Sports
Sri Lanka A deny Sooryavanshi, Shedge in dramatic Super Over thriller
A nerveless Super Over from Kugathas Mathulan, the 19-year-old slinger, helped Sri Lanka A pull off a thrilling win over India A in their tri series fixture in Dambulla, amid fading light and frayed tempers.
Tasked with defending 16, Mathulan nailed three yorkers to deny Suryansh Shedge and Vaibhav Soriyavanshi. India managed just nine runs in their response, thereby losing their second consecutive match. Their upcoming clash against Afghanistan A on Wednesday is now a must-win for India.
The game went into the Super Over because of a belated call from the umpires due to confusion over the playing conditions. There was a delay of more than 10 minutes between the end of regulation time and the start of the Super Over after Tilak Varma, the India A captain, appealed to the umpires to play the Super Over.
By the time the players got back onto the field, the light had faded significantly. The Super Over was then played in murky light that wouldn’t have otherwise passed the normal light meter reading.
Even as Sri Lanka celebrated the win aggressively, Sooryavanshi and several Sri Lanka players got into an altercation that needed the umpires to intervene, soon after the last ball was bowled. Eventually both sides shook hands and walked off, but there was considerable anger among players from both sides, including Sooryavanshi who was seen pushing Vishen Halambage.
Niroshan Dickwella and Sahan Arachchige, the Sri Lanka captain, then separated the pair.
Sri Lanka went into the final over needing five runs with three wickets standing. After starting with a dot ball, Arshad Khan, the left-arm seamer, nailed a perfect yorker to dismiss the well-set Sadeera Samarawickrema for 93. Singles off the next three deliveries brought the equation down to 2 off 1 with Chamika Gunasekara, the No. 9, on strike.
Arshad bowled a low full toss on the pads, that deflected to keeper Prabhsimran Singh, who relayed the throw to the batter’s end to effect a run out to leave the scores tied. Tilak and India contested the run, stating the batter had offered no stroke, but the umpire eventually signaled a leg bye to force a tie.
In a game of fine margins, India could have looked back at a number of moments that defined the game. The one that could rankle, though, is the 10 runs they conceded via penalties for repeatedly running on the protected area.
On-field umpires Prageeth Rambukwella and Shantha Fonseka officially imposed the two five-run penalties midway through the 34th and 37th overs respectively. On both occasions, Vipraj Nigam was guilty of running right down the pitch while attempting singles. Nigam had twice been warned previously for similar transgressions, before the penalties kicked in.
This meant Sri Lanka began their chase with 10 runs even before a ball was bowled.
Before all the drama, India were lifted by a maiden List A half-century by Shedge. The Mumbai allrounder held the lower order together, after legspinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth orchestrated a middle-order implosion with the wickets of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nishant Sindhu and Anukul Roy.
Each of his scalps came off deliveries that didn’t turn. Gaikwad was lbw after being beaten on the inside edge, Sindhu and Roy were caught behind off deliveries that skidded through. But from 143 for 7, Shedge batted sensibly alongside Nigam, the eighth-wicket pair put together 104 to give India a total to bowl at.
Shedge’s 66-ball 72 was the top score for India, to go alongside scores of 40 and 26 not out in his two previous outings. He was also quite lively with the ball, able to generate movement off the deck and bowl at a sprightly pace. His return catch of No. 6 Ahan Wickramasinghe left Sri Lanka reeling at 143 for 5. Surprisingly, he was soon taken off the attack and ended with figures of 3-0-13-1, with Tilak turning to the spinners.
For a second straight game, Samarawickrama was at the heart of Sri Lanka’s chase. He made a polished and unbeaten 60 not out to help overcome Afghanistan two days ago, but Monday proved a tad more challenging. Like Shedge, he had to combat a middle-order wobble and played himself in to get to a half-century off 74 balls. Along the way, he was dropped on 56 by Shedge in the 30th over when he chipped Nigam straight to extra cover. That lifeline could have cost India massively as Samarawickrama took the game right to the finish line, before chaos reigned supreme.
SCORES:
India A 265 49.2 overs (Suryansh Shedge 72, Vipraj Nigam 51; Vijayakanth Viyaskanth 3-26, Mohammad Shiraz 3-33) tied with Sri Lanka A 265 for 9 in 50 overs (Sadeera Samarawickrama 93; Ayush Badoni 2-45)
Super Over
Sri Lanka A 16 beat India A 9
[Cricinfo]
Latest News
Rose Bowl expanded to include Australia vs New Zealand T20Is
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]
Sports
Sastralian Premier League to boost school cricket in Matugama
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.
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Iyer to lead in last two New Zealand ODIs, Kushagra earns maiden call-up
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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