WestIndies Vs Sri Lanka Gayle Power give West Indies comfortable win

Chris Gayle had failed to leave a mark in cold and wet England, but he probably knows there is only one thing cool in the warmer climes of Jamaica - he himself. And no one at Sabina Park would disagree. After a lean patch in the Champions Trophy where his highest score was 39, Gayle scored his 21st ODI century - his first against Sri Lanka - as West Indies brushed the visitors aside by six wickets and earned a bonus point in the first match of the tri-series.

Sri Lanka didn't have a strong total to defend after their batsmen were felled by the spin of Sunil Narine, who picked up four wickets. Angelo Mathews kept his main bowlers on throughout to try and ensnare the big fish, but Gayle kept blocking, blocking, and then powering it over the ropes with metronomic precision.

Confederation Cup Final

The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, the ninth FIFA Confederations Cup, is an international association football tournament currently being held in Brazil, as a prelude to the 2014 FIFA World Cup.^[2] The eight-team tournament began on 15 June 2013 and will conclude with the final on 30 June 2013. Host nation Brazil are also the defending champions.

The third place match will be contested between Uruguay and Italy. Brazil will play Spain in the championship match; Spain has the opportunity to become the third team (after Argentina and France) to win all three major FIFA tournaments: the World Cup, the Olympic football competition and the Confederations Cup.

Sri Lanka break series drought on rainy night

Sri Lanka came on this tour with one goal and achieved it with a match to spare. By handing Australia a seventh straight defeat, Kumar Sangakkara's men delivered their maiden series win in Australia in 26 years of trying. When the hosts slipped over for 210 in the greasy conditions it gave Sri Lanka victory by 29 runs - and it had come more easily than expected.

There was much to like about Sri Lanka's play in a match regularly threatened by rain, but there was little to inspire the hosts as they head to Brisbane for Sunday's dead rubber. The only time the visitors struggled was in the first two overs of the match - when they didn't score - but once the openers Upul Tharanga, who held the innings together with 86 not out, and Tillakaratne Dilshan got going there was nothing that could stop them. Not even the weather.

The rain disrupted Sri Lanka's innings twice as it finished early at 3 for 213 in 41.1 overs, but Australia's target was quickly inflated to 244 in 39 overs under the Duckworth Lewis method. The calculations added more difficulty to what was already a tricky pursuit in a seamer-friendly environment, and they began needing more than a run a ball. A short rain break towards the end trimmed another over from the match and reduced the target to 240. It didn't help.

Mistakes came quickly, starting with Brad Haddin's flash at a Nuwan Kulasekara inswinger and the knocking back of his middle stump. Ricky Ponting (10) fell hooking, just as he did so often last summer, and when Michael Clarke's (25) attempted pull ended up with a lunging Muttiah Muralitharan at third man, Australia were 4 for 80 and the game was heading one way.

Murali then watched Michael Hussey tap a catch to deep mid-off, a wicket which came after Shane Watson had missed a sweep on 40 to be lbw. He finished with 2 for 30 off seven while Thisara Perera, Suraj Randiv and Kulasekara also claimed two victims. Cameron White (35) and Steven Smith (33) could not achieve the miracle, especially when Lasith Malinga was varying his pace superbly.

Sri Lanka were 2 for 161 off 34 overs when the weather intervened for the first time, chopping five overs from their original allocation, and they finished in a rush before the clouds reopened. Tharanga ensured Sri Lanka built on the high gained from their stunning victory in Melbourne on Wednesday as he put on 98 for the first wicket with Dilshan.

The 70-run stand between the captain Kumar Sangakkara and Tharanga was starting to warm up when the rain arrived for the first time. Instead of acceleration, the ground received 90 minutes of saturation. Sangakkara (45) sliced Watson (2 for 45) to Clint McKay at third man before Angelo Mathews, the hero from the first game, provided a timely surge by swinging to 17 off 11.

Tharanga, who was comfortable chipping over the infield, was the slower partner alongside Dilshan, but he ended up in the lead role during his 112-ball stay. His half-century came up with two lofted boundaries to the legside off Nathan Hauritz and there were six fours in his display.

While his innings was highly worthy, Tharanga was dropped on 61 by Haddin and also survived a comical run-out attempt when stranded at the wrong end on 76. Haddin's throw flew over the bowler Watson's head before Clarke backed up and shied at the bowler's end. His on-target effort hit the leg of Watson, who was trying to get out of the way of the stumps, and Tharanga eventually regained his ground. It is a moment that will be replayed often until Australia can show they are a committed, unified and successful unit.

After Australia's bowling troubles in their awful loss in Melbourne, they demoted the spinner Xavier Doherty to 12th man despite his four-wicket debut, and also dropped John Hastings. The replacements didn't create a sudden shift in the team's fortunes.

McKay (0 for 42) came in to take the new ball and was steady, while Hauritz showed some useful signs in picking up 1 for 49 from nine overs. Mitchell Johnson gave away 11 runs in his first over while Peter Siddle was handy without being dangerous.

While there only 11,495 watching at the ground, Australia's seventh consecutive loss in all forms of the game will be noticed by everyone. England are in Perth, having started well in their tour opener, and can see a host of Ashes weaknesses. Over in Colombo there will be celebrations for the Sri Lankan team after their biggest obstacle ended up being the weather.

