Category: Sports

COLOMBO, Feb 22, 2007 (AFP) – Former batting great Aravinda de Silva believes the current Sri Lankan side go into the World Cup with better chances of winning the title than their champion 1996 team. “I honestly feel this side have a better chance than we had in 1996.When you compare the eras, I feel […]

NEW DELHI, Feb 19, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka will be keen to maintain their recently-acquired reputation of doing consistently well away from home when they begin their World Cup campaign in the Caribbean.None of the three other sub-continent sides can match an impressive record of Mahela Jayawardene’s Sri Lankans, who won more than 50 […]

BRIDGETOWN, Feb 16, 2007 (AFP) – Groups and fixtures for 2007 cricket World Cup: Warm-up matches: March 5: Bermuda v England (Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown, St Vincent) Scotland v Sri Lanka (Three Ws Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados) South Africa v Ireland (Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, St Augustine, Trinidad) Kenya v West Indies (Trelawny Stadium, Jamaica) […]

VISAKHAPATNAM, India, Feb 17, 2007 (AFP) – Yuvraj Singh smashed a blistering 95 not out to guide India to a series-clinching seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the fourth and final one-dayer here on Saturday.He received valuable support from Sourav Ganguly (58 not out) as India surpassed Sri Lanka’s total of 259-7 with six overs […]

GOA, India, Feb 14, 2007 (AFP) – Rahul Dravid became the sixth batsman in history to reach 10,000 one-day runs as he steered India to a series-levelling five-wicket win over Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Dilshan and Arnold rebuilt again in the middle overs before Harbhajan had Dilshan caught at the wicket in the 42nd over […]

PORT OF SPAIN, Feb 10, 2007 (AFP) – World Cup organisers on Saturday shrugged off increasing worries over stadium delays and rocketing hotel prices despite cricket’s global showpiece getting underway in four weeks’ time. Trinidad’s famous Queen’s Park Oval is still not finished, practice pitches in Jamaica have yet to be completed while a hotel […]

RAJKOT, India, Feb 11, 2007 (AFP) – Kumar Sangakkara cracked a robust 110 under pressure to set up Sri Lanka’s exciting five-run victory over India in the second one-day international here on Sunday.India needed 11 runs in the last over with three wickets in hand to surpass Sri Lanka’s total of 257-8 but they ended […]

KOLKATA, India, Feb 8, 2007 (AFP) – Unseasonal rain turned into a torrential downpour, forcing the first one-day international between India and Sri Lanka to be called off here on Thursday.A sell-out crowd of 88,000 at the Eden Gardens returned home disappointed as the weather ruined what promised to be an absorbing contest. Sri Lanka […]

KOLKATA, India, Feb 7, 2007 (AFP) – India and Sri Lanka get an early chance to size up each other ahead of the World Cup when they play a four-match limited overs series starting here on Thursday.Both teams are drawn together in group B of the World Cup preliminary rounds alongside Bangladesh and Bermuda, with […]

NEW DELHI, India, Feb 5, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka will rely on unpredictable fast bowler Lasith Malinga to rattle India in the one-day series starting this week, vice-captain Kumar Sangakkara said on Monday.The 23-year-old Malinga has claimed 71 wickets in 21 Tests and scalped 37 victims in 25 one-dayers with his unusual round-arm slinging […]

MELBOURNE, Feb 5, 2007 (AFP) – Tim Nielsen will become coach of Australia’s Test and one-day cricket team when John Buchanan retires after next month’s World Cup, Cricket Australia said Monday.Nielsen, 38, is head coach at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane, which includes managing the respected Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) men’s cricket programme. […]

COLOMBO, Feb 2, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka hope to avenge an embarrassing thrashing by India 15 months ago when they play a four-match series from next week in the build-up to the World Cup.When Sri Lanka played in India in November, 2005, they were routed 6-1 in the one-dayers and 2-0 in the three-Test […]