Sports
New Zealand go 1-0 up after Conway, Mitchell heroics
Brilliant centuries from Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell meant that New Zealand carried forward the momentum from the back end of the T20I series to register a convincing eight-wicket win the opening game of the four-match ODI series against England in Cardiff on Friday (September 8). Chasing a par target of 292, New Zealand cruised home with 26 balls to spare as both batters made short work of the chase.
It was a near-perfect game for the Black Caps who got the perfect start to the chase with a rapid first PowerPlay. Will Young set the tone with an aggressive innings but he was cut short by Adil Rashid. Slotting in at no.3 was Henry Nicholls who also got a start before throwing it away. At the other end was Conway who was gradually building into his innings in his typical fashion. Runs came at a brisk pace with minimal risk as England struggled for penetration on an easing deck. The hosts bowlers were also not disciplined enough to trouble the batters.
Mitchell joined Conway for an unbroken 180-run stand that was an exhibition in strokeplay from both batters. An injury to Rashid saw the leggie limp off the field after bowling just three overs. While he did return later, the game was virtually done by then. Mitchell was the aggressor in the partnership and after a steady start to his innings, he took off as he launched seven sixes in his 91-ball innings. It also allowed Conway to play his natural game and the chase was a smooth ride for the tourists.
Earlier on, England got to a par score of 291 but it was an innings that lacked consistent momentum. If not for Liam Livingstone’s quickfire fifty at the back end, the score would have been much lesser. Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes also produced fifties with the England captain scoring at a quick clip but neither batter got a complete grip of the two-paced surface. Stokes in particular struggled for rhythm and eventually succumbed to the frustration that was built up by New Zealand’s disciplined bowlers.
Buttler and Livingstone ensured that the hosts had a competitive total on the board but the surface in Cardiff did get better as is generally the case. It was also the reason why New Zealand chose to bowl after winning the toss. Apart from the trio, Dawid Malan was the other batter to get some rhythm but he couldn’t convert his start. Rachin Ravindra was the standout New Zealand bowler with a three-fer and his spell is what stifled England’s scoring in the middle overs.
Brief scores:
England 291/6 in 50 overs (Jos Buttler 72, Liam Livingstone 52, Ben Stokes 52; Rachin Ravindra 3-48) lost to New Zealand 297/2 in 45.4 overs (Daryl Mitchell 118*, Devon Conway 111*) by eight wickets
(Cricbuzz)
Sri Lanka commenced their Under-19 World Cup campaign with a massive win on Saturday, as their openers all but batted Japan out of the contest. Viran Chamuditha’s record-breaking 192 alone surpassed Japan’s eventual total, while Dimantha Mahavithana chipped in with a fluent 115. Together, they put on a monumental 328 for the first wicket, a partnership that ended only in the 44th over when Mahavithana was run out.
While Mahavithana hit 11 fours in his 125-ball knock, Chamuditha batted at a strike rate of 134, smashing 26 fours and a six.
St. Servatius’ College Matara batsman broke the record for the highest individual score in Youth World Cup history. He erased the record held by Hasitha Boyagoda since 2018. The Trinity batsman scored 191 against Kenya at the 2018 World Cup at run rate of 125.65.
The open batsmen Chamuditha and Trinity’s Mahavithana also broke the record for the highest partnership for any wicket at World Cup with their stand of 328 runs.
At 326 without loss after 43 overs, Sri Lanka looked set for a 400-plus total; but over the next four overs, they scored just 21 runs for the loss of three wickets. During that mini-collapse, Chamuditha missed out on a double hundred when he fell at the start of the 45th over.
Sri Lanka captain Vimath Dinsara, however, provided a finishing flourish with an unbeaten 44 off just 24 balls, setting Japan an improbable target of 388.
Japan never found any momentum in the chase. They lost a wicket in the first over, and Sri Lanka kept them in check throughout. Hugo Kelly and Taylor Waugh added 50 for the fourth wicket after Japan had slipped to 56 for 3 in the 15th over, but the innings continued to stutter even as Kelly held one end up.
