Sports
Record breaking Dilshi set to climb up rankings
Dilshi Kumarasinghe’s record breaking feat at the First Selection Trial concluded on Friday will augur well for her Olympic aspirations as she is set to climb up Asian Rankings sooner rather than later.
On Friday Kumarasinghe clocked 2:02.52 seconds to erase the women’s 800 metres National Record held by Gayanthika Abeyratne.
The former Ratnayake Central, Walala athlete was ranked sixth in Asia following her outstanding performance last December. Incidentally there are three Sri Lankans in the top six rankings in Asia in the women’s 800 metres.
Former national champion Nimali Liyanarachchi is ranked third in Asia while Abeyratne is ranked fifth.
Climbing up rankings has become vital after World Athletics introduced a ranking based system for athletes to earn Olympic qualifications.
For Tokyo Olympics, World Athletics set a tough entry standard of 1:59.50 seconds for the women’s 800 metres. While 23 athletes will be selected through direct qualification system, 25 others will be selected according to their world rankings.
Though there are five athletes above Kumarasinghe in Asian rankings, the top two ranked athletes from Bahrain and China are yet to compete this year. The fourth ranked Japanese Ayano Shiomi too is yet to compete this year.
Kumarasinghe’s coach Susantha Fernando is optimistic that his charge would reach qualifying standards during the next couple of months.
Apart from the 800 metres Kumarasinghe is also in Sri Lanka Athletics’ plan to form a mix relay team. Kumarasinghe who was part of the Sri Lanka women’s 4×400 meters relay team which established the current national record at the last Asian Athletics Championships was also the winner of the women’s 400 metres at the Selection Trial.
110 Vision Care Colombo Championships
Apna Perera will meet Ashen Silva in the men’s singles final on Saturday after the duo won their semi-final matches of the 110th Vision Care Colombo Championships continued at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association clay courts on Thursday.
Apna Perera beat Iran Hussain 6-4, 6-1 in his semi-final while Ashen Silva beat Mayooran Kubheran 6-1, 6-0.
Latest News
IPL 2025: Punjab Kings -Delhi Capitals match in Dharamsala abandoned after floodlight failure
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) vs Delhi Capitals (DC) match in IPL 2025 in Dharamsala has been called off after 10.1 overs.
“The Punjab Kings v Delhi Capitals match (Match#58) in Tata IPL was forced to be abandoned due to a significant technical failure at the HPCA stadium in Dharamsala,” an official statement from the IPL said. “Due to a power outage in the area, one of the light towers at the HPCA stadium malfunctioned. BCCI regrets the inconvenience caused to the in-stadium attendees.”
In the 10.1 overs possible, PBKS openers Priyanash Arya (70) and Prabhsimran Singh (50*) dominated proceedings, stitching up a 122-run opening stand off 61 balls.
Arya fell in the first ball of the 11th over, top-edging a T Natarajan slower-ball bouncer onto his helmet, which popped up for a simple catch. The players then left the field due to a floodlight failure at the stadium. Around 9.40pm IST, the match was called off.
Before the abandonment, Arya and Prabhsimran took down Mitchell Starc and Dushmantha Chameera in the powerplay as PBKS raced away to 50 for no loss in four overs.
After the powerplay, the pair took down Kuldeep Yadav as well, smashing him for two sixes and two fours. Arya reached his third fifty-plus score of the season in the seventh over off just 25 balls. Prabhsimran reached his own fifty in the tenth and in the process became the first uncapped batter to hit four half-centuries in a row in the IPL.
PBKS next play Mumbai Indians (MI) on May 11, a game that was shifted from Dharmasal to Ahmedabad. DC will play Gujarat Titans (GT) in Delhi on the same day.
[Cricinfo]
Rohit Sharma has retired from Test cricket with immediate effect, meaning India will need to name a new full-time captain almost immediately after the end of IPl 2025, with India’s five-Test series in England scheduled to begin on June 20 at Headingley.
