Sri Lanka pull off the mother of all upsets by becoming the first Asian side to win a Test series in South Africa.
Andrew Fidel Fernando sums it up in ESPNcricinfo:
For those of us watching on, what was witnessed was beyond monumental, beyond astonishing. It is still – hours later – difficult to believe. You could put it down to luck, or to a rebirth, or to an underperforming opposition, but even taken altogether, none of that adds up.
Rex Clementine, in the Island newspaper, on newcomer Oshada Fernando, one of the stars of the second Test.
There aren’t gold chains around his neck or bracelets on his wrist. No expensive watches, no flashy sunglasses or tattoos; the stuff that modern day cricketers have a liking for. What you will instead find is a couple of ‘pirith nools’. The son of an Army soldier, he has been brought up in a deeply religious environment.
The Papare’s Chathura Kumarasinghe on the most heart-warming David v Goliath story of our time.
Sport24’s Rob Houwing hails Sri Lanka’s triumph and puts it on par with Japan’s victory over South Africa in the 2015 Rugby World Cup – on the improbability scale.
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Windies rally
West Indies and England played three engrossing Tests in the Caribbean – and the result: another upset.
The Independent’s Jonathan Liew offers final thoughts:
You don’t tend to hear about him [Kemar Roach] in the conversation about the world’s current best fast bowlers, but since his return to the Test side in mid-2017 he averages 21 with the ball, which puts him in the top five pacemen in the world, behind Kagiso Rabada, Vernon Philander, Mohammad Abbas and his captain Jason Holder (minimum 10 Tests).
Ahmer Naqvi, in ESPNcricinfo, on two remarkable captains: Darren Sammy and Jason Holder.
In the Jamaica Gleaner, Tony Becca on the surprising, and yet clinical, West Indian series victory.
The Old Batsman watches Mark Wood’s fiery spell in the St Lucia Test and remembers the pacy Simon Jones
Fazeer Mohammed says Windies will struggle against India, in the Test series in July, despite this England win. (video interview)
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GRV forever
Gundappa Viswanath turned 70 earlier this month.
P Krishnan, in the Sportstar, on a childhood hero.
Suresh Menon, in the Hindu, on a batsman like few others