Sports
Double victory for Old Rajans
Old Rajans won both T20 encounters played against Old Kingswoodians in their 10th annual Old Boys Big Match series played last Saturday at Lake View in Kandy. Old Rajans comfortably beat Old Kingswoodians in the Over-40 encounter by 10 wickets and also claimed an exciting 19-run win in the Over-30 game, thus claiming both challenge trophies on offer.
Prasanna Walalawela hit an unbeaten 47 to claim both awards of player of the match and best batsman, while Chinthaka Weerasinghe claimed three wickets to emerge as the best bowler, as Old Rajans trounced their traditional rivals by 10 wickets in the Over-40 game. Batting first Old Kingswoodians were able to muster only 81 runs for the loss of eight wickets with Lalith Wijeratne top scoring for the side with an unbeaten 12. Palitha Liyanage made 11 while Weerasinghe claimed three wickets conceding 13 runs.
Old Rajans had very little or no trouble in chasing down the target as they made 83 without losing any wickets. Walalawela and Manjula Liyanage carried their bats with unbeaten knocks of 47 and 31 respectively, when Old Rajans reached the winning post, claiming the P.L. Authur Alwis and Clifford Rathnawibushana Memorial Trophy in style.
In the Over-30 encounter, Old Rajans posted 124 runs for the loss of three wickets after batting first with Rukshan Sooriyaarachchi top scoring with 62. Chamila Ambagaspitiya made 30. Asanka Ranasinghe claimed two wickets for nine runs. Old Kingswoodians were able to score only 105 for the loss of four wickets in their allotted 20 overs despite a fighting innings of 47 by Omila Weerasooriya.. Niroshan Perera remained unbeaten on 15, while Upesh Wijesiri claimed two wickets conceding 18 runs.
Rukshan Sooriyaarachchi claimed both awards of best batsman and player of the match, while Wijesiri won the award for the best bowler in their team’s 19 run win to claim the Nazar Razak Memorial Trophy.
Interestingly both winners of the player of the match awards — Prasanna Walalewela and Rukshan Sooriyaarachchi scored centuries as schoolboy cricketers in the annual Battle of the Maroons of the Hills Big Match in 1983 and 2006 respectively. Senaka Dissanayaka, the only batsman to score a double century in the Big Match, graced the occasion as the chief guest. Dissanayake scored 200 in the 1983 Big Match encounter.
This year’s encounter was dedicated to former Kingswood College allrounder Nazar Razak, who met with an untimely death due to a road accident and the game will be played for the Nazar Razak Challenge Trophy from this year. The 115th annual Big Match encounter between the two schools, the Battle of the Maroons in the Hills, ended in a thrilling draw recently. In the Over-40 encounter Saliya Jayasundara captained Old Rajans and Buddhika Ekanayake led the Kingswood old boys. Muditha Wijekoon led the Old Rajans Over-30 side while his counterpart leading Kingswood old boys team was Malitha Mallawarachchi.
Sri Lanka took a 1-0 lead in the ODI series with a tense ten-run win over West Indies, thanks largely to a match-defining performance from Inoka Ranaweera.
After being asked to bat, Sri Lanka posted 240 for 6, built on half-centuries from Hasini Perera (61 off 86) and Harshitha Samarawickrema (66 off 105). Captain Chamari Athapaththu made 27, while useful middle-order contributions from Nilakshika Silva and Kavisha Dilhari kept the innings moving at a controlled rate. A late cameo from Dewmi Vihanga, who struck 14 off six balls, ensured Sri Lanka pushed towards a competitive total in St George’s in Grenada.
But it was Ranaweera who tilted the contest. The experienced left-arm spinner returned figures of 4 for 44 from her ten overs. She removed the No. 3 Shemaine Campbelle cheaply, dismissed Chinelle Henry soon after, and then returned to break the dangerous stand of 89 between Stefanie Taylor and Jannillea Glasgow in the 40th over, just as West Indies were threatening to surge ahead. Ranaweera also accounted for Shawnisha Hector at the death.
Taylor’s 66 off 83 balls and Glasgow’s 50 off 67 had revived West Indies from early setbacks, and with Aaliyah Alleyne in the middle, the chase remained alive deep into the game. West Indies needed 18 from the last two overs, and 12 from the last six balls. However, Sri Lanka’s spinners held firm, with Dilhari finishing with three wickets, including two in the final over, to complement Ranaweera’s starring role.
