Sports
How Bumrah edged out Rashid as MVP
The match was such a vital clash that it needed the best in the business to push their limits, and both Jasprit Bumrah and Rashid Khan may have lived up to their requirements, delivering stellar performances at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown on Thursday. However, if the Indian spearhead finished on the right side of the result of the contest between India and Afghanistan, it could be because he was more prepared to embrace the challenges than his Afghan counterpart.
Rashid may find it difficult to reconcile with the truth that his figures of three for 26 – claiming the key scalps of Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Shivam Dube at seminal moments – were not enough on a slow, challenging track for the batters. But then that was the reality of the situation: Bumrah was simply too powerful for his side. After Rashid claimed the key wickets, the Afghans had to deal with five more formidable batters. The Indian batters came in relentless waves, proving to be an inexhaustible force under the shining sun. With their strengths and batting depths, India should have scored more than 181 for 8.
The challenge with the Rashid phenomenon lies in how and when to best utilize him. Being the captain himself, Rashid often faces a difficult dilemma. In this match, he bowled the seventh, ninth, 11th, and 14th overs, claiming wickets in his first three overs before Hardik Pandya successfully negotiated his last. This left Afghanistan with six overs without their star bowler. Critical questions arise: did Rashid put enough pressure on himself to bowl the tougher overs or was he content to finish by the 14th? After his spell, India added 66 runs, bringing their total to 181 for 8. While not insurmountable, it was competitive enough for the Indian bowlers to defend, particularly when they had Bumrah in their line-up.
Bumrah, on the other hand, was at his penetrative best, rising to the occasion for both his team and captain. He bowled the second, fifth, 16th, and 19th overs, conceding only seven runs. He was simply unstoppable, with his
ability to vary speeds effectively, creating a stark contrast between his faster deliveries and slower ones. His yorkers were unmistakably exceptional, with one of them even beating the wicketkeeper. His bouncers were equally dangerous and effective. Swinging the ball both ways, Bumrah emerged as the most complete bowler, impeccably delivering exactly what was needed of him.
Bumrah applied immediate pressure in the second over, claiming the wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz with his second delivery of the innings. He swiftly followed it up by dismissing Hazratullah Zazai in his next over. These early blows dented Afghanistan’s chase, and by the end of the PowerPlay, they were struggling at 35 for three. Bumrah returned to rattle them further by dismissing Najibullah Zadran in his third over. At that point, Afghanistan needed an improbable 80 runs from just 28 deliveries with only four wickets in hand.
(Cricbuzz)
Both the men’s and women’s cricket events at the LA 2028 Olympics are set to be six-team competitions, as approved by the Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday (April 9). Further, a total of 90 athlete quotas have been allotted to each gender, allowing each nation to name a 15-member squad.
As reported earlier, T20 Internationals have been designated as the format of choice for the competition. The venues are yet to be confirmed although New York is in the fray to host the matches.
It is unclear how the six participating nations will be determined and the issue of representation, in the cases of Great Britain and the West Indies, is yet to be addressed as well.
Cricket was last part of the Olympic Games in 1900, when it was contested by just two teams – Great Britain and France. Great Britain went on to win the only cricket Olympics Gold Medal thus far by winning what was a 2-day game.
Cricket has recently been a part of other international multi-sport events. Both men’s and women’s cricket competitions were part of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games whereas the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games featured an eight-team women’s competition.
(Cricbuzz)
The three-day Schools Relay Carnival will conclude at Diyagama today. Here are some action pictures from day two of the event on Thursday.
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- St. Benedict’s dominated Under 20 4×800 metres
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- (From left) Shadhen Ravihansa, Rohith Akshana, Manuwa Nethsara and Enok Dilshan of Rathnayake Central won the Under 18 boys’ 4×800 metres
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- The quartet of St. Joseph Vaz’s College Wennappuwa (from left), Camidu Sandew, Maleesha Anuhas, Ruchira Daham and Kavindu Maleesha won the Under 16 boys’ 4×800 metres
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- (From left) Nethmi Sadamaya, Githmi Nehara, Gihara Karunarathne and Sahasra Sithumini of Rathnayake Central Walala pose after winning the Under 16 girls’ 4x800m relay.
Rathnayake Central lead Under 18 4x800m relay.
(Pix by Kamal Wanniarachchi)
Karunaratne dropped from South Asian Championships
Veteran coach Susantha Fernando has questioned the credibility of the selection process of Sri Lanka Athletics after Harsha Karunaratne, the reigning national champion in the men’s 800 metres was dropped from the team for the up coming South Asian Athletics Championships.
The South Asian Athletics Championship will be held from May 3 to 5 in Ranchi, India. Unlike at previous editions, Sri Lanka Athletics has picked only one athlete per event for a majority of disciplines in a bid to cut costs.
Karunaratne who trains under Fernando was placed second in the 800 metres at the final selection trial. While the governing body has picked two athletes each for 100m, 200m, 400m, 110m hurdles, javelin throw and high jump, only one athlete each has been picked for all other events from 800 metres to 10000 m and other field events.
Fernando has requested the intervention of the sports minister to include Katunaratne in the team.
“Sri Lanka Athletics has sent two athletes each for the 800 metres for all South Asian Championships and South Asian Games since 1995. On all occations the governing body had picked athletes who had clocked sub 1:50 seconds. This will be the first time an athlete who had clocked sub 1:50 is not picked in the team,” Fernando has stated in a letter addressed to the sports minister.
Karunaratne, the elder brother of Asian Games gold medallist Tharushi, was pipped to the second place by G.K. Chathuranga at the selection trial held early last month. The two athletes were seperated only by miliseconds. While Chathuranga returned a time of 1:49.89 seconds, Karunaratne clocked 1:49.98 seconds.
Fernando has also stated that Karunaratne had recovered from a virus fever just a week prior to the selection trial.
When contacted on this regard an offical of Sri Lanka Athletics said that the governing body of the sport was reluctantly compelled to pick a pruned down team in a bid to reduce costs and all selection decisions were taken after careful consideration of the current rankings of the South Asian region in each discipline.
by Reemus Fernando
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