Sports
Sri Lanka to play four seamers at The Oval
Rex Clementine in London
Conditions and weather in London over the next week has forced Sri Lanka to leave out their champion spin bowler Prabath Jayasuriya and play four seamers for the third and final Test against England starting today (Friday) at The Oval.
This means, Vishwa Fernando who was dropped after the first Test will make a comeback. The final seamer’s slot was a toss up between Kasun Rajitha and Vishwa Fernando but the latter got the nod over Rajitha due to the left-arm option. Vishwa also represented Yorkshire in County Cricket this season.
Opening batsman Nishan Madushka got the axe due to his poor form. Pathum Nissanka will open batting with Dimuth Karunaratne while Kusal Mendis will return to the side and keep wickets and bat at number three.
There were also talk of Kamindu Mendis moving up to number three in the batting order. Although the selectors seemed to be keen on the move, captain Dhananajaya de Silva wasn’t fancying the idea saying, “That would be a tough call to ask him to bat that early. He is doing well at number seven and let him continue there for the time being, maybe in the long run we can think of it. We need to ask him as well how he feels about the idea.”
England are throwing in left-arm seamer Joshua Hull to the midst and he is set to make his debut today. With a handful of First Class games to his credit and not many eye-catching performances for Leicestershire, the tall fast bowler, who turned 20 two weeks ago, has been picked on promise rather than performance.
Sri Lanka’s training session at The Oval yesterday was called off due to rain.
England have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. However, the game is vital for Sri Lanka as World Test Championship points are up for grabs.
Sri Lanka
Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (Wicketkeeper), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (Captain), Kamindu Mendis, Milan Ratnayake, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando.
England
Dan Lawrence, ?Ben Duckett. Ollie Pope (Captain), Joe Root, ?Harry Brook ?Jamie Smith (Wicketkeeper), ?Chris Woakes, ?Gus Atkinson, Olly Stone, Josh Hull and Shoaib Bashir.
The Rose Bowl, which has been awarded to the winner of ODI series between the women’s teams of Australia and New Zealand since 1985, has now been expanded to include T20Is as well.
New Zealand’s three match T20I tour of Australia, which begins on Sunday at the North Sydney Oval, will be the first T20I edition of the Rose Bowl. The teams will get to face off again for the trophy in March 2027 when they meet again for three ODIs, also in Australia.
For Rose Bowl series that include matches in both white-ball formats, the trophy will go to the team with the most wins overall. In case of a drawn series, the current holder will retain the trophy.
“The Rose Bowl is a prestigious trophy that holds a lot of meaning to current and past players, and it’s a series we’ve always taken a lot of pride in competing in,”Catherine Campbell, NZC’s chief cricket operations officer and a former New Zealand player, said. “With so much T20I cricket now being played, this is a brilliant opportunity to keep the Rose Bowl relevant and to build on the history between us and our Australian rivals.”
New Zealand captain Melie Kerr was excited by the broadening of opportunities to compete for the Rose Bowl.
“We’re all aware of what the Rose Bowl represents and the importance it holds in the White Ferns whakapapa [genealogy],” said Kerr. “Great players and teams have fought for it over the years and we’d love the opportunity to claim our own piece of that history.”
Australia have held the Rose Bowl continuously since wresting it back from New Zealand in 2000. Since that 3-0 win, Australia have won 18 times with one series – in 2008-09 – shared 2-2. Overall, Australia have won 26 of the 31 ODI series played for the Rose Bowl, with New Zealand winning three times and three series drawn.
North Sydney will host all three T20Is of the upcoming Rose Bowl series, on October 18, 20 and 22.
[Cricinfo]
The inaugural Sastralian Premier League (SPL), a T10 cricket tournament aimed at strengthening the cricketing fortunes of Ananda Shasthralaya National School, Matugama, will get underway next month, bringing together eight teams.
Organised by the Old Sastralians Cricket Association in collaboration with the school, the tournament is designed to provide a platform for emerging talent while generating much needed financial support for the school’s cricket development programme.
Each franchise will be required to assemble a squad of 16 players, excluding the captain, with the competition featuring a unique set of regulations aimed at encouraging participation across different age groups.
Cricketers from other schools in the Matugama area will also have an opportunity to showcase their skills under the ‘Guest Players’ category. Each team can recruit up to six guest players, with four required to feature in the playing XI.
In a move designed to nurture the next generation, every team must include two current school cricketers in its squad, with at least one guaranteed a place in the playing XI.
The tournament will also accommodate experienced campaigners, with teams permitted to select five players over the age of 20 and three over 40. The provision to use an ‘Impact Player’ is another feature of the competition.
The eight teams have been divided into two groups. Group A comprises JSD Challengers, Jagath Express, Liveka Power Lions and Rexhill Warriors, while JPI Royals, Five Star Heroes, Marine Titans and Finnk Falcons make up Group B.
A total of 16 matches will be played across November 7, 8 and 15, with November 16 set aside as a reserve day.
Beyond the action on the field, organisers hope the tournament will provide a financial boost to school cricket while forging stronger ties between past and present cricketers.
Squad for the first three ODIs: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer [VC], KL Rahul [WK], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna*, Kuldeep Yadav
Squad for fourth and fifth ODIs: Shreyas Iyer [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan [WK, VC], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav
[Cricbuzz]
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