Sports

Asia Cup 2025: India vs Pakistan, minus the fervour

Published

7 months ago

2025/09/13

Priyan

Tickets for the India-Pakistan Asia Cup fixture aren't selling like hot cakes [Cricinfo]

It’s been an uneasy build-up to round one of India vs Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday. The mood around the match seems more complicated than it appears, and everyone, including the players, can sense that.

Each of the first four press conferences so far in the Asia Cup 2025, barring the one with India bowling coach Morne Morkel, has invariably circled back to this match, with a rider: “sentiment back home” under the current geopolitical climate since the Pahalgam attacks and the subsequent military skirmish.

One of the most natural responses for players, or support staff, has been to say that they’re not on social media. But can it really be possible to zone out completely, especially when there are calls for a boycott from certain quarters in India?

All the while, the BCCI has simply reiterated the Indian Governments stance on the issue: bilateral cricket is off the table, but multi-nation tournaments can proceed as usual. This is despite sections of the country believing the sporting rivalry shouldn’t exist as long as geopolitical relations remain as strained as they are currently.

And that anger often finds itself turning into torrents of online hate and vitriol, like it is now. And it’s perhaps knowing all this, that players have walked a tightrope while preparing for the biggest game of the tournament.

They’ve had to ensure there is no room for words or gestures to be magnified, perhaps even more so, after a handshake between Suryakumar Yadav and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi at the captains’ press conference was clipped, replayed and debated. Similarly, there’s no telling how a simple moment could be scrutinised next. Like a laugh shared by the captains at the toss, for instance, could be replayed, slowed down and analysed frame by frame on social media, and perhaps even on news TV.

This kind of scrutiny has already had an impact. Barely two months ago, a group of recently-retired Indian stars withdrew from a legend’s game in England on the very morning they were scheduled to face Shahid Afridi’s Pakistan team. It’s hard to imagine they would have been unaware of the participation of the Pakistani team when they had originally signed up for the tournament.

India vs Pakistan is usually the heartbeat of a tournament. The contests are still half-jokingly being called a two-match series, maybe even three, at the Asia Cup. It’s a match-up that is supposed to bring everything else to a grind for the passion it sparks among fans. Yet it feels very different this time.

As such, bilateral cricket has been frozen for 13 years, and so the rare meetings at ICC tournaments and Asia Cups should feel festive. But this time it feels empty, because when you have to work to sell an India-Pakistan Sunday showdown in Dubai – a fixture that sells itself most times – you know something has shifted.

Despite all this, the organisers remain optimistic. They’re trying to pull out all their trump cards – bundling, unbundling of tickets, ramping up digital and social media campaigns, and pushing the premium seats that usually sell like hot cakes. There’s still a quiet confidence that Sunday will still see a respectable crowd. ‘Respectable’ being the buzz word.

When Sachin Tendulkar says he couldn’t sleep the night before the famous World Cup game at Centurion in 2003, you could almost imagine him replaying Wasim Akram’s left-arm angle, Waqar Younis’ yorkers and Shoaib Akhtar’s bouncers.

Similarly, on the day of the 2011 World Cup semi-final in Mohali, the team was running purely on adrenaline, with Tendulkar having to make an impassioned speech on how delayed catering resulting in no lunch should make them hungrier on the field.

Whether that kind of electricity courses through Suryakumar & co is known only to them. But one thing you can be certain of: the atmosphere will be filtered through a magnifying lens – every handshake, laugh, glance, celebration, send-off having the potential to become a story.

Despite all this there’s still an inkling of hope that the old magic and excitement will be back for those four hours, and cricket becomes the story when they take the field on Sunday. Only time will tell if that’s indeed the case.

[Cricinfo]

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Sports

All-round Athapaththu helps Sri Lanka level series against Bangladesh

Published

6 hours ago

2026/04/23

Sahan Weerasooriya

Chamari Athapaththu bagged 3 for 36 • BCB

Chamari Athapaththu’s all-round show helped Sri Lanka level the ODI series against Bangladesh in Rajshahi. The visitors won by four wickets after chasing down the home side’s sub-par 165 all out in 45.5 overs.

