Sports
Nadun equals Randeniya’s national junior record
Samadi shatters 14-year-old meet record
All Island Schools Games Athletics Championships
by Reemus Fernando
Royal College athlete Nadun Bandara equaled the national junior record in the 110 metres hurdles and Samadi Lakshani Dissanayake of Swarnamali Balika, Kandy took under her belt the meet record in the Under 20 100 metres hurdles as they breathed new life to sprint hurdles on day four of the All Island Schools Athletics Championships at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Monday.
The premier schools event had not witnessed a sub 14 seconds performance in the Under 20 age category until the World Junior Championship participant blazed the track with a scintillating 13.64 seconds finish yesterday.
Bandara shattered Josephian Sheshan Kariyawasam’s meet record (14.21 secs- 2018) and equaled Supun Viraj Randeniya’s National Junior record, which the latter had established ten years ago in Ranchi.
With his latest feat Bandara has his name written against all age group (Under 16 100m in 2018 , Under 18 110m in 2019 and Under 20 110m) hurdles records of this meet.
In the girls’ Under 20 100 metres hurdles, Swarnamali Balika athlete Samadi Lakshani Dissanayake shattered Harshani Wijesinghe’s meet record (14.66 secs) established in 2008 with a feat of 14.55 seconds.
In a remarkable field event achievement, Hasitha Kavinda Dissanayake of Gnanodaya M.M.V, Wariyapola cleared 15.14 metres to establish a new meet record in the Under 18 boys’ triple jump. It was the first time that an athlete in his age category cleared the 15 metres barrier in the Under 18 triple jump at these championships.
The second T20I between Sri Lanka and Pakistan which was to be played at Dambulla was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain.
In its fourth season, the WPL now feels part of the system, shaping careers and standards in increasingly visible ways. Most notably, it played a part in India winning their first ODI World Cup last year. How ’bout that. Almost silly that there was a time when this idea struggled to get off the ground.
While rivalries are still taking shape in this five-team league, Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru has all the ingredients of being the best one. Borrowing from its IPL counterpart, it pits two of the biggest names in Indian cricket, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, against each other. They are also the only teams to have lifted the trophy so far, with MI holding a slender 4-3 head-to-head advantage
There is an extra layer of significance this time. Harmanpreet and Mandhana return to the venue where the defining night of their international careers played out two months ago. The DY Patil Stadium will stir fond memories not just for the two captains but also for the India players on both sides, even if the sea of MI blue in the stands is expected to outweigh RCB’s red, black and gold. It was here that the duo shared an emotional hug after India clinched the World Cup, before circling the ground together, singing and dancing long into the night. On the eve of the WPL opener, both admitted those memories came flooding back as they walked into the stadium.
Harmanpreet has since spoken of the venue becoming a hub for women’s cricket in India, a sentiment Mandhana echoed ahead of the season. “Whenever you enter the ground, you remember exactly where the last catch was taken,” she said, recalling Harmanpreet’s leap at extra cover to dismiss South Africa’s Nadine de Klerk and seal the win in the final. “This is still just one-and-a-half months later, but even after 20 years, if we come back to this ground, we are still going to remember exactly what happened on November 2.”
The friendship remains untouched but once the WPL begins, Harmanpreet said the focus will be on “how we can win against each other.”
For defending champions MI, the template established in the inaugural season – continuity, role clarity, a strong core and enviable depth – continues to serve them well. Retaining five players ahead of the auction preserved the backbone of the batting, while the return of familiar faces ensured stability. While other teams opted for reshuffles, MI doubled down on their processes, backing experience, investing in youth and trusting a leadership group that has grown with the league.
RCB arrive with a sense of renewal after missing the knockouts last season. Mandhana remains the face of the team, supported by T20 firepower in Georgia Voll, Grace Harris, Richa Ghosh and Nadine de Klerk, though Ellyse Perry’s withdrawal leaves questions at the top. Their bowling, however, looks formidable, with pace from Lauren Bell, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar and de Klerk, and spin options in Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil and Harris.
G Kamalini 17, was retained by MI ahead of the auction alongside players like Harmanpreet, Sciver-Brunt, Matthews and Amanjot, which is an indicator of how highly she is rated. A left-handed wicketkeeper-batter with the ability to go big, Kamalini offers flexibility in the line-up. She made her WPL debut last season and announced herself in just her second game, against RCB, holding her nerve to seal a last over victory, She continued to impress in the domestic circuit, which earned her a maiden India call-up late last year for the T20I series against Sri Lanka, where she made her international debut. Captain Harmanpreet indicated ahead of this season that Kamalini would be given a “special role”, suggesting a move up the order, and said she expects the teenager to be one of the “main players” in the team.
After missing WPL 2025 and spending more than a year sidelined by a series of injuries, spin-bowling allrounder Shreyanka Patil returns to the tournament that launched her into prominence. She was just 20 when she debuted for RCB in 2023, and her rise was swift, with India T20I and ODI caps following later that year. Patil enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2024, finishing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker as RCB went on to lift their maiden title. She made her return from injury at the Women’s CPL last September, featured in the domestic season for Karnataka, and was one of four players retained by RCB ahead of the auction. In the lead-up to the season, Patil has focused on fine-tuning her offspin, batting and overall fitness during a month-long conditioning camp at the private academy where she trains.
As Sri Lanka arrive on the doorstep of another World Cup, there is the usual attendant instability. The captain has been switched out but the team is still losing against good opposition. The top order is being rejigged frequently, and yet consistent scores are not forthcoming. There are strong elements in the attack – such as the bowling of Dushmantha Chameera and Wanindu Hasaranga – but there is fragility elsewhere. It might not take much to turn them around though. The raw materials of a decent T20 side are there.
Pakistan, meanwhile, have no serious work-ons from Wednesday, save for the catching and ground fielding. Head coach Mike Hesson described their big win in the first T20I as “very clinical”, praising not only the bowling that decked Sri Lanka for 128, but the top order batters who aced the chase as well.
That they are putting up such performances while key players – such as Babar Azam – are away in the Big Bash League, is especially impressive. If they are to put together a good campaign in the forthcoming World Cup, Wednesday’s win might have been the day they planted their flag in Sri Lanka. So far, they seem at ease in these conditions.
In the T20I tri-series in Pakistan last month, Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan had topped the run list, hitting 191 runs at a strike rate of 147. He has now made a bright start in Sri Lanka, hitting 51 off 36 in his first innings on the island. Farhan was especially good at taking down the round-arm seam of Nuwan Thushara, which caused significant problems for Sri Lanka, who require early wickets from Thushara. Farhan’s dominance will make Sri Lanka think twice about playing Thushara in this match.
Second on that run chart from the tri-series last month was Kamil Mishara with 169 runs at a strike rate of 139. He couldn’t get going on Wednesday, registering a three-ball duck after he spooned a catch to mid off. But he has shown glimpses of serious talent at the top level. Impactful innings in this series and the one to come against England will likely seal his spot at the top of the order.
The Dambulla surface for the first ODI was conducive to spin. At this time of year, showers are possible, but are unlikely to last long enough to wash out the match.
Pakistan may see no need to change their XI while Sri Lanka may consider bringing in Matheesha Pathirana for Thushara, which will mean Dasun Shanaka is required to bowl with the new ball.
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (capt.), Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (capt.), Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana/Nuwan Thushara
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