Sports
Jaffna stumble in last hurdle but top group
Jaffna Kings have been the most organized franchise in the LPL and they have been brilliant in the group stage. The defending champions won six of their eight games while losing two and on both those occasions it was Galle Gladiators who found a chink in Jaffna Kings’ armour. Friday’s first game saw Jaffna stumbling chasing a modest target of 130 with spin proving to be their Achilles’ heel.
Left-arm duo of Samit Patel and Noor Ahmad had Jaffna Kings in a spin as they shared four wickets between them polishing the top order. More importantly, the pair’s eight overs cost Galle Gladiators only 27 runs.
Galle Gladiators never found momentum in their innings with just three batsmen getting into double figures. Chasing 130, the Jaffna Kings were shot out for 109 runs inside 19 overs.
Incidentally, the two teams will meet in the playoffs. They will play the Qualifier 1 on Sunday at Hambantota with the winner going through to the final and the loser meeting the team that wins the Eliminator, also on Sunday at Hambantota.
In the low scoring thriller on Friday, the highest individual score was 23 and that gave an indication as to how much the ball dominated the bat.
Left-arm orthodox spinner Praveen Jayawickrama and right-arm leg-spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth did the job for Jaffna Kings claiming two wickets apiece.
A similar combination ensured Jaffna Kings downfall during the run chase. Nottingham’s Samit Patel is an experienced campaigner and he has had a good LPL and proved to be a match winner again. Left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmed from Afghanistan whose official age is 16 was quite a handful putting the pressure after Patel had done the early damage.
Ahmad accounted for the big wickets of Shoaib Malik and Thisara Perera.
The knockout clash should be an interesting one. Jaffna Kings are a formidable outfit but they have been caught off guard twice now by Galle Gladiators and the former champions will be under pressure going into the qualifier.
Brief Scores:
Galle Gladiators 129 for eight
(20)
(Danushka Gunathilaka 19, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 23, Praveen Jayawickrama 2/13, Vijaykanth Viyaskanth 2/21)
Jaffna Kings 109 all out
(18.3)
(Rahmanullah Gurbaz 21, Shoaib Malik 23, Samit Patel 2/15, Noor Ahmad 2/12)
Gaby Lewis has been rested for Ireland’s upcoming T20I tri-series against Pakistan and West Indies at home in Clontarf as she recovers from a recent leg injury but has been named captain – for the first time at a global event – for the T20 World Cup in June-July in England.
Orla Prendergast, the vice-captain for the World Cup, will lead the side in the tri-series in Lewis’ absence. No vice-captain has been named for the tri-series.
In terms of ins and outs, Jane Maguire, the right-arm medium pacer, has been ruled out of contention with an injury, but her sister Aimee Maguire, the left-arm orthodox spinner, has returned from her own injury and has been included in both squads. Apart from the missing Lewis, there are no changes from the squad for the tri-series, which is a 14-member line-up, for the World Cup.
At the T20 World Cup, Ireland have been grouped with tournament hosts England, defending champions New Zealand, Scotland, Sri Lanka and past winners West Indies.
Ireland are ranked ninth in the format, ahead of only Scotland (11th) among the teams in their group, and will start their World Cup campaign on the second day of competition, against Scotland in Manchester.
Ireland were most recently in action at the T20 World Cup qualifiers played in Nepal in January-February this year, and finished second to Bangladesh.
Lewis’ fitness will be key for Ireland at the World Cup, with her being their top-ranked batter, currently at joint-14th on the ICC T20I rankings. She was also the top run getter at the qualifiers with 276 runs in seven innings, scoring her runs at a strike rate of 119.48.
Prendergast is the next best at No. 26, followed by Amy Hunter at No. 29. Prendergast is also the seventh-ranked allrounder in women’s T20Is.
Ireland squad for women’s T20 World Cup
Gaby Lewis (capt), Orla Prendergast (vice-capt), Ava Canning, Christina Coulter Reilly, Alana Dalzell, Laura Delany, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Arlene Kelly, Louise Little, Aimee Maguire, Lara McBride, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Rebecca Stokell
Ireland squad for tri-series against Pakistan and West Indies
Orla Prendergast (capt), Ava Canning, Christina Coulter Reilly, Alana Dalzell, Laura Delany, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Arlene Kelly, Louise Little, Aimee Maguire, Lara McBride, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Rebecca Stokell
[Cricinfo]
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has issued a statement approving the members nominated for the new Selection Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).
The appointments have been made by the Sports Minister in accordance with the powers vested under Section 39 (1) of the Sports Law No. 25 of 1973 and the Extraordinary Gazette Notification No. 2437/24 dated May 21, 2025.
The members of the new selection committee are:
Kapila Wijegunawardena – Chairman
Amal Silva – Member
Brendon Kuruppu – Member
Waruna Waragoda – Member
Vanessa De Silva – Member
PM meets academic experts from the British Council
Gaby Lewis to lead Ireland at T20 World Cup
PM meets Sri Lankan community living in London
Kapila Wijegunawardena to head SLC’s new selection committee
Afghanistan refugee women’s team set for England tour under ECB initiative
DR Congo cancels World Cup training camp over Ebola outbreak
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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