KitSports » Jehan mubarak

Milinda and Kusal in Sri Lanka Test Squad

kit-sports editor — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 03:26:22 +0000

The national selectors yesterday named two uncapped players Milinda Siriwardena and Kusal Mendis in a 15-man squad for the two-Test series against the touring West Indies team which begins on October 14 at the Galle International Stadium.

Batting all-rounder Siriwardena has been rewarded for making an encouraging start to his ODI career while Kusal Mendis had the honour of captaining the Sri Lanka U19 team during last year’s Youth World Cup.

Both Siriwardena and Mendis are currently playing in the three-day practice match against the West Indies which commenced at the SSC ground in Maitland Place yesterday.

However the national selectors have left out two veterans Upul Tharanga and Jehan Mubarak who made their appearances in the recent series’ against Pakistan and India respectively.

The Sri Lanka squad: Angelo Mathews (captain), -Lahiru Thirimanne (vice captain), Kaushal Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Perera, Milinda Siriwardene, Kusal Mendis, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Tharindu Kaushal, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera. (CD)

It was an unexpected defeat, says Mathews

kit-sports editor — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 01:33:14 +0000

Soon after the third Test Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews said that he never expected a defeat and thought that once his side got the 377 run lead that they were sitting pretty and said the the defeat would take some time to digest. We never expected a performance like this from our team and the Pakistanis.

Referring to the pitch he said “There was a little bit of grass on the wicket and we had to go with three pacies, we cannot blame the pitch. On the third or fourth days it doesn’t have much for the seam bowlers and unfortunately Tharindu Kaushal did not bowl well and we couldn’t keep the pressure on them. We are entering an era where Mahela and Kumar won’t be there. May be two more Tests with Sangakkara, all of us will have to take the responsibility and move on as no one will be there for ever.”

Pakistan’s Younis Khan who
made 171 not out acknowledges
the cheers of the crowd after
reaching 150 runs on the final
day of the third test against Sri
Lanka at Pallekele yesterday.

“We’ll all have to take the responsibility . It was a very good game from our point of view we fought very hard, after the first couple of days both teams were quite even. There after we were put under pressure being 30 odd for three and the rest of the batsmen fought really hard. Jehan Mubarak and Upul Tharanga played mature roles . We fought to get up to 376 and never thought we could lose from there” said Mathews.

He said that the wicket did turn only in patches and it neither helped the seamers. The seamers Prasad, Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep bowled well on an unresponsive wicket. But you cannot just blame the wicket when you got 377 runs to get them out.

Referring to the omission of Rangana Herath Mathews said ” it was a just a tactical decision. He is still our number one bowler. Unfortunately we had to leave him out because they were playing Rangana really well in the last two Tests and Tharindu Kaushal was troubling them in the second Test. So we thought that’s the way to go.”

Mubarak: I am a better cricketer now…..

kit-sports editor — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 01:31:57 +0000

Coming back to the Test team after a gap of 7 years at the age of 34 isn’t an easy thing, but Jehan Mubarak seems to be a completely different batsman than he used to be in 2007, as he played some crucial knocks at crucial times, where his second innings partnership of 81 runs with skipper Mathews saved the day for the home team.
“I feel I’m a different player than I was seven year ago; different in the sense a better player” said Mubarak, who has impressed to a certain extent in the international stage after all those bulk of domestic runs in the club arena.
“I have understood my game much more. What my strengths, weaknesses and limitation are. And during the club season I worked on my weaknesses. I wasn’t much of a sweeper earlier, so I worked on the sweep, using my feet against spinners. I was hungry for runs. I set myself a target and wanted to be a better cricketer when I finished, whether I played international cricket or not by then,” added Mubarak.
With the lead closing towards 300 Mubarak said if Sri Lanka can see off the new ball tomorrow and bat the first session pushing the lead past 350 and to about 380, they can take Pakistan out of the game and push for a win, which will seal them the series as well as number 3 position in the ICC Test team rankings.
“At 80 for 4 the game could have gone either way. Initially we took some time to play ourselves in, especially against Yasir (Shah) who was bowling really well at the time. Once we spent some time out there it got a bit easier. The fast bowlers also weren’t as effective after the ball got older. Yasir was the main threat and we tried to see him out. It worked to an extent,” said Mubarak, who was disappointed about getting out for 35 after doing all the hard work.

