Sports

Kiwi teams prevail on first day of round 2

Published

5 years ago

2021/05/24

Sahan Weerasooriya

Trans Tasman Super Rugby

by Rajitha Ratwatte

Round two of the Trans-Tasman super rugby tournament had two matches played on Friday night. The first one was the Wellington Hurricanes at home to the Melbourne Rebels who had been thrashed by the Auckland Blues last weekend. The Melbourne team were still missing the services of ace placekicker Reece Hodge and the Wellingtonians still without skipper Aardie Savea with Dan Coles captaining in his stead and Nani Laumape the tough irrepressible center back, in probably his last game of super rugby, as he has signed up with a French club.

The wind always blows in Wellington and the home team won the toss and chose to play into the wind for the first half and the visitors kicked off. A long opening sequence ended with a kickable penalty being awarded to the Hurricanes, but the touch option was chosen. The Melbourne team was defending well with the backs coming up together and tacking hard. The forwards even turned over the ball from two rucks effectively. The first scrum was six minutes into the game and the Melbourne pack did a much better job than the previous week, holding up well. A series of penalties were awarded to the ‘Canes as the Melbourne line was found offside for coming up too fast in their over-eagerness to rectify last week’s errors. All possible three pointers were disregarded as the Wellington boys had bigger things in mind. In the 14th minute referee Graham Cooper had enough and dished out a yellow card to the Rebels tight-head prop, (probably for the sins of his backs!) and this, of course, meant a one-man advantage to the ‘Canes for 10 minutes. Julian Savea playing on the wing, made an interception in the 19th minute and ran around 90 meters, and scored under the posts, absolutely against the run of play. The conversion was not a problem 7– 0 to the Hurricanes. Around two minutes later a penalty on the opposition 22, slightly left of the posts was taken, partly to eat up time until the teams were back to full strength and Matt Toomua the Melbourne skipper slotted it, taking the score to 7 – 3. In the 24th minute Nani Laumape who had been running hard at the opposition from no 12, finally broke through, offloaded beautifully to his scrum-half Billy Proctor who scored under the posts. Seven more points was a formality and the score read 14 – 3 to the Hurricanes. The Melbourne team was playing well stringing together 13 phases together and even winning a scrum penalty all to no avail. An almost certain three pointer was disregarded for touch but the Wellington defence which was found wanting last week, held its own and half-time was reached with no change in the score 14 -3.

The Melbourne Rebels scored first in the second half with their first try in this tournament coming from multiple phases and culminating in Michael Wells scoring far left. The Kick was missed, and the score read 14 – 8 the rebels were catching up and playing well. At this stage, Wes Goosen playing on the blindside wing for the Hurricanes beat nine defenders on the run and was brought up just short of the line. 54 minutes into the game ‘Canes half-back Proctor was back in the game with a great run ending with a pass to the Julian Savea (also known as the BUS) who powered his way with afterburners on, ran 20 meters along the touchline, and cut inside to score under the posts. Easy work for Jordie Barret to add the extra points, 21 – 8, and the Hurricanes looking ominous. The 59th minute saw the Rebels score another try far left Through Campbell Magney, but Matt Toomua’s kick smacked the left upright and didn’t go over; 21 – 13. In the 63rd minute, a kickable penalty was not taken by the Hurricanes with the touch option preferred. This was justified two minutes later with a perfectly weighted cross kick from Oban Ledger wearing the no10 jersey falling into the hands of his winger Wes Goosen who dotted down in the extreme left corner with consummate ease. Wes Goosen getting rewarded for his efforts and Oban Ledger succeeding in his second attempt at a cross-kick. His earlier attempt in the first half eluding the arms of Julian Savea on the right-wing. A great conversion by Jordie Barret saw the score proceed to 28 – 13 for the Hurricanes. In the 69th minute a kickable penalty was disregarded, and a quick tap taken by the Melbourne side and that hard-tackling tough winger, Marika Korabeti was stopped inches from the line by the Wellington defence. Two minutes later Wellington repeated the quick tap, and this time Laumape again scorched his way over 70 meters or so and passed to Asafu Omona who had come in off the bench to replace his skipper Dan Coles at hooker. Tackling this burly young hooker has been compared to “trying to tackle a cannonball” and so it was with the third try being scored and a bonus point achieved for the Hurricanes. Oban Ledger who had taken over the kicking duties now that Jordie Barret had completed his stint of duty was able to add the extra points and the full-time score read 35 – 13 to the hosts the Wellington Hurricanes.

