Sports

Chandraguptha in the running for a Test spot

Published

1 year ago

2025/03/16

Ron Chandraguptha was unstoppable in the First-Class final, delivering a match-defining knock that secured Bloomfield’s first title in 15 years. A strong showing in the NSL could now earn him a Test cap

by Rex Clementine

We have just witnessed a fiercely contested First-Class season culminate in Bloomfield being crowned champions – a long-awaited triumph after 15 years in the wilderness. The tournament had all the hallmarks of a riveting contest, but as the dust settles, a significant shake-up has taken center stage.

In a bold yet ruthless move, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) wielded the axe to trim down the number of First-Class teams, aiming to restore quality over quantity. The biggest casualty? The country’s premier cricket club, SSC, found itself unceremoniously relegated, a decision that sent shockwaves through the cricketing fraternity. Joining them in the drop zone were Ragama CC, Negombo CC, and Kandy Customs. With two more teams set to face the chop next season, the club circuit will be streamlined to just 12 teams, a significant reduction from the previous 26-team structure.

Kudos to SLC for finally making the tough call. Over the years, the First-Class tournament had been diluted beyond recognition, with too many teams and not enough competitive edge. Now, with a leaner and meaner structure, the domestic circuit is expected to regain its sharpness. The top performers from the club season will graduate to the NSL, Sri Lanka’s highly competitive provincial tournament, which carries First-Class status. Selection for the Test team will now be heavily influenced by performances in this high-intensity arena.

With Sri Lanka enduring a rough patch in Test cricket – losing four consecutive matches (two against South Africa and two against Australia) – some inevitable changes are on the horizon. The biggest talking point? The vacant opener’s slot, left behind by the departure of Dimuth Karunaratne.

The race to fill that void is heating up, and two prolific openers have thrown their hats into the ring with impressive returns in the club season. NCC’s Lahiru Udara finished as the leading run-getter, amassing 787 runs at 56, while Bloomfield’s Ron Chandraguptha wasn’t far behind with 729 runs at 48.

Until the First-Class final, Udara seemed to be the front-runner. The 31-year-old has been a consistent performer and has already been around the national squad as a backup opener. But in cricket, big games often redefine narratives, and Chandraguptha seized his moment with a performance that turned the final on its head.

Heading into the summit clash, NCC were overwhelming favourites. With half a dozen Sri Lanka internationals in their ranks, they had the firepower to dictate terms. But one man – Ron Kashyapa Chandraguptha – rewrote the script.

Batting against the odds, he produced a monumental innings, a knock for the ages that swung the pendulum Bloomfield’s way. In scorching Colombo heat, he displayed unwavering concentration, unbreakable patience, and sheer resilience, grinding it out for two full days at the crease. His maiden double century not only batted NCC out of the contest but also catapulted his name into the national selection debate.

What was once a one-horse race for the Test opener’s slot is now a two-way contest. Udara had the early momentum, but Chandraguptha has forced selectors into a rethink. With the NSL tournament in progress, whoever performs better in the next few weeks will likely get the selector’s nod.

While the opener’s position is in focus, another name is knocking on the door for a middle-order berth – Pasindu Sooriyabandara. The 25-year-old Royalist has built an impressive First-Class record, averaging 56 after 50 games. This season, he was instrumental in Moors SC’s campaign, racking up 620 runs at a staggering average of 88.

A player with sound temperament and a wide range of strokes, Sooriyabandara appears ready for the next step. With Sri Lanka struggling for consistency in Test cricket, his introduction into the national setup seems more a matter of when rather than if.

With Sri Lanka’s Test team in transition, the NSL will be a defining tournament. Players like Udara, Chandraguptha, and Sooriyabandara have put themselves in contention, but the final decision rests in how they handle the next big challenge.

One thing is certain—domestic cricket has regained its competitive edge. With fewer teams, higher stakes, and players stepping up on the big occasions, Sri Lanka’s red-ball future may just be heading in the right direction.

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All-round Athapaththu helps Sri Lanka level series against Bangladesh

Published

12 hours ago

2026/04/22

Priyan

Chamari Athapaththu bagged 3 for 36 [BCB]

Chamari Athapaththu’s all-round show helped Sri Lanka level the ODI series against Bangladesh in Rajshahi. The visitors won by four wickets after chasing down the home side’s sub-par 165 all out in 45.5 overs.

