Sports

Lord’s is changing

Published

2 years ago

2024/09/1

Thilina Walpola

The Sri Lankan team posing for a photograph before the Lord’s Test

Rex Clementine in London

When former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar delivered the Cowdrey Lecture at Lord’s in 2003, he drove home some pertinent points. The legendary opening batsman said, “There may be some among you who on receiving the invitation to this evening’s lecture must have seen who was going to speak and said “Oh! Yeah! Only if he is allowed through the gate!”

“For me, it’s a bit like getting an invitation to a party on 1st April; you don’t know whether it’s for real or if it’s an April Fool’s joke. Having now got to the podium which does afford me a better view than my natural height, I can see that you all did take the chance that I would be allowed in,” he went onto say.

“As you can see, I am here – let in by the stewards who over the years have become quite charming. No more does one hear “Oi! Where do you think you are going?” Instead, now we hear “Excuse me, sir, can I help you?” Now this is a tremendous change and the MCC needs to be complimented on the remarkable improvement in the attitude of those manning the various entrances at the ground,” Gavaskar added.

There was an awkward moment on day two of the ongoing Lord’s Test when Sidath Wettimuny tried to enter the press box to be interviewed by AFP’s Julian Guyer and the stewards would not let him in. Finally, after learning that this was the first Sri Lankan to score a hundred at Lord’s, not only did they let him in, but were profusely apologizing too.

Lord’s has seen lot of changes over the years. They had a first ever non British MCC President in Kumar Sangakkara not too long ago. It was a groundbreaking moment and when Sanga ended his term, he named Clare Connor as his successor. It was a historic moment as she was the first female to be President of MCC in its 234 year history.

Twenty years back when you came to Lord’s to cover your first Test match, you were told to wear a jacket and a tie. Not anymore. Nowadays, reporters turn up at Lord’s in shorts. Not the Sri Lankans, but the locals. At least in this case there should be some formality.

In India, they are going to ban reporters entering press box wearing team jerseys. It’s a good move. Maybe there’s something for Lord’s to think about too.

Lord’s has lost its significance somewhat in the modern day with the ICC office that was situated here now moved to Dubai. It was initiated by Jagmohan Dalmiya during his tenure as ICC President and came to effect during the tenure of Eshan Mani. A lot of people think that the headquarters were moved for political reasons, but in reality, Dubai was providing tax exceptions and it was a good call.

England and Wales Cricket Board headquarters are still at Lord’s though.

MCC continues to be the guardians of the Laws of Cricket and are responsible for drafting, debating and changing these laws. With cricket’s power bases shifting to India again, is MCC in danger of losing ? This is a question that comes to your mind.

With England and Australia playing ball with India, MCC’s role is somewhat diminishing, yes. But both members who enjoyed veto power at ICC once have been left with Hobson’s choice but to go along with India.

The appreciation of every boundary, every wicket, every catch or a milestone that you get at Lord’s is unparalleled and good cricket whether it comes from the home team or the opposition is appreciated here. That’s something unique about Lord’s.

MCC members getting into an altercation with Australian players at the Long Room during The Ashes last year was a blackmark for the famous club. But they acted swiftly banning one member for life and handing long suspensions for two others.

A few new stands have come up at Lord’s and while these facilities are fine and enjoyed by spectators, you also get the feeling that the iconic ground has lost its charm a little bit.All said and done, Lord’s remains a special place to watch cricket. Every fan should enjoy that experience.

All News Advertisement

Sports

Look out for Mayon as field event athletes begin action at Diyagama

Published

1 hour ago

2026/10/16

Thilina Walpola

Mayon Rajasinghe

All Island Schools Games Athletics Championships

by Reemus Fernando

‎The Under 18 boys’ shot put meet record will be under severe threat today, when the most talked-about thrower of the last All Island Schools Games Athletics Championships takes to the field on the opening day at Diyagama.

‎Mayon Rajasinghe, now competing for his third school in four years, has shown steady progress this season and appears to be peaking at the right time to attempt another record-breaking performance on the junior circuit.

‎Having recently set a new meet record of 17.31m at the Western Province Schools Games, Mayon will now try to surpass the All Island Schools Games Under 18 record of 17.15m.

‎The first two age-category records in the Games’ shot put event already bear his name. He set the current Under 14 record of 15.13m while representing Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa. Last year, while attending St. Joseph’s College, Darley Road, he shattered the Under 16 meet record with a throw of 18.57m using the 4kg shot. It is the furthest any Sri Lankan has thrown in the Under 16 category at any meet, from the Junior National Championships to the Sir John Tarbat Senior Championships to the Schools Games.

‎Yet the outstanding performance did not receive the recognition it deserved. His father, who also trains him, was adamant that the then 16-year-old deserved the meet’s Best Athlete title. The organisers disagreed, citing the differing weights of implements across age categories as their reason for setting the performance aside. No clear criteria had been announced before the meet, which made such disappointment all but inevitable. Senior Rajasinghe’s outburst after the presentation ceremony, and the social media backlash that followed, have had an effect: the Ministry of Education has now published criteria for selecting the meet’s best athlete. However, it remains doubtful whether the criteria in the competition manual can offer athletes in different age categories and disciplines an equal opportunity to have their performances assessed fairly.