West Indies were eventually bowled out for 230 in 49.4 overs. Sri Lanka have now won four of their last five ODIs against West Indies since 2017.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka Women 240 for 6 in 50 overs (Harshitha Samarawickrama 66, Hasini Perera 61; Hayley Matthews 2-46, Karishma Ramharak 2-57) beat West Indies Women 230 in 49.4 overs (Stefanie Taylor 66, Jannillea Glasgow 50; Inoka Ranaweera 4-44, Kavish Dilhari 3-49) by ten runs
[Cricinfo]
Left arm spinner Sharada Jayaratne took bowling honours of the day’s Under 19 cricket encounters as he took six wickets for Ananda to restrict Richmond to 168 runs in the traditional match at Ananda Mawatha.
Richmond were strongly placed at one stage with Risinu Rupasinghe (40) and Senuk Dulneth adding 91 runs for the first wicket. But when skipper Kithma Widanapathirana broke the stand, Richmond collapsed. Kithma and Sharada shared all ten wickets to fall.
In response the home team were 37 for three wickets at stumps with Vihanga Mihiranga inflicting early dammage.
At Darley Road, Wesley had a promising start with openers Shamma Fernando and Rasheed Nahyan putting on 58 runs for the first wicket before Nushan Perera and Sri Lanka Under 19 spinner Vigneswaran Akash shared seven wickets between them to restrict the Campbell Park team to 161 runs.
In reply St. Joseph’s reached 74 for no loss at stumps. The Joes amassed those runs in just 12.1 overs with Aveesha Samash hammering an unbeaten 53 in 38 balls (6x4s, 4x6s).
At De Soysa Stadium, Moratuwa, Mahanama posted 350 for nine wickets declared against Prince of Wales as Dulnith Sigera (74), Eshan Withanage (71n.o.) and Sineth Veerarathne (59) made half centuries.
For the Cambrians Nethul Anuhas took five wickets.
by Reemus Fernando
Former Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews believes the islanders have unearthed a gem in Pavan Rathnayake, backing the 23-year-old middle-order batter to scale the game’s highest peaks.
Drafted into the World Cup squad at the eleventh hour, Rathnayake has wasted little time in justifying the selectors’ leap of faith. While much of the spotlight has rightly fallen on Pathum Nissanka’s match-winning heroics, the youngster has quietly gone about his business, compiling runs with poise and a range of strokes that suggest he belongs on this stage.
Rathnayake’s inclusion was no shot in the dark. Sri Lanka’s struggles against spin had been laid bare in the lead-up to the tournament and the think tank sought a batter who could milk the tweakers rather than get tied in knots. Rathnayake ticked that box emphatically, earning praise from batting coach Vikram Rathour for the way he used his feet to get to the pitch of the ball and employed soft hands to manoeuvre the field.
Mathews, who has long advocated fast-tracking the youngster into the senior set-up, said the signs were unmistakable.
“We are seeing someone special in Pavan Rathnayake,” Mathews told Telecom Asia Sport.
“I have seen him in close quarters and what impressed me most is his temperament. If he gets a start, he will go on to get a big hundred. I rate him very highly. The manner in which he plays spin is remarkable. He can both use his feet and rock back as well. He is a huge find for Sri Lanka and the world will start talking about him as we move on,” he added.
Mathews reserved special praise for the youngster’s mental steel, a trait he believes separates the run-of-the-mill from the truly elite.
“Pavan has a cool head and is so good to watch when he is on song. He is a man of few words, but mentally a very tough bloke and that’s what separates good players from great ones. I have no doubt he can go on to become a great,” Mathews said.
Sri Lanka became the first side to book their ticket to the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup after a stirring win over Australia, a result that sent fans into raptures and put the former champions back in the reckoning.
They begin their Super Eight campaign on Sunday against England, returning to a contest that promises high voltage and little margin for error.
On paper, Sri Lanka appear to have most bases covered. But the injury list has thrown a spanner in the works. Eshan Malinga, Wanindu Hasaranga and Matheesha Pathirana have all been ruled out, forcing the selectors into three replacements and leaving the bowling attack short on experience at the business end.
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