Sports
Rajapaksa and Dasun light up Abu Dhabi T10
Rex Clementine in Abu Dhabi
Just 24 hours after wrapping up a bilateral series against New Zealand, several Sri Lankan cricketers landed in Abu Dhabi to showcase their firepower in the T10 League. As the two-week tournament unfolds, hard-hitting stars Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Dasun Shanaka have delivered standout performances in the opening days, proving why they are among the most exciting players in this format.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa, turning out for the Chennai Braves, set the stage ablaze with a whirlwind 41 off just 21 balls, studded with five fours and two towering sixes. Once again, Rajapaksa underscored his reputation as a game-changer in the shortest format.
The Chennai Braves boast a strong Sri Lankan contingent, with six players donning their colours. The team is led by veteran Thisara Perera and features Akila Dananjaya, Nuwan Thushara, Mohammad Shamaz, and Garuka Sanketh, alongside Rajapaksa.
Among the newcomers, Mohammad Shamaz, a 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batter from Zahira College, Colombo, has shown promise, while 19-year-old speedster Garuka Sanketh, a key player in Sri Lanka’s ICC Under-19 World Cup campaign earlier this year, is making strides in the big league.
Chaminda Vaas is the Head Coach of Chennai Braves.
Meanwhile, Shevon Daniel, opening for the Ajman Bolts alongside Alex Hales, brought fireworks with a blazing 22 off just 10 balls before his team faltered after his dismissal.
The Ajman Bolts also feature Dunith Wellalage and Shehan Jayasuriya, though neither was called upon to bowl in their recent clash against Team Abu Dhabi.
Elsewhere, the Samp Army has tapped into Sri Lanka’s white-ball cricketing talent by roping in skipper Charith Asalanka. Supporting him are Muditha Lakshan, Malsha Tharupathi, Duminda Sewmina, and Ravindu Ratnayake, adding significant depth to the squad.
Dasun Shanaka, donning the Bangla Tigers jersey, has turned heads with a new role at number three. In their match against Samp Army, Shanaka hammered an unbeaten 62 off just 27 balls, peppering the boundary with four fours and six sixes in a stunning display of power hitting.
Over at the New York Strikers, Kusal Perera and Matheesha Pathirana have emerged as a formidable duo.
Pathirana has been a marquee attraction in the league. Speaking about the upcoming T10 league set to debut in Kandy next month, Pathirana expressed his excitement.
“We’re launching our very own T10 league in Kandy, and I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be an exciting competition, and fans will love it,” Pathirana shared.
“This is the first league tournament I played in, and I’m thrilled to return. These tournaments offer invaluable international exposure, letting us compete against top-tier players and adapt to varied conditions.”As the Abu Dhabi T10 League progresses, the Sri Lankan contingent continues to impress, blending youth with experience and setting the stage for more thrilling performances ahead.
Virat Kohli has communicated his desire to retire from Test cricket to the BCCI ahead of the big five-match series in England starting June 20, for which he is expected to be a part of the squad. ESPNcricinfo understands that Kohli has been having these conversations with officials of the BCCI for the past month or so.
If Kohli doesn’t change his mind, he will bring the curtain down on a glorious career that has spanned 14 years and included 123 Tests – 68 of them as captain – in which he has 9230 runs at an average of 46.85.
But it hasn’t been a particularly fruitful time in the format for Kohli of late. When he scored 100 not out in the Perth Test in November 2024, it was his first century in Tests since July 2023 (against West Indies in Port of Spain), and his average, 55.10 at its peak after he scored his career best of 254 not out vs South Africa in Pune in 2019, has been 32.56 over the last 24 months.
(Cricinfo)
The remainder of PSL 2025 has been postponed indefinitely. The PCB cited the “worsening of the situation” at the Pakistan-India border as the reason, saying the board had acted on advice from the Pakistan prime minister Shahbaz Sharif.
The board said it had “sincere regard for the mental well-being of participating players and the sentiments of our foreign players, and we respect the concerns of their families who want to see them back home” and that was considered when making the decision.
The development came less than 24 hours after the PCB had announced that the remaining eight games of the PSL would be played in the UAE, without specifying the dates or the venues, with the expectation that it would take about a week to resume.
Overseas players as well as Pakistani players who currently hold visas to the UAE were scheduled to leave on Friday night, with the remaining visas being applied for over the weekend. That, however, has changed, and the teams have begun disbanding with immediate effect, with travel back home being arranged for foreign players.
There is no word yet on when, or if, the remaining games will be played. The postponement came hours after the IPL was temporarily suspended owing to the tensions between the two countries.
The PSL held an emergency meeting in Islamabad on Thursday, and involved the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi meeting with foreign players, who overwhelmingly expressed a desire to relocate the league to the UAE.
“The PCB recognises the efforts and support of its partners, franchises, participating players, broadcasters, sponsors, and organisers in having ensured the smooth conduct of the tournament thus far, however; cricket while being a unifying force and a source of joy, must take a respectful pause…” the PCB statement said.
[Cricinfo]
World Relays 2025
A ‘full strength Sri Lanka 4×400 metres mixed relay team’ will compete against formidable European powerhouses when they take part in the first heat of the relay on day one of the World Relays in Guangzhou, China on Saturday.
“We will field our best four for the heats,” said W.M.G. Thushara, the mamager cum coach of the Sri Lanka team in an interview with The Island after reaching Guangzhou yesterday.
There is one junior athlete in the six member team but Sri Lankan authorities have decided to field the full strength team in the heats.
“It will be Nadeesha Ramanayake, Nishendra Fernando, Kalinga Kumarage and Aruna Dharshana as we are planning to produce our best performace,” Thushara said.
Ramanayake, Kumarage and Dharshana were part of the team that established a new national record in the mixed relay at the Asian Athletics Championship in 2023. Only missing member from that team is Tharushi Karunaratne.
Sri Lanka team will compete in the first heat where Switzerland, France, Belgium, Germany and hosts China are the others. The first two from the heats will directly qualify for the World Relays and also the World Championships to be held in Tokyo.
Sri Lanka fielded only the mixed relay team for the World Relays despite the men’s 4×400 team qualifying for the event. The World Relays starting today is the main qualifying competition for relay events at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.
by Reemus Fernando
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