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Suranga Lakmal to join Derbyshire after announcing retirement from international cricket

Sri Lanka fast bowler Suranga Lakmal who will be hanging his boots from all forms of international cricket after India's tour has signed a two-year deal with Derbyshire. "I'm indebted to Sri Lanka Cricket for giving me this astonishing opportunity and having faith in me to bring my motherland honour, as it has been [an] absolute pleasure to be associated with the board that shaped my professional life and also enriched my personal development," he said in his retirement letter submitted to Sri Lanka Cricket. Mickey Arthur who had joined Derbyshire as director of cricket last year lavished praise on Lakmal. "Suranga is among Sri Lanka's all-time greats with the ball and it's brilliant to be able to bring him to Derbyshire for the next two seasons," he said. "We have big ambitions for the project at Derbyshire, and Suranga's decision to retire from international cricket and commit to the club shows he's as excited about those plans as the other players and coaches." "He knows my standards and can set the example for our young players on and off the field, and to add his quality to our ranks gives us a whole new dimension with the ball," he added. Talking about playing County cricket and reuniting with Arthur, Lakmal said that he had wanted to be a part of it for a very long time and a chance of working with Arthur again was something that he couldn't turn down. "Experiencing county cricket is something I've wanted to do for a long time and the chance to work with Mickey again was something I couldn't turn down," he said.

SL vs BAN | 2nd Test: Taijul Islam gets out in a hilarious manner; watch video

Bangladesh player Taijul Islam was dismissed in a hilarious way during the second Test against Sri Lanka in Pallekele on Saturday. While negotiating a length ball from Suranga Lakmal, Islam went way into his crease and ended up disturbing the woodwork behind him after his shoe touched the stumps. He was undone for 9. The visiting team was bundled out for 251 in reply to Sri Lanka’s 493/7 (D) after debutant Jayawickrama scalped six wickets to return with figures of 6/92 in 32 overs. The spinners' wickets included the dismissals of Tamim Iqbal, Saif Hussain, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Mehidy Hasan and Taskin Ahmed. Pacer Lakmal also picked up a couple of wickets during the course. Sri Lanka took a lead of 242 runs in the first innings but didn’t en-force a follow-on and were 17/2 when the stumps were called on Day 3. Earlier, Tamim had top-scored for Bangladesh with 92 while captain Mominul was dismissed for 49. Sri Lanka had rode on tons from Dimuth Karunaratne and Thirimane to post a mammoth total on the board. Jayawickrama later talked about his bowling and his favourite scalp. “My favourite wicket was Tamim's - I had really wanted that one. I had bowled a lot of balls over the wicket, but he wasn't playing that many attacking shots to me. So the captain and a few of the senior players asked me to make a change and try it, and I'm very happy it worked," said the left-arm bowler after the match.

WI vs SL | 2nd Test: Karunaratne, Thirimanne keep Windies at bay; Test series ends without a result

Sri Lankan openers showed grit and determination to stop West Indies from claiming 10 wickets on the last day and seal the series. The pair of experienced batsmen Lahiru Thirimanne and skipper Dimuth Karunaratne set out a plan and churned out an invaluable partnership to lower the morale of Kraigg Brathwaite’s men who felt that they were on top at the end of day four. The opening wicket added 101 runs and delayed any prospect of a breakthrough by the 39th over. Even when Thirimanne was caught brilliantly at the slips by Rakheem Cornwall off Alzarri Joseph, the Sri Lankans didn’t let the pressure build as the new man in Oshada Fernando kept rotating the strikes after blocking balls en masse. By the time the skipper was dismissed by Kyle Mayers, Sri Lanka had consolidated their position, scoring just 146 in the chase of 377, but essentially blocking out almost 56 overs off the 80 that they were supposed to play (minus the extra hour of play). The pitch too played its part in confirmation of the draw as it did not break and remained a good slow batting track. Coupled with the inclement weather and injury to Shanon Gabriel, the Windies were unable to push on with the attack and Dinesh Chandimal and Oshada remained unbeaten at 10 and 66 respectively to see the islanders to a comfortable draw. Earlier Windies were late at declaring their second innings at 280-4 and with rain disturbing the match throughout, the Sri Lankans, even after getting out for 258 in the first innings in response to Windies’ 354, were able to save the game and draw the series. Brathwaite, who scored a century in the first innings and 85 in the second was adjudged Man of the Match. Suranga Lakmal, who is on a path to rediscover himself with fierce fast bowling was adjudged Man of the Series for taking 11 crucial wickets at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

