Australian
specialist says...
Murali needs no surgery
By Marlon Fernandopulle
 Sri
Lanka's champion off-spinner Muttaiah Muralitharan consulted
an orthopedic surgeon at the Melbourne Orthopedic Unit yesterday
and was told that he will not require surgery on his injured
left arm. He will instead have a special sling for four weeks.
The latest
situation on Muralitharan's injury was revealed to the Sunday
Times by Sri Lanka Physio Alex Kontouri who was in contact
with the Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. David Young and Muttaih Muralitharan
yesterday. Speaking to The Sunday Times soon after contacting
the surgeon and Muralitharan, Kontouri said,"Murali will
not need any surgery. He will have to use a specially made
sling which will hold his left arm and apply the required
pressure to bring his injured arm back to normal.
He will
have to use this sling for four weeks and will not be able
to move it. After four weeks the sling will be removed and
Murali will have to gradually start moving his arms and do
exercises to get back to normal.' According to Kontouri, Murali
spent over an hour with Dr. Young and was delighted over the
news that surgery will not be required. If surgery was required
Murali will need at least three months to be back in action.
However the off spinner will now have a chance of playing
in the second test against England late next month depending
on how well he progresses.
The off-spinner
will remain in Australia for a further two weeks, during which
time he will undergo treatment and return to either Colombo
or join his team mates in England.
Dr. David Young is reported to have operated on Muralithran's
right arm earlier. He had also operated on Arjuna Ranatunge,
Sanath Jayasuriya and Hashan Tilakaratne on earlier occasions.
Muralitharan
was injured during the Sharjah Cup final when he fielded a
ball from mid-on and attempted to throw it, in an unusual
manner which resulted in the player landing on his left shoulder.
According to Kontouri Muralitharan has torn his ligaments
that connect his left shoulder blade and collar bone.
The player
who was rushed to a hospital in Sharjah was reported to have
taken a couple of X-rays that revealed his injury. Although
in severe pain at the Sharjah Hospital, Muralithran has rotated
his right arm and told Kontouri that he should be able to
bowl even with his injury to his left arm. The Pysio was simply
shocked at this players courage and commitment to the game.
Murali did not arrive in Colombo with the rest of his team
mates but flew directly from Dubai to Australia.
Alain
bags Mercedes Benz 'A' golf trophy
By Bernie Wijesekara
Sri Lankan golfer Alain Gyi, regained his old touch to win
the Mercedes-Benz 'A' Division Sri Lanka Country Finals with
38 points (with a better back 9) over Jehan de Saram (38)
in a rousing contest at the 11th Dimo sponsored one round
18 holes at the RCGC greens yesterday.
 Played
in beautiful conditions, ideal for golf, 176 golfers teed
off last morning which was played in three groups. All three
groups played in a handicap provided close contests. The winner
in each group and the runner-up will qualify for the Regional
Finals to be held at the Hyatt, Gold Coast, Australia.
Gyi, who
won the RCGC Grand Prix last year was a consistent performer
but since of late his form had deserted him. But yesterday
he came back to his own to get the better of Jehan de Saram
in a close contest. Both hail from golfing stock. Alain's
father David is a former club captain and Jehan's dad Johnny
were both outstanding golfers.
Group
B went to S. Korean golfer Jo Hi Ko with 38 points over newcomer
to the links. Capt. Navin de Silva of SriLankan Airlines.
Navin, an outstanding cricketer who played for the country
at junior national level, displayed some powerful drives to
be in contention. He had 36 points while motor ace Ananda
Jayasekera too scored 36 points. De Silva with a better back
nine came second.
Navin
who took up to golf nine months ago made giant strides to
win the recent McBride championship. Youthful Amrith de Soysa
had the longest drive with 261 yards. Fourteen-year-old Sanjaya
Gunawardena showed maturity to win Group C Handicap with 40
points. There was a tussle for the second spot between Shivantha
de Soysa and Thejan de Silva who deadlocked at 37. Shivantha
with a better back nine, was the runner-up..
Discipline
at what cost!
