Alfalah Bank Tournament in Sri Lanka

Pakistani_Tiger · May 12, 2003, 4:42pm

Home-side skipper ain’t happy with pitches. Maybe, Attapatu fears of losing the toss in the next game. Don’t ya think?

According to the Sri Lankan board, if there’s a possibility of rain in Colombo on the Final of the tournament, they will shift the match to Dambulla stadium. :rolleyes:

Atapattu unhappy with pitches

Dambulla - Sri Lanka skipper Marvan Atapattu believes favourable playing conditions have effectively given home advantage to New Zealand ahead of their crucial tri-series one-day international here on Tuesday.

New Zealand have thrived in the overcast weather and seamer-friendly wickets, leaving Atapattu and Sri Lanka facing an uphill struggle against the Kiwis.

A lone one-day international had been played here before this series, with Sri Lanka beating England by five wickets in 2001.

“These conditions are new to us,” Atapattu said. “We haven’t played here much, but I’m a bit surprised that we have pitches like these here. I think pitches (seamer-friendly) and conditions (overcast weather) here suit New Zealand more than us,” said Atapattu.

Sri Lanka failed to cope with the Pakistani pace attack on a lively track in the opening game on Saturday, losing by 79 runs.

Pakistan also met with the same fate on Sunday as they crashed to their lowest total of 116 against New Zealand before losing the game by seven wickets on a bouncy pitch.

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming was beaming after his side adapted to their home from home.

“We seem to be the best suited (to conditions) at the moment,” said Fleming.

**“We are used to playing on such pitches at home. These are not traditional Sri Lankan tracks. There is no complaints from us, but from spectators’ point of view, it’s disappointing. It’s not ideal batting wicket for one-dayers.” **

The Sri Lankan captain, however, said the pitch was not the sole reason for his team’s dismal batting performance against Pakistan.

“There are no excuses for our poor batting in the first match,” said Atapattu. "We know that runs won’t come easily on such pitches, but we have to bat positively against New Zealand. It’s a must-win game for us. "

**‘Lean patch’ **

**“Our middle-order batting has been inconsistent for the past six-seven months. Too many batsmen have been going through a lean patch for a long time. It’s time every batsman contributed in this match.” **

Encouraging news for Sri Lanka was that hard-hitting opener Sanath Jayasuriya was likely to figure in Tuesday’s game.

“He should be ok for the match,” Atapattu said of Jayasuriya, who is suffering from a bad throat.

“We’d like to see him among runs against New Zealand, but we can’t always rely on one batsman. Others should also contribute,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan cricket board has ruled out shifting the second-leg of three matches from rain-hit Colombo to this venue.

Board secretary Jaliya Jayasuriya told a national daily that the hotel where the three teams were staying here was fully booked on days of the matches - May 17, 18 and 19.

**He said the board would try to host the final here if there was a possibility of rain in Colombo. ** :smack:

The day-night final is scheduled to be played at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on May 23.

westsidepaki · May 12, 2003, 6:05pm

Pakistan, sublime to the ridiculous

Taha Noor - 12 May 2003

Pakistan's start in the Bank Alfalah Cup could best be described as absolute brilliance one day then a shoddy performance the next. Back-to-back matches against two quality oppositions are never easy, but it was really some masterful swing bowling by the Kiwis in helpful conditions that undid them on Sunday.

Against Sri Lanka the Pakistan young guns proved their victory in Sharjah was not merely good luck but they had the capability to pulverize the full strength hosts in their own backyard. A cautious start laid the platform for a decent score, which in the end proved to be more than enough under the conditions.

The Rangiri Dambulla ground was certainly not up to par for ODI cricket, with conditions tilted towards the bowlers, and shot-making rather difficult. Even though Hafeez and Faisal Iqbal weathered the early storm, their performance in the middle overs left a lot to be desired. Caution is understandable against the swinging new ball, but both showed little intent even against the second string Sri Lankan spinners. A lot of work is still needed to perfect the art of rotating strike, to make sure they don't pressurize the likes of Youhana and Younis Khan when they come in after.

Pakistan's bowling and fielding in the opening match could be called brilliant, with Shoaib Akhtar proving he isn't a spent force by any means. However, I believe they are committing a tactical blunder, when it comes to handing Shoaib the new ball, and bringing Umar Gul in as first change. Umar is a seam bowler very much in the mould of the great McGrath, and is not as potent when he operates first change. The seam is worn by then and since he lacks pace, gets taken for runs as was the case against New Zealand.