Athapaththu, who had missed the first match due to a finger injury, roared back into action with three wickets. She started off with Sarmin Sultana’s wicket in the 16th over, although the batter expressed her disbelief at the umpire’s lbw decision against her. Athapaththu then removed Sobhana Mostary in her next over by having her caught at square leg.

Nilakshika Silva then took a brilliant catch at mid-off to help Athapaththu take her third wicket when Ritu Moni had mistimed a cover drive in the 31st over. Sharmin Akhter, Bangladesh’s top-scorer from the first ODI, fell for a duck to Malki Madara in the fifth over.

Captain Nigar Sultana top-scored on Wednesday with 58 off 101 balls with four boundaries. She had little support at the other end, before Nimesha Meepage had her caught behind in the 41st over.

Madara, Meepage and Inoka Ranaweera took two wickets each while Kavisha Dilhari picked up one.

During the chase, Athapaththu dominated the Bangladesh attack despite little support from her top order. She made 40 off 39 balls with eight fours, before falling to left-arm spinner Nahida Akhter in the 17th over. Nahida gave her a send-off, with Athapaththu staring back at her for several seconds before walking off.

Harshitha Samarawickrema and Hansima Karunaratne then added 79 runs for the fourth wicket to get Sri Lanka close to the 166-run target. Samarawickrama made 50 off 76 balls with seven fours, while Karunaratne struck six fours in her 40 off 64 balls.

Nahida removed both batters, before getting Kaushini Nuthyangana to complete her four-wicket haul. Sultana Khatun and Moni, meanwhile, took one wicket each.

The third and final ODI of the three-match series will also be held in Rajshahi, on April 25.

Brief scores:
Sri Lanka Women 166 for 6 in 38.2 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 40, Harshitha Samarawickrama 50, Hansima Karunaratne 40; Sultana Khatun 1-36, Ritu Moni 1-27, Nahida Akter 4-21) beat Bangladesh Women 165 in 45.5 overs (Sarmin Sultana 25, Nigar Sultana 58, Nahider Akter 20; Malki Madara 2-30, Nimesha Meepage 2-29, Inoka Ranaweera 2-28, Chamari Athapaththu 3-36, ) by four wickets

[Cricinfo]

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Dates Set for Lanka Premier League 2026

Published

13 hours ago

2026/04/22

Priyan

Jaffna Kings won the 2024 edition of the LPL

The Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026 will be held from 10^th July to 5 August 2026.

The sixth edition of the much-anticipated T20 league will be played across four venues: SSC, Colombo; RPICS, Colombo; PICS, Pallekele; and RDICS, Dambulla.

The online portal for foreign player registration will open on 4^th May 2026.

The tournament will be conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the owner of the LPL, in partnership with The IPG Group, the event rights holder of the tournament.

The Lanka Premier League, Sri Lanka’s premier domestic T20 tournament with an international flavor, was launched in 2020.

Samantha Dodanwela, who is an Executive Committee Member of the SLC, will continue to function as the Tournament Director.

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Wasim Khan to step down as ICC’s general manager

Published

13 hours ago

2026/04/22

Priyan

Wasim Khan took over from Geoff Allardice in May 2022 [Cricinfo]

Wasim Khan will step down as the ICC’s general manager, cricket after four years in the role.

Wasim took over from Geoff Allardice in May 2022, after Allardice assumed the CEO role at the ICC. Wasim had arrived at the ICC after nearly three years as the PCB’s CEO.

Wasim was the first British-born Muslim to play county cricket, turning out for Warwickshire in the mid-to-late 90s. A left-handed batter, he played 58 first-class matches and 30 List A matches for Warwickshire, Sussex and Derbyshire. He was part of Warwickshire’s county title-winning campaign in 1995, averaging nearly 50 through the season.

He has since built an impressive administrative career, including a stint as CEO at Leicestershire county and before that at Cricket Foundation where he helped transform Chance to Shine into a leading national cricket charity in the UK.

One of the main challenges during Wasim’s stint at the ICC was an increasingly cramped cricket schedule with more T20 and T10 leagues eating into the space for international cricket. But in the last Future Tours Programme (2023-27) which was finalised during his time, there was actually an increase in the amount of international cricket. The first ever Women’s FTP was also unveiled in this period.

Wasim will finish at the end of June and is set to take up another role from July. His impending exit follows the departure of several senior ICC officials over the last two years, including Allardice – replaced by Sanjog Gupta as CEO – Chris Tetley (head of evens) and Alex Marshall, who led the anti-corruption unit. Tetley has been replaced by Gaurav Saxena and Marshall by Andrew Ephgrave.

[Cricinfo]