Sports
Capsey, Gaur shine in the wet to help England clinch rain-affected win
England slipped and slid to victory on a damp evening in Hove, with Alice Capsey’s rapid half-century and a wicket on debut from Mahika Gaur underlining the sense of promise for a young, experimental side. Although the winning margin was eventually just 12 runs, after Duckworth-Lewis-Stern brought Sri Lanka’s target down to 68 from six overs, there was rarely any doubt that England were the side in control.
Capsey equalled her career-best T20I score with 51 from 27, including five fours and three sixes, as England bludgeoned their way to 186 for 4 from 17 overs. Danni Wyatt continued her flying form from the Hundred with 48 from 30 at the top of the order and there were sparky cameos from Freya Kemp and Heather Knight as Sri Lanka’s attack struggled for control in the wet.
Sri Lanka had opted to bowl after heavy rain during the day led to the start being delayed by an hour, but there was little assistance from the conditions as Udeshika Prabodhani’s opening over went for 12 and England rattled along at a rate in excess of 10 for the rest of the innings.
The upshot was a record chase for Sri Lanka in T20Is, but the weather returned to lend an air of jeopardy to proceedings. Heavy rain took the players from the field with only 3.1 overs bowled – 11 balls short of a result – and the DLS calculations left Sri Lanka with a puncher’s chance, particularly with belligerent skipper Chamari Athapaththu at the wicket. But the 17-year-old Gaur had Athapaththu caught behind and the requirement of 45 off 17 balls proved too much for the tourists.
With Sophia Dunkley rested for this series, and the England selectors opting not to bring Tammy Beaumont in from the cold despite her scintillating Hundred form, Maia Bouchier walked out alongside Wyatt to open the batting for the first time in international cricket. Bouchier had batted exclusively in the lower-middle order during her 19 previous T20Is but was given an opportunity on the back of impressive form at No. 3 for Hundred champions Southern Brave.
But it was Wyatt, Brave’s barn-burner and the Hundred’s leading run-scorer, who set the tone. Her first ball was stroked nonchalantly through the off-side ring for four, and three more boundaries came in next over – including a hoick on to the concrete over deep backward square leg – as Wyatt took Sugandika Kumari for 16. Kawya Kavinda’s opening over was even more costly, featuring seven wides and 18 runs all told, and it took two tight overs of offspin from Athapaththu to limit the damage as England cruised to 55 without loss from the powerplay.
Bouchier, for her part, launched her third ball down the ground for four but was largely content to rotate the strike and let Wyatt tear it up. She struck a second boundary in the seventh over, slog-sweeping Inoka Ranaweera for six towards the scoreboard – but was then run out looking for a single off the bowling of Kavisha Dilhari, the spinner scampering to her right and throwing down one stump with Bouchier inches short to end a stand worth 77 off 45 balls.
Wyatt fell short of her fifty in the next over, missing a swipe at Ranaweera to be bowled. That heralded the arrival of Kemp, the 18-year-old allrounder making her first England appearance in almost a year after a back stress fracture – an injury that means she is being deployed as a specialist batter in this series. Pushed up above the captain, Heather Knight, she launched a towering six into the Sharks Stand at long-on as Kumari’s second over went for 18.
Kemp was stumped off Dilhari a few balls later but Capsey, the third teenager in the XI, took up the cudgels. Having moved to 23 off 17, she triggered Beast Mode with a trio of leg-side sixes in the space of four deliveries from Ranaweera. Having charged out to slug the spinner over long-on, she swivelled on a pull that only just cleared the fielder at deep midwicket and then, after Ranaweera had overstepped, crunched a huge blow high into the crowd in front the pavilion.
The 14th over had gone for 22 and the next, delivered by the veteran Prabodhani, cost 17 as Capsey slapped two more fours to go to a 26-ball half-century. She didn’t add to her score, bowled aiming a reverse at Athapaththu, but England were already formidably placed.
Knight indicated before the game that this was the beginning of a new World Cup cycle for her team, just over a year out from next year’s tournament in Bangladesh, with Gaur the most eye catching member of the next generation. A 6ft 3in left-armer, Gaur was born in Reading but made her international debut for UAE at the age of 12, and has impressed in the Hundred for Manchester Originals and with Thunder on the regional domestic circuit.
In the end, the rain limited her to just two overs but the attributes that saw her fast-tracked through the system after being scouted by Lancashire in 2020 – bounce and swing from a high, left-arm action – were on full display. Her first ball was a nervy leg-side wide that evaded Amy Jones but she soon found her rhythm and, after the resumption, hit back from being clubbed over long-on by Athapaththu to find the Sri Lanka captain’s outside edge for her maiden wicket in England colours.
by Rex Clementine
The Niroshan Dickwella experiment has proved short lived, with the national selectors deciding to move on and handing a maiden Test call up to 22-year-old Anjala Bandara, who is expected to take over the wicketkeeping duties for the two match Test series against Pakistan.
Dickwella’s recall after more than three years in the wilderness had raised quite a few eyebrows. The selectors defended their decision, arguing that he remained the finest wicketkeeper in the country. Few disputed that claim. The concerns, however, were never about his glovework but rather his ability to shut out the noise, keep his emotions in check and maintain discipline off the field. True to form, India’s fielders managed to get under his skin in the second innings of the Galle Test and the left-hander duly lost patience and threw his wicket away.
A fellow left-hander, Bandara’s journey to the national side has been anything but conventional. He first emerged from the little known Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya in Matale before being snapped up by St. Anthony’s College, Katugastota. He eventually found his way to Mahanama College for his Under-19 cricket and now turns out for Colombo Cricket Club.
