Sports

Saliya Ahangama; Jack of all trades

Published

2 years ago

2024/05/22

Sahan Weerasooriya

Saliya Ahangama, former Sri Lanka fast bowler

by Rex Clementine

Very few guys have mastered all key areas in cricket like Saliya Ahangama, former Sri Lanka fast bowler. He was an impactful swing bowler in his heydays and after retirement did commentaries, coached SSC and was Secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket. Now domiciled in Australia, he is a fountain of knowledge having been amidst thick of things during several turning points of Sri Lankan cricket.

A product of S. Thomas College, Mount Lavinia, Saliya’s house was a stone’s throw from the school. His older brothers were cricketers and it is by playing with guys who were older than him that he learned the fundamentals of the game. ‘Playing against older boys makes you tougher. I always believe the youngest in the family can go on to become the best sportsman because he has faced bigger challenges growing up and when he plays with his contemporaries, he comes out with his shoulders held high,” Ahangama recalls.

“At school, I had some very good coaches and that helped me immensely. Mr. Orville Abeynayake, Mr. George Ponniah and Mr. P.I. Pieris helped me grow as a cricketer and more importantly as a responsible human being.”

“I had self-confidence from a young age. I remember at the age of 17, I went up to my dad and said that I didn’t want to do higher studies but wanted to go and play cricket in England. Those four years in England toughened me up. You are all by yourself and you learn things quickly.”

Ahangama became an instant star in his first series representing Sri Lanka. He claimed 18 wickets against India in a three Test series in 1985 as Sri Lanka recorded their first ever series win in the history.”

“Mohammad Azharuddin came to Sri Lanka with a massive reputation. He had made three hundreds in a row in his debut series against England. I knocked off his helmet during a warm-up game. I knew I had the wood over him and in the SSC Test dismissed him twice.”

“It was a memorable series for us. India were the better team on paper but they weren’t prepared. We were well prepared. I remember at P. Sara Oval when we won our first Test, India had four wickets in hand and had to survive one session to save the game. When we came in for the tea break, Mr. Abu Fuard told captain Duleep Mendis to give me the new ball which was due after tea. So, I shared the new ball with Ashantha de Mel and claimed two wickets including that of Ravi Shastri, who was putting on a stubborn resistance.”

“Mr. Fuard was ahead of his times. He had made lot of enemies, but I can tell you that he only had the best interests of the game.”

“Lots of fond moments in that series. A 20-year-old Aravinda de Silva opening batting at SSC was told by Mr. Fuard that there’s no harm in losing a Test match trying to win it. I think that input helped shape Aravinda’s attitude towards the game. Then he goes on to face the first ball of the innings and hammers of all people Kapil Dev for a six. Mr. Fuard gave Aravinda the license to play his shots. That was like giving a ten-year-old the keys to the Kandos factory.”

“There was Ranjan Madugalle, a superb technician. We talk about Roy Dias, Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene when it comes to technique but Ranjan was on equal terms with them.”

“We had good leaders thankfully. I remember once SSC had given me the cold shoulder and I was so angry for I had done well in the domestic competition. I wrote a letter to President J.R. Jayawardene, who was the Patron of SSC. Within a couple of days justice was done.”

“Then there was Mr. Gamini Dissanayake. There was a coup to get rid of the captain and Mr. Dissanayake sensed it. He called for a meeting immediately and said in no uncertain terms that the captain will not be removed on the behest of the senior players. With Mr. Dissanayake, it was either my way or the highway. You needed that kind of strong leadership at that point.”

Another character that Ahangama is so fond of is late Guy de Alwis. They were contemporaries at school and represented SSC after S. Thomas’.

“Guy was an amazingly gifted cricketer. More than anything his self-belief was his biggest plus point. A lot of people talk these days about M.S. Dhoni, who doesn’t bat during practices. Guy de Alwis did that some 40 years ago. He knew what he was capable of. While he worked extremely hard on his fitness and wicket keeping, he wasn’t bothered about his batting because he knew that was his strong point. Once the SSC captain told him that unless he practices batting during training he wasn’t going to get selected. Guy refused to toe the line. He was given an ultimatum. Guy then told off the captain and never played cricket again. He always called a spade a spade. We miss characters like that these days.”

