** Official ** Sri Lanka in New Zealand tour

[Slow Love™]

On cricinfo Sri Lanka say they were forced to remain on tour, not sure how this will play in the upcoming games.

IMO, this is just plain wrong. The Sri Lankan players are concerned about family and friends - they should have the right as a team to return to their country.

More evidence of the ICC's absurd touring conditions (from cricinfo):

The Sri Lankan cricket board were forced to carry on with their tour to New Zealand despite the reluctance from their players because the ICC regulations didn't allow the cancellation of international tours for any other reason apart from security and safety, it is reliably learnt.

Most of the Sri Lankan players are distinctly unhappy about being forced to play on regardless of the devastation in their country caused by the waves along the coastal belt which have left thousands dead and millions homeless.

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http://aus.cricinfo.com/link_to_dat...WS/2004/DEC/141456_NZSL2004-05_28DEC2004.html

Apparently, were Sri Lanka to abandon the tour, they would face million dollar penalties and possible suspension from international cricket. Under the circumstances, it just comes off as ridiculous.

 

[bryce]

teams not adapting to NZ conditions is not a new concept, which is why the ODI's are played before the test series, in ODI tours from memory england and pakistan both lost their first two ODI's then they both won the next two with NZ winning each deciding match

 

[Mr Casson]

IMO, this is just plain wrong. The Sri Lankan players are concerned about family and friends - they should have the right as a team to return to their country.

More evidence of the ICC's absurd touring conditions (from cricinfo):

The Sri Lankan cricket board were forced to carry on with their tour to New Zealand despite the reluctance from their players because the ICC regulations didn't allow the cancellation of international tours for any other reason apart from security and safety, it is reliably learnt.

Most of the Sri Lankan players are distinctly unhappy about being forced to play on regardless of the devastation in their country caused by the waves along the coastal belt which have left thousands dead and millions homeless.

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http://aus.cricinfo.com/link_to_dat...WS/2004/DEC/141456_NZSL2004-05_28DEC2004.html

Apparently, were Sri Lanka to abandon the tour, they would face million dollar penalties and possible suspension from international cricket. Under the circumstances, it just comes off as ridiculous.

Exactly.

And anyway, what good is staying if the players don't want to? How well can they possibly play if they're distracted and worried?

 

[Richard Rash]

teams not adapting to NZ conditions is not a new concept, which is why the ODI's are played before the test series, in ODI tours from memory england and pakistan both lost their first two ODI's then they both won the next two with NZ winning each deciding match

I think you are right with England but NZ won the Pakistan series 4-1. They won the first one then lost in Queenstown then won the remaining three games

 

[bryce]

ah yes your right, i should stop relying on my memory

 

[JASON]

IMO, this is just plain wrong. The Sri Lankan players are concerned about family and friends - they should have the right as a team to return to their country.

More evidence of the ICC's absurd touring conditions (from cricinfo):

The Sri Lankan cricket board were forced to carry on with their tour to New Zealand despite the reluctance from their players because the ICC regulations didn't allow the cancellation of international tours for any other reason apart from security and safety, it is reliably learnt.

Most of the Sri Lankan players are distinctly unhappy about being forced to play on regardless of the devastation in their country caused by the waves along the coastal belt which have left thousands dead and millions homeless.

----------------------------------------------------------------
http://aus.cricinfo.com/link_to_dat...WS/2004/DEC/141456_NZSL2004-05_28DEC2004.html

Apparently, were Sri Lanka to abandon the tour, they would face million dollar penalties and possible suspension from international cricket. Under the circumstances, it just comes off as ridiculous.

Absolutely spot on !! I think NZ cricket would have lost millions from lost Television commitments and they would have passed it to Sri Lanka through the ICC !! Hence SL have been convinced to stay on !!

