FIFA is on ……….. and
from yesterday another annual show Wimbledon is also on… at the famous grass
courts, the seven-time Wimbledon champion returned to make short work of his
first round match against Italy's Paolo Lorenzo. Court One rose to applaud the
entrance of Roger Federer, the greatest-ever champion of this hallowed event,
and he did not disappoint any of them, except perhaps any Italians in the
audience as he crushed Paolo Lorenzi 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 in an hour and 33 minutes to
clock up his 68th victory, including seven titles, in what is his 16th
consecutive appearance at The Championships.
But some of us are busy watching Investec - Investec is an international specialist
banking and asset management group. It provides a range of financial products
and services to a client base in three principal markets: the United Kingdom,
South Africa and Australia……… they are the sponsors for the England – Sri Lanka
Test – which excruciatingly is heading for a historic finish… Lankans need the
last wicket in the last hour of play with probably 15 overs left.
When Sreesanth was cleaned up by Greame Swann during the
Oval test, it ended a miserable test series for the numero uno test side. Indians
in their last tour were annihilated 4-0
and they lost their no.1 test ranking as well as a lot of pride of being the
world champions. The same year, India toured Australia and history repeated
itself very quickly. Three years later, team India is in England again, this
time to play a five test series. Only Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ishant
Sharma and Gautam Gambhir are the three surviving members of the horrors of
2011. The remaining 15 will be playing test cricket in England for the first
time. India plays five tests against
England after almost five decades. Their recent overseas tours have resulted in
10 defeats in 12 tests.
This may well be
India’s best chance to create an impact in England. England are in a stage of
rebuilt after their 5-0 disaster in the Ashes against Australia. And will Lanka
create history … and will that impact or put more pressure on India ……. Is not
the Lankan attack far better one …
At Lords in the 1st
Test the finish was as dramatic as one
could imagine - after the penultimate
ball of the match, and Stuart Broad in full flow, England's fielders converged
in jubilation, convinced they had completed a footslogging victory with seconds
to spare. Sri Lanka's last man, Nuwan Pradeep, might be a batting novice, but
he knows how to signal for a DRS review. Replays revealed a thick edge, missed
by the umpire Paul Reiffel. He
debuted at Lords Two wickets to the good and with his confidence soaring in the
present test, this man delivered the first "doosra" of his
international career. Not just the first doosra of his career, but perhaps the
first bowled by an England bowler in Tests and that man is unexpectedly standing
a rock between Lankans and the win… yesterday chasing 350, England were staring
at defeat with 57/5 .. they have survived till now.
Sri Lanka have never
won a Test series in England, but they are closing in on a magnificent
achievement after their captain, Angelo Mathews, with a brilliant domineering
hundred, followed by a scarcely credible spell from Dhammika Prasad consigned
England to a day of untold gloom in the second Test at Headingley. The man stonewalling is - Moeen Ali, who has now scored a maiden Test fifty. When
tea arrived on the final day, Sri Lanka were still three wickets away from
their first series win in England but by chipping out Joe Root and Matt Prior.
I am impatiently closing this one at 22:39 hrs – hoping that
Lankans will be able to win
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
24th June
2014.
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