In Japan’s only real positive, Kelly finished unbeaten on 101 as his side huffed and puffed to 184 for 8 in 50 overs. The next highest score was Kazuma Kato-Stafford’s 19, as Sri Lanka thumped Japan by 203 runs to begin their campaign with a bang.
Scores
Sri Lanka 387 for 4 (Viran Chamuditha 192, Dimantha Mahavithana 115, Vimath Dinsara 44n.o.)
Japan
184 for 8 (Hugo Kelly 101n.o.)
Under 19 Division I Cricket
Maheesha Sithum cracked an unbeaten 66 in 50 balls inclusive of two fours and three sixes after ripping apart the Maliyadewa batting line up with a six wicket haul to lead St. Sebastians’ Katuneriya to two wickets win in the Under 19 Division I Tier B tournament match at Katuneriya.
In fact the home team were bowled out 46 runs behind Maliyadeva’s first innings total before Sithum produced the match turning performance.
His six wicket haul reduced the visitors to 100 runs in the second innings.
The home team reached the target in 37 overs with two wickets in hand.
In Tier A matches, St. Joseph’s top order continued to impress as Aveesha Samash (64), Pamoda Dalpadado (47), Rishma Amarasinghe (87) and Chamath Perera (43n.o.) joined to post 265 for four wickets declared and score first innings points against S. Thomas’ at Mount Lavinia.
In the other Tier A match, Mahinda College Galle took first innings points against Trinity .
Match Results
Tier B
St. Sebastians’ win at Katuneriya
Scores
Maliyadewa 202 all out in 52 overs (Thiwnka Pabasara 47, Navodya Samarasinghe 65, Dushan Sayuranga 25, Nishuda Chandrasiri 21; Maheesha Sithum 2/57, Tharuka Manaram 3/41, Damsith Subashana 3/45) and 100 all out in 34.3 overs (Dimath Abeysinghe 61; Maheesha Sithum 6/55, Tharuka Manaram 3/26)
St. Sebastians’ Katuneriya
156 all out in 63.5 overs (Dinindu Dilan 67, Ashen Sathsara 20; Dimath Abeysinghe 3/36, Sonal Ashvin 3/31) and 148 for 8 in 36.4 overs (Dinindu Dilan 26, Maheesha Sithum 66n.o.; Dimath Abeysinghe 3/56, Sonal Ashvin 3/46)
Tier A
Mahinda take first innings points at Asgiriya
Scores
Trinity 203 all out in 63.4 overs (Puleesha Thilakarathne 28, Chaniru Senarathne 36, Malika Vithanage 29, Praveen Mithila 35, Santhosh Kritheekshan 39; Arosha Udayanga 3/63, Gesandu Bisas 2/09, Sehas Ashinsa 3/22) and 136 for 6 in 47 overs (Puleesha Thilakarathne 82; Manitha Rajapaksha 2/50, Sehas Ashinsa 2/37)
Mahinda 262 all out in 68.2 overs (Thevindu Rashmika 72, Randula Mabarana 26, Dineth Pehesara 41, Gesandu Bisas 36, Manitha Rajapaksha 47n.o.; Ranul Gunarathna 2/50, Dawood Hilmy 4/38, Chaniru Senarathne 2/31)
Joes win first innings points at Mount
Scores
S. Thomas’ 198 all out in 78 overs (Avinash Fernando 22, Aaron Kodithuwakku 52, Raphael Hettige 23, Gimhan Mendis 22; Thisanga Perera 2/25, Vishwa Peiris 4/67) and 104 for 2 in 34 overs (Avinash Fernando 57n.o., Ludeesha Matarage 38;
St. Joseph’s
265 for 4 decl. in 76.1 overs (Aveesha Samash 64, Pamoda Dalpadado 47, Rishma Amarasinghe 87, Chamath Perera 43n.o.)
(RF)
SSC Open Tennis Championship 2026
Thehan Wijemanne and Dinara de Silva won the men’s and women’s singles titles of the YETI-SSC Open Tennis Championship continued in Colombo on Sunday.
In the final, Wijemanne beat Ganuka Fernando 7-6, 3-6 and 6-4 for his second men’s singles title of these championships.
Women’s singles final saw Dinara de Silva recording 6-1, 5-7, 6-1 win over Yuhansa Peiris.
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