by without any hope of breaking the partnership. From starting the day at 20-3, Sri Lanka reached 122-3 at lunch, then 197-3 at tea – constant, steady, easy accumulation.

By then, Mendis had brought up his sixth test hundred from 215 balls – aptly pulling away a short ball to fine leg – and Mathews similarly brought up three figures – from 248 deliveries – with a flick through mid-wicket.

After Sri Lanka had gone 11 test innings without a century, suddenly two had come along at once, and adding to New Zealand's frustration was the fact just one breakthrough could have sparked something – Sri Lanka have a long tail – but they never even got close.

Mathews celebrated his hundred with push-ups – a pointed celebration to critics of his fitness – and rightly so, as it took a powerful and indefatigable effort to deny New Zealand.

Rain would seem a harsh way to decide the test - and both teams would love to settle the back-and-forth battle on the field. But, the Black Caps were in a prime position to end it today, and Sri Lanka weathered the storm.

Sri Lanka on Saturday announced the appointment of former Australian cricketer Steve Rixon as their fielding coach, in a bid to boost preparations for the Cricket World Cup next year.

The 64-year-old will begin his new assignment later this month and join the team in New Zealand where, starting December 15, Sri Lanka are scheduled to play two Tests, three one-day internationals and one Twenty20.

They will later play two Tests in Australia from January 24.

"We are happy to welcome Steve into the team," Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva said.

"I am sure he will be able to help the team moving forward, with his expertise in the area of fielding which is a vital component of the game."

De Silva said Rixon will work with the national team until the end of the 2019 World Cup.

Sri Lanka have been struggling for form recently, losing the home ODI and Test series to England.

They have also been hit by crisis off the field.

Bowling coach Nuwan Zoysa was suspended by the International Cricket Council in October after he was accused of match-fixing and other "corrupt conduct".

Earlier that month, ex-chief selector and former captain Sanath Jayasuriya was charged for failing to cooperate with a match-fixing probe and concealing information.

The country recently sought help from neighbouring India to draft laws to combat cheating in the game.

Former Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) president and UPFA parliamentarian Thilanga Sumathipala said that he will not be contesting the upcoming SLC election.

Sumathipala made this announcement during a press conference held in Colombo today (17).

It is reported that new regulations imposed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) requires elected members to respective cricket boards have no connection to the gaming industry.

However, A report of the defamation case filed by Thilanga Sumathipala against parliamentarian Arjuna Ranatunga had revealed his connections to the gaming industry.

The Ceylon Today reported that Sumathipala had accepted the fact that ‘Sporting Star‘ is a book making business that was associated with his family. 

The newspaper also reported that Sumathipala and his family members also owned a leading media company as well as a sports gear company.

According to Sri Lanka's sports law, a person who is associated with the gaming industry, who owns a media company or a sports goods selling company, is not eligible to hold a post in a national sports association.

Sri Lanka Army's Handball Committee for the first time in its history launched the maiden ‘Sri Lanka Handball Fiesta - 2018’ on Tuesday at the Panagoda Indoor Stadium. 23 Men's teams and 5 Women's teams took part in the island wide competition.

The entry free Sri Lanka Handball Championship will run from 4th to 8th of December .

Directorate of Sports in the Sri Lanka Army and Sri Lanka Army Handball Committee have played a significant role to promote handball as a sport in Sri Lanka since it was introduced to Sri Lanka in 2009. Sri Lanka Army is the only organization that has staged handball tournament of this magnitude to date.

Major General Bimal Vidanage, Quarter Master General of the Sri Lanka Army graced the brief inaugural ceremony of the ‘Sri Lanka Handball Fiesta - 2018’ as the Chief Guest.

Sri Lankan bodybuilder Lucion Pushparaj won the 10th World Bodybuilding and Physique Federation's (WBPF) Championships held in Bangkok, Thailand yesterday. He was competing in the men's over 100KG category at the world championships.

