Sports

Kamil Mishara : the prodigal son returns

Published

1 year ago

2025/03/23

Kamil Mishara has been prolific this season in both club and provincial First Class cricket.

Top order batter Kamil Mishara is in the form of his life – a golden run that has lit up domestic cricket like fireworks on a moonless night. The selectors have sat up and taken notice, and if his purple patch continues, a call-up to the national side when Bangladesh tour later this year seems not just possible but probable. The 23-year-old is stacking up runs like coins in a jackpot machine – one century after another, and importantly, converting them into towering scores that tilt matches single-handedly.

In both the recently concluded Inter-Club season and the ongoing National Super League, Mishara has made First-Class cricket his own playground. He’s not merely scratching out hundreds; he’s crafting epics. The hallmark of a true champion, they say, is to not just get to three figures but to bat the opposition out of the contest – and Mishara is ticking that box with a flourish.

Last week, he carved out an unbeaten 158 for Kandy. This week, he went one better with a thunderous 172 – an innings that had elegance, timing, and the authority of a seasoned pro. Watching from the sidelines in Hambantota were national selectors Ajantha Mendis and Tharanga Paranavithana, likely taking mental notes.

Now, numbers may sometimes lie in cricket, but not here. That 158 wasn’t just another stat in the scorebook – it was a backs-to-the-wall classic. Galle had declared after piling up 602 runs. Kandy were staring down the barrel. But Mishara stood tall amidst the ruins, batting for over five hours to anchor the innings like a lighthouse in a storm.

And don’t mistake him for a one-trick pony. Mishara can shift gears like a Ferrari on an open highway. He can bat deep when the team needs resilience, or play with freedom when the tempo demands acceleration. Run-a-ball or rearguard, orthodox or flamboyant – he’s got it all in his kitbag, including that left-hander’s trademark grace.

With the selectors watching this First-Class tournament like hawks, Mishara’s name is surely being scribbled in ink rather than pencil. A call-up is around the corner. He’s no longer just a promising youngster – he’s a matured cricketer, battle-hardened by setbacks, yet refreshingly grounded. Serious about his craft, but knows how to unwind when the day is done.

There’s a touch of T.M. Dilshan in him – the Swiss Army knife kind of cricketer. There’s nothing he can’t do. He’ll open the batting, drop down the order if needed, keep wickets, bowl a bit of off-spin, and field like a panther. Off the field too, the similarities to Dilshan don’t end – charismatic, unconventional, a bit of a maverick.

Truth be told, Mishara should have nailed down his place in the Sri Lankan team by now. The runway was clear, the jet engines were roaring – until he hit turbulence of his own making.

Back in 2022, he made his T20 debut against Australia at none other than the MCG. A few months later, he was in the Test squad at the tender age of 20. The selectors clearly had him earmarked as one for the future.

He was taken to Bangladesh as back up to Niroshan Dickwella. Now, taking a young player as understudy to Dickwella is like sending a rookie MP to Mervyn Silva for lessons in parliamentary decorum. Predictably, it didn’t end well.

Mishara was sent home in disgrace midway through the Test series for a code of conduct breach. Bio-bubbles were still the norm post-COVID, and players were repeatedly warned – no visitors, no exceptions. But temptation knocked, and Mishara opened the door – literally. The ‘visitor’, caught on surveillance camera, triggered panic. The Bangladesh Cricket Board reported it to SLC, and the response was swift and stern. He was not only sent home, but also frozen out for the next three years. It was a message wrapped in barbed wire: indiscipline won’t be tolerated, no matter how talented you are.

SLC had its reasons. Mishara had a prior. During his Under-19 days, he had copped a one-year suspended sentence after being found drunk during a home series. The Bangladesh episode was the final straw. Another young gun had shot himself in the foot. Self-destruction – sadly – seems to be a recurring theme with Sri Lanka’s brightest prospects.

But credit where it’s due – Mishara hasn’t sulked. He’s rolled up his sleeves, taken the stairs back to the top, and done so with grit. The big scores haven’t been limited to the provincial stage; he was prolific for NCC as well, steering them to the Inter-Club finals and finishing as the second-highest run-scorer in the competition.

From his early days in Panadura to the bright lights of Royal College – where he earned a scholarship – Mishara’s journey has been closely watched. He turned heads in the Royal-Thomian, earned a spot in the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team, and made his senior debut not long after. The boy had pedigree, no doubt.

There’s nothing wrong in having a bit of swagger – cricket has always had room for a David Gower, a Kevin Pietersen, or a Lasith Malinga. But in our part of the world, a young player getting a tattoo or colouring his hair is often seen as a red flag. We’ve seen that movie before, and it usually ends in tears.

