Cricket Machan

26/06/2024

https://www.cricketmachan.com/analysis/pathirana-vs-thushara-so-similar-yet-so-different/

When finding one slinger in a team is rare enough, Sri Lanka now enjoy the luxury of playing two slingers in Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara...

17/03/2024

Why does Hasaranga blow hot and cold in T20s? This article studies his pitch map to try to find an answer.https://www.cricketmachan.com/analysis/what-is-plaguing-hasarangas-t20-bowling/

13/02/2024

"Dimuth is arguably Sri Lanka’s greatest-ever Test opener and the third greatest overall, having performed relatively better than the likes of Samaraweera, Hashan Tillakaratne, Aravinda de Silva, and Atapattu. In the post-Sangakkara era, he has been Sri Lanka’s best Test batsman, outperforming both Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal. Globally, in the last 5 years, he has been the second-best opener. However, his performance in WENAS countries has left a lot to be desired, pointing to his inability to grapple with pacer-friendly conditions. Nonetheless, with Tests scheduled to be played in England, and South Africa this year, he might be yet able to ameliorate his record there, which will boost his position among international openers further."

Earlier this year, South Africa’s Dean Elgar retired from Tests, eliciting discussions on X about the best contemporary Test openers. A few weeks later, there was...

11/01/2024

https://www.cricketmachan.com/slideshows/five-lost-cricket-grounds-of-colombo/

Ever since hosting the first recorded cricket match on the island in 1832, Colombo, the bustling business capital of Sri Lanka, has been the epicenter of...

11/12/2023

His transcendental ability of milking spin for ones and twos plays a big part in allowing him to score fast against spin, a fact that is reinforced by his dot-ball percentage of 39.46% and a non-boundary strike rate of 83.66.

However, strike rotation is only a part of the puzzle. He also hit the joint second-highest number of fours of 24 against spin. His average of 43 runs in fours off 100 balls is the fourth-highest.

All told he scored 102.7 runs by hitting fours and running alone, the highest in the World Cup. The four fielders outside the ring during the middle overs in ODIs are more enough for him to drop the ball into gaps and run, and less enough to hit fours.

A byproduct of this workaround is the low risk this method of operation involves as his average of 82.33, which is the third highest among those who strike at 100 plus would explain. Sadeera has conjured a low-risk, high-reward strategy to play spin, finding strength in his weakness.

A casual look at the way Sadeera Samarawickrama operates in ODIs should tell you where his strength lies, which is in the ease with which he...

07/11/2023

Since 2015, Mathews has averaged 41.5 at the strike rate of 79.58 in ODIs. In T20Is, his strike rate is an abominable 116.67. In Tests, he averages 41.5, which becomes a scanty 38.03 at home, something beyond the pale even if you factor in the tougher batting conditions. Four batsmen average higher than him at home including Kusal Mendis who made his debut in 2015. However, he continued to be seen as the be-all and end-all of Sri Lankan batting, thanks to his consistent runs in the shorter formats, albeit at a very slow pace, and the strong public image that tided him over his decline in Tests.

Mathews has won. Just three balls into his spell in his comeback match, Angelo Mathews has Dawid Malan nick behind. He has given Sri Lanka their...

15/10/2023

Shanaka’s numbers prove that he is one of Sri Lanka’s all-time greats in the lower-middle order and he is Sri Lanka’s first and—until Kusal Mendis turned a corner in the World Cup—Sri Lanka’s best truly modern white-ball player. Sri Lanka should pay him his due respect not only to acknowledge the difficult job he has done but also to cultivate a culture that is conducive to producing power hitters. After all, when batsmen who take risks are denigrated, you are going to be left with only run accumulators.

Sri Lanka need another 42 runs off 41 balls with 6 wickets in hand to beat Pakistan and advance to the final of the 2023 Asia...

17/09/2023

https://www.cricketmachan.com/slideshows/when-sanath-killed-it-at-the-deathwith-the-ball-that-is/

Since 2002, the year since which ball-by-ball data for matches is available, and until 2009, the year in which he last bowled at the death, he had bowled 142.2 overs between the 41st and 50th overs, a number that is only bettered by Muthiah Muralidaran among Sri Lankans. His economy rate of 6.19 during these overs is better than both Lasith Malinga’s and Chaminda Vaas’.

Given his ability to bowl flat and quick, and his canny variations in pace and the angle of delivery, Sanath was ahead of his time not only with the bat but also with the ball. At the death, he consistently clocked north of 100kmph, slinging the ball into the blockhole from his left-arm angle—a skill that would have made any modern shorter-format left-arm spinner envious. Accordingly, it is unsurprising that Sanath was one of the go-to men of his captains at the death.

As an homage to this less spoken-about skill of the Sri Lankan legend, here we recount five of his most memorable death-over masterclasses.

One of the most well-known unknown cricket facts widely shared on the Internet is that Sanath Jayasuriya has more ODI wickets than Shane Warne. It goes...

26/08/2023

"The goal of the article is not to defend Mendis but to insist on the need to be patient with Sri Lankan youngsters. Playing musical chairs with players has not worked and will never work as the tenancy of Sanath Jayasuriya as the chief selector demonstrates. This is not to mean Mendis, or any youngster for that matter, will definitely succeed. They might very well end up failing. But that’s the price Sri Lanka have to pay for their poor domestic structure. But until such time as this is fixed, Sri Lankans have to continue showing faith in youngsters.""

Kusal Mendis once again finds himself in a territory he has been all too familiar with throughout his career. His recent performance has breached the tolerance...

02/05/2023

Piyal has been Sri Lanka's spin-bowling coach since 2008 in a country that is notorious for impulsively firing its coaches. But during his time, Sri Lanka have struggled to produce competent spinners.

During the press conference following the conclusion of the first day of the second Test against Ireland at Galle, Piyal Wijetunga, the national spin bowling coach...

29/01/2023

In contrast to the popular belief, Sri Lanka don't have a problem with strike rotation in ODIs. In fact, where they have fallen short is in finding boundaries, especially sixes. https://www.cricketmachan.com/opinions/the-indian-tour-should-make-sri-lanka-introspect-not-panic/