Pushparaj, arguably Sri Lanka's premier bodybuilder, previously claimed the gold at the 51st Asian Body Building and Physiques Sports Championship held in South Korea last year and was placed also fourth at the coveted ‘Mr & Ms Atlas and Fitness Expo’ held in Texas, USA.

As many as 1003 players have registered for the upcoming Indian Premier League auctions, including 232 overseas cricketers. 28 Sri Lankan players have also been included in the auction. Lankan speedster Lasith Malinga has listed himself among nine players with the maximum base price of INR 2 crore for the auction, which is scheduled to kick off in Jaipur on December 18.

With 70 spots available to be filled, the list includes 800 uncapped cricketers with India registering the highest number with 746 players.

One player each from Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands and USA have also registered for the auctions. Among foreign countries, South Africa have the maximum number of entrants (59), followed by Australia (35) and West Indies (33). Afghanistan has seen a massive boost, with 27 players registering for the auction.

Sri Lanka (28), New Zealand (17), England (14), Bangladesh (10) and Zimbabwe (5) are the other countries that have seen registrations.

For the first time in 12 seasons, Richard Madley won't be the auctioneer. In Hugh Edmeades, an independent fine art, classic car and charity auctioneer - IPL will have a new gavel master.

Franchises have been given time till 5:00 PM IST on December 10 to send in their shortlist of players.

Tim Southee took 5-67 as New Zealand exploited an influential toss but Sri Lanka fought back to 9-275 at stumps on Saturday's opening day of the first Test in Wellington.

A late unbeaten 73 by wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella helped to swing momentum for Sri Lanka. Dickwella hit 10 fours but lost his last partner Kasun Rajitha to the final ball of the day.

Southee had claimed three wickets inside the first four overs, leaving the tourists at 3-9, as the ball swung in overcast and humid conditions at the Basin Reserve.

The innings was revived by a gallant fourth-wicket partnership of 133 between Dimuth Karunaratne (79) and Angelo Mathews (83), who frustrated the New Zealand bowlers for much of the first two sessions.

Southee claimed two more wickets after tea to stifle the Sri Lankan fightback and completed his eighth five-wicket haul in Tests.

"There's still four hard days to go," Southee said. "I think (the key) was just to pitch it up. Anytime you have the Basin on day one, historically over the last couple of years, there's been assistance for the new. Ball but, if you can get through that, it becomes easy."

With the new ball, Southee put on an outstanding swing-bowling display, dismissing Danushka Gunathilaka (1), Dhananjaya de Silva (1) and Kusal Mendis (2) in his first two overs.

The remainder of the first session and most of the second were dominated by Karunaratne and Mathews, who batted for 42.3 overs or almost three-and-a-half hours.

New Zealand resorted to a barrage of short-pitched bowling, led by third seamer Neil Wagner and then by Southee, who bowled around the wicket to try to force the batsmen to play, with fielders behind square.

Karunaratne and Mathews were both out, indirectly, to that tactic. Both were caught down the legside by wicketkeeper BJ Watling while attempting to play pull shots.

The partnership ended on 133 and the total at 4-142 when Karunaratne sparred at a short ball from Wagner, giving Watling one of his four catches.

Mathews fell similarly shortly after tea, lured into an injudicious pull by Southee.

While Southee completed his five-wicket bag with Mathews and captain Dinesh Chandimal's scalps, the Sri Lankan resistance didn't end.

Dickwella unleashed an array of innovative shots to reach his 10th Test half-century.

Pacer Nuwan Pradeep and left-hand batsman Lahiru Thirimanne on Friday were recalled to the Sri Lanka squad for the two Test series against New Zealand starting in Wellington on December 15.

Both Thirimanne and Pradeep are making a comeback to the Sri Lankan Test side after a year. The 29-year-old Thirimanne played his last Test against India in Nagpur while Pradeep played against Pakistan in Dubai.

Spinner Akila Dananjaya, who is awaiting the results of a reported suspect action, has been omitted from the squad.

The first Test will be played in Wellington from December 15 while the second Test will begin from December 26 at the Hagley oval in Christchurch.

