Madara Madubhashini, A child created stamp, goes Island wide

A child created stamp goes Island Wide !

Madara Madubhashini,A 12 years old student of Sujatha Balika Vidyalaya , Matara, Sri Lanka , has made a Stamp and posted to the government. Then , it has been selected and made 1, 000,000 stamps after that.We are glad to see her with us , at our educa tional Center, T.F.G.E., The Future Global Educational Centerer.

***********************************************************************************


**********************************************************************************


Madara, also very much bright in Maths ( After she has came our TFGE center ), now in grade 8, and lives in Hittatiya east , Matara. We wish all the success in her life !

Priyantha De Silva and Media History In Sri Lanka

A few months ago, I've seen on a blog of TV radio Sri Lanka, a person had insulted me as "What do you know about Media?".I newer gave them an answer and laughed.When my childhood, a music group called "SHA", had came our house to stay about one week. (There was a one who had some relationship with us, in the band). Many singers and songstress like M.S. Fernando, Mariazell Gunathilaka and many others have came our house and had dinner , that my mother had cooked. Those days I was very familiar with singers, specially , with Abewardana Balasuriya.


One day from the SLRC ( Sri Lanka Brodcasting ) had came our house to observe the information that I've posted by a letter.And they came to Matara from Colombo for that reason and got my sign to prove their attendance.They'd erected a antenna to get all the signal from other parts of the island ,in our home garden to search more.
************************************************************************************
In 1994 , I've posted a letter to The Sunday Times and It has published .The most important thing is, The Father Of Television History" in Sri Lanka,Shan Wikramasinghe (Pinier of ITN and TNL ) , had given me a replay next week.As a very reputed man in Sri Lanka, Shan Wikramasinghe, I'm very much glad to received a replay from him.Specially, that was my first letter I've posted to a newspaper and also it has published. Now you can see the copiers.

***********************************************************************************

When receiving a certificate from a minister , Mahinda Wijesekara at BMICH, Colombo.



************************************************************************************

After that I've followed a "Media" course in the BMICH, from Mr. Sunanda Mahendra, Palitha Perera, Edvin Ariyadasa, and many more from the media sector.This's the certificate I've received for whole media"

************************************************************************************
This the 1st place Media certificate Ive won
from the SLBC a long time ago.I've won , got the 1st place from the Island wide

A Great Drawing , From School to Universe !

From school to Universe !

This Drawing is one of the most colorful pictures we've seen. Has drawn by, Chaturi Himashi, 14 years student of Matara Central College, Sri Lanka.She has the ability to rise up her talent in time to come with age, 'cose still she a very small child with ability.

We are proud of you having with us. Because she is a one of student of our institite, The Future Global Educational Center, (T.F.G.E.) in Matara, Southern Provence of Sri Lanka.

She's drawn this one to send for a competition in India.
But, not going to send it explaining there are some incorrect parts in the picture. She said , with that reasons it'll not be able to win in the competition.

Into the West: Spreading the practice of Dhamma

Into the West: Spreading the practice of Dhamma

By D. C. Ranatunga


Exactly fifty years ago on June 15, 1957 three scholar monks from Vajiraramaya set off on a Dharmaduta mission. Leading the delegation was Venerable Soma Thera. The other two monks were Venerable Kheminda Thera and Venerable Vinitha Thera. They formed the first Dharmaduta mission to Germany. While monks were visiting foreign countries to propagate Buddhism, this mission was different. They were the first to go to Europe on a permanent footing and establish the Buddha Sasana there.

It was the fulfilment of the main objective of the German Dharmaduta Society formed on the initiative of Asoka Weeraratne five years earlier. Then known as 'Lanka Dharmaduta Society', it was dedicated towards spreading the message of the Buddha in Germany and other Western countries. The highly respected Ven. Nyanatiloka Maha Thera who had come to Sri Lanka from Germany in 1903 and made this his spiritual home, confessed that his great wish was to give his mother country "the best I possessed i.e. the Dhamma". He worked hard to achieve this "in the firm conviction that the Dhamma will take root in my home country" and predicted a great future there. The Dharmaduta mission paved the way towards it.

A young businessman dealing in jewellery and Swiss wrist watches, Asoka Weeraratne was on his first business visit to Germany in 1951. The country was slowly recovering from the devastation of the Second World War. War-weary Germans were looking for an alternative moral and spiritual philosophy that placed a high emphasis on peace and non-violence. They looked to the East for solace. Buddhism fitted in to what they were looking for.

Two years later Asoka Weeraratne, as Honorary Secretary of the Society, visited Germany and did a survey of Buddhist activities, preparing the groundwork to establish and maintain a Bhikkhu tradition in Germany providing them with the necessary infrastructure to lead a religious life according to the rules laid down by the Buddha. Having established the Society's headquarters and training centre in Colombo, preparations were made to send the first Dharmaduta mission to Germany.

In 1957 the Society was able to purchase Das Buddhistische Haus, the Centre of German Buddhism built by Paul Dahlke, a well-known German Buddhist scholar around 1924. Situated on a six-acre block of land in a lovely Berlin suburb known as Frohnau, it was converted into a Buddhist Vihara providing residential facilities for the Maha Sangha who would visit Germany for the Dharmaduta work.

Over the past fifty years, the Berlin Vihara has attracted visitors from many different backgrounds and enjoyed the facilities provided to learn the Dhamma. There are regular visitors who attend lectures, discussions and sermons on Buddhism. Then there are seekers who wish to know what constitutes Buddhism as well as visitors who are purely interested in meditation. Researchers visit the Vihara to make use of the collection of Buddhist and Pali books for their studies and tourists interested in the history and architecture of the place. Schoolchildren in the age group of 10-18 years form another group who visit the Vihara.

"All these categories find the serene and peaceful atmosphere in the temple and the calm of the well laid out garden a refreshing experience," says Tissa Weeraratne, the Trustee managing the Berlin Vihara. "The more serious visitor sees the natural environment as ideal for meditation and development of spiritual insights in a city with a reputation for busy activity."

Having firmly established the Berlin Vihara, Asoka Weeraratne ventured out to establish the Mitirigala Forest Hermitage creating an ideal place for meditation and self-discipline. Both foreign and local monks interested in meditation find the forest hermitage a perfect location to practise meditation. He himself donned robes as Ven. Mitirigala Dhammanisanthi Thera and spent a peaceful life in a 'kuti' as a 'vana vasi' – monk living in the forest. He passed away on July 2, 1999 at the age of 80.

Since the establishment of the Berlin Vihara many temples have come up in Germany as well as other European countries. Amongst the many Tibetan and Mahayana temples, the Berlin Vihara remains a centre of Theravada Buddhism catering to the needs of those interested in the Theravada tradition.

"We continue to send monks from Sri Lanka and at any given moment we have at least two monks residing there," says Senaka Weeraratne, Secretary of the German Dharmaduta Society. Dikwelle Seelasumana Thera and Velichchiye Dhammavijaya Thera presently manage the Vihara. Vesak draws a large number of devotees to the temple when a full programme is carried out. Buddhist delegations regularly visit the temple.

Three years before the Buddha Jayanthi, Venerable Nyanatiloka wrote that he wished to see "as a happy culmination of my life if Vesak1956, i.e. the year 2500, will see a well-established mission in Germany which will not fail to have a far-reaching influence on the other Western countries too." His wish has been fulfilled.

To learn English....

Move to create less clumsy robots

The race to create more human-like robots stepped up a gear this week as scientists in Spain set about building an artificial cerebellum.
The end-game of the two-year project is to implant the man-made cerebellum in a robot to make movements and interaction with humans more natural.
The cerebellum is the part of the brain that controls motor functions.
Researchers hope that the work might also yield clues to treat cognitive diseases such as Parkinson’s.
The research, being undertaken at the Department of Architecture and Computing Technology at the University of Granada, is part of a wider European project dubbed Sensopac.

Greater subtlety
Sensopac brings together electronic engineers, physicists and neuroscientists from a range of universities including Edinburgh, Israel and Paris with groups such as the German Aerospace Centre. It has 6.5m euros of funding from the European Commission.
Its target is to incorporate the cerebellum into a robot designed by the German Aerospace Centre in two years’ time.
The work at the University of Granada is concentrating on the design of microchips that incorporate a full neuronal system, emulating the way the cerebellum interacts with the human nervous system.
Implanting the man-made cerebellum in a robot would allow it to manipulate and interact with other objects with far greater subtlety than industrial robots can currently manage, said researcher Professor Eduardo Ros Vidal, who is co-ordinating work at the University of Granada.
“Although robots are increasingly more important to our society and have more advanced technology, they cannot yet do certain tasks like those carried out by mammals,” he said.
“We have been talking about humanoids for years but we do not yet see them on the street or use the unlimited possibilities they offer us,” he added.
One use of such robots would be as home-helps for disabled people.
Interacting robots

The next stage of the Sensopac project is to develop an artificial skin for robots, making them look more human-like as well as being information-sensitive in the same way as human skin is.
This system is being developed by the German Aerospace Centre in collaboration with other research groups. The ambitious project is just one of many attempts to create more human-like robots. Another European research project - dubbed Feelix Growing - has been given 2.3m euros to develop robots that can learn from humans and respond socially and emotionally.
The medical community is making huge strides in the use of man-made parts for failures in the human brain. Last year US scientists implanted a sensor in a paralysed man’s brain that has enabled him to control objects by using his thoughts alone. The fast pace of current robotics research has prompted deeper questions about how androids would be integrated into human society. Some have called for a code of ethics for robots while others question how humans will cope in the face of machine intelligence.




Children ‘meet net friends often’

Many children are meeting up with people they first encountered on the internet - and their parents know nothing about it, a study claims.
Web security firm Garlik surveyed hundreds of eight to 15-year-olds and found 20% have met an online friend in person - and one-in-20 do so regularly.
Just 7% of parents were aware of their child’s behaviour, the study suggested.
Garlik, which advises people about data protection on the web, said youngsters were putting themselves in danger.
‘Wake-up call’

The firm polled 500 young people about their online habits - and 500 parents were asked about their attitudes.
It found that 40% of children regularly visit websites that are specifically prohibited by their parents and many give out sensitive information without parental consent.
Details divulged include full name (30%), home address (12%), school details (46%) and family photos (9%).
One in 10 admitted to being cyber-bullied - but only half said they had spoken to their parents about the ordeal.
Despite 90% of parents saying they monitored their offspring’s internet usage, more than half of the youngsters admitted to surfing the internet when their parents did not know.
Garlik boss Tom Ilube labelled the research a “shocking wake-up call” to British parents. “The web is a wonderful place to explore - but young people continue to make themselves vulnerable by not applying the same caution online as they would in person.”

-BBC



Words that sound the same

Today we are continuing our general introduction to English language teaching. We will follow with syllabus specific lessons in the weeks to come.


This exercise will help you to handle situations which need grammatical knowledge. Some of the words are pronounced in the same way, but have a totally different meaning. Be careful when you use these words and use them in the correct context so that the words will convey the correct meaning.

Accept vs except

Accept is a verb, which means to agree to take something .
For example: “I always accept good advice.”
Except is a preposition or conjunction, which means not including.

For example: “I teach everyday except Sunday(s).”

advice vs advise
Advice is a noun, which means an opinion that someone offers you about what you should do or how you should act in a particular situation.
For example: “I need someone to give me some advice.”
Advise is a verb, which means to give information and suggest types of action.
For example: “I advise everybody to be nice to their teacher.”
Often in English the noun form ends in ...ice and the verb form ends in ..ise.

affect vs effect
Affect and effect are two words that are commonly confused.
affect is usually a verb (action) - effect is usually a noun (thing).
Hint: If it’s something you’re going to do, use “affect.” If it’s something you’ve already done, use “effect.”
To affect something or someone.
Meaning: to influence, act upon, or change something or someone.
For example: The noise outside affected my performance.
To have an effect on something or someone

Note: effect is followed by the preposition on and preceded by an article (an, the)
Meaning: to have an impact on something or someone.

For example: His smile had a strange effect on me. !Effect can also mean “the end result”.

For example: The drug has many adverse side effects.

alone / lonely
Alone, can be used as an adjective or adverb.
Either use means without other people or on your own.
For example: “He likes living alone.”
“I think we’re alone now.”
There are just the two of us here.
Lonely is an adjective which means you are unhappy because you are not with other people.
For example: “The house feels lonely now that all the children have left home.”

a lot / alot / allot
A lot, meaning a large amount or number of people or things, can be used to modify a noun.
For example:-
“I need a lot of time to develop this web site.”
It can also be used as an adverb, meaning very much or very often.

For example:-
“I look a lot like my sister.”
It has become a common term in speech; and is increasingly used in writing.
Alot does not exist! There is no such word in the English language.
If you write it this way - imagine me shouting at you - “No Such Word!”
Allot is a verb, which means to give (especially a share of something) for a particular purpose:-
For example: “We were allotted a desk each.”

all ready vs already
All ready means “completely ready”.
For example: “Are you all ready for the test?”
Already is an adverb that means before the present time or earlier than the time expected.

For example: “I asked him to come to the cinema but he’d already seen the film.”
Or
“Are you buying Christmas cards already? It’s only September!”

altogether vs all together
All together (adv) means “together in a single group.”
For example: The waiter asked if we were all together.
Altogether (adv) means “completely” or “in total “.

