Sports
Kusal Mendis has turned a corner
by Rex Clementine
We are very quick to learn from the big brother. Sri Lanka’s first game of this ICC Cricket World Cup in Delhi was played at Arun Jaitley Stadium, named after their former Finance Minister. Sri Lanka’s last game was played in Hyderabad at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium while their next game in Lucknow will be played at Athal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium, both Prime Ministers of India. The final of the World Cup of course will be played in Ahmedabad at Narendra Modi Stadium, the current PM.
MCG was boasting all this while that they could host 110,000 fans for a game. But now Ahmedabad can host 138,000 fans and it is the world’s biggest stadium. Narendra Modi Stadium will be the place to be on the 19th of November, but the chances of us making there are slim.
We have also named Test cricket grounds after two of our former leaders – R. Premadasa and Mahinda Rajapaksa. India by the way has nine grounds named after Jawaharlal Nehru, their first Prime Minister.
Strange that in our part of the world we don’t name cricket grounds after players. India at least has named stands after their former greats. There is Gautam Gambhir Stand, Bishan Singh Bedi Stand and Mohinder Amarnath Stand in Delhi while Hyderabad has Mohammad Azharuddin and VVS Laxman stands. We also should follow suit and name some stands after our greats. At least we should have a stand named after late Gamini Dissanayake if not a ground after him.
Sunil Gavaskar has a stand in his beloved Bombay. But he doesn’t seem to fancy the idea. The reason being that many people in his hometown think that simply because there’s a stand named after him in Wankhede, he gets free tickets for the game. If that’s the plight of Mr. Gavaskar, one of the true greats of the game, imagine the plight of poor reporters who get bombarded with calls during match days requesting for tickets.
Lucknow where Sri Lanka will play Australia and Netherlands is one of India’s new cricket grounds. Some fans are worried that after Sri Lanka’s poor campaign in the World Cup so far, they might struggle in rest of the games and even the Dutch could expose some of the chink of their armour.
Some others claim that the Dutch were not at full strength during the World Cup qualifiers and with five of their players returning from County Cricket, they will be hard to beat. However, Sri Lanka should cruise past them. If the Australia – South Africa game is any indication, the Lucknow venue is not a patch of Delhi or Hyderabad, which were belters. It is more like Madras and there will be some assistance for spin. Sri Lanka should beat the Dutch and could beat the Aussies as well as conditions are expected to suit them.
The biggest plus point in this World Cup has been the form of Kusal Mendis. The stunning knocks that he made against two good bowling attacks gives you the assurance that this World Cup will mark his journey towards becoming one of the greats of the sport.
Kumar Sangakkara’s batting feats are hard to match leave alone breaking them. On Tuesday, Mendis scored the fastest hundred in World Cups by a Sri Lankan off just 65 balls, five deliveries fewer than Sanga.
From his school days there was little doubt that he was going to be the future of Sri Lankan cricket. There has been the occasional stunner but consistency has been missing. Babar Azam and Kusal Mendis are the same age; 28. Babar is averaging 47 in Tests and 57 in ODIs while Kusal’s average is lingering around 30s.
But becoming a father seems to have helped him to settle down. He’s become more responsible now and rash strokes have been cut down drastically and are only played when he is set.Wicketkeeping has probably helped him too as he sees the ball better. He is also contributing to the team by means of setting fields and these are all good signs.
Still a few doubts remain though. Why he didn’t turn up for the national anthem before the start of the game against South Africa in Delhi and was cramps a good enough reason to be away from the whole fielding innings against Pakistan in Hyderabad pose interesting questions. But we should give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, there is no saint without a past and no sinner without a future!
Latest News
Rwanda to host inaugural ICC Women’s Challenge Trophy from April 18
Rwanda will host the inaugural Women’s Challenge Trophy, which starts on April 18 in Kigali with Rwanda taking on Italy, in the first game and Nepal facing USA in the second game later in the day. The tournament, which will run till May 1, also features Vanuatu, and has a total of 20 games over ten match days.
The tournament is a new one in the ICC’s calendar, organised to provide match exposure to the second rung of Associate women’s teams. The eight-team Emerging Nations Trophy, introduced last year, featured the highest-placed teams from the ICC’s five regions, and this one pits the next-highest-placed teams. The teams were confirmed based on their positions at the regional T20 World Cup qualifiers last year.
“A double round-robin format assures maximum match exposure for teams, so that participants are better prepared to play stronger opposition in the years to come,” the ICC said in a statement. “This falls in line with the ICC’s commitment to deliver competitive cricket with context for all its members as it moves to continuously grow the women’s game.”
The matches will be played at Gahanga Cricket Stadium, a facility that has two adjoining grounds which host international cricket – Gahanga Cricket Stadium Main Oval and Gahanga Cricket Stadium Oval B.
“This tournament is a testament to the growth of Rwandan cricket and would not be possible without the unwavering support of our stakeholders, partners, and the ministry of sports,” president of Rwanda Cricket Association Stephen Musaale said. “To our incredible fans: we call on you to fill the stands at Gahanga with your energy and passion. Let us show the world the warmth of Rwandan hospitality as we cheer on our team in this historic chapter of our sporting journey.”