Sri Lanka Test Squad:

Dinesh Chandimal (Captain), Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya De Silva, Angelo Mathews, Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Danushka Gunathilaka, Lahiru Thirimanne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dilruwan Perera, Lakshan Sandakan, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Dushmantha Chameera.

Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga has been appointed as the Sri Lanka Cricket ODI and T20 Captain ahead of the Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand.

President Maithripala Sirisena has also approved the following 17 players to represent the National ODI and T20 Squad of Sri Lanka during their tour in New Zealand.

Lasith Malinga – Captain

Niroshan Dickwella – Vice Captain

Angelo Mathews

Danushka Gunathilaka

Kusal Janith Perera

Dinesh Chandimal

Asela Gunaratne

Kusal Mendis

Dhananjaya De Silva

Thisara Perera

Dasun Shanaka

Lakshan Sandakan

Seekkuge Prasanna

Dushmantha Chameera

Kasun Rajitha

Nuwan Pradeep

Lahiru Kumara

A new National Selection Panel has been appointed ahead of Sri Lanka's tour of New Zealand, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said.

Accordingly, the new selection panel will be in charge of picking the national team going forward. The new panel will consist on the following members -

Mr Asantha De Mel – ChairmanMr Brendon KuruppuMr Hemantha WickramaratneMr Chaminda MendisThe previous selection panel met with Minister of Sports, Faiszer Musthapa, who thanked them for their services to Sri Lankan cricket. The previous Chairman of Selectors, Graeme Labrooy was present at the meeting. Labrooy has been in the role since September 2017.

De Mel, the new Chairman of Selectors, played 17 Tests for Sri Lanka between 1982 and 1986. He has also served as Chairman of Selectors in the past, taking on the role in 2012.  

The new selection panel’s first task will be selecting the team to tour New Zealand which gets underway next month.

Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake, Commander of the Army, signalling a new chapter for the promotion of Army Cricket, declared open the newly-constructed cricket ground at the Sri Lanka Army Ordinance Corps (SLAOC) Headquarters in Dombagoda.  

The final match of the Inter Regiment T-20 Cricket Championship was played between Sri Lanka Army Ordinance Corps (SLAOC) and Sri Lanka Artillery (SLA) teams who gained prominence after competing with 20 regimental teams.

In a close tussle, Sri Lanka Artillery defeated the Army Ordinance Corps by 15 runs to take home the inter-regiment T20 championship.

The state-of the art, cricket ground lies in a 10-acre area and will be be equipped with two dressing rooms to accommodate the two teams, a cafeteria and 04 side practice pitches.

A swimming pool and an indoor stadium is also expected to be completed under a three-year development plan.

Army said that the new ground can be also be used for school cricketers and club cricketers on request. 

We are a quarter of the way through the NBA season, which means that – aside from Jimmy Butler’s escape from Minnesota – absolutely nothing of consequence has happened  yet. We know this. We know that the NBA season doesn’t really start until Christmas, and Thanksgiving has only just gone. And yet, despite the fact that we know we’ll feel stupid about it later, we get carried away.

Remember last year, at the start of November, when the Orlando Magic were good? Aaron Gordon was knocking down threes, all that young talent was finally gelling, and they were going to make some noise in a weak East. And then two weeks later it turned out they were bad.

This fall, thanks to his move to the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James entered the season facing lower expectations than he has in a decade.

For once, the NBA hive mind was preaching caution with his team – finding a groove with this young/old, fragile/insane Lakers supporting cast would take time. Of course it would, we all agreed quite reasonably. And then the Lakers got off to a sluggish start and we all lost our minds. Even Magic Johnson got in on the act. We shouldn’t misread Magic’s tirade at head coach Luke Walton as a sign that there’s anything actually wrong; superstar ex-athletes are just as prone – sometimes more prone – to overreact as the rest of us. And that’s all it was.