“Once at SSC, there was a move to get rid of Ranatungas. The reason that was given was attitude, not runs or wickets. Everyone thought that I would back the decision as I was part of the Royal – Thomian group. But I disagreed. I was the vice-captain of the side and I refused to drop him. Then, I called up Mr. Anura Tennekoon and told him the problem. Mr. Tennekoon is a fair man and he ensured that players were picked on merit and weren’t dropped on flimsy grounds. We need honourable men like Mr. Tennekoon running cricket.”

Ahangama was SLC Secretary when the chucking controversy unfolded in Australia. He had many sleepless nights trying to resolve matters and clearing Murali. “It was a tough time. When Murali was no balled in Adelaide, a Sri Lankan in Adelaide called the team hotel and told Mr. Ranjit Fernando, the Manager that the umpire had taken leave from work for stress. That summed up our case. We argued how can a person on stress leave undertake an international match. The case was dropped.”

Ahangama, 64 now, is a grandfather. But that doesn’t stop his coaching. He is a highly sought after cricket coach in Australia.

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Delhi Capital’s fourth shot at elusive trophy as Royal Challengers Bengaluru look to make winning a habit

Published

40 mins ago

2026/02/5

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Lizelle Lee and Shafali Verma against Lauren Bell will be an interesting contest [BCCI]

The grand finale of WPL 2026 carries a distinct India-South Africa flavour, much like the World Cup final two months ago. But the epicenter is Vadodara and not Navi Mumbai, the traditional home of Indian women’s cricket. However, that won’t make the occasion any less special.

The marquee names line up symmetrically. Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues on one side; Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh on the other. Marizanne Kapp and Laura Wolvaardt on one side, Nadine de Klerk on the other.

Threading between these big stars are two high-impact overseas allrounders from West Indies and Australia, each having contributed to their team’s journey to the final in their own way.

Chinelle Henry has been an unheralded star for Delhi Capitals (DC). Her three-for in the Eliminator may have gone unnoticed in the larger scheme of things, but it was as important as Shafali and Lizelle Lee’s opening stand or Rodrigues’ cameo. For Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Grace Harris has filled an even larger void. In Ellyse Perry’s absence, she has become the powerplay enforcer, dominating attacks and setting up games for the likes of Ghosh and de Klerk to finish.

The prospect of these two sides pitted against each other in the final seemed an unlikely prospect even during the auction. Mumbai Indians appeared the obvious front runners, having retained the core that delivered two titles in three seasons.

RCB, meanwhile, were without Perry, and when they opted to replace her with an uncapped Indian fast bowler in Sayali Satghare, fully aware that Pooja Vastrakar would be unavailable for much of the season, the knives were out. Satghare has since become a key strand in RCB’s seam attack.

Thursday’s final also brings a contrast to their journeys to the final. RCB took the route DC did for three seasons running – winning six out of their eight games to top the group. DC have scraped through a sequence of must-win games and will now play their third knockout in five days.

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[Cricinfo]

Sports

SLAF men’s Judo team crowned overall champs at 62nd National Judo Championship

Published

6 hours ago

2026/02/5

Priyan

The Sri Lanka Air Force Men's and Women's Judo Teams with officials

The Sri Lanka Air Force [SLAF] Men’s Judo Team emerged overall champions in the Men’s Category at the 62nd National Judo Championship organized by the Sri Lanka Judo Association, reclaiming the prestigious title for the first time since 2014.

The championship was held from 30 January to 01 February 2026 at the Indoor Stadium of the Ministry of Sports, Sri Lanka, with the awards ceremony conducted at the same venue on 01 February 2026.

The awards ceremony was graced by Air Commodore Manoj Galappaththi, Chairman of SLAF Judo, Group Captain MADCI Gunasinghe, Secretary of SLAF Judo, and Wing Commander HDTNS Hettiarachchi, Assistant Secretary of SLAF Judo, along with several senior officers representing the tri-services.

The SLAF Men’s Judo Team secured the overall championship in the Men’s Category with a medal tally of six gold medals, three silver medals and six bronze medals.

Meanwhile, the SLAF Women’s Judo Team delivered a commendable performance to secure the Overall Runners-up position in the Women’s Category, winning four gold medals, four silver medals and six bronze medals.

Further highlighting the SLAF’s success, Sergeant Chamara Dharmawardana was adjudged the ‘Best Male Judo Player’ for the ninth consecutive year, continuing a notable record in Sri Lankan Judo. In recognition of emerging talent, Mr. Wipulaweera was awarded the ‘Emerging Player of the Year’ in the Men’s Category, while Leading Aircraftwoman Yapa YMMM received the ‘Emerging Player of the Year’ in the Women’s Category award. In addition, Leading Aircraftman Hansamal KST was recognized as the ‘Best Ippon Player’ of the championship.