UNSUNG HERO of SRI LANKAN SPORTS – R KARUNANANDA, 1964 OLYMPICS

We know Susanthika, Damayanthi Dharsha, Marion Jones, Michael Jordan but have we heard about R Karunanada. He represented Sri lanka (then Ceylon) in the 1964 Olympics, in the mens 10,000m event.
Karunananda did his best to win a medal to his country, one could see the effort he took to his boot from the beginning and right throughout the race despite the spectators shouts. Finally, he won his battle making the spectators to a standing ovation that exceeded the salutation that the spectators gave to any athlete, and completed the race.


The Sri Lankan media has forgotten about this great athlete who fought his best to win a medal for his country, a true heroes like Karunananda should be honoured for his efforts made at this race. most of your’l might had not seen the race i am talking about, watch it at the end of this post.

Here is an article i pulled out, that would give one more information about Karunananda; (i don’t know the source of this article  maybe daily mirror)






Those who unwittingly inhabit others’ versions of their realities might find Karunananda in a different way, I realized. If they scanned world cinema, the greatest or the most entertaining flicks, they might come across Ron Ichikawa’s ‘Tokyo Olympiad’ (Tokyo Orimpikku). They would no doubt be amazed to learn that a man who came last in the 10,000m race was also featured among the winners, including the incredible Ethiopian, Abebe Bikila who was the first Black African to win an Olympic gold medal and the first to win the marathon twice in a row. Karunananda didn’t compete in the marathon. He was placed 47th out of 52 in the 5000m race and started the 10,000 with a bad cold and a considerably weakened body. This was in 1964, when athletes didn’t chicken out if they were less than 100 percent fit, a time when athletes were not pampered with sponsorships, employment, vehicles, houses and other gifts.


Karunananda competed because he wanted his little daughter to be happy that he competed, from start to finish. He came last. He could have stopped at any point, it would not have changed anything. He didn’t. He was with the leaders when Billy Mills of the USA breasted the tape. That’s because he had been lapped four times by that time. When he continued, it surprised the spectators. When he came around they jeered. When he came around a second time, there was silence. And then there was cheering. Wild applause. He finished the race to a standing ovation that exceeded the salutation that the spectators gave Mills. Mills is reported to have said that the gold should have gone to Karunananda.

Days after the race he still received gifts from sympathetic Japanese. One housewife wrote, ‘I saw you on TV, running all alone and I could not keep back my tears’. He was the original ‘Marathon Karu’ (the subsequent Marathon Karu, better known, died with Jeyaraj Fernandopulle in a suicide attack). The Japanese remember. His story is related to schoolchildren to teach the virtue of determination and the triumph of the human spirit.


Karu was offered a job in Japan. A few days before he was to leave Sri Lanka, he died. Some say he died in an accident. Some say he was murdered. Some say he just disappeared. Years later a Japanese television crew arrived in Sri Lanka to do a documentary on this incredible man. No one knew him. They had been taken to the then ‘Marathon Karu’ by mistake and he had helped the Japanese find the man’s family. Karu’s wife had lost her mind when her husband ‘died’. The family was literally on the street until a kind relative had offered to take care of the children. This is how his own country has recognised him………….

‘We don’t have to look beyond our shores, ‘We are a nation blessed with our own heroes.’ There’s one in every body in fact. if we want to remember men and women who stood taller than the multitude, then let’s spare a thought for Ranatunga Karunananda.

Bloggers comments >> No wonder we live in Sri Lanka, we usually forget the people who were part and parcel of  our lives  and our country. So, the great Ranatunga Karunananda, i salute you on behalf of all the Sri Lankans as Sri Lankans will remain as Sri Lankans for many years to come.
Lesson learnt — People will drag you down, once your no longer an assert to them.  Selfish indeed !

nb: Daily Mirror and The Sunday Island has some articles on Ranatunga Karunananda

Spain won the 2010 FIFA world cup..!

Iniesta fires Spain to World Cup glory

Previous Image | Pause | Next Image

2 / 5

Andres Iniesta scores with four minutes left in extra time to give Spain their first World Cup with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands.

The greatest steps down with a smile…

Lankan Spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan is pictured here at a press briefing where he officially announced his plans of retiring from test cricket. Murali announced on Tuesday that he will retire from Test cricket after the first Test against Indiastarting in Galleon July 18.

also Champion offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan said he decided to quit international cricket at the end of the first Test against India at Galle to challenge himself to capture the eight wickets he needs to become the first bowler in cricket history to reach 800 Test wickets.

"Eight hundred wickets is just a number because I already have the world record," said Muralitharan addressing his first press conference since announcing his retirement on Tuesday. "I have taken it as a challenge to give me the motivation to take the eight wickets I need to reach that mark and also win the Test for my country. I hope we can achieve it. I have confidence that we have a good Test team and I hope we can win my farewell Test and hopefully the series."

Muralitharan was happy with the quality of spin bowlers in Sri Lanka, with Ajantha Mendis, Rangana and Suraj Randiv coming along well. "I thought the time is right to move out because we have three good spinners. I hope they also get a chance because as a youngster I got a chance to perform that's how I came to this level. They will also become good spinners in time to come."

Puyol winner puts Spain in World Cup final

Puyol winner puts Spain in World Cup final
Carles Puyol is the hero as Spain beat Germany 1-0 to make their first ever World Cup final, where they will face the Netherlands.