Sri Lankans leave for India after T20 bluff?

Sri Lanka’s cricketers left yesterday for India to contest three T20 matches but questions were raised on the quality of cricket that was dished out at the so-called Super T20 Provincial tournament played in the city of Colombo where the boundary line was said to have been shortened.

The tournament was won by a team called the Colombo Commandos who beat a side known as the Galle Guardians and was a preparation for the Indian series.

But with a boundary that measured just 67 yards in distance from the average 75 yards, hitting fours and sixes should not have been a problem for batsmen.

One of them Shehan Jayasuriya smacked an unbeaten 62 in 47 balls with seven fours and two sixes for Colombo Commandos in the final against the Galle Guardians.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) however defended the shortened boundary claiming that as long as it was fair for all teams there was no cause for concern.

“The boundary was consistent with the entire tournament and fair for all teams, so that was not an issue”, said Carlton Bernadus, SLC’s head of Cricket Operations.

But analysts charged that the boundary line at one of the biggest grounds in the country may have been shortened as a probable ruse to mislead followers not present at the venue that the matches had produced high scoring results fit to be considered as top class slam-bang T20 stuff ahead of the Asia Cup and World T20.

Less than a hundred spectators witnessed the final played on Friday and one of them told the Sunday Observer that most batsmen would have been caught near the boundary had the matches been played on a ground demarcated with a longer distance in excess of 67 yards.

Shortened boundary apart, SLC could be taking heart from the fact that the tournament allowed the replacements in the Sri Lanka tour party that left for India to flex their muscles and prepare for the matches scheduled for February 9, 12 and 14.

Sri Lanka Twenty20 squad: Dinesh Chandimal (captain),Tillekeratne Dilshan, Dhanushka Gunatilleke, Chamara Kapugedara, Dasun Shanaka, Milinda Siriwardena, Asela Gunaratne, Thisara Perera, Seekkuge Prasanna, Sachithra Senanayake, Jeffrey Vandersay, Kasun Rajitha, Binura Fernando, Dilhara Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera.

Dickwella covers for Dilshan

The national selectors have included Niroshan Dickwella for the three-match T20 series tour of India as cover for an injured Tillekaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement yesterday.

Dickwella was adjudged the best batsman of the Super T20 Provincial tournament which concluded on Friday. The statement said Dilshan was expected to join the team at the second T20 match. The tour party captained by Dinesh Chandimal left last morning.