Sports
Perseverance pays off for Nimali
Tokyo Olympics- 12 days to go
by Reemus Fernando
No runner has excelled in multiple track events like Nimali Liyanarachchi during the last one and half decades in Sri Lanka. Except the sprint events of 100 and 200 metres and the track’s longest event the 10,000 metres, Liyanarachchi has competed in all other distances and achieved success at national level in all. As her fellow track and field athletes and coach Sujith Abeysekara would vouch for, it was the perseverance and the dedication that powered Liyanarachchi to achieve success at national and at Asian level. The ‘universality place’ that Liyanarachchi received from World Athletics to take part in the Tokyo Olympics is the ultimate reward for her perseverance.
The middle distance runner from Sooriyawewa alongside Gayanthika Abeyratne were the biggest medal hopes for Sri Lanka at Asian level in the women’s category during the latter part of the last decade. The country was experiencing a medal drought after the retirement of the likes of Susanthika Jayasinghe, Damayanthi Dharsha and Sriyani Kulawansa. With the country experiencing a dearth of medals in sprint events at international events, 
coaches were starting to focus on middle distance events for success at regional events when Sujith Abeysekara unearthed a gem of an athlete from Sooriyawewa. First trained for endurance events, Liyanarachchi’s initial success came in the 3,000 metres steeplechase, a discipline not many female athletes were willing to persevere a decade ago.
The event was not even a fixture in the regional South Asian Games. The highest a steeplechaser could achieve was the national title. It was on this back drop that Liyanarachchi took it upon herself to make the event one of the look forward to events. She breathed the event a new life in 2008 when she slashed nearly 30 seconds off the then National record to hog limelight. Former national record holder C.G.K. Abeyratne and Eranga Dulakshi entered the fray as the national record changed hands during the next few years. In 2011 she became the first Sri Lankan woman to run the 3,000 metres under 11 minutes as she clocked 10:44.92 seconds to create a new national mark. By the time she gave up the discipline to concentrate on 800 metres, the 3,000 metres steeplechase national record had improved by more than one minute. Incidentally, Nilani Ratnayake who missed the Tokyo Olympic qualifying mark by the thinnest of margins recently had entered the arena by that time.
Of all disciplines, Liyanarachchi’s best achievements have come in the 800 metres, 1,500 metres and the 4×400 metres relays, though she has also competed in the 5,000 metres and the 400 metres hurdles with moderate success. In fact Liyanarachchi is the current national record holder of the 1,500 metres and the 4×400 metres relay (2019 Asian Championship). Liyanarachchi hinted that she was one of the country’s top international medal prospects when she broke Dhammika Menike’s more than two decades old national record in 2016 though she did not get due recognition for it then. The record lasted just one year before fellow athlete Gayanthika Abeyratne claimed it after a close duel with her.
Liyanarachchi has South Asian Games (2016) and Asian Athletics Championship (2017) golds against her name for prowess in the 800 metres. By March this year she was the third ranked Asian in her discipline and was ranked among the top 60 athletes in the world in the ‘Road to Olympics’ rankings. That was despite missing competitions in 2020. She was injured in a road accident on the eve of the team’s departure for the South Asian Games in 2019. After spending months in rehabilitation she returned to competition later in 2020 and had earned a top ranking in Asia by March this year. However Olympics is a different story. She is not among the best in the world to have hopes of a final berth. A good performance in a semi final, a feat closer to the national record could be expected..
Punjab Kings (PBKS) bossed both the powerplays en route to their second successive win in IPL 2025. After opting to bowl on a fairly two-paced red-soil pitch, they left Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at 39 for 3 in six overs. Abdul Samad and Ayush Badoni helped LSG overcome that poor start and post 171 for 7, which was a par score according to Nicholas Pooran the holder of the Orange cap.
Pooran’s assessment, however, might have changed quickly after Prabhsimran Singh clattered a 23-ball half-century in the chase. Prabhsimran claimed 45 of the 62 runs PBKS had scored in the powerplay. There would be no way back for LSG, who suffered their second defeat in three games. Shreyas Iyer completed PBKS’ demolition job with an unbeaten 52 off 30 balls.
The first ball that Arshdeep Singh bowled to Mitchell Marsh stopped on him, seamed away from a leg-stump line, and had him skying a catch to Marco Jansen at short third. After having hit fifties in his first two innings this season, Marsh departed for a golden duck.