Dimuth and Shah shine at Pallekele

kit-sports editor — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 02:24:23 +0000

Sri Lanka’s Dimuth Karunaratne hit a century, while Pakistani leg-spinner Yasir Shah had another rich haul as the decisive third and final Test began on a rousing note here on Friday.

The hosts, sent in to bat after Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq won the toss for the third time in a row, stuttered to 272/8 in their first innings by stumps on the opening day.

Left-handed Karunaratne anchored the innings with a dogged 130, his second Test century following the 152 against New Zealand in Christchurch last December.

Yasir ended the day with four for 77, taking his tally in the series to 21 wickets, the most by a Pakistani bowler in a three-Test rubber in Sri Lanka.

Yasir enabled Pakistan to keep the runs in check despite conditions favouring the batsmen on the evenly-paced pitch after the initial moisture on the wicket had dried up under the hot sun.

The series is locked 1-1 after Pakistan won the first Test by 10 wickets and Sri Lanka responded with a seven-wicket victory in the second match.

Pakistan secured an early break with the wicket of Kaushal Silva, who had scored 125 in Galle and 80 in Colombo.

This time Silva made nine when he was caught behind off left-arm seamer Rahat Ali, who was picked alongside Ehsan Ali and Imran Khan in a new-look pace attack for the decider.

The left-handed pair of Karunaratne and Upul Tharanga put on 91 for the second wicket on either side of lunch to lift the score to 106 for one, before three wickets fell for 31 runs.

Tharanga, who replaced Kumar Sangakkara for the match, made 46 when he edged Yasir to slip where an alert Younis Khan took a smart catch diving in front.

Lahiru Thirimanne (11) and captain Angelo Mathews (three) fell in successive overs from Yasir to mistimed drives as Sri Lanka slipped to 137/4.

Jehan Mubarak helped Karunaratne add 67 for the fifth wicket before he was stumped off Yasir for 25

Sri Lanka will walk into their first Test

kit-sports editor — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 00:48:01 +0000

Sri Lanka will walk into their first Test in 15 years without Kumar Sangakkara or Mahela Jayawardene in their team at the third and final Test match starting from today at Pallekele.
The match will be the decider of the series, as the two teams have tied the series 1-1 so far even though both those matches were interrupted several times due to rain which will also be the case in Pallekele too.
“This is the first match without those two (Kumar and Mahela), and sometimes it’ll be hard but we have to get on with it and play our natural game. We are going for the win even though we may lose the series by attempting so,” said Lahiru Thirimanne the Vice Captain of the side.
Upul Tharanga has been brought in to replace Sangakkara who isn’t available for this mach due to his contract with Surrey, and Thirimanne predicted that Tharanga will straightaway walk into the number three position. “It (Tharanga at number 3) will be the long term choice. Hopefully Tharanga will perform and establish his position,” said Thirimanne.
Thirimanne also reckoned that Pallekale traditionally will assist fast bowlers hence they would prefer to go with three fast bowlers and one spinner, even though the home team’s young fast bowling prospect Dushmantha Chameera is suffering from injury.
“Chameera is suffering from a side strain and he is 50-50 at the moment, He will have to undergo a fitness test tomorrow.”
The leader of the attack, Rangana Herath may be given a rest in the third Test as the home team may go with young Tharindu Kaushal who was busy at training yesterday while Rangana Herath took the day off. Herath was out of touch during last two matches taking 2 wickets for 218 runs.
Also there is a possibility of bringing back Kusal Perera to number seven instead of Kithuruwan Vithanage who hasn’t done much to justify his place from the last two Tests.
Meanwhile, Pakistan will do two obvious changes as Mohammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz are set to miss the second Test with opener Shan Masood who was in good form during Pakistan ‘A’ series set to take the guard along with Ahmed Shehzad.
Hafeez has been granted an Indian Visa after early rejection and will leave the country today to his bowling Test in Chennai after being reported for a suspect bowling action during the first Test in Galle.
Sri Lanka Squad : Angelo Mathews (Captain), Kaushal Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Upul Tharanga, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Jehan Mubarak, Kusal Perera, Dilruwan Perera, Tharindu Kaushal, Dammika Prasad, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Pradeep, Dushmantha Chameera, Suranga Lakmal
Pakistan squad: Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (vc), Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Junaid Khan, Imran Khan, Ehsan Adil.
“Sri Lanka will be without two of their big players for the first time from a long time and there won’t be a better opportunity for us to win the series,” said visiting skipper Misbah ul-Haq who made his intentions clear before the deciding Test.
Misbah also said that they too will be keen to go with three fast bowlers. He added that leg spinner Yasir Shah who has been threatening Sri Lanka right throughout the series is someone who could be effective at any venue. Pakistan’s most experienced player, Younis Khan has not clicked during the series as he usually does in Sri Lanka.
“No worries, he is a kind of player who could really score big runs from nowhere. From these sort of players, a big innings is always around the corner and that could be today (Friday),” said Misbah.
Either team who will win the series will occupy the number three position of the ranking which will be another reason for the two teams to go for the kill. Pakistan and Sri Lanka remain at number 6 and 7 respectively at the ranking with points 97 and 96 respectively.