While Bandara has been prolific with the bat, boasting a formidable First Class average of 65, his work behind the stumps remains a work in progress. The selectors, however, believe he has made sufficient strides to be thrown into the deep end of Test cricket.
“We had a special programme for Anjala. In fact, we sent him to Mahesh Gunathilaka, one of the finest wicketkeepers produced by the country. He has worked on a few areas and we feel he is ready for Test match cricket,” Chairman of Selectors Kapila Wijegunawardene told The Island.
Wijegunawardene also confirmed that Pasindu Sooriyabandara would open the batting in Pakistan.
The former Royal College batter made his Test debut as a concussion substitute against India in Galle after Dinesh Chandimal was injured, but his introduction to the highest level was hardly a fairytale as he departed for a first ball duck. He made amends in the second Test, however, with impressive knocks of 80 and 92, showing that his baptism by fire had done little to dent his confidence.
Although Pathum Nissanka has been included in the squad, his availability remains subject to fitness. The prolific opener had been expected to return for the tri-nation series in Pakistan beginning later this week, but his recovery from the hamstring strain that ruled him out of the T20 series has taken longer than anticipated.
The Pakistan series will also mark Kusal Mendis’ first assignment as Test captain. His predecessor, Dhananjaya de Silva, who stepped down from the leadership, retains his place in the squad, although whether he makes the playing XI is another matter.
With competition for middle order places heating up, the former captain could find himself in a straight shootout with Kamindu Mendis for one of the remaining berths. It is an intriguing selection headache, particularly given that Dhananjaya was leading the side only a few weeks ago.
Another interesting inclusion is Eshan Malinga, who has largely been regarded as a white ball specialist. The selectors have now opened the door for him in the longest format, offering the young quick an opportunity to prove that his skills extend beyond the limited overs game.
by Reemus Fernando
Richmond College are all but through to the quarter-finals of the Under-19 Division I Tier A Limited Overs Tournament after a nine-run win over Maris Stella College, Negombo, under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method at the Army Grounds in Karandeniya on Monday.
It was Richmond’s third straight victory, and it puts them at the top of Group ‘B’ with one match remaining.
Batting first, Richmond posted 171 for nine in their allotted 50 overs, with Bevin Jayawardana top-scoring with a patient 55 off 88 balls. Punal Hansajith contributed 24 off 39 deliveries, while Risinu Rupasinghe made 22 and Ravinu Randinu added 18.
Maris Stella’s Malan Kadigamuwa led the bowling effort with three wickets for 37 runs in nine overs, while Rosel Perera claimed two wickets for 31 runs in his 10-over spell.
In reply, Maris Stella reached 127 for six in 42 overs against a revised DLS target of 136. Richmond therefore secured victory by nine runs under the method.
Punal Hansajith and Tenusha Nimsara claimed two wickets each to keep the Maris Stella batting line-up in check. Hansajith conceded just 20 runs in nine overs, while Nimsara gave away 14 runs in seven overs, with both bowlers maintaining tight control.
For Maris Stella Kavith de Silva scored 29 off 46 balls, while Gaveesha Induwara remained unbeaten on 24 off 38 deliveries. Manuja Nayanajith added 23 off 55 balls, and Yumeth Sathmira contributed 16.
In their previous encounters bowlers domnated for Richmond to beat Sri Sumangala College Panadura and St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa comfortably.
Sri Sumangala were dismissed for 106 runs with Hiruk Akalanka, Tenusha Nimsara and Punal Hansajith claiming two wickets apiece. Akalanka returned figures of 2 for 21 in six overs, while Nimsara took 2 for 21 in five overs, including one maiden. Hansajith also claimed two wickets, conceding 24 runs in 5.3 overs. Hiruka Akalanka then lead the chase with a knock of 45run (in 46 balls with5fours and 2 sixes) to seal a six wickets win.
The match against St. Sebastian’s saw Tenusha Nimsara hog the limelight, taking a five-wicket haul to restrict the Moratuwa outfit to 115 runs.
Richmond had a few anxious moments in reply but got home with two wickets in hand.
In Group ‘A’ the contest is still open with S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia slightly ahead of others after Jaden Amaraweera scored a cracking 76 off 75 balls (7x4s, 4x6s) to lead them to six wickets win over Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa (153/8 in 50 overs) on Monday. S. Thomas’ (200/9 in 50 overs) had a DLS tie against Trinity (126?4 in 36) and their other match ended in a no decision.
While Mahinda were leading Group ‘C’ by Monday, Nalanda completed their quota of first round matches unbeaten in Group ‘D’.
Diversified conglomerate CIC Holdings PLC (CSE: CIC) has partnered with Sri Lankan national athlete Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage as his Official Nutritional & Wellness Partner, supporting his journey towards the 2028 Olympic Games and his ambition to bring home Sri Lanka’s first ever Olympic gold medal.
The partnership reflects a shared commitment that extends beyond conventional sports sponsorship, with CIC standing alongside Rumesh through the years of preparation.
Rumesh Tharanga has established himself among the world’s leading javelin throwers following a landmark 2026 season. He set a Sri Lankan national record of 92.62 metres in Rome, claimed the Commonwealth Games title and became Sri Lanka’s first Diamond League champion. He strengthened his position as the world’s No. 1 ranked men’s javelin thrower by winning gold at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest with a 91.09 metre final round throw. Most recently, he won Sri Lanka’s only gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 by winning the men’s javelin throw
For more than six decades, CIC has been part of the lives of Sri Lankans through its presence across agriculture, healthcare and wellness, personal care and other sectors. The partnership extends this longstanding role of nurturing Sri Lankan lives to supporting the journey of an athlete pursuing an ambition with significance for the entire nation.
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