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Colombo: Sri Lankan cricketers playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) next month are looking for early clarity on when and where the lucrative tou

MUMBAI, India (AP) — This year's Indian Premier League cricket tournament will be held overseas because of security concerns since it coincides with the country's general elections, organizers said Sunday.

Some players and officials had expressed concerns about playing on the subcontinent after this month's terrorist attack on Sri Lanka's cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan. India was also the victim of a terror attack in Mumbai in November which left 164 people dead.

Shashank Manohar, India's cricket chief, said organizers were looking for a venue outside India after the government refused to approve the tournament schedule because security forces would be occupied with the elections.

The 59-match tournament is to be held April 10 to May 24, while the elections for the lower house of India's Parliament will take place across the country in five different phases between April 16 and May 13.

Indian officials said they have begun talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board and Cricket South Africa about the possibility of one of them hosting the tournament.

League chairman Lalit Modi said he was hopeful of announcing the venue and final schedule Monday.

"It's going to be exorbitantly prohibitive to move the tournament out of the country," he said. "We may not make any profit."

Indian's Interior Ministry had suggested that the tournament be postponed until after the elections, but league officials didn't want to change the dates because it would be difficult to find another slot in a crowded international calendar.

Earlier this month, gunmen ambushed the Sri Lankan cricket team as it traveled to a stadium in Pakistan. Seven players, an assistant coach and a match official were injured, and six policemen and a driver were killed.

Bangladesh canceled a cricket tour this month by Pakistan after authorities said they were unable to provide adequate security to a visiting team in the wake of a mutiny by border guards last month that cost the lives of more than 70 people in Dhaka.

Since it was formed last year, the Indian Premier League has transformed Indian cricket by introducing cheerleaders, major endorsements and some of the world's most highly paid players. The tournament uses the Twenty20 format, in which games can be finished within three hours compared to several days for traditional forms of cricket.

Sri Lankan players wait for clarity on IPL

Colombo: Sri Lankan cricketers playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) next month are looking for early clarity on when and where the lucrative tournament would be held, an official said on Sunday.

"They (players) will be looking to the final outcome (on where this would be held). Hosting in South Africa or England would not be an issue at all from the security point of view. The grand game is just three weeks away and there should be some clarity soon," manager of most of the Sri Lankan cricketers Charlie Austin told IANS.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced that the second edition of the Twenty20 IPL will be played outside the country because state governments have expressed their inability to provide security to the tournament as it clashes with the general elections.

Austin conceded that unlike in India, there would be a less crowd watching the match directly and it would be "an obvious cause for much concern for the sponsors and organisers".

"The IPL authorities would certainly be aware of the timing of the matches to ensure that they do not lose millions of viewers and fans in the Asian region, where cricket is just more than a game," he said.

Sri Lanka's skipper Kumar Sangakkara, his deputy Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Farveez Maharoof, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dilhara Fernando and Ajantha Mendis are some of the key players who have signed three-year contracts with the IPL.

England have won their third women's Cricket World Cup

England have won their third women's World Cup

England have won their third women's World Cup. They're charging onto the ground to congratulate the two women in the middle, and they're all in tears, a superb win, which they almost let out their grasp, but it came down to Nicky Shaw again who saw off some anxious moments to complete an excellent allround effort and help her team to victory. Edwards in floods of tears. This is her fourth World Cup, but first final.

Credit to New Zealand for the way they fought back, not just while bowling but also in their innings where Doolan helped them salvage what in the end proved a competitive score. The match, as we now know in hindsight, was lost for New Zealand during the 74-run opening stand between Sarah Taylor and Atkins. New Zealand badly needed early wickets, and though they gave their opponents a serious scare, the flurry of wickets came a little too late.

Do stay with us for all the news from the presentation. No guesses as to who the Player of the Match will be - It's got to be Nicky Shaw

The match officials are now being presented with mementos

The Player of the Match, as predicted earlier, is Nicky Shaw, who, remember, replaced the injured Jenny Gunn just minutes before the start of play.

