Sports
Ireland fight back after disappointing first Test
Rex Clementine in Galle
If you had just brushed aside Ireland as weak and timid opposition against whom records mean nothing, you were made to rethink and Sri Lanka’s bowlers and coaching staff were forced to reassess their strategies as they finished on a strong 319 for four on day one of the second Test here in Galle yesterday.
Beaten inside three days by an innings and 280 runs last week, there was little hope for the Irish and it looked déjà vu when Prabath Jayasuriya claimed a wicket off his first over. But Andy Balbirnie wasn’t going to go down without a fight.
First it didn’t look like classical Test match grinding as the Irish skipper raced to his half-century off just 43 balls with ten fours. But soon after the milestone he settled down to put the tourists in pole position.
Together with deputy Paul Stirling, Balbirnie added 115 runs for the fourth wicket, a record for Ireland for any wicket in their brief Test history.
With Sri Lanka finding it hard to make a breakthrough, Stirling made things easy for the hosts as he was forced to retire with cramps.
Balbirnie would be kicking himself for throwing away the opportunity to become only the third Irishmen to score a hundred in Test match cricket as he attempted a wild paddle sweep off Ramesh Mendis and was caught at first slip.
Wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker, who had scored a hundred on debut in Dhaka earlier this month, is looking good to post another hundred in only his third Test as he came up with an entertaining knock finishing unbeaten on 78.
Sri Lanka were ruing a missed opportunity as they failed to review a bat-pad catch when he was on 36.
Tucker and Curtis Campher have added 87 runs for the fifth wicket and Sri Lanka need to make a breakthrough early on day two.
Mendis bowled poorly sending down a couple of loose balls every over. The off-spinner has had that problem for a while now and patience is running thin.
Having said that several off-spinners in the country whom we have tried out have issues with their action and in Mendis at least you have someone with a clean action. Then, in an era when most young players have had disciplinary issues, Mendis has a clean record and it’s only fair that the team perseveres with him hoping he will fix the problem rather than discarding him at this stage of his career.
Under 19 Cricket
Left-arm spinners Vishwa Peiris and Demion de Silva took five wickets each as St. Joseph’s cruised to an innings and 51 runs victory over St. Benedict’s in the Traditional Mack – Croner trophy cricket encounter at Darley Road on Tuesday.
St. Benedict’s came to the match having done well in the Tier B tournament matches but the spin might of the Joes was too hot for them to handle as they collapsed for 62 runs in the second innings.
The result somewhat exposed the gap between the Tier A and Tier B teams of the Under 19 Division I category as the team from Kotahena were bowled out within 25 overs. They were following on after being dismissed for 197 runs in the first innings, where Nushan Perera grabbed five wickets bowling the bulk of the overs for the Joes. He was adjudged the Best Bowler.
While Vishwa was the Man of the Match, Rishma Amarasinghe (Best Fielder) and Senuja Wakunugoda (Best Batsman) won the other individual awards.
The Joes made 313 in their innings with Senuja top scoring with 106 runs.
In the Division I Tier ‘A’ matches Gurukula (against St. Sebastian’s) and St. Anthony’s Katugastota (against Royal) registered first innings victories.
Maliyadeva took first innings points against De Mazenod in a tier B match.
(RF)
Organisers of the ICC T20 World Cup are sweating over after Pakistan refused to play nuclear-armed neighbours India in Colombo, a decision that has left administrators scratching their heads and staring at a potential financial googly.
The India–Pakistan contest, the jewel in the tournament’s crown, is the game that oils cricket’s economic engine. If the marquee clash is bowled out, the loss of revenue will have every stakeholder feeling the pinch from boardroom to boundary rope. Islamabad’s call to withdraw, taken at government level, has sparked fears the verdict will not be overturned.
Anticipation for the grudge match had reached fever pitch. Tickets vanished on day one of sales, while Colombo’s hotels were snapped up quickly. Five-star rooms that normally fetch 150 US dollars were hiked to 600 USD, some even soaring to 800 USD as the city braced for a carnival.
With the capital full to the rafters, tour operators shuttled visitors to nearby Negombo, an hour’s drive from the stadium, while others opted for apartments as accommodation ran dry. Flights, too, were booked well in advance, but uncertainty over the epic duel has now cast a long shadow.
“We haven’t had many cancellations yet, but we fear the worst. Everyone will take a hit if the game doesn’t take place,” aviation industry official Thusitha Perera told Telecom Asia Sport.
Gihan Wickramasinghe, representing Colombo’s hoteliers, echoed the concern. “Our hope is the match goes ahead. If not, we’ll have to refund bookings and the tour operators will be hit even harder.”
Tour operator Lisa Fernando said the anxiety was mounting. “Two groups from Dubai alone, 75 people, were coming. Corporate clients had planned trips down south as well. There’s a lot of money at stake and so much unnecessary stress.”
Indian fan Varun Kumar from Bangalore has already paid for flights and hotels but intends to travel regardless. “Sri Lanka has been on my bucket list. Whether the match happens or not, we’ll come to experience the country,” he said.
Sri Lanka Cricket remains optimistic the contest will be rescued before the final over is called. But if the showpiece is scratched, it would be a hammer blow to an economy only just finding its feet after years of setbacks, leaving the tournament badly caught behind.
SSC Open Tennis Championship 2026
Zacharia Akbar and Thishya Banagala were crowned champions in the Under 12 boys’ and girls’ singles respectively of the SSC Open Tennis Championships in Colombo.
In the boys final, Zacharia Akbar beat Kashya Seneviratne 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. The S.Thomas’ College player reached the finals with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Satheesh Appathuri in the semi-finals.
The Under 12 girls’ final saw Thishya Banagala beat Thiyansa de Silva 7-5, 6-2.
The Visakha Vidyalaya player reached the final after a 6-4, 6-4 win over Manuli Seneviratne in the semis.
Zacharia Akbar (Pix by Kamal Wanniarachchi)
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