With Umar and Razzaq operating in the middle overs there is very little pressure on opposition batsmen and they can stabilize the innings. Pakistan would do better to let Umar partner Sami with the new ball and have Shoaib come in to attack on one end, while Razzaq does the hold up job.

If they do want to persist with Shoaib Akhtar opening, then it is better to drop Umar Gul for Kaneria, to provide greater variety. The pitches in the second round in Colombo are likely to be slow turners, unlike the moist 'seamers' at Dambulla, so Kaneria could prove very useful.

The Pakistan batting may have done reasonably against the Sri Lankan attack, but failed when they encountered New Zealand's top quality pace attack under similar conditions. For the first time the youngsters were up against a quality attack and wilted under some trying conditions unable to cope with swing and seam. I shudder to think what will happen during their England tour unless they learn to cope with such wickets.

Problems exposed need to be addressed immediately, they could not handle the swing of Shane Bond who beat them on almost every ball of his opening spell. Only Younis Khan displayed an adequate technique in countering his sharp inswing.

Faisal Iqbal looked quite ordinary, and it may be time for either Faisal Athar or Yasir Hameed to get a chance in the next match.

Youhana got out to very loose shots in both matches, and must be made to realize he is the cornerstone of Pakistan's batting line-up, and must cut down on some of the flair he is so well known for.

Taufeeq Umar was a little disappointing, after having done all the hard work weathering the new ball attack he got out to a very loose shot. Taufeeq looks in reasonable form but has a terrible habit of giving it away when well set. He is a naturally defensive player who takes his time, and must realize that playing aggressive shots is not his job. He needs to stay out there, rotate strike and allow the stroke makers in the line-up to play around him. Instead, he seems to suddenly feel pressure when the going is tough and in trying to emulate a Saeed Anwar, starts playing risky shots.

The defeat to New Zealand should not lead to wholesale changes, or cries to bring back more experienced players, but does offer the team a chance to reflect on their mistakes and strategy. Young players will only learn if they get a chance to play the best bowlers in the world, and cannot be expected to massacre them at first sight, especially when conditions are as difficult as in Dambulla.

Hopefully, we will see a much improved effort under the batsmen friendly conditions in Colombo.

westsidepaki · May 12, 2003, 6:10pm

I think even calling Faisal Iqbal ordinary is a compliment! I hope we do see some changes with the openers.

I'm not sure I agree with him about not giving Shoaib the new ball though. He had a break through in the SL game and I think he's more aggressive with the new ball. I think he's right about Razzaq and Gul not being enough in the middle overs though. They'll have to figure some changes out there.

I hope the batsmen do better in Colombo. Can't wait till the next match seems so far away! :(

Dr.Evil · May 12, 2003, 7:19pm

When is Pakistan's next game?

teaser · May 12, 2003, 7:43pm

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by yaasir: *

Actually ppv has some good movies which teaser bhai can watch ;)
[/QUOTE]

Yaasir there are few good movies on PPV(K-19 I watched this movie 3 times and there are few more) but I have watched them all so last night I turned my dish to BEV SAT and checked their channels. Nothing special on BEV either.

Dr. sahib PAK next game is on 17th so that would be 16th here in USA.

Spock · May 12, 2003, 9:53pm

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by teaser: *

Yaasir there are few good movies on PPV(K-19 I watched this movie 3 times and there are few more) but I have watched them all so last night I turned my dish to BEV SAT and checked their channels. Nothing special on BEV either.

Dr. sahib PAK next game is on 17th so that would be 16th here in USA.
[/QUOTE]

question bhai, that guy must be referring to Channel 497 ;) hehehe

teaser · May 13, 2003, 12:55am

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Spock: *

question bhai, that guy must be referring to Channel 497 ;) hehehe
[/QUOTE]

hahaha

teaser · May 13, 2003, 5:28am

NZ 46-4 in 10.3 overs.

LahoriMunda · May 13, 2003, 5:28am

interesting match.. newzealand 46-4

westsidepaki · May 13, 2003, 6:58am

Nice to see NZ struggling. 108 for 7. Hope they're just as unsettled when we play them. Too bad all the games are going to be played in Dambulla though.

Pakistani_Tiger · May 13, 2003, 8:27am

I knew this is coming. Kiwis wrapped up on 139. Their lowest total against Sri Lanka, I reckon. Again, toss played an important role. Both pitches of Dambulla don’t meet ODIs standards. Now, heavy rain has forced all the remaining matches of the tournament to be held in Dambulla Staduim. Even the dates of the match has been changed. Also, Final of the tournament, which was supposed to be played in D/N duration, will be played in daylights.

