Sports

Sri Lanka back Asalanka as captain

Published

11 months ago

2025/11/27

Sri Lanka have thrown their weight behind under-fire skipper Charith Asalanka, trusting him to steady the ship and take the side through to the T20 World Cup that the island will co-host with India. Asalanka had been entrusted with the captaincy for the ongoing white-ball series in Pakistan but was withdrawn on the eve of the T20Is after Sri Lanka copped a 3-0 thumping in the ODIs.

The official line was that the captain — who flew home with fast bowler Asitha Fernando — was unwell. But those in the inner ring felt there was more to this early departure than a flu.

Asalanka, along with several seniors, had pushed to call off the Pakistan tour after a bomb blast in Islamabad rattled the dressing room. Even with VVIP security assurances from the Pakistan government, the players stood their ground. At the eleventh hour, they reversed course when Sri Lanka Cricket refused to be bounced out of the tour and lined up replacements to be flown in. It was a captain’s challenge off the pitch and a reminder that leadership often requires playing on a sticky wicket.

Heading into the tour, the left-hander was already feeling the heat. He remains Sri Lanka’s lone representative in the ICC’s top-ten ODI batting list, but his returns in T20 cricket have been scratchy and during the recent Asia Cup his captaincy — particularly his bowling changes — left plenty to be desired.

There were also hints of a looming change when the selectors named former skipper Dasun Shanaka as Asalanka’s deputy for the T20 squad while pointedly avoiding a vice-captain for the ODI side. It looked the writing was on the wall and many expected Shanaka to shepherd the side into the World Cup.

But Sri Lanka’s stuttering form in the ongoing tri-nation T20 series — where they are flirting with the prospect of not even reaching the final — has sparked debate about the wisdom of a late captaincy reshuffle. With the World Cup only a flick of the wrist away, chopping and changing seemed a step in the wrong direction.

Chairman of Selectors Upul Tharanga has since offered the clearest signal yet that Asalanka will reclaim the armband.

“Dasun was only appointed as acting captain. We groomed Charith for the job and ahead of a World Cup, we can’t be making too many changes. One concern is that Charith hasn’t been among the runs in T20s, but he has experience and remains a vital member of the side,” Tharanga said, dead-batting the speculation.

Tharanga’s selection committee, whose two-year term ends in December, is expected to receive an extension at least until the World Cup. Under their watch, players have been given long enough spells to find their feet and Sri Lanka have shown steady improvement in Tests and ODIs, even if T20 cricket continues to be their problem child.

“T20 is a format we’ve struggled in. Consistency is the key — that’s where we’ve been short. Home advantage will matter during the World Cup and we’ll be looking closely at a few areas,” Tharanga added.

Sri Lanka are grouped alongside Australia, Oman, Ireland and Zimbabwe in Group B and should qualify for the second round.

https://www.telecomasia.net/

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Foreign News

Crystal Palace urged to retire bald eagle mascot

Published

20 mins ago

2026/10/21

Priyan

Crystal Palace were rebranded as the Eagles in the mid-1970s, having previously been known as the Glaziers [BBC]

An animal rights group is urging Crystal Palace to retire their live bald eagle mascot with immediate effect, saying a “bright stadium filled with boisterous fans is no place for animals”.

In a letter to Palace CEO Sharon Lacey, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) asked the Premier League club to stop using the eagle, named Phoenix, in pre-match displays at Selhurst Park and to never use live animal mascots again.

The London team, known as the Eagles since 1973, introduced a live eagle to matchdays in 2010. Kayla, who died in 2020, performed the role for 10 years and her replacement Phoenix made her debut against West Ham in August 2024.

Peta says birds can become “frightened, disoriented and panicked” in stadium environments, putting themselves and fans at risk.

Using them for displays and entertainment also denies the animals, who “would naturally avoid humans”, the opportunity to engage with their natural instincts, leading to “frustration and stress”, the group said.

The organisation has “detailed records” of incidents involving live mascots, including birds, being injured or killed in collisions with walls, windows and match balls, as well as a falcon embedding its talons in a spectator’s scalp after landing on his head.

In 2017, a Charlton Athletic fan was found guilty of trying to punch Kayla the eagle at a League Cup fixture two years earlier.

“Many professional sports teams use only willing humans as mascots and the club already has Pete the Eagle to excite the crowd,” said Dr Carys Bennett, Peta’s senior corporate projects manager.

“Bald eagles are widely recognised as symbols of freedom. They deserve better than to be used as an entertainment prop to amuse the Eagles’ fans.

