Jayasuriya leads MCC against Windies

Sanath Jayasuriya will lead MCC in their three-day match against West Indies at the Racecourse Ground in Durham from June 1. William Porterfield, the Ireland opening batsman, is also included while the rest of the side comes from a collection of University Centre of Excellence players and MCC Young Cricketers.
Lee Hodgson, after acting as 12th man for England during part of the Lord's Test and taking a catch off Steve Harmison, is one of two current MCC Young Cricketers in the squad. Zoheb Sharif, who played for MCC against Sussex in the first match of the season, has another chance to press his claims for a county contract while Paul Dixey, who is on Kent's books, will take the wicketkeeping duties.
The most intriguing selection, though, is Mali Richards, son of Viv, who will line-up against the team his father captained during their glory years. Richards junior opens the bowling for Oxford UCCE and spent time on the staff at Middlesex.
"Few young players will have such an opportunity to play against quality opposition and I am sure that the students will make the most of it, " said Jayasuriya. "The match will be a big challenge, but I am confident that we will be able to perform well against the touring team."
The match is West Indies' only remaining first-class fixture outside of the Test series and will provide preparation for the third Test at Old Trafford.
MCC squad: Sanath Jayasuriya (capt), Ruel Brathwaite (Loughborough UCCE), Simon Butler (Cardiff UCCE), Shaaiq Choudhry (Leeds/Bradford UCCE), Paul Dixey (wk, Durham UCCE), Laurie Evans (Durham UCCE), Lee Hodgson (MCC Young Cricketers), James Morris (Durham UCCE), William Porterfield (Ireland), Mali Richards, (Oxford UCCE), Zoheb Sharif (Cambridge UCCE), Mark Tomsett (MCC Young Cricketers), Robbie Williams (Durham UCCE)

Sri Lanka sink a billion hopes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Inspired by a genius who raised his game when the occasion demanded, Sri Lanka overpowered India in their final league match at Port-of-Spain and stormed into the Super Eights. India suffered one of their most disappointing days in recent memory, muffing up a run-chase on a pitch posing no worries, and were all but ousted from the World Cup, in what is likely to be their worst campaign since 1979.

It wasn't as one-sided a contest as the scorecard suggests. The first half of the match was a cat-and-mouse battle that everyone expected, with neither team establishing their dominance. Sri Lanka scrapped out a competitive 254 and defended it with verve and skill. Muttiah Muralitharan towered over India's batsmen, bounding in from around the wicket and taunting them with offbreaks and doosras that were near unplayable. He was unstoppable on the field too and pulled off a full-length lunge to dismiss the in-form Sourav Ganguly, and killed Indian hopes once and for all with a good catch at long-off to get rid of Rahul Dravid.

Coming close on the heels of Bob Woolmer's tragic demise, India's exit will no doubt be a setback for the World Cup. Carrying the tags of 'commercial favourites', they will be the first to admit that they didn't deserve to go through, having been trumped by both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It was no doubt a spineless batting effort today but there is little one can do when confronted by a magician like Murali.

Half-centuries from Upul Tharanga and Chamara Silva had set Sri Lanka up but it was the Murali factor that proved too much for India. His first-ball topspinner that hoodwinked Mahendra Singh Dhoni summed up his influence. He fizzed one through and landed it on middle stump, Dhoni thought about the cut but could only watch in a daze as the ball crashed into his back pad. It was so plumb, and he seemed so embarrassed, that he walked instinctively. To see Dhoni walk before the bowler had completely gone up for the lbw appeal was to see the last whiff of hope evaporate.

Murali earlier removed the dangerous Virender Sehwag at a crucial juncture. Sehwag's solidity, and reading of the percentages, was reminiscent of the batsman in his prime. There was hardly any wild swinging outside off - barring one moment on 39, when Kumar Sangakkara couldn't latch on to a full-length dive off a fierce slash off Dilhara Fernando - but a game built on assessing the situation and the bowlers. Yet, in the 23rd over, Murali's third, he was tied up in knots. He first missed a doosra down the leg side, one that was called wide despite nearly knocking off leg stump, but was completely baffled by another that pitched on off and turned away, watching Mahela Jayawardene gobble up a catch at first slip.

If Sehwag's dismissal was the turning point, Yuvraj Singh's fatal run-out was probably the clincher. Taking off for a single where there was none, after Dravid had nudged behind square, was all it needed for Sri Lanka to pounce. Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar had fallen cheaply earlier - one to a poor stroke, another to an incisive delivery - and the run-chase was well and truly derailed. Dravid ploughed along amid the ruins, suffering a hamstring along the way and briefly lashing Lasith Malinga for four consecutive fours in an over, but that was nothing but a rage against the dying light. The contest was long over.

