Sports

BRC dominate NCC as Bhanuka hits twin centuries

Published

6 years ago

2020/08/20

Seven matches of the Super 8s and Plate Championship of the Sri Lanka Cricket(SLC) Premier League Tier A Tournament concluded earlier this week. This was the second set of games after the Tournament resumed after a long break on the 10th of August due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Super 8s

Milinda Siriwardana fought a lone battle for Saracens SC, as he made sure his team secured vital first innings points over the favorites to win the tournament, CCC. After Kasun Rajitha’s five wicket burst restricted CCC to 142 in their 1st innings, Siriwardana Made 89 before following it up with 151 in the second innings as the match ended in a draw. Lasith Abeyratne made an unbeaten century for CCC in their second essay, while Rajitha finished with 9 wickets in the match.

Ragama CC who suffered an innings defeat a few days back at the hands of CCC, bounced back to beat Colts by 103 runs at the CCC ground in Colombo. Young left arm spinner Shashika Dulshan was the star of the game for Ragama CC, as he captured six first innings wickets to set up the game for his team. Akila Dananjaya bowling with a remodeled action captured 8 wickets in the match.

Two whirlwind knocks from BRC’s Bhanuka Rajapaksa against the formidable NCC, was the highlight of the drawn game in Katunayake. Rajapaksa hit 115 off just 82 balls in the 1st innings as BRC managed to secure 1st innings points, before following it up with a match saving century in the 2nd innings. Duvindu Tillakaratne, the tournament’s highest wicket taker with 56 scalps, also starred with a match bag of 13 wickets.

Ashan Randika hit a scintillating 133 off 84 balls, but it wasn’t enough as the soldiers were beaten by Chilaw Marians by 45 runs at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo. Nimesh Vimuthi’s 4/23 in the Army SC’s second innings sparked a dramatic collapse, as he also captured the key scalp of Randika.

Brief scores:

CCC vs Saracens SC

CCC 142 (40.4): Minod Bhanuka 92 (122), Kasun Rajitha 5/63, Saliya Saman 3/33 & 351/7d (81): Lasith Abeyratne 101* (170), Lahiru Madushanka 63 (81), Kasun Rajitha 4/84

Saracens SC 183 (49.3): Milinda Siriwardana 89 (88), Lahiru Gamage 5/29, Vishwa Fernando 3/37 & 283/6 (81): Milinda Siriwardena 151 (180), Pramod Maduwantha 54 (160), Vishwa Fernando 3/38

Ragama CC vs Colts CC

Ragama CC 258 (63): Saminda Fernando 73 (93), Nishan Madushka 57 (75), Akila Dhananjaya 4/24, Prabath Jayasuriya 3/76 & 220 (65.2): Roshen Silva 67 (111), Lahiru Thirimanne 63 (142), Prabath Jayasuriya 5/69, Akila Dhananjaya 4/44

Colts CC 163 (57.3): Santhush Gunathilaka 33 (80), Shashika Dulshan 6/45 & 212 (55.5): Sadeera Samarawickrama 69 (128), Avishka Fernando 44 (58), Kalhara Senaratne 3/28, Ishan Jayaratne 3/31, Amila Aponso 3/48

BRC vs NCC

BRC 316 (86.3): Bhanuka Rajapaksa 115 (82), Duvindu Tillakaratne 53 (108), Ashian Daniel 4/63, Lahiru Kumara 2/63 & 240 (58.5): Bhanuka Rajapaksa 110 (98), Lahiru Kumara 4/76, Dilesh Gunaratne 2/21, Chamika Karunaratne 2/37

NCC 275 (65.2): Chamika Karunaratne 93, Lahiru Udara 90, Duvindu Tillakaratne 6/63 & 227/9 Lahiru Udara 93(64), Duvindu Tillakaratne 7/55

Chilaw Marians CC vs SL Army SC

Chilaw Marians CC 269 (82.3): Shehan Jayasuriya 95 (147), Asela Gunaratne 3/37, Dushan Vimukthi 3/90 & 241 (63): Kasun Vidura 73* (106), Seekkuge Prasanne 6/101

SL Army SC 216 (70): Dinesh Chandimal 62 (99), Asela Gunaratne 43* (99), Asitha Fernando 4/71 & 249 (36.3): Ashan Randika 133 (84), Nimesh Vimukthi 4/23, Shehan Jayasuriya 4/66

Plate Championship

Praveen Jayawickrama’s 11 wickets in the match helped Moors SC topple a star studded Tamil Union side at Moratuwa. Sri Lanka all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva played out of his skin capturing 12 wickets in the match to go along with an unbeaten 95* in the 1st innings, but it was not enough to push his team to the finish line.

SSC continued to fall into deep waters as they were this time beaten by Lankan CC, who were well led by their in-form skipper Chanaka Ruwansiri. Following on from his century in the previous round against Negombo CC, Ruwansiri hit 165 overshadowing Dasun Shanaka’s century, as Lankan CC collected 1st innings points.