In my opinion SL would struggle to remain focussed from here on at least through the ODIs !! Unconfirmed information I received that one of the player's mother has actually been reported missing and feared dead !!(not sure how reliable that is !!)
But most of Srilanka is struggling to come to grips with this major catastrophe and currently death toll estimated at over 20,000 !!
Most of the casualties are said to be in Eastern Sri Lankan towns of Trincolnmalee, Batticaloa and Mullaitivu where some of the coastal villages have been totally destroyed and everyone feared dead !! Other major casualties in Galle, Matara and southern Sri Lanka !! Galle said to be still unreachable by road !

I fear the death toll is likely to rise !

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I am in mourning with the rest of my countrymen from SriLanka as death toll rises to over 20,000 !!

 

[bryce]

correct me if i'm wrong but i'm pretty sure the NZ cricket don't make 'millions' from television commitments

 

[JASON]

correct me if i'm wrong but i'm pretty sure the NZ cricket don't make 'millions' from television commitments

4 ODI's and 2 Test matches (of expected 5 days coverage-would be used in calculating damages !!) - thats 14 days worth of TV coverage . I would guess the TV coverage for 1 day must be a minimum of a couple of hundred thousand dollars !!
So , My guesstimate is at least 2-3 million dollars !!

Only some one from NZ cricket can confirm this !!

 

[shaka]

Have they named the player, who's mother died? I doubt they would.

 

[Mr Casson]

Jason, I'm seriously contemplating coming to your house and breaking your exclamation mark key. j/k

 

[Mr Casson]

Have they named the player, who's mother died? I doubt they would.

I'm sure it'll all come out in the wash...

 

[bryce]

Have they named the player, who's mother died? I doubt they would.

sanath jayasuriya's mother was injured as you've probaly heard but i heard it was a friend of someone in the sri lankan cricket team who passed away - i'm guessing a mate of either/both dilhara fernando and lasith malinga

 

[JASON]

Here's 2 other news items of interest on this -

Cricket tour to continue despite disaster

by Sa'adi Thawfeeq

Sri Lanka will continue with their cricket tour of New Zealand despite the country suffering its worst natural disaster on Sunday.

There was great concern among the national players when they heard about the devastation in the country caused by the Tsunami tidal waves along the coastal belt which left thousands dead and millions homeless.

Sri Lanka team manager Brendon Kuruppu was quoted by agencies from Auckland where Sri Lanka lost the first one-day international to New Zealand that his team may consider pulling out of the rest of the tour due to the catastrophe.

However at an Emergency meeting of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) held at the Cricket Board headquarters yesterday, a unanimous decision was taken to continue with the tour as there was no provision in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Future Tours Program Agreement to abandon a tour unless there is safety and security concerns or where a country's government provided clear direction not to tour. Failure to adhere to this condition could result in a country being penalized a minimum of US$2 million and possible suspension from international cricket.

Family concern

"There is no way we could have cancelled the tour," said SLC president Mohan de Silva. "We express our profound sorrow and deepest sympathies to all those families and individuals affected by the Tsunami."

Two Sri Lanka cricketers who were affected by the disaster were captain Marvan Atapattu and former captain Sanath Jayasuriya.

Atapattu's father had traveled to Kataragama at the time the devastation occurred and Marvan was deeply concerned for his safety.

Mohan de Silva confirmed yesterday that Atapattu Snr was safe and that he had been able to get in touch with his family by cell phone. He said arrangements were being made to get him out of Kataragama.

Meanwhile Jayasuriya's mother who lives in Matara had been injured in the earthquake, but according to De Silva she is said to be out of danger.

However the mother of a leading cricketer from Galle CC was one of the victims who failed to survive the devastation.

De Silva said that the SLC on behalf of its membership and the cricketers being aware of its social responsibilities and affect upon the community arising out of the disaster had taken the following decision at its Emergency meeting yesterday:

* To assist through the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in executing their program of relief and rehabilitation work;

* To maintain a special camp to alleviate the hardship caused to such families due to the above;

* A special task force *** sub committee headed by immediate past president Thilanga Sumathipala has been appointed for this purpose and to take immediate steps towards its implementation;

* Has decided to reschedule all cricket matches including domestic cricket outside the mourning period of five days in Sri Lanka; and

* To reach an agreement with New Zealand Cricket to reschedule the rest of the one-day internationals and Test matches. The revised new dates and venues will be notified later.

