Sports
Finch:Australia’s ‘fate out of our ownhands toapoint’ followingheavydefeat toNewZealand
Aaron Finch conceded that Australia’s hopes of defending their men’s T20 World Cup title may already be out of their hands because of the huge margin of the loss to New Zealand and its impact on their net run-rate.Although the table is in its most embryonic stage after the first day of the Super 12s, Australia’s NRR is -4.450 following the 89-run hammering at the SCG, where they were bundled for 111.They had one huge blowout on their way to the title last year in the UAE when they were beaten heavily by England, but by then they had two wins on the board and had just two group matches left. So it was a shorter sprint to the line than they potentially face this time, starting with the match against Sri Lanka in Perth on Tuesday.
“That’s a big loss in the context of the tournament,” Finch said. “We were just totally outplayed in all three facets. It hurts our net run-rate… but we’re still going to be positive. I think we still back ourselves that we can win four, and you need a little bit of luck along the way in such a brutal tournament.”
Australia had little choice but to bat aggressively in their chase when faced with a target of 201, but both Finch and Mitchell Marsh fell trying to target the short boundary, which New Zealand had done to good effect, after David Warner was unlucky to be bowled via his pad and the back of the bat.
This was Australia’s fifth defeat in their last nine T20Is but Finch said there would not be a reassessment of how they go about their game. “You can’t go into a shell in T20 cricket,” he said. “You have to be able to transfer pressure back on the opposition as quick as you can, and at times that comes with risk. So you have to be prepared to wear the consequences of taking risks at times.
“We haven’t got it totally right. We’ve got to look at ourselves in that regard. But I’m still committed to playing the same way that won us the last World Cup and has given us a bit of a setback here. We’ve taken the fate out of our own hands I think, to a point. We need to be ultra-positive, ultra-aggressive, and I’m sure that we’ll all do that.”
One of the talking points when Australia were in the field was the absence of Glenn Maxwell from the attack just two days after Andrew McDonald pinpointed him as a key part of the bowling unit. Finch indicated the absence had largely been down to an unfavourable match-up with Devon Conway, who batted through the innings, which meant Marcus Stoinis bowled his full quota of four overs.
“We felt that Marcus Stoinis bowling quite a bit of pace off was working really well,” Finch said. “Devon Conway is a really good player at spin. So while he was in and he’d faced 25, 30 balls, it can be hard to stop any batter hitting to that short side. And there wasn’t any spin in the wicket in that first half of the game, so it felt it would be a little bit of a bigger risk with Devon being able to access that side. We felt as though Stoinis would be able to defend himself a little bit better.”However, Adam Zampa suggested Australia may have been slow to take pace off the ball when New Zealand were away to a flying start from Finn Allen.
“Making the right decisions earlier, it’s probably ‘do we take the pace off the second, third or fourth over just to change it up a bit’. Probably in hindsight we could have,” Zampa said. “Maxi’s a great option for us as well, think we made some poor decisions, took us a little longer to assess the conditions. You saw Tim Southee, Trent Boult in their powerplay… they just used the pitch, Tim Southee bowled off-pace really well and made it hard for us to score.” (ESPN)
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first in the opening ODI in Colombo, a venue that has historically been difficult for chasing teams. England captain Harry Brook said his team would have batted first as well.
England made one change to the XI they had named on the eve of the match, with allrounder Will Jacks having taken ill overnight. Jacks, an offspin-bowling allrounder, has been replaced in the XI by legspinning allrounder Rehan Ahmed.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have opted for a young attack, perhaps with a view to resting the more experienced bowlers for the T20Is coming up. There is no Wanindu Hasaranga or Maheesh Theekshana in the XI. Left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage and legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay will lead the spin attack instead, with the likes of Dhananjaya de Silva and Charith Asalanka also able to bowl.
Asitha Fernando and Pramod Madushan are the frontline seamers.
Although conditions were warm and fair at the toss, there is a chance showers could roll through later.
