Sports
How Sri Lanka stunned everyone in the Hong Kong Sixes
by Rex Clementine
When the team sheets for the Hong Kong Sixes hit the table, not a soul gave Sri Lanka a shot. Their squad didn’t boast any glittering stars, and it seemed every spectator, organizer, and sponsor had set their hearts on a blockbuster India-Pakistan final. After all, these two nuclear-armed neighbours rarely clash in bilateral series, so global events like this become a rare opportunity for fans to watch them go at each other’s jugular.
But the Sri Lankan selectors had pulled a clever rabbit out of the hat. They chose a squad of relatively inexperienced players who had excelled in domestic white-ball cricket, and that underdog team stormed to the finals unbeaten, delivering a thunderbolt by toppling pre-tournament favourites Pakistan.
Several players shone like diamonds in this competition, but it was Tharindu Ratnayake who stole the show, earning the Player of the Tournament title. Ratnayake wowed the crowd with his unique skill set—he could bowl both right-arm off-spin and left-arm orthodox with impeccable control. In the semi-final, he snatched four wickets, followed by two more in the final, and sealed the unforgettable tour by smashing a six to clinch victory.
“It was a very well-organized tournament. With the India-Pakistan rivalry, everyone was hoping for them to reach the finals. We were the underdogs, no doubt. People kept asking why Sri Lanka hadn’t sent any big names, as if we were just here to make up the numbers. What they didn’t know was that each of us had proven ourselves in domestic cricket,” Ratnayake told The Island.
“Without any big names, we realized we had to do something special. Our captain rallied us, telling us to watch every game closely and study the art of playing six-a-side competition. We began crafting strategies accordingly. Our goal was to score 25 runs in one over and more than 20 in two overs. We knew that if we could do that, we’d post totals hard to chase. Our bowling was our secret weapon, and you could see teams struggled to reach even 90 runs against us. Only in the semi-final did we concede more than 100,” Ratnayake reflected.
“None of us had ever set foot in Hong Kong before. Two Sri Lankans, Godwin and Rusiru, went out of their way to look after us, and our Manager, Mr. Samantha Dodanwala, handled everything with professionalism, making sure we were relaxed and focused. We’re grateful to Sri Lanka Cricket for putting their trust in us.”
He went on, “We owe thanks to all the Sri Lankans who showed up in numbers. When they cheered, ‘Sri Lanka! Sri Lanka!’ I got goosebumps. I’d never felt anything like that before; it fired me up even more.”
Although Kamindu Mendis has gained credit for his ambidextrous bowling, with television coverage showcasing his skill, it was Ratnayake who pioneered this art. He started out as a seamer, bowling right-arm and left-arm pace, but his district coach, Wasantha Wijesuriya, told him, “No one’s going to make an impact bowling seam from both arms.” Encouraged by this advice, Ratnayake switched to spin.
Hailing from the distant town of Marawila, Ratnayake’s cricketing journey began at St. Joseph Vaz College, Wennappuwa. Later, he earned a scholarship to S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, where he made massive strides, even bagging the Man of the Match award in the Royal-Thomian. In his final year, he was the second-highest wicket-taker across the island and earned a spot on the Sri Lanka Under-19 squad. Ratnayake has since journeyed across the domestic circuit, representing Bloomfield, SSC, Moors, and Sebastianites, before settling at Tamil Union.
Sri Lanka’s unexpected victory in Hong Kong wasn’t just a testament to skill but a reminder that sometimes, all it takes is determination, careful planning, and a few brave souls willing to shake up the script.
Under 19 Cricket
by Reemus Fernando
Rison Jansen anchored the batting line up with an unbeaten half century for Thurstan to reach 207 for seven wickets at stumps after Tissa Central skipper Ajith de Silva took three early wickets to trouble the visitors on day one of the Under 19 Division I Tier ‘B’ cricket encounter at Kalutara.
Jansen and Pathum Dananjaya frustrated the home team after initial jitters as they added 85 runs for the sixth wicket. Thurstan were four wickets down for 41 runs at one stage but Jansen managed to ease their nerves with his unbeaten knock (83n.o.) which came in 166 balls. It included six fours three sixes.
Thurstan seem to have reached safety by stumps after de Silva rocked them early. Tissa Central are in their first season after advancing to the Division I category by vertu of their impressive performances in Division II last season.