For example: She wrote less and less often, and eventually she stopped altogether.!To be in the altogether is an old-fashioned term for being naked!

any vs some
Any and some are both determiners. They are used to talk about indefinite quantities or numbers, when the exact quantity or number is not important.
As a general rule we use some for positive statements, and any for questions and negative statements,

For example:-
I asked the barman if he could get me some sparkling water. I said, “Excuse me, have you got any sparkling water?” Unfortunately they didn’t have any.
Note - You will sometimes see some in questions and any in positive statements. When making an offer, or a request, in order to encourage the person we are speaking to to, say “ yes”, you can use some in a question:

For example: Would you mind fetching some gummy bears while you’re at the shops?
You can also use any in a positive statement if it comes after a word whose meaning is negative or limiting:

For example:-
A. She gave me some bad advice.
B. Really? She rarely gives any bad advice.

apart vs a part
Apart (adv) separated by distance or time.
For example: I always feel so lonely when we’re apart.
A part (noun) a piece of something that forms the whole of something.

For example: They made me feel like I was a part of the family.

been vs gone
Been is the past participle of be, gone is the past participle of go
Been is used to describe completed visits.
So if you have been to England twice, you have travelled there and back twice. If you have gone to England, you have not yet returned.
Now you’ve been and gone and done it!

bored vs boring
Bored is an adjective that describes when someone feels tired and unhappy because something is not interesting or because they have nothing to do.

For example: She was so bored that she fell asleep.
Boring is an adjective that means something is not interesting or exciting.
For example: The lesson was so boring that she fell asleep.

Note: Most verbs which express emotions, such as to bore , may use either the present or the past participle as an adjective, but the meaning of the participles is often different.

-More next week























Helping the web become worldwide

Although the web has permeated almost 250 nations, everywhere from Ascension Island to Zimbabwe, the language of online life is by no means as diverse.
Take, for instance, domain names such as www.bbc.co.uk. For a long time only Roman characters could be used in domains even if a nation’s native language used none of those letters.
Now international domains are getting more widely used to help people get to grips with the web in their own language.

Core control
China has been at the forefront of the efforts to use international domain names. In 2006 it started seriously promoting three Chinese language domain names: gongsi (.com), wangluo (.net) and zhongguo (China).
“China has a long term vision for the project, they are very persistent and they know what they want,” said Subramanian Subbiah, co-founder of I-DNS.net, who has worked with China on the native language domains. The nation’s aims have been boosted by the fact that during 2007 all the most popular web browsers will have support for the Chinese character set built in.
It is keen to drive adoption of the native language domains for very simple reasons, said Mr Subbiah.
“Chinese domain names will be controlled by China,” he said. “Other domains, like .com, are controlled by other countries and they do not like that.”
The project seems to be working, he said, because native language domains are being snapped up three times faster by Chinese people than those using the Roman character set were.


China has even seen the start of cyber-squatting in which speculators buy up domains in the hope that they will prove lucrative in the future.
Research suggests that the names have captured the interest of younger Chinese net users who know few words of English.
This also helps to explain, said Mr Subbiah, why native web businesses such as Baidu are outperforming Western web behemoths such as Google.
“Google means nothing in the Chinese language,” he said, “but Baidu does mean something in Chinese characters.”
Analysis of who uses Google in China shows if people can spell it they use it. But, he said, the vast majority who can’t spell it use the home-grown Baidu.
The success of China’s work on international domains has prompted South Korea and many Arabic nations to push on with their own projects to create native language domains.

Travelling text
International domain names are all about helping one nation’s citizens get more out of the web. The flipside of this, and potentially more important goal, is translating what people are saying to make the web a universal medium.
“The great thing about the internet is that it is a great leveller,” said Dr Chris Boorman of translation firm SDL.
The common technology of the net, he said, should mean that any firm, be they based in Barnsley or Beijing, has the same chance to win a customer’s business no matter where that person lives.

'The future' Information Center , For all the Students by, Priyantha De Silva _ Sir

When we decorated the Road to The Wesak Dansala








'The future' Information Center ,

For all the Students This is the past & new student's common blog to get the information of the center. You must be anywhere in the world. but U can contact us in this blog with all the information . Also you can share everything , if you think it's important to others. ( But,Don't insult each other. Make self responsibility .) as a small education center in the region we've grown step by step to the world. all of can remember the past. How you've grown in our shadow , with loving each, Had many mistakes, But only to develop without how to do this as a child. you really know only I want is your happiness forever as ever. Without fear to the world thinking " Yes, I Can !" All the Best !














Dondra statue Of Loard Buddha





Now we are again in one shelter around the world. This is not my request, It's your duty to share the ideas & everything with others. As I did when you were with me as now. Now, all of we are going to live in the wings of mine as a Blog. Now, It's your turn !

As To the knowledge of all the people around the world, I've created some Blogs . there are a few of them.





When the Dansala was opened by the Matara Mayor, Ranjith Yasarathna.Owner of "Indika Video" Matara, is also there on the picture








(01)http://thefuturematara.blogspot.com
* The Future Global Educational Center - Matara - With Priyantha De Silva. This is the our Main Blog . News,Sports, Entertainments, Softwares, space & Astronomy, International News,, technology, TV & Radio, Art, Education. Government Information. religion , Buddhism, songs Download, Lyrics, Films , Singers , Satellite TV , friends & Chat,TV Schedule & Sports, Public Information, Business & Update are some ours All the links are here (or will be) to get to know everything.

(02)http://thetriplegem.blogspot.com
The Buddhist Channel, to get right path. Buddhism is the main religion of it.Dhamma. Sannga & Bana _ sermon Etc, Links To the important websites, Anytime can listen to Bana & methods of meditation. The real Buddhist site of the world.

(03)http://starlanka.blogspot.com
TV & Radio, Songs, Films , DVD, VCD,Satellite TV & everything about Entertainment, there will be discuss.And links to many entertainment sites & auto update E-News, always.

(04)http://cricketschedule.blogspot.com
The Sports Site. With everything about Cricket, Schedules of coming cricket tours, Around The World. Auto Update Sports news.And Links you don't know before.

(05)http://futurematara.blogspot.com
Students Meeting place.You must be anywhere in the World. But can participate as quickly as if you like.That one is this one.


E-Mail: rkpdesilva@yahoo.com

Copy from http://cricketschedule.blogspot.com/

All of these are a copy from
http://cricketschedule.blogspot.com/

Visit http://cricketschedule.blogspot.com/ to see Picture and Inforations


skip to main | skip to sidebar
Cricket Schedules _ Sports Update Information and in the future cricket Schedules.

A Sports Site with all the Cricket information . Cricket teams, Including India ,South Asia, Europe, Australia, South Africa, West Indies and all other countries.Cricket information, Sports news update, live score card, next matches with time schedules of the future. created by, Priyantha De silva - Hittatiya East, Matara, Sri Lanka.
Apple, Google And Microsoft Auto Updated News
Apple Google Microsoft
International Herald Tribune - Apple posts record profit, sales in fiscal third quarter
powered by

Miss Universe 2007 - Japan
UNIVERSAL APPEAL
Riyo Mori, who won the Miss Universe beauty pageant in Mexico City on May 28, waves to travelers Sunday at Narita International Airport upon returning to Japan. A native of Shizuoka, Mori is the second Japanese woman to win the crown. KYODO PHOTO


Sri Lanka v Bangladeshis Schedule
Sri Lanka v Bangladeshis - Colombo 20-22 Jun
1st Test - Colombo (RPS) 25-29 Jun
2nd Test - Colombo (PSS) 3-7 Jul
3rd Test - Kandy 11-15 Jul
Sri Lanka v Bangladeshis - Colombo 18 Jul
1st ODI - Colombo (PSS) 20 Jul
2nd ODI - Colombo (RPS) 22 Jul
3rd ODI - Colombo (RPS) 24 Jul

SPORTS NEWS OF THE WORLD Today -BBC
Last Updated: Thursday, 26 July 2007,
Live: Northants v Lancashire


Marcus Trescothick Trescothick 'not ready' for England return


Chris Tremlett Tremlett vows to fight for place






Marcus Trescothick
ENGLAND
Trescothick out of England tours
Marcus Trescothick will not join England on their winter tours this year.

KEY INFO: England v India schedule | BBC coverage | Mobile scores


Tremlett looks for 'mean streak'

Ganguly fitness concern for India

Flintoff comeback game washed out

Mubarak sets up Sri Lanka victory

Aussie aces consider India league

Soper rejects burn-out concerns

County scorecards

Sussex slump halted by downpour

COMING UP: ENGLAND v INDIA, 2ND TEST, RADIO FIVE LIVE SPORTS EXTRA, RADIO 4 LW & RED BUTTON







Matt Prior Matt Prior column
"I'm a competitive person and want to win every game, that's why I play hard"

Aakash Chopra column
"India will quickly want to put the Lord's Test behind them"

Razorlight's Johnny Borrell Cricket is the new rock 'n roll
England attract new generation of music star fans

Magic at Lord's
Harry Potter actor swaps quidditch for cricket

James Anderson England look to Trent Bridge
Bowlers will test India's star batsmen, says Oliver Brett

England ratings
Ashley Giles' verdict on how England performed at Lord's


ENGLAND v INDIA

Moores defends Vaughan captaincy
Vaughan focuses on second Test
Dravid grateful for poor weather
Hoggard still not ready to return
Duo compete to be ECB chairman
Bad weather denies England


COUNTY CRICKET

Palladino confirms new Essex deal
Surrey on top before rain arrives
Denly thwarts Yorkshire charge
Edwards falls short of a century
First day washout at Abergavenny
Day one at Bristol lost to rain
Northants v Lancashire
Swann knock secures Outlaws win
Keeper Alleyne released by Notts
Worcs change venue for Sussex tie


OTHER CRICKET NEWS

Bracewell reappointed NZ coach
Jayasuriya glad to show his worth
Legend Lara set to end retirement
Jayasuriya claims landmark in win
Pakistan back Woolmer proposal
Speed to step down as ICC chief
Fernando spell floors Bangladesh
MCC plans talks over Lord's Tests


comment debate create "Everyone with an opinion worth hearing agrees there is too much cricket in the calendar" - SP


LATEST FROM:
Test Match Special blog
Cricket rocks!
Time to stand up and be counted
Roll on Trent Bridge





Download our cricket masks Download a cricket mask
Take our easy-to-make masks along to the ground





Play cricket this summer Join a summer cricket camp
Sign up for a MCC's Spirit of Cricket scheme for 9-12 year olds

Last Updated: Wednesday, 25 July 2007, 20:24 GMT 21:24 UK
Bradley Wiggins
CYCLING
Wiggins' Cofidis team out of Tour
Britain's Bradley Wiggins is out of the Tour de France as his team Cofidis pull out after rider Cristian Moreni fails a drugs test.

BBC WORLD SERVICE: Radio schedules | Latest sports round-up


CYCLING
Tour hit by second doping result
Rasmussen wins mountain stage

CRICKET
Trescothick out of England tours
Aussie aces consider India league

FOOTBALL
Liverpool unveil new stadium plan
Tevez dispute reaches High Court
Man Utd stand firm on Heinze deal

GOLF
McGinley & Clarke to play USPGA

HIGHLIGHTS AND FEATURES ON THE BIG STORIES




World cycling chief Pat McQuaid Cycling boss happy with doping measures


Five Live: Cofidis withdraw from Tour

A view of Liverpool's new stadium Hicks has high hopes for new stadium


Rijkaard not interested in Lampard

Live: Northants v Lancashire


Trescothick 'not ready' for England return

Tour de France
| Cycling in-depth | Standings (from letour.fr) | The route (from letour.fr) | Tour explained | BBC audio |
Tour de France









Dennis Rasmussen wins stage 16 Tour de France photos
Photos from stage 16: Orthez to Gourette-Col d'Aubisque

Ten to Tackle Ten to Tackle
Test your knowledge of the last seven days in sport

Matt Prior Matt Prior column
"I'm a competitive person and want to win every game, that's why I play hard"

Razorlight's Johnny Borrell Cricket is the new rock 'n roll
England attract new generation of music star fans

Riders staged a protest at the start of stage 16 Optimism despite Tour shock
Riders hope doping scandal proves tests are working

Ronaldinho and Barcelona are in Scotland for a pre-season tour Barca training photos
The Catalan giants are in Scotland for a pre-season tour

606
DEBATE ON 606:
"The Tour de France is too beautiful and spectacular to be ruined by a minority" - says TI
606

EXTRAS

FROM BBC NEWS >>
Kazakh reaction to doping scandal
Media in denial over Vinokourov saga

Wednesday's gossip column
Wednesday's photos of the day

INFORMATION

BBC Sport TV/Radio guide
Online/red button schedule
July 2007 calendar
Sporting weather


FOOTBALL
Baines rejects Sunderland switch
Young completes medical at Boro

GOLF
Harrington targets more majors

RUGBY UNION
Scotland lose Hall for World Cup

CYCLING
Cycling boss confident for future

BOXING
Rees is ready for Hatton - Warren

AMERICAN FOOTBALL
Vick to face dog-fighting charge


CRICKET
Tremlett looks for 'mean streak'
Ganguly fitness concern for India

MOTORSPORT
McLaren ready for F1 spy hearing

RUGBY LEAGUE
Wigan lose points over salary cap

ATHLETICS
Douglas misses Worlds with injury

TENNIS
Roddick still not over Wimbledon

Blogs

LATEST FROM:
Test Match Special blog
Cricket rocks!
Time to stand up and be counted
Roll on Trent Bridge
Updated: 25 Jul, 17:19 GMT




LATEST FROM:
Mihir Bose blog
Choppy waters ahead for Boat Race
What does the Tevez affair teach us?
Zimbabwe to remain in international wilderness?
Updated: 20 Jul, 19:47 GMT




LATEST FROM:
Sport Editors Blog
On form for the World Athletics Trials
Striking a balance
Suspension of competitions
Updated: 25 Jul, 16:14 GMT








Tennis tips and tactics
Roger Federer's tactics Federer's tactics
What makes the Wimbledon champion so difficult to beat?

