Sports
Old problems resurface for Sri Lanka in World Cup warm-up
by Rex Clementine
Sri Lanka suffered a heavy seven wicket loss to Bangladesh in their first World Cup warm-up game in Guwahati on Friday and have an opportunity to address some of the issues when they take on Afghanistan in another warm-up game at the same venue on Tuesday.
The former champions failed to utilize the full quota of 50 overs, a problem that they have encountered for quite some time now. Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne had been drafted into the ODI outfit in a bid to bat through the innings, but during the warm-up game, he was batting in the lower middle order instead of opening.
Sri Lanka’s preferred choice to open batting was Kusal Perera and Pathum Nissanka and maybe that’s the combination they are going to stick with during the tournament.
KJP had got off to a flying start making 34 off 24 balls but had to retire hurt with a right shoulder injury. The injury is not thought to be serious, but the player has been out of cricket for a considerable time in the last two years due to injuries.
Sri Lanka are already without key bowlers Dusmantha Chameera and Wanindu Hasaranga, both of whom are injured.Maheesh Theekshana, who is recovering from a hamstring injury is expected to travel to India on the 4th of October lead up to Sri Lanka’s opening fixture of the tournament against South Africa in Delhi.
Captain Dasun Shanaka again failed to fire having been dismissed for three runs off 17 balls. Sri Lanka have resisted moves to sack the captain just before the World Cup but if his wretched run continues the selectors will be left with Hobson’s choice.
Bangladesh chased down the target of 264 with eight overs to spare. The manner in which the run chase was achieved is further indication that conditions will be batting friendly in India during World Cup and unless teams post scores of 300 plus, they are going to struggle.
Sri Lanka will play two games each in Delhi, Bangalore and Lucknow while they also have got games at Hyderabad, Pune and Bombay.
The 13th edition of the World Cup gets underway on Thursday with a game between 2019 finalists England and New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
Since reaching the finals in 2011, the Sri Lankan team has failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the sport’s showpiece event. They were losing quarter-finalists in 2015 and were knocked out in the opening round in 2019.
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Hard-hitter Jacobs gets maiden New Zealand call-up for Sri Lanka T20Is
Hard-hitting middle-order batter Bevon Jacobs has been handed his maiden New Zealand call-up by being picked for the upcoming three-match home T20I series against Sri Lanka.
Jacobs was part of the New Zealand XI side that took on Sri Lanka in a 10-overs-a-side tour match in Lincoln on Monday, although he did not get a chance to bat.
Jacobs’ call-up comes barely a month after he was picked up by Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2025 auction, joining New Zealand internationals Trent Boult and the new white-ball captain Mitchell Santner. Jacobs’ maiden IPL contract came after an impressive Super Smash campaign last season, where he hit 134 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 188.73 while batting as a finisher.
“It’s obviously an exciting time for Bevon and his family,” NZC selector Sam Wells said. “He’s a promising player with a lot of talent and we’re looking forward to exposing him to international cricket. “He’s clearly got a lot of power with the bat, but he’s also shown in the longer formats that he has a decent technique and temperament.”
Having come through the system at Auckland, Jacobs had made a switch to Canterbury for whom he made his List A and T20 debuts just over a year ago. But he returned to Auckland ahead of the ongoing home summer, and made his first class debut for Auckland last month, with scores of 75 and 79.
After narrowly missing out on another half-century in his second before, he racked up 80 against his old team, Canterbury.
Fast bowler Zakary Foulkes, wicketkeeper Mitchell Hay and top-order batter Tim Robinson are also part of the T20I squad, and could play their first international home games, having made their debuts abroad earlier in the year.
Foulkes and Robinson debuted in the T20Is in Pakistan in April, while Hay’s debut came in Sri Lanka in November. Hay is set to keep wickets in the T20Is, and will be cover for Tom Latham in the ODIs that follow.
While Jacobs, Foulkes and Robinson have only been called up for the T20Is, Latham, Will Young and Will O’Rourke will join the squad for the one-dayers. O’Rourke has been rested for the T20Is after a heavy Test workload, having featured in all eight Tests against Sri Lanka, India and England.
The series against Sri Lanka will also see Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell and Matt Henry make a return to the white-ball squads, having been rested during their tour of Sri Lanka to prepare for the home Tests against England.
New Zealand will miss many big names, due to their commitments to various franchise T20 leagues. Lockie Ferguson, Finn Allen, Adam Milne and Tim Seifert are away at the BBL, while Kane Williamson and Devon Conway are part of the SA20 which is scheduled to begin on January 9.
Ben Sears and Kyle Jamieson remain unavailable as they are still recuperating from knee and back injuries respectively.
The team will be coached by Luke Ronchi, with regular head coach Gary Stead taking a break. Ronchi will have Jacob Oram for support as the bowling coach, while Craig McMillan will look after the batting and fielding.
This will be New Zealand’s final ODI bilateral series before the Champions Trophy, where they will take on hosts Pakistan in the tournament opener.
New Zealand also will play a tri-series in Pakistan, also featuring South Africa, before the Champions Trophy begins.
“As with the squads that recently toured Sri Lanka, we’re keen to keep exposing new talent to the big stage and it’s nice to have an experienced core of players around them,” Wells said. “The Champions Trophy, like all ICC pinnacle events, is an obvious incentive for players and I know many will be keen to put their best foot forward in the ODI series to be in the frame for selection.”
