Sports
Sri Lanka register commanding win over Zimbabwe
Sri Lanka started their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign on a bright note as they registered a comprehensive 33-run win against Zimbabwe in their warm-up match at MCG on Tuesday.
The Sri Lankan openers Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka got their team off to a flying start as they put on a 57-run stand in just five overs. The partnership was broken when Brad Evans dismissed Nissanka for 21 but Mendis carried on and made his way to a fifty.
Mendis was threatening to take the game completely away from Zimbabwe but Ryan Burl gave them a much-needed breakthrough as he had the Sri Lankan batter caught for a well-made 29-ball 54. The 27-year-old hit six fours and three sixes during the course of his knock.
Zimbabwe made a comeback into the game for a brief period as they claimed some quick wickets to reduce Sri Lanka to 133 for five at the end of the 16th over. But Wanindu Hasaranga played an excellent cameo of 37 not out off just 14 deliveries to take Sri Lanka’s total to 188 for five.
The chase was going to be a challenging one for Zimbabwe but a good start to their innings kept them in the hunt. The openers put on 39 runs in just three overs and after reaching a score of 61/2 in seven overs, they looked well on course towards their target. But the match kept slipping away from them after that as the Sri Lankan bowlers bowled tight lines and lengths.
Wesley Madhevere scored a run-a-ball 42 and that halted the momentum of Zimbabwe’s innings in the middle overs. Lower-order batter Milton Shumba tried his best to get them close to the target with a 25-ball 32 but it wasn’t enough for Zimbabwe as they still fell short by 33 runs.
As far as the Sri Lankan bowling goes, Hasaranga bowled an economical spell of 4-0-22-0 after his flamboyant knock whereas Maheesh Theekshana and Chamika Karunaratne claimed a couple of wickets each.
The Rose Bowl, which has been awarded to the winner of ODI series between the women’s teams of Australia and New Zealand since 1985, has now been expanded to include T20Is as well.
New Zealand’s three match T20I tour of Australia, which begins on Sunday at the North Sydney Oval, will be the first T20I edition of the Rose Bowl. The teams will get to face off again for the trophy in March 2027 when they meet again for three ODIs, also in Australia.
For Rose Bowl series that include matches in both white-ball formats, the trophy will go to the team with the most wins overall. In case of a drawn series, the current holder will retain the trophy.
“The Rose Bowl is a prestigious trophy that holds a lot of meaning to current and past players, and it’s a series we’ve always taken a lot of pride in competing in,”Catherine Campbell, NZC’s chief cricket operations officer and a former New Zealand player, said. “With so much T20I cricket now being played, this is a brilliant opportunity to keep the Rose Bowl relevant and to build on the history between us and our Australian rivals.”
New Zealand captain Melie Kerr was excited by the broadening of opportunities to compete for the Rose Bowl.
“We’re all aware of what the Rose Bowl represents and the importance it holds in the White Ferns whakapapa [genealogy],” said Kerr. “Great players and teams have fought for it over the years and we’d love the opportunity to claim our own piece of that history.”
Australia have held the Rose Bowl continuously since wresting it back from New Zealand in 2000. Since that 3-0 win, Australia have won 18 times with one series – in 2008-09 – shared 2-2. Overall, Australia have won 26 of the 31 ODI series played for the Rose Bowl, with New Zealand winning three times and three series drawn.
North Sydney will host all three T20Is of the upcoming Rose Bowl series, on October 18, 20 and 22.
[Cricinfo]
The inaugural Sastralian Premier League (SPL), a T10 cricket tournament aimed at strengthening the cricketing fortunes of Ananda Shasthralaya National School, Matugama, will get underway next month, bringing together eight teams.
Organised by the Old Sastralians Cricket Association in collaboration with the school, the tournament is designed to provide a platform for emerging talent while generating much needed financial support for the school’s cricket development programme.
Each franchise will be required to assemble a squad of 16 players, excluding the captain, with the competition featuring a unique set of regulations aimed at encouraging participation across different age groups.
Cricketers from other schools in the Matugama area will also have an opportunity to showcase their skills under the ‘Guest Players’ category. Each team can recruit up to six guest players, with four required to feature in the playing XI.
In a move designed to nurture the next generation, every team must include two current school cricketers in its squad, with at least one guaranteed a place in the playing XI.
The tournament will also accommodate experienced campaigners, with teams permitted to select five players over the age of 20 and three over 40. The provision to use an ‘Impact Player’ is another feature of the competition.
The eight teams have been divided into two groups. Group A comprises JSD Challengers, Jagath Express, Liveka Power Lions and Rexhill Warriors, while JPI Royals, Five Star Heroes, Marine Titans and Finnk Falcons make up Group B.
A total of 16 matches will be played across November 7, 8 and 15, with November 16 set aside as a reserve day.
Beyond the action on the field, organisers hope the tournament will provide a financial boost to school cricket while forging stronger ties between past and present cricketers.
Squad for the first three ODIs: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer [VC], KL Rahul [WK], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna*, Kuldeep Yadav
Squad for fourth and fifth ODIs: Shreyas Iyer [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan [WK, VC], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav
[Cricbuzz]
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