Shaw: "It's brilliant. Jenny's brilliant and she's performed superbly through the tournament. A lot of hard work has gone in the last four years and the rest of the girls are absolutely excited."

The Player of the Tournament with 303 runs at an average of 75 is Claire Taylor.

Taylor: "It's been an amazing two-and-a-half weeks and it's just been brilliant. I'm just really pleased to have come up with these performances for the team, we've been very together, there is a lot of passion for the game, and it was incredibly nerve-wracking in the end."

The New Zealand players are now collecting their runners-up medallions.

Haidee Tiffen: "We let ourselves down with the batting. The England team played superbly. They outplayed us in every form of the game. One thing about Kiwis is that we never give up, we always fight. I'm proud of the girls, we've had a good time and some tough times, and we'll be back in four years and give it another go."

The England players are now collecting their winners' medallions.

Charlotte Edwards: "It feels really special, the team have been amazing. We've worked hard and I'll treasure this for the rest of my life. I was slightly jittery there at one point, but it's been a fantastic tournament. Doolan played a superb innings but I'm glad we made it through."

Alright folks, the champagne's flowing and the English players are living it up, relishing every moment of their superb win. They hold aloft the trophy and have now broken out into a celebratory song. That's all from here. Thanks for tuning in and it's goodbye from all of us here at Cricinfo.
46.1 Bates to Colvin, 1 run, that's it, all over! full toss on leg stump and she helps it on its way to the deep midwicket boundary.
End of over 46 (1 run) - England Women 166/6 (1 runs required)

NJ Shaw 17* (27b 3x4) SFM Devine 9-0-30-0
HL Colvin 4* (9b)
45.6 Devine to Shaw, no run, still no run, full on middle and leg, flicked away to square leg, her team-mates can;t take it any more
45.5 Devine to Shaw, no run, slower ball bowled full on middle, driven to short cover
45.4 Devine to Colvin, 1 run, scores are level, pushed into the off side wide of mid-off who's a little too deep and they;re just a run away from victory
45.3 Devine to Colvin, no run, almost, full toss on middle, played away straight to midwicket, only a matter of time now
45.2 Devine to Colvin, no run, yorker length on middle, defended back to the bowler
45.1 Devine to Colvin, no run, good length on middle, pushed to mid-off, almost done folks, the England team is already in tears
End of over 45 (6 runs) - England Women 165/6 (2 runs required)

NJ Shaw 17* (25b 3x4) SW Bates 4-0-20-0
HL Colvin 3* (5b)
44.6 Bates to Shaw, no run
44.5 Bates to Shaw, 2 runs, bowled on a good length outside off, she drives it through the covers for a couple and her team-mates watching from beyond the boundary cannot control their emotions
44.4 Bates to Colvin, 1 run, full outside off, pushed wide of mid-off and they scramble a single
44.3 Bates to Colvin, no run
44.2 Bates to Shaw, 1 run, turned away off the back foot into the leg side for a single
44.1 Bates to Shaw, no run
44.1 Bates to Colvin, 2 wides, New Zealand have let it slip in these dying moments, down the leg side, the keeper fumbles and they concede 2 valuable runs
End of over 44 (9 runs) - England Women 159/6 (8 runs required)

NJ Shaw 14* (21b 3x4) SJ Tsukigawa 4-1-23-0
HL Colvin 2* (3b)
43.6 Tsukigawa to Shaw, FOUR, that's it folks, England have it wrapped up here, poor ball, short of a length outside off, gets back and caresses it between mid-off and cover, there's a narrow gap and she finds it
43.5 Tsukigawa to Shaw, no run
43.4 Tsukigawa to Shaw, FOUR, excellent stuff, short and wide, makes room and the hero for England with the ball has not trouble dispatching that to the deep point boundary
43.3 Tsukigawa to Shaw, no run, back of a length on middle and off, turned to the leg side
43.2 Tsukigawa to Colvin, 1 run, dropped, but would be unfair to call it that, full on middle, chipped over Tiffen at midwicket who stretches to pouch that but it's too high, just clips her fingers, difficult chance, could that be the decisive moment?
43.1 Tsukigawa to Colvin, no run, short of a good length on middle, driven to midwicket
End of over 43 (1 run) - England Women 150/6 (17 runs required)

