Sports
Rampant Australia stand in South Africa’s path to glory

It isn’t often that bits of paper stuck to windows are worth quoting, but these are extraordinary times. “Sold out,” read the signs on the ticket booths at Newlands on Saturday afternoon – more than 24 hours before South Africa will take on Australia in the women’s T20 World Cup final.
Cape Town isn’t a metropolis like Mumbai or London, where there’s a good chance more people than are needed to fill the ground are going about their business in the surrounding streets on any given match day. It also isn’t Melbourne, which although has a population comparable to Cape Town’s also has the MCG, with its exponentially bigger capacity than Newlands, which suffers from the added disadvantage of being hemmed in by concrete neighbours on all sides. Unless you live or work nearby, getting there is difficult.
But Saturday morning produced queues outside Newlands, that snaked many metres down the pavement to the end of the block, of aspirant spectators for today’s showdown. If you know South Africans and their idea of sport worth paying money to watch, especially here in the leafy, genteel heart of the patriarchy, you know they wouldn’t ordinarily spend a weekend morning waiting patiently in the summer sun trying to buy access to a game unless it is to be played by men.
The lines wouldn’t have formed had South Africa not earned an unlikely but deserved victory over England in their semi-final at the same ground on Friday. That made Sune Luus’ team the first senior side from her country, men or women, to reach a World Cup final in any format.
Like making it to Newlands, getting to the decider hasn’t been simple for the South Africans. They shambled to two defeats in their four group games, putting in performances that would have buried them had they played like that in one more match. Mostly, their batters couldn’t match their bowlers. On Friday, bat met ball on something like equal terms and the result was astounding. Having scored a decent 164/4 – comfortably their highest total in their last seven T20Is in which they have batted first – South Africa took all eight England wickets to fall for 100 runs and won by six runs.
Their opponents on Sunday couldn’t have taken a more different route to the final. Australia were on auto-pilot throughout the group stage, where they never looked like losing. Only in their semi were they stretched. They made a serious 172/4, which India came within five runs of overhauling.
The wider narrative tells a similar story. Before Friday, South Africa had known the disappointment of five failed white-ball semifinals. There have been 19 women’s global tournaments and the Aussies have been to the final in 12 of them. Or maybe 13: there was no final in the first two ODI World Cups, in 1973 and 1978, which were decided on points. But England and Australia were the only unbeaten teams going into the last match in 1978. So it is considered a de facto final. Of those 13 tournaments, Australia have won 12. If David versus Goliath needs a reboot to bring it up to speed with an age in which women are taken more seriously in every sphere of life – and the gods know it does – this match fits the template.
The key contest looks likely to be Australia’s batters against South Africa’s pace bowlers, but the way the home side’s batters dealt with England’s crack attack says that theory could be in for a shake-up. Suddenly Tamzin Brits is five runs ahead of Alyssa Healy as the tournament’s highest remaining run-scorer, albeit from one fewer innings. But Ash Gardner is the leading wicket-taker left in the competition and no-one has a better economy rate than Grace Harris.
Only the stupid money would not be on Australia to clinch another title. They have too many threats in too many places, who have delivered accordingly, not to be outright favourites. Thing is, much the same could have been said about England before the semi-final. They encountered a South Africa team who had finally got over themselves well enough to play properly.
A jam-packed Newlands will be willing them to do so one more time with feeling on Sunday. Men might form most of the crowd, as they have in the past. The difference this time is that they won’t only watch a cricket match, or even a cricket match played by women. They will attend history in the making, and they will hope as hard as they dare, from the bottom of their hoary, hairy hearts, that they are on the side of the team who write it.
South Africa Possible XI: Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits, Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus (capt), Chloe Tryon, Anneke Bosch, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba
Australia Possible XI: Alyssa Healy, Beth Mooney, Meg Lanning (capt), Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Georgia Wareham, Jess Jonassen, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown
Sports
With Sridhar on board, Sri Lanka eye fielding gold

