Sports
Rain forces England-Australia T20I decider to be abandoned
The forecast for Manchester wasn’t wrong as steady rain from early in the day forced the deciding T20I to be abandoned shortly after 4pm on a bleak Sunday. It meant England and Australia shared the spoils after the visitors were convincing winners in Southampton before England responded with a fine chase in Cardiff.
It was expected the two teams would recall key fast bowlers for this game: Jofra Archer and Josh Hazlewood had both been rested in Cardiff, and Australia left with only 11 players to select from with Mitchell Marsh ill. However, conditions meant XIs never got close to being named.
For Australia, it completed a run of six T20Is which began in Scotland where they won 3-0 and Marsh was pleased with the opportunities presented to younger players with Jake Fraser-McGurk and Cooper Connolly both handed debuts.
“Would have been nice to finish off with deciding match today but thought both teams played some really good cricket throughout and we move onto the one-day series,” he said. “We started in Scotland as a T20 group and knew young guys would get an opportunity throughout and thought we gave guys different roles in all five games we had and it’s been really pleasing.”
England captain Phil Salt was delighted with the response of his team after the opening loss in Southampton with Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell putting together a match winning stand in the second match.
“Very proud,” he said. “As a team when you lose the first one you are always under pressure and the messaging to the boys was when we get pushed back we come back hard and that’s what we did through that partnership in Cardiff with Livi and Beth. So really pleased with the way we responded but just disappointed we couldn’t get on today.”
The focus will now turn to the five-match ODI series – and the forecast is much more promising – which starts on Thursday in Nottingham.England have named Harry Brook as captain in place of the injured Jos Buttler while Australia will be able to call on Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Starc who have arrived for the 50-over games.
There is a more immediate target in sight for the one-day sides with next February’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan on the horizon. Both teams will likely go through various options over the five games which come in the space of 11 days.
[Cricinfo]
Under 19 Cricket
Left-arm spinners Vishwa Peiris and Demion de Silva took five wickets each as St. Joseph’s cruised to an innings and 51 runs victory over St. Benedict’s in the Traditional Mack – Croner trophy cricket encounter at Darley Road on Tuesday.
St. Benedict’s came to the match having done well in the Tier B tournament matches but the spin might of the Joes was too hot for them to handle as they collapsed for 62 runs in the second innings.
The result somewhat exposed the gap between the Tier A and Tier B teams of the Under 19 Division I category as the team from Kotahena were bowled out within 25 overs. They were following on after being dismissed for 197 runs in the first innings, where Nushan Perera grabbed five wickets bowling the bulk of the overs for the Joes. He was adjudged the Best Bowler.
While Vishwa was the Man of the Match, Rishma Amarasinghe (Best Fielder) and Senuja Wakunugoda (Best Batsman) won the other individual awards.
The Joes made 313 in their innings with Senuja top scoring with 106 runs.
In the Division I Tier ‘A’ matches Gurukula (against St. Sebastian’s) and St. Anthony’s Katugastota (against Royal) registered first innings victories.
Maliyadeva took first innings points against De Mazenod in a tier B match.
(RF)
Organisers of the ICC T20 World Cup are sweating over after Pakistan refused to play nuclear-armed neighbours India in Colombo, a decision that has left administrators scratching their heads and staring at a potential financial googly.
The India–Pakistan contest, the jewel in the tournament’s crown, is the game that oils cricket’s economic engine. If the marquee clash is bowled out, the loss of revenue will have every stakeholder feeling the pinch from boardroom to boundary rope. Islamabad’s call to withdraw, taken at government level, has sparked fears the verdict will not be overturned.
Anticipation for the grudge match had reached fever pitch. Tickets vanished on day one of sales, while Colombo’s hotels were snapped up quickly. Five-star rooms that normally fetch 150 US dollars were hiked to 600 USD, some even soaring to 800 USD as the city braced for a carnival.
With the capital full to the rafters, tour operators shuttled visitors to nearby Negombo, an hour’s drive from the stadium, while others opted for apartments as accommodation ran dry. Flights, too, were booked well in advance, but uncertainty over the epic duel has now cast a long shadow.
“We haven’t had many cancellations yet, but we fear the worst. Everyone will take a hit if the game doesn’t take place,” aviation industry official Thusitha Perera told Telecom Asia Sport.
Gihan Wickramasinghe, representing Colombo’s hoteliers, echoed the concern. “Our hope is the match goes ahead. If not, we’ll have to refund bookings and the tour operators will be hit even harder.”
Tour operator Lisa Fernando said the anxiety was mounting. “Two groups from Dubai alone, 75 people, were coming. Corporate clients had planned trips down south as well. There’s a lot of money at stake and so much unnecessary stress.”
Indian fan Varun Kumar from Bangalore has already paid for flights and hotels but intends to travel regardless. “Sri Lanka has been on my bucket list. Whether the match happens or not, we’ll come to experience the country,” he said.
Sri Lanka Cricket remains optimistic the contest will be rescued before the final over is called. But if the showpiece is scratched, it would be a hammer blow to an economy only just finding its feet after years of setbacks, leaving the tournament badly caught behind.
SSC Open Tennis Championship 2026
Zacharia Akbar and Thishya Banagala were crowned champions in the Under 12 boys’ and girls’ singles respectively of the SSC Open Tennis Championships in Colombo.
In the boys final, Zacharia Akbar beat Kashya Seneviratne 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. The S.Thomas’ College player reached the finals with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Satheesh Appathuri in the semi-finals.
The Under 12 girls’ final saw Thishya Banagala beat Thiyansa de Silva 7-5, 6-2.
The Visakha Vidyalaya player reached the final after a 6-4, 6-4 win over Manuli Seneviratne in the semis.
Zacharia Akbar (Pix by Kamal Wanniarachchi)
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