Sports
Rainbow nation on cloud nine
by Rex Clementine
South Africa have won a record fourth Rugby World Cup beating the All Blacks in a nail-biter in Paris. Can their cricket team follow suit is the question many are asking in India.
The South African cricket team is known as Proteas while their rugby team is called the Springboks. Both have had contrasting results in World Cups. While the Springboks have reached four World Cup finals and won all four of them, the Proteas haven’t even reached the finals once despite entering multiple tournament (1996, 1999 and 2003) as firm favourites.
The Springboks didn’t compete in the first two World Cups as South Africa were alienated by rest of the world for their government’s apartheid policies. To win four out of the next eight tournaments is a remarkable achievement.
Time was when Springboks were a symbol of racism as rugby was exclusively a white man’s sport. But over the years, blacks have embraced the sport as well and today South African rugby captain is a black – Siya Kolisi.
White South Africans tend to move out of the country to other parts of the world as the quota systems operating in sports promotes black players, but that doesn’t seem to stop them from winning World Cups.
South Africa is a country that is mad about sports. They have top notch facilities with mega stadiums and training facilities. The development programs which various sports bodies run help them to identify talents early and their scientific approach to coaching isn’t far behind Australia.
A country that promotes sports to maintain healthy lifestyles, you see lot of South Africans involved in sports well past their prime.
Most South Africans would have watched their team win the world title with a ‘braai’ – a term used in South Africa for barbecue. They’ll be doing the same over the next three weeks hoping that their cricket team does something remarkable.
South African cricket team is a side that has all bases covered. Solid top order, big hitting middle order, genuine all-rounders, mean fast bowlers and crafty spinners. They have always had fabulous sides but at the sport’s biggest stage find ways to lose games in dramatic styles. In cricketing terms, their team is called, ‘chokers’. They nearly choked against Pakistan in Madras the other night. It is a popular belief that when put under pressure, South Africans fails to deliver. Everyone remembers Kumar Sangakkara’s famous sledge to South African captain Shaun Pollock in 2003 knock out in Durban, ‘Weight of expectations of 42 million South Africans on the captain.’
But boy, what cricketing talents they have got. They are a dangerous side as Sri Lanka found out in this World Cup in their opening game in Delhi. They are also unpredictable as they proved by losing to Netherlands. They are through to the semis and in the process have beaten some big teams – Australia, England and Pakistan.
Spending time in the press box during mega cricket events you also meet many current and former greats who have made watching the sport a pleasant experience.
Match Referee Javagal Srinath pops up to the press box during the England – Sri Lanka game to have a word to some reporters he knows. The game is played in his hometown of Bangalore and many are his friends in the media.
Srinath is a fine man and Sri Lanka were lucky that he was Match Referee in 2018 when they tampered with the ball and then brought the game to disrepute by failing to take to the field.
There is also Dinesh Karthik who enjoys curd rice in the dining area. You wonder whether he is vegetarian, but that he is not. ‘This brings the South Indian in me,’ he says before reminding that curd rice ideally should be consumed by hand and not spoon.
Karthik is a fabulous character, and he remains quite popular in Sri Lanka for that last ball six against Bangladesh in the Nidahas Trophy final in 2018.
A lot was expected of him when he made his India debut at Lord’s aged 19, but then, a few years down the line came a wicket keeper called M.S. Dhoni and Karthik’s opportunities were limited.
Karthik has endured a lot more off the field than on the field. Post retirement he is making good progress as a commentator and genuine folks like him should go onto have successful careers.
Having listened to top class commentators of yesteryear like Richie Benaud, Ian Chappell and Tony Greig you feel like the current lot are nowhere near to them. But guys like Karthik, Michael Atherton and Sunil Gavaskar are fun to listen to. You just wish that Gavaskar would tell you more old stories. There’s no better storyteller in cricket than him.
Shammi Silva has once again taken guard at the top of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), securing a fourth consecutive term as President at the Annual General Meeting, held amidst much fanfare at Colombo’s Cinnamon Grand Hotel yesterday.