Kevin Durant’s Warriors have lost four in a row, but the funk is unlikely to last. Photograph: Eric Gay/AP

On 5 November, the Denver Nuggets were 9-1, and had somehow transformed one of the NBA’s worst defenses into one of its best, a huge leap that the healthy return of Paul Millsap, bless him, did not entirely explain. We restrained ourselves from wondering if they could beat Golden State – we’re not delusional – but what about second in the West? A home playoff series? Anything (other than beating Golden State) is possible. Then the Nuggets lost six out of seven and currently sit just half a game above the Lakers, who are now firmly back over .500 and in a playoff place thanks to coach of the year candidate … Luke Walton.

The Houston Rockets, meanwhile, have pulled a reverse Nuggets, erasing both their bad start and all traces of Carmelo Anthony from their franchise, winning five straight, including a blowout win over the Steph-less, Draymond-less Golden State Warriors, who, by the way, are reeling and on the brink of implosion after a somewhat heated argument between two of their five superstars, both of whom get in arguments a lot and always seem fine a week later.

In fact, we need to declare a moratorium on all “The Warriors are in trouble” hot takes until at least mid-April, and only then if Draymond Green bites off Kevin Durant’s lower right leg and pummels Boogie Cousins with it. (And even then, Warriors will win the NBA finals in five.) As ESPN’s Zach Lowe put it last week, with magical simplicity: “The Golden State Warriors are going to win the NBA title this year. They are so much better than everyone else.” Yes. What he said.

The real question is how bad things would need to get between Dray and KD before it actually impacted either of them on the court. Both are such merciless and title-driven competitors that their families could be trapped in a blood feud and they’d still ball out with each other between the lines. It’s almost cute that we think a brief shouting match in mid-November will derail the Warriors in the finals next June. It’s cute we think we’ll even remember it happened.

Denver Nuggets, team of the future? Not just yet. Photograph: Veronica Dominach/AP

That’s pretty much the only thing this chunk of the NBA season is good for: lining up a bunch of things for us to be wrong about, despite all our better judgment. We’ve come back to Earth on the Nuggets, and we’ve stopped predicting the apocalypse for the Rockets and the Lakers and especially the Warriors. But we still need to settle down about so many things.

The Sacramento Kings are not this year’s Orlando Magic – they’re more talented, they run older teams until they collapse, and they have a budding star point guard in De’Aaron Fox – but sorry, we need to calm ourselves: they are not going to win 40-plus games, nor are they going to compete for a playoff spot in the West.

We need to settle down about Derrick Rose’s return to form, because he is not going to continue shooting 47% from three-point range (he’s a 30% shooter for his career) and also because his comeback narrative has been enabled by people who want to ignore the part about his dubious exoneration from a gang-rape charge. With any luck, he’ll start missing soon. But it won’t take luck. It’ll just take a few more weeks.

We need to settle down about skyrocketing scoring across the league – partly because it’s already starting to come back down, and also because it’s fun.

One of the biggest reasons we need to settle down about many of these teams and their playoff prospects is that many of them will look very different by the playoffs. It’s already begun. The Lakers added Tyson Chandler. The Rockets ushered Anthony out of the door (and, more significantly, coaxed defensive coaching guru Jeff Bzdelik out of retirement). The Sixers saw themselves slipping behind not just Boston but also Toronto and Milwaukee, so they traded for Butler and probably have at least one more deal to make.

The shuffling will accelerate in mid-December, which is when league rules permit teams to begin dealing free agents whom they signed over the summer. Holes that we think are fatal now will be plugged by Valentine’s Day. Kyle Korver will go to a good team in need of a three-point shooter. The Celtics could flip plucky young point-guard Terry Rozier, whom they can’t afford to keep – not if they also intend to pay Kyrie Irving – for the bouncy big man they lack. The Wizards look ready to rip their entire team apart. And the Spurs, hovering just outside the playoff bubble, may decide to surrender and send LaMarcus Aldridge – an All-NBA power forward and unrestricted free agent this summer – to a title contender.

Any of them would have a bigger impact on this NBA season than some silly squabble between Green and Durant. And none of them would change a thing about how it ends.