NJ Shaw 6* (17b 1x4) SW Bates 3-0-14-0
HL Colvin 1* (1b)
42.6 Bates to Shaw, no run, has a wild swing over square leg, misses, is struck on the pads, was going down, but why play that shot?
42.5 Bates to Shaw, no run, low full toss on leg stump, chipped towards square leg
42.4 Bates to Shaw, no run, good length outside off, goes for it, gets an under-edge just wide of the keeper
42.3 Bates to Shaw, no run, similar delivery, driven back to the bowler
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Sri Lanka National Cricket Team

Sri Lanka national cricket team

The Sri Lankan cricket team is a national cricket team representing Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1975, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test playing nation. The Sri Lankan team transformed themselves from underdog status to a major cricketing nation during the 1990s. The team went on to win the 1996 Cricket World Cup, beating Australia in the finals, and becoming World Champions. Since then, the team has continued to be a major force in international cricket. Sri Lankan team currently holds several word records including world records for highest team totals in all three forms of the game, Test, ODI and, Twenty20. The Sri Lanka team did well to reach the finals of the 2007 Cricket World Cup but lost to Australia in a rain-affected match. The batting of Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda de Silva (retired), backed up by the bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas, among many other talented cricketers, has underpinned the successes of Sri Lankan cricket during the last 15 years. The team is administered by Sri Lanka Cricket.

Cricket expands to Philadelphia

Cricket Communications, which we know as a provider of unlimited wireless services, has recently announced a launch of its unlimited wireless services in the greater Philadelphia area. As a result, Philadelphians are getting an access to an affordable, unlimited 3G wireless voice and broadband services.

Cricket’s coverage area expands from Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs, across South Jersey to Atlantic City and down to Wilmington in Northern Delaware. The Cricket footprint, which covers approximately 4,500 square miles and nearly 6.3 million covered POPs, brings Cricket’s total national covered POPs to approximately 83.8 million.

Cricket rate plans range from $30 to $60 per month and include unlimited anytime minutes, unlimited U.S. long distance, unlimited text and picture messaging, unlimited text to Mexico, unlimited Mobile Web, unlimited directory assistance, nationwide roaming minutes and more — all without requiring signed contracts or credit checks. Plus, the expansion into the new market will also bring more than 1,450 jobs to the area, which is a good thing to hear in the tough economic times we’re livin’.

Tendulkar ton puts India in command

A near-flawless 160 by Sachin Tendulkar and three wickets for India in New Zealand's second innings put the tourists in total charge on the third day of the first Test here Friday.

At stumps the home side were 75-3, 166 runs short of wiping out an imposing 241-run deficit after India posted 520 in their first innings.

New Zealand made the worst possible start to their second knock when Tim McIntosh was given out after just three balls, caught at first slip by Tendulkar, in a questionable decision.

Martin Guptill and nightwatchman Kyle Mills were the other two wickets to fall, with Daniel Flynn on 24 not out.

Television replays were inconclusive as to whether the ball touched the ground after McIntosh had hit it but umpire Ian Gould was in no doubt and New Zealand were one down with no runs on the board.

New Zealand coach Andy Moles called the dismissal "disappointing" but his biggest concern is surviving two more days.

"For a start we've got to save the game. We haven't bowled well enough for long enough periods, we haven't batted well enough in pairs for long enough and in the field we've been sloppy. So not a very good advert for the Test team."

Tendulkar was confident the catch was legitimate, saying "otherwise I would not have appealed for it."

The star batsman took no further part in proceedings after bruising his left index finger grasping the ball at ground level, but there was no doubt it was his day.

