Category: Sports

WELLINGTON, May 13, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lankan spin king Muttiah Muralitharan is to play in New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 competition next season after a deal was confirmed with the Wellington Firebirds on Friday. Muralitharan, who holds the records for the most wickets in Tests and one-day internationals, is honouring a commitment made to former […]

May 12, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s cricket board on Thursday announced its own glitzy Twenty20 tournament, seeking to emulate the success of the hugely popular Indian Premier League. The first edition of the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) will be played over 18 days from July 19 and will feature teams from the island’s […]

KUALA LUMPUR, May 11, 2011 (AFP) – Australia’s Gold Coast and Sri Lanka’s Hambantota lodged their bid books Wednesday in the contest to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The two cities, which are the only contenders for the right to hold the event, both vowed to spend billions of dollars to build new accommodation, hotels […]

May 9, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka Cricket is set for an overhaul after the Supreme Court on Monday ordered that the island’s richest sporting body, which has been run by an interim committee since 2004, should be elected. A three-member bench of the Supreme Court asked the sports ministry to hold elections and make […]

May 6, 2011 (AFP) – Former Sri Lanka cricket captain Hashan Tillakaratne on Friday demanded police protection before he shares information on alleged match-fixing with authorities. “As an eyewitness to match-fixing, I will reveal the names of those involved if my security is guaranteed,” Tillakaratne told reporters after the Criminal Investigations Department grilled him for […]

May 6, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s interim coach Stuart Law on Friday said cricket administrators should schedule a window for Indian Premier League fixtures to stop players choosing club over country. Law, who has stepped in to fill the job left by outgoing coach Trevor Bayliss, has a tough assignment ahead as Sri Lanka […]

May 3, 2011 (AFP) – Former Sri Lanka captain Hashan Tillakaratne said on Tuesday he was ready to share information on alleged match-fixing with the International Cricket Council, the game’s world governing body. Tillakaratne, now an opposition politician, said he will name those involved in match-fixing to ICC officials, after he claimed last week that […]

NEW DELHI, May 2, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s World Cup captain Kumar Sangakkara has challenged former skipper Hashan Tillakaratne to prove his recent allegations of rampant match-fixing, a report said Monday. “Hashan has played the game for years and he’s captained Sri Lanka as well. So it’s interesting to see what he has to […]

April 29, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s former cricket captain Hashan Tillakaratne has claimed that his country had been fixing games since 1992, once again raising the spectre of corruption in the sport. The left-handed batsman, who played 83 Tests and 200 one-dayers for Sri Lanka during his 15-year career, said he was prepared to […]

April 26, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka paceman Lasith Malinga on Tuesday brushed aside criticism that he quit Test cricket to be able to make quick money from tournaments such as the Indian Premier League. The injury-prone bowler invited controversy when he made himself unavailable for Tests during a forthcoming tour of England because of […]

April 25, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s new skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan, one of the stars of the Indian Premier League, has said he wants to leave the event early to travel with the national team to England on tour. Dilshan is keen to join the Sri Lankan squad when they fly to England on May […]

April 24, 2011 (AFP) – Two former Sri Lankan captains Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene on Sunday backed fast bowler Lasith Malinga’s decision to quit Tests because of a worsening knee condition. Malinga announced his retirement last Friday, days after Sri Lanka Cricket questioned his participation in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) after he […]