Athapaththu, who had missed the first match due to a finger injury, roared back into action with three wickets. She started off with Sarmin Sultana’s wicket in the 16th over, although the batter expressed her disbelief at the umpire’s lbw decision against her. Athapaththu then removed Sobhana Mostary in her next over by having her caught at square leg.

Nilakshika Silva then took a brilliant catch at mid-off to help Athapaththu take her third wicket when Ritu Moni had mistimed a cover drive in the 31st over. Sharmin Akhter, Bangladesh’s top-scorer from the first ODI, fell for a duck to Malki Madara in the fifth over.

Captain Nigar Sultana top-scored on Wednesday with 58 off 101 balls with four boundaries. She had little support at the other end, before Nimesha Meepage had her caught behind in the 41st over.

Madara, Meepage and Inoka Ranaweera took two wickets each while Kavisha Dilhari picked up one.

During the chase, Athapaththu dominated the Bangladesh attack despite little support from her top order. She made 40 off 39 balls with eight fours, before falling to left-arm spinner Nahida Akhter in the 17th over. Nahida gave her a send-off, with Athapaththu staring back at her for several seconds before walking off.

Harshitha Samarawickrema and Hansima Karunaratne then added 79 runs for the fourth wicket to get Sri Lanka close to the 166-run target. Samarawickrama made 50 off 76 balls with seven fours, while Karunaratne struck six fours in her 40 off 64 balls.

Nahida removed both batters, before getting Kaushini Nuthyangana to complete her four-wicket haul. Sultana Khatun and Moni, meanwhile, took one wicket each.

The third and final ODI of the three-match series will also be held in Rajshahi, on April 25.

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka Women

166 for 6 in 38.2 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 40, Harshitha Samarawickrama 50, Hansima Karunaratne 40; Sultana Khatun 1-36, Ritu Moni 1-27, Nahida Akter 4-21) beat Bangladesh Women 165 in 45.5 overs (Sarmin Sultana 25, Nigar Sultana 58, Nahider Akter 20; Malki Madara 2-30, Nimesha Meepage 2-29, Inoka Ranaweera 2-28, Chamari Athapaththu 3-36, ) by four wickets

[Cricinfo]

Sports

Dates set for LPL 2026

Published

6 hours ago

2026/04/23

Sahan Weerasooriya

The Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026 will be held from 10th July to 5 August 2026.

The sixth edition of the much-anticipated T20 league will be played across four venues: SSC, Colombo; RPICS, Colombo; PICS, Pallekele; and RDICS, Dambulla.

The online portal for foreign player registration will open on 4th May 2026.

The tournament will be conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the owner of the LPL, in partnership with The IPG Group, the event rights holder of the tournament.

The Lanka Premier League, Sri Lanka’s premier domestic T20 tournament with an international flavor, was launched in 2020.

Samantha Dodanwela, who is an Executive Committee Member of the SLC, will continue to function as the Tournament Director.

Sports

Seventeen Air Force athletes to represent Sri Lanka at Asian Beach Games

Published

6 hours ago

2026/04/23

Sahan Weerasooriya

Seventeen athletes from the SLAF are set to represent Sri Lanka at the 6th Asian Beach Games, scheduled to be held in China from 22 to 30 April 2026. ‎The SLAF contingent will compete across multiple disciplines, namely athletics, handball, volleyball, wrestling and kabaddi. ‎In team leadership roles, the Sri Lankan Women’s Handball team will be captained by Corporal Erandi WP of the SLAF, while the Sri Lankan Men’s Kabaddi team will be led by Leading Aircraftman Samarakoon SMCR. ‎The Air Force athletes are seen pictured with Air Force officials after the received best wishes from Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe.