Sports

Daniel top scores as Sri Lanka U19s beat Ireland

Published

5 years ago

2022/01/12

Sahan Weerasooriya

Shevon Daniel top scored with 75 runs in the warm up game against Ireland. (File Pic)

ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup warm-ups

Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates and Scotland all recorded impressive victories as the warm-up matches for the 2022 ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup continued in the West Indies.

In Guyana, Sri Lanka notched a 128-run triumph over Ireland and Scotland were winners by 107 runs over Uganda, while the biggest win of the day came in St Kitts for UAE, as they were 250-run victors over Papua New Guinea.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s scheduled warm-up match against England was postponed due to delays in the Afghanistan squad obtaining the necessary visas to enter the West Indies.

The ICC U19 Men’s CWC starts on January 14, with all teams now entering the final stages of preparation.

Sri Lanka shine in shortened match

Despite overnight rain in Guyana shortening the match between Sri Lanka and Ireland to 43 overs per side, Shevon Daniel helped lead the Sri Lankans to an impressive 128-run victory.

Ireland won the toss and elected to bowl but opener Daniel attacked from the off as he scored 75 from 72 balls, including eight fours and a six.

Opening partner Chamidu Wickramasinghe being run out for five and No.3 Sakuna Liyanage being trapped LBW by pick of the Irish bowlers Nathan McGuire (2/40) couldn’t slow Daniel, who retired not out with the score at 122 for two.

The middle order picked up the slack from there as Sadisha Rajapaksa (22), Pawan Pathiraja (25) and Ranuda Somarathne (33) all had cameos to push the Sri Lanka total to 233 for seven from 43 overs – with three of the dismissals being run outs.

In response, the Ireland top order failed to build a foundation with Wickramasinghe clean bowling both opener Liam Doherty and captain Tim Tector to end with figures of two for seven from four overs before Wanuja Sahan (3/5) picked up the mantle to cheaply dismiss Philippus le Roux, Scott MacBeth and McGuire.

No.3 Joshua Cox was the lone source of Irish resistance as he resiliently made 44 from 86 balls but with wickets tumbling at the other end, there was little he could do to stop his side being dismissed for 105 from 31.4 overs – Jamie Forbes the last man out when he was bowled by Matheesha Pathirana for a duck.

The 128-run triumph was the perfect tonic for Sri Lanka as they continue preparations for a group that includes Australia, hosts West Indies and Scotland at the upcoming ICC U19 Men’s CWC.

UAE lay down a marker

United Arab Emirates impressed with both bat and ball as they recorded a dominant 250-run victory over Papua New Guinea in Basseterre.

Having lost the toss and been asked to bat, UAE opener Kai Smith set about punishing that decision with a brilliant innings of 145 that came off just 139 balls.

Smith plundered 19 fours and a six as he built three big partnerships with his top-order teammates, starting with an opening stand of 72 alongside Shival Bawa, before Bawa was caught by Malcolm Aporo off the bowling of John Kariko for 23.

Dhruv Parashar came to the crease and made 52 in a partnership of 133 before a third-wicket stand of 77 with Punya Mehra (41 off 25) took the UAE total towards 300.

Smith finally perished for 145 with just 13 balls remaining in the innings and the score on 298 before UAE took their final total up to 321 for five from 50 overs.

Their bowlers then capitalised on that mammoth target as Papua New Guinea were reduced to 22 for four, with Ali Naseer taking one for three with three maidens in a suffocating five-over spell, as fellow opener Nilansh Keswani (2/16) helped himself to a pair of wickets at the other end.

PNG opener Peter Karoho (14 from 18) and No.6 Christopher Kilapat (27 off 40) were the only batters to reach double figures as Aayan Khan’s three for ten helped skittle them for just 71 from 28 overs and seal a 250-run triumph.

Scotland impress to beat Uganda

Scotland may only have been a late replacement for New Zealand in the 2022 ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup but they signalled their intention to make some noise in West Indies with a 107-run warm-up win over Uganda.

Batting first, they posted a creditable total of 219 for nine from their 50 overs, with opener Charlie Tear steering the innings as he made 50.

In fact, Scotland received useful runs all the way down the order as Sam Elstone hit 29, Jack Jarvis contributed 33 before being run out and Charlie Peet added 26 late on.

The Ugandan bowlers did take wickets at regular intervals with Edwin Nuwagaba (3/29) and Juma Miyaji (2/30) doing most of the damage but the Scots still gave themselves a target to defend.

