Sports
Dilni continues record breaking spree
By Reemus Fernando
Lyceum International Wattala prodigy Dilni Rajapaksha lived up to her reputation to bag the last remaining national level meet record of her age category in the long jump at the ongoing All Island Schools Games Athletics Championship at the Sugathadasa Stadium.
The 14-year-old bagged the Under 16 meet record with an effort of 5.94 metres in her first jump of the best eight competition. She was the overwhelming favourite for the title after having cleared the six metres barrier more than once during the last couple of months.
The youngest athlete ever in the country’s history to clear the six metres mark in the girls category, Dilni was taking part in two events simultaneously. With the 100 metres semi-finals taking place simultaneously with the long jump she seemed to have exhausted as she reached the best eight in the long jump. She qualified for 100 metres final as the fastest in her semi-final before coming to complete the final three jumps in the long jump. “If she was not tired, she could have (cleared the six metres),” said her coach Damitha Dahanayake who has guided Dilni from the time she emerged from little known Buthpitiya Kanishta Vidyalaya.
On Friday she broke Gateway College athlete Sadeepa Henderson’s meet record (5.66m) of 2017.
Now she proudly holds all long jump meet records in the Under 16 age category from the Junior National Championship to All Island Schools Games.
Last month, she shattered one of the longest standing meet records of the Sir John Tarbat Senior Athletics Championship. She cleared the six metres mark twice to improve on the meet record held by former national champion Anoma Sooriyarachchi. She cleared 6.01 metres and 6.12 metres to erase the record that had remained unshaken for 29 years.
Her most impressive performance of the year was the stunning 6.26 metres feat at the Western Province Schools Games Athletics Championship.
She commenced the record-breaking spree with the 5.80 metres new meet record at the Junior National Championship early this year. With many impressive performances against her name this year she has clearly established herself as future prospect who has the potential to shine at global level one day.
The official results of the day one events on Friday were yet to be released when this story was filed.
(Cricbuzz)
The remainder of the tenth edition of the PSL has been moved to the UAE amid escalating border tensions between Pakistan and India. The PCB has said that the dates and venues of the remaining eight games in the PSL 2025 season would be officially confirmed in due course.
On Thursday, Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi were due to play a game at the Rawalpindi Stadium, which was rescheduled following an emergency meeting. At the meeting, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi met with overseas players in the league, who overwhelmingly expressed a desire to relocate the league to the UAE.
ESPNcricinfo understands that foreign players are already on their way out of Pakistan to the UAE, where the rest of the league will be played. It is likely to be several days before the next game is played as the PCB works out which venues to play the games at.
The original schedule would have seen four of the remaining games in Rawalpindi, one in Multan, and the final three in Lahore. An earlier update from the PCB had said the league would be rescheduled, but did not confirm at the time it would be taken out of Pakistan, with Karachi considered a likely option.
The PSL, now in its tenth season, is familiar with the UAE, having started there back in 2016. It was played there in full – barring the PSL 2017 final – for the first two seasons. Part of season six, in 2021, also had to be played in the UAE because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Any delays to the PSL are likely to impact Pakistan’s international calendar, too. Bangladesh are due to arrive in Pakistan three days after the PSL final, originally slated for May 18, with the first of five T20Is to begin on May 25 in Faisalabad. The PCB told ESPNcricinfo that no decision had yet been taken on the fate of that series.
(Cricinfo)
Bangladesh Under 19s won the six-match Youth ODI series 3-2 after the final Youth ODI against Sri Lanka Under 19s ended without a result due to rain at the Colts ground on Thursday.
Sri Lanka came to the final match with the hope of leveling the series but rain prevented a full match.
Deciding to bat first, the visitors were 188 for three wickets in the 40th over when rain prevented further play.
Skipper Azizul Hakim led Bangladesh with 94 runs inclusive of seven fours and two sixes. For the hosts, Tharusha Navodya, Kugathas Mathulan and Himal Ravihansa took a wicket each.
Sri Lanka Under 19s won the opening encounter by a big margin but three consecutive defeats thereafter saw the visitors take command. Sri Lanka Under 19s bounced back in the penultimate match to keep alive the series but rain spoilt their plans in the final encounter.
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