Amelie Mauresmo's tips on the half-volley Mauresmo's guide to the half-volley


Where to start playing tennis Inspired by Wimbledon glories?
Find out where your nearest tennis club is

Michael Vaughan Michael Vaughan on cricket captaincy

LBW laws explained LBW explained
Our comprehensive guide to cricket's most complicated law

Thursday, July 26, 2007
Mubarak sets up Sri Lanka victory for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka last and 3rd ODI in Colombo


Mubarak sets up Sri Lanka victory
One-day international, Colombo: Sri Lanka 196 (39.5 overs) beat Bangladesh 157 (37.1 overs) by 39 runs


Jehan Mubarak

Mubarak's half century was his third in 23 one-day appearances

Jehan Mubarak made his highest score for Sri Lanka as they completed a 3-0 clean sweep in the home one-day series against Bangladesh.

The left-hander made 72 off 82 balls, including six fours, before being run out but his side only totalled 196 in a game reduced to 40 overs per side.

It proved good enough, however, despite Tamim Iqbal's 55 for Bangladesh.

Veteran Sanath Jayasuriya took 4-14 as Sri Lanka bowled out the tourists for 157 to win by 39 runs.

The result completed a disappointing tour for Bangladesh, who were comprehensively beaten in the Test series and whose priority now is to resume their search for a new head coach.

"As in the previous games, our bowlers did well but the batsmen failed. Sri Lanka were just too strong for us," admitted skipper Mohammad Ashraful, who won the toss and put Sri lanka in following a two-hour plus rain delay.

The home side made a positive start but lost openers Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga in successive overs to slump to 29-2 - Jayasuriya caught behind for eight off Shahadat Hossain and Tharanga lbw to Syed Rasel for 14.

Chamara Kapugedera only managed seven before he was caught off Farhad Reza, having previously been dropped twice during his brief knock, and when Kumar Sangakkara hit Abdur Razzak to Tamim at mid-off and departed for 18, they were in trouble on 61-4.

Mubarak and Tillakaratne Dilshan batted sensibly to stabilise the innings, sharing a partnership of 78 in 12 overs, but were separated when Mohammad Mahmadullah bowled Dilshan as he attempted a reverse sweep to claim his first international wicket.

Mohammad Ashraful and Kumar Sangakkara

Ashraful and Sangakkara have a difference of opinion

Captain Mahela Jayawardene made 20 off 16 balls but top-edged Saqibul Hasan to the keeper and after Farveez Maharoof was lbw to Razzak for one, only 17 runs came from the final three overs.

Upul Chandana fell to Mahmadullah for one, Mubarak was beaten by Razzak's under-arm throw as he tried to call Nuwan Kulasekera through for a quick single and the innings came to an end off the penultimate delivery as Razzak (3-47) bowled Dilhara Fernando.

Bangladesh's hopes of reaching their target nosedived immediately as Maharoof removed Javed Omar and Mushfiqur Rahim for ducks.

Ashraful fell lbw to Kulasekera for 20 as he played across the line and his team subsided to 69-5 before Tamim finally found a reliable partner in debutant Mahmadullah.

They put on 60 for the sixth wicket before Tamim, having reached his fifty off 68 balls, became Jayasuriya's first victim, with Kapugedera taking the catch at deep mid-wicket.

The slow left-armer then bowled Reza for seven before dismissing Mahmadullah (35) and Razzak with successive deliveries to leave Bangladesh on 151-9.

The end was not long in coming as Fernando, the fastest bowler on either side in the absence of team-mate Lasith Malinga, ripped one through Shahadat's defences with the first ball of the 37th over.

"We have played excellent cricket through the last few months and the results show that," Jayawardene said afterwards.

"Bangladesh improved their bowling with each match but the batsmen need to bat longer to put up big scores."

Scorecard

Posted by Priyantha De Silva at 2:47 AM 0 comments

Labels: Cricket

Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Sanath Jayasuriya Has Got His 300 ODI Wicket with WIN

Jayasuriya claims landmark in win
Second one-day international, Colombo: Bangladesh 137 (46.5 overs) lost to Sri Lanka 141-5 (31.1 overs) by five wickets



Sanath Jayasuriya celebrates his 300th ODI wicket

Jayasuriya did not play in the 3-0 Test series win
Sanath Jayasuriya became the first man to achieve 10,000 runs and 300 wickets in one-day internationals as Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by five wickets.

The 38-year-old, who had already passed 10,000 runs, removed Syed Rasel to take his 300th wicket and finish with 4-31.

Paceman Lasith Malinga had reduced the visitors to 13-3 before Aftab Ahmed (47) helped Bangladesh to 137.

Sri Lanka took just 31.1 overs to reach their victory target in Colombo and secure an unassailable 2-0 series lead.

The hosts briefly looked vulnerable on 79-4 but Chamara Silva guided them home with an unbeaten 36.


Such records come when you play for so long

Sanath Jayasuriya

Jayasuriya, who enjoyed a brief spell with Lancashire earlier this month, played down his feat.

"It is nice to be the first one to get there but I am happy I took four wickets and helped my team win," said the left-hander, who has played more one-dayers than any one else.

"Such records come when you play for so long."

The all-rounder, who also scored 24 runs in Sri Lanka's innings, is the ninth player to take 300 one-day wickets.

Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful was unhappy with the way his side batted.

"We batted poorly again but I think we bowled well to take five wickets," he said. "You need to put up a big score against a team like Sri Lanka if you want to win."

The final match in the series will be played on Wednesday.

Scorecard

Posted by Priyantha De Silva at 1:06 AM 0 comments

Labels: Cricket

Sunday, July 22, 2007
DON’T TAUNT MURALI




Sweet success

By Desmond Samith

Accidents, fate and ‘ifs and buts’ do not seem to be in Muttiah Muralitharan’s book. He is known to be a cricketer with a strong will. He flew back to Sri Lanka taking a short break from his county cricket, for the Bangladesh Test series. He just wanted 26 wickets to reach the 700 mark. Twenty six wickets in three matches should have been a tall order for any other bowler but not for Murali. He’s back on county duty after snaring his 700th Test victim.
Fortunately for Sri Lanka fans Murali saga will not end soon. He is set to overtake Shane Warne’s world record of 708 wickets. The mercurial spinner has already set his eyes on 1000 wickets. “I think I can achieve a little bit more than the world record.
I hope to play until the next World Cup in 2011 and the challenge is, before I retire I am thinking of taking 1000 Test wickets,” he told the reporters. It’s a long way to go and Murali has immediate goals as well. “I want to go to Australia (in November) and try and win the series because we have never won one there.
Also, I have not taken five wickets in an innings in Australia. They are the No. 1 team in the world but we can also be better than them if we play to our strengths,” he further said.
Those words epitomise his large heart for the country. Personal milestones and records are there but the country’s name and glory are what should come before everything. That’s why he’s ‘our Murali.’ The champion of the majority Sinhalese, minority Tamils, Muslims, Burghers or whoever.
Muralitharan, who began his cricket career as a medium paceman and later tried his hand at off spin on the instructions of his school coach Sunil Fernando, is on the verge of becoming Test cricket’s most successful bowler. Records are there to be broken. Why not? Murali is also slowly approaching Wasim Akram’s ODI wicket record of 502. He has now 432.
Australia has always been a challenge for the champion spinner. His first Test was against them in 1993. His first scalp was their lower order bat Greg McDermott. In the second essay of that Test played at R. Premadasa Stadium he accounted for their opener Tom Moody.

Doubts

Murali’s action has always been a puzzle for all comers. Once the Australian captain Allan Border thought he was a leg spinner. Former Test cricketers Bishen Singh Bedi (India), Michael Holding (West Indies) and Dean Jones (Australia) have time and again criticised his bowling action. And it was in Australia that the worst thing happened. He was called for throwing in Australia in 1995-96, first in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne by Darrel Hair and later in the one-day series that followed. He was cleared by the ICC after biomechanical analysis at the University of Western Australia and at the University of Hong Kong in 1996. They concluded that his action created the ‘optical illusion of throwing’.
Murali never stopped learning. He added a fast top-spinner to his armoury and later developed a deadly doosra, off-spinner’s version of googly. That instantly attracted criticism. When he used his latest weapon against the Aussies in a home Test with good results it was too much for the English match referee Chris Broad. Fresh doubts rose over his bowling action. Murali underwent a number of medical tests in Australia, England and Hong Kong to ‘prove his innocence.’ He once boycotted a series in Australia as he had been subjected to verbal abuse there in a previous series. No bowler in Test history has been subjected to such physical and mental agonies because of his bowling action. Murali’s doosra divided the cricket world. Following tests on bowlers’ flexion levels it was revealed that almost all present and past cricketers operated above the allowed limit.
Murali has had his fair share of accolades as well. He was once declared Wisden’s best player and former Australian captain Steve Waugh said he was the ‘Don Bradman of bowling.’
Murali’s humanitarian efforts for the UN and in the wake of the tsunami, along with Warne, brought him closer to the hearts of millions of fans. North Indian Madhimalar came into Murali’s life and so did a son later.
With all the accolades, successes, records and many more, Murali still remains a down to earth cricketer. He is still the son of that Kandy confectioner. He may have inherited that sweet smile from his family who make sweets for their living. Come November, the ‘smiling assassin’ Murali will bring tears of joy to many more local fans.


DON’T TAUNT MURALI
- Symonds

SYDNEY, (AFP) Andrew Symonds on Saturday urged Australian cricket fans not to taunt Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan if he passes Shane Warne’s Test wicket world record while touring Down Under this year.
Australian crowds have regularly abused “Murali” since he was twice called for throwing, with even Prime Minister John Howard labelling him a chucker.

There are fears the harrassment, which led to the spinner boycotting a tour Down Under in 2004, will intensify if he eclipses Shane Warne’s 708 Test wicket haul on Australian soil later this year.
Australian all-rounder Symonds, Muralitharan’s former teammate at English county side Lancashire, said he would be embarassed if the Australian crowds failed to acknowledge his achievement.
“I just hope the beer drinkers in the sun don’t give him a hard time and late one afternoon if he breaks the record they start on him,” Symonds told Australian Associated Press.

“I hope that doesn’t happen, I hope people can stand up and actually applaud him for what he is -- a legend.”
Muralitharan has 700 Test wickets and is likely to overtake Warne’s 708 in one of the two Tests between Sri Lanka and home side Australia in November.

Symonds said if Murali snared the record, he did not want the Australian crowd to sour the moment.
“Definitely it would be embarrassing for us as a team if they didn’t (applaud him),” Symonds told AAP.
“We respect him for his skills and for what he has done and I think it would be rude, straight out rude, if they didn’t sort of respect him and give him the pat on the back he deserves.”
Controversy over the bowler’s action exploded publicly on Boxing Day 1995 when Australian umpire Darrell Hair called Murali seven times for throwing, creating a furore.

He was subsequently called during a one-day series in Australia, which almost prompted Sri Lanka to walk off midway through a one-day match in Adelaide four years later.
Murali refused to tour Australia in 2004 because of his treatment by Australians, including Prime Minister and cricket fan John Howard.

Largely on the back of controversy surrounding Murali, the International Cricket Council set up a detailed study of bowling actions with the latest scientific equipment, and found that just about every bowler threw the ball to some extent.
It was only when a bowler’s arm flexed to 15 degrees that it became detectable to the naked eye so the ICC set 15 degrees as the limit for a bowler’s elbow movement.

Any bowler now reported by umpires for having a suspect action must be scientifically tested. If found to be outside the 15-degree parameter the bowler is banned and must have remedial work with experts before being allowed to play again.

