Sports

Banda still keen on imparting coaching knowledge

Published

5 years ago

2020/08/21

Central Province Sports Department felicitated reputed coach S.M. Gnanasena Banda at the Central Province Sports Awards ceremony recently. The veteran coach receives his award from Central Province Governor Lalith U Gamage. Jagath Keerthi, Director of Sports of Central Province is also in the picture. (Pic courtesy Anurudhdha Herath Bandara)

Central Province Sports Department felicitates Gnanasena Banda

by Reemus Fernando

Reputed coach S.M. Gnanasena Banda was felicitated by Central Province Sports Department at the Central Province Sports Awards ceremony recently. The mentor behind many top national level athletes, who won international fame during the 90s, Banda is recovering from paralysis which he suffered nearly two decades ago. Although he is not actively involved in training he has spent the past two decades imparting his knowledge to deserving coaches who sought his help. Despite being confined to his home he is still keen on imparting that knowledge. In an interview with ‘The Island’ Banda said that the best way to felicitate him was to obtain his knowledge to educate the current crop of coaches.

“I told the director at the awards ceremony that the best they could do to felicitate me was to gain my knowledge,” Banda told The Island.

Regarded by athletic officials as one of the best coaches, Banda trained many an athlete win medals at regional international competitions and to reach Olympic qualifying standards in his heyday. Banda who once competed against the likes of Sunil Gunawardena as an athlete had Yogananda Wijesundara and Lakshman de Alwis as his peers in coaching.

Banda served during an era when Sri Lanka was looking to improve standards of athletic performances. He was different to many of his peers who specialised in specific disciplines.

Banda’s charges were athletes specialised in varying disciplines from sprints to marathons and hurdles to throws. When coaches opt to specialize in a selected group of disciplines (sprint & hurdles, middle & long distance, jumps or throws) Banda’s specialty was the ability to train almost any athletics discipline.

Sriyantha Dissanayake, a household name in athletics, was his charge when he won a medal double at the Asian Games. Dissanayake is the last Sri Lankan male athlete to have won a medal in an Asian Games 100 metres.

Banda had the knowledge to peak a sprinter as well as a marathoner at the right time. V.K.L. Samarasinghe, another of his trainees, was probably the best home-trained marathoner the country produced. Current national marathon record holder Indrajith Cooray in the UK and legendary distance runner S.L.B. Rosa at the Wisconsin Park Side University (USA) had foreign training when they reached their personal best performances and qualified for Olympics. Samarasinghe who was the closest to Rosa’s long standing record in his prime, slashed massive chunks off his personal best under Banda’s guidance to qualify for Olympics.

Long jumpers Sujith Rohitha and Anusha Kariyawasam reached national number one position under his guidance. The latter owned the women’s national record while Rohitha almost had it under his belt.

Olympic thrower Sumeda Ranasinghe’s coach Pradeep Nishantha was under Banda’s stewardship when he held the national record.

One of the longstanding records in athletics is the men’s 400 metres hurdles national record. Banda’s trainee Harijan Ratnayake established the record on his way to winning the Asian Championship silver in Jakarta. His 49.44 seconds feat still remains unshaken two decades after it was established. Banda’s charge was the last Sri Lankan male hurdler to have earned qualifying standards for Olympics.

His services were not limited to athletics. He was also involved in looking after fitness of up and coming cricketers in the 90s. Despite being handicapped Banda is eager to educate coaches who are willing to serve sports.

“I am keen on educating coaches who are willing to serve,” said the septuagenarian.

S.M.G. Banda suffered his first stroke just after the National Sports Festival in 2001. Some of the athletics disciplines have not witnessed an improvement since then. His absence in the field of coaching has left a huge vacuum hard to fill.

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Nissanka ton stuns Australia, puts Sri Lanka in Super Eights

Published

2 hours ago

2026/02/16

Priyan

Pathum Nissanka celebrates his second T20I century [Cricinfo]

Sri Lanka survived an early onslaught to qualify for the 2026 T20 World Cup Super Eights, leaving Australia right at the exit door and hoping for a miracle.

The returning captain Mitchell Marsh and the returning-to-runs Travis Head were brutal in taking Australia to 104 in the first 50 legal deliveries, but some spectacular fielding and spin bowling helped Sri Lanka take 10 for 77 off the last 70 balls.

In front of a partying full house in Pallekele, Sri Lanka’s two most prolific batters, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis, brought out both the axe and paper cuts to slice through the chase. Nissanka, who had earlier dropped Glenn Maxwell and then dismissed him with a stunner, went on to score an unbeaten hundred and take Sri Lanka home with two overs to spare.