WI vs SL | Brathwaite misses out on twin centuries, Holder-Mayers set up perfect finish

A valiant innings of 85 runs and twin fifties from middle-order batsmen Kyle Mayers and Jason Holder helped West Indies put Sri Lanka out of contention of winning the second and final game of the series. In reply to the target of 375 runs, Sri Lanka were 29/0 at the stumps on the fourth day with both Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne negotiating the last nine overs of the day. They were helped by wayward bowling by the new ball bowlers in Kemar Roach and Jason Holder. Earlier, to start the day, Pathum Nissanka completed a hardworking fifty to continue his golden run of form with the bat. However, in order to add more runs while batting with the lower order batsmen, he perished to a short ball by Roach. Roach wiped off Vishwa Fernando and with him, Sri Lanka’s first innings in the same over as Windies earned a 96 run lead. The situation demanded a strong partnership between Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell, who has not had a great time with the bat in the last few months. He survived a close LBW call and hit few boundaries to get going but the innings was cut short by an accurate Suranga Lakmal from round the wicket. Needing quick runs with the need to win the game, Windies promoted Jermaine Blackwood to the number three position. There was intent from both batsmen as boundaries started coming off easily for them. A confusion between them in running between the wicket allowed Sri Lanka n opportunity to run Blackwood out, but as they have done on the tour so far, they wasted it. The missed out run out chance got more embarrassing when Blackowdd was dropped in the slips just two overs later. Sri Lanka have been quite poor in the field and they dropped many catches in the first innings to let Swindies get off the hook. Finally, Dushmantha Chameera came on to send Blackwood back to the pavilion although the ball did not deserve a wicket but for the poor short of the batsman. A similar delivery was guided seamlessly by the next man Kyle Mayers and the duo started putting pressure on the bowling line up with calculated assault. Off-spinner Dhananjaya de Silva troubled the left-handed Mayers, but he was saved on the DRS by the very old foe for captains—umpire's call, that that ICC said yesterday is here to stay. Emboldened by the reprieve, Mayers got more belligerent with the bat and put Chameera on his attack list. He was treating the pacer with disdain ad waiting on the backfoot in expectations of short-pitched bowling. There was no improvement in Lank’s fielding as Oshada Fernando grassed yet another chance off Brathwaite of the bowling of Chameera. Both batsmen reached their fifty run-mark and Windies pressed on for more and more runs to force a result in the game. Lakmal came back to see the back of Mayers but there was no respite for the tourists as Holder took off from where Mayers left the crease. A silky drive against de Silva’s spin and the former captain was off and running. He looked in menacing touch and when bowlers tested his backfoot game, he brought ut his whopping pull shots to send the signal to his IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad that although he is away from them, the preparation is well and truly on for the IPL. Brathwaite was nearing his second century of the match but the momentum was not slowing for him. He was finding boundaries with the use of the wrist. However, he missed out on the feat when he tried to be too cheeky against Chameera. Windies were already on the charge and Joshua Da Sliva did not waste any time in stamping his team’s authority on the game. After batting for nearly 75 overs, Windies declared their second innings to have a crack on Sri Lankan batsmen. But, that intent and efforts were thwarted by the Sri Lankan openers and it has set up a perfect finish for a highly riveting final day of the Test and series.

