Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the decisions and judgments delivered within the Supreme Court complex serve as a mirror that clearly reflects the justice, democracy, and the rule of law in Sri Lanka.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while participating in the ceremony to handover the refurbished Supreme Court complex for judicial proceedings, following its modernization with assistance from the Government of China.

The renovation project was carried out in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Justice of Sri Lanka, and the China International Development Cooperation Agency.

While preserving the original appearance and structural integrity of the Supreme Court building, the complex has been upgraded with modern technology. The renovations include seven new court court rooms equipped with single-judge, three-judge, five-judge, and seven-judge benches; 20 new official chambers for judges; staff facilities; elevators; a modern library; a case records room; an auditorium; and a control room with an automated camera system covering all areas of the complex.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister  noted,

“The complex, originally constructed in 1988 with the support of the Government of China, has now been modernized in line with contemporary needs after more than three decades, marking a significant step forward.

The investment in judicial infrastructure is, in essence, an investment in public trust. A secure and efficient environment strengthens the independence and dignity of the judiciary”.

The Prime Minister expressed appreciation for the continuous support extended to Sri Lanka by the Government of China, including President Xi Jinping and expressed that these modern facilities would serve as a strong foundation in fulfilling the public’s expectation that justice will be delivered equally to all.

The event was attended by Minister of Justice Harshana Nanayakkara, Chief Justice Padman Surasena, Ambassador of China to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong, Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe, as well as several judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

Pakistan have won the toss and opted to bowl first against Netherlands in the T20 World Cup 2026 opener at SSC in Colombo. The rain has stayed away so far, and in searingly hot conditions, Salman Agha chose to insert Netherlands in what he described as unusual conditions for Sri Lanka.

“It looks like a fresh pitch and there’s been rain for a few days, so if there’s any moisture we want to use that,” Agha said at the toss. “It’s the first time I’ve seen that much grass in Sri Lanka.”

Pakistan have gone in with three seam bowlers given the extra assistance for seam, with Shaheen Shah Afridi, Salman Mirza and Faheem Ashraf in the starting XI.

Netherlands captain Scott Edwards called it “a very good batting wicket”. He admitted he would have looked to bowl first too, but “we’re happy to be batting here”. “We’ve been in India and SL for a month and a half, used to the conditions,” he said. “Plenty of allrounders and options for bowling and batting.”

Pakistan:  Sahibzada Farhan,  Saim Ayub,  Salman Ali Agha (capt),   Babar Azam,   Usman Khan (wk),   Shadab Khan,   Mohammad Nawaz,   Faheem Ashraf ,   Shaheen Afridi,    Salman Mirza,, Abrar Ahmed

Netherlands: Michael Levitt,  Max O’Dowd,  Colin Ackermann,  Scott Edwards (capt, wk),  Bas de Leede, Zach Lion-Cachet,  Logan van Beek,  Roelof van Der Merwe,  Kyle Klein, Aryan Dutt,  Paul van Meekeren

[Cricinfo]

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gave the latest demonstration of his prodigious talent with a record breaking innings in Harare as India completed a dominant run at the Under-19 World Cup, swatting aside England’s challenge, to lift the trophy for the sixth time.

Sooryavanshi, the 14-year-old opener, showcased his full range of scoring in an audacious knock of 175 off just 80 balls to almost single-handedly extinguish England’s hopes after India had opted to bat. When he was third out, India were 251 for 3 in the 26th over and hypothetically on track to score 500. No one could keep up with Sooryavanshi’s rate, but cameos down the order from Abhigyan Kundu and Kanishk Chouhan did take India past 400 for the first time in a Youth ODI between Full Member nations.

For England, Caleb Falconer  struck a scintillating 63-ball hundred in response, but there was too much left to do and he was last out as India regained the Under-19 title, having lost the final to Australia two years ago.