Sports

Maheesh Theekshana: from rags to riches

Published

5 years ago

2021/09/9

by Rex Clementine

This year, we have seen the remarkable rise of two young players, who overcame poverty and several hardships to become household names of the game of cricket. Pathum Nissanka became the first Sri Lankan to make a hundred on debut overseas while Praveen Jayawickrama was quite a sensation picking up 11 wickets on his debut.

Maheesh Theekshana is the latest sensation having picked up a wicket on his first ball in international cricket and ending with four wickets as Sri Lanka beat South Africa on Tuesday to complete a rare series win. It is the first time in seven years that Sri Lanka have beaten a team ranked top five. Like Praveen and Pathum, Maheesh too has overcome many obstacles in life and he is ever thankful for the mentoring, support and the guidance he has received during his formative years.

Maheesh grew up with his grandmother and hailed from the little heard Siddhartha Vidyalaya, Sedawatta. Two old boys of St. Benedict’s College, who are actively involved with school’s cricket; Shanthilal Silva and Vivian Saverymuthapulle, approached Maheesha’s guardian to make the shift to Kotahena where he could play cricket at a very competitive level. St. Benedict’s with a lot of goodwill and support from the old boys have the capability to look after promising sportsmen and students.

Once the recommendation was made by St. Benedict’s Cricket Wing to Sports Coordinator Rev. Br. Pravin Vaz (FSC), he approached the school’s Director Rev. Br. Janaka Fonseka (FSC) to recruit the player to St. Benedict’s, one of the leading cricket-playing schools in the country. Being top sports enthusiasts, the brothers needed little convincing to bring Maheesha to Kotahena.

The Cricket Wing of St. Benedict’s looked after his expenses for the first two years and then the College offered him a full scholarship. It was a smart move. St. Benedict’s had not produced a Sri Lanka cricketer since 1979 and the drought ended with Maheesh making his debut having joined Bens at under-15 level.

Maheesh won the All-Island Best All-Rounder award in his final year at school. Then he joined Sri Lanka Army to play cricket. There he was lucky to come under the wings of two former Sri Lanka captains; Dinesh Chandimal and Thisara Perera, two guys who are ideal for mentoring young players.

When the first Lanka Premier League (LPL) came around, Maheesh wasn’t among the players in the draft. He was in a supplementary category which made him ineligible to play. But then Thisara told Jaffna Stallions about this guy with a unique ability. His specialty was being able to bowl like Ajantha Mendis. Jaffna owners listened to their captain and requested SLC to shift him from Supplementary to Emerging category. Then, they bid him for US$ 10,000.

That Jaffna deal changed Maheesh’s career. We have often seen players with too much of talent ruining things for themselves once they get a bit of fame and money.

But as for Maheesh, he has a good head above his shoulder. The first thing he did with the money he received from Jaffna is to inform St. Benedict’s current sports in-charge Rev. Br. Dilshan Vimukthi (FSC) that he will be giving a portion of his contract fee from the LPL to St. Benedict’s to help up and coming young cricketers. Players who do not forget their past should prosper.

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Achintha smashes 1,500 metres record at All Island Schools Games

Published

54 mins ago

2026/10/17

Priyan

Lahiru Achintha broke the Under 18 boys' 1,500 metres record.

‎by Reemus Fernando

‎

‎Promising middle distance runner Lahiru Achintha continued his record breaking sphere with a remarkable sub four minutes feat in the 1,500 metres at the All Island Schools Games Athletics Championship at Diyagama today (17).

‎The Asian Youth Games gold medallist who has run sub four minutes previously returned a time of 3:55.97 seconds to become the first athlete in his age category at these championships to run the distance under four minutes.

‎Achintha who has a personal best of 3:53.05 from last year was representing Prince College Ratnapura today.

‎In another impressive 1,500 m feat Tharushi Abhisheka of Lyceum International School, Wattala established a new meet record in the Under-20 Girls’ 1,500m as she returned a time of 4:34.59 seconds to win.

‎By the end of the second day of the meet seven new meet records had been established.

‎

‎D. V. C. de Soysa (of Galewela Central College) Under-16 Boys’ Discus Throw – 55.83m.

‎D. G. Lahiru Achintha (of Ratnapura Kumara Vidyalaya) Under-18 Boys’ 1,500m – 3:55.97 secs.

‎W. P. Nethula Induwara (Rahula College, Matara) Under-14 Boys’ 100m – 11.70 seconds

‎K. V. R. Gayesha (Ira Handa Kotuwa Wewa Maha Vidyalaya, Polonnaruwa) Under-16 Girls’ High Jump – 1.70m

‎H. M. D. S. Herath (Maris Stella College, Thimbirigaskatuwa) Under-20 Boys’ Long Jump – 7.65m

‎P. M. Amaya Semindi (Vijitha Central College, Dikwella) Under-14 Girls’ High Jump – 1.58m

‎

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Pakistan, Sri Lanka look to find the right mix as World Cup countdown begins

Published

2 hours ago

2026/10/17

Priyan

Arafat Minhas made his ODI debut earlier this year (Cricinfo)

Sri Lanka’s men begin this match having won an international in the past week. This is more significant than it sounds. Their 2026 has been abysmal, with the team losing 22 matches to the 10 they have won. New captain Kusal Mendis had carried his team to that victory with his 87 not out off 48 balls, after Sri Lanka’s seamers had also had an encouraging outing.

