Sports
Holy Cross record thrilling one wicket win to reach final
Under 19 Division II Tier ‘A’ cricket
Holy Cross College, Kalutara pulled off a thrilling one wicket victory over Sri Sumangala College, Panadura to reach the final of the Under 19 Division II Tier ‘A’ cricket tournament at Dombagoda on Monday(5).
Chasing a target of 127 runs to win, the boys from Kalutara were precariously placed at six wickets down for 72 runs at one stage but an unbeaten 38 runs by Pasindu Wimansa helped them reach the target with a wicket to spare. Wimansa faced 48 balls and scored a six and a four in his decisive knock.
Earlier on, Holy Cross were rocked by Imalka Fernando who took four wickets including back to back wickets in one over before skipper Sasindu Kaushan helped them ease nerves by adding crucial runs.
Wimansa who was anchoring a fragile tail saw two of his partners leaving without making any additions to the total. Both of them fell victim to Wishwa Kumara who completed his ten overs for just 13 runs. With just one wicket remaining and seven runs to score it was anybody’s game at that stage. But Wimansa kept his cool to guide Holy Cross to the final.
In the morning they justified the decision to bowl first as Hivin Kenula, Wimansa, Sonal Awadika and Hansaja Brian struck decisive blows to keep Sri Sumangala top order calm. The only exception was Duranka Silva who dropped anchor with a valuable 41 runs which contained seven fours.
With as many as six batsmen getting out for single digit scores, Duranka, number seven batsman Kavindu Gayathra and Imalka Fernando got them to their eventual total.
Holy Cross will now meet Lyceum International School, Wattala in the final. Lyceum scored a four wickets win over St. Sebastian’s, Katuneriya according to D/L system in their semi-final.
Scores:
Sri Sumangala
126 all out in 39.1 overs (Duranka Silva 41, Kavindu Gayathra 33, Imalka Fernando 14; Pasindu Wimansa 3/30, Sonal Awadika 2/18, Gayantha Nadeesha 2/01)
Holy Cross
127 for 9 in 48 overs (Sanuka Cheran 17, Rashan Kethaka 16, Sasindu Kaushan 14, Pasindu Wimansa 38n.o.; Vishwa Kumara 2/13, Nethmika Peiris 2/23, Imalka Fernando 4/25)
(RF)
PSL 2025 will resume on May 17, with the final on May 25. While there hasn’t yet been a public decision on the fixture list or venues, the announcement confirms the league will end a week after it was originally scheduled to.
This was announced on X (formerly Twitter) by PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi. “HBL PSL X picks up from where it left off,” he wrote in the post. “6 teams, 0 fear. Get ready for 8 thrilling matches starting 17th May, leading up to the Grand Final on 25th May. Best of luck to all the teams!”
PCB is expected to announce further details shortly, and though Naqvi’s tweet did not officially confirm it, the remaining matches are expected to be played in Pakistan. The league, which was postponed due to increasing cross-border tensions with India, has eight games left and the PCB, as well as several franchises, have been eager to conclude the season as early as possible.
The PSL held meetings with the franchises on Monday to discuss specific dates and venues. The most pressing issue is the availability of overseas players, with ESPNcricinfo understanding a significant number are unlikely to return. The asymmetry of player availability may also impact squads, with some franchises more confident about overseas players rejoining than others. To mitigate that, PCB has also considered a replacement draft to make up the numbers.
This also confirms that Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan will not stick to its original schedule. The final of the PSL takes place on the day Bangladesh were to play their first T20I against Pakistan, in Faisalabad. BCB has said it is in active and ongoing discussions about the tour.
(Cricinfo)
While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has yet to officially announce the venues for the final and the first two playoffs – Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator – Cricbuzz understands that the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad has been shortlisted to host Qualifier 2 and the final, scheduled for June 1 and 3 respectively.
The IPL is resuming on May 17 and it will have 17 games post break. Six centres – Mumbai, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Jaipur – will be hosting the games.
Arjun Menon, Cricket Malawi’s operations director, has died aged 48. Police are reported to be investigating the circumstances of his death in Blantyre, Malawi’s financial and commercial capital, on Sunday.
Menon played for Singapore and held coaching roles with various international teams including Chile, Botswana, Indonesia and Singapore before taking on the Malawi role in 2020.
“As Cricket Malawi, we are devastated by this loss because Arjun did so much to our transformative agenda,” Vivek Ganesan, the president of Cricket Malawi, told Nation Online. “All the successes we have so far are attributed to him. This is a very painful loss.”
Dr. Henry Kamata, CEO of the Malawi National Council of Sports, also conveyed his condolences in a statement. “Arjun was a dedicated coach and a passionate advocate for the development of cricket in Malawi,” he said. “His contributions to the sport were immense and far-reaching, playing a pivotal role in the growth and success of the Malawi cricket team on regional and international platforms.
“His commitment, professionalism, and vision were truly inspirational, and his loss is a devastating blow to the sporting fraternity in Malawi and beyond.”
During Menon’s tenure, the Malawi men’s team were runners-up behind Tanzania in Group A of the T20 World Cub Sub Regional Africa Qualifier in September 2024. The Under-19 women’s team, meanwhile, topped Division 2 of the 2025 Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier, gaining entry to Division 1 where they achieved a seventh-place finish.
[Cricinfo]
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