When Sanath Jayasuriya walked into his first media briefing as Head Coach, he didn’t waste time playing it safe. He went straight to the point — fielding was going to be a game-changer. And true to his word, what the team has pulled off over the last 12 months is nothing short of a stunning comeback.
Here was a side that had just been bundled out of the ICC Cricket World Cup with a wooden spoon finish — ninth place — and failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy. But under Jayasuriya’s stewardship, Sri Lanka has punched above its weight, defeating the top two ranked teams in the world — Australia and India. And in this remarkable turnaround, fielding has been the unsung hero, the silent game-winner.
Doubling down on the importance of fielding, the team management roped in India’s former fielding guru R. Sridhar for a ten-day high-intensity camp. A coach who comes with a glowing reputation, Sridhar isn’t just focusing on the big boys — he’s spreading the gospel of fielding to the development squads and the under-19s too. It’s a move that signals intent — Sri Lanka wants to be sharp, not just with the bat and ball, but in the field as well.
These efforts to lift fielding standards deserve a standing ovation. One can only wonder how different things might’ve been if this sort of proactive thinking had been in place two years ago. The writing was on the wall even then — dropped catches, fumbled run-outs, and lazy throws were costing games. But instead of addressing the problem head-on, the management handed the reins to an overhyped foreign coach and, in cricketing terms, ended up hitting their own wickets.
Since Jayasuriya took over, he’s turned the tide. He brought in Upul Chandana — Sri Lanka’s very own livewire in the field — from within the SLC coaching system. Chandana, with his unconventional drills and energetic approach, has injected fresh blood and urgency into the unit. The players now seem to have caught the fielding bug.
That’s how it should be. While someone like Chandana remains as a permanent fixture, brief stints from specialists like Sridhar allow new ideas to bounce around the dressing room.
Earlier, even Jonty Rhodes, arguably the Michael Jordan of fielding, spent a few days in Colombo. He quickly identified the blind spots and sharpened Sri Lanka’s fielding toolkit.
That said, no matter how many big-ticket coaches you bring in, no fielding revolution can succeed unless the players themselves buy in. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it dive full-length in the covers.
And for too long, that buy-in was missing. Thankfully, the tide seems to be turning — especially with the next-gen stars who appear hungrier, more agile, and aware that in modern cricket, fielding can win you matches.
Look no further than T.M. Dilshan. Initially groomed as a wicketkeeper, his path was blocked by a certain Kumar Sangakkara — who, let’s face it, wasn’t giving up the gloves anytime soon. So Dilshan pivoted. He transformed himself into a brilliant outfielder, arguably the best in the side. His work ethic was legendary.
After every net session, he’d drag Fielding Coach Trevor Penney to the boundary and aim for ten direct hits a day. In the early days, it took him hours to meet that mark. But with persistence and practice, he was hitting the target in just 15 minutes. That’s the stuff champions are made of — grit, grind, and getting your whites dirty.
What Sri Lanka needs now are more players with that Dilshan mindset — willing to do the hard yards, chase leather like it’s gold, and throw themselves around like they’re defending their mother’s dowry.
With Jayasuriya calling the shots, Chandana in the dugout, and experts like Sridhar chipping in, Sri Lanka’s fielding fortunes are finally turning a corner. It’s early days, but if this momentum continues, the Lions might just roar again — not just with the bat and ball, but in every blade of grass they defend.
by Rex Clementine
Sports
11th edition of Pera 6s Hockey Championship concludes today

The 11th edition of the Pera 6s annual 6-a-side Inter-University and Inter-Club Hockey Championship, organised by the University of Peradeniya Hockey Team, which commenced at the Univeresity of Peradeniya play ground on Saturday, will conclude today [11 May]
First played in 2006, the tournament has been featured ten times, and provides a unique opportunity for university hockey players to display their skills and prowess on a competitive platform. It is also an eye-catching attraction on the university’s sports calendar.
In the last edition the Inter University championship was won by University of Peradeniya (Men’s) and University of Moratuwa/Sabaragamuwa University (Women’s) while Creators Sports Club and Old Aloysian Sports Club were joint champions in the men’s club championship, and Wennapuwa Hockey Club clinched the women’s championship.
Sports
ASBC Asian U22 and Youth Boxing Championships from Monday

ASBC Asian Under-22 and Youth Boxing Championships, one of the most prestigious international sporting events ever to grace Sri Lankan soil will be held from May 12 to 23 at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo.
This landmark tournament marks the historic return of top-tier Asian boxing to Sri Lanka after 57 years. Over 400 athletes and officials from more than 24 countries are set to participate. Boxing powerhouses such as India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Australia, and Thailand will be among the competing nations, making this one of the most significant multi-nation sporting events the island has hosted in recent times.
The event is being organised by the Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), in collaboration with the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) and the International Boxing Association (IBA). It also receives crucial support from Sri Lanka’s Tri-Forces, Police, Customs, and Immigration departments.
Speaking about the significance of the tournament, Tharanga Perera, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, stated that this is about showcasing Sri Lanka’s potential as a sports destination, developing local talent, and placing the country firmly on the global sporting map. He further added that thanks to the Ministry of Sports, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, and Cinnamon Hotels, the official hospitality partner, Sri Lanka is fully prepared to deliver a world-class experience for athletes, officials, and spectators. According to Perera, this tournament is more than just a boxing event, it is a moment of national pride.
Perera also announced that SLT-Mobitel, PeoTV, and Peo Sports will serve as the official TV broadcasters of the championship. All matches will be aired live in true HD quality on Peo Sports 1. Viewers will also be able to watch the tournament live and free of charge on the Peo Mobile App making it accessible to audiences nationwide. Additionally, boxing enthusiasts around the world can watch every match live on Peo Sports’ Facebook page and YouTube channel, ensuring broad accessibility to this milestone event.
Powered by Slt Mobitel’s high speed Fibre Broadband connectivity and exceptional coverage by Peo Sports, the event will captivate audiences, showcase the power of sports to inspire and unite, and pave the way for a brighter future for Sri Lanka’s boxing community.
With anticipation building across the region, Sri Lanka is ready to welcome Asia’s brightest young boxing talents. This championship promises to be a spectacular display of skill, speed, and sporting spirit, and it will stand as a landmark moment in the country’s sporting history.
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