But the game was only a dead rubber, Pakistan having sewn up the T20I series already. Pakistan have hardly been lighting up 2026 either, but they have had substantially more success than Sri Lanka. They had won their most recent ODI series, against Australia, 2-1. In that series, Pakistan may even have discovered a bright young all-round talent, left-arm spinner and lower-order batter Arafat Minhas, who claimed the Player of the Series award for his seven wickets at an average of 12.28. He has been in penetrative form in the past 10 days as well, having claimed five wickets across the three T20Is against Sri Lanka. Against Australia, Pakistan had also had excellent performances from Shaheen Afridi and legspinner Abrar Ahmed. It had, in fact, been Pakistan’s bowlers who dominated in a low-scoring series.

The tri-series is important for all three sides because there is now officially less than 12 months before the World Cup, which is set to begin on October 2 next year. Sri Lanka still have plenty to figure out – their white-ball squads having been in serious flux this year, as a new set of selectors searches (often fruitlessly) for a winning combination. Pakistan have players and stratetgies to trial as well.

In the series against Australia, Babar Azam had top-scored for Pakistan, hitting 40, 16, and 69 to average 41.66 across the matches. No one will call it a return to his heyday, but it was an encouraging sign following a modest run in 2025, in which he averaged 34 across 17 innings. Sri Lanka has been one of his favoured opponents over the years, Babar having struck four of his 20 centuries against them, averaging 58.33. The tracks in Rawalpindi at least are expected to be good for batting. Can he build up some form in the one format he now plays?

Lahiru Udara has reason to feel miffed at the selectors, many think. Having hit 188 against West Indies three Tests ago, he was left out of the squad entirely for the forthcoming Test series. But with Pathum Nissanka having been ruled out of the ODIs through an ongoing hamstring problem, Udara has surged into ODI contention on the back of a good T20I innings last week. At age 32, he knows his chances at this level are numbered. With the World Cup on the horizon, there is perhaps no better format to impress in right now than ODIs.

With neither Sahibzada Farhan nor Maaz Sadaqat in the ODI squad, Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman may open.

Pakistan (possible): Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Babar Azam, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Ghazi Ghouri (wk), Minhas Arafat, Shaheen Afridi (capt.), Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah

Sri Lanka may bring Avishka Fernando straight into the XI, with Kamil Mishara having had a run of modest scores. Sri Lanka also have some decisions to make on the spin-bowling front, although they are likely to favour Maheesh Theekshana over legspinner Sachindu Colombage.

Sri Lanka (possible): Lahiru Udara, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (capt, wk), Kamindu Mendis, Sahan Arachchige/Pavan Rathnayake, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Eshan Malinga, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando

(Cricinfo)

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Mumbai Indians and head coach Mahela Jayawardene part ways

Published

4 hours ago

2026/10/17

Priyan

Mahela Jayawardene gets down to work (Cricinfo)

Mumbai Indians and their IPL head coach Mahela Jayawardene have parted ways ahead of the 2027 auction. Jayawardene was the MI head coach for the last two seasons, in his second stint with the franchise in that position. He had previously served in that role from 2017 to 2022.

“Mumbai Indians has been a very special part of my journey for over a decade now,” Jayawardene said in an MI statement. “The players, coaching team, the incredible support of the #OneFamily and above all the fans have made this an experience I will always treasure. Together, we have shared some unforgettable moments, overcome challenges and built something we can all be proud of. I want to sincerely thank Mrs. Nita Ambani and Akash Ambani for their unwavering trust, support and friendship over the years. I leave with immense pride in what we have achieved together and will always carry a special place in my heart for MI. I wish the team every success in the years ahead.”

Cricinfo has learned that the question of a possible change in coaching staff came up during the 2026 season review in August, when both the player leadership group and the franchise agreed they needed to look for a change. It is understood Jayawardene, too, agreed with the viewpoint of bringing in younger coaches to bring in fresh perspectives.

The new coach will have the choice of taking a call on the rest of the existing MI coaching staff which includes Kieron Pollard (assistant coach) and Paras Mhambrey (bowling coach).

Jayawardene’ departure leaves MI’s team management in a tricky position, with captain Hardik Pandya also under the spotlight after their second-from-bottom finish in IPL 2026. Not long after MI finished with just four wins from 14 games, rumours of a Hardik trade began circulating in reports and social media. Hardik’s individual performance also didn’t inspire much confidence: he took just four wickets in 10 games and scored 206 runs from 10 innings, striking at 138.25 with a high score of 40.

Jayawardene took over as the MI head coach before IPL 2025, replacing Mark Boucher. Before that, Jayawardene had served as their global head of performance from 2022 to 2024. In that position, Jayawardene had also overseen MI’s three other franchises – MI Emirates in the ILT20, MI New York in MLC and MI Cape Town in SA20.

In his first stint as head coach, Jayawardene won three IPL titles. The second one was less successful, with MI finishing fourth on the league table in 2025 before losing in Qualifier 2, and ninth in 2026.

“Mahela has made a significant contribution to Mumbai Indians over the years,” MI owner Nita Ambani said, “His calm leadership, integrity and deep love for the game have meant so much to us. On behalf of the entire MI family, I want to thank Mahela for his immense contribution and unwavering commitment over the years. We will always cherish the journey we have shared and the memories we have created together. Mahela will always be a part of our #OneFamily, and we wish him every happiness and success in the journey ahead.”

MI now need to look for a head coach with under a month left for the IPL retention deadline – November 15. The IPL auction is expected to take place around a month later in Goa.

MI last won the IPL in 2020 when they became the first team to successfully defend their title. Both trophy wins came under Jayawardene.

(Cricinfo)