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (capt.), Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Rehan Ahmed, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Ratnayake, Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando
[Cricinfo]
The official tour showcasing the ICC T20 World Cup trophy, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka in 2026, was formally inaugurated on Wednesday (21) at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The trophy will be displayed in several major cities across the island from Wednesday 21st until Saturday 24th, over a period of four days. Cricket fans will have the opportunity to see the golden trophy up close during the Sri Lanka vs England One-Day International match at the R. Premadasa International Stadium in Colombo.
Subsequently, plans are in place to take the trophy to the cities of Kandy, Dambulla and Jaffna, providing cricket enthusiasts in those regions as well with the opportunity to take commemorative photographs with the World Cup trophy and view it. The primary aim of this tour is to generate excitement and build spectator interest in the lead-up to hosting a World Cup tournament in the country.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held from 7th February to 8th March 2026 co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India. This World Cup is the largest tournament Sri Lanka will host since the T20 World Cup held in 2012.
The tournament schedule was revealed on 25th November 2025 in India, where the International Cricket Council (ICC) selected the R. Premadasa International Stadium in Colombo, the Pallekele International Stadium and the Colombo SSC Ground as the venues for matches in Sri Lanka.
Accordingly, 8 matches are scheduled at the R. Premadasa International Stadium, 5 matches at the Colombo SSC Ground and 7 matches at the Pallekele International Stadium.
Twenty countries are set to participate in this tournament. Twenty matches of the tournament are scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka, with all matches involving the Pakistan team to be played in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, a special feature is that if the Pakistan team qualifies for the semi-finals and the final, Sri Lanka will also host those two matches.
In that event, the final will be held at the R. Premadasa International Stadium in Colombo, increasing the number of matches scheduled for Sri Lanka to 22.
Apart from the host nations Sri Lanka and India, Test-playing nations England, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan will be represented in this tournament. Additionally, the United States of America, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Namibia, Nepal, Oman and the United Arab Emirates are the other contributing countries.
The T20 World Cup to be held in Sri Lanka at the beginning of 2026 can be considered an excellent opportunity to deliver effective value to the country’s economy, tourism industry, sports development, international promotion and society.
In particular, the arrival of teams, media groups and thousands of spectators, including foreign tourists, will generate significant foreign exchange earnings for the country. It is also expected to create short and long-term employment opportunities in various sectors including hotel and food & beverage businesses, transport services and technical and operational services.
By Sri Lanka hosting this tournament, long-term benefits such as increased opportunities for new investments as Sri Lanka is recognised worldwide as a tourist destination, the identification of Sri Lanka as a year-round sports tourism hub and the strengthening of Sri Lanka’s international profile leading to an enhancement of the country’s value, will be attained.
Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Gamage, Deputy Minister of Sports, Sugath Tilakaratne, Director General of Sports, S. Achchudan, Sri Lanka Cricket President, Shammi Silva along with the Executive Committee and a group including Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup team captain Dasun Shanaka and Head Coach, Sanath Jayasuriya were also present at the occasion.
A third successive T20I half-century from Darwish Rasooli, an anchoring fifty from Sediqullah Atal and a maiden T20I hat-trick from Mujeeb Ur Rahman helped Afghanistan take an unassailable 2-0 lead over West Indies in the three match series.
Mujeeb grabbed four wickets in five deliveries spread across two different overs – and spells – to wreck West Indies’ pursuit of 190, and their downfall was swift thereafter. They were eventually bowled out for 150.
Before Mujeeb’s 4 for 21, Rasooli and Atal enjoyed a 115-run third-wicket stand to hold Afghanistan’s batting innings together. A late cameo from Azmatullah Omarzai on a turning surface made the total even more daunting.
The win made it a hat-trick of T20I series wins for Afghanistan. The two teams meet again on Thursday for what will be Afghanistan’s final T20I before the T20 World Cup. West Indies will seek a consolation win before their tour of South Africa.