Yet, redemption is never out of reach. As Saint Augustine once said, “There is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future.” And perhaps that sums up Kamil Mishara best.

by Rex Clementine

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Rickelton, Rohit, Shardul break Mumbai’s first-game jinx

Published

16 hours ago

2026/03/30

Priyan

Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma added 148 for the first wicket [Cricinfo]

Before Sunday, Mumbai Indians had never chased down a 220-plus target in their previous seven attempts. MI had never won their opening game of the IPL since 2012. On day two of IPL 2026, MI broke two jinxes as they chased down 221 in 19.1 overs to begin their season with a comfortable six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders. Rohit Sharma wound back the clock, smashing 78 off 38 balls, while Ryan Rickelton thumped 81 off 43, the duo adding 148 runs for the opening wicket off 71 balls.

That KKR were coming into this opening game severely depleted on the bowling front was known. The extent of it was visible on Sunday night with Vaibhav Arora and Blessing Muzarabani toothless, Varun Chakravarthy ineffective and Sunil Narine a shadow of his former self.

At the halfway mark, KKR might have been happy reaching 220 for 4, their second-highest score against MI in the IPL. Ajinkya Rahane, who at the toss said that he had “never seen so much of grass at Wankhede”, scored 67 off 40 balls while Angkrish Raghuvanshi, another Mumbai lad, made 51 off 29 as KKR breached the 220 mark. But against a KKR unit missing several of their frontline seamers, MI barely had any hiccups, completing the highest-successful IPL chase at the Wankhede with five balls to spare.

It was a typical Rohit innings that Wankhede has witnessed so many times, laced with some of the most pristine shots. He was on 12 off eight at one stage, but once in, he lit up Mumbai like only he can. Coming into the game, he had a strike rate of less than 100 against Varun in T20s. So, what did he do? He lofted the spinner inside-out over covers first ball and then lifted him for six the next ball. By the time the powerplay was done, Rohit had raced to a 23-ball fifty, his fastest in the IPL and MI’s chase was on course.

They raced to 80 in the first six, past 100 in 8.1 overs and by the time Rohit fell, thanks to a lovely catch by Anukul Roy running back from mid-off, MI’s required rate had gone below nine, which at the start of the innings was above 11 an over.

There were a few raised eyebrows when Rickelton was picked over the more experienced Quinton de Kock , but the former justified his selection. Rickelton needed just the first couple of overs to get a hang of the surface and once he did, there was no stopping him. He deposited Arora for back-to-back sixes, one over extra cover and then over deep midwicket, and that kickstarted a brutal takedown of the KKR bowlers.

While he saw Rohit do his thing in the powerplay, Rickelton took on Narine after the six-over mark. He slog swept him over deep midwicket in his first over and then launched him over the ropes twice in three balls in the next to raise a 24-ball fifty.

He didn’t stop there and only fell courtesy a stunning direct hit from the deep by Anukul. Suryakumar Yadav, the Impact Sub, came and went, but Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma took MI closer. Hardik finished on an unbeaten 18 off 11 balls, while Naman Dhir hit the winning runs off Anukul as MI started their IPL 2026 in style.

Finn Allen brought his stellar form international cricket to the IPL. After facing five dot balls against Hardik, he went after MI debutant AM Ghazanfar, pumping him to the deep square fence and then spanking him for an 86-metre six over wide long-on. Another six capped off Ghazanfar’s opening over. Rahane then went after Hardik, thumping him for back-to-back sixes and Allen then got on strike and went 4, 4, 4. A monster 26-run over against Hardik helped KKR race past fifty in 3.5 overs, their fastest against MI in the IPL.

Shardul Thqkur, on MI debut, then brought his experience into play and sent back Allen who shoveled a slower length ball to long-off but Rahane carried on. He struck two fours off Thakur as KKR finished on 78 for 1 in six overs.

Two Mumbai boys on opposite ends were critical to their team’s cause. After removing Allen, Thakur sent back Cameron Green, whose innings lasted just ten balls and he then dismissed Rahane with a hard length delivery outside off that was mistimed to extra cover. At this point, KKR were still going at over ten an over but had lost steam, thanks to some terrific bowling from Bumrah, Trent Boult and Thakur.

Enter the other Mumbai boy, Raghuvanshi. He was on 17 off 14 at one stage but found a new lease of life after being dropped by Rohit at long-on. He closed out the 15th over with a four and six against Ghazanfar and then launched Thakur over long-on. Raghuvanshi added 60 off 30 balls with Rinku Singh for the fourth wicket, reaching his fifty off 28 balls as KKR raced past 200 in the 19th over.