Mayank Kumar ∙ 30 Mar 2021

WI vs SL | 2nd Test Day 1: Skipper Brathwaite resurrects Windies after Lakmal's new-ball scare

A gritty 99 not out from the skipper Kraigg Brathwaite and valuable contributions from lower-order batsmen Alzarri Joseph and Rakheem Cornwall put West Indies in control in the second Test of the series against Sri Lanka. The tourists, however, did not let the game slip away from them at any moment and could well have bowled out the hosts cheaply had the fielders helped bowlers on the first day. Sri Lankan skipper Dimuth Karunaratne won the toss and sent Windies in to bat first on a pitch that promised to be slower in nature. He banked on his pace trio of Suranga Lakmal, Vishwa Fernando, and Dushmantha Chameera to have the best use of the surface. On cue, Lakmal was on the money from the word go and persisted around the off stump line of both John Campbell and Brathwaite. The pacer was so accurate that his first three overs ended as maiden overs and the line of the attack started to become tighter and tighter to Campbell and it finally induced a poke from the left-hander to give Sri Lanka their first success. He was in mid of a terrific spell and capitalized on his rhythm to get the better of Nkrumah Bonner with a delivery that the right-hander centurion from the last game could not play with decisive footwork. Karunaratane was elated with twin strikes from Lakmal and handed him an extended spell after his first six overs yielded no runs and provided two wickets. Lakmal was not done and he was all over Windies’s number in Kyle Mayers as the left-hander could not show enough discipline and assurance outside his off stump. Out of three boundaries that went off Mayer’s bat, he was lucky to survive on two of them before Lakmal finally found the outside edge of his bat. But, to his and Sri Lanka’s agony, Pathum Nissanka—the hero of the last game, dropped an absolute dolly in the third slip to give the hosts a big reprieve. Lakmal bowled a marathon 10-overs long spell and provided his team with a perfect start on the very first morning. Karunaratne brought the left-arm spin of Lasith Embuldeniya and the pace of Chameera around and after the first drinks break. The tourists were looking to get into the middle order while the hosts’ skipper Brathwaite was batting with his usual solidity and Mayers was looking forward to taking the game to the opposition camp. Mayers was quick to pounce on scoring opportunities by Embuldeniya and Chameera as the pacer went for fuller deliveries in a bid to extract an outside edge of his bat. He achieved the moral victory by drawing false strokes, but the left-hander was willing to risk his wicket and scored boundaries off him. The day was evenly poised at the lunch interval with Mayers and Brathwaite leading Windies’s riposte after an impressive spell of bowling from Lakmal. Karunaratne started the afternoon session with his new-ball bowlers Fernando and Lakmal. The move paid off immediately as Mayers’ appetite for quick runs led to his downfall in the very first over after the lunch break. The next man in Jermaine Blackwood knows only one way of playing his game and he started taking Lakmal to the cleaners to get off and running. Runs started to flow from both ends but there were enough hints for Sri Lanka as boundaries were coming in streaky ways for the hosts. Lakamla returned with his third spell of day to remove Blackwood with a back of a length delivery outside off stump which the batsman could not resist playing at. With the scoreboard reading 120/4, it was upon the pair of current and ex-captain to take the Windies to a comfortable position in the first innings. They were on their way to fulfil that task with a fifty run partnership filled with crisp boundaries from both the batsmen. Brathwaite completed his hardworking fifty in the process and Windies were looking settled with him batting at the crease. But, just after the 50-run partnership landmark, Karunaratne brought Dhananjaya de Sliva to extract something out of the surface. As the skipper would have wished for, he extracted an outside edge of Holder’s bat with a widish full delivery that tempted the batsman into playing a booming drive through the off side. The game was hanging in balance after Holder’s wicket and the wicketkeeper-batsman Joshua Da Silva was battling highly accurate bowlers from both ends. He persisted with defence for as many as 35 balls before playing a rash shot away from his body against Chameera to had Sri Lanka an advantage in the afternoon session. The onus was on Brathwaite’s shoulder to stitch partnerships with lower-order batsmen as Joseph walked out to bat ahead of Cornwall. He did not waste the opportunity though and lifted de Silva over the top for a six to hit the ground running. A crisp drive followed in the spinner’s next over and Windies were once again on track to get out of trouble. Joseph played some delightful strokes in his 41 ball-29 innings but the left-arm spinner trapped him LBW to taste his first success of the day. The next man in Cornwall started to dazzle from the word go and went past the 20-run mark in no time with five boundaries off all bowlers except Chameera. Then, having seen him walloping every bowler for fun, Karunaratne brought back Chameera to test him with pacy deliveries. The right-hander was up to the task and smashed the pacer for a four and six to seek his dominance on the day’s proceedings. Meanwhile, Brathwaite was batting with immense control on his stroke-making. He was dismissed in ugly manners in both the innings of the last Test and he was keen to not let this opportunity of batting go from his grasp. As Cornwall was blazing the bowlers from one end, he held up the other to take Windies to a position of relative safety at the end of the first day’s play.