Table toppers in the Plate Championship after the previous round Negombo CC were pushed to 2nd place in the table, but not before they secured another comfortable 1st innings win over Baduraliya SC. Dilshan Munaweera was the star with the bat for Negombo top scoring with 91, while Upul Indrasiri captured 10 wickets in the match. Dushan Hemantha also hit a 2nd innings century for Baduraliya, as he made sure they avoided an outright loss.

Moors SC vs Tamil Union CAC

Moors SC 206 (71.2) Nipun Karunanayake 44 (100), Dinuka Dilshan 43 (108), Dhananjaya de Silva 7/59 & 171 (46.1)Pabasara Waduge 44 (43), Kavishka Anjula 43 (69), Ayana Siriwardena 42 (38), Dhanajaya de Silva 5/50

Tamil Union C&AC 178 (52) Dhananjaya de Silva 95* (104), Praveen Jayawickrama 5/53, Ramesh Mendis 3/39 & 155 (36.3) Suranga Lakmal 40 (20), Praveen Jayawickrama 6/91

SSC vs Lankan CC

SSC 332 (76.2) Dasun Shanaka 112 (144), Sammu Ashan 54 (86), Chanaka Ruwansiri 3/53, Keshan Wijerathne 3/93, Dunith Wellalage 3/97 & 226/4 (48) Sandun Weerakkody 67 (55), Nuwanindu Fernando 45 (71), Geeth Kumara 3/49

Lankan CC 375 Chanaka Ruwansiri 165(201), Geeth Kumara 60 (193), Kalana Perera 3/54, Jeffry Vandersay 5/117

Badureliya SC vs Negombo CC

Badureliya SC 267 (84.5) Dunith Jayathunga 57, Salinda Ushan 51, Damith Perera 43, Upul Indrasiri 5/65, Lakshitha Rasanjana 3/65 & 276 (69.1) Dushan Hemantha 115 (112), Dunith Jayathunga 48 (60), Upul Indrasiri 5/85, Lakshitha Rasanjana 5/97

Negombo CC 381 (105.2)

Dilshan Munaweera 91 (144), Madawa Warnapura 87 (141), Angelo Jayasinghe 66 (96), Roscoe Thattil 33(80), Dushan Hemantha 4/82, Buddika Sanjeewa 2/84

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Niroshan Dickwella in Sri Lanka’s T20I squad for the first time since 2021

Published

3 hours ago

2026/09/23

Priyan

Niroshan Dickwella's five-year T20I exile ended after being picked in the Asian Games squad [SLC]

Ashen Bandara and Niroshan Dickwella have earned recalls to Sri Lanka’s T20I squad for the Asian Games men’s cricket competition. Bandara last played an international in 2023 while Dickwella’s previous T20I came in 2021.

Sineth Jayawardena, Sohan de Livera, Wnuja Sahan and Garuka Sanketh received maiden T20I call-ups to the 15-member contingent to be captained by Sahan Arachchige.

Lanka opted to leave out most of their first-choice T20I players, and selected Bandara and Dickwella for their experience, even though they had an underwhelming LPL 2026. Bandara played only three matches for Colombo Kaps for 28 runs while Dickwella scored only 110 runs at a strike rate of 142.85 for Dambulla Sixers.

Left-arm spinning-allrounder Sahan picked up nine wickets in ten LPL outings this year at an economy rate of 6.30, including a Player-of-the-Match spell of 2 for 8 in the Eliminator, for Colombo. He also contributed with a 15 ball 34 not out earlier in the tournament. Fast bowler Sanketh impressed with his pace in the LPL though he did not take any wickets in his four outings this year. In the Major ClubsT20 Tournament that followed, he picked up 11 wickets at an economy rate of 8.87 while playing for Moors Sports Club.

Jayawardena and de Livera, both top-order left-hand batters, led the batting charts in the Major Clubs T20 Tournament with the former scoring 372 runs at a strike rate of 167.56 while the latter made 307 at 156.63. Jayawardena, who captained Sri Lanka at the Under-19 World Cup in 2024, smashed a 32-ball 82 to help Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club beat Sinhalese Sports Club in the final.

Legspinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth found a spot after narrowly missing out on the England T20Is, his chart-topping 17 wickets in the domestic tournament only enhancing his credentials. Allrounder Chamika Karunaratne, who struck 253 runs at 157.14 and was a key part of Galle Gallant’s charge to the LPL title, was also brought back.

Ambidextrous spinner Tharindu Ratnayake and legspinner Dushan Hemantha completed the spin options while slinger Nuwan Thushara and left-arm quick Binura Fernando added experience to the pace department.

Sri Lanka have earned a direct qualification to the quarter-final of the Asian Games, and play their first game on September 29 in Nisshin. Arachchige had captained Sri Lanka in the previous edition, too, where they lost to Afghanistan in their only outing and crashed out.