[BBC]

Latest News

Little time to unpack as India open in Christchurch

Published

27 mins ago

2026/10/21

Priyan

India have had four days to swap Bengaluru for Christchurch [Cricbuzz]

India have barely unzipped their suitcases this month. The Asian Games assignment in Japan ended on October 3; three days later they were in Lucknow for a five-match series that ran through Ranchi, Indore and Hyderabad before closing in the Bengaluru rain late on October 17. Four days on, they start again in Christchurch, with the jet lag surely travelling with them.

New Zealand is a tricky tour at the best of times. India come here less often than they go to England or Australia, and a turnaround this short only sharpens the challenge. For Shreyas Iyer, it may feel familiar. He spoke about acclimatisation in his pre-series press conference in Christchurch, and with reason: his tenure began with India out of rhythm in Ireland, where they lost 0-2, before England beat them too.

It is an occupational hazard of the modern Indian cricketer, and there’s a good chance that conditions won’t meet them halfway either. White-ball cricket may have standardized conditions, but early-season New Zealand can still offer a different challenge. The last 200 in this country came nine T20Is ago, a world away from the kind of cricket India have been involved at home.

When these sides last met, in the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad in March, India piled up 255. Much has changed since, not least Iyer’s elevation to the captaincy. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi debuted in Manchester at 15 but has struggled for game time behind World Cup-winning openers. The bowling, meanwhile, has kept reaching for experience, culminating in Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s recall after two excellent IPL seasons with RCB.

But two lynchpins remain missing. Jasprit Bumrah has been rested with the Test series in mind, and Hardik Pandya hasn’t played international cricket since that night in Ahmedabad. Finding the right balance is India’s first puzzle in Christchurch, and they may have to solve it before their body clocks catch up.

Varun Chakaravarthy returns after another spell on the sidelines with injury, though fitting him into the XI could be tricky if India opt for three frontline seamers in a season opener. Nman Dhir wax the find of the series against West Indies, but he may be the one to make way if India go with two seam-bowling all-rounders in Nitish Reddy and Shivam Dube.

Without Mark Chapman and Rachin Ravindra, the hosts have a top-three spot for Devon Conway. They have as many as six seamers in the squad to pick from, with Glenn Phillips and Michael Bracewell offering part-time spin in a fairly stacked bowling attack.

India Probable XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prince Yadav/Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh

New Zealand Probable XI: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson

[Cricbuzz]

Latest News

Bangladesh and Nepal to host Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup from January 21 to February 6

Published

2 hours ago

2026/10/21

Priyan

Defending champions India won the first two editions of the tournament, in 2023 and 2025 (Cricinfo)

Four venues in Bangladesh and Nepal will host the 2027 Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, which is set to run from January 21 to February 6. Chattogram, Sylhet, Kirtipur and Mulpani are the four venues, with Chattogram set to host the two semi-finals on February 4 as well as the final on February 6.

The 16-team event will feature four groups of four teams each, with the group stage set to be followed by a two-group Super Six stage, and then the semi-finals and final.

This is the third edition of the tournament, with India having won the first two back-to-back in 2023 and 2025. The defending champions have been drawn in group A alongside Ireland, West Indies and Nepal. Group B has 2025 runners-up South Africa as well as New Zealand, Pakistan and Samoa.

Australia, Bangladesh, Nigeria and UAE make up Group C, while England, Sri Lanka, USA and Scotland have been drawn in Group D.

The tournament will kick off with four matches on January 21, with Sylhet hosting Bangladesh vs UAE and Australia vs Nigeria, and Mulpani hosting Sri Lanka vs Scotland and England vs USA. The other two venues and other eight teams will be involved on January 22: New Zealand vs Samoa and South Africa vs Pakistan in Chattogram, and Nepal vs Ireland and India vs West Indies in Kirtipur.

All 41 games of the tournament will be played during the day. Morning matches will begin at 9.30am local time, and afternoon games at 1.30pm local time.

“The ICC U19 World Cup is the stage that showcases the future of our sport and serves as the ultimate platform for young players to make the leap towards elite careers representing their countries,” ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta said. “These future stars representing 16 teams will garner the world’s attention and become relatable role models for many young girls playing the sport, serving inspiration for their continued cricket journeys.

“The choice of our hosts – Bangladesh and Nepal – is also reflective of the ICC’s belief and investment in the future of the cricket ecosystem. With deep passion for cricket and nearly 40% of the two countries’ populations below the age of 20, they serve as the ideal hosts for one of the world’s biggest youth sporting events.”

(Cricinfo)