Already calling the shots as President of the Asian Cricket Council, Silva’s crowning achievement in recent years has been bringing the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup to Sri Lankan shores. The marquee tournament will be co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India next year, a feather in the cap for the country’s cricket administrators.
Silva’s administration has made a concerted effort to bridge the yawning gap between domestic and international cricket. One of the bold strokes in this innings has been trimming the number of First-Class teams – a move aimed at upping the quality and sharpening the edge of domestic cricket.
SLC Ex-Co also played a straight bat when it comes to developing cricket beyond Colombo’s city limits. High Performance Centres have sprung up across the outstations, rolling out the red carpet for raw talent from the hinterlands, who had previously been left in the pavilion.
The school cricket circuit too has been given a shot in the arm, with infrastructure development and skill enhancement taking centre stage. By strengthening the grassroots, the current administration hopes to widen the talent pool and unearth future stars of the game.
SLC’s balance sheet tells its own story – healthy and in the black. Over the past five years, the board’s financial stability has not only benefited cricket, but has also allowed it to lend a helping hand to other sports disciplines, at the request of the Ministry of Sports.
With over three decades of experience under his belt as a sports administrator, Shammi Silva is the long-serving President of the Colombo Cricket Club (CCC), one of the game’s oldest institutions in the country.
The 64th AGM was largely a case of “same XI, new season,” with only one notable change to the playing field – Secretary Mohan de Silva making way for seasoned campaigner Bandula Dissanayake. No stranger to the inner workings of SLC, Dissanayake has previously chaired the Tournament and Umpires Committees, and brings a wealth of experience to the table.
Dr. Jayantha Dharmadasa and former First-Class player Ravin Wickramaratne retained their Vice-President slots, while Sujeewa Godaliyadda continues to hold the Treasurer’s post. Chryshantha Kapuwatta and Lasantha Wickremasinghe will once again don the hats of Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer, respectively.
The election, part of SLC’s biannual cycle, was overseen and greenlit by the Election Committee chaired by retired Court of Appeal Justice Malani Gunaratne.
Vidyaloka College fought back on the back of a valuable century by Nimesh Aavinda to pull off two wickets victory over Kingswood in the Under 19 Division II Tier ‘B’ cricket tournament final played at Saliyapura, Anuradhapura on Monday.
Vidyaloka had a deficit of 36 runs in the first innings but a combined effort helped them restrict Kingswood to 161 runs in the second essay. They were left with a target of 198 runs to chase. And they achieved it with Nimesh Aavinda top scoring with 115 runs.
Scores
Kingswood
227 all out in 83.3 overs (Chanul Kodituwakku 33, Aadil Sheriff 69, Kavija Gamage 25, Nikeshala Nanayakkara 56; Seniru Ninduwara 4/74, Lidula Nuwanga 2/58, Nimesh Aavinda 2/48, Pulindu Chamuditha 2/19) and 161 all out in 65.3 overs (Kavija Gamage 57, Nikeshala Nanayakkara 45; Seniru Ninduwara 2/45, Pulindu Chamuditha 2/07)
Vidyaloka
191 all out in 79.3 overs (Lidula Nuwanga 81, Seniru Ninduwara 34, Tharusha Jayamith 23; Kavija Gamage 4/63, Upadi Jayawardane 2/41) and 200 for 8 in 48.3 overs( Nimesh Aavinda 114, Lidula Nuwanga 34, Seniru Ninduwara 28; Kavija Gamage 3/80, Dominsara Peiris 2/51)
by Reemus Fernando
There was a growing sense of uncertainty surrounding the hosting of the 120th edition of the Lovers’ Quarrel Big Match after Richmond College raised concerns over an attempt by Mahinda College to field a newly recruited player in the team at the historic match which was scheduled to commence on Thursday.
Richmond College authorities have informed Mahinda that they would pullout from the match if the newly recruited player who played for St. Aloysius’ in the just concluded Under 19 cricket tournament is included in the Big Match team.
According to sources Mahinda College have recruited St. Aloysius’ skipper Charya Paranavithana at the end of the Under 19 cricket tournament and are yet to register him under their name with Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association. They have included the player in the Big Match squad.
A source close to Mahinda said that though the player is included in the squad he was not certain to be in the playing XI.
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