Not done ol' boy!

Is one day cricket played on under-prepared pitches to suit the host nation bowlers?

One day is meant for batting and entertainment.

This too against a nation who are minnows to the game.

But an umpire who has taken to administration said that the host must get the advantage.

Yes, but not against a nation who are newcomers. It is not cricket.

Are you aware that you are killing the very spirit of this gentleman's game by trying to win at all costs. Are trophies more or the game. He agreed and cooled down. He thanked the reporter for spotlighting an injustice meted when an umpire was removed just before the NZ-Sri Lanka Test match.

Why no neutral umpires?

By Saif Izzadeen

Why no neutral umpires at the Under19 Youth World Cup.?

This was the question that the SundayTimes was bombarded with at matches and telephone calls.

Sunday Times spoke to the Organizing committee secretary Kushil Gunasekera to seek his opinion.

According Gunasekera the main reason is to give maximum exposure to the Sri Lanka umpires to gain experience at international games.

Gunasekera said that this has been done due to a ruling by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka has nothing to do with it. The second reason he gave was the cost factor. To get neutral umpires to stand in 54 matches in a tournament of this nature was very costly, he pointed out.

Major upsets at Junior TT

Unseeded Rajith Karunaraja of Kingswood and N. Niwathuna Udugama of Devi Balika MV scored a major upset when they beat the top seeds on the second day of the 53rd Junior Naational Table Tennis championships now in progress at the S.Thomas' indoor stadium at Mt.Lavinia.

Pasudu Yapa Abeywardena of Royal, the top seed, was beaten in the boys' under 11 singles. Udugama beat bottom seed Mauli Prayagani of Vishaka in the under 17 girls' singles. The finals will be worked off today.

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