It was Lockie Ferguson who shared new-ball duties with Arshdeep, ahead of Jansen. Ferguson usually operates with the older ball for New Zealand and various franchises, but PBKS inverted his role on Tuesday to take advantage of a match-up with Pooran. Before this fixture, and across all T20s, Ferguson had snared Pooran four times in 17 balls at a strike rate of 7.05.
However, Ferguson ended up bowling just three balls to Pooran on the day. After being picked away for three fours by Aiden Markram, Ferguson bowled him via an inside edge for 28 off 18 balls.
With two left-handers in the form of Pooran and Risbah Pant in the middle, PBKS matched Glenn Maxwell’s offspin up with them. Maxwell removed Pant for the third time in four innings in the IPL. The IPL’s most expensive signing at INR 27 crore, Pant has managed just 17 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 65.38.
Despite wickets falling at the other end, Pooran remained positive, hitting Maxwell for back-to-back fours in the seventh over. A cat-and-mouse game then ensued between Pooran and Yuzvendra Chahal. The wristspinner’s plan was to hide the ball away from the swinging arc of Pooran with wrong’uns. In his first over, Pooran cracked his wrong ‘uns away for a brace of fours, but in his next Chahal had Pooran holing out to wide long-off for 44 off 30 balls with a loopier wrong ‘un.
When Jansen had his South African compatriot David Miller caught behind for 19 off 16 balls, LSG slipped further to 119 for 5 in the 16th over. Badoni and Samad then briefly changed the mood and tempo of the game with a 47-run partnership off only 21 balls. Samad had launched his first ball, from Jansen, for six after stepping out and then left jaws on the floor when he reverse-scooped Arshdeep over the keeper in the 18th over, which cost PBKS 20 runs. Arshdeep had both batters holing out in the final over, though, to keep PBKS below 180.
Prabhsimran relishes pace on the ball and it was no different on Tuesday. Unlike the first innings, the ball skidded onto the bat in the second, with Prabhsimran ramping Shardul Thakur and Avesh Khan for six and four respectively in the first two overs.
Pant responded by throwing mystery spinner Digyesh Rathi at Prabhsimran and Priyansh Arya. Rathi created a chance with his second ball, but Marsh fluffed an overhead catch at slip. The drop, though, cost LSG just one run as Rathi had Arya caught by Thakur at mid-on for 8.
Prabhsimran took down Ravi Bishnoi in the last over of the powerplay. He lined up his wrong ‘uns and slog-swept him with the turn over mid-on and square leg. He then greeted dart-it-in left-arm fingerspinner M Siddarth, who was picked ahead of Prince Yadav as LSG’s Impact Player, with a switch-hit four. He brought up his fifty in more sedate fashion with a tucked single.
It felt like LSG needed something special to dismiss Prabhsimran. That something special was a tag-team catch near the boundary from Badoni and Bishnoi. He holed out for 69 off 34 balls.
PBKS required 62 off 59 balls, which was enough for Iyer to knock off a fifty of his own. He forged an unbroken 67-run stand off 37 balls with Impact Player Nehal Wadhera to finish the job with more than three overs to spare.
PBKS established themselves as the early pace-setters, alongside Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Delhi Capitals (DC), in IPL 2025 with two wins in two games.
Brief scores:
Punjab Kings 177 for 2 in 16.2 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 69, Shreyas Iyer 52, Nehal Wadhera 43*; Divesh Rathi 2-30) beat Lucknow Super Giants 171 for 7 in 20 overs (Aiden Markram 28, Nicholas Pooran 44, Ayush Badoni 41, David Miller 19, Abdul Samad 2; Arshdeep Singh 3 for 43, Lockie Furgeson 1-26, Glenn Maxwell 1-22, Marco Jansen 1-28, Yuzvendra Chahal 1-36) by eight wickets
[Cricinfo]
106th Hill Country Battle of the Blues
Arch rivals Trinity College Kandy and St. Anthony’s College Katugastota have remained as two of the highest ranked schools cricket teams in the Under 19 Division I Tier ‘A’ cricket tournament this season. After having reached the business end of both the two-day tournament and the limited overs tournament, the two teams can take the enviable title as ‘the most successful Big Match rivals’ this season. That will serve as an inspiration for both teams when they meet for the 106th time at the annual big match starting on Thursday.