During his innings he gave one chance on 13, dropped by Flynn, but from then on was rarely troubled as he stroked his way to a record 42nd Test century, driving off the front and back foot, and cutting anything short to the boundary.

But he felt it was not a fluent knock until the second new ball arrived.

"I started timing the ball much better and after that things were different," he said.

"I was prepared to wait for my chance to come and when I found the centre of the bat consistently I felt I was playing a different game."

Resuming the day on 70, he raced into the 90s, cracking 20 in the opening four overs, including four boundaries from the first 11 balls he faced.

He was eventually undone after 400 minutes at the crease when he flashed at an Iain O'Brien delivery that flew off the pitch and was well caught at first slip by Ross Taylor.

His 160, which included 26 boundaries, was the 14th highest score in the 35-year-old's illustrious 157-Test career.

India started the day at 278-4, one run behind New Zealand's first-innings total, and put on 106 in the morning session for the loss of only one wicket.

Chris Martin was the successful bowler when he went around the wicket and brought a ball back into Yuvraj Singh, who was bowled for 22.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Tendulkar added 115 for the sixth wicket before O'Brien removed the Indian captain for 47, caught behind by Brendon McCullum.

It was the start of a golden patch for O'Brien as he dismissed Tendulkar two overs later.

But Zaheer Khan rode his luck to flail away for an unbeaten 51 in a 46-ball cameo to take the score past 500.

Martin finished with figures of three for 98 while O'Brien took three for 103.

After New Zealand's faltering start to their second innings, Guptill and Flynn put on 68 for the second wicket before Harbhajan Singh tempted Guptill with a half-volley which was hit straight to Virender Sehwag.

Guptill, on his Test debut, was out for 48 and nightwatchman Mills followed on the last ball of the day, trapped leg before wicket by Munaf Patel.

Tendulkar Century Pushes India Ahead in New Zealand Cricket Test

March 20 (Bloomberg) -- Sachin Tendulkar hit a record- extending 42nd Test century to put India in control of the first cricket Test against New Zealand in Hamilton.

Tendulkar, the highest scorer in Test history, made 160 to lift India to 520 all out, a first-innings lead of 241 runs. He then caught Tim McIntosh at slip to give Zaheer Khan his 200th Test wicket before New Zealand slumped to 75-3 at stumps.

Tendulkar batted for 400 minutes and struck 24 boundaries to move five hundreds clear of Australia captain Ricky Ponting on the all-time list and improve India’s chances of winning a series in New Zealand for the first time in 41 years.

The Black Caps ended the day 166 runs behind, with Martin Guptill scoring 48 and Daniel Flynn unbeaten on 24. The century was Tendulkar’s third in his past seven Test innings and followed his 163 not out in a one-day victory over New Zealand this month.

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Cricket History - Old Cricketers who have left the pitch

The old pictures of the Cavendish Cricket team are fascinating, especially to the resident historian, and old cricketer, GH. The frustration is not knowing everybody's names in the pictures. One might think that this is of a rather obstruse interest but in several cases, the photographs are sometimes the only known ones of some of the team members.

Recently, a couple of rather poor-quality photographs came to light which had all the team identified. One is from 1872, and the other from 1937, sixty-five years later. Incredibly, one chap, the scorer J.S. Page, is in both photographs.





The team in 1872.
Back row: J. B. Davis, W. Coldham, E. Hammond, J. E. Page (captain), J. Coldham, and J. Chinery.
Seated: W. Stratton, T. Alston, the Rev F. E. P. Bull, J. S. Page(scorer).
On the ground: F. Thompson and R. B. Hurst


The Cavendish Team of 1937.
Back Row: G. Jackson (umpire) S. Bullock, H. F. Dennis, G. Turner, G. Johnson, R. Clark, J. Hale, J. S. Page (scorer)
Seated: S. Brown, V. Turner, T. B. Ambrose (Captain), G. B. Wicks, and R. Page.