De Silva, who was one of the key players responsible for their achievement last season, will be able to showcase his talent against formidable opponents this season.
Meanwhile in Negombo, Maris Stella were edging closer to take first innings advantage against St. Peter’s, Bambalapitiya as they reached 128 for four wickets after reducing the visitors to 133 runs in the Tier A match.
Thurstan 207 for seven at Kalutara
Scores:
Thurstan
207 for 7 in 69 overs (Rachitha de Silva 26, ,Rison Jansen 83n.o., Pathum Dananjaya 35; Ajith de Silva 3/35)
St. Peter’s 133, Maris Stella 128/4 at Negombo
Scores:
St. Peter’s
133 all out in 36 overs (Oveen Salgado 39, Joshua Sebastian 31; Oshadha Gunasinghe 4/30, Nilesh Perera 2/31, Hasindu Perera 2/03, Ramith Bandara 2/27)
Maris Stella
128 for four in 40 overs (Hasindu Perera 54, Ramith Bandara 38n.o.; Lashmika Perera 2/48)
Musaeus College beat Carmel Convent Puttalam 15-9 to reach the quarter-final stage of the Under 15 tournament of the Milo Schools Netball championship at Matara on Tuesday.
The crucial knockout matches and the finals of the championship will be played today.
There’s considerable difference in the recent form of the two sides.
Afghanistan come into this series on the back of their first bilateral ODI series win over South Africa. That was in September, and in Sharjah, one of their unofficial home grounds.
Bangladesh are massively short of confidence after the recent results against South Africa at home, where they lost both Tests – in Dhaka and Chattogram – quite convincingly.
While Afghanistan are familiar with Sharjah, Bangladesh are going to play ODIs there for the first time in 29 years, after the 1995 Asia Cup. They have also played three T20Is at the venue, the last of which was a seven-wicket defeat against Afghanistan in the 2022 Asia Cup.
Afghanistan have brought in opening batter Sediqullah Atal and left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad in place of the injured pair of Ibrahim Zadran (ankle) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (hand).
Atal grabbed a lot of attention at the recent Asia Cup for emerging teams, where he struck three quick fifties to finish as the highest scorer. There is also the 20-year-old uncapped fast bowler Bilal Sami, who used the short ball effectively against Sri Lanka A at the emerging team’s tournament recently.
There are familiar faces to be wary of too. Noor recently took 22 wickets in the CPL to finish as the Player of the Tournament. There is star quick Fazalhaq Farooqi, who rocked them in the last bilateral ODI series between the two sides last year, picking up eight wickets in three games.
And Bangladesh will also do well to watch as much footage of 18-year-old offspinner A M Ghanzafar, who was among the wickets against South Africa and also did well in the emerging tournament.
Form, availability and fitness issues have forced Bangladesh to make several changes to the ODI side that played in March, the last time they played the format. Shakib Al Hasan has reportedly opted out of the Afghanistan series, Litton Das is down with a fever, and Tanzim Hasan is out with a shoulder injury.
One of the players to get a look-in is Nahid Rana, with Zakir Hasan and Nasum Ahmed also coming in. With Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam also around, it’s a solid-looking fast-bowling attack.
Rana was fast-tracked to the national team, and made a big impression when he played a major role in Bangladesh’s Test series victory in Pakistan in August. There have not been too many of them over the years – a proper Bangladeshi fast bowler. Sharjah might not be the best place to bowl fast, but Rana will be one to watch out for, especially to see how he goes in a new format.
While Afghanistan have had a straightforward lead-up to the ODI series, the situation is very different for Bangladesh. Najmul Hossain Shanto is captain, but there’s still no proper clarity on his situation after he had informed the BCB that he wanted the Test series against South Africa to be his last as the captain.
There has also been all the confusion around the coach. Chandika Hathurusinghe was suspended first and then sacked in a couple of days, with Phil Simmons joining the team in between. All around the time the fiasco around Shakib’s Test retirement was on, which was followed by the champion allrounder not being able to travel to Bangladesh for the South Africa series because of concerns around his security.
Bangladesh found it tough to put it all behind them, at least on the evidence of the South Africa series, but they have to move on. The sooner the better. Ideally starting with this series
[Cricinfo]
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