Captain Rahmat Shah played a crucial knock as he held Afghaniistan  together on the second day in Abu Dhabi. He blunted Bangladesh’s  threat by adding 72 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket with his deputy Ikram Alikhil.

Rahmat was unbeaten on 84 off 186 balls with eight fours and a six, while Alikhil’s 26 came off 91 balls. Ebadot Hossain was Bangladesh’s best bowler of the day.

Bangladesh wicketkeeper Litton Das got his side back into the contest shortly after the tea break. He first took a brilliant diving catch to his right, when the set Abdul Malik edged Ebadot five balls into the third session. Malik made 62 off 120 balls, with five boundaries including a six.

Next over, Litton completed a fine stumping when a Mehidy Hasan Miraz delivery turned and bounced sharply against Hashmatullah Shahidi. The former Afghanistan captain lasted just two balls as he fell for a duck.

Alikhil started with two well-timed boundaries before reining himself in for the next nine overs. Rahmat broke the boundary drought with two fours off Nayeem Hasan in the 60th over. He first pumped the offspinner through midwicket before finding the gap through mid-off for the second four.

Afghanistan then held off the Bangladesh bowling for the next 17 overs without a single boundary. Finally in the 77th over, Rahmat struck Mehidy for two fours in a row, both superb shots through extra cover, as he brought up Afghanistan’s 200.

The day began with the Afghanistan pace bowlers removing the two remaining Bangladesh wickets. It took them 8.3 overs, with Mohammad Saleem picking up his fourth wicket, having Taijul Islam caught behind and Yamin Ahmadzai removing Ebadot with a slower delivery.

Saleem finished with 4 for 82, having taken 6 for 140 against India in Afghanistan’s previous Test in June. Ahmadzai took three and Ismat Alam two wickets. This was the first time a fast bowling attack took nine wickets in a Test innings in Abu Dhabi.

After bowling out Bangladesh for 346, Afghanistan went to lunch on 34 for 1. Sediqullah Atal edged Hasan Mahmud to first slip. Atal struck three fours in his knock but also survived a caught-behind appeal in the third over. Replays showed that he had inside-edged it but Bangladesh did not use the review.

After lunch, Afghanistan batted positively. Shahidullah swept Mehidy while Mahmud conceded two fours early. Malik played the ball confidently, but Bangladesh kept things tight from both ends. It created a wicket when Shahidullah top-edged a hook against Ebadot in the 21st over. Mahmud took a good tumbling catch running in from fine-leg, as Shahidullah fell for 20 off 44 balls.

Rahmat though immediately stamped his authority with a crunchy cover drive in the same over. He hit Taijul for a straight six shortly afterwards, with Malik repeating the dose to the same bowler after a few more overs. Malik also cover-drove Nayeem before reaching his maiden Test half-century in the 34th over.

Scores:
Afghanistan 211 for 4 in 80.5 overs (Abdul Malik 62, Rahmat Shah 84*, Ikram Alkhi 32*;  Ebadot Hossain  2-50) trail Bangladesh 346 in 92.3 overs (Shadman Islam 67, Tanzid Hasan 83, Litton Das 53; Mohammad Saleem 4-82, Yamim Ahmadzai 3-79, Ismat Alam 2-20) by 135 runs

[Cricinfo]

Risindi Hewawasam of Sri Lanka and Anthony Castigador of the Philippines won the girls’ and boys’ singles titles at the ATF 16 & Under Colombo 2026 – Week 1 tournament concluded at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association courts on Friday.

‎‎Castigador produced a dominant performance in the boys’ singles final, defeating India’s Gurshaan Chahal 6-2, 6-2 to secure the title. The Filipino maintained his advantage throughout the match, winning in straight sets to cap an impressive campaign.

Risindi Hewawasam (Pix by Kamal Wanniarachchi)

‎‎In the girls’ singles final, Risindi delivered an equally dominant display to beat compatriot Kiara Jayamanne 6-1, 6-1. (RF)

by Rex Clementine

It is not often that a Test captain is replaced midway through a World Test Championship cycle. The fact that Dhananjaya de Silva has made way just days before the squad for the tour of Pakistan is announced is a clear indication that the cricket establishment was far from impressed with his leadership. He may now struggle to retain his place as a specialist batter, particularly if the selectors decide to relieve newly appointed Test captain Kusal Mendis of the wicketkeeping gloves.

Previous administrations of Sri Lanka Cricket would have taken the easy way out. They would have allowed the World Test Championship cycle to run its course before ringing in the changes. But when you have someone of Sidath Wettimuny’s calibre heading the Cricket Committee, tough calls are part of the package. Sidath has no favourites. He calls a spade a spade and has the best interests of the game at heart. It is no coincidence that Sri Lankan cricket flourished during his tenure as Chairman of Selectors from 1999 to 2001.

Kusal Mendis now suddenly finds himself captaining Sri Lanka across all three formats. Given his chequered past and bad boy image, there will inevitably be raised eyebrows over whether he deserves to wield so much influence over Sri Lankan cricket. But credit where it is due. Over the last five years, he has largely stayed out of trouble. More importantly, over the last three years, he has knuckled down, worked tirelessly on his game and earned the admiration of both the coaching staff and the cricket establishment.

The turning point came at Lord’s in 2024.

Every cricketer dreams of playing a Test match at the Home of Cricket. But the selectors pricked Kusal’s pride by dropping him for the showpiece occasion. The decision did not win them many admirers, with former captains Duleep Mendis and Aravinda de Silva among those who questioned the wisdom of the move.

But, as it turned out, the setback proved to be a blessing in disguise.

Kusal returned for the third Test at The Oval and produced an innings that was worth considerably more than the 39 runs against his name in the scorebook.

On a seaming surface, where England’s quicks were making life miserable for the Sri Lankan batters, Kusal showed admirable restraint without completely putting away his attacking instincts. His 39 came at less than a run a ball.

So what was so special about a knock that did not even reach fifty?

Plenty, as it turned out.

Kusal’s counterattack forced England to spread the field, taking the sting out of their bowling and allowing Pathum Nissanka to cash in. Pathum deservedly walked away with the plaudits for his magnificent hundred, but Kusal had done much of the groundwork.

It was not an innings that would find its way into cricket’s record books. But it was one that spoke volumes about Kusal’s changing attitude. Here was a player prepared to put the team’s cause ahead of personal milestones.

When Sri Lanka returned home for the Test series against New Zealand, the team management went a step further. They virtually created a position for Kusal, handing him the wicketkeeping gloves in Test cricket. He has remained a permanent fixture in the side ever since.

Since that Oval Test in 2024, Kusal has featured in nine Tests, scoring five half-centuries and a hundred. His work behind the stumps has been equally impressive, with hardly a blemish on his wicketkeeping record.

The maturity Kusal has displayed, both as white ball captain and as a senior member of the side, has impressed successive coaching teams. It is refreshing to see a cricketer learn from his mistakes, turn over a new leaf and allow his performances to do the talking.

Kusal has had his share of run ins with trouble over the years. Now comes the biggest challenge of his career. Leading Sri Lanka across all three formats is no small responsibility and the captaincy will test his temperament as much as his cricketing skills.

The selectors have placed their faith in a man who once struggled to keep himself out of the headlines for the wrong reasons. It is now up to Kusal to ensure that the headlines are about his leadership, his runs and, above all, Sri Lanka’s success.