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ICC Women's World Cup, 2008/09 - Match Result

1st Match, Group B: India Women v Pakistan Women at Bowral - Mar 7, 2009
India Women won by 10 wickets (with 240 balls remaining)
Pakistan Women 57 (29 ov); India Women 58/0 (10 ov)

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2nd Match, Group B: England Women v Sri Lanka Women at Canberra - Mar 7, 2009
England Women won by 100 runs
England Women 277/5 (50 ov); Sri Lanka Women 177/7 (50 ov)

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3rd Match, Group A: Australia Women v New Zealand Women at Sydney - Mar 8, 2009
New Zealand Women won by 13 runs (D/L method)
New Zealand Women 205 (48 ov); Australia Women 132/6 (33/33 ov)

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4th Match, Group B: South Africa Women v West Indies Women at Newcastle - Mar 8, 2009
West Indies Women won by 2 wickets (with 8 balls remaining)
South Africa Women 116 (45.2 ov); West Indies Women 117/8 (48.4 ov)

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5th Match, Group B: Pakistan Women v Sri Lanka Women at Canberra - Mar 9, 2009
Pakistan Women won by 57 runs
Pakistan Women 161/7 (50 ov); Sri Lanka Women 104 (39.4 ov)

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6th Match, Group A: Australia Women v South Africa Women at Newcastle - Mar 10, 2009
Australia Women won by 61 runs
Australia Women 258/4 (50 ov); South Africa Women 197 (49.3 ov)

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7th Match, Group B: England Women v India Women at Sydney - Mar 10, 2009
England Women won by 9 wickets (with 68 balls remaining)
India Women 169 (48.4 ov); England Women 172/1 (38.4 ov)

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8th Match, Group A: New Zealand Women v West Indies Women at Sydney - Mar 10, 2009
New Zealand Women won by 56 runs
New Zealand Women 192/8 (50 ov); West Indies Women 136/8 (50 ov)

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9th Match, Group A: Australia Women v West Indies Women at Sydney - Mar 12, 2009
Australia Women won by 47 runs
Australia Women 211/7 (50 ov); West Indies Women 164/7 (50 ov)

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10th Match, Group B: England Women v Pakistan Women at Sydney - Mar 12, 2009
England Women won by 8 wickets (with 161 balls remaining)
Pakistan Women 78 (39.5 ov); England Women 82/2 (23.1 ov)

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11th Match, Group B: India Women v Sri Lanka Women at Sydney - Mar 12, 2009
India Women won by 35 runs
India Women 137/7 (50 ov); Sri Lanka Women 102 (44.2 ov)

12th Match, Group A: New Zealand Women v South Africa Women at Bowral - Mar 12, 2009
New Zealand Women won by 199 runs
New Zealand Women 250/5 (50 ov); South Africa Women 51 (22.1 ov)

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7th Place Playoff: South Africa Women v Sri Lanka Women at Sydney - Mar 14, 2009
South Africa Women won by 9 wickets (with 129 balls remaining)
Sri Lanka Women 75 (39 ov); South Africa Women 76/1 (28.3 ov)

13th Match, Super Six: Australia Women v India Women at Sydney - Mar 14, 2009
India Women won by 16 runs
India Women 234/5 (50 ov); Australia Women 218/7 (50 ov)

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14th Match, Super Six: England Women v New Zealand Women at Sydney - Mar 14, 2009
England Women won by 31 runs
England Women 201/5 (50 ov); New Zealand Women 170 (48.4 ov)

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15th Match, Super Six: Pakistan Women v West Indies Women at Sydney - Mar 14, 2009
Pakistan Women won by 4 wickets (with 13 balls remaining)
West Indies Women 132/9 (50 ov); Pakistan Women 134/6 (47.5 ov)

16th Match, Super Six: Australia Women v Pakistan Women at Sydney - Mar 16, 2009
Australia Women won by 107 runs
Australia Women 229/6 (50 ov); Pakistan Women 122 (45.1 ov)