****

Davis Cup tennis

Sri Lanka in ‘must win’ situation

By Sammidha Kalmith Rathnayake
Sri Lanka are in a ‘must win’ situation in their final first round match against Lebanon if they are to proceed to the next round of the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone III tennis tournament continued at the SLTA courts yesterday.
At the same time Sri Lanka must also hope that UAE beats Oman in their match also scheduled for today.
If Lebanon goes on to win the match, ‘B’ group will have a three-way contest which will be decided on their previous meetings in the tournament.
Yesterday morning Sri Lanka managed to beat UAE by 2/1 and one can say that they are gradually coming out of the bad patch which saw them lose to Oman in their opening game.
Renouk Wijemanne again failed to make an impression as he went down to Hamed Abbas Al Janahi by 6/2, 6/1 in the first singles. The match between Omar Bahrouzyan and star player Harshana Godamanna was a peice of cake for the locals as he recorded a convincing 6/2, 6/0 win. In the doubles Godamanna partnered by Rajeev Rajapakse made short work of Mahmoud-Nader Al Baloushi and Omar Bahrouzyan to win 6/3, 6/1.
The other matches of the day saw Lebanon beat Oman 2-1 and Singapore beat Vietnam by the same margin. Saudi Arabia and Malaysia were tied at 1/1 with the doubles to decide the tie. Today will be the final day of the tournament.

****

Posted by Priyantha De Silva at 3:37 AM 0 comments

Labels: Cricket

Sri Lankan A team toils at Sussex


Sri Lankan A team toils at Sussex
Tour match, Hove, day one of three (close): Sussex 78-1 v Sri Lanka A 225
Scorecard
James Kirtley took 4-44 as Sussex dismissed Sri Lanka A for just 225 on day one at Hove.

Wicket keeper Kaushal Silva, 21, top scored with an unbeaten 49, while Malinda Warnapura weighed in with 44 after the tourists opted to bat.

When Sussex replied they did not hang around, with Richard Montgomerie and Carl Hopkinson both tucking in.

Akalanka Ganegama bowled Hopkinson for 21 but Sussex were well-placed at 78-1 at the close, a deficit of 147.

Posted by Priyantha De Silva at 2:58 AM 0 comments

Labels: Sri Lanka continue dominant form - Priyantha De Silva

Sri Lanka Vs Bangladesh 1st ODI - Fernando spell floors Bangladesh


Fernando spell floors Bangladesh
First one-day international, Colombo: Sri Lanka 234-6 (50 overs) bt Bangladesh 164 (40.3 overs) by 70 runs
Scorecard
Dilhara Fernando celebrates one of his four wickets in Colombo


Fernando wreaked havoc to leave Bangladesh reeling on 56-5
Dilhara Fernando put in a superb spell of bowling as Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 70 runs in the first one-dayer.

The hosts were struggling in Colombo on 67-3 but managed 234-6 thanks to Upul Tharanga (57) and Chamara Silva (65).

Then Fernando (4-24) ripped through the Tigers' top order after Shahriar Nafees (33) had got them off to a solid start.

Mushfiqur Rahim, Farhad Reza and Abdur Razzak all made 28 but Bangladesh were bowled out for 164 in the 41st over to go 1-0 down in the three-match series.

They next meet in the second one-day international in Colombo on Monday.


606: DEBATE
Can Bangladesh hit back in the second ODI?

Sir Lanka won comfortably enough, but it was a far from straightforward start as Sanath Jayasuriya (21, Kumar Sangakkara (16) and Mahela Jayawardene (2) all fell cheaply.

But solid strokes from Silva and Tharanga, claiming their seventh and ninth ODI half-centuries respectively, led Sri Lanka to respectability.

Mashrafe Mortaza and Syed Rasel enjoyed the best of the Bangladesh bowling, but their two wickets apiece could not be matched by their costly team-mates.

Chasing 235 runs to win, Bangladesh got off to a promising start with openers Tamim Iqbal and Nafees striking up a strong partnership.

However, that all fell apart within the space of four overs as they went from 45-0 to 56-5.

Fernando took four of the wickets as Iqbal (11), Nafees (33), Tushar Imran (0), Shakib Al Hasan (0) and Mohammad Ashraful (4) all fell within quick succession before Sri Lanka wrapped up the win.

Posted by Priyantha De Silva at 2:52 AM 0 comments

Labels: One Day Cricket

Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Murali captures 700th Test wicket - 'Hungry' Murali may extend career







'Hungry' Murali may extend career
Muttiah Muralitharan
Muralitharan is closing in on Shane Warne's world record
Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan may play on for another four years to achieve 1,000 wickets in Test cricket.

Muralitharan, 35, reached 700 - eight short of Shane Warne's world record - as Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by an innings to seal a 3-0 series triumph.

"It is a big achievement taking 700 wickets but I think I can achieve a little bit more," Muralitharan said.

"The challenge is whether I can take 1,000 before I retire. I'm thinking about playing till the next World Cup."

Two Tests in Australia in November will give him a chance to take over from Warne.

But the off-spinner, who has been targeted by Australian fans in the past over his unorthodox action, is playing down expectations about achieving the feat there.

"The record will come in the near future, but I'm not sure it will happen in Australia because the wickets there usually help fast bowlers," he said.

"I don't know how much I will get to bowl in Australia because our fast bowlers could grab most of the wickets."

Muralitharan has played 113 Tests since making his debut in Australia in 1992 and moved from 600 to 700 Test wickets in just 12 matches.

"So many years at the top takes a lot out of you but I am still hungry for wickets and that is what matters," he added.
Is Muralitharan better than Warne?

By K.R. Nayar, Staff Reporter
Published: July 16, 2007, 00:03

Dubai: Muttiah Muralitharan achieved the 700-wicket milestone recently and is just eight wickets short of Shane Warne's world record tally of 708 from 145 Test matches.

The highlight of this achievement is also the fact that Muralitharan has played in only 113 Test matches.

Does that make him the world's greatest and most effective spinner? Is he even better than Warne?

I have been fortunate to watch both these great bowlers closely, especially at net practice. Warne turns the ball away from the stumps yet he forces the batsman to commit mistakes. Variety is his forte and he keeps the batsman guessing all the time.

On the other hand, Muralitharan bowls on to the stumps, which strengthens his chances of getting wickets more than Warne. He is also unplayable, especially on turning surfaces.

For Warne, the state of the wicket did not matter at all. He could trap batsmen with his loop and googlies even on brilliant batting tracks.

What has impressed me most about Warne is his thinking ability and I believe that it is his intelligence that has got him most of his wickets.

Once while talking about Warne, Sri Lankan star batsman Kumar Sangakkara had said: "Warne is one of the shrewdest bowlers I have ever faced. He toys with your mind ... to the extent that he will even let you know how he is planning to get you out. He can literally bluff you out."

Vicious turns

Muralitharan is able to generate those vicious turns, but what makes him special are those deliveries that go straight and his doosra that spins in the opposite direction.

Controversy over his bowling action did mar his reputation. His action does not look as clean as Warne's, yet he deserves all the credit for his wickets.

Before Muralitharan, cricket did have terrific off-spinners, but no one transformed off-spin into such an effective weapon.

Warne retired at the age of 37 and Muralitharan at 35 looks fit to play for 2 more years. It should be no surprise if Muralitharan goes on to become the first bowler ever to take 1,000 wickets, but the fact remains that both these spinners will glitter forever in the history of the game.

Murali captures 700th Test wicket
Third Test, Kandy, day four: Sri Lanka 500-4 bt Bangladesh 131 & 176 by an innings and 193 runs
Scorecard

Muttiah Muralitharan celebrates his 700th Test wicket
Murali is the second most prolific bowler ever in Test cricket

Muttiah Muralitharan claimed his 700th Test wicket as Sri Lanka completed an innings and 193-run win over Bangladesh to seal a 3-0 Test series triumph.

The off-spinner (6-54) reached the mark with the final wicket, which took him to within eight victims of retired Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne.

Sri Lanka declared on their overnight 500-4 and the Tigers made a good start to reach lunch at 106-2 on day four.

But Muralitharan ran through them as they went from 123-2 to 176 all out.

The 35-year-old was mobbed by his team-mates and cheered wildly by the crowd in his home town Kandy after finishing with match figures of 12-82 to close in on his great friend and rival Warne.

Bangladesh, who were outclassed in the previous two games and on the first three days here, began the fourth morning hoping to regain some pride.

And Shahriar Nafees (64) got them off to a decent start by putting on 47 with Javed Omar (22) before the latter fended a short Lasith Malinga delivery to first slip.


606: DEBATE
Murali is a great bowler, but Shane Warne will always be better

SG

Habibul Bashar's miserable run of form continued when he attempted a wild slog at Muralitharan and was comprehensively bowled for 15, making it a total of 66 runs in the series for the former skipper.

Muralitharan sparked the afternoon collapse when quicker deliveries saw Nafees edge to first slip and skipper Mohammad Ashraful trapped lbw.

Mushfiqur Rahim drove Sujeewa de Silva to point and Rajin Saleh was snapped up at second slip off the same bowler, while Tushar Imran flicked Malinga straight to mid-wicket.

The rest crumbled to Sri Lanka's finest ever bowler, with Mashrafe Mortaza holing out to long-on, Shahadat Hossain bowled trying to slog-sweep and Syed Rasel spooning a catch to mid-off.

Muralitharan needed only 12 Tests to move from 600 to 700 and could well break Warne's record in November when, ironically, Sri Lanka visit Australia for two Tests.

Posted by Priyantha De Silva at 2:58 AM 0 comments

Labels: Murali captures 700th Test wicket - Hungry' Murali may extend career

Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Sri Lanka announce provisional Twenty20 squad

Sri Lanka announce provisional Twenty20 squad

Sa'adi Thawfeeq

July 9, 2007

Sri Lanka announced a 30-man provisional squad for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa in September this year. Marvan Atapattu, the former captain, was not picked and continues to be out of favour with the national cricket selectors in shorter formats of the game

Atapattu, who pulled out of the ongoing Test series againt Bangladesh citing personal reasons, is currently playing league cricket in England for Lashings CC.

Also overlooked was Kaushalya Weeraratne, who currently holds the world record for the fastest fifty - scored off 12 balls - in a domestic Twenty20 club match. He went onto make 66 off 18 balls and has been a specialist allrounder in this format of the game.

Provisional Sri Lanka squad: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Kumar Sangakkara, Dilruwan Perera, Upul Tharanga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Avishka Gunawardene, Mahela Udawatta, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Kapugedera, Michael Vandort, Jehan Mubarak, Thilina Kandamby, Chamara Silva, Farveez Maharoof, Chaminda Vaas, Ranga Dias, Dilhara Fernando, Ishara Amarasinghe, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekera, Nuwan Zoysa, Akalanka Ganegama, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Muttiah Muralitharan, Hasantha Fernando, Malinga Bandara, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Gayan Wijekoon, Upul Chandana, Dammika Prasad

Posted by Priyantha De Silva at 1:10 AM 0 comments

Labels: Sri Lanka announce provisional Twenty20 squad

Monday, July 9, 2007
Tennis _ Federer wins 5th straight Wimbledon title


Federer wins 5th straight Wimbledon title
By CHRIS LEHOURITES, AP Sports Writer
July 8, 2007


Switzerland's Roger Federer, left, and Rafael Nadal cast giant shadows as they leave the court, after Federer defeated Nadal to win his fifth consecutive Men's Singles Championship on the Centre Court at Wimbledon, Sunday July 8, 2007.
AP - Jul 8, 1:56 pm EDT
More Photos

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Roger Federer hit an overhead smash to capture his fifth straight Wimbledon title. He then collapsed to his knees in jubilation and relief -- just as Bjorn Borg used to do.

Federer played -- and won -- his first five-setter in a Grand Slam final, beating nemesis Rafael Nadal 7-6 (7), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-2 Sunday for his 11th major title.

Federer is the first man to win five straight titles at the All England Club since Borg did it from 1976-80. The Swede watched the match from the Royal Box with other past champions, and applauded as Federer fell to the ground after his smash on match point.

After Federer left the court, he and Borg exchanged hugs and smiles in front of the board that lists tournament champions. Federer's name had already been added to the list for 2007.

"Thank you for coming out," Federer told Borg.

ADVERTISEMENT
"Not at all. Sure," Borg answered.

Federer stretched his record grass-court winning streak to 53 and his Wimbledon winning streak to 34. He is tied for third on the career list with Borg and Rod Laver at 11 major titles, trailing Pete Sampras' 14 and Roy Emerson's 12.

"Each one is special, no doubt," Federer said. "To hold the trophy is always the best thing."

Federer beat Nadal for only the fifth time in 13 meetings. The Spaniard has defeated Federer in the past two French Open finals to spoil his bid to complete a career Grand Slam.

"Five titles in a row, so, fantastic," said Nadal, who also lost to Federer in last year's final. "Well, anyway, I lose today, but I (played a) great two weeks."

Federer saved four break points early in the fifth set, two at 1-1 and two at 2-2. Then, leading 3-2, Federer converted a break point with a forehand winner after a 14-stroke rally that produced some of the best shots of the match.

It was Federer's first break since the second game of the match.

"If Rafael had won one of these, I think maybe now Rafael would be the champion," said Nadal's coach, Toni Nadal.

Nadal had been trying to emulate another of Borg's feats by winning the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year.

Switzerland's Roger Federer, left, holds the trophy and Rafael Nadal the runners up plate, after Federer won his fifth consecutive Men's Singles Championship on the Centre Court at Wimbledon, Sunday July 8, 2007.
AP - Jul 8, 1:48 pm EDT
More Photos
Nadal, who played two other five-set matches in a tournament plagued by rain, was on the court for the seventh straight day.

After taking a 4-1 lead in the fourth set, the Spaniard called for a trainer to treat his right knee. Although he returned with tape below the knee cap, it didn't seem to slow him.