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan 1st Test-at Galle Battle of Veterans

kit-sports editor — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 02:35:22 +0000

The battle between veterans will get underway when Sri Lanka take on Pakistan in their first Test match today at Galle.
Sri Lanka’s batting great Kumar Sangakkara who had returned to the country in between his Surrey engagement, is closing in on his retirement saga, which started last year with the T20 World Cup triumph. Nevertheless, he will have a few more matches to play in front of his home crowd, starting from Sri Lanka’s favourite venue for Test wins – Galle. Rangana Herath the home team’s veteran spinner will be leading the attack, and he is a bowler who could turn the match single handedly in favour of the home side as he did when the two teams last met at the same venue.
Veteran visiting skipper Misbah-Ul-Haq and Younis Khan will be the backbone of the Pakistan batting line-up, where late bloomer, the 36-year-old left arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar, will fill the void created by Saeed Ajmal .
“When it comes to Pakistan they are no strangers to Sri Lankan conditions” said home skipper Angelo Mathews about their most common opposition in the near past. Sri Lanka is walking into the series with a break of more than two months after the World Cup, while Pakistan played a series against Bangladesh followed by the first of their home series in six years against Zimbabwe. Going into the first Test, the home team is settled with their batting lineup for the first six positions, opening with Kaushal Silva and Dimuth Karunarathne, while the number seven batting position will be chosen from among Kithuruwan Vithanage, Jehan Mubarak and Kusal Perera. Mubarak, who has returned to the team based on his bulk of run in the domestic season, again failed to impress in the three-day practice match against Pakistan, while Kusal Perera and Kithuruwan Vithanage were in good form in the Pakistan A tour. But according to skipper Mathews, Kithuruwan is favourite to grab the position.
“Kithuruwan is a strong contender (for the number seven position)” said Mathews.
Sri Lanka attack will comprise of two spinners and two fast bowlers. Herath will be the leader of the pack, while the other place will be a toss-up between Tharindu Kaushal and Dilruwan Perera, even though Perera holds the edge over Kaushal.
Pace attack will be chosen from Dammika Prasad, Dushmantha Chameera and Nuwan Pradeep, as Suranga Lakmal will not be considered for this test due to fitness.
Pakistan will have a new opener in their side as Shan Masood, who impressed in the A team as well as practice match, is set to take guard alongside Mohammad Hafeez, while the pace attack will be lead by the fury of Wahab Riaz who will be a joy to watch. In the ICC ranking Pakistan lies in sixth position, one place ahead of the home side, who lie on seven. A win in the series, be it 2-1 or clean sweep, both teams could end up in third position.
Rain could be spoiler as it has been raining from time to time in Galle for the last few days, including 20 minutes of heavy rain yesterday morning. However, both teams are positive about getting a result.
Pakistan squad:
Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (vc), Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Imran Khan, Ehsan Adi.
Sri Lanka squad:
Angelo Mathews (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne (vc), Kaushal Silva, Dimuth Karunarathne, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Jehan Mubarak, Kusal Perera, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Tharindu Kaushal, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhammika Prasad, Dushmantha Chameera.

Fine century by Kaushal

kit-sports editor — Sat, 13 Jun 2015 01:33:17 +0000

Opener Kaushal Silva made a well compiled century (101) for Sri Lanka Board President’s XI while Pakistan left arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar took six wickets to dismiss the home team for 241 runs on the second day of the three-day tour game played at Colts grounds, Colombo yesterday.

