Sports
Sri Lanka fly in standby players to Zimbabwe
In their bid to qualify for this year’s World Cup, Sri Lanka seem to be leaving no stone unturned and have flown in three standby players to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, where the national cricket team is currently playing the World Cup Qualifiers.
Accordingly, left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka, all-rounder Dunith Wellalage, who bowls left arm spin and batsman Sahan Arachchige have been sent to Bulawayo. They are expected to reach Bulawayo on Friday when Sri Lanka play their second game against Oman.
Fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera is carrying a niggle and missed the first game of the tournament and although he is expected to be fit for the next game, the authorities are not taking any chances.
They seem to have learned from their experiences last year during the T-20 World Cup in Australia where injuries to several players meant that urgent replacements had to be flown in from Colombo.
Unlike Australia, where the national carrier SriLankan has daily flights, it’s not easy to get to Bulawayo. The most preferred routes to Zimbabwe’s second largest city seems – Colombo-Bombay-Nairobi-Victoria Falls and Bulawayo or Colombo – Dubai – Harare – Bulawayo.
Lack of left-arm variety in the Sri Lankan attack has been discussed at several quarters and it is notable that both bowling options that they have called up as reserves are left-armers – Dilshan Madushanka and Dunith Wellalage.
Madushanka was a surprise omission from the original squad and fetched the highest price in the Lanka Premier League auction having been sold for a sum of US$ 92,000. Wellalage fetched US$ 56,000.
Sri Lanka Cricket will be bearing the costs for the three additional players.
Qualifying for the sport’s showpiece event later this year in India is the number one priority of SLC and the board had taken several measures to ensure that the team did not miss out. The board arranged a three match ODI series against Afghanistan as well lead up to the qualifiers and skipper Dasun Shanaka said that the three games helped the team immensely in their preparation.
Sri Lanka beat UAE comprehensively by 175 runs in their opening game and lead the points table in Group ‘B’. Their net run rate of 3.50 is quite enviable.
After Friday’s game against Oman, Sri Lanka will play Ireland on Sunday and Scotland next Tuesday. All their first-round games will be in Bulawayo.
Half centuries by Rubin Hermann and Janith Liyanage and a three wicket haul by Mujeeb Ur Rahman helped Colombo Kaps defeat Kandy Royals by 24 runs in the 9th match of the Lanka Premier League 2026 played at Dambulla on Thursday [23rd July]’
Scores:
Colombo Kaps 192/9 in 20 overs [Rubin Hermann 53, Sharujan Shanmuganathan 14, Janith Liyanage 52*, James Neesham 24, Binura Fernando 21; Vijay Shankar 1-0, Shaheen Shah Afridi 2-34, Nuwan Thushara 1-31, Moeen Ali 2-31, Dushan Hemantha 2-20]
Kandy Royals 169/8 in 20 overs [Kusal Perera 19, Dale Phillips 38, Vijay Shankar 30, Angelo Mathews 39*, Dushan Hemantha 11*; Shahnawaz Dahani 1-35, Wanuja Sahan 1-24, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 3-34, Malsha Tharupathi 1-29, James Neesham 1-07]
Hosts Sri Lanka made a winning start to their Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group IV campaign, edging out Qatar 2-1 in a closely contested opening-day tie at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association courts in Colombo on Wednesday.
The visitors struck first when Mubarak Alharrasi defeated Sri Lanka’s Apna Perera 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in a hard-fought opening singles encounter, giving Qatar an early 1-0 lead.
Sri Lanka bounced back in the second singles as Thehan Wijemanne produced a spirited comeback to overcome Mossa Alharrasi 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. After dropping the opening set, Wijemanne showed great composure to win the next two sets and level the tie at 1-1.
The decisive doubles match proved to be a tense affair, with Apna Perera returning to partner Saha Kapilasena. The Sri Lankan duo held their nerve in two tie-breaks to defeat Jabar Al Mutawan and Mossa Alharrasi 7-6, 7-6, sealing the tie 2-1 for the hosts.
Sri Lanka’s ability to recover from the opening singles defeat highlighted the team’s resilience as Wijemanne’s comeback victory and the doubles pair’s clutch performance ensured a successful start to their campaign. The hosts will now look to build on the opening-day victory as they continue their quest for promotion in the Asia/Oceania Group IV competition.
MCA PREMIER LEAGUE 2026
A 253 run sixth wicket partnership between Vinuka Rubasinghe [142 runs off 124 balls] and Lahiru Samarakoon [177 runs off 77 balls] set the foundation for David Pieris Group of Companies to amass 411/7 against DFCC Bank in the opening match of the Mercantile Cricket Association’s Premier League Cricket tournament played at the Thurstan Ground on Thursday [23]
Lahiru smashed 18 fours and 13 sixes in his 177 while Vinuka smashed 16 fours and 3 sixes in his 124 ball 142. Nipun Premarathne, Sandaru Wickremarathne and Raveen de Silva captured two wickets each.
In the chase Mihiranga Nimsara and Tharindu Nirmal captured three wickets each to restrict DFCC Bank to 257/8 in their 50 overs. Raveen de Silva top scored with 79 off 103 balls while Pavan Pathirajah chipped in with 65 runs.
SCORES:
David Pieris Group of Companies
411/7in 50 overs [Vinuka Rubasinghe 142, Lahiru Samarakoon 177; Nipun Premarathne 2-67, Sandaru Wickremarathne 2-65, Raveen de Silva 2-79]
DFCC Bank
252/8 in 50 overs [Raveen de Silva 79, Pavan Pathiraja 56 ; Mihiranga Nimsara 3-57 , Tharindu Nirmal 3-35]
Hermann, Liyanage and Mujeeb steer Colombo Kaps to a 23 run win
Showers expected in the Western and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts
Child abuse crisis: 108,000 complaints reported in 10 years
CA dismisses writ petition seeking postponement of A/L exam
Bimal’s remarks on MP’s conduct spark heated exchange in Parliament
SC rules fundamental rights of Aragalaya activist were violated
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Features5 days agoTwo memorable excerpts from a former SLAF commander’s memoir
-
Business5 days ago‘Giving up was never an option’: The fisherman who fought back after losing millions in SL
-
Latest News6 days agoDavis cup Asia/Oceania Group IV 2026 to be held in Colombo from 20th to 25th July
-
Features5 days agoErdoğan’s New Republic
-
Life style5 days agoTaste of the Swiss Alps comes to Colombo
-
Midweek Review2 days agoThree high-profile alleged suicides shaping key investigations
-
News6 days agoEvidence recorded in money laundering case against Yoshitha Rajapaksa
-
News6 days agoDengue outbreak gallops ahead: Infections surpasses 73,455, leaving 50 dead