Sports
Selectors need to take a look at team culture
There is a difference between taking unpopular decisions and making dumb decisions. Taking the wicketkeeping gloves from Kumar Sangakkara in 2006 in Test match cricket was an unpopular decision.
Backing Sanath Jayasuriya despite having scored one half-century in his first 50 ODIs was another unpopular decision. Handing the vice-captaincy of the national team to Mahela Jayawardene in 1999 sidelining several seniors was yet another unpopular move. The selectors had very good reasoning to make those moves and eventually got the support of the players and the public.
Take the case of current Chairman of Selectors Upul Tharanga. He debuted for Sri Lanka soon after the Under-19 World Cup but didn’t have numbers behind him in domestic cricket to justify his selection. But he was quite a sensation scoring six hundreds in his first year in international cricket. Five of those six hundreds came overseas as well in different conditions like Mohali, Ahmedabad, Christchurch, Lord’s and Headingly. Our cricket has progressed thanks to those men who were prepared to bite the bullet and make those unpopular moves.
Talking of not so clever selection moves, take for instance the call to give the cold shoulder to half a dozen seniors in white ball cricket in 2020 and then when things backfired to blame lack of skill levels among young players.
In the last three years Sri Lanka played three qualifying round tournaments to get though to ICC events and when they finished the recent World Cup ninth and were knocked out of the Champions Trophy the selectors blame poor fitness standards.
They had conveniently forgotten that they had been in charge for three years and had in fact introduced a highly publicized strict fitness regime before ditching it halfway through.
When you introduce policies you need to persevere with them. Sometimes you have to tinker it a bit or even perhaps completely overhaul it depending on circumstances and that’s understandable. But what is not on is using your policies selectively. That is why the national cricket team went from bad to worse in the last three years.
Club loyalties taking precedence over national interests is recipe for disaster and with the previous selection committee it looked an unwritten rule that all national captains had to come from SSC.
Given the amount of cricket that is played it was insane to limit the selection panel for just three members. Authorities need to explain why it was done so. Sanity has prevailed and now the selection panel has been extended to five members.
There is some criticism that most of the current selectors were active First-Class cricketers until recently. That criticism of course has no validity. Being involved in the sport until recently is in fact a good thing for you are aware as to who are the players who deserve a call up. Of course they are aware of the growing demands of the modern game and that’s an additional qualification. A recently retired cricketer is far better than someone who quit the game two decades ago and this certainly is a step in the right direction.
One reason why Sri Lanka has fared poorly in recent years is because there is a serious discipline issue within the team. Your Test captain is charged for drunk driving, and you soft peddle. Your white ball captain had been on bail for a similar offence, and you turn a blind eye. There is a problem with the standards you have set for your cricket team. Or maybe that if you are from SSC everything is forgiven.
The culture within the Sri Lankan team is not good. You should have fun of course but taking things for granted and easy-going is recipe for disaster. If Virat Kohli and David Warner can turn up when training is optional to sharpen their fitness and fielding why not you when you had to qualify for the World Cup. It is baffling indeed.
You find several players coming into the Sri Lankan side with all the right attitudes. But once they have joined ranks with the side they buy into that easy-going culture.
There is so much talk about the skill levels of Sri Lankan players being not all there at present. That maybe true but what is not true is that you don’t need skill levels to become a good fielding unit. You can get there by sheer hard work. This World Cup Sri Lanka dropped 16 catches, that’s almost two catches dropped for a game. In the last two T-20 World Cups, if not for dropped catches the team would have fared much better. The fielding woes need to be addressed at the earliest possible.
The selectors are set to introduce new captains and it seems they will have three captains for three formats. While doing that will keep several senior players happy, not sure whether our cricket is so rich with Mike Brearleys and Tiger Pataudis to warrant captains for each format.
There’s lot of cricket ahead in the new year. The key events will be the T-20 World Cup in the US and West Indies and the tour of England that includes three Test matches.
Given our history of poor injury management in recent times, the selectors have a lot in their plate. Upul Tharanga is known as a fair and unassuming character who sacrificed his own comforts for the sake of team. If he is able to drag the team from the current mess, he will be remembered for a long time to come.
Sri Lanka will begin their three match T20I series against Pakistan in Rawalpindi on Friday with an opportunity for several youngsters to stake their claims, although the absence of Pathum Nissanka leaves a sizeable hole at the top of the order.
Nissanka, Sri Lanka’s highest-ranked batter in the ICC T20I rankings, has been one of the side’s most consistent performers in recent years and his absence deprives the tourists of a proven match-winner against a Pakistan attack that will still carry plenty of firepower despite resting several senior players.
The three T20Is will be played in Rawalpindi on October 9, 11 and 13 before attention switches to the seven match ODI tri-series involving hosts Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England.