A Senior Sri Lankan cricketer was fined US$200 by the Manager
following a breach of discipline on the eve of the Sharjah
Cup Finals. According to informed sources the player was having
his masseur (brought from Sri Lanka on his own expenses) in
the Hotel room well after the stipulated time. The player
who was asked to either pay a fine of US$ 200 or forfeit the
finals agreed to pay the money.
However
he was very unhappy since all he was doing was preparing for
the important game ahead. Thus he made a complaint to the
captain regarding the incident. The captain and the vice captain
discussed the issue with the manager but it was of no avail.
The player was shattered and so was his close associates in
the team.
Looking
back at the finals one could clearly observe that the player
who performed well in the league stage did not come off as
expected in the finals. The question asked is did this incident
reflect on the player's performance in the finals? Discipline
is a must, and should be strictly adhered too. However, if
a fine was required it should have been carried out after
the match and not before? After all, the ultimate objective
should be to get the maximum from the players on the field.
- MF
Nalin
races to glory at Foxhill Supercross
By M.Shamil Amit
Nalin Perera the Supercross specialist of Sri Lanka was the
toast of the crowd at the 10th Foxhill Supercross held at
Diyatalawa on Friday. Nalin kept the massive crowd of over
150,000 which thronged to witness the Foxhill Supercross spellbound
with his dare devil riding to win all his four events putting
another top rider young Rakitha Wijetunge into second place
in all the events. Nalin riding a Yamaha Y2 125 proved too
much for Rakitha's powerful Yamaha YZ 400.
In the
beginning of the races Rakitha surged through to the front
but Nalin with a better leap at the bumps put his riding skills
into full use and once he took over the lead he maintained
it to win all his races convincingly. Earlier in the day the
cynosure of all eyes was the race for kids Under 10 where
ten were taking part.
A seven
year old girl Nayanthra Fernando from Wycherly International
rode her Yamaha PW 50cc to perfection overcoming the nine
competitors who were all boys to win the race. Dinesh Deheragoda
the ace motor car driver was the other to impress when he
won both his races convincingly.
The first
win being the Open Race for Truck and Jeeps. The second win
of Dinesh which was the much looked forward event of the day
with the best of the drivers in Sri Lanka due to participate
turned out to be a one sided affair. Defending champ Aravinda
Premadasa had to pull out at the start of the race due to
his engine giving problems which made things easy for Dinesh
driving his powerful Mitsubishi Evolution VII winning the
race without any fuss.
The only
lady driver of the Foxhill Shehara de Silva driving a Nissan
March outsmarting most of her male competetors in a 5 lap
car event and was leading till the fourth lap when she was
overtaken by Prasanna Ranasinghe who eventually won the race.
But the race was awarded to Shehara as Prasanna had overtaken
her when the marshalls had shown the yellow flag which indicates
danger and according to the rules a driver cannot overtake
another competitor when the yellow flag is shown. With the
result Prasanna was disqualified and placed last.
Of the
teams that were battling for honours Caltex drivers were in
the forefront with Rizvi Farouk, Nalin D. Perera and Prasanna
Ranasinghe winning three races and being placed in seven other
events. Followed by Mobil team which had two winners Rohan
de Silva and Shehara de Silva. While Dinesh Deheragoda got
the two wins for the Mitsubishi team.
The Foxhill
Supercross was organised by the Sri Lanka Military Academy
Diyatalawa in association with SLARDAR and sponsored by Caltex
Lubricants Lanka Ltd for the tenth successive year.
Reconciliation
via sports
By Bernie Wijesekera
In the past North and Eastern regions produced some of the
finest national level sportsmen, especially in track and field
sports. But the country has been torn apart due to the on-going
conflict. In its wake brought forth untold misery and suffering
to all on and off the field. You need two hands to clap.
Sports,
too suffered in N.E. as a result
Despite all these setbacks the then Minister of Sports,
Lakshman Kiriella and his Ministry officials broke the ice
last year for a mass exodus of rural athletes drawn from the
two regions to participate in the National Sports Festival
staged in Kurunegala. Apparently, in the past no one had the
courage to take up the challenge due to the trials and tribulations
one had to face by inviting them. Put aside finding the funds,
but the security risk and the safety of the participants.