Uganda made a promising start with the bat, reaching 41 for none in the ninth over but would go on to lose all ten wickets for just 71 runs thereafter.

It was a run out that finally broke the opening partnership as Ronald Lutaaya departed for 17 before Oliver Davidson (3/14) dismissed three of the top five and another run out left them at 63 for five.

Scotland skipper Jamie Cairns went on to get himself a three-wicket haul for the concession of just 15 runs as Cyrus Kakuru (top scorer with 25), Pius Oloka (5) and Miyaji (2) all fell to the slow left-armer.

Nuwagaba was the last man out for five off the bowling of Lyle Robertson in a total of 112 as Uganda slipped to 107-run defeat in 31.2 overs.

Scores in Brief

Sri Lanka Under 19s beat Ireland Under 19s by 128 runs, Providence Stadium, Guyana

Sri Lanka

233-7, 43 overs (Shevon Daniel 75 retired not out, Ranuda Somarathne 33; Nathan McGuire 2-40, Daniel Forkin 1-21)

Ireland

104 all out, 31.4 overs (Joshua Cox 45 not out, Scott MacBeth 11; Wanuja Sahan 3-5, Chamidu Wickramasinghe 2-7)

United Arab Emirates Under 19s beat Papua New Guinea Under 19s by 250 runs, Conaree Cricket Field, Basseterre, St Kitts

United Arab Emirates

321-5, 50 overs (Kai Smith 145, Dhruv Parashar 52, Punya Mehra 41; Barnabas Maha 1-33, John Kariko 1-40)

Papua New Guinea

71 all out, 28 overs (Christopher Kilapat 27, Peter Karoho 14; Aayan Khan 3-10, Adihya Shetty 2-10, Nilansh Keswani 2-16)

Scotland Under 19s beat Uganda Under 19s by 109 runs, Everest Cricket Club Ground, Georgetown, Guyana

Scotland

219-9, 50 overs (Charlie Tear 50, Jack Jarvis 33; Edwin Nuwagaba 3-29, Juma Miyaji 2-30)

Uganda

112 all out, 31.2 overs (Cyrus Kakuru 25, Ronald Lutaaya 17; Oliver Davidson 3-14, Jamie Cairns 3-15)

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Sports

Rahmat, Malik fifties lead Afghanistan’s strong reply

Published

3 hours ago

2026/10/11

Priyan

Rahmat Shah started his Test captaincy with a fantastic unbeaten half-century [Afghanistan Cricket Board]

Captain Rahmat Shah played a crucial knock as he held Afghaniistan together on the second day in Abu Dhabi. He blunted Bangladesh’s threat by adding 72 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket with his deputy Ikram Alikhil.

Rahmat was unbeaten on 84 off 186 balls with eight fours and a six, while Alikhil’s 26 came off 91 balls. Ebadot Hossain was Bangladesh’s best bowler of the day.

Bangladesh wicketkeeper Litton Das got his side back into the contest shortly after the tea break. He first took a brilliant diving catch to his right, when the set Abdul Malik edged Ebadot five balls into the third session. Malik made 62 off 120 balls, with five boundaries including a six.

Next over, Litton completed a fine stumping when a Mehidy Hasan Miraz delivery turned and bounced sharply against Hashmatullah Shahidi. The former Afghanistan captain lasted just two balls as he fell for a duck.

Alikhil started with two well-timed boundaries before reining himself in for the next nine overs. Rahmat broke the boundary drought with two fours off Nayeem Hasan in the 60th over. He first pumped the offspinner through midwicket before finding the gap through mid-off for the second four.

Afghanistan then held off the Bangladesh bowling for the next 17 overs without a single boundary. Finally in the 77th over, Rahmat struck Mehidy for two fours in a row, both superb shots through extra cover, as he brought up Afghanistan’s 200.

The day began with the Afghanistan pace bowlers removing the two remaining Bangladesh wickets. It took them 8.3 overs, with Mohammad Saleem picking up his fourth wicket, having Taijul Islam caught behind and Yamin Ahmadzai removing Ebadot with a slower delivery.

Saleem finished with 4 for 82, having taken 6 for 140 against India in Afghanistan’s previous Test in June. Ahmadzai took three and Ismat Alam two wickets. This was the first time a fast bowling attack took nine wickets in a Test innings in Abu Dhabi.

After bowling out Bangladesh for 346, Afghanistan went to lunch on 34 for 1. Sediqullah Atal edged Hasan Mahmud to first slip. Atal struck three fours in his knock but also survived a caught-behind appeal in the third over. Replays showed that he had inside-edged it but Bangladesh did not use the review.