Sri Lanka's batting efforts were built around Tharanga and Silva. Sri Lanka didn't ride on their senior pros, who were bogged down and snaffled out, but relied on a 22-year-old to guide them past the early tension. Tharanga wasn't at his flowing best, understandably so considering the needle in this contest, but his half-century was the one that anchored the innings. He didn't endeavour anything out of the ordinary and had his lucky moments, against Ajit Agarkar's slower balls and Zaheer Khan's in-cutters. But he interspersed them with gorgeous drives.

His dismissal brought in a couple of hardworking batsmen - Silva was beaver-like in his approach, grinding out singles and improvising fours while Dilshan, always on the look-out for runs, provided support. Silva's third consecutive World Cup fifty formed the heart of the middle overs and his cheeky glides behind the wicket irritated the bowlers. Dilshan was the more forceful, backing away and forcing the ball through the off side. Both fell in quick succession but Russel Arnold and Chaminda Vaas, adding 38 in 23 deliveries, boosted the total beyond the 250 mark.

India's bowlers turned in an impressive performance, 27 extras notwithstanding. Agarkar and Munaf Patel were the best bowlers on view and would have ended with richer hauls with a dose of good fortune. Tendulkar surprised with his banana inswing and Ganguly chipped in with an important wicket. The tension that had built up over the last few days simmered right through the first 70 overs of the match, only for Murali to cut through it in his inimitable style. A banner that read "Murali-ed" probably got it just right.

Cricket Pioneers Sanath Jayasuriya.

The man who changed the game of cricket with his exceptional batting! The God Of ODI cricket - Sanath Jayasuriya...*

Jayasuriya sizzles in Sri Lanka's win

Jayasuriya sizzles in Sri Lanka's win

Sanath Jayasuriya put on a brutal batting display, crashing 111 off 82 deliveries, to set up Sri Lanka's emphatic seven-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first match of a five-game series at Napier. New Zealand's testing target of 286, boosted by Ross Taylor's outstanding maiden century, posed little threat to Sri Lanka who cruised home with 10 overs to spare.
New Zealand would have harboured hopes of winning after reaching 285 for 8, but this was only a par score on a superb batting strip. Ultimately - although their bowlers had a day to forget - New Zealand paid the price for losing momentum after a 151-run second-wicket stand between Taylor, who was unbeaten on 128, and Nathan Astle.
In the 29th over, New Zealand were steaming along at 169 for 1 but Sri Lanka dragged themselves back into the contest. Their trio of spinners - Muttiah Muralitharan, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Jayasuriya, the most economical of the bowlers - applied the brakes before Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga claimed late wickets.
Sri Lanka, as they did at Leeds when they chased down 322 with 12.3 overs to spare, also launched an assault in the Powerplays. Jayasuriya began by swivel-pulling Michael Mason to the fence in the second over. However, the fireworks really started after the first five overs when Jayasuriya, having played himself in, cut loose. At the other end, Upul Tharanga also played beautifully for his 68 off 73 balls but he was always in Jayasuriya's shadow. During one particularly savage over, Andre Adams was pummelled for three fours and a towering six over long on.
The pair amassed 110 runs during an amazing period between the fifth and 15th overs, taking advantage of a ragged display from an inexperienced bowling unit missing Shane Bond, Jacob Oram and Kyle Mills. Mason, 0 for 60 off six overs, and Adams, 0 for 45 off his first four, bled the most.
James Franklin did effect a double-strike in the 25th over when Jayasuriya was caught at third man and Tharanga nicked the next ball but by then, with 201 runs already on the board, the damage was beyond repair. Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara added a run-a-ball 70 and an out-of-sorts Marvan Atapattu made 10 not out to seal victory.

Sri Lanka, Sanath Jayasuriya and rain win the day

Sri Lanka, Sanath Jayasuriya and rain win the day

Sanath Jayasuriya enjoyed a field day at Wellington's Westpac Stadium, picking up three key wickets as Sri Lanka derailed New Zealand's batting onslaught, and then playing a blitzkrieg of an innings to propel his side to an 18-run Duckworth-Lewis victory. Rain forced everyone off the field with one delivery left in the sixth over of Sri Lanka's chase of 163, just as Jayasuriya slammed Andre Adams for 18 in four balls. With no respite in sight, Sri Lanka were declared winners based on their excellent run rate, despite being 101 runs adrift of their target.
Jayasuriya set off in manic fashion, slamming 51 from 23 deliveries. By the time Shane Bond removed Upul Tharanga for six, Jayasuriya had raced away to 27 from 15 deliveries with a brutal attack on Bond and James Franklin. Adams, in his first over in New Zealand colours since October 2005, was welcomed with the following greeting: four over backward point, four through square leg, six over wide long-on, and four more through extra cover. It was just as well that rain intervened, from Adams's perspective.
Led by their spinners, Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka clawed their way back into the first of the two Twenty20s to restrict New Zealand to 162. After taking a solid hammering from Stephen Fleming and Brendon McCullum - 80 runs were added in just over seven overs - Murali and Jayasuriya turned the game on its head with some controlled bowling and waited for the hosts to hit the self-destruct button.