While Sri Lanka will miss Nissanka, his absence opens the door for highly rated Sineth Jayawardene, who has been earmarked as one for the future. The former Sri Lanka Under-19 captain now has an opportunity to show that he can make the considerable jump from domestic and age group cricket to the international stage. Sineth skippered Royal College, Colombo with distinction.
There will also be considerable interest in leg-spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, another player Sri Lanka have invested in with an eye on the future. With Wanindu Hasaranga out of the equation, Viyaskanth has an opportunity to make a strong case for a regular berth rather than remain on the fringes.
Sri Lanka will be encouraged by the fact that Pakistan too have opted to look beyond some of their established names for the T20I leg of the tour.
Sahibzada Farhan will captain Pakistan after leading them at the recently concluded Asian Games in Japan, taking over from Salman Ali Agha, who has been left out of the T20I squad. Salman remains part of Pakistan’s ODI plans.
Pakistan have also rested Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi for the T20Is, although both return for the ODI tri-series, where Shaheen will continue as captain.
The hosts have named uncapped all-rounders Razaullah and Mohammad Imran Randhawa in their 15-member T20I squad, while Maaz Sadaqat and Hasan Nawaz have been rewarded for impressive performances at the Asian Games.
Hasan finished the tournament as Pakistan’s leading run scorer with 123 runs, including a blistering 96 off 51 balls against India in the final, although Pakistan had to settle for silver.
Fast bowler Naseem Shah returns to Pakistan’s T20I squad having last played the format against Sri Lanka in February, while Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub and Abrar Ahmed provide experience.
For Sri Lanka, while Nissanka’s runs will be sorely missed his absence means someone else has the chance to put his hand up. Sri Lanka will hope one or two of their young guns grab that opportunity with both hands.
The ODI tri-series will follow the T20Is, with the first three matches being played in Rawalpindi before the tournament moves to Lahore for the remaining league games and the final.
Pakistan have retained a more experienced core for the 50-over competition, with Babar, Salman, Haris Rauf and Faheem Ashraf among those included.
Former Pakistan Under-19 captain Saad Baig has earned his maiden ODI call-up after scoring more than 1,000 runs in the 2025-26 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, while left-arm wrist-spinner Sufiyan Moqim is another notable inclusion.
Pakistan have also strengthened their backroom staff, bringing back former Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait as bowling consultant. Tait previously served as Pakistan’s bowling coach in 2022-23 and replaces Ashley Noffke, who left after the Asian Games to take over as Netherlands head coach.
ATF Under-16 Colombo Week 1 Tennis
Sri Lanka’s junior players delivered a series of impressive performances on Wednesday, with the girls claiming all four semi-final places at the ATF Under-16 Colombo 2026 Week 1 tournament, held at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association courts.
Damsath Peiris
Methuli Naotunne led the charge with a notable quarter-final win over India’s Yashmitha Santhosh, recovering from a set loss to prevail 4-6, 7-5, 6-1. Kiara Jayamanne also came from behind to beat India’s Ahnavi Shaw 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.
Risindi
Hewawasam
In an all-Sri Lankan quarter-final, Risindi Hewawasam overcame Desandi Peiris 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, while Disini Samaraweera defeated Sayli Basnayake 3-6, 6-2, 6-0.
The Sri Lankan boys also impressed. Damsath Peiris beat Buvindu Jayawardhana 8-2, 7-6, and Yonal Dankumbura battled to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Jayan Sebastian.
The visiting players, however, proved tough to beat. The Philippines’ Anthony Castigador defeated Sri Lanka’s Dehan Wickramasinghe 6-2, 6-4, and India’s Gurshaan Chahal fought back to overcome Udeera Gunasinghe 2-6, 7-5, 7-5.
(RF)
Mosvold Sixes 2026 concluded on Sunday at the Colombo Malay Cricket Club with Travel Trends Leisure crowned champions after a closely fought final against last year’s winners, Connaissance De Ceylan Sri Lanka, who finished as runners-up. Transco Travels were second runners-up.
Twenty three destination management companies took part in the six-a-side softball cricket tournament, organised by Mosvold Sri Lanka.
The Mosvold Martinus Challenge Trophy 2026 was presented to the champions by Nilanka Martinus, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Mosvold Boutique Hotels. Chief Guest Farveez Maharoof, the former Sri Lanka all-rounder, presented the runners-up award to Connaissance De Ceylan Sri Lanka.
This year’s twenty three competing DMCs were Tangerine Tours, Sri Lanka Tailormade, Olanka Travels, Antiquity Sri Lanka, Travel Trends Leisure, House of Travels & Tourism, NKAR Travels & Tours, Jetwing Travels, Walkers Tours, Connaissance De Ceylan Sri Lanka, Delux Holidays, Ceylon Roots, Spiceland Holidays, Infinity Vacations, Tropiculture, Serene Travels, Authenticities, Red Apple Travel & Holidays Lanka, DTH Travel Lanka, Hayleys Travels, We stay Ceylon, Transco Travels and Ceylon Tours.
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