Sports
Better days are ahead, says Asalanka

Rex Clementine at Pallekele
Sri Lanka’s limited-overs captain, Charith Asalanka, is optimistic about the national cricket team’s future, believing they can deliver even stronger performances in the coming years. This sentiment follows their recent series triumph over the West Indies, where Sri Lanka rallied to claim the T20 series in Dambulla and then secured a 2-1 win in the ODI series in Kandy.
This success comes on the heels of a disappointing World Cup last year, where Sri Lanka finished ninth, missing out on a spot in next year’s Champions Trophy, ranking below Afghanistan and Bangladesh. However, under new Head Coach Sanath Jayasuriya, the team has staged a remarkable turnaround. So far this year, Sri Lanka have clinched victory in 11 of 14 bilateral series across all formats, showing ruthless form at home with wins in nine out of ten series.
Saturday’s rain-affected third ODI saw Sri Lanka lose by eight wickets, though they had already secured the series by then.
“As a team, we’re very happy to have won both the T20 and ODI series,” Asalanka told journalists. “But we’re not the finished product yet. There are areas where we can still improve, especially when we play overseas. We’re keen to work on those areas.”
Reflecting on the rain-interrupted third ODI, Asalanka noted the challenges the team faced with the shifting conditions. “The weather was tough. We started thinking it was a 50-over game, then it turned into a 23-over match. But that’s part of cricket. All credit to the West Indies for the way they chased the target.”
A positive takeaway, he added, was the team’s ability to stay competitive under difficult conditions. “Taking the game deep was a plus for us. Spinners struggled to grip the ball due to the wet conditions. Thankfully, we had already won the series, but if it had been the decider, we would have to analyze what we could have done better.”
Following nearly five hours of rain delays, Sri Lanka’s spinners found it challenging to maintain control on the damp field. “Every time the ball went to the boundary, it got wetter, making it hard to grip. The ground staff did fantastic work to get the game going, but the conditions were tough. We’re not complaining—it’s just part of the game, and we need to be prepared for these challenges.”
Fielding has been an area of improvement for Sri Lanka in recent years, but on Saturday, dropped catches and misfields proved costly.
“Dropped catches definitely hurt us. As they say, ‘catches win matches.’ We have a mantra in the dressing room to take 100% of our chances. Dropping a batter on zero can mean they go on to score a hundred. Misfields, I understand, happen in tough conditions, but a top fielding side takes about 80% of their catches. Our catching has been strong in recent series, though I’m not sure of our exact catching percentage in this one.”
Latest News
Remainder of PSL postponed indefinitely amid India-Pakistan tensions

The remainder of PSL 2025 has been postponed indefinitely. The PCB cited the “worsening of the situation” at the Pakistan-India border as the reason, saying the board had acted on advice from the Pakistan prime minister Shahbaz Sharif.
The board said it had “sincere regard for the mental well-being of participating players and the sentiments of our foreign players, and we respect the concerns of their families who want to see them back home” and that was considered when making the decision.
The development came less than 24 hours after the PCB had announced that the remaining eight games of the PSL would be played in the UAE, without specifying the dates or the venues, with the expectation that it would take about a week to resume.
Overseas players as well as Pakistani players who currently hold visas to the UAE were scheduled to leave on Friday night, with the remaining visas being applied for over the weekend. That, however, has changed, and the teams have begun disbanding with immediate effect, with travel back home being arranged for foreign players.
There is no word yet on when, or if, the remaining games will be played. The postponement came hours after the IPL was temporarily suspended owing to the tensions between the two countries.
The PSL held an emergency meeting in Islamabad on Thursday, and involved the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi meeting with foreign players, who overwhelmingly expressed a desire to relocate the league to the UAE.
“The PCB recognises the efforts and support of its partners, franchises, participating players, broadcasters, sponsors, and organisers in having ensured the smooth conduct of the tournament thus far, however; cricket while being a unifying force and a source of joy, must take a respectful pause…” the PCB statement said.
[Cricinfo]
Sports
Kalinga, Dharshana, Nadeesha, Nishendra to compete against European powerhouses

World Relays 2025
A ‘full strength Sri Lanka 4×400 metres mixed relay team’ will compete against formidable European powerhouses when they take part in the first heat of the relay on day one of the World Relays in Guangzhou, China on Saturday.
“We will field our best four for the heats,” said W.M.G. Thushara, the mamager cum coach of the Sri Lanka team in an interview with The Island after reaching Guangzhou yesterday.
There is one junior athlete in the six member team but Sri Lankan authorities have decided to field the full strength team in the heats.
“It will be Nadeesha Ramanayake, Nishendra Fernando, Kalinga Kumarage and Aruna Dharshana as we are planning to produce our best performace,” Thushara said.
Ramanayake, Kumarage and Dharshana were part of the team that established a new national record in the mixed relay at the Asian Athletics Championship in 2023. Only missing member from that team is Tharushi Karunaratne.
Sri Lanka team will compete in the first heat where Switzerland, France, Belgium, Germany and hosts China are the others. The first two from the heats will directly qualify for the World Relays and also the World Championships to be held in Tokyo.
Sri Lanka fielded only the mixed relay team for the World Relays despite the men’s 4×400 team qualifying for the event. The World Relays starting today is the main qualifying competition for relay events at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.
by Reemus Fernando
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