Category: Sports

KANDY, Sri Lanka, Dec 2, 2007 (AFP) – Muttiah Muralitharan equalled Shane Warne’s world record tally of 708 wickets as Sri Lanka sent England crashing in the first cricket Test here on Sunday.The off-spinner grabbed 4-30 in 23 overs as England, replying to Sri Lanka’s modest 188, slumped to 186-6 by tea before heavy rain […]

KANDY, Sri Lanka, Dec 1, 2007 (AFP) – Matthew Hoggard grabbed four wickets in a hostile opening spell to give England a brilliant start in the first cricket Test against Sri Lanka here on Saturday. Sri Lanka’s delight at winning the toss and batting first on the slow pitch was short-lived as they crumbled to […]

KANDY, Sri Lanka, Dec 1, 2007 (AFP) – England’s pace-spin duo of Matthew Hoggard and Monty Panesar combined to dismiss Sri Lanka for just 188 on the opening day of the first cricket Test here on Saturday.England replied with 49-1 by stumps after losing opener Alastair Cook to the third ball of the innings when […]

KANDY, Sri Lanka, Nov 30, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka will not be sidetracked by the record feats of Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan when the first Test against England starts on Saturday, captain Mahela Jayawardene said. While off-spinner Muralitharan needs five wickets to become Test cricket’s most successful bowler, seamer Vaas will become only […]

KANDY, Sri Lanka, Nov 29, 2007 (AFP) – England’s cricket test series in Sri Lanka will go ahead despite two deadly bomb attacks blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels that killed at least 19 people, officials said Thursday.The British High Commission (embassy) told team management, preparing for Saturday’s first Test in Kandy, the travel advisory warning […]

KANDY, Sri Lanka, Nov 28, 2007 (AFP) – Muttiah Muralitharan returns to his home town to become Test cricket’s most successful bowler, a feat Australia denied him but England are unlikely to prevent.The spin wizard, 35, begins Sri Lanka’s first Test against Michael Vaughan’s men at the Asgiriya stadium here from Saturday needing five wickets […]

Nov 25, 2007 (AFP) – Marvan Atapattu made his final goodbye to Sri Lankan cricket on Sunday with another scathing attack on the selectors he had earlier described as “muppets headed by a joker.” The 37-year-old, who retired from international cricket earlier this month during the Australian tour, left Colombo to play in the rebel […]

Nov 25, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s young batsman Upul Tharanga staked a strong claim for the first Test against England with another powerful display against the tourists here on Sunday.The left-hander, who made 112 in the tour opener last week, smashed 86 as the Sri Lanka Cricket XI made 298-9 by stumps on the […]

Nov 24, 2007 (AFP) – England start their lone first-class match on the Sri Lankan tour here on Sunday hoping to fill the blanks in the Test squad for the series starting in a week’s time. Sri Lanka Cricket XI: Tillekeratne Dilshan (capt), Upul Tharanga, Mahela Udawatte, Malinda Warnapura, Jehan Mubarak, Chamara Kapugedara, Kaushal Silva […]

Nov 22, 2007 (AFP) – England drew their first match of the Sri Lanka tour on Thursday after gaining useful batting practice at the Colombo Cricket Club. The tourists, replying to Sri Lanka Cricket XI’s mammoth 500-5 piled over the first two days of the practice match, scored 315-6 on the final day before the […]

Nov 21, 2007 (AFP) – England’s bowlers got a taste of the perils that await them in the upcoming Test series as Sri Lanka’s second-string battered them in a practice match here on Wednesday.The Sri Lanka Cricket XI batted through the second consecutive day to take their overnight total of 218-3 to 500-5 declared by […]

HOBART, Australia, Nov 20, 2007 (AFP) – South African umpire Rudi Koertzen apologised to Kumar Sangakkara for giving him out in controversial circumstances within sight of his seventh Test double-century here Tuesday. The star batsman was stunned when Koertzen gave him out to a catch by Ricky Ponting, which effectively ended Sri Lanka’s remote chances […]