De Silva said that the second one-day international scheduled for tomorrow (December 29) has been postponed to January 11.

Under 19 tour postponed

SLC said that Sri Lanka's under 19 cricket tour to Pakistan had been postponed by a few days until the period of mourning is over. The team was scheduled to leave for Pakistan on Wednesday and play in a series of two tests and three one-day limited over matches. The itinerary will be rescheduled.

Galle Stadium devastated

SLC president Mohan de Silva said that the Galle International Cricket Stadium had been totally devastated by the earthquake.

"The damage to the stadium and the indoor net is extensive. We have not got a proper estimate of the damage and the losses," he said.

De Silva said that the SLC executive committee had appointed a target force headed by Lawrence Amerasena and comprising Nuski Mohamed, Lucian Merrinege and Tyronne de Silva to investigate and report the extent of the damage and the cost that will be involved to restore the stadium to its former status.

http://www.dailynews.lk/2004/12/28/sportslead.html
http://www.dailynews.lk/2004/12/28/spo01.html

Muralitharan in lucky escape from killer wave
By Alex Brown
December 28, 2004



Sri Lankan spinning great Muttiah Muralitharan declared himself "lucky to be alive" after narrowly missing one of the tsunamis that have claimed more than 21,500 lives and devastated large areas of Asia.

Muralitharan, recovering from shoulder surgery in Sri Lanka while his teammates tour New Zealand, had spent the weekend in the southern coastal city of Galle, handing out cricket bats to underprivileged children with his manager Kushil Gunasekera.

Just minutes after Muralitharan drove out of the city, Galle was all but wiped out by the tsunamis. Triggered by the fifth-largest earthquake in 100 years, tidal waves tore across the Bay of Bengal and slammed into Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, Thailand, the Maldives, Malaysia and the Andaman Islands.

The death toll in Sri Lanka is already above 10,000 and is expected to rise over the next few days. Thousands more are injured and have been left homeless.

"I missed the wave by 20 minutes," Muralitharan told the Herald last night. "I had only just left Galle so I am very lucky to be alive. The wave was over 20 feet [six metres] high and it went two kilometres inland. A lot of our cricketers are from there and we don't know how their families are. My manager barely survived. His house is gone. Galle is totally under water and a lot of people are missing or dead. There are people everywhere screaming."

While Muralitharan frantically phoned friends and family from his Colombo home, his Sri Lanka teammates were forced to do so from New Zealand, where Wednesday's one-day international has been postponed and the remainder of the tour is expected to be rescheduled.

Team manager Brendan Kuruppu, speaking yesterday in Napier, said: "One player's relative has lost his life and so many others have no contact with their relatives. It is a very sad situation."

Sri Lanka's Australian coach, John Dyson, refused to comment on the wellbeing of players' family members. "There is an embargo on all of us," Dyson said yesterday. "I can't say anything."

Muralitharan said it would be difficult for him to join his teammates ahead of the first Test against New Zealand in Hamilton, which had been scheduled for January 15, given the extent of devastation in his homeland.

"Something like this has never happened to my country," he said. "In my opinion, it is not the right time for cricket. I was seeing on the TV today some of the people who are alive in Galle, and there is a lot of organising to do, a lot of feeding people. A lot of our cricketers are from that area.

"Galle is under water and so is [northern city] Jaffna. I am not sure what happened to the people I was with in Galle. I had just been there giving poor children some bats. I had finished doing that and was driving out of Galle when this happened. There was no warning. It is a very, very bad situation."