I tell you homies, Toss will be a huge factor in the remaining matches. Whoever wins the toss, will field and is likely that side will win obviously on the same pitch like today’s game and the previous one b/w Pakistan and Kiwis.

Heavy rain forces matches to be shifted to Dambulla

Organisers of the Bank Alfalah Cup have decided to play all the remaining matches of tournament at Dambulla after heavy monsoon rain in Colombo.

The last four games were scheduled to be played in Colombo, but prospects of play were remote considering the current cyclonic weather pattern.

The dates of the matches have been changed as well, with the fourth, fifth and sixth games to be played on May 18, 19 and 20. The final, which was to have been played under lights, will now be a day match.

May 18 _ Sri Lanka v Pakistan
May 19 _ New Zealand v Sri Lanka
May 20 _ Pakistan v New Zealand
May 23 _ The Final

Anyway, I think Sri Lanka has got a chance to get this 140 runs target. Also, threat of Shane Bond has been removed.

freestylla · May 13, 2003, 10:07am

anyone broadcasting the match today.
Links Please
Thanks

ehsan · May 13, 2003, 11:41am



New Zealand innings (46 overs maximum)                          R   M   B
CJ Nevin              run out (Atapattu)                       12  24  14
*SP Fleming           c Sangakkara       b Nissanka             2   6   4
L Vincent             lbw                b Jayasuriya          32 103  72
SB Styris             c Sangakkara       b Nissanka             0   1   2
CL Cairns                            c & b Nayanakantha        14  21  17
JDP Oram                             c & b Muralitharan        20  52  47
CZ Harris             not out                                  20  73  62
+BB McCullum          lbw                b Muralitharan         0  18  10
KD Mills                                 b Dharmasena           6  21  21
DL Vettori            run out (Jayawardene/Kaluwitharana)       5   9   8
DR Tuffey             lbw                b Muralitharan         2   6   3
Extras                (b 4, lb 12, w 9, nb 1)                  26
Total                 (all out, 43.1 overs, 175 mins)         139

FoW: 1-6 (Fleming, 1.4 ov), 2-18 (Nevin, 5.1 ov),
     3-18 (Styris, 5.3 ov), 4-46 (Cairns, 10.3 ov),
     5-94 (Oram, 23.5 ov), 6-102 (Vincent, 27.3 ov),
     7-108 (McCullum, 32.1 ov), 8-127 (Mills, 38.5 ov),
     9-135 (Vettori, 41.4 ov), 10-139 (Tuffey, 43.1 ov).

Bowling                      O      M      R      W
Vaas                         9      2     23      0
Nissanka                     5      0     11      2 (2w)
Nayanakantha                 5      1     26      1 (2w)
Dharmasena                   8      0     28      1 (3w)
Muralitharan                 8.1    1     16      3 (1nb)
Jayasuriya                   8      1     19      1 (1w)

Sri Lanka innings (target: 140 runs from 46 overs)              R   M   B
ST Jayasuriya         c Vettori          b Oram                33      52  
+RS Kaluwitharana     c McCullum         b Oram                48     119
KC Sangakkara         hit wicket         b Oram                 1       7
*MS Atapattu          c Vincent          b Styris              18      54
DPMD Jayawardene      c McCullum         b Tuffey               2      11
TM Dilshan            not out                                  18      17
WPUJC Vaas            not out                                   5       8
Extras                (b 2, lb 8, w 2, nb 6)                   18
Total                 (5 wickets, 43.4 overs)                 143

DNB: HGD Nayanakantha, HDPK Dharmasena, RAP Nissanka,
     M Muralitharan.

FoW: 1-68 (Jayasuriya, 16.5 ov), 2-69 (Sangakkara, 18.5 ov),
     3-116 (Kaluwitharana, 36.4 ov), 4-116 (Atapattu, 37.6 ov),
     5-120 (Jayawardene, 40.4 ov).

Bowling                      O      M      R      W
Tuffey                       7      0     37      1 (1nb)
Mills                        5      0     32      0 (5nb)
Oram                         9      4     12      3 (1w)
Vettori                      9      1     19      0
Harris                      10      0     27      0 (1w)
Styris                       3.4    2      6      1

SL won by 5 wickets.

Each team in the tournament has now won 1 game each.