“Hello everyone I would just like to share that I am retiring from Test cricket. It’s been an absolute honour to represent my country in whites. Thank you for all the love and support over the years. I will continue to represent India in the ODI format,” Rohit, who had retired from T20Is after India won the T20 World Cup last year with him as captain, said in a post on social media on Wednesday evening.
Rohit retires with 4301 runs in 67 Test matches, averaging 40.57 despite the poor recent run. He scored 12 centuries and 18 half-centuries over the years, with a best of 212, against South Africa in Ranchi in October 2019.
Roger Binny the former India allrounder and current BCCI president, paid tribute to Rohit. “Mr Rohit Sharma’s impact on Indian cricket transcends records and statistics,” Binny said in a statement. “He brought a sense of calm and assurance to the team – both as a player and as a captain. His ability to stay composed under pressure and to consistently put the team’s needs above his own made him a truly special player and leader. Indian cricket has been fortunate to have a figure like Rohit – someone who upheld the highest standards of professionalism and sportsmanship. He leaves behind not just a remarkable playing record, but a culture of discipline and selflessness that will inspire future generations.”
As recently as Tuesday, Gautam Gambhir, India’s head coach across the three international formats, had said in response to a question on the future of senior pros Rohit and Virat Kohli that “Till the time they are performing, they should be a part of the team. When you start and when you end is your individual decision. No coach, no selector, no BCCI can tell you when you should call it quits. If you perform, then why 40, you can jolly well play till 45, who’s stopping you?”
Rohit’s decision comes after poor home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand late last year and then a horror tour of Australia across December 2024 and January 2025, where he crossed 50 just once and averaged 10.93 from eight Test matches. India won both the Tests against Bangladesh, but were swept 3-0 by New Zealand under Rohit’s captaincy, and then lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia 3-1.
Rohit missed the first and last Tests on that tour of Australia, the first to be at home in India for the birth of his child, and the last, in Sydney, where he “stood down”. At the time, he had stressed that it was just that, a reaction to his poor batting form, not a “retirement decision”, and that he was not “going to take myself out of the game”. Jasprit Bumrah is currently India’s designated vice-captain and led in the first and last Tests in Australia in Rohit’s absence.
Speaking to Star Sports” during the Test match, Rohit had said, “I sat out of this match because runs are not coming off my bat. There is no guarantee runs won’t come five or two months down the line. I have seen a lot in cricket that life changes every second, every minute, every day.
“I have confidence in me that things can change, but at the same time I have to be realistic as well. So life won’t change by what people with a mic, pen or laptop write or say. They can’t decide when we should retire, when we should sit out, when we should captain. I am a sensible man, mature man, father of two kids. So I know what I need in life.”
Immediately after returning from Australia, Rohit played a one off match for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy in January after the selectors in coordination with BCCI made it mandatory for contracted players to feature in domestic cricket. Rohit’s batting woes continued as he made 3 and 28 against Jammu & Kashmir.
While the selectors decided to keep him as India’s captain for the Champions Trophy, Rohit was aware success in the ICC event wouldn’t guarantee his spot in the Test format. And, so, despite his leading India to the title in March, Rohit decided to bring the curtains down on his Test career.
The development comes with little over a month to go for the start of India’s five-Test tour of England on June 20. The selectors are expected to finalise the Test squad in the coming weeks, but with Rohit retiring, the biggest question for the Ajit Agarkar-led panel would be naming the next Test captain.
Bumrah is an option but putting that responsibility on a fast bowler, particularly one who has just returned from injury might not be easy. He shouldered a heavy workload during the Australia tour and was diagnosed with a stress reaction on his lower back, resulting in his being unable to bowl in the second innings of the final Test in Sydney. Bumrah missed the Champions Trophy thereafter and only resumed playing since April in the IPL where he represents Mumbai Indians.
[Cricinfo]
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