The Galle International Stadium was the venue for Shane Warne's comeback earlier this year, following a 12-month drug suspension. In an incredible match, Warne claimed 10 wickets and, in the process, became the first spinner to pass the 500-wicket mark. Darren Lehmann and Damien Martyn also scored determined, emotional centuries to set up a stirring Australian victory.

Meanwhile, Cricket Australia issued a release yesterday confirming that the national women's squad, the Southern Stars, were not harmed by the tsunami, despite arriving in the hard-hit Indian city of Chennai on Sunday. Team manager Claire Connolly is said to have assured CA staff that all players and management personnel were unharmed, although the fate of Wednesday's scheduled match against India is uncertain.

"We can confirm that everybody is safe and sound," Connolly said in a release. "Obviously with things being the way they are, there is plenty of uncertainty regarding logistical issues such as our return to Australia. We will be working through those details as soon as possible."

 

[dinu23]

^^^
machang....malingage amma marilada bung ???

ekke danna bung. malingai, dilharagei families effect wella thamai cricinfo ekke thibbe.

 

[dinu23]

the devastation caused by the 20 year long war was nothing compared to this. I feel like our country has gone back 20 years and I don't know how we're going to come out of this disaster. years of hard work that had gone in to develop these areas were destroyed in a matter of hours.

 

[marc71178]

On cricinfo Sri Lanka say they were forced to remain on tour, not sure how this will play in the upcoming games.

I don't think they're being forced. The ICC would surely show compassion if they wanted to try and reschedule.

Also I'm sure any individual wished to go home, the management would let them in these circumstances (much like the ECB were fine with people not going to Zimbabwe)

 

[brockley]

Let them go home,screw cricket!Crticket is not above life or death.

 

[anzac]

as the scope of this disaster unfolds I'd be very surprised & disappointed if the ICC did not grant a special exemption for the SRL Tour to be postponed & re-scheduled to a later date.......

 

[anzac]

just a side note (& back to cricket), there has been some recent debate about the pro's & cons of NZL introducing some new players - either on this thread or the domestic one...........

we are all familiar with the early introduction of young / inexperienced players by sub-continent teams, and likewise from the WIN (although their domestic situation is unique amongst the big 8)...........

however I also note that over the past few seasons both ENG & RSA have introduced several new names during their rebuilding of their teams, some of which have only a few seasons of domestic comp under their belts at best.....ENG player domestic stats are perhaps slightly inflated in comparisson due to the number of games per season..............RSA in particular have debuted(sp?) several new players this season, with both the 'keeper & a bowler in the current Test having about 2 dozen FC games between them including the current Test!!!!!!!!!

my point being that in comparison to some of the NZL 'candidates' there is little to set them apart regarding age, experience or stats.............indeed the likes of Papps, McIntosh, Gaffaney, Cumming, Gillespie, B Martin & Canning, already have as much domestic experience as these debutants, with the likes of Thompson & Cornelius not far behind...........

by the end of this domestic season others such as How, Fulton, Taylor, Stewart, Nichol & even Ryder, Sherlock & Davis & Co will have as much experience as some of these debutants..............

I'm not saying that all these players should be selected for NZL, just that the theory that they MUST be of a certain age or experience b4 selection is not always applicable..............

IMO if the talent & form are there, and there is an opening / opportunity to introduce them into the team than they should do so...........

I also believe that there is also a valid arguement that a talented player can learn / fall into bad habits by playing too long at domestic level by not needing to concentrate / develop their game consistantly at the highest level - particularly in regard to medium pace dominated bowling on slow & low NZL pitches.......

I suspect this may be part of the problem with Butler, & I fear for the likes of Ryder & other precocious young talents - it becomes a bit too easy for them to turn it on / off at domestic level (much as Macca appears to have been able to do so at intnl levels), but there is little incentive for them as a result of the conservative selection history.........

 

[Slow Love™]

Sounds like if the NZ and Sri Lankan boards can agree to postpone this tour, the players can go home - with no penalty from the ICC. Hopefully this info is accurate.

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/DEC/141962_NZSL2004-05_28DEC2004.html