Friday’s second game was in Perth with the Western Force who had lost by just one point due to a missed kick at goal to the Waikato Chiefs last week, hosting the Otago Highlanders. The experts were calling a win for the Force and the possibility of the first win for an Australian side in the tournament. Aaron Smith the captain of the Highlanders and the incumbent All Black halfback, was playing his 160th Super rugby game.

The Western Force kicked off and the opening lasted for almost five minutes and ended with the first scrum. Billy Harmon won a turnover penalty for the Highlanders and in the 11th minute, Aaron Smith jinked his way through a few defenders and found that great finisher Jonah Nareki waiting to support him and score under the posts. 7 – 0 to the ‘Landers. A basic mistake from Domingo Miotti the Argentinian international playing for the Western Force shortly thereafter, saw the ball being kicked out to touch after it had been carried back into the 22. The Highlanders regained the territory and in the 21st minute won themselves a kickable penalty off a scrum. The possible three points were disregarded, and loosehead prop Aden Johnston powered his way over the line scoring far left. Mitch Hunt playing at no10 for the Highlanders missed the kick and the score progressed to 12 – 0. The Force earned themselves a scrum penalty in the 27th minute and Miotti made short work of it taking the score to 12 – 3. In the 30th minute, the ‘Landers regained the three points with the Force conceding a defensive penalty right in front of their posts, 15 – 3. We were into the phase of play when an interesting statistic showed that the Highlanders had scored 11 tries; that was between the 20th minute and half time of a game. Aaron Smith decided to oblige, initiating a break away from a maul with perfect timing and sending Scott Gregory (ponytail and all) over the line scoring mid-right. Smith called for the ball when he spotted a gap in front of Gregory and passed directly to him making the job easy. Hunt missed the kick rather uncharacteristically and the score read 20 – 3. Two minutes from halftime Kubelli playing on the wing for the Western Force scored under the posts and after checking for an earlier knock-on the try was awarded. Seven points were not a problem and the halftime score read 20 – 10.

The second half began with both teams disregarding kickable penalties for territory and the plan to go for tries pretty evident. The Highlanders defended grimly and determinedly as is the penchant of hardworking Kiwi sides and managed to keep their line uncrossed. Shannon Frazelle ,who is always at the forefront in the no seven jersey won a defensive penalty for his team and saved the day. In the 59th minute, Greg Holmes of the Western Force was yellow-carded for a high tackle and one minute later the Highlanders scored. It was Aaron Smith again who passed perfectly to his outside backs and enable Scott Gregory to go over for his second try in the extreme left corner. The kick proved too hard for Mitch Hunt who was looking a bit shaky having made some rather basic and unforced errors earlier in the game. 25 – 10 to the Highlanders and a Bonus point insight. It was not to be, however, with the Force managing to score another try through their substitute prop Wagner who went over mid-right after a series of penalties conceded by the Highlanders. The conversion was missed but the Bonus point was forfeited and the final score read 25 – 15 to the Otago Highlanders.

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Sports

Mendis handed white-ball reins

Published

56 mins ago

2026/05/27

Sahan Weerasooriya

Kusal Mendis

Sri Lanka’s experiment with Dasun Shanaka as T-20 captain has ended far sooner than many expected. In truth, the only men fully convinced by Shanaka’s leadership credentials appeared to be the previous selection panel headed by Pramodya Wickramasinghe. That chapter has now been shut with Kusal Mendis appointed captain of both the ODI and T-20 sides.

Although a new selection panel headed by Kapila Wijegunawardene is officially in place, there is a strong sense that the squad for the upcoming West Indies tour had largely been shaped by the outgoing committee before they packed their bags.

Charith Asalanka, once viewed as Sri Lanka’s long-term leadership investment, has now been stripped of captaincy duties altogether. First removed from the T-20 leadership, he has now lost the ODI captaincy as well. To make matters worse, he has also been dropped from the T-20 squad and unless he delivers with the bat in the Caribbean during the 50-over series, his place in the ODI side could soon come under threat too.

Many, including us, argued that Charith was a captain Sri Lanka had groomed patiently for the future and deserved a longer rope. But it appears his shortcomings extended beyond a lean run with the bat. There have been whispers for some time regarding concerns over his attitude. The cracks reportedly began to show during last year’s Pakistan tour when, despite assurances from both governments regarding high-level security, he was keen to return home. It has also emerged that he was fined during the NSL final following an altercation with match officials.

Once the selectors decided to move on from both Dasun and Charith, there were hardly any obvious candidates left standing. Kusal Mendis became, in many ways, Hobson’s choice.