In the absence of Matheesha Pathirana, who walked off with a calf injury in his first over, their spinners contributed six wickets to go with excellent closing from Dushmantha Chameera. Australia’s lead spinner Adam Zampa, among the best T20 spinners of all time, took no wicket and was lucky to go for only 41 in his four overs.

Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 184/2 in 18 overs [Pathum Nissanka 100*, Kusal Mendis 51, Pavan Rathnayake 2*; Marcus Stoinis 2-41] beat Australia 181/10 in 20 overs [Mitchell Marsh 54, Travis Head 56, Josh Inglis 27, Glenn Maxwell 22; Dushmantha Chameera 2-56, Maheesh Theekshana 1-37, Dushan Hemantha 3-37, Dunith Wellalage 1-33, Kamindu Mendis 1-19] by eight wickets

[Cricinfo]

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New Zealand eye Super Eight spot against Canada

Published

3 hours ago

2026/02/16

Priyan

Tim Seifert and Finn Allen are among the best dangerous openers in world cricket [Cricinfo]

A win against Canada in their first T20I against them on Tuesday will firm up New Zealand’s spot in the Super Eight. This result will also knock out Canada; South Africa have already qualified for the next round from Group D with three wins in as many games.

New Zealand have faced Canada just three times in international cricket so far – each time in ODI World Cups. Their most recent meeting coming in the 2011 edition in Mumbai. They have won all three games and are poised to make it 4-0 against Canada in World Cups, despite the absence of Lockie Ferguson. The fast bowler has returned home for the birth of his first child and is expected to link up with the side ahead of the Super Eight. In Ferguson’s absence, Kyle Jamieson, who wasn’t even in the main squad in the first place, is set to make his T20 World Cup bow.

As for Canada, they had their moments against South Africa and UAE but they have failed to convert those into wins. On Friday in Delhi, they had UAE at 66 for 4 in the 13th over in a chase of 151, but they left the door ajar for Aryansh Sharma and Sohaib Khan to sneak home. Canada can’t afford such slip-ups against New Zealand – and then Afghanistan – if they are to notch up a win in this World Cup.

Kyle Jamieson doesn’t quite have Ferguson’s express pace, but can bang it away on a hard length and stifle the opposition batters. He also has some slower variations in his repertoire and his high-arm release could pose a big threat, especially to batters who are facing him for the first time.

Once known as “Vettori” in Canada’s club cricket circuit, Saad Bin Zafar will run into the team that was once captained by one of his heroes. The Canada left-arm spinner often attacks the stumps and keeps it tight, as his economy rate of 6.02 across 67 T20Is suggests. At 39, Saad knows he won’t be playing the game for long and will be eager to cause a few upsets on the big stage.

Jamieson is set to slot in for Ferguson unless New Zealand want to give veteran legspinner Ish Sodhi a game.

New Zealand (probable): Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (capt), Jimmy Neesham, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy

Canada are likely to play the same XI that lost to South Africa and UAE.

Canada (probable): Dilpreet Bajwa (capt), Yuvraj Samra, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva (wk), Harsh Thaker, Saad Bin Zafar, Jaskaran Singh, Dilon Heyliger, Kaleem Sana, Ansh Patel

[Cricinfo]

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Pathirana under injury cloud as he leaves the field early

Published

4 hours ago

2026/02/16

Priyan

Matheesha Pathirana walked off midway through his opening over (Cricinfo)

Sri Lanka fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana left the field four balls into his first over, after collapsing to the ground clutching his left calf, and did not return to the field during Sri Lanka’s bowling innings against Australia. Having briefly received treatment from the Sri Lanka physiotherapist immediately after sustaining the injury, Pathirana hobbled off the field with assistance from support staff.

He then spent the majority of the innings being treated in the dressing room. Sri Lanka will likely send him off for scans as soon as the match finishes.

“Matheesha Pathirana experienced discomfort in his left leg calf while bowling during the match and was unable to continue,” a statement read. “He will not bowl further in this game. A scan will be conducted tomorrow to determine the extent of the injury.”

Pathirana had begun well against Australia, bowling two dot balls and giving away three runs (including a wide) in those first four deliveries. The last two balls of the over were delivered by Dasun Shanaka, who gave away a four and bowled a dot.

Pathirana is the quickest bowler in Sri Lanka’s attack, and a key part of their death-bowling plans for the tournament in particular. He is also the second Sri Lanka bowler to come under an injury cloud, with Wanindu Hasaranga already having been ruled out of the World Cup with a hamstring injury of his own.

After this game against Australa, Sri Lanka have another group match to play, against Zimbabwe. They have not earned qualification for the Super Eights yet.

(Cricinfo)