Federer finished with 24 aces, 65 winners and 34 unforced errors. Nadal had 50 winners and 24 unforced errors.

Nadal also used the "Hawk-Eye" replay technology, which made its debut at Wimbledon this year, to great effect. One time, a call reversal in the fourth set infuriated Federer so much that he complained to the chair umpire after being broken for the fourth time.

"It's killing me today," Federer said after sitting down during the changeover.

In the first set, Federer converted his third break point in the second game, defensively returning a hard serve from Nadal and watching the Spaniard net a forehand.

In the tiebreaker, Federer jumped ahead 5-2 and thought he won the set on his third set point when leading 6-5, but Nadal challenged a call and "Hawk-Eye" showed his shot was in.

Federer wasted another set point at 7-6, but finally won with a backhand volley after Nadal sent a backhand into the net at 7-7.

Nadal broke Federer at 5-4 to win the second set, converting his first set point with a backhand winner. The Spaniard then pulled within two points of doing the same in the third set, coming back from 40-love to deuce. But Federer used a pair of volleys to hold to 5-5.

Nadal was again two points from the set while leading 6-5, but after he put a forehand into the net, Federer served an ace and then finished it off with a service winner. Federer was broken again to open the fourth set, and Nadal added another break to take a 3-0 lead.

"It was such a close match," Federer said. "I told Rafa at the net he deserved it as well. I'm the lucky one today."

Posted by Priyantha De Silva at 12:31 AM 0 comments

Labels: Tennis _ Federer wins 5th straight Wimbledon title

Friday, July 6, 2007
Sri Lanka - Bangladesh 2nd Test Match over


Sri Lanka crush brave Bangladesh
Second Test, Colombo: Sri Lanka 451-6d bt Bangladesh 62 & 299 by an innings and 90 runs
Scorecard

Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful in action on day three in Colombo
Captain Ashraful ran out of partners with his score on 129

The highest partnership in Bangladesh's Test history was not enough to save them from defeat by an innings and 90 runs against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Captain Mohammad Ashraful put on 191 with 18-year-old Mushfiqur Rahim put on 191 before Rahim fell to spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan for 80.

Once Rahim had gone Bangladesh's last four wickets fell quickly and they were all out for 299.

Ashraful ended 129 not out as Sri Lanka took a 2-0 lead in the series.

The match followed a near identical course to the opening Test, which Sri Lanka won by an innings and 234 innings, with Bangladesh dismissed cheaply in their first innings and then making a fight of it in the second.

On this occasion, however, they were unable to extend the game into a fourth day.

"We just have to bat better in the first innings and get a big score," Ashraful said afterwards.

"It was a great partnership with Mushfiqur and we showed that Bangladesh was up for the challenge. But we needed at least two other such big stands to save the game.

"The boys are trying hard to learn the art of playing Test cricket. We won't give up."

Bangladesh made a bad start to the morning session, losing Habibul Bashar for 12 after adding only nine runs to their overnight score of 69-4.

Chaminda Vaas runs out Shahadat Hossain


Chaminda Vaas runs out Shahadat Hossain to end the match

Bashar was bowled by paceman Dilhara Fernando, who has figures of 3-60, but Sri Lanka had to wait another 60 overs for their next success.

Ashraful and Rahim's partnership beat the previous best for Bangladesh, a stand of 187 by Bashar and Shariar Nafees against Australia in 2006.

But they were eventually seperated when Rahim gave a return catch to Murali, his only wicket of Bangladesh's second innings.

Ashraful went to his fourth Test century - and third against Sri Lanka - off 184 balls, a fine, disciplined effort by a 22-year-old in only his second game as skipper.

But Chaminda Vaas had Mohammad Sharif and Mashrafe bin Mortaza lbw with successive deliveries to reduce Bangladesh to 276-8 and the game ended in disarray for the tourists as Mohammad Rafique and last man Shahadat Hossain were run out.

"I can't praise the bowlers enough for toiling hard on a wicket that had nothing for them," Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene commented.

"Vaas is a top performer as is Murali, they are great at creating opportunities. It helps that we also have two bowlers in Malinga and Fernando who bowl consistently at 90 miles an hour."

Jayawardene also praised Kumar Sangakkara's unbeaten double century on the second day which set up their declaration and won him the Man of the Match award.

"Sangakkara really shored up the innings, although I was a bit disappointed that the other batsmen could not go on to get big scores."

Jayawardene praised Ashraful and Rahim for their fighting spirit, but added: "The rest of them should have batted around the captain as well.

"They are a young team and I'm pretty sure they will improve with time."

Posted by Priyantha De Silva at 1:53 AM 0 comments

Labels: Sri Lanka - Bangladesh 2nd Test Match

Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Bangladesh slump to new Test low - Nadal to kick off packed schedule




Bangladesh slump to new Test low
Second Test, Colombo, day one:
Sri Lanka 154-1 v Bangladesh 62 (close)


Lasith Malinga
Malinga was in explosive form in the face of some poor batting

Bangladesh slumped to their lowest Test total on the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Eight batsmen fell for single-figure scores before lunch with paceman Lasith Malinga (4-25) and spinner Muttiah Muralitharan (4-14) in stunning form.

In fact, only Rajin Saleh offered any resistance as they fell to 62 all out.

Michael Vandort fell for 14 in reply, but Malinda Warnapura (79no) and Kumar Sangakkara (51no) helped Sri Lanka reach 154-1 when rain ended play early.

It was a terrible start for Bangladesh, who were hoping to put the first Test thrashing, when they lost by an innings and 234 runs, behind them with their team selection.

All-rounder Mohammad Sharif came in for left-arm spinner Abdur Razzaq, while wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim replaced former captain Khaled Mashud and middle-order batsman Mehrab Hossain made his debut at the expense of Shakib Al Hassan.

But all failed to impress with the bat, as a devastating opening spell from Malinga saw him claim the first four wickets and leave the Tigers 22-4.

Dilhara Fernando (2-16) was also unplayable at times, with Saleh's 62-ball knock of 21 the only double-figure score in the innings.

Mashrafe Mortaza and Shahadat Hossain did well to temper the hosts' early run-rate and the former bowled Vandort through the gate to reduce them to 42-1.

But Warnapura, in only his second match, struck nine fours in a 118-ball knock as he and a more pedestrian Sangakkara led Sri Lanka safely to a lead of 92 by the close.
Test Match Series: Sri Lanka v Bangladesh
03-07-2007 at Colombo , Day 2 of 5
Close
Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to field
Bangladesh 1st Innings
62 all out (25.2 overs)
Sri Lanka 1st Innings
154 for 1 (45.3 overs)

Bangladesh 1st Innings - All out




Runs

Balls

4s

6s
Omar c P Jayawardene b Malinga
8
23 1 0
Nafees lbw b Malinga
0
5 0 0
Saleh c M Jayawardene b Muralitharan
21
62 0 0
Bashar c M Jayawardene b Malinga
5
5 1 0
Ashraful c Warnapura b Malinga
0
3 0 0
Mehrab

b Fernando
6
15 1 0
Rahim c P Jayawardene b Muralitharan
9
10 2 0
Mortaza c M Jayawardene b Fernando
0
2 0 0
Rafique c Vaas b Muralitharan
2
8 0 0
Sharif not out


4
17 0 0
Shahadat

b Muralitharan
1
6 0 0
Extras

4nb 1w 1lb 6

Total

all out 62 (25.2 ovs)

Bowler

O

M

R

W
Vaas 5.0 1 6 0
Malinga 9.0 1 25 4
Fernando 6.0 1 16 2
Muralitharan 5.2 1 14 4

Fall of wicket


3 Nafees
14 Omar
22 Bashar
22 Ashraful
33 Mehrab
45 Rahim
48 Mortaza
51 Rafique
59 Saleh
62 Shahadat

Back to top

Sri Lanka 1st Innings




Runs

Balls

4s

6s
Vandort

b Mortaza
14
51 1 0
Warnapura not out


79
118 9 0
Sangakkara not out


51
110 5 0
Extras

7nb 3lb 10

Total

for 1 154 (45.3 ovs)

Bowler

O

M

R

W
Mortaza 12.0 1 31 1
Shahadat 9.0 1 34 0
Sharif 7.3 1 26 0
Rafique 14.0 1 48 0
Ashraful 3.0 0 12 0

Fall of wicket


41 Vandort

Back to top

Umpires: Asad Rauf, R E Koertzen
Sri Lanka: Vandort, Warnapura, Sangakkara, M Jayawardene, Silva, Dilshan, P Jayawardene, Vaas, Malinga, Muralitharan, Fernando
Bangladesh: Omar, Nafees, Saleh, Bashar, Ashraful, Mehrab, Rahim, Shahadat, Mortaza, Rafique, Sharif



Nadal to kick off packed schedule
By Piers Newbery
BBC Sport at Wimbledon

Rafael Nadal
Nadal's third-round match has now been going on for five days
Rafael Nadal will attempt to finally complete his third-round match against Robin Soderling, which started on Saturday, on Court One on Wednesday.

On what should be men's quarter-finals day, play begins at 1200 BST with two men's third-round matches and one women's fourth-round match to finish.

Nadal and Soderling, locked at 4-4 in the final set, are first on Court One.

Andy Roddick will start on Centre Court as he attempts to finish his match against Paul-Henri Mathieu.

Replay: Today at Wimbledon - Day Eight

Roddick, the number three seed, will resume 6-2 6-5 up against the Frenchman.

It is a similar story for fourth seed Novak Djokovic, who will continue the third set of his clash with Nicolas Kiefer in the opening match on Court Two.

Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova also resume their fourth-round encounter having played just three points - they are second on Centre Court.


We have a lot of respect for each other

Henin on Serena

The pair were moved out to Court Three late on Tuesday in an attempt to get their match played but they managed just three points before the final deluge of the day.

And third on Centre Court, top seed Justine Henin is due to play seventh seed Serena Williams in the pick of the women's quarter-finals.

Henin, who beat Serena on her way to the French Open title last month, says the pair's frosty relationship has improved recently.

"I think it's been much better in the last few months," said the Belgian. "The past is the past. We have a lot of respect for each other. No, it's been good in the last few months.

"I wouldn't say we chat a lot. But, no, the atmosphere is pretty good in the locker room, so there is no worry about that."

Meanwhile, men's number one Roger Federer will have his feet up for the fifth day running.

The Swiss beat Marat Safin in his third-round encounter on Friday and refuses to let the weather get him down.

"It's a long break but I just have to make sure I hit the ball a bit and try to keep ticking over," Federer told BBC Sport.

"I refuse to play indoors so I wait for the odd dry spell to practise. It'll be fine.

"You just have to be patient. It's really hard for the players but that's Wimbledon and you have to deal with it."

Posted by Priyantha De Silva at 6:57 AM 0 comments

Labels: Colombo, day one and Nadal to kick off packed schedule, Second Test

Older Posts
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
All The Cricket Schedule Of The Future In the World
05 Jun 2007

Asia XI vs Africa XI
Only Twenty20 International, M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
06 Jun 2007

Asia XI vs Africa XI
1st One Day International, M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore (D/N)
07 Jun 2007

England vs West Indies
3rd Test Match, Old Trafford, Manchester
09 Jun 2007

Asia XI vs Africa XI
2nd One Day International, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai (D/N)
10 Jun 2007

Asia XI vs Africa XI
3rd One Day International, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai (D/N)
15 Jun 2007

England vs West Indies
4th Test Match, Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street
23 Jun 2007

India vs Ireland
Only One Day International, Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont,
24 Jun 2007

South Africa vs Ireland
Only One Day International, Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast
25 Jun 2007

Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh
1st Test Match, R.Premadasa Stadium, Khettarama, Colombo
26 Jun 2007

India vs South Africa
1st One Day International, Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast
28 Jun 2007

England vs West Indies
1st 20-Twenty Match, Kennington Oval, London
29 Jun 2007

England vs West Indies
2nd 20-Twenty Match, Kennington Oval, London
29 Jun 2007

India vs South Africa
2nd One Day International, Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast
01 Jul 2007

England vs West Indies
1st One Day International, Lord's, London
01 Jul 2007

India vs South Africa
3rd One Day International, Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast
03 Jul 2007

India vs Pakistan
Only One Day International, Glasgow
03 Jul 2007

Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh
2nd Test Match, P.Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo
04 Jul 2007

England vs West Indies
2nd One Day International, Edgbaston, Birmingham
07 Jul 2007

England vs West Indies
3rd One Day International, Trent Bridge, Nottingham
11 Jul 2007

Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh
3rd Test Match, Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy
19 Jul 2007

England vs India
1st Test Match, Lord's, London
20 Jul 2007

Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh
1st One Day International, P.Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo
22 Jul 2007

Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh
2nd One Day International, R.Premadasa Stadium, Khettarama, Colombo
24 Jul 2007

Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh
3rd One Day International, R.Premadasa Stadium, Khettarama, Colombo
27 Jul 2007

England vs India
2nd Test Match, Trent Bridge, Nottingham
09 Aug 2007

England vs India
3rd Test Match, Kennington Oval, London
21 Aug 2007

England vs India
1st One Day International, The Rose Bowl, Southampton (D/N)
24 Aug 2007

England vs India
2nd One Day International, County Ground, Bristol (D/N)
27 Aug 2007

England vs India
3rd One Day International, Edgbaston, Birmingham
30 Aug 2007

England vs India
4th One Day International, Old Trafford, Manchester (D/N)
02 Sep 2007

England vs India
5th One Day International, Headingley, Leeds
05 Sep 2007

England vs India
6th One Day International, Kennington Oval, London
08 Sep 2007

England vs India
7th One Day International, Lord's, London
11 Sep 2007

South Africa vs West Indies
1st Match Group Stage, "New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg"
12 Sep 2007

Australia vs Zimbabwe
4th Match Group Stage, "Newlands, Cape Town"
12 Sep 2007

Kenya vs New Zealand
2nd Match Group Stage, "Kingsmead, Durban"
12 Sep 2007

Pakistan vs Scotland
3rd Match Group Stage, "Kingsmead, Durban"
13 Sep 2007

Bangladesh vs West Indies
5th Match Group Stage, "New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg"
13 Sep 2007

England vs Zimbabwe
6th Match Group Stage, "Newlands, Cape Town"
13 Sep 2007

India vs Scotland
7th Match Group Stage, "Kingsmead, Durban"
14 Sep 2007

Australia vs England
9th Match Group Stage, "Newlands, Cape Town"
14 Sep 2007

India vs Pakistan
10th Match Group Stage, "Kingsmead, Durban"
14 Sep 2007

Kenya vs Sri Lanka
8th Match Group Stage, "New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg"
15 Sep 2007

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka
11th Match Group Stage, "New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg"
15 Sep 2007

South Africa vs Bangladesh
12th Match Group Stage, "Newlands, Cape Town"
16 Sep 2007

TBC A1 vs TBC B2
3rd Match Super Eight Series, "Newlands, Cape Town"
16 Sep 2007

TBC B1 vs TBC A2
2nd Match Super Eight Series, "Newlands, Cape Town"
16 Sep 2007

TBC C1 vs TBC D2
1st Match Super Eight Series, "New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg"
17 Sep 2007

TBC D1 vs TBC C2
4th Match Super Eight Series, "New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg"
18 Sep 2007

TBC A2 vs TBC C2
7th Match Super Eight Series, "New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg"
18 Sep 2007

TBC B1 vs TBC D1
6th Match Super Eight Series, "New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg"
18 Sep 2007

TBC C1 vs TBC B2
5th Match Super Eight Series, "Kingsmead, Durban"
19 Sep 2007

TBC A1 vs TBC C1
8th Match Super Eight Series, "Kingsmead, Durban"
19 Sep 2007

TBC B2 vs TBC D2
9th Match Super Eight Series, "Kingsmead, Durban"
20 Sep 2007

TBC A1 vs TBC D2
12th Match Super Eight Series, "Kingsmead, Durban"
20 Sep 2007

TBC A2 vs TBC D1
11th Match Super Eight Series, "Newlands, Cape Town"
20 Sep 2007

TBC B1 vs TBC C2
10th Match Super Eight Series, "Newlands, Cape Town"
22 Sep 2007

TBC E1 vs TBC F2
2nd Semi Final Match, Kingsmead, Durban
22 Sep 2007

TBC E2 vs TBC F1
1st Semi Final Match, Newlands, Cape Town
24 Sep 2007

TBC vs TBC
Final Match, "New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg"
01 Oct 2007

Sri Lanka vs England
1st One Day International, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium (D/N)
04 Oct 2007

Sri Lanka vs England
2nd One Day International, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium (D/N)
07 Oct 2007

Sri Lanka vs England
3rd One Day International, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium (D/N)
10 Oct 2007

Sri Lanka vs England
4th One Day International, R.Premadasa Stadium, Khettarama, Colombo (D/N)
13 Oct 2007

Sri Lanka vs England
5th One Day International, R.Premadasa Stadium, Khettarama, Colombo (D/N)
08 Nov 2007

Australia vs Sri Lanka
1st Test Match, Brisbane Cricket Ground,Brisbane
16 Nov 2007

Australia vs Sri Lanka
2nd Test Match, Bellerive Oval, Hobart
01 Dec 2007

Sri Lanka vs England
1st Test Match, Galle International Stadium
09 Dec 2007

Sri Lanka vs England
2nd Test Match, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo
11 Dec 2007

Australia vs New Zealand
Only Twenty20 International, W.A.C.A. Ground, Perth
14 Dec 2007

Australia vs New Zealand
1st One Day International, Adelaide Oval (D/N)
16 Dec 2007

Australia vs New Zealand
2nd One Day International, Sydney Cricket Ground (D/N)
18 Dec 2007

Sri Lanka vs England
3rd Test Match, Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy
20 Dec 2007

Australia vs New Zealand
3rd One Day International, Bellerive Oval, Hobart
26 Dec 2007

Australia vs India
1st Test Match, Melbourne Cricket Ground
06 Jan 2008

Australia vs India
2nd Test Match, Sydney Cricket Ground
16 Jan 2008

Australia vs India
3rd Test Match, W.A.C.A. Ground, Perth
24 Jan 2008

Australia vs India
4th Test Match, Adelaide Oval
01 Feb 2008

Australia vs India
Only Twenty20 International, Melbourne Cricket Ground

Cricket In The Future - By Priyantha De silva

ICC Events 2007 – 2015

2007 Cricket World Cup March/April West Indies*

Twenty20 World Championship September South Africa

2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup February Malaysia

Champions Trophy September Pakistan

2009 Women’s Cricket World Cup March Australia

ICC Trophy April UAE

Twenty20 World Championship June England

2010 U/19 Cricket World Cup February Kenya

Champions Trophy March/April West Indies

World Cricket League TBC The Netherlands

2011 Cricket World Cup February/March Bangladesh/India/

Pakistan/Sri Lanka

2012 U/19 Cricket World Cup July Canada

Champions Trophy/ September Sri Lanka

Twenty20 World Championship

2013 Women’s Cricket World Cup February India

Champions Trophy/ TBC TBC

Twenty20 World Championship

2014 Champions Trophy/ April Bangladesh

Twenty20 World Championship

U/19 Cricket World Cup February/March UAE

World Cricket League TBC TBC

2015 Cricket World Cup February/March Australia/

New Zealand

* broadcast and sponsorship rights for this event owned by Global Cricket Corporation


Twenty20 Matches schedule 2007
Twenty20 World Cup Fixtures (all times local GMT +1)
Tuesday, September 11th 2007
South Africa v West Indies
1800

Johannesburg
Wednesday, September 12th 2007
New Zealand v Kenya
1000

Durban
Pakistan v Scotland
1400

Durban
Australia v Zimbabwe
1800

Cape Town
Thursday, September 13th 2007
West Indies v Bangladesh
1000

Johannesburg
Zimbabwe v England
1400

Cape Town
India v Scotland
1800

Durban
Friday, September 14th 2007
Sri Lanka v Kenya
1000

Johannesburg
Australia v England
1400

Cape Town
India v Pakistan
1800

Durban
Saturday, September 15th 2007
Sri Lanka v New Zealand
1400

Johannesburg
South Africa v Bangladesh
1800

Cape Town
Sunday, September 16th 2007
Winner Group C v Runner Up Group D
1000

Johannesburg
Winner Group B v Runner Up Group A
1400

Cape Town
Winner Group A v Runner Up Group B
1800

Cape Town
Monday, September 17th 2007
Winner Group D v Runner Up Group C
1800

Johannesburg
Tuesday, September 18th 2007
Winner Group C v Runner Up Group B
1000

Durban
Winner Group B v Winner Group D
1400

Johannesburg
Runner Up Group A v Runner Up Group C
1800

Johannesburg
Wednesday, September 19th 2007
Winner Group A v Winner Group C
1400

Durban
Runner Up Group B v Runner Up Group D
1800

Durban
Thursday, September 20th 2007
Winner Group B v Runner Up Group C
1000

Cape Town
Runner Up Group A v Winner Group D
1400

Cape Town
Winner Group A v Runner Up Group D
1800

Durban
Saturday, September 22nd 2007
E2 v F1
1400

Cape Town
E1 v F2
1800

Durban
Monday, September 24th 2007
Final
TBA

Johannesburg
Group A
South Africa
West Indies
Bangladesh

Group B
England
Australia
Zimbabwe

Group C
New Zealand
Sri Lanka
Kenya

Group D
Pakistan
India
Scotland
Wanderers - Johannesburg

Known as the 'Bullring' because of its intimidating atmosphere for visiting teams the Wanderers has a rich history. It was the third Test ground in Johannesburg following the Old Wanderers Stadium and Ellis Park. For more than 74 years, it has provided the focal point of Johannesburg's sporting aspirations.

Kingsmead - Durban

Kingsmead is located in humid Durban, home to sandy beaches and surfing. The ground has played host to tests since January 1923 when England and South Africa played to out a draw. Highlights in the history of Kingsmead include South Africa's innings and 129-run demolition of Australia, in Feb 70.

Newlands - Cape Town

Newlands, home of Western Province Cricket, has been described by many, together with the Adelaide Oval in Australia, as one of the most beautiful cricket grounds in the World. Nestled at the foot of Table Mountain it is one of the most picturesque places in the world to watch cricket.

Labels

* * Tenis - Awash In Joy Serena Williams (1)
* 1st test match result of Sri Lanka Vs Bangladesh with Score card (1)
* Atapattu in big trouble (1)
* Colombo (1)
* Cricket (3)
* Cricket without Moody (1)
* day one and Nadal to kick off packed schedule (1)
* Michael Vandort in Action - Sri Lanka-Bangladesh Match (1)
* Murali captures 700th Test wicket - Hungry' Murali may extend career (1)
* Murali looking for place in the sun - Sports in Sri Lanka (1)
* One Day Cricket (1)
* Prasanna (1)
* Second Test (1)
* Sri Lanka - Bangladesh 2nd Test Match (1)
* Sri Lanka announce provisional Twenty20 squad (1)
* Sri Lanka continue dominant form - Priyantha De Silva (2)
* Star Cricket (1)
* Tennis _ Federer wins 5th straight Wimbledon title (1)
* Vaas in record stand on Sri Lanka - Bangladesh Cricket Match (1)


Time Watch in sri Lanka
Colombo

Google search....
The Web


LIVE Scores & Recent Result

Some Of Our Other Web Sites

* (1) The Future Matra - our main blog , Click here
* (2) Star Lanka - TV & Radio, Entertainment Site
* (3) The Triple Gem - The Buddhist Site with latest information & Links
* (4) The Future Education Center - Members Meeting Place


Sri Lanka News - ColomboPage.com - Feed

* Cambodia denies it was a source of weapons for Sri Lanka's Tigers - Jul 25, 2007
* Elephant House ice cream to be served among SriLankan travelers - Jul 25, 2007
* Sri Lanka government files second case against Prima - Jul 25, 2007
* Sri Lanka economy grows despite defense expenditure, says Central Bank Governor - Jul 25, 2007
* Sri Lanka Minister challenges the Opposition to reveal the secret pact - Jul 25, 2007


Ministry of Defence - Sri Lanka (MOD)

* SLN divers brave rough waters to secure 'monster' mines off Sea Tiger bases - Jul 25, 2007
* Government takes prompt development initiatives for the East - Jul 25, 2007
* Govt ready to take the tough challenge - Minister Rambukwella - Jul 25, 2007
* Death toll rises to 10; injured to 15 including eight civilians in LTTE claymore attack- Cheddikulama - Jul 25, 2007
* Nine Soldiers killed eight injured in LTTE claymore attack- Cheddikulama - Jul 24, 2007


Media Centre For National Security - Feed

* Salute to the Security Forces - Jul 25, 2007
* LTTE Camera Reveals More Inhuman Activities - Jul 24, 2007
* Claymore Explosion - Jul 24, 2007
* LTTE Attack on Civil Defence Force Guard at Vavuniya - Jul 24, 2007
* MAVIDDIPURAM KANDASAMY KOVIL ANNUAL FESTIVAL - 2007 - Jul 23, 2007


SRI LANKA ARMY - Feed

* As at UTC 1600 (2130) 15 July 2007
* More Tigers Killed and LTTE Items Recovered in Thoppigala Area
* Tigers Continue to Flee, Troop Continue to Attack Them
* Tigers Fleeing from Thoppigala Detected and Attacked
* Confrontations at Madhu Kill Tigers and Destroy Their Mortar Position


TamilNet Newswire - Feed (only for information, Don't Believe )

* Sri Lanka: Court lists FR petition by residents on Sampoor HSZ for inquiry - Jul 25, 2007
* Sri Lanka: SLN intimidates Mullaiththeevu fishermen - Jul 25, 2007
* Sri Lanka: SLA soldier commits suicide in Ea'raavoor - Jul 25, 2007
* Sri Lanka: Youths corroborate SLA complicity in abductions - Jul 25, 2007
* Sri Lanka: Court rejects FR petition against USA-GOSL defence agreement - Jul 24, 2007


Sri Lankan Cricket News - BBC International Feed

* Mubarak sets up Sri Lanka victory - Jul 25, 2007
* Jayasuriya glad to show his worth - Jul 24, 2007
* Jayasuriya claims landmark in win - Jul 23, 2007
* Sri Lankan A team toils at Sussex - Jul 20, 2007
* Fernando spell floors Bangladesh - Jul 20, 2007


