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Happy New Year to all Lanka Cricket Visitors !!!

 

                                                           ~~~Thanks for visiting Lanka Cricket~~~

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Master Blaster bids Farewell to Test Cricket

As much as it brought smiles to the faces of cricket lovers, when Murali broke Shane Warne’s World Record, it brought a tear when the dashing Sri Lankan opener Sanath Jayasuriya, a.k.a Master Blaster, announced his retirement from test cricket following the 1st test against England at Asgiriya, Kandy.

Jayasuriya, who made his Test Debut against Newzealand at Hamilton in 1991, needs no introduction. He was a man who revolutionized cricket, especially one day cricket since 1995-1996. One of the most destructive batsman of the game, he showed his continued aggression even in his final innings, hitting England’s James Anderson for 6 consecutive fours in an over.

Amassing 14 centuries and 30 fifties in his 110 test-career, he’s also currently the highest run-scorer for Sri Lanka in Test Cricket. He hit a career best 340 against India in 1997, becoming the first Sri Lankan to hit a triple century. Some of his other memorable innings include the 213 he smashed against England at the Oval in 1998, 253 against Pakistan at Faislabad and the 131 off 145 balls against Australia in 2004.

Sri Lanka will not only miss him as an explosive opener, but also as an extremely useful bowler. Having picked up 98 test wickets, he’s also the third highest wicket taker for Sri Lanka in tests. Such a great player was he – that his achievements in cricket and the records he has set are too numerous to be written here. A wonderful alrounder and a great Entertainer !

Sanath Teran Jayasuriya, who hails from the down South in Matara had his education at St. Servatius College, Matara. At a time when cricket was limited to the Sri Lankan Colombo elite, he was one of the first Sri Lankan batsman to break the pattern, opening the doors for many more cricketers from the suburbs.

The Matara Mauler, the Superman of Sri Lankan Cricket will undoubtedly be missed, but it is a relief for all the cricket fans around the globe that he will continue to play ODI Cricket. But on behalf of all of them, let me say in short, Thank You Sanath ! Thanks for playing for Sri Lanka, and Thanks for the Great Entertainment you provided over the years !

Photo Courtesy : Daily News

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Congratz Murali ! – The Highest Wicket Taker in Test Cricket

All Congratulations to MUTTIAH MURALITHARAN of SRI LANKA, as he bowled Paul Collingwood of England, to go past Shane Warne’s World Record of 708 test wickets to become the Highest Wicket Taker in Test Cricket.

Murali, born on the 17th of April, 1972 hails from Kandy and is a proud product of St. Anthony’s College, Katugastota. Having made his test debut as a 20 year old against the mighty Australians in 1992, his 15 year cricket career, up to now, has been filled with controversy. In 1995, the Australian Umpire Darrell Hair was the first to “no-ball” Murali, followed by Ross Emerson in 1996. His action was then tested by ICC approved Biomechanics and subsequently cleared.

Then, on home soil he finished with figures of 12-117 in a Test against Zimbabwe to achieve the best figures by a Sri Lankan bowler in Test Cricket history. However, in 1999, he was once again “no-balled” by Ross Emerson, in an ODI against England before being reported by Match referee Chris Broad for a fourth time in 2004. Once more, he was subjected to undergo Testing in Australia and after finding that the ‘bending action’ was something common to most bowlers, the ICC increased the limit to 15 degrees for all bowlers. Soon after he went past Courtney Walsh’s World Record of 519 test wickets in Harare, Zimbabwe to become the World Record Holder for the first time.

After Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard called Murali a “Chucker” he pulled out of the Australian tour citing personal reasons.

Murali, then grabbed the record for the second time against the touring South Africans in Aug. 2004, after Shane Warne went past him few weeks back.

And, after a challenging Australian tour, in his 116th Test on the 3rd of Dec, 2007, amidst a crowd of over 6000 and his loving wife Madhimalar, son, Naren, and mother and father; he went past Australian Shane Warne’s record tally of 708 test wickets in the first test against England at Asgiriya, Kandy to become the WORLD RECORD HOLDER for the highest number of wickets in Test Cricket.

Murali, who already has 61, 5- wicket hauls and 20, 10-wicket hauls to his name, (the most by any test bowler), is undoubtedly the most successful bowler Sri Lanka has ever produced. He is also the only bowler to have picked up more than 50 wickets against every opposition he has played. It really is an achievement for Sri Lanka to have produced a World Record breaking bowler, in a span of only 25 years of test cricket. A stamp marking this incredible feat, was immediately released by the Department of Posts and Telecommunication.

Yet, even after earning such a glory, when asked, he quietly murmured “this is not for me, this is for Sri Lanka.” No Wonder…. “Dear Murali” is indeed a “National Hero” for the Sri Lankans.

We wish Murali all the strength and courage to pick up a 1000 Test Wickets for Sri Lanka !

Photo Courtesy : Cric Info

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