After lunch, Afghanistan batted positively. Shahidullah swept Mehidy while Mahmud conceded two fours early. Malik played the ball confidently, but Bangladesh kept things tight from both ends. It created a wicket when Shahidullah top-edged a hook against Ebadot in the 21st over. Mahmud took a good tumbling catch running in from fine-leg, as Shahidullah fell for 20 off 44 balls.

Rahmat though immediately stamped his authority with a crunchy cover drive in the same over. He hit Taijul for a straight six shortly afterwards, with Malik repeating the dose to the same bowler after a few more overs. Malik also cover-drove Nayeem before reaching his maiden Test half-century in the 34th over.

Scores:
Afghanistan 211 for 4 in 80.5 overs (Abdul Malik 62, Rahmat Shah 84*, Ikram Alkhi 32*; Ebadot Hossain 2-50) trail Bangladesh 346 in 92.3 overs (Shadman Islam 67, Tanzid Hasan 83, Litton Das 53; Mohammad Saleem 4-82, Yamim Ahmadzai 3-79, Ismat Alam 2-20) by 135 runs

[Cricinfo]

Sports

Risindi and Anthony win ATF U16 Colombo Week I titles

Published

9 hours ago

2026/10/11

Thilina Walpola

Anthony Castigador

Risindi Hewawasam of Sri Lanka and Anthony Castigador of the Philippines won the girls’ and boys’ singles titles at the ATF 16 & Under Colombo 2026 – Week 1 tournament concluded at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association courts on Friday.

‎‎Castigador produced a dominant performance in the boys’ singles final, defeating India’s Gurshaan Chahal 6-2, 6-2 to secure the title. The Filipino maintained his advantage throughout the match, winning in straight sets to cap an impressive campaign.

Risindi Hewawasam (Pix by Kamal Wanniarachchi)

‎‎In the girls’ singles final, Risindi delivered an equally dominant display to beat compatriot Kiara Jayamanne 6-1, 6-1. (RF)

Sports

Dialog supports Sri Lanka’s Para athletes

Published

9 hours ago

2026/10/11

Thilina Walpola

Lasantha Theverapperuma (4th from left) presents the sponsorship exchange cheque to Brig, Dhananjaya Aludeniya (5th from left), marking Dialog Axiata’s continued commitment to supporting Sri Lankan para-athletes for the 5th Paralympic Asian Games

Dialog Axiata PLC is supporting Sri Lanka’s national contingent at the 2026 Asian Para Games in Achi Nagoya Japan, continuing its long standing commitment to supporting Sri Lankan athletes and helping them compete at the highest levels of international sport.

As the team sponsor, Dialog is backing a group of 21 athletes whose journeys have been shaped by determination, discipline and a strong desire to represent their country on the international stage. For Dialog, however, the value of this team goes well beyond the medal tally.

Each athlete has taken a different path into elite sport. Their physical abilities may differ, as do their individual stories, challenges, and ambitions. What they share is the commitment and determination required to train, compete, and continue pushing themselves to achieve their goals.

Dialog’s support reflects its wider commitment to creating opportunities for Sri Lankans to pursue their ambitions and represent the country with pride. For 26 years, Dialog has supported Paralympic sport in Sri Lanka, helping athletes compete at national and international level. Its continued support for the Asian Para Games contingent is part of that long-standing commitment to creating opportunities for athletes and recognizing sporting talent.

Among them is javelin thrower Samitha Dulan, a silver medalist at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games. Palitha Bandara, another experienced member of the athletics team, has also won medals at both the 2018 Jakarta and 2022 Hangzhou Games.

Nuwan Indika arrives with an impressive record after winning gold in the 100 meters and silver in the long jump at Hangzhou, while Pradeep Somasiri returns as an Asian Para Games champion after winning gold in the 1,500 metres.

Dhananjana Wickramasingha will also be looking to build on her silver medal winning performance in the women’s long jump at Hangzhou, while Madhuranga Subasinghe, who won bronze in the 400 metres, is also back in the squad.

Sri Lanka’s medal winning experience extends beyond athletics. Swimmer Naveed Rasheen won bronze in the 400 metre freestyle at Hangzhou, while Nadin Basnayake claimed silver in the women’s event.

The squad also includes Buddika Indrapala, who won bronze at the 2018 Asian Para Games.

Together, the contingent includes nine athletes who have previously won medals at the Asian Para Games, bringing valuable experience to the 2026 campaign.