That said, the wicketkeeper-batter has been one of Sri Lanka’s most consistent performers in white-ball cricket over the last two years. Ranked 16th in ODIs and 22nd in T-20 Internationals, Mendis has been among the few batters who has managed to keep his head above water while others have sunk without trace. The concern, however, is whether the selectors have loaded too much onto his shoulders. He already carries the burden of opening the batting and keeping wickets across formats.

Kamindu Mendis was confirmed as vice-captain in all three formats, while Dhananjaya de Silva retains the Test captaincy.

Opening batter Nishan Madushka has earned a recall to the Test side alongside prolific middle-order batter Pasindu Sooriyabandara, whose domestic returns have been impossible to ignore.

Off-spinner Ramesh Mendis also returns to the squad despite underwhelming returns in recent Test outings. Left-arm quick Isitha Wijesundara has been rewarded for an impressive run with Sri Lanka ‘A’, with the Sri Jayewardenepura graduate finally receiving his maiden call-up.

Wanindu Hasaranga features in the white-ball squads after recovering from a hamstring injury, while all eyes will be on Eshan Malinga following his eye-catching exploits in the IPL. The young quick has bowled with serious wheels and swagger, and Sri Lanka will hope some of that firepower translates onto the international stage.

by Rex Clementine

Sports

Maneth’s blistering century, Senevirathne’s six-for power Wickramashila to massive win

Published

58 mins ago

2026/05/27

Sahan Weerasooriya

A blistering century by Maneth Induwara and a devastating six-wicket haul by Induwara Senevirathne powered Wickramashila National School, Giriulla to a crushing 150-run victory over Vidyartha College, Kandy in their Under 17 Division I limited overs first round cricket encounter played in Kandy on Tuesday.

‎Asked to take first lease of the wicket, Wickramashila NS suffered an early setback after losing their first wicket for just six runs. However, opener Maneth Induwara steadied the innings with an attacking century to guide his team to a formidable total of 257 for eight in their allotted 50 overs.

‎Maneth was the chief architect of the innings, hammering 116 runs off 105 deliveries with 16 fours and three sixes. He received valuable support from Supeshala Sithil, who struck a composed 54 in 96 balls inclusive of seven boundaries. The pair combined for a match-defining 133-run partnership for the fourth wicket that laid the foundation for Wickramashila’s imposing total.

‎Induwara Senevirathne also made a useful contribution with the bat, scoring 35 runs, while Mewul Ganegoda (4 for 46) and Sathsara Weerasekara (3 for 37) were the pick of the Vidyartha bowlers.

‎In reply, Vidyartha College never recovered after losing wickets at regular intervals as Senevirathne ripped through the batting line-up with a superb spell of 6 for 16 in seven overs, including two maidens.

‎Only Teshan Niwarthana offered resistance with a brisk 34 off 23 balls, while Lakindu Kodikara chipped in with 17 as the hosts were bowled out for 107 in 23.4 overs. Hirun Mansana (2 for 28) and Dinuka Dananjaya (2 for 8) provided excellent support with the ball.

‎Scores:

‎Wickramashila NS

– 257 for 8 in 50 overs (Maneth Induwara 116, Induwara Senevirathne 35, Supeshala Sithil 54; Mewul Ganegoda 4/46, Sathsara Weerasekara 3/37)

‎Vidyartha College

– 107 all out in 23.4 overs (Teshan Niwarthana 34, Lakindu Kodikara 17; Induwara Senevirathne 6/16, Hirun Mansana 2/28, Dinuka Dananjaya 2/08) (RF)

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Patidar leads the way as Royal Challengers Bengaluru storm into second straight final

Published

5 hours ago

2026/05/27

Priyan

Rajat Patidar made 71 off his last 19 deliveries [Cricinfo]

Rajat Patidar led defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) into the final with the quickest innings of 90 or more in the IPL, scoring a delightful unbeaten 93 off 33 to take his team to 254 for 5, the highest total in an IPL playoff, against the best attack of the tournament, Gujarat Titans (GT). Having finished in the top two, GT still have a chance to make the final at their home ground in Ahmedabad in Qualifier 2 as they await the winner of the Eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals. The last eight IPLs have been won by the side winning this fixture: Qualifier 1.

Asked to bat first in chase-friendly Dharamsala, RCB came out full of intent and skill despite missing the injured Phil Salt, but GT nearly snuck back in with a period of 22 balls, 18 runs and two wickets of set batters in a single Jason Holder over. In the time that Patidar scored 93 off 33, the other end, including extras, produced 68 off 37 legal deliveries.