At close the visitors were 27-1, losing Mohammad Hafeez. With wickets tumbling at regular intervals, overnight batsman Kaushal Silva crossed the three-figure mark facing 222 balls including nine fours. Silva departed as the eighth wicket of the innings after cementing his position as the regular Test opener.

Zulfiqar Babar troubled the Lankan batsmen to capture six wickets for 31. One drop batsman Upul Tharanga (35) and Jehan Mubarak (28) also made useful contributions.

Skipper Dinesh Chandimal (22) and Milinda Siriwardene (26) were also dismissed by Babar.

In Pakistan’s second innings, right arm paceman Nisala Tharaka bowled Mohammad Hafeez for 8.

Mubarak back in Test squad for Pakistan series

kit-sports editor — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 01:58:47 +0000

Jehan Mubarak has made a comeback to the Sri Lanka Test squad after nearly eight years, for the upcoming home series against Pakistan. Three younger players were also included in the 16-man squad: offspinner Tharindu Kaushal, uncapped fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera and left-handed batsman Kusal Perera.

Fast bowler Shaminda Eranga was not considered because of a back injury while Suranga Lakmal’s inclusion will depend on the speed of his recovery from a groin complaint.

Mubarak, 34, last played a Test in 2007 and was in firm contention for a place in the Test squad after scoring over 1000 domestic runs in each of the two past seasons, and averaging 81.78 in the Premier League Tournament since the beginning of 2014. His fielding recently also caught the eye of Jonty Rhodes for his fielding, during the former South African’s 10-day training camp in Sri Lanka.

Chameera, 23, and Kaushal, 22, had made their international debuts during the tour to New Zealand in December and January, before appearing together in the World Cup quarter final against South Africa. Kaushal’s selection is reward for three successful years in domestic and A team cricket, while Chameera has been picked largely on the promise of his pace. Kusal Perera, meanwhile, slammed his way into Test contention during Pakistan A’s recent tour, in which he struck four centuries, an 87, and a 90, in the space of seven innings. Kithuruwan Vithanage, 24, earns a recall to the Test squad thanks to his good performances in the same tour.

The three youngsters will have to displace more senior players to earn a spot in the XI however. Offspinner Dilruwan Perera, who had an encouraging start to his Test career in 2014, is Kaushal’s major rival for a place, with Rangana Herath almost certain to play. Chameera meanwhile, will likely queue behind Nuwan Pradeep and Dhammika Prasad for his spot.

Kusal Perera is in a crush for middle order positions with other younger batsmen, including Dinesh Chandimal and Vithanage, as well as Mubarak. Lahiru Thirimanne continues in his role as vice captain.

This first national team selection from the committee headed by Kapila Wijegunawardene suggests Sri Lanka’s quest for youth and regeneration will continue in their tenure. Overlooked for this squad were the likes of Upul Tharanga, 30, and Prasanna Jayawardene, 35. Sri Lanka will host Pakistan for three Tests, starting with the first one on June 17 in Galle, followed by the second in Colombo and third in Pallekele before the ODIs and T20Is.

Sri Lanka Test squad: Angelo Mathews (captain), Lahiru Thirimanne (vice captain), Dimuth Karunaratne, Jehan Mubarak, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Perera (wk), Dilruwan Perera, Rangana Herath, Dhammika Prasad, Dushmantha Chameera, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Kaushal Silva, Tharindu Kaushal, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal (subject to fitness). (ESPN)

Tour opener on 11 June – Pak tour of Sri Lanka

kit-sports editor — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 02:55:29 +0000

The Selection Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket has announced the Board President’s XI for the match against the touring Pakistan Team on 11 June at Colts Cricket Ground.

The Selection Committee met on 5 June at P. Sara to decide on the composition of the team. SSC’s Jeffrey Vandersay and Badureliya’s Kasun Rajitha are the only new faces in the squad.
Board President’s XI members are: Kaushal Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Upul Tharanga, Jehan Mubarak, Dinesh Chandimal (Captain), Milinda Siriwardene, Niroshan Dickwella, Vishwa Fernando, Nisala Tharaka, Kasun Rajitha, Jeffrey Vandersay, Dhananjaya de Silva, Malinda Pushpakumara, Binura Fernando

Jehan Mubarak Passed 10,000 First Class Runs…..

kit-sports editor — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 14:08:46 +0000

Jehan Mubarak Passed 10,000 first class runs. Mubarak with NCC coach Sajith Fernando……