Sports
DDS seeks perfection despite Galle victory
Sri Lanka’s Test captain, Dhananjaya de Silva, isn’t resting on his laurels despite his team’s hard-fought 63-run win over New Zealand in Galle on Monday. Although the victory was sweet, he emphasized that there are still areas that need sharpening if they want to keep their eyes on the World Test Championship.
Prabath Jayasuriya’s nine-wicket haul, Kamindu Mendis’ splendid century, and crucial half-centuries by Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, and Kusal Mendis helped Sri Lanka seal the game with two sessions to spare. Yet, Dhananjaya believes the performance was far from flawless.
“I’m a bit disappointed with how we bowled and batted in the first innings,” de Silva admitted. “We let New Zealand off the hook and gave them a chance to get away with things. That’s an area we need to tighten up. Another key point is that every single run counts when we’re out on the field. In such a close game, we simply can’t afford to give away runs with sloppy fielding.”
One player in particular is in the hot seat—off-spinner Ramesh Mendis. Struggling with his rhythm over recent years, Ramesh leaked too many loose deliveries at crucial stages, letting the pressure off New Zealand.
As a result, Sri Lanka have brought in Nishan Peiris, an off-spinner from Negombo CC, to replace the injured Vishwa Fernando, who is nursing a hamstring injury. Peiris could go on to replace Ramesh in the second Test.
“We’ve come straight from England, while New Zealand had been playing in India before arriving here, so they hit the ground running,” Dhananjaya noted. “Prabath managed to adapt quickly, but Ramesh needs to pull up his socks. If he can bowl with the same discipline as Prabath, we’ll have teams on the ropes in no time.”
It’s been a long drought for Sri Lanka in Test series against New Zealand, with their last series win dating back to 2009. Since then, the two sides have clashed six times, with the Kiwis winning four series and the remaining two ending in a stalemate.
Sri Lanka currently are at number three in the ICC World Test Championship standings, and a few more wins will help them to make further inroads. After this series against New Zealand, they have four more Tests coming up and a strong showing could book their ticket to the World Test Championship final at Lord’s next June.
“We go into every game with the mindset to win,” Dhananjaya said, with a steely determination. “We have two more days to prepare, and we’re talking through our combination.”
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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