Sports
Nissanka, Vince continue Gulf Giants’ unbeaten start
Pathum Nissanka continued his good form in the ILT20 with 67 off 31 balls, to give the Gulf Giants their second win in as many games in the competition as they beat the Dubai Capitals. James Vince anchored the innings with a composed 45-ball 50* as the Giants chased down the target of 161 with four wickets to spare.
With the Capitals having been put in to bat, they began with a boundary in each over but Azmatullah Omarzai got Shayan Jahangir to chop one back onto his stumps. After four quiet overs, David Willey and Sediqullah Atal slammed a six each off the Afghan fast-bowler to bring some oomph into the innings. The duo put on a 61-run stand in seven overs before Atal miscued a pull off Moeen Ali to deep mid-wicket.
The wicket ensured Moeen and Liam Dawson could fire in a couple of quiet overs before the latter picked up the set David Willey. Ayaan Khan scalped Gulbadin Naib in the next over as the Capitals fell to 93/4 in 14 overs. Jordan Cox slammed two sixes and two fours in a quick 17-ball 31 and found success against fellow Englishman Moeen to get the Capitals’ innings moving. But the brakes were once again applied, when Cox and Rovman Powell fell to Omarzai in the 18th over.
Looking for a strong finish, Dasun Shanaka pulled Omarzai over fine-leg for four before smashing two sixes on the offside, in an 18-run final over, to take the Capitals to 160 for 6 in their allotted overs.
In reply, Rahmanullah Gurbaz survived a review in the first over and then slammed David Willey over mid-wicket for six before falling to a stunning catch by Cox. Nissanka, who had scored 81 in his last game, took a liking to Mustafizur Rahman with a boundary down-the-ground and a six over mid-wicket to get his innings moving.
The Sri Lankan then smashed James Neesham for 22 runs in the fifth over flat-batting two sixes and a four along with a maximum down the ground. Vince hit two boundaries off Mustafizur as they raced to 60 for 1 at the end of the PowerPlay. He was also dropped by Willey as the Capitals began to look poor on the field.
Nissanka hit consecutive boundaries in the 10th over to bring up his 50 of just 23 balls. He then slammed Waqar Salamkheil for two fours and a six in a 15-run 11th over as the Giants continued to cruise to victory. He was finally dismissed by Mustafizur after failing to hit one over Cox’s head at long-on.
Towards the end, there was a flurry of wickets but Vince stood firm at the other end bringing up his 11th fifty of the competition and taking his team home.
Brief Scores:
Dubai Capitals
160/6 in 20 overs (Sediqullah Atal 35, Jordan Cox 31; Azmatullah Omarzai 3-46)
Gulf Giants
161/6 in 18.5 overs (Pathum Nissanka 67, James Vince 50*; Dasun Shanaka 2-16) (cricbuzz)
Sri Lanka’s athletics fraternity bids adieu today to one of its finest champions, Olympian Kosala Sahabandu, who passed away on Saturday (14) at the age of 76 after a period of illness.
Regarded as one of the greatest athletes to emerge from the island, Sahabandu brought honour to the nation through outstanding performances on the regional and international stage. He was a member of the Sri Lankan quartet that clinched the 4×400 metres relay gold medal with a Games record at the 1974 Asian Games, a landmark achievement in Sri Lanka’s track-and-field history.
He later represented the country in the relay at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and again competed at the 1982 Asian Games, continuing to serve as a pillar of the national team.
An alumnus of Mahinda College, Sahabandu began his athletics journey at the age of 15 under the guidance of Colonel Jayathilaka. He later came under the tutelage of K.L.F Wijedasa, where his talent matured into championship calibre.
Sahabandu etched his name into the record books by becoming the first Sri Lankan to run the 800 metres in 1:53.00 seconds. The national record he set in 1974 remained unbeaten for 14 years, underscoring his exceptional endurance and speed. A member of the Ceylonese Track and Field Club, he also represented Sri Lanka at the 1979 Asian Athletics Championships and later contributed to the sport as a national selector, helping guide future generations of athletes.
His funeral is scheduled to take place on Monday (16), as the athletics fraternity mourns the loss of a true sporting hero whose legacy will continue to inspire Sri Lankan athletics for years to come. (RF)
Sri Lanka National record holder Rumesh Tharanga delivered a world leading throw to win the men’s javelin at the Perth Track Classic on Saturday.
World Athletics top list for the season displayed Tharanga’s performance as the only throw beyond the 80 metres mark this year.
The former St. Peter’s College Bambalapitiya athlete had remarkable success last year finishing the season among the top ten in the world with his 86.50 metres throw in India as his best.
His world leading performance in the early season will augur well ahead of a bussy season inclusive of Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.
Meanwhile, sprinter Amasha de Silva clocked 7.47 seconds to win the first place in the 60 metres at a championship at the Athletic Center Olga Rypakova, Ust-Kamenogors Kazakhastan. (RF)
Dinara de Silva won her sixth ITF J30 Junior title when she clinched the girls’ singles crown of the ITF week 3 tournament in Colombo.
She beat Shiwali Gurung of Nepal 6-4, 6-3 to win her fourth such title on her home soil. She won her other two J30 titles in Pakistan.
Junya Kawamula of Japan won the boys’ singles crown with a 6-2, 7-6 win over Patrick Grigore of Russia. Iunya was also the singles winner of the week 2 tournament.
In the boys’ doubles final, Ganuka Fernando joined Alfaradu Sumirath of Indonesia to beat Bin Hun Tasiya of Taipei and Yu Tin Wu of China 6-3, 7-6.
Dinara de Silva (Pix by Kamal Wanniarachchi)
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