Sports

Big dreams inside a ‘small’ basketball court

Published

5 years ago

2021/10/25

Sahan Weerasooriya

Basketball player Praneeth Udumalagala has come a long way in his chosen sport

Interview with Praneeth Udumalagala

by a Special Sports Correspondent

Praneeth Udumalagala has come a long way in one of his chosen sports basketball and is a hot prospect when he turns out for Sri Lanka in tournaments here and abroad. He is a rare sportsman having represented his country in swimming and basketball. But the latter is what has given him so much recognition and a clear view of what he loves to do in the future. He is engaged in business and manages to dedicate time for competitive sport as well. In an interview with ‘The Island’ Udumalagala spoke about his love for basketball, his work engagements and future plans.

Excerpts of the interview:

Q- How is your busy life as a player dedicated to basketball?

Well, it’s a full schedule just like any other dedicated athlete. The time revolves around training, strength and conditioning and other aspects of the game. My love for the game is such I enjoy every moment as a basketball player.

Q- You say you are looking at playing professional or semi-professional basketball in the future? Please elaborate on that a bit.

At this stage in my basketball career, I want to consistently reach to higher standards outside of Sri Lanka. If any overseas league gives me an opportunity to play professionally or as a semi-professional I would be ready to take up the challenge. I was able to play in the Nepal basketball league in 2019 and I am looking forward for the next.

Q- You are a national athlete and have represented Sri Lanka at many international tournaments. How is the feeling to represent Sri Lanka in your chosen sport?

I was able to represent my country in two sports. As a youngster during school days, I was able to represent Sri Lanka in both swimming and basketball. The pride of representing your country is the ultimate feeling for any athlete in his or her chosen sport. Once you wear the national jersey and step on the court you just want to give your 101% to make your people proud and bring glory to your nation. That feeling is hard to express in words.

Q-What is your best performance for Sri Lanka at an international tournament?

I think the toughest tournament I played in for the national team was the FIBA Pre-qualifiers 2021 in Bahrain. I believe that was my best performance where I was able to average 17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and three assists throughout the tournament. Apart from that winning the SAG silver medal in 2019 is a great moment where we were able to create history and I’m glad I was able to do my best for the team and country.

Q-Tell us about your experience in representing team Times International Basketball Club which became champions in the Nepal Basketball League

It was such a memorable experience. The league was a month and a half long. By the time I joined the team the league had already begun, and my team had played a couple of games. There was little to no time to see how I fitted in best in the team format, but everyone in my team was excited to have me as much as I was to play in the league. From the league organization, my team management, competition level to the fan base the whole league was such a hit. It couldn’t be any better as we were able to win the league and I was on top of my performance.

Q- Being adjudged as the Sri Lanka Basketball Player of the year in 2015 must have made you feel proud. Do you think you were able to continue the momentum and win more honours in the sport?

It was indeed a proud moment. More than winning more or any honours to be frank the focus was always to be on the top of my game. No matter the situation, when my name is called, I always want to be ready to deliver more than what’s expected. Once I’m able to do what I do best, the rest will fall into place naturally, the recognition and honours will come.

Q- You played your part in Sri Lanka winning Silver at SABA championship 2011 in India. Can you compare how these two nations have progressed in the sport from there onwards?

Yes, that year was a memorable one as it was my debut year paying for Sri Lanka. As unfortunate as it sounds, India has since been improving and making strides in basketball while we struggle to go forward. The biggest difference I see is that India treats basketball as a professional sport while that is not the case in Sri Lanka. The national players here have their full-time jobs to take care of, then comes basketball. Saying that, I’m hopeful that many good things are ahead for Sri Lanka basketball and its players as we have a new leadership in the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation.

Q- You’ve been a regular in the Sri Lanka national team since 2011. How do you see yourself being there for contention when other promising youngsters are also knocking on the door for a playing slot?

The current national team is full of youngsters and promising talent. I am delighted to be playing alongside them to share my experiences and hand over the baton as we go forward. It is important I be on top of my game immaterial if I’m playing with experienced senior players or with talented youth. The playing minutes in a game are based on who’s the best inside the lines and as long as I play in the level I’m playing now it’s safe to say the youngsters could learn a lot and we can get better as a team.

Q- Are you employed and tell us something about work in office and how you manage to engage in competitive sport as well?