Though both teams have done equally well this season, Trinity led by Malith Rathnayake are in the annual battle as the team to beat. They have reached the finals of both the two-day tournament and the limited overs tournament.
Trinity’s strong batting line up includes one of the tournament’s highest run scorers in Dimantha Mahavithana who has a double century and four centuries against his name. Chaniru Senaratne, Pulisha Thilakaratne, Vathila Udara and Dinal Fernando have often propelled Trinity to challenging scores.
Thisal Yapa is likely to open their bowling attack, while skipper Rathnayake leads the spin department. Rathnayake is among the top ten wicket takers of the two-day tournament.
St. Anthony’s are led by Charuka Ekanayake. St. Anthony’s reached the quarter-finals of the two-day tournament under Ekanayake’s captaincy. They reached the semi-finals of the limited overs tournament where they were eliminated by the arch rivals.
Ekanayake is expected to play a lead role in both batting and bowling. He has scored over 500 runs and taken over 50 wickets with his left-arm spin. Deputy skipper Januka Rathnayake who opens batting, all rounders Kevan Ramika and Ryan Gregory and speedster Bimash Samarasinghe are the players to watch in the St. Anthony’s camp.
These two teams have often found two days of cricket insufficient to decide a winner. This year the big match is played as a three-day encounter. Both teams will be eager to end a winless stretch which is 13 years long now. No team have recorded a victory after Trinity last won under the captaincy of Niroshan Dickwella in 2012. St. Anthony’s last won under U.D. Alwis’ captaincy in 1992.
Trinity lead the victory tally 23-11. The big match has witnessed 71 encounters end in draws.
Teams
Trinity (from): Malith Rathnayake (Captain), Vathila Udara (Co Vice Captain), Dimantha Mahavithana (Co Vice Captain), Jayavi Liyanagama, Puleesha Thilakaratne, Rajindu Thilakaratne, Kavindu Jayarathne, Dinal Fernando, Sethmika Seneviratne, Adham Hilmy, Thisal Yapa, Ranul Gunaratne, Chaniru Senaratne, Kanilka Anthony, Oshana Lokuge, Praveen Rukunayake, Mahendra Abeysinghe, Viduneth Dammage, Sweath Anurajeewa.
Officials: Naveen Ekanayake (Head Coach), Thisaru Dilshan (Asst.Coach), Bryan Senaratne (Master in Charge), Bandula Pushpakumara (Trainer), Thilanka Dissanayake (Physiotherapist).
St. Anthony’s College Team with officials.
St. Anthony’s (from): Charuka Ekanayake (Captain), Januka Rathnayaka (Vice Captain), Sanuka Kalpana, Okitha Fernando, Kawshika Kumarasinghe, Kevan Fernando, Bimash Samarasinghe, Dinura Ganegoda, Rayan Gregory, Sadew Amarakoon, Naden Ebert, Thilina Edirisinghe, Dinul Wijesinghe, Nikil Abilash, Yohan Senanayake, Vishwa Thilakarathne, Imeth Rajapaksha, Kavindu Nawanjana, Dasun Welianga.
Officials: Bandula Ekanayake (MiC), Priyantha Kumara (Trainer), Kavinda Jayasooriya (Head Coach).
by Reemus Fernando
Colombo Basketball Club jetted off to Madras last evening, ready to stake their claim at the SABA Club Championship, South Asia’s premier club-level basketball showdown, set to unfold in the bustling South Indian city.
This five-team tournament brings together the crème de la crème of South Asia’s domestic basketball scene, and Colombo BC earned their stripes after edging out Colombo Bulls in a one-sided finale of the local championship held last month.
Colombo’s traveling squad boasts a dynamic blend of experience and youth, featuring: Narvin Ganesh, Charuka Fernando, Mindika Wijenayake, Sanjeewa Kulamina, Nimesh Fernando, Baratha Ranatunga, Dasun Mendis, Sasindu Gajanayake, Rukshan Atapattu, Methika Jayasinghe, Brent Thevakumar, Sharo Perera, and Simron Yoganathan.
Gaja Sports and Sunil Traders are backing their campaign as main sponsors while My Cola steps in as the official clothing sponsor.
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