Schedule of matches
April 18: Rwanda vs Italy and Nepal vs USA
April 19: Rwanda vs Vanuatu and Italy vs Nepal
April 21: Rwanda vs USA and Vanuatu vs Italy
April 22: Rwanda vs Nepal and USA vs Vanuatu
April 24: Nepal vs Vanuatu and Italy vs USA
April 26: Rwanda vs Vanuatu and USA vs Nepal
April 27: Rwanda vs Italy and USA vs Vanuatu
April 28: Rwanda vs Nepal and Italy vs Vanuatu
April 30: Italy vs USA and Nepal vs Vanuatu
May 1: Rwanda vs USA and Italy vs Nepal
(The first matches will start at 9am local time and the second at 1pm local time)
Latest News
Canada T20 World Cup match under ICC corruption investigation
The ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) is investigating allegations of corruption involving Cricket Canada, one of which focuses on a game involving Canada from the recent men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
ESPNcricinfo understands the ACU has two active investigations that span elements of Cricket Canada and allegations of breaches of the ICC’s anti-corruption code at international and domestic level as well. The existence of the allegations emerged in a documentary ‘Corruption, Crime and Cricket’, produced by the fifth estate, a Canadian investigative documentary programme. The 43-minute film, aired by the public broadcaster CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) on Friday, makes wide-ranging accusations of corruption and governance at Canada Cricket.
According to the documentary the claim of corruption at the World Cup comes from Canada’s game against New Zealand. Under scrutiny is the fifth over of New Zealand’s chase when the captain Dilpreet Bajwa came on to bowl. Bajwa, then 22, was appoi ted captain three weeks before the tournament began.
Primarily a batting allrounder who bowls offspin, Bajwa took the ball with New Zealand 35 for 2. Canada had opened the bowling with pace in Jaskaran Singh and Dilon Heyliger, but in a poor start they conceded 15 and 14 runs respectively. They switched to spin as early as the third over, when Saad bin Zafar came on and bowled a wicket maiden. Heyliger took a wicket in the next over – the fourth – and then Bajwa came on. He began the over with a no-ball, bowled a wide down the leg side and ended up conceding 15 off the over.
The other investigation stems from a recording of a telephone call involving then Canada coach Khurram Chohan, in which he claims that senior (now former) Cricket Canada board members put pressure on him to select certain players to the national side. The audio was leaked last year and has been under ACU investigation since. The recording also contains claims of attempts to fix in matches, though those involve challenges in corroborating with actionable evidence.
“The ACU is aware of the programme broadcast by CBC,” Andrew Ephgrave, interim General Manager of the ICC’s Integrity Unit, said in a statement to ESPNcricinfo. “Consistent with its established operating procedures, the ACU is not in a position to comment on the substance of any allegations contained within it.
“Governance matters in relation to ICC Members are considered by the ICC, where they fall under its jurisdiction, in accordance with the ICC’s standard constitutional processes.
“The ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit operates across three core functions: intelligence, prevention and education, and investigation. These functions operate concurrently and are applied wherever there is a credible basis to believe the integrity of the sport may be at risk.”
The documentary also interviews another former coach, Pubudu Dassanayake, who makes a similar claim on undue influence being applied on him in squad selections, in his case for the 2024 T20 World Cup. The fifth estate said the board tried “to force” Dassanayake to select certain players and when he didn’t, he was told his contract would be terminated. Dassanayake is suing Cricket Canada for wrongful dismissal.
Canada’s players faced delayed payment of prize money due to them from the 2024 T20 World Cup and the documentary claims that national players were uncontracted from July 2025 and then put on small retainers for four months leading up to this year’s T20 World Cup.
The documentary also explores the links of organised crime after a former player claimed he was threatened. That investigation, Ephgrave told the fifth estate is beyond the ACU’s remit. “I am aware of some allegations. That very much is a domestic matter for whenever that is taking place. And very much a law enforcement responsibility,” Ephgrave said in the documentary.
(Cricinfo)
Sports
Jayasinghe siblings create unique record
Methika Jayasinghe and sister Binuthi Jayasinghe delivered exceptional performances at the recently concluded All-Island Under-20 Basketball Championship, securing championship titles and earning the prestigious Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards in their respective categories.
The tournament, held from April 8 to April 11, 2026, featured the finest young basketball talent from across Sri Lanka. The girls’ final took place on April 10, followed by the boys’ final on April 11.
Representing Holy Family Convent, Colombo, Binuthi Jayasinghe played a pivotal role in her team’s triumph in the girls’ final, producing an outstanding performance with 25 points. Her dominance on the court, combined with her composure and technical ability, earned her the MVP award, marking her as one of the most promising young athletes in the sport. Notably, she is an Under-17 player who competed at the Under-20 level, making her achievement even more commendable.
In the boys’ competition, Methika Jayasinghe, representing St. Joseph’s College, Colombo, led his team as captain of the Under-20 side. Demonstrating exemplary leadership and consistent performance throughout the tournament, he guided his team to victory in the finals. His influence on the game and overall excellence were recognized with the awarding of the MVP title. Furthermore, Methika has achieved an outstanding record in school basketball, having won all championships in his age category without suffering a single defeat.
Both Methika and Binuthi also held Youth Captain roles, further highlighting their leadership qualities and importance to their respective teams.
Their dual achievement of securing both championship titles and MVP honours stands as a remarkable milestone, reflecting their dedication, discipline, and commitment to excellence. The success of the Jayasinghe siblings at this national-level competition underscores their potential to make a significant impact on the future of Sri Lankan basketball.
Both their parents also represented Sri Lanka in basketball with distinction.
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