West Indies’ chase started poorly. They lost newly promoted opener Alick Athanaze to a direct hit in the third over, and they could score only 29 in the powerplay, squeezed by Fazalhaq Farooqi’s opening spell.
Mujeeb, who bowled two overs in the powerplay, then returned in the eighth and went around the wicket to skid one straight through and hit No. 3 Evin Lewis’ pad before he could bring out a shot.
When right-hander Johnson Charles walked in next, Mujeeb came over the stumps and got a delivery to drift in beautifully from outside off and through the gate to peg back off stump as the batter drove away from his body. West Indies were 38 for 3.
But they were not going down without a fight, and Shimron Hetmyer’s assault on Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad kept West Indies in the game. Hetmyer pumped six sixes in a 17-ball 46. Farooqi, however, dismissed him in the 14th over, and Rashid brought Mujeeb back for his third, with West Indies needing 68 runs in five overs.
Mujeeb kept his length back, and with West Indies desperate for big shots, Brandon King (50) came down the track and miscued the hat-trick ball down to long on. Mujeeb wheeled away in celebration, having become the third Afghanistan bowler to achieve the feat after Rashid and Karim Janat. Two balls later, T20I newbie Quentin Sampson failed to put bat on a googly, and Mujeeb had his fourth.
The lower order offered little resistance, as West Indies lost their last five wickets for 27 runs.
On Monday, Rasooli had smashed 84 in a 162-run stand with Ibrahim Zadran to set up Afghanistan’s series-opening win, and on Wednesday he combined just as effectively with Atal.
As in the first game, Afghanistan lost both openers inside the powerplay, and Rasooli ensured there were no stutters by taking the aggressive route with his square cuts, drives through the off side and flat-batted shots down the ground.
Helped by let-offs from the West Indies fielders, Rasooli reached his fifty in 22 balls – his third in a row for Afghanistan – while Atal was more watchful.
Rasooli powered along through the middle overs, taking down Khary Pierre and Gudakesh Motie. Atal and Rasooli fell in the 17th and 18th overs respectively, but with the big-hitting Mohammad Nabi and Omarzai walking in next, there was no respite for West Indies. Motie, left to bowl the 20th over, conceded 19 with Omarzai hitting him for back-to-back sixes, and Afghanistan posted 189 for 4.
Brief scores:
Afghanistan 189 for 4 in 20 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 22, Darwish Rasooli 68, Sediqullah Atal 53, Azmatullah Omarzai 26*; Maththw Forde 2-25, Shamar Joseph 1-35, Ramon Simmonds 1-39) beat West Indies 150 in 18.5 overs (Brandon King 50, Evin Lewis 13, Shimron Hetmyer 46, Khary Pierre 11; Fazalhqu Farooki 2-28, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 4-21, Azmatullah Omarzai 2-20, Rashid Khan 1-19) by 39 runs
[Cricinfo]
Indonesian Naval Ship ‘KRI SULTAN ISKANDAR MUDA – 367’ arrives in Colombo
Royal Navy of Oman Ship ‘AL SEEB’ calls at Port of Colombo
Jacks out with illness as Sri Lanka bat against England
Mechanism to be established involving university academics and experts for Education Reforms – President
New integrated framework to bring all stakeholders together to safeguard and rebuild Central highlands – President
ICC T20 World Cup Trophy tour in Sri Lanka launched under President’s patronage
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Editorial5 days agoIllusory rule of law
-
News6 days agoUNDP’s assessment confirms widespread economic fallout from Cyclone Ditwah
-
Editorial6 days agoCrime and cops
-
Features5 days agoDaydreams on a winter’s day
-
Editorial7 days agoThe Chakka Clash
-
Features5 days agoSurprise move of both the Minister and myself from Agriculture to Education
-
Features4 days agoExtended mind thesis:A Buddhist perspective
-
Features5 days agoThe Story of Furniture in Sri Lanka