Summary of results

Gold Medalists
Mr. Wipulaweera (66 Kg)
Sergeant Darmawardana RCN (73 Kg)
Leading Aircraftman Hansamal KST (81 kg)
Leading Aircraftman Osman MI (Over 70 kg)
Sergeant Darmawardana RCN (Open Event-Men )
Leading Aircraftwoman Yapa YMMM (57 Kg)
Leading Aircraftman Samaraweera HVPCSD (63 Kg)
Leading Aircraftman Wickramasinghe RMSP (Over 78 Kg)

Team Event (Mix)
Sergeant Darmawardana RCN
Leading Aircraftman Osman MI
Leading Aircraftman Hansamal KST
Leading Aircraftwoman Upamali IR
Leading Aircraftwoman Bandara BGNK
Sergeant Lakshani MGU

Silver Medalists
Leading Aircraftman Arachchi WAASW (73 Kg)
Corporal Mahesh TP (90 Kg)
Leading Aircraftman Hansamal KST (Open Event -Men)
Leading Aircraftman Premalal UKGAN (44 Kg)
Leading Aircraftwoman Bandara BGNK (52 Kg)
Leading Aircraftwoman Upamali IR (70 Kg)
Sergeant Lakshani MGU (Over 78 Kg)

Bronze Medalists
Leading Aircraftman Madushanka RMSL (50 kg)
Leading Aircraftman Weerasinghe RSN (55 Kg)
Mr. Wipulaweera (60 kg)
Corporal Kumara SD (81 kg)
Corporal Abesinghe KGCK (Under 100kg)
Leading Aircraftwoman Priyanthi S (48 Kg)
Aircraftwoman Rupasinghe DGITS (48 Kg)
Leading Aircraftwoman Senarathna JASS (52 Kg)
Leading Aircraftwoman Chathurangani BAI (63 kg)
Leading Aircraftwoman Deumini TML (78 Kg)
Leading Aircraftwoman Upamali IR (Open Event- Women)
Corporal Kumara SD (Open Event – Men)

Sports

Sri Lanka’s mindset muddle clouds World Cup hopes

Published

13 hours ago

2026/02/5

Sahan Weerasooriya

Sri Lanka's batting unit failed to chase down 129 runs in the third T20I at Pallekele and suffered a 3-0 whitewash.

A home series against England was meant to be the ideal dress rehearsal, a chance for Sri Lanka to oil the wheels and gather momentum ahead of the World Cup starting later this week. Instead, the campaign has gone awfully wrong. Plenty of promise, precious little substance. Bar the lone victory in the opening ODI, the hosts have spent the white-ball leg chasing shadows, the ODI series defeat a bitter pill and the T20I whitewash a full-blown reality check. Sri Lanka’s frailties against spin were already an open secret; this series merely put them under a brighter spotlight, throwing up more questions than answers.

Handing three wickets in an over to a part-timer like Jacob Bethell is the sort of generosity normally reserved for charity matches. Failing to hunt down 129 on surfaces the batting unit has been reared on, rank turners that should feel like home cooking, tells its own grim tale.

The malaise is rooted in mindset. Too many batters are reaching for the glory shot, swinging from the heels when the situation demands nudges into gaps, hard yards between the wickets and a willingness to play the waiting game.

Cricket, after all, is not always about clearing the ropes; sometimes it is about milking the bowling and letting the scoreboard tick over. Unless these rough edges are sanded down, Sri Lanka risk walking into the World Cup with the same old cracks papered over.

Recent T20 World Cups have been a sobering reminder of how far the side has drifted. A meek first-round exit last time and the indignity of qualifying rounds before that should have set alarm bells ringing. Yet, carrying largely the same cast into a fourth successive global event, the team continues to tread water, repeating errors like a stuck record rather than turning the page.

One positive has been the improved handling of injuries that once felled key players at the worst moments, but elsewhere the repair job remains half-finished.

The biggest question mark hovers over captain Dasun Shanaka. A skipper struggling to read the wrong’un, let alone steer a chase, can quickly become dead weight. His elevation came out of the blue and the warning signs were there from day one, but they were waved away. Cricket, like life, has a habit of punishing stubbornness, and Sri Lanka are discovering that harsh truth the hard way.

Rex Clementine at Pallekele