Sports
Kuldeep, Mukesh, openers seal crucial win for Capitals
Sanju Samson’s 46-ball 86 went in vain as Delhi Capitals’ 221 proved to be too much for Rajasthan Royals to chase. Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed shared six wickets between them as DC successfully defended their total after being asked to bat, subjecting RR to their second defeat on the trot.
Jake Fraser McGurk and Abishek Porel set up DC’s batting effort as they both hit rapid half-centuries.
Ravichandran Ashwin, who had come into the game with two wickets in the season, returned a three-wicket haul to slow DC down, but Tristan Stubbs once again provided the hosts with a powerful finish to take them to a total beyond RR’s reach.
Fraser-McGurk walked in to bat with an average of 57.33 and strike rate close to 300 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. To stop him, Trent Boult started from around the wicket to try and keep him quiet. For one over, it worked.
But when Boult returned for his second over, Fraser-McGurk met him with a loft down the ground for six before hitting him for two more fours in a 15-run over. He then tore into Avesh Khan starting his first over with three consecutive fours and finishing it by going 6, 4, 6 to bring up his half-century off 19 deliveries.
Ashwin struck in the final over of the powerplay when Fraser-McGurk thrashed a low full toss straight to cover. Shai Hope was then run-out at the non-striker’s end as Sandeep Sharma got a hand to deflect Porel’s straight drive on to the stumps.
But Porel did not let DC’s momentum slip, racing to a 28-ball half-century of his own. He took on Riyan Parag and Yuzvendra Chahal to keep the boundaries coming. Even after Axar Patel fell in the tenth over, Porel took 27 runs off the next two overs. But in the 13th, he became Ashwin’s third victim of the night.
When Rishabh Pant fell to Yuzvendra Chahal in the 14th over, DC faced a slowdown as Stubbs began slowly. Between the 14th and 17th overs, DC added just 22 runs with Stubbs on eight off 11 balls. But Stubbs changed it around when he took on Chahal in the spinner’s final over. His assortment of sweeps helped take 16 run off Chahal’s final over.
Gulbadin Naib was out to Boult next over, but Impact Player Rasikh Salam hit two scoops to take DC past the 200 mark. Stubbs then hit back-to-back sixes to start the final over to ensure DC finished beyond 220.
Khaleel Ahmed had Yashasvi Jaiswal miscuing to mid-off in the first over of the chase, but Samson kept motoring on in the powerplay. Khaleel, Ishant Sharma and Mukesh all bore the brunt of Samson’s assault as he raced to 41 off 16. His runs helped RR finish on a strong 67 for 2 after six overs, losing Jos Buttler to Axar in the penultimate ball of the powerplay.
Kuldeep then gave away just 11 runs off his first two overs as Samson and Parag trudged along in a 36-run stand that came off 31 balls. Salam’s slower ball ended the partnership when he castled the in-form Parag for 27.
Samson had made just eight runs off nine balls in the partnership with Parag, and the dismissal appeared to bring out a sense of urgency in the RR captain. A six off a free-hit against Kuldeep that brought up his half-century was followed by two sixes and a four off the next over, bowled by Salam. A 17-run over off Ishant was followed by a wayward one from Khaleel, who bowled four wides in a row.
But with the momentum just shifting towards RR, Mukesh had Samson hole out. Hope took a catch running to his left from long-on and almost tripped himself on to the boundary rope. After the third umpire confirmed that it was indeed out, Samson went to the umpire in protest but had to keep walking.
With RR still ending 60 off 26 balls, Shubham Dubey’s big shots off Khaleel briefly gave them hope, but Kuldeep’s double-wicket 18th over gave a knockout blow.
He first had Donovan Ferreira trapped lbw off a skiddy delivery that was given not-out initially. Then, he tossed up his final ball of the spell wide outside off stump, and Ashwin miscued his slog. He finished with 2 for 25 in four overs, leaving RR needing 37 off the last 12.
Salam and Mukesh closed it out, and DC moved to fifth on the points table with their third home win in a row.
Brief Scores:
Delhi Capitals 221/8 in 20 overs (Jake Fraser-McGurk 50, Abhishek Porel 65, Tristan Stubbs 41;Trent Boult 1-48, Sandeep Sharma 1-42, Ravichandran Ashwin 3-24, Yuzvendra Chahal 1-48) beat Rajasthan Royals 201/8 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 86, Riyan Parag 27, Shubham Dubey 25; Khaleel Ahmed 2-47, Mukesh Kumar 2-30, Axar Patel 1-25, Kuldeep Yadav 2-25, Rasikh Dar Salam 1-36) by 20 runs
(Cricinfo)
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.
Upgrading social and economic well-being of the rural community is one of the primary objectives of the government – President
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