ACS Overseas First-Class Annual 2014

Sri Lanka in 2013/14 From sixth in the ICC rankings at the start of the 2013/14 season, Sri Lanka could be satisfied with their rise, aided by their own good results and some disappointing performances by others, to fourth place by the end of the period under review; not so far, indeed, behind third-placed England. After a ten-month Test match hiatus, Sri Lanka returned with a drawn series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in January 2014, when defensive tactics in the final Test probably cost them a series victory. Series wins followed in Bangladesh and, rather more narrowly, in England, and though Sri Lanka were defeated at home by high-ranking South Africa in July 2014, they gained revenge over Pakistan the following month with a comfortable 2-0 win at home. Their successes were based around the performances of a relatively small number of established players. Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath continued to be a threat to all opponents, taking 60 wickets in his ten Tests in 2013/14 and 2014, and at Colombo in August 2014 becoming the first left-arm bowler ever to take nine wickets in a Test innings. Combative captain Angelo Mathews scored 1292 runs at 92.28 in Sri Lanka’s 11 Tests, including three centuries and five scores between 86 and 91, and led from the front when it mattered, notably in the drawn Test at Abu Dhabi in January and the win at Headingley in June. Sri Lanka’s most-capped Test cricketer, Mahela Jayawardene, maintained his form to the end, but finally called it a day after his 149th Test in August, ending just 36 runs short of an aggregate that would have given him a career average of 50. And above them all was the super-consistent Kumar Sangakkara, who made 1502 runs at 75.02 in Sri Lanka’s 11 Tests, including his first triple-century and another double. Only Don Bradman (12) now has more Test scores of 200 and above than Sangakkara’s ten. The 2013/14 domestic season saw brief tours by New Zealand A and the England Lions, the former losing and the latter winning their short series against Sri Lanka A. Wholly domestic cricket began with a mini-tournament, arranged at short notice to fill a gap in the calendar left by the cancellation of a planned tour of Zimbabwe, between teams styled the Sri Lanka Board XI (virtually the Test side), Sri Lanka A, and the Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI. It was won predictably by the senior side. The Premier Championship featured fourteen clubs initially placed in two groups. The top four in each group then contested a Super Eight competition, carrying forward the points already won in the three-day games against the top three sides from their own group, and playing over four days against each of the top four from the other group. Based on their points carried forward, Ragama were well clear of the field when the Super Eights began, but they lost all four of their remaining matches. This left the way clear for Nondescripts, fourth in their initial group, to come from behind to take the Championship narrowly ahead of Moors, who had likewise been runners-up in 2012/13. Meanwhile the bottom three clubs from the initial groups played their own Plate competition, won by Colts. Panadura, last after the Plate event, lost their first-class status at the end of the season when they were beaten on first innings in a relegation play-off by Saracens, who will return to the Premier Championship in 2014/15 after a single season’s break. Over the season as a whole only one batsman - former Test player Jehan Mubarak of Nondescripts - passed 1000 runs, reaching 1165 runs in his 16 innings (six of them centuries) at the impressive average of 105.90. His club-mate Tharindu Kaushal was the leading wicket-taker, his off-spin bringing him 63 wickets at 24.88. Malinda Pushpakumara (Moors), who had been the leading wicket-taker in 2012/13, took just one wicket fewer, his 62 wickets costing 23.51 apiece. (KSW) 519