BrokenSky · May 13, 2003, 1:07pm

Srilanka won...
ummm...
now each team has one point...
so nobody is out yet...

Changez_like · May 13, 2003, 1:19pm

loot at the bowling figures :k: if I had my fantasy team entered these guys were on my list… but I missed

Pathetic pitches , low scoring games hardly attract many people.

Nancy_Drew · May 13, 2003, 3:54pm

Name Mat I NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 Ct St Team

L Vincent Mohammad Hafeez RS Kaluwitharana MS Atapattu CJ Nevin Rashid Latif ST Jayasuriya CL Cairns Shoaib Akhtar Younis Khan KC Sangakkara Taufeeq Umar Shoaib Malik Abdul Razzaq DPMD Jayawardene SP Fleming Faisal Iqbal JDP Oram CZ Harris Mohammad Sami TM Dilshan RP Arnold WPUJC Vaas KD Mills SB Styris DL Vettori RAP Nissanka DR Tuffey Umar Gul KS Lokuarachchi M Muralitharan K Weeraratne Yousuf Youhana BB McCullum SE Bond HDPK Dharmasena HGD Nayanakantha 2 2 1 57 32 57.00 44.53 - - 1 - NZ
2 2 0 53 53 26.50 44.91 - 1 2 - PAK
2 2 0 48 48 24.00 38.70 - - 1 1 SL
2 2 0 44 26 22.00 36.36 - - - - SL
2 2 0 40 28 20.00 93.02 - - 1 - NZ
2 2 0 40 26 20.00 61.53 - - - - PAK
2 2 0 33 33 16.50 62.26 - - - - SL
2 2 1 32 18* 32.00 94.11 - - - - NZ
2 2 0 32 27 16.00 74.41 - - - - PAK
2 2 0 32 29 16.00 59.25 - - 2 - PAK
2 2 0 30 29 15.00 46.87 - - 3 - SL
2 2 0 30 21 15.00 42.25 - - 1 - PAK
2 2 0 29 20 14.50 61.70 - - 2 - PAK
2 2 1 24 24* 24.00 68.57 - - - - PAK
2 2 0 24 22 12.00 55.81 - - 2 - SL
2 2 0 23 21 11.50 48.93 - - - - NZ
2 2 0 21 21 10.50 27.63 - - 1 - PAK
2 1 0 20 20 20.00 42.55 - - - - NZ
2 1 1 20 20* - 32.25 - - - - NZ
2 2 2 19 11* - 63.33 - - - - PAK
1 1 1 18 18* - 105.88 - - - - SL
1 1 0 13 13 13.00 27.65 - - - - SL
2 2 1 6 5* 6.00 60.00 - - - - SL
1 1 0 6 6 6.00 28.57 - - - - NZ
2 2 0 6 6 3.00 23.07 - - 3 - NZ
2 1 0 5 5 5.00 62.50 - - 2 - NZ
2 1 1 5 5* - 20.00 - - - - SL
2 1 0 2 2 2.00 66.66 - - - - NZ
2 1 0 2 2 2.00 11.11 - - - - PAK
1 1 0 2 2 2.00 16.66 - - 1 - SL
2 1 0 1 1 1.00 50.00 - - 1 - SL
1 1 0 1 1 1.00 8.33 - - - - SL
2 2 0 1 1 0.50 14.28 - - - - PAK
2 1 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 - - 2 - NZ
1 0 - - - - - - - - - NZ
1 0 - - - - - - - - - SL
1 0 - - - - - - - 1 - SL

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Yousuf Youhana 2 2 0 1 1 0.50 14.28 - - - - PAK

a1kashur · May 13, 2003, 3:58pm

yeah, the pitch is really bad for ODIs.


Match 3/6     Played  Won  Lost  No Result  Tied  Bonus Points  Points  NRR
New Zealand     2      1    1         -       -        1          7     +0.718
**Pakistan        2      1    1         -       -        1          6     +0.092**
Sri Lanka       2      1    1         -       -        -          5     -0.713

Changez_like · May 13, 2003, 4:16pm

The highest score is 53 in three games, the second highest is 48, otherwise all scores are well below 40

BrokenSky · May 13, 2003, 9:27pm

srilanka ki mari hoi sarial ghatia manhoos tareen low scoring pitches:smash:…

westsidepaki · May 14, 2003, 1:02am

why does NZ have 7 points?

Sucks that all the games are in Dambulla and that they changed the dates. I have finals to study for! Finals or cricket? The choice is obvious!
Go Pakistan!