I play contract basketball for FairFirst insurance Ltd. I work with my father-in-law and help manage the production process at Shisasa Holdings International Pvt Ltd. I am also a part of the coaching staff at my alma mater St. Joseph’s College Colombo 10.

I have my own company IImpact Hoop Lab Pvt Ltd. Under IImpact Hoop Lab I run my own basketball skills training programme, produce basketball rims and backboards in Sri Lanka.

Q- The COVID pandemic was a challenge to everybody. How did you cope?

The COVID pandemic was a very difficult time period for me, and it still is as we speak. But just like any other challenge we can’t give up on our dreams. My goal was to survive these tough times and hope it will pass by soon. The training programme came to a halt, but we manage to do few online trainings and individual home visits for some of our athletes. Things are looking positive now and I am hoping to return to the programme as soon as I can.

Q- What are your future goals and plans in life and sport?

My goal is to continue to work hard and grow my company IImpact Hoop Lab. I want to work hard, create a dedicated basketball skill training centre for my training programme and help athletes to reach higher levels in the game of basketball. Through my company we produce affordable, high quality basketball rims and backboards that are made in Sri Lanka and we are also scaling into court construction. I will continue to play basketball as long as I can all the while I grow in other aspects in life. At the end of the day I want to be an exemplary role model for every basketball player out there.

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Rain threat looms over lopsided India vs Afghanistan quarter-final

Published

6 hours ago

2026/09/28

Priyan

Will India change their opening combination to play Vaibhav Sooryavanshi? [BCCI]

The gulf between India and Afghanistan during the recent bilateral T20I series – which India won 3-0 – was a further vindication of India’s dominance in the format and why they are world champions. It may not have reflected Afghanistan’s pedigree in the format, but it showed the gaps they still have to make up to match the top sides in the world, especially in terms of dot-ball percentage and their strike rate while batting.

Now Afghanistan, who have sent a second string side to the Asian Games, take on a full-strength India in the quarter-finals. Thirteen of the 15 players who toured India for the bilateral series are not in Afghanistan’s squad now, and the only two retained are Darwish Rasooli (the captain) and Abdollah Ahmadzai. Afghanistan’s squad of 15 is so raw that it features six uncapped players and five others who have fewer than ten international appearances. Their combined T20I experience of 262 matches is only a fraction (30%) of India’s 872 games.

There is no Rashid Khan, no Rahmanullah Gurbaz, no Mohammad Nabi, but Nabi’s genes are in the side, in his 20-year-old son Hassan Eisakhil.

India, despite a calendar clash with the home ODI’s against West Indies, which also start on Sunday, have sent their big guns to Japan in search of their second straight gold medal. If there is one team that can field multiple white-ball squads simultaneously, it is India, and they have done that. It is not officially known, however, why Afghanistan have sent such an inexperienced side when their next international fixture, a one-off Test against Bangladesh, only starts on October 9. Afghanistan aren’t alone in sending a second-string squad, perhaps to give their first-choice players some rest in an otherwise packed calendar.

The divide between the two sides is stark and even though they would want to take heart from the scare Japan handed India – even if in a rain-truncated game – recently, Afghanistan themselves lost to Nepal a couple of days ago. Now they have to compete against the world champions, a task they struggled with even at full strength earlier this month.

India have been plagued by injuries of late and one of the names on that list was of Washington Sundar, who returned to action in the Japan T20I last week. He didn’t get to bat and bowled two overs and took two wickets while playing his first game in two months. India would want to give him more game time before he heads back home for the West Indies T20Is that start on October 6 in Lucknow. Barring his niggles, Washington has otherwise had an impressive year across formats with an unbeaten 52in an ODI to give India their first win of their UK tour after he took a four-for in the Test against Afghanistan, during which he also scored 52*.

Pace-bowling allrounder Ismat Alam, 24, has played two Tests and one T20I so far, Afghanistan’s opening game against Japan. Alam was the Player of the Tournament in Afghanistan’s domestic T20s – Shpageeza Cricket League – for scoring 294 runs at a strike rate of 168, while also taking nine wickets. He had starred on his Test debut last year, scoring a century in the lower order that set up Afghanistan’s victory over Zimbabwe. Afghanistan may want to give him a game and hope he steps up again on the big stage.

India had rested Jasprit Bumrah in the one-off T20I against Japan and played Arshdeep Singh and Yash Thakur as their quick options apart from legspinner Ravi Bishnoi and spin-bowling allrounders Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. India will now have to decide whom to leave out for Bumrah. The other question will be if India want to give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a game early in the tournament, although Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson look undroppable given the runs they scored in the series against Afghanistan.

