Sports
The talent is in outstations
Young spinners Praveen Jayawickrama and Ramesh Mendis shared 17 wickets between them to give Sri Lanka their first Test win in more than a year at Pallekele yesterday.
Rex Clementine at Pallekele
Sometimes you wonder whether Arjuna Ranatunga has lost it. Even now, he keeps saying that the talent is in outstation and it is where we should invest. He’s old fashioned, you think. But then, with performances like yesterday’s, the old fox is proved right, again.
It was two boys from outstations who spun Sri Lanka to their first Test win in 16 months.
Praveen Jayawickrama, a left-arm spinner is from Kalutara and Ramesh Mendis, an offie is from Ambalangoda. Together they took 17 wickets in the game to give Sri Lanka a 209 run win and with that the series.
But not much has been invested in outstations. The school that produced Suranga Lakmal and Dhananjaya de Silva, Debarawewa Central nearly stopped cricket. Ambalangoda, one of our leading talent bases doesn’t have a proper cricket ground. Money is not invested there because that’s not where the cricket vote is.
Sri Lanka needed five wickets to win the game when play resumed yesterday morning. There was a bit of urgency as well with rain expected after lunch. Praveen was on the money from the start. He set up Liton Das nicely, sending down a delivery that spun away and then slipped in the arm ball that went straight on. The Batsman was playing for turn when there was none and he was a dead duck. He reviewed more in hope than any conviction.
Spinners to succeed obviously need skill. More importantly, they need to be shrewd as well. That Praveen has although he’s not quite across the Bentara river. There is an old Sinhala saying not to bring even a kitten beyond Bentara River.
But the guy who is actually across the Bentara river is Ramesh, a product of Dharmasoka. He tied one end up and was quite happy to play second fiddle; not a trait that we often see in southerners. All ten wickets to fall went to spinners. While the two rookies claimed nine victims, Dhananjaya de Silva chipped in with the wicket of Taijul Islam. Praveen finished with 11 for 178, the tenth best figures by a debutant in Test cricket. It’s also the second time in this millennium a bowler has finished with a match bag of ten wickets or more with Australia’s Jason Krejza being the other.
Praveen was named Man of the Match. It’s hard to think of another Sri Lankan bowler who has impressed so much on debut. There’s a problem though. You won’t see young Praveen in action at least until November again. Why? Sri Lanka do not have any Teat matches until then. By the way, this was supposed to be a three match series. But SLC cut down a Test match because this wasn’t a ‘profitable’ series. Hell with Praveen, Ramesh and Test cricket. Let’s play the LPL, that’s where the money is. Who wants this boring Test cricket? That’s not what we are saying. That’s what the Silvas are thinking; Shammi and Ashley.
Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele were on target as France surged past Morocco 2-0 to book their place in the World Cup semifinals.
Mbappe curled in his eighth goal of the tournament on 60 minutes on Thursday before Dembele doubled Les Bleus’ lead six minutes later to settle a clinical victory at the Gillette Stadium outside Boston.
The win sends the 2018 champions into a last-four showdown against either Spain or Belgium in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday.
African champions Morocco had been tipped to pose a serious threat to France’s hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final.
But Didier Deschamps’ men were always in control against a limited Morocco side who failed to register a single shot on goal until an 83rd-minute free-kick by Azzedine Ounahi was parried away by France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
France, though, struggled to find a breakthrough, and missed the opportunity to take the lead on 28 minutes when Mbappe saw a penalty saved by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Mbappe had won the penalty after being brought down by Noussair Mazraoui but was forced to wait several minutes before being allowed to take the kick after a protracted VAR check.
Morocco managed to hold out to half-time, but it was always only a matter of time before France’s relentless pressure paid off.
The breakthrough came on the hour mark, with Mbappe bending a brilliant right-foot shot past Bounou from the edge of the area.
Paris Saint-Germain star Dembele made the game safe in the 66th minute, striding forward menacingly from midfield before steering a low finish into the bottom corner.
France now await the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal in Los Angeles between European champions Spain and Belgium.
[Aljazeera]
111th Vision Care Colombo Championship
Aahil Kaleel of S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia and Akesha Silva of Newstead College, Negombo emerged as the boys’ and girls’ Under-18 singles champions respectively at the 111th Vision Care Colombo Championship, played on Sri Lanka Tennis Association’s clay courts.
Aahil staged a remarkable comeback in the boys’ Under-18 final to defeat Rehan Gunawardhane 1-6, 6-4, 10-5 after dropping the opening set. The S. Thomas’ player enjoyed an impressive run to the title, overpowering Dehan Wickramasinghe 6-1, 6-1 in the quarter-finals before edging Mayooran Kubheran in a thrilling semi-final 4-6, 7-5, 10-7.
In the girls’ Under-18 final, Akesha Silva was crowned champion after Sahansa Damsiluni retired while trailing 1-0. Akesha booked her place in the final with a convincing 6-1, 6-4 victory over Gethmi Fernando in the semi-finals. Her toughest challenge came in the quarter-finals, where she outlasted Sandithi Usgodaarachchi 6-3, 6-7(4), 14-12 in a marathon encounter.
Akesha Silva
In the boys’ Under-18 doubles semi-finals, Mayooran Kubheran and Ashlin de Silva defeated Ranida Ranaweera and Ashmal Mohamed 5-4, 4-1, while Methika Wickramasinghe and Jayin de Seram overcame Jamal Sabry and Lithum Jayabandu 4-1, 2-4, 10-2 to set up the championship final.
Sri Lankan singer Mariazelle Goonetilleke passes away at the age of 68
Tensions erupt in Indian state after 11-year-old raped and murdered
US and Iran trade attacks as Khamenei is buried
Several spells of showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts
Canadian PM visits Saudi Arabia to strengthen energy, mining partnerships
Mbappe and Dembele net as France beat Morocco to reach World Cup semifinal
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