Jaffna
has produced some all-time greats, like the legendary N. Ethirveerasingham,
Summa Navaratnam, W.T. Sanders, R.E. Kitto, N. Sathkunarajah
and many others, who kept the Lion Flag fluttering at home
and away under one banner thereby doing proud for the country.
Kiriella
during his short and turbulent period did his best to heal
the wounds and tried to bring about amity among all factions
in the governing bodies. Inviting the youth from N.E. to participate
in last year's Sports Festival in Wayamba was the stepping
stone for a better future.
Distractions
can cause problems
Rugby is a wonderful sport played in the Northern and Southern
hemispheres. It's a robust game, but if played in the proper
spirit adhering to the rules could be enjoyed by all. The
eyes should be more on the ball not on the opponent.
The referee at the middle plays a vital role to control the
game without fear or favour. He is the sole authority with
the help of the two linesmen. Unlike in cricket at national
level there is no third umpire and the electronic eye to help
him mostly on line decisions.
In these
columns it was mentioned about mental skills and physical
fitness which is vital for a Referee. George Ayoub, the Sydney-based
coach-cum-trainer was here to train the referees and cadets
of the newly formed Central Province Referees Society. In
an interview with The Sunday Times in Kandy he emphasised
on the above mentioned to be a competent Referee.
Family
Chores
There is another important factor that could hamper him -
Distractions, one - the attending to family commitments. He
has to spend some time with the family and most important
to the domestic attending chores before leaving for the game.
It's very difficult to satisfy a woman in any walk of life.
If there is peace and calm at home, then handling the whistle
is not all that difficult. Things within him. Hunger and thirst.
Not being fit - late nights as a result fatigue. Wearing uncomfortable
clothes including boots. It's here the society or the Rugby
Union must assist. They are doing a honorary job.
When you
run on to the field make sure that you have parked all the
distractions.
Make sure, not enter the field with any of the "baggage"
of day to day life, but leave behind. Concentrate on the match
with a peace of mind. If there are any distractions, it will
mar you from the primary duty of doing a reasonably good job.
There
may be human errors. It's part and parcel of the game. No
one is a paragon of virtue. Forget about all other things
and take the field with an open mind and allow rugby refereeing
material to take precedence. Self believing in oneself is
a 'must'. Like a surgeon when he enters the theatre his sole
object is performing a successful surgery on the patient The
Referee, too has to list all things over which he has to control.
The second list all of those which you cannot control. Probably
you will think the second list will be many times longer than
the first. However there is no reason to worry.
So they
do not control us. This technique will help you not to be
bothered about everyday commitments. Here in Sri Lanka quite
oftenly the Referee is not at the venue on time. Sometimes
they don't turn up despite being assigned in advance, especially
in school games. As a result a spectator, who has played the
game is called upon to take the whistle. It's unethical. Most
of the local Referees don't possess vehicles and have to depend
on public transport. A country to progress economically, there
should be proper mode of transport.
Sri Lanka
is in the bottom of the ladder by any standards. One can't
depend on public transport to be on time in any walk of life.
The powers that be have shown a blind eye from whatever corner.
The Referees Society must look into this and fund them so
that they could come to the venue on time. Today the cricket
umpires are being well paid, unlike the rugby referees. One
can't be born free all the time. Call upon the participating
teams to give some out of pocket expenses at least for travelling.
The Rugby
Union must look into this and take remedial measures. George
Ayoub, when asked said, the referees officiating the first
class matches in Australia are being paid. Being a third world
country the locals have to struggle to eke out a living to
maintain their families put aside refereeing which they do
for the love of the game unlike cricket umpires. Some umpires
have given up lucrative jobs to do full-time umpiring.
When they
stand in a first class match they are also put up in a five-star
hotel, but not the poor rugby referee. He has to put up with
a friend, whilst officiating in a game in the outstations.
In the end he is being hurled with brickbats and has to be
escorted.