Having never scored more than 233, GT needed something special, and only Jos Buttler came close to that with 29 off 11. The RCB fast bowlers ran riot and took out half the side within the powerplay.

RCB would have dearly loved to have Salt back, but his absence allowed them to play Jacob Duffy as the fourth overseas player. Venkatesh Iyer started the innings with two fours off the first two balls, moving around in the crease to try to mess with the lengths of the GT fast bowlers. It took Virat Kohli four balls to lay bat on Kagiso Rabada’s hard lengths, but Venkatesh ramped him for a six first ball even though he got into a tangle.

Even though Rabada came back immediately with the wicket of Venkatesh, the makeshift opener had done his job with 19 off seven. Immediately after the wicket, Kohli charged at Siraj and drove him over mid-off. Some classic batting – a flick off the hip, a late cut and a square cut – from Devdutt Padikkal consigned Rabada to 18 in his second over and brought up the team fifty in just four overs.

Rattled, GT had to move away from bowling Siraj and Rabada through the powerplay for the first time in eight matches.

Holder and Rashid Khan combined to bring GT back into the contest. Holder kept hitting the hard lengths, and Rashid bowled his first two overs for no boundary. In between, Holder managed to remove Kohli and Padikkal for 43 off 25 and 30 off 19. Not big innings but ones that understood the assignment.

Having gone funky with their selection – no Romario Shepherd in the batting-first XI so they could play an extra bowler if Shepherd was not needed – RCB promoted Krunal Pandya to likely maintain ideal points of entry for Tim David and Jitesh Sharma. While Krunal did his job with 43 off 28, it was the other batter that led to dropping jaws.

Patidar broke the spell off 22 quiet balls with a pulled six off a Holder ball that wasn’t quite short enough. After a boundary-free first over from Kulwant Khejroliya, playing his first game of T20 cricket since last April, Prasidh Krishna created two opportunities in the 14th over. The first one, a leading edge, fell between the converging wicketkeeper and deep third. The second one went straight to Rabada at deep square leg, but was dropped with Patidar on 26 off 20. At the end of the 14th over, RCB were an even 140 for 3, the last time you could say the match was even.

Starting with no-balls from Khejroliya in the 15th over, the flood gates opened for 114 runs in the last six overs. Two of his nine sixes were bona fide highlights reels for the year. The first an extra-cover drive off Rashid from the crease, and then a back-foot drive over cover off Rabada, who by now had the purple cap. That shot off Rabada left even Kohli awestruck.

The GT bowlers didn’t quite try a quick bouncer at him, but Patidar nicely steered a slow bouncer over short fine with a delayed hook. At one point, even a century seemed likely, but he didn’t quite get enough strike.

For the first time ever, both innings of an IPL match started with two fours as B Sai Sudharsan hit Duffy for fours, but the GT openers were not as successful as the RCB top order at upsetting the bowlers’ lengths. Both Shubman Gill and Sudharsan tried charging at Bhuvneshwar, but got only two runs from his first over.

The pressure was mounting, but the first wicket came in an unconventional manner, with Sudharsan losing his bat as he cut Duffy away for four. The bat ricocheted onto the leg stump before the ball could reach the fence. Bhuvneshwar then extended his dominance over Gill with a wobble-seam delivery that got his leg stump. Now Bhuvneshwar leads the head-to-head with six wickets in 79 balls for just 80 runs.

No option left, Buttler came out swinging, looked dangerous, but Josh Hazlewood got the better of him with a knuckle-ball legcutter. The rest was always going to be a formality but RCB carried it out in style. Rasikh Salam bowled a double-wicket maiden to get Nishant Sindhu and Jason Holder to leave GT five down within the powerplay. Duffy ended up with three wickets, Bhuvneshwar reclaimed the purple cap, and only some late damage control from Rahul Tewatiya prevented this from becoming the biggest defeat in an IPL playoff match.

Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 254 for 5 in 20 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 19, Virat Kohli 43, Devdutt Padikkal 30, Rajat Patidar 93*, Krunal Pandya 43, Jitesh Sharma 15*; Kagiso Rabada 2-54, Jason Holder 2-39, Prasidh Krishna 1-53) beat Gujarat Titans 162 in 19.3 overs (Sai Sudarshan 14, Jos Buttler 29, RahulTewatia 68; Jacob Duffy 3-39, Bhuvenshwar Kumar 2-28, Josh Hazelwood 1-39, Rasik Salam 2-24, Krunal Pandya 2-16) by 92 runs

[Cricinfo]