Cricinfo cricket news

* Denly and Tredwell fight back - Jul 25, 2007
* Zimbabwe wobble after India's tail wags - Jul 25, 2007
* Warne, McGrath have joined breakaway league - Kapil - Jul 25, 2007
* Hamilton-Brown defends Under-19 cricket - Jul 25, 2007
* Cruising to a double whitewash - Jul 25, 2007


Cricket News - CricketZone.com Feed

* Monty Panesar almost lost his mind after dismissing Tendulkar
* Sachin has not performed under pressure: Kapil
* Ganguly misses practice with stiff back
* Warne, McGrath negotiating with Indian Cricket League
* Hoggard ruled out of second Test


FOXSPORTS.com.au | Cricket

* Southern Stars outshine Kiwis
* 'Rebels' target McGrath, Warne
* Australia declares intentions
* Indian rebels lure Warne
* Bracewell stays on as NZ coach


ODI Cricket Ranking - Feed

* Australia
* South Africa
* New Zealand
* Sri Lanka
* Pakistan


ODI Player Ranking - Feed

* Kevin Pietersen
* Mahendra Singh Dhoni
* Andrew Symonds
* Jacques Kallis
* Kevin Pietersen


rediff Cricket

* India Under-19 in final
* I almost lost my mind after getting Tendulkar: Monty
* Jayasuriya (4-14) seals Sri Lanka whitewash
* We need big partnerships: Yuvraj
* Karnataka XI beat Australian Centre of Excellence


Central Asia News latest RSS headlines - Big News Network.com

* Uzbek Refugee Released From Czech Detention - Jul 25, 2007
* Exiled Uzbek Journalist Says U.S. Dispels Deportation T ... - Jul 25, 2007
* New Silk Roads or Old Pipedreams - Jul 25, 2007
* Russia asks Azerbaijan for electricity transit to Georgia - Jul 25, 2007
* Officials Adopt Low-Key Approach on Language Policy - Jul 25, 2007


ABC News: Top Stories

* Editor's Alleged Slur Casts Pall on N.Y. Times' Reputation - Jul 24, 2007
* 'Simpsons' Kwik-E-Mart Sales Double - Jul 24, 2007
* Security Firm: iPhone Gets Hacked - Jul 23, 2007
* Conn. City Offers Illegal Immigrants IDs - Jul 24, 2007
* YouTube or YouLose? - Jul 24, 2007


Reuters: Sports News

* Falcons owner says "disappointed" in Vick - Jul 26, 2007
* Blackhawks sign number one draft pick Kane - Jul 26, 2007
* Nicklaus appoints Sluman as assistant Cup captain - Jul 25, 2007
* Booed Rasmussen moves closer to Tour victory - Jul 25, 2007
* Valencia to hold 33rd America's Cup in 2009 - Jul 25, 2007


Sport news | National Nine News

* Langer withdraws from Players Champs - Jul 26, 2007
* Blast on Tour de France after ETA threat - Jul 25, 2007
* Lloyd says Sheedy deserves big send-off - Jul 25, 2007
* McMahon surprised at Sheedy sacking - Jul 25, 2007
* Richmond keen to chat to Sheedy - Jul 25, 2007


EIN News: Sri Lanka Education News

* EU gives new aid package to help victims of conflict in Sri Lanka - Jul 25, 2007
* + EU gives new aid package to help victims of conflict in Sri Lanka - Jul 25, 2007
* The MoU between the UNP and the Mahajana wing: a violation of UNPs internal democracy,- Minister - Jul 25, 2007
* Madras varsity signs pact for joint research - Jul 25, 2007
* Sri Lanka: Commission provides €15 million for conflict victims and refugees in Tamil Nadu - Jul 25, 2007


CNN.com

* Subprime mire climbs credit ladder - Jul 26, 2007
* Iraq bombers hit soccer celebrations - Jul 26, 2007
* Contempt vote may lead to showdown - Jul 26, 2007
* Wyoming wrangles with wealth, wildlife - Jul 26, 2007
* Gas explosions shoot up debris in Dallas - Jul 26, 2007


Al-Jazeera

* Arab ministers hold talks in Israel
* Moreni test plunges Tour into chaos
* Taliban 'kills S Korean hostage'
* Iran's cosmetic craze
* Sunni bloc boycotts Iraq government


Reuters: Sports News

* Falcons owner says "disappointed" in Vick
* Blackhawks sign number one draft pick Kane
* Nicklaus appoints Sluman as assistant Cup captain
* Booed Rasmussen moves closer to Tour victory
* Valencia to hold 33rd America's Cup in 2009


Reuters: International News

* Iran says will never stop nuclear activities - Jul 26, 2007
* West opens arms to Libya but HIV saga continues - Jul 26, 2007
* Bombs mar Baghdad soccer celebrations, kill 50 - Jul 26, 2007
* Sarkozy meets Gaddafi after HIV medics release - Jul 25, 2007
* Suicide car bomb kills 16 in east Baghdad: police - Jul 25, 2007


Test Match Special

* Cricket rocks! - Jul 25, 2007
* Time to stand up and be counted - Jul 24, 2007
* Roll on Trent Bridge - Jul 24, 2007
* Magic at Lord's - Jul 24, 2007
* England bowlers shine amid Lord's gloom - Jul 23, 2007


Cricket | UK Edition - BBC

* Sussex slump halted by downpour - Jul 25, 2007
* Ganguly fitness concern for India - Jul 25, 2007
* Matt Prior column - Jul 25, 2007
* Trescothick out of England tours - Jul 25, 2007
* Tremlett looks for 'mean streak' - Jul 25, 2007


ESPN.com - Headlines

* Falcons RB Dunn has surgery for herniated disc - Jul 26, 2007 - ESPN.com news services
* Holmes says he'll report to Chiefs training camp - Jul 26, 2007 - Associated Press
* Hot Blue Jays use 11-run inning to sweep Twins - Jul 26, 2007 - Recap
* Blackhawks sign top pick Kane to three-year deal - Jul 26, 2007 - ESPN.com news services
* Staal brothers arrested following bachelor party - Jul 26, 2007 - Associated Press


ESPN - Soccer Headlines

* Juventus face Parma in Italian Cup draw - Jul 25, 2007 - Europe
* Allardyce lays down law over Dyer - Jul 25, 2007 - England
* Iraq 0-0 S.Korea (4-3 pen): Iraq reach final - Jul 25, 2007 - Global
* Real Madrid move for Robben not dead - Calderon - Jul 25, 2007 - England
* 'Family problems' to end Dyer's Newcastle career? - Jul 25, 2007 - England


ESPN.com - MLB

* A's Crosby placed on 15-day DL with broken hand - Jul 26, 2007 - Associated Press
* Hot Blue Jays use 11-run inning to sweep Twins - Jul 26, 2007 - Recap
* Hobbled Giambi hopes to rejoin Yanks next week - Jul 26, 2007 - Associated Press
* Crasnick: Recent July trades that had an impact in October - Jul 25, 2007 - Jerry Crasnick
* Biggio hits grand slam in win - Jul 25, 2007 - Recap


ESPN.com - NFL

* Holmes says he'll report to Chiefs training camp - Jul 26, 2007 - Associated Press
* Falcons RB Dunn has surgery for herniated disc - Jul 26, 2007 - ESPN.com news services
* Posluszny signs four-year contract with Bills - Jul 26, 2007 - Associated Press
* Man sentenced to jail for impersonating Steelers - Jul 26, 2007 - Associated Press
* Hall of Famer Moon charged with negligent driving - Jul 26, 2007 - Associated Press


ESPN.com - NHL

* Blackhawks sign top pick Kane to three-year deal - Jul 26, 2007 - Reuters
* Sens make Emery one of NHL's best-paid goalies - Jul 25, 2007 - Associated Press
* Wild avoid arbitration, sign Schultz to 1-year deal - Jul 24, 2007 - Associated Press
* Flyers sign goalie Boucher to deal with AHL team - Jul 24, 2007 - Associated Press
* Bruins trade goalie Toivonen to Blues for center - Jul 24, 2007 - Associated Press


ESPN.com - Motorsports

* DEI announces Ginn merger, will race four cars - Jul 26, 2007 - David Newton
* Bristol oval resurfaced for first time since '92 - Jul 25, 2007 - Associated Press
* Sources: DEI, Ginn to merge, race 4 cars Sunday - Jul 25, 2007 - David Newton and Marty Smith
* Blount's Blitz: That good ol' Indy magic - Jul 24, 2007 - Terry Blount
* Source: Ginn wants No. 13 decision before Friday - Jul 24, 2007 - David Newton


ESPN.com - NBA

* Local investors buying 25 percent of the Hornets - Jul 25, 2007 - Associated Press
* Stern: Donaghy only referee believed to have bet - Jul 25, 2007 - Associated Press
* PG Williams staying with Bucks, signs 6-year deal - Jul 25, 2007 - Associated Press
* Ayers to join Wizards' staff as assistant coach - Jul 24, 2007 - Associated Press
* Louisiana investors to buy 25 percent of Hornets - Jul 25, 2007 - Associated Press


ESPN Video

* SportsCenter Minute PM - Jul 26, 2007
* Mike and Mike: Greeny Runs Out of Gas - Jul 26, 2007
* Falcons Camp Starts Thursday - Jul 26, 2007
* Chemist Says Bonds and Sheffield Doped - Jul 25, 2007
* Gambling Trends in Tim Donaghy's Games - Jul 25, 2007


Football - BBC

* Elfsborg 1-0 Linfield - Jul 26, 2007
* FK Ventspils 2-1 The New Saints - Jul 25, 2007
* FC Pyunik 2-0 Derry City - Jul 25, 2007
* Allardyce may let Dyer leave - Jul 25, 2007
* Footballers in limo theft arrest - Jul 25, 2007


Tennis -BBC

* "Just because one player dominates doesn't mean there is no strength in depth" - RG - Feb 2, 2007
* Roddick still not over Wimbledon - Jul 25, 2007
* "Will the pressures of the modern game lead to a change to the hallowed turf at Wimbeldon?" - DT - Feb 2, 2007
* Tennis players stranded by floods - Jul 24, 2007
* Wheelchair stars in Nottingham - Jul 24, 2007


Motorsport -BBC

* Noise could close speedway track - Jul 25, 2007
* Lorenzo to join Rossi at Yamaha - Jul 25, 2007
* F1 hope for Magny-Cours - Jul 24, 2007
* Title race wide open - Alonso - Jul 23, 2007
* "What do you make of the changes to the F1 calendar for the 2008 season?"- asks JS - Jan 4, 2006


Rugby Union - BBC

* Harrison to undergo knee surgery - Jul 26, 2007
* Refreshed Peel ready to impress - Jul 25, 2007
* Jones keen to make Sarries shine - Jul 25, 2007
* Scotland lose Hall for World Cup - Jul 25, 2007
* Paterson makes Gloucester move - Jul 24, 2007


Athletics - BBC

* Sport editors' blog - Jul 25, 2007
* Douglas misses Worlds with injury - Jul 24, 2007
* Gay confirms Crystal Palace bid - Jul 25, 2007
* Great Capital Run photos - Jul 20, 2007
* Williams backs Jackson coaching - Jul 22, 2007


Golf -BBC

* McGinley and Clarke to play USPGA - Jul 25, 2007
* "I sympathise with British golfers who are constantly reminded that they are failures" - RP - Jul 9, 2006
* Carnoustie gets Open backing - Jul 23, 2007
* Harrington targets more majors - Jul 23, 2007
* R&A rule out return of Open to NI - Jul 23, 2007


Sailing - BBC

* America's Cup returns to Valencia - Jul 26, 2007
* Coutts to lead Oracle challenge - Jul 25, 2007
* British team enters America's Cup - Jul 24, 2007
* Ainslie given Beijing test boost - Jul 17, 2007
* Morrison & Rhodes take 49er gold - Jul 14, 2007


Gulfnews :sport

* Spain may follow Australian way
* Saudi beat Japan to reach Asian Cup final
* Surfski great gives Dubai masterclass
* Zayed Academy youths head to UK
* Al Ahli plan trip to Italy for training


Boxing - BBC

* "Calzaghe may be getting on a bit but he is still in the best shape of his life " - says IR - Nov 28, 2005
* Rees is ready for Hatton - Warren - Jul 25, 2007
* "Calzaghe has hand speed and can box but Hopkins will neutralize that very easily" - says SD - Nov 28, 2005
* Calzaghe to make Hopkins wait - Jul 24, 2007
* Boxer shot over club smoking row - Jul 24, 2007


NDTV News - Sports

* ICL slowly gathering pace
* Dope test for Pakistan 20-20 probables
* BCCI worried about the rise of ICL
* India all set for Soccer WC for Homeless
* Bhopal family takes perfect aim


Subscribe To Our Feed
XML
Add to GoogleGoogle Reader or Homepage
Add to My Yahoo!
Subscribe with BloglinesSubscribe in NewsGator Online

BittyBrowserAdd to My AOL
Convert RSS to PDF
Subscribe in RojoSubscribe in FeedLoungeSubscribe with Pluck RSS reader