The T20Is will be played on December 28, 30 and January 2 before the ODIs on January 5, 8 and 11.
New Zealand T20I squad vs Sri Lanka
Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Mitchell Hay, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Nathan Smith
New Zealand ODI squad vs Sri Lanka
Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Mitchell Hay, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Will Young
[Cricinfo]
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Renuka, Mandhana consign West Indies to record loss
After a T20I series that went to the decider, the first of three ODIs between India and West Indies was a thoroughly one-sided fare. The hosts dominated from start to finish despite not batting to full potential, while still scoring an imposing 314 for 9, and then hardly flexed their bowling muscle to run past a West Indies line-up that folded like nine pins.
The architects of the win were Smriti Mandhana who top scored with 91, and Renuka Singh who had an unchanged opening spell of 8-1-19-4 en route a maiden ODI five-for. Two of those strikes happened to be of Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin inside the first five overs of the chase. The game was decided right there.
India will look back at their batting performance with mixed emotions despite the massive victory margin. For the first half of their innings, they appeared to be stuck in second gear, with that safety-first approach that has troubled them in ODIs lately yet again taking precedence despite Mandhana looking in sparkling form, like she has in the format all through the year.
The caution at the start was largely down to a nervous debutant – Pratika Rawal – auditioning to be Mandhana’s batting partner at the top of the order after a number of experiments earlier in the month in Australia – most notably Richa Ghosh opening – fell flat.
Rawal made 40 in a 110-run opening stand but was aided by plenty of luck along the way. On 1, she gloved a tickle to the wicketkeeper, but West Indies didn’t review. On 3, Afy Fletcher dropped a sitter at mid-off as she attempted her first aggressive shot. In between the two, she survived a tight run-out opportunity. To Rawal’s credit, she overcame all of these to slowly build her innings, before falling to an unreal return catch to Mathews, as she threw herself full-stretch to pluck a one-handed stunner.
Mandhana brought up her half-century off 62 balls, her 28th in ODIs, and shifted gears to sweep and drive imperiously, but Harleen Deol’s struggles forced her into attempting cheeky strokes, one of which had her lbw. Harleen’s cautious approach at No. 3 despite a solid start made you wonder if India miscalculated by not promoting Jemimah Rodrigues or Harampreet Kaur.
This became evident almost immediately when Harmanpreet changed the tempo of the innings upon arrival, dashing to 32 off 20 through her trademark sweeps and ferocious lofted hits, before a mix-up with Richa Ghosh, while attempting a run to short third, cut short her innings.
Ghosh and Rodrigues played fine cameos that helped provide India the finishing kick, while also allowing them to paper over the muddle in the middle overs, with the last 20 overs bringing 160. Ghosh showed off her full range of power, timing and fineness – all in one, as she made a 13-ball 26, while Rodrigues, now seen as a finisher, made 31 off 19.
India could’ve scored a lot more if not for a series of rash shots towards the end that brought Zaida James the young left-arm spinner, a maiden five-for ODIs. That, as it turned out was one of the few positives for West Indies on a forgettable night as they had no answers to Renuka’s devious in-duckers that kept missing.
The effect of Renuka’s spell has a mesmeric effect on the others too. Titas Sadhu picked up her first ODI wicket and young legspinner Priya Mishra delivered 4.2 crafty overs for two wickets. All told, the look of horror on Shemaine Campbelle’s face when she nailed a lofted hit only for an acrobatic Harmanpreet to intercept the ball at mid-on by leaping high and pulling off a one-handed grab summed up the evening for the West Indies.
It was no less than a horror show with the bat, which they’d hope to improve on as they build towards a 50-over World Cup on these very shores in 10 months.
Brief scores:
India Women 314 for 9 in 50 overs (Smriti Mandhana 91, Pratika Rawal 40, Harleen Deol 44, Harmanpreet Kaur 34, Jemimah Rodrigues 31; Zaida James 5-45, Hayley Mathews 2-61) beat West Indies Women 103 in 26.2 overs (Afy Fletcher 24; Renuka Singh 5-29, Priya Mishra 2-22) by 211 runs
[Cricinfo]
Sports
Kandy, CH, Havies impress during second week of club rugby
By A Special Sports Correspondent
Kandy Sports Club continued impressively for the second week in the domestic league rugby tournament when they thrashed Army Sports Club by 70 points to 5 at Nittawela grounds on Saturday.
The winners were unstoppable in both halves and ran down nine tries in total out of which eight were converted by place kicker and fly half Tharinda Ratwatte. He also slotted in three penalties to swell the Kandy SC score. Army responded with a solitary try through Sudaraka Dikkumbura early in the first half. The soldiers were forced to play catch-up rugby for the rest of the game after that impressive try.
Former Trinitian and national player Ratwatte was in fine form with his kicking boots and also chipped in with a try. His overall contribution to his team’s score was 30 points.
In the other match played on Saturday at Ratmalana, Havelocks SC did well to down a fighting Air Force Sports Club outfit by 30 points to 19. The winners were leading 18-11 at half time.
Havies collected their points through five tries, one conversion and one penalty while the losing team responded with two tries and three penalties.
On Friday, CH & FC recorded their maiden win for the season by beating Police Sports Club by 39 points to 27 at Police Park. CH collected their points through five tries, four conversions and two penalties while Police ran down three tries and converted all three. The policemen also got points through two penalties. The tournament is conducted by Sri Lanka Rugby.
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