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17th Match, Super Six: England Women v West Indies Women at Sydney - Mar 17, 2009
Innings break - England Women won the toss and elected to bat first
England Women 236/8 (50 ov)
NJ Shaw 8* LA Marsh 8* SF Daley 9-1-31-3 CO Taitt 2-0-9-1

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18th Match, Super Six: India Women v New Zealand Women at Sydney - Mar 17, 2009
New Zealand Women require another 200 runs with 10 wickets and 47.0 overs remaining
India Women 207 (49.4 ov); New Zealand Women 8/0 (3 ov)
KL Pulford 6* HM Tiffen 0* R Dhar 1-0-6-0 J Goswami 2-1-1-0

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19th Match, Super Six: Australia Women v England Women at Sydney - Mar 19, 2009
Australia Women won by 8 wickets (with 97 balls remaining)
England Women 161 (49.3 ov); Australia Women 163/2 (33.5 ov)

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20th Match, Super Six: India Women v West Indies Women at Sydney - Mar 19, 2009
India Women won by 8 wickets (with 193 balls remaining)
West Indies Women 84 (44.4 ov); India Women 86/2 (17.5 ov)

21st Match, Super Six: New Zealand Women v Pakistan Women at Sydney - Mar 19, 2009
New Zealand Women won by 223 runs
New Zealand Women 373/7 (50 ov); Pakistan Women 150 (48.1 ov)

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3rd Place Playoff: Australia Women v India Women at Sydney - Mar 21, 2009
Australia Women won the toss and elected to bat first
Australia Women 99/5 (35 ov)
KL Rolton 43* LC Sthalekar 15* J Goswami 6-3-5-1 R Dhar 9-1-24-2

5th Place Playoff: Pakistan Women v West Indies Women at Sydney - Mar 21, 2009
West Indies Women require another 112 runs with 10 wickets and 45.0 overs remaining
Pakistan Women 131 (46.3 ov); West Indies Women 20/0 (5 ov)
SR Taylor 19* SF Daley 0* Sana Mir 1-0-1-0 Batool Fatima 0-0-0-0

Final: England Women v New Zealand Women at Sydney - Mar 22, 2009
England Women won by 4 wickets (with 23 balls remaining)
New Zealand Women 166 (47.2 ov); England Women 167/6 (46.1 ov)

ICC Women's World Cup, 2008/09

England go top by downing New Zealand

During the second World War, a secret bunker in Bankstown was used as the base for Australia's air-force operations. At the nearby Bankstown Oval on Saturday, Charlotte Edwards' England forced New Zealand to take shelter as they charged to a 31-run victory and further towards the final

South Africa crush Sri Lanka to take seventh spot - ICC Women's World Cup

South Africa 76 for 1 (Chetty 41*) beat Sri Lanka 75 (van Niekirk 3-11) by nine wickets
Scorecard

South Africa crushed Sri Lanka by nine wickets to take seventh place in a battle between the two teams without a win in the tournament. Only two Sri Lankan batsmen made it to double-digits as their side folded for 75, a total South Africa sauntered past with more than 21 overs to spare.

After choosing to bat, Sri Lanka were tied down by the South African new-ball bowlers. Opener Chamari Polgampola was bowled in the first over, and only 18 runs came off the next 11. Charlize van der Westhuizen then struck twice in successive overs, before a run-out and a wicket for Alicia Smith left Sri Lanka reeling at 35 for 5. Suwini de Alwis resisted with a 24 but fifteen-year-old legspinner Dane van Niekerk's blows and some more poor running from Sri Lanka meant South Africa had a modest target to chase.

There was an early hiccup for South Africa when opener Yolandi van der Westhuizen was bowled for a duck. However Trisha Chetty and Cri-zelda Brits, South Africa's highest run-getters in the tournament, put on an unbroken 72-run stand to end their side's run of eight games without a win.