Isipatana
to celebrate golden jubilee with Int. Schools rugby 7s
Isipatana M.V., will be celebrating their 50th anniversary
this year on a grand scale. As part of their celebrations,
the old boys have decided to organise an International Schools
Rugby, 'Sevens' Tournament to be staged on Sept. 7 and 8,
2002.
According
to Dilroy Fernando, the tournament organizer (has played rugby
at national level and at present an international IRB referee),
the response is good. It has received the blessings of the
Sri Lanka Rugby Union and the Asian Rugby Union. In the last
two decades the Havelock Town School has been one of the main
nurseries for the development and promoting rugby. In its
wake has produced some outstanding players, who have performed
with distinction at home and abroad.
One of
them is Hisham Abdeen, who led the Sri Lankan team on their
maiden Welsh tour. Fernando said, this is the first Int. schools
tournament organised in Asia. In all probability will attract
schools worldwide.
The tournament
will be confined to 24 teams. Already there is a healthy response.
No looking back. If it becomes a success, we will strive to
make it an annual contest. The aim is to provide our leading
schools with stiff opposition and the visiting teams to enjoy
quality rugby and see the county's tourist attractions during
their stay.
It will
also make further in roads in Sri Lanka and Asia and improve
their skills in the shorter game. Schools 7s rugby here, is
quite popular as a result, many a schools in the district
has joined the scrum.
Sumalka
and Farveez prop Schools XI
By M.Shamil Amit
Two half centuries by Sumalka Perera of St. Sebastian,s and
Farveez Mahroof of Wesley helped Sri Lanka Schools XI to gain
a slender 15 runs lead over the strong Development Squad on
day two of the BCCSL Invitation Quadrangular cricket tournament
game at Braybrook Place yesterday.
The Development
Squad taking first lease of the wicket were able to muster
only 215 with Anushka Polonowita doing the scoring by scoring
89. For the Schools XI Farveez Mahroof bowled best taking
3 for 37. Sri Lanka Schools XI in reply made 229. hinthaka
Jayasinghe and Kaushalya Lokuarachchi shared six wickets between
them. The Development Squad batting a second time were 32
for no loss at close.
Development
Squad - 215 (Anushka Polonowita 89, Kaushalya Lokuarachchi
32, Ian Daniels 24, Indika Gallage 27, Kaushal Weeraratne
22; Farveez Mahroof 3 for 37, Malinga Surappullige 2 for 42,
Ganganath Ratnayake 2 for 49, Gamini Chandrakumara 2 for 9)
and 32 for no loss (Shantha Kalavitgoda 19 n.o.)
Sri
Lanka Schools XI - 229 (Sumalka Perera 57, Farveez Mahroof
52, Jeevan Mendis 17, Ishan Muthalip 15, Charith Sylvester
27; Chainthaka Jayasinghe 3 for 36, Kaushalya Lokuarachchi
3 for 45, Kaushal Weeraratne 2 for 24, Malinda Pushpakumara
2 for 36)
Sri
Lanka 'A' in dire straits
Sri Lanka 'A' were in dire straits against the Combined Clubs
XI on the second day of another match of the BCCSL Invitation
Quadrangular cricket tournament at the SSC grounds. Sri Lanka
'A' batting first were bundled out for 232 after being in
a strong position on 219 for 5. In reply the Combined Clubs
XI made 251 with Praneeth Jayasundara and Nimesh Perera making
half centuries. Sri Lanka 'A' going into bat the second time
were badly placed on 66 for 6 wickets at close.
Sri
Lanka 'A' - 232 (Avishka Gunawardena 80, Bhatiya Perera
51) and 66 for 6 at close (Chamila Gamage 4 for 25)
Combined
Clubs XI - 251 (Praneeth Jayasundara 58, Nimesh Perera
78 n.o.; Dhammika Perera 5 for 57, Rangana Herath 3 for 51)-MSA
UK
Indoor Cricketers arrive tomorrow
The England Indoor cricket team will arrive tomorrow morning.
They will be playing three Test matches against the Sri Lanka
Indoor cricket team. This will be the third international
team to play here within the last six months. Following the
Indians and the Australians who played three Test matches
each. All matches will be played at the Austasia Indoor Cricket
Stadium in Thalawathugoda.-MSA
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