India (probable): Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur/Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah.

Against Nepal, Afghanistan gave a T20I debut to Faisal Shinozada who top-scored along with the experienced Najibullah Zadran, the only batters who scored in double-digits in the game.

Afghanistan (probable): Mohammad Akram, Hassan Eisakhil, Karim Janat, Darwish Rasooli (capt), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Ismat Alam, Nangeyalia Khan, Abdollah Ahmadzai, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Arab Gul.

[Cricinfo]

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Out, not-out, out: England secure bizarre run-out in Oval victory

Published

6 hours ago

2026/09/28

Priyan

Jofra Archer's direct hit did for Pavan Rathnayake, despite Jordan Cox breaking the stumps first [Cricinfo]

England were the beneficiaries of an unusual, but ultimately correct, umpiring decision during their series-clinching win against Sri Lanka in Sunday’s third ODI at the Oval as Pavan Rathnayake was given out, not out, and then out again.

The bizarre passage of play came in the 15th over of Sri Lanka’s run-chase, when Charith Asalanka steered Liam Dawson to short third man. Jofra Archer, the fielder, threw at the keeper’s end, and Rathnayake was a long way short of his ground as the LED lights on the stumps and the bails flashed.

Rob White, the square-leg umpire, initially gave him out on-field without deference to TV umpire Adrian Holdstock, but did refer the decision after consultation with standing umpire Wayne Knights. It became clear after a replay that Jordan Cox’s gloves had dislodged the bails just before the ball hit the stumps.

Holdstock appeared to overturn the initial decision after around two minutes of deliberation, with ‘not out’ flashing up on the big screen at The Oval, but continued to review his decision at the drinks break. After another 90 seconds of deliberation, he gave Rathnayake – who was clearly bemused – out for 18.

The decision took approximately four minutes to reach, but was ultimately correct. While Cox’s gloves had dislodged the bails, Archer’s throw uprooted the stump entirely and was thereby deemed to have broken the wicket.

The two relevant MCC Laws read as follows:

29.2.1.1: “The wicket is broken fairly if a bail is completely removed from the top of the stumps, or a stump is struck out of the ground by the ball.”
29.2.1.6: “The wicket is also broken fairly if a fielder strikes or pulls a stump out of the ground (as in 29.2.1.5).”

The circumstances were highly unusual, as the former England batter Mark Butcher outlined on Sky Sports. “What I find hard to believe is that in all the years I’ve either played or commentated on the game, I’ve never seen this before or heard that Law before,” Butcher said.

“Everybody knows that if you break the stumps and the bails come off, then you need to get the ball in your hand and take the stump out in order to affect the run-out. I’ve never heard the sub-Law about the throw knocking the stump out of the ground, and that counting as a dismissal.”

Tom Banton, Player of the Match after making his maiden international hundred during England’s innings, was similarly taken aback by the scenario. “I’ll be honest, I have never seen that before, so I actually don’t know,” he said afterwards. “But we take the mick out of Jamie Overton because he seems to know everything, and he said it was out straight away.”

MCC, who write and interpret the Laws of Cricket, are expected to clarify the decision in the coming days.

[Cricinfo]

Sports

Akalanka provides glimmer of hope for Sri Lanka

Published

9 hours ago

2026/09/28

Thilina Walpola

Ayomal Akalanka

Hurdler Ayomal Akalanka provided a glimmer of hope for Sri Lanka on a largely disappointing day for track and field at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, securing his place in the men’s 400 metres hurdles final on Sunday.

‎Akalanka produced an impressive 49.78 seconds to book his berth in the final, keeping Sri Lanka’s hopes of a medal in the event alive.

‎The day, however, was marked by disappointing performances in the field events.

‎Gayan Sampath failed to register a single legal jump in the men’s long jump, bringing his campaign to an early end.

‎Madushani Herath also endured a difficult outing in the women’s long jump, finishing 12th with a below-par 5.91 metres.

‎In the men’s 800 metres heats, Harsha Karunaratne produced a sub-1:50 performance, clocking 1:49.90 seconds. He finished fourth in his heat, but the time was not sufficient to earn a place in the final.

‎With Akalanka advancing to the 400m hurdles final, Sri Lanka will look to the young hurdler to provide a stronger finish in the final.

‎The women’s javelin final was in progress when this edition went to press.