South Africa had finished in seventh place in the 2005 World Cup as well, and Sri Lanka had been sixth

New Lanka captain Sangakkara eyes Twenty20 World Cup

Colombo (IANS): Sri Lanka's newly appointed cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara said his immediate focus would be on the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup that begins in June in England.

The wicket-keeper batsman had been a vice-captain since 2006 and was officially named Sri Lanka's new captain Thursday afternoon. Muttiah Muralitharan has been appointed the vice-captain. Their first assignment will be the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty20 in England.

"It is a huge honour and great privilege to be given the captaincy of the Sri Lanka cricket team. I had no hesitation is accepting the responsibility when the chairman of selectors offered me the job. I am very excited by the challenge ahead," Sangakkara said.

Sangakkara takes over from Mahela Jayawardene, his close friend and team-mate. Jayawardene, who had been the captain for a decade, stepped down immediately after the aborted two-Test tour to Pakistan early this month saying his successor needs at least 18 months to prepare the team for the 2011 world cup.

"Taking over from such a great player and a successful captain like Mahela is a great feeling. My immediate focus is on the Twenty20 World Cup and build a strong team for it," Sangakkara told IANS Thursday.

"As we prepare for this and the year ahead, I will be stressing to the players the individual responsibility they must take on to improve and develop their games," he said.

Claiming that he and the outgoing captain "saw eye-to-eye on many things" on and off the field, Sangakkara, from the Central Kandy district said he would "now continue on the same road trying to help bring Sri Lanka consistent success in all forms of the game".

The 31-year-old stylish left-hander is one of the world's finest wicket-keeper batsmen, having scored over 6,000 runs in both versions of the game.

Holding averages of 54.99 in Tests and 36.31 in One-day internationals, Sangakkara has taken over 380 catches and effected 80 stumpings in both versions of the game.

Sangakkara Takes over as Lankan Skipper

Kumara Sangakkara took over as the captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team yesterday, according to breaking cricket news, when he replaced Mahela Jayawardene who announced his stepping down from the captaincy after the Indian tour of Sri Lanka. Sangakkara has said that the immediate focus for him is on the Twenty20 World Cup that begins in England and June and to build a strong team for it.

Kumara Sangakkara’s three year stint as vice captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team and long standing friendship with outgoing skipper Mahela Jayawardene would have given him some grounding in leading the Lankan side in international cricket.

"It is a huge honour and great privilege to be given the captaincy of the Sri Lanka cricket team. I had no hesitation is accepting the responsibility when the chairman of selectors offered me the job. I am very excited by the challenge ahead," said Sangakkara as reported in the cricket news and added that his immediate job would be to prepare his team for the upcoming T20 World Cup in June to be held in England.

Sangakkara was quoted in the cricket news as giving fulsome praise to the outgoing captain, "Taking over from such a great player and a successful captain like Mahela is a great feeling,” with whom Sangakkara sees "eye-to-eye on many things." Sangakkara also said that Jayawardene had matured as a captain and that he had been an inspiration the way he handled his players. He said that he would be planning for the future but also looking to “winning immediate matches and gaining confidence.”

In a recent interview Sangakkara spoke about all that he and his team had undergone in the past couple of weeks; the trauma and injuries sustained from the Lahore attacks. According to him it was not just about actual cricket skills only, but also about group mentality. “It's always a big responsibility to take on a cricket captaincy, but with what the team has undergone in the last two weeks there is a special significance and dimension to that responsibility. It is not just about our cricketing skill now, but our group mentality and the need to ensure everyone is firing for the World Twenty20 in England.”

Sangakkara, who is still recuperating after being injured in the Lahore attacks, acknowledged that there were things that required discussion between players. “We really have to sit down and have a very honest and open discussion about whether what has happened will change the players in any way, to talk about their families and whether we can take something good from what has happened in Lahore,” he said, adding, “Most of them (the Lankan players) are spending some time at home with their families and appreciating the little things they may have taken for granted before. But all of them are raring to get back to cricket and some are already back in training.”