Sri Lanka’s Asian Games squad

Sahan Arachchige (capt), Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Lasith Croospulle, Sineth Jayawardena, Nuwanidu Fernando, Sohan de Livera, Ashen Bandara, Chamika Karunaratne, Tharindu Ratnayake, Wanuja Sahan, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Dushan Hemantha, Nuwan Thushara, Binura Fernando, Garuka Sanketh

[Cricinfo]

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ICC’s agenda for 2027-31: more T20Is, fewer bilateral ODIs

Published

4 hours ago

2026/09/23

Priyan

More T20Is could come at the cost of bilateral ODIs [Cricinfo]

The ICC will get together in Dubai this week for a workshop in which the next Future Tours Programme (FTP) looms large, with members trying to put a shape to the next international cricket calendar cycle from 2027 to 2031.

Starting on Tuesday, the ICC will conduct a cricket operations workshop, which will feature discussions on the FTP, the current cycle of which ends in March 2027. Though lots of progress has been made in recent months, these meetings will not produce a final and comprehensive FTP yet because, as one official put it, there are still “so many moving parts”. Plenty of each member’s main commitments should be finalised, though, with the final FTP likely to be presented at the ICC quarterly meeting in November, scheduled to be held in Bali.

Increase T20Is, reduce bilateral ODIs

There is likely to be more T20Is between Full Members in the next cycle, and that would come at the cost of bilateral ODIs, as cricket struggles to fit everything it wants into a calendar year. T20Is are the ICC’s growth vehicle to expand the game, and its World Cup is also played every two years, as opposed to the four years for the 50-over version. Rudi van Vuuren, the Namibia Cricket chair and newly inducted ICC Board director, recntly said that he saw more opportunities for Associates in the T20 world.

That, though, doesn’t mean the ODI is dead. The World Cup remains the game’s showpiece event. But there has been talk among members of making ODIs more meaningful – not by bringing back the ODI Super League but by going retro with some 1990s staples like tri-series and quadrilaterals.

Big 3 commitments all but set

While the FTP is far from finalised, Cricinfo understands that Australia, England and India’s main commitments with each other have been set for some time. The Ashes will continue its usual pattern, with series in 2027 (in England), 2029-30 (in Australia) and 2031 (in England), while England will travel to India for a Test series in early 2028 before hosting them in 2029.

The 2027-31 cycle also throws up the challenge of the Los Angeles Olympics in the summer of 2028, where cricket marks its first appearance at the Olympics since 1900. The games will take place in July, midway through the English summer, and the week-long men’s T20 cricket event is expected to clash with England’s home Test series against West Indies.

The challenge for most of the other Full Members, as ever, will be to bake commitments first with India and then with Australia or England into their calendars. South Arica, for instance, are expected to host India immediately after the 2027 ODI World Cup, which they are co-hosting with Zimbabwe and Namibia in October-November.

The PCB, for whom bilateral cricket with India is not an option, have pushed for increased commitments with England and Australia. They have already announced a five-match ODI series against England next summer, although that began as discussions for a one-off Test if Pakistan would have been in the running for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 final. Pakistan also have a three-Test tour of Australia set for 2027-28.

WTC to remain nine teams?

The shape and format of the WTC, currently in its fourth cycle, has been the subject of much discussion over the last year, including talk of a two-tier league which was soon dismissed. In April this year, a presentation by an ICC working committee recommended the inclusion of Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Ireland in addition to the nine teams in the tournament, as well as including one Test series in the league.

Zimbabwe are believed to be keen to be on the WTC, though it isn’t certain whether Afghanistan and Ireland are. As things stand, it still isn’t clear whether the WTC will expand, at least for its next cycle from 2027-29, although we can expect some direction later this week.

New DRS vendors

A session on the second day of the meetings this week will discuss the ICC’s DRS accreditation programme, with the governing body looking to expand the base of review technology suppliers. At the moment, Hawk-Eye and Virtual Eye are the ICC’s approved suppliers for DRS technology in all international cricket.

[Cricinfo]

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Sri Lanka Cricket Draft Bill to be gazetted

Published

10 hours ago

2026/09/23

Priyan

Approval has been granted at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers held on 08.06.2026 to prepare a draft bill for restructuring Sri Lanka Cricket.

Accordingly, the Legal Draftsman has formulated Sri Lanka draft bill providing legal provisions for the administration of Sri
Lanka Cricket, control, regulation, promotion, establishment of Sri Lanka Cricket for the development and administration, through the concepts of better governance, integrity, transparency, accountability, inclusiveness and providing equal opportunities for the betterment of the cricket sport, establishment of Sri Lanka Cricket for securing the wellbeing of all participants and securing cricket from corruption and other mal practices.

Clearance of the Attorney General has been received for the said draft bill. Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has been received for the resolution furnished by the Minister of
Youth Affairs and Sports to publish the said draft bill in the government gazette notification and thereby forward the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.