WI vs SL | 1st Test Day 2: Rakheem Cornwall overpowers Lakmal's fifer to put Windies at top

A dominating lower order partnership between Rakheem Cornwall and wicket-keeper batsman Joshua Da Silva put West Indies in an advantageous position on the second day of the first Test being played at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. By the end of the second day’s play, Windies have secured a vital lead of 99 runs with two wickets including the danger man Rakheem Cornwall still in their hands. Da Silva was dismissed off a short ball of Chameera but not before the duo added 90 important runs when the situation seemed that the hosts will squander ll the advantage by bowling Sri Lanka for a middling score. Cornwall struck two sixes and 9 fours in his unbeaten 60 runs from 79 balls and his counter attack literally took the heart out of the Sri Lanka bowling attack. He was severe against both spinners and pacers and used all the power he had in his wrists to put Windies on the driving seat in the game. Starting the second day after knocking the tourists out for a less than 200 score, Windies batsmen had to bat well to put the team in a driving position. The start was horrible though as the new skipper Kraig Brathwaite was cooler in his batting style than it was visible in his career before, and there was an unusual waft outside off as well. He gifted his wicket away fairly early in the day to Suranga Lakmal. The middle-order pair of Nkrumah Bonner and Kyle Mayers were rewarded with slots at the number three and four positions for their excellent performances in Bangladesh. Bonner was lacing in discipline though and presented the Sri Lankan bowlers with an early opportunity with poor shots outside the off stump. At the other end, Campbell was highly watchful and batting with surety around off stump. He looked set with his eyes on a big prize and eager to not throw his wickets away for which he has always taken flakes from critics. Bonner settled down after early hiccups to take the full toll of scoring opportunities presented by Chameera. However, his fluency at the crease did not last long and the greed to take on a back fo alength delivery from Lasith Embuldeniya saw him plumb in front while attempting to pull. After Bonner’s fall, the hero of the triumph in Bangladesh—Kayle Mayers came to the crease and he started his innings where he left off in the subcontinent. He was dismissive against spinners hit them down the ground while attempts to bounce him out by Chameera was smashed over square leg boundary. The partnership between him and Campbell could not last long enough for West Indies to have total control of the proceedings and Chameera got the better of the opener to keep the game in the balance. Another quick wicket of Jermaine Blackwood pegged Windies back and Sri Lanka were sniffing a big chance to get the hosts bundled out before they could take the lead. Mayers carried on his merry way and took Vishwa Fernando for a couple of boundaries to keep the scoreboard going for the hosts while Jason Holder found it tough to get going. But, for Windies’ plight, Lakmal retired to account for Mayers to send Windies on the brink of a collapse that would have ruined their chances of getting an upper hand. Lamkmal bowled scattered spells throughout the day as Sri Lankan skipper Dimuth Karunaratne kept on searching for breakthroughs while defending a very middling score. The pacer did not disappoint him one bit and found another good delivery to send Holder back to the pavilion. He did not miss the chance to bag another fifer and with the wicket of Akzarri Joseph, reached the milestone in his 21st over of the first innings. With 171/7, Windies were ahead of Sri Lanka’s first innings total, but not by much that would have put real pressure on the tourists. Lanka smelled a sniff and attacked the pair of Da Silva and Cornwall with pace and spin. However, for Windies, Cornwall emerged as the new hero with the bat and put every bowler to the sword and by the end of the day’s play Windies were ahead by a significant margin in the first innings of the first Test.

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