‎This year Mayon represents Holy Cross College, Kalutara. He has picked up where he left off last year, breaking record after record, and is poised to make an impact once again.

‎The championship begins with a card of eight finals. Around 5,000 athletes in the Under 14, 16, 18 and 20 age categories, representing all nine provinces, will take part in the five-day event after qualifying through house, divisional, zonal and provincial competitions.

Sports

57th Annual Saints’ Quadrangular Tournament on Saturday and Sunday

Published

1 hour ago

2026/10/16

Thilina Walpola

The much-anticipated 57th Annual Saints’ Quadrangular Tournament which brings together four of Sri Lanka’s leading Catholic schools, St. Anthony’s College, Kandy, St. Benedict’s College, Colombo 13, St.Joseph’s College, Colombo 10, and St. Peter’s College, Colombo 04, for a weekend of spirited competition, camaraderie and nostalgia is scheduled to take place this weekend (weather permitting).

This year’s tournament is being hosted by the St. Peter’s College Old Boys’ Union (SPCOBU) during its Centenary year, marking 100 years since the Union was founded in 1927. The Centenary celebrates a century of service to the College and the Peterite community, under the theme “Honouring the Past, Strengthening the Present, Inspiring the Peterite of Tomorrow.”

The origins of the ‘Saints Quadrangular Tournament’ trace back to 1963, during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of St. Benedict’s College. An open invitation was extended to schools across the country for a cricket tournament, and coincidentally, only the above three premier Catholic institutions joined

What began as a two-day cricket encounter has evolved into a multi-sport carnival that continues to embody the true spirit of sportsmanship and fraternity.

In 2002, the organizers introduced a 25-over Cricket Tournament for players aged 40 and above, allowing past cricketers to once again represent their beloved alma mater. Two years later, in 2004, Basketball was added to the lineup, enriching the event further given the strong basketball heritage of the four schools.

Continuing its evolution, 7-a-side Rugby was introduced in 2014, transforming the Saints’ Quadrangular into a vibrant sports carnival that now features three major sports across four tournaments namely Cricket, over 40 Cricket, Basketball, and Rugby.

Sports

Pathum Nissanka ruled out of Pakistan tri series

Published

1 hour ago

2026/10/16

Thilina Walpola

Pathum Nissanka

by Rex Clementine

Sri Lanka have suffered a major setback ahead of the ODI tri-series in Pakistan, with prolific opening batsman Pathum Nissanka ruled out of the tournament, which gets underway on Sunday. England are the third team in the competition, with Sri Lanka taking on hosts Pakistan in the curtain raiser.

Nissanka, who missed the T20I series with a hamstring injury, had been expected to recover in time for the ODI leg of the tour. However, his rehabilitation has taken longer than anticipated. The selectors initially remained hopeful that he could feature towards the business end of the tournament, but yesterday confirmed that the opening batsman would play no part in the competition.

The focus now shifts to getting him fit for the two match Test series against Pakistan next month.

Nissanka’s NCC team mate Lahiru Udara has been drafted in as his replacement for the ODI series.

A source close to the team said Nissanka would now target the warm up fixture ahead of the Test series to prove his fitness and stake his claim for a return to the longer format.

Since making his international debut in 2021, Nissanka has established himself as Sri Lanka’s most prolific batsman across formats, playing a starring role in several memorable victories.

A mountain of runs in domestic cricket paved the way for his international breakthrough and he announced his arrival in style with a century on Test debut in the Caribbean. He subsequently etched his name into the record books by becoming the first Sri Lankan to score a double hundred in One Day Internationals.

If there were lingering doubts about his pedigree in Test cricket, Nissanka put them to bed at The Oval in 2024. Against a formidable England pace attack in testing conditions, he produced a masterclass in batting, helping Sri Lanka pull off a famous victory on English soil.

Earlier this year, he delivered another telling blow, this time against Australia in the T20 World Cup. His magnificent century sent one of the pre tournament favourites packing and underlined his ability to rise to the occasion on the biggest stage.

His remarkable consistency and versatility across all three formats earned him the prestigious Player of the Year honour at the Annual Cricket Awards, where he was the cynosure of all eyes.

However, injuries have increasingly become a stumbling block in what has otherwise been a flourishing career.

Nissanka was forced to return home midway through the tour of the West Indies to undergo wrist surgery in the United Kingdom. He was expected to recover in time for the two match home Test series against India, but that target proved beyond his reach.

Although he returned to action for the white ball series in England, he struggled to make an impact. Now, another injury setback has put him out of the ODI tri-series in Pakistan, leaving Sri Lanka without their premier opening batsman at a time when the team can ill afford to lose its most dependable run scorer.