Rinku struck unbeaten on 33 off 21 as KKR finished on 220 for 4 but it wasn’t enough.

Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians 221 for 4 in 19.1 overs (Ryan Rickelton 81, Rohit Sharma 78, Suryakumar Yadav 16, Tilak Varma 20, HardikPandya 18*; Vaibhav Arora 1-52, Kartik Tyagi 1-43, Sunil Narine 1-30) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 220 for 4 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 67, Finn Allen 37, Cameron Green 18, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 51, Rinku Singh 33*; Hardik Pandya 1-39, Shardul Thakur 3-39) by six wickets

[Cricinfo]

Sports

Tharanga ready to shine after record-breaking massive throw

Published

19 hours ago

2026/03/30

Thilina Walpola

Rumesh Tharanga

Sri Lankan champion thrower Rumesh Tharanga created history with yet another world-leading effort when he shattered his own national record at the Champions Track and Field event held at Diyagama Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium on Saturday.

‎Tharanga produced a massive throw of 89.37 metres in his final attempt, a distance which, once ratified by World Athletics, is expected to stand as the fourth-longest throw ever recorded in Asia. The outstanding performance further cemented his status as one of the region’s leading javelin throwers.

‎Despite facing little competition from his rivals at the meet, Tharanga displayed the composure and determination of a true champion. Rising above the field, he delivered the record-breaking throw in dramatic fashion with his final effort of the competition.

‎Coming into the meet, Tharanga already held the world-leading mark of 83.07 metres for the season. Saturday’s performance elevated him to a new level, strengthening his reputation as a strong medal prospect for Sri Lanka on the global stage this year.

‎Tharanga first attracted widespread international attention when he set a Sri Lankan national record with a throw of 86.50 metres, a performance that earned him the gold medal at an international meet and secured direct qualification for the World Athletics Championships.

‎The former athlete of St. Peter’s College Colombo has continued to impress since then, producing consistent world-class performances while competing against some of the best javelin throwers in the world. Among his major achievements is reaching the final of the 2025 World Athletics Championships, becoming the first Sri Lankan male javelin thrower to reach the final stage of the event.

‎With his latest record-breaking performance, Tharanga has once again demonstrated that he is ready to shine and carry Sri Lanka’s hopes at the highest level of international athletics.

By Reemus Fernando

Sports

Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup heroes to play exhibition match in Kuala Lumpur

Published

19 hours ago

2026/03/30

Thilina Walpola

Sri Lanka’s trailblazing 1996 World Cup-winning side will roll back the years when they take on a World XI in Kuala Lumpur, marking three decades since their watershed triumph that changed the game’s field settings for good.

The exhibition match, hosted by the historic Royal Selangor Club, an institution that has been part of Asia’s sporting fabric since 1884, will be preceded by a gala dinner before the old warhorses lace up their boots once more against a Rest of the World XI.

It promises to be more than a nostalgic lap around the park.

“Some of the players took the initiative and I thought it was a splendid idea,” Arjuna Ranatunga, the captain who marshalled his troops like a seasoned general in 1996, told Telecom Asia Sport. “It helps us come together again and more importantly, inspire the next lot coming through.”

Beyond the boundary ropes, the legends will don the coach’s hat, conducting sessions aimed at passing on the baton to aspiring youngsters.

Former Malaysian cricketer Devindran Ramanathan, one of the chief architects behind the event, is keen that this is not just a walk down memory lane but a springboard for the future.

“This isn’t only about celebrating a World Cup win,” Ramanathan said. “It’s about showing young players what’s possible when you dare to dream.”

“When players of that calibre turn up, it shouldn’t end with autographs and photographs. It must open doors and broaden horizons,” he added.

In a heartening initiative, around 20 youngsters from Malaysia’s interior, players who have been making steady strides despite limited facilities, will be brought to the capital on May 15 and 16 to witness the action up close.

For many of them, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rub shoulders with giants of the game, a chance to trade dusty nets for the bright lights and perhaps believe that they, too, can one day play on the big stage.

“The real impact is not the match or the dinner,” Ramanathan noted. “It is whether a young player walks away believing they can go further.”

Malaysia, steadily padding up as a regional cricket hub, has already hosted events like the Under-19 World Cup and continues to expand its footprint in the game. In a sporting landscape dominated by motor racing, racquet sports and football, visits from former world champions in cricket could well help the sport get a firmer grip.

All 14 members of Sri Lanka’s 1996 squad are expected to travel to Malaysia in the second week of May, even as life has taken many of them to different corners of the globe.

Their famous triumph over Australia in Lahore remains one of cricket’s most defining moments, a victory that didn’t just tilt the balance of a final, but shifted the axis of the modern game itself.

(telecomasia.net)