SolosubMultiRSS
R|MailRss fwd

BlogarithmEskobogritwire

BotABlogSimpify!
Add to Technorati Favorites!Add to netvibes

Add this site to your Protopage
Subscribe in NewsAlloy

Subscribe in myEarthlink

Add to your phone
Get RSS Buttons




Sports blogs



Top Blogs

International TV Schedule For India - Sri Lanka

* * Download DTV Schedule for June
* International Satalitte TV schedule For Julu - ( Dialog TV, Dish TV, Tata Sky,) +0530h Download site - 1
* International Satalitte TV schedule For Julu - ( Dialog TV, Dish TV, Tata Sky,) +0530h Download site - 2


ODI Rankins
LIVE CRICKET COVERAGE

ODI TEAM RANKINGS
1. Australia 2. South Africa
3. New Zealand 4. Sri Lanka
5. Pakistan 6. India
7. England 8. West Indies
9. Bangladesh 10. Ireland
All teams
ODI PLAYER RANKINGS
1. K. Pietersen 2. R. Ponting
3. M. Hussey 4. M. S. Dhoni
5. R. Sarwan 6. M. Hayden
7. G. Smith 8. S. Jayasuriya
9. A. Gilchrist 10. M. Clarke
All players

Team MP W L PCF Pts NRR
AUS 7 7 0 2 14 +2.40
SRI 7 5 2 2 10 +1.48
NZL 7 5 2 2 10 +0.25
RSA 7 4 3 0 8 +0.31
ENG 7 3 4 0 6 -0.39
WIN 7 2 5 2 4 -0.57
BAN 7 1 6 0 2 -1.51
IRE 7 1 6 0 2 -1.73


Dialog TV Forum - Feed

* God TV now on air
* Dialog TV updates STB software
* NDTV 24X7 and SRTV now on air
* HBO Family now available
* More rambling on the EPG


TV & Radio Sri Lanka - Feed

* Voice of Asia Networks to launch English Radio Station
* FM 95 - New Sinhala Language Radio Station
* Actors take your hands off television stations
* Siyatha TV Test Transmissions
* New Yes FM Morning Show from July 9th onwards


The Future Educational Center - Feed

* Dubai skyscraper world's tallest
* JK Rowling rails against spoilers
* Google cookies will 'auto delete'
* World's Tallest Man Meets World's Smallest Man
* Drinking milk cuts diabetes risk


CRICKET LINKS

* * Asian Cricket Sixes
* * BBC Cricket home
* * bigstar Cricket
* * Cricket Index - Lords & Countries
* * Cricket Information - cricinfo
* * Cricket Line
* * Cricket Next Com
* * Cricket World
* * Cricket Zone
* * Lords Of England
* * SKY Sport - Cricket Link
* * Sri Lanka Cricket Information
* * World Cricket Centre
* * World Cricket Net
* * Asian Cricket
* * Cricket Online
* * FOX Cricket
* * Sri Lanka Cricket Zone


SPORTS LINKS

* * ABC Sports News
* * Asian Feeds
* * BBC Latest
* * BBC Sports 1
* * CNN Sports News
* * ESPN Sports
* * Formula 1 World Championship Schedule
* * Fox Sports
* * Google Sports
* * Google Sports
* * Laureus
* * Laureus
* * Olympic
* * SKY Sports
* * Yahoo Sports
* * Yahoo Sports


About Me

Priyantha De Silva
Think, This is as your site. This site is going to be a Global with your contribution.There are so many things to come.... Thanks to come here to see how I'm.You're a great person. Come again! Click The Link Here to visit my Update blog

View my complete profile

Blog Archive

* ▼ 2007 (20)
o ▼ July (11)
+ Mubarak sets up Sri Lanka victory for Bangladesh a...
+ Sanath Jayasuriya Has Got His 300 ODI Wicket with ...
+ DON’T TAUNT MURALI
+ Sri Lankan A team toils at Sussex
+ Sri Lanka Vs Bangladesh 1st ODI - Fernando spell ...
+ Murali captures 700th Test wicket - 'Hungry' Mural...
+ Sri Lanka announce provisional Twenty20 squad
+ Tennis _ Federer wins 5th straight Wimbledon title...
+ Sri Lanka - Bangladesh 2nd Test Match over
+ Bangladesh slump to new Test low - ...
+ Awash In Joy Serena Williams - Tenis
o ► June (9)
+ Sri Lanka complete easy victory - Sri Lanka Vs Ban...
+ Prasanna, Vaas in record stand on Sri Lanka - Bang...
+ Michael Vandort in Action - Sri Lanka-Bangladesh M...
+ Sri Lanka continue dominant form - BBC
+ Murali looking for place in the sun - The Sunday t...
+ Cricket without Moody - The Nation
+ Atapattu in big trouble - Dailymirror
+ DIRECTV Expands International Programming With Als...


Watch Videos
Home
Home

STAR CRICKET Comining Soon

Sport - Cricket Printer Friendly Page Send this Article to a Friend ESPN-STAR announces launch of cricket channel

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: ESPN STAR, Asia's premier sports broadcaster, on Tuesday announced the launch of a dedicated cricket channel for audiences in the Indian subcontinent. The new channel, christened STAR Cricket, will commence transmission in June 2007. STAR Cricket will be the 15th network launched by ESPN STAR in the Asia Pacific region.

Speaking on the occasion, Managing Director, ESPN Software India Pvt. Ltd, R.C. Venkatesh, said, "The launch of STAR Cricket is part of our long term strategy to further strengthen our offering to the sports fans in the country. STAR Cricket will showcase live India and non-India cricket for the passionate Indian cricket fan.

"We plan to add quality first class cricket coverage from around the globe as well. The channel will also showcase feature programming on cricket including reality shows, archival programming and magazine shows. STAR Cricket will be the one stop destination of all the cricket action, history, updates, views and reviews."

Shastri bats for channel

Ravi Shastri, ESPN STAR expert commentator and the recently appointed manager of the Indian cricket team for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh, said, "Cricket is a religion in India — the interest, passion and emotion this game evokes will remain unmatched for all times to come. With Cricket being an integral part of our lives, a dedicated cricket channel with the right mix of live, non-live and feature programming was always needed and I am delighted STAR Cricket would fill this existing gap."

Renowned commentator Harsha Bhogle said, "I believe STAR Cricket will be everything a cricket channel should be with a combination of live cricket and specially produced programming.

"I hope a real cricket lover will feel he is at home with STAR Cricket for he will get to see more than international cricket."

Live coverage

With the ICC telecast rights for the next eight years and rights from Test-playing nations like England and Australia, the ESPN-STAR network is looking at a total of 24 Test matches and 42 one-day internationals in 2007 alone. In addition, ESPN-STAR will also showcase the ICC Twenty20 World Cup later this year featuring 27 matches.

With STAR Cricket coming on air in June, cricket fans will be able to watch the India tour of England where they will play four Tests and seven one-day Internationals.




Sports blogs



For the voting button use:


Powered By Blogger

Cheering Them On - Sunday Times
Cheering them on

They share the excitement, thrills, spills and loneliness that go with the game of cricket – these are the wives and mothers of our cricketing heroes

By Smriti Daniel and Ayesha Inoon

The sharp crack of the bat connecting firmly with a ball echoes across the stadium. In a moment, thousands are on their feet, cheering wildly. How does it feel to know that the man they’re cheering for is your husband or your son? And that it could have so easily gone the other way, with just one clever delivery capturing a wicket?

For some it’s a way of life. “It’s a daily thing now,” says a rueful Sonali Arnold, wife of middle order batsman Russel Arnold. Though it is difficult to picture, cricketers’ families also gather in front of a T.V screen in much the same way as fans across the world. They watch matches, sharing the same expectations and anxieties as the rest of the cricket world even as World Cup fever spreads across the island and most cricket-crazy fans spend endless hours speculating on the Sri Lankan team’s chances of lifting cricket’s most coveted prize.

“We make it a point to watch all the matches – my husband and I watch them in our home in Kandy, or with our other children if we visit Colombo,” says Mrs. Kumari Sangakkara, mother of the Sri Lankan team’s dynamic vice-captain and wicket-keeper batsman Kumar Sangakkara. Eresha Fernando, wife of fast bowler Dilhara Fernando, echoes her sentiments, saying that she makes it a point to watch all crucial matches, and in particular never misses one in which her husband is playing.

For Sandra Jayasuriya, wife of legendary batsman Sanath Jayasuriya, watching a match is a delightfully noisy and communal affair. “There are always people coming home to watch the match with us,” she says, adding that Sanath’s friends and cousins are the most common visitors. “Often the party will get so noisy,” she says, “that the kids will wake up and join in the fun.” And there’s been plenty to celebrate so far. “I have a gut feeling that we’re going to win it this time,” says Sandra.
Staying home with the kids: Sanath’s wife Sandra

While the men are being featured on prime time television, in many cricketers’ families, it is the wives who must stay home and hold the fort. “I now have a son and it’s not that easy to travel,” says Madhimalar Muralitharan, wife of spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan. For Sandra as well, travelling with the children is not an option.

However, there is also a sense of personal pride in the accomplishments of their loved ones that helps them through the long separations. “I’m proud and happy that they’re playing well,” says Madhimalar. She remembers with particular fondness the match against India, for which she was present, where her husband was named Man of the Match. “Watching that was very exciting,” she says smilingly, especially because she rarely has the chance to watch her husband play except on T.V.
Happy and proud: Madhimalar with Murali

Often, after a match, these families will find themselves swamped by responses and feedback. While friends do call to congratulate them when things are going well, Sonali admits that it isn’t always quite so rosy. “That’s the way it is – people will support you when you’re doing well and criticise you if things are not so good. It helps that Russell and his family are very positive people,” she says, adding that they refuse to get discouraged.

Often a family will not even have the comfort of each other’s physical presence. “The hardest thing is always being apart,” says Sonali. And she is not alone. Between the demands of the game, the extensive travelling required of a professional sportsman, and the numerous commitments of a celebrity, many families are somewhat resigned. “Sometimes it’s lonely, but I know it’s his profession…and I have to bear it,” says Eresha.

Since her son still lives with them, they miss him when he is away, but have their daughter-in-law for comfort, explains Dilhara’s mother Mrs. Jeyanthi Fernando.
His biggest fans: Dilhara Fernando’s mother Jeyanthi and wife Eresha

It doesn’t help that their lives must be lived in the glare of the spotlight, and that if you’re not on top of your game, today’s fans may be tomorrow’s fiercest detractors. For most families, staying calm and balanced is crucial. “I’m not nervous anymore, I believe that whatever is going to happen, will happen,” says Sonali. For Mrs. Sangakkara, it’s all about perspective. “Obviously we are happy and excited if he does do well,” she says, “but we also feel that it is only if each one puts in their best effort that the team can win.”

Get a package

Want to watch the 2007 Cricket World Cup live in the Caribbean? It’s not an adventure for the faint of heart or the light of pocket. Senior Director Ticketing of George Steuarts Travel International Channe Wijemanne reveals that packages from Sri Lanka can cost anything between Rs. 650,000 to 1.3 million and include accommodation, transport, travel and match tickets. The duration and quality of accommodation are variables, as are the number and level of matches you want to see.

However, in this case, the early birds are the only ones getting the worms. As the official travel agents for Sri Lanka, George Steuarts have already booked over a hundred people onto package deals. Unfortunately, they have had to turn away twice that number, mostly due to processing problems. A large hitch is the CARICOM Visa, which allows the holder to travel freely between the nine Caribbean host countries for the duration of CWC 2007. (The name comes from all these countries being members of the 16-member Caribbean Community - hence CARICOM). Visas take several days as the applications must be taken to New Delhi for submission.

In addition, British or American transit visas are also required. Flights are difficult to book, especially as the competition hots up. And even if you manage to get this far, you may not have a room to call your own. Accommodation is hard to come by, with most hotels being fully booked.

Pubs, clubs and everywhere

We’re hooked. Yes, World Cup fever has well and truly gripped us and despite the lateness of the telecast hours (most matches beginning around 7 p.m. local time and continuing till early morning), fans stay up glued to the action. One group gathers at pubs, and clubs around the island, while others are content to put their feet up at home. “It’s so much more exciting to watch a match with friends,” enthuses young cricket fan, Dhanika Wijesekara.

At the CH & FC grounds, TNL has put up no less than 3 giant screens. There are also those fans who are literally religious in their fervour – praying throughout. “India is known for fanaticism, and I think we Sri Lankans are not too far behind, we may go down the same road if we’re not too careful,” says Shanaka Amarasinghe, sports commentator and host of ‘The Score’ on Yes FM.

He adds, “We should be proud of the team - they’ve been great ambassadors for our country, so it’s not important right now whether they win or lose. Everyone can’t be winners, but they’ve played very well and now people are talking of them in the same breath as Australia, which is quite an achievement.”

Sunday Times - Sri Lanka



The URL you supplied is either not RSS or the site is down at this time. Please check the feed URL or refresh the page.





Online Users Now
2 users online

"Cricket Schedule" Site Meter - Page Viewers
Free Web Counter Free Web Counter

"Cricket Schedule" Site Meter - Unique Visitors
Web Counter
Web Counter