Sports

Sri Lanka shot out for 157 at Bull Ring

Published

5 years ago

2021/01/4

Ruan van der Merwe at Wanderers

Not many Asian teams want to play at the Bull Ring. It’s not only one of the quickest wickets in the world alongside WACA in Australia, the high altitude of Johannesburg – 5750 feet –makes life difficult for players. The Wanderers is fondly known as the Bull Ring for its intimidate nature.

The Sri Lankans – depleted and moral down – after four who featured in the opening game being ruled out with injuries – shouldn’t lose hope though as far better teams have come to the Bull Ring and have eaten humble pie.

The only bright spot in the innings after they won the toss and opted to bat first was Kusal Perera, who batted superbly to post 60 runs off 67 balls with 11 fours.

Incidentally, it happens to be the highest score by a Sri Lankan here and only captain Dimuth Karunaratne had managed a half-century before Perera. This is Sri Lanka’s third Test match at the Bull Ring.

After the early dismissal of Karunaratne (19), Perera along with Lahiru Thirimanne had added 52 runs for the second wicket. Perera was doing all the scoring and with him picking up boundaries frequently, there were some worries among the Proteas.

But Wiaan Mulder provided the breakthrough to settle nerves. Mulder is not the typical South African fast bowler with outright pace. His strength is building up the pressure through disciplined seam bowling and he got the better of Perera who drove loosely and was caught at gully.

In the same over he dismissed Kusal Mendis for a duck and in the next over picked up Thirimanne for 17 and the Sri Lankans were in disarray.

Minod Bhanuka on debut showed his inexperience when he attempted to drive the last ball before lunch for four. But Anrich Nortje has that extra yard of pace and the bounce at Bull Ring is far more genuine than his home ground – SSC.

Mulder’s opening spell of three overs fetched him three wickets for just one run. He had set the stage for Nortje to dominate. His pace was too quick and the Sri Lankan tail couldn’t handle him.

Nortje finished with six for 56, the fourth best figures by a South African quick against Sri Lanka.

Brief Scores:

Sri Lanka 157 all out in 40.3 overs

(Kusal Perera 60, Wanindu Hasaranga 29, Dushmantha Chameera 22, Anrich Nortje 6/56, Wiaan Mulder 3/51)

South Africa 148 for 1 in 37 overs

(Dean Elgar 92, Rassie van der Dussen 40)

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Sports

Vishwa Man of the Match as Joes beat Bens

Published

4 hours ago

2026/02/4

Sahan Weerasooriya

Vishwa Peiris

Under 19 Cricket

Left-arm spinners Vishwa Peiris and Demion de Silva took five wickets each as St. Joseph’s cruised to an innings and 51 runs victory over St. Benedict’s in the Traditional Mack – Croner trophy cricket encounter at Darley Road on Tuesday.

‎St. Benedict’s came to the match having done well in the Tier B tournament matches but the spin might of the Joes was too hot for them to handle as they collapsed for 62 runs in the second innings.

‎The result somewhat exposed the gap between the Tier A and Tier B teams of the Under 19 Division I category as the team from Kotahena were bowled out within 25 overs. They were following on after being dismissed for 197 runs in the first innings, where Nushan Perera grabbed five wickets bowling the bulk of the overs for the Joes. He was adjudged the Best Bowler.

‎While Vishwa was the Man of the Match, Rishma Amarasinghe (Best Fielder) and Senuja Wakunugoda (Best Batsman) won the other individual awards.

‎The Joes made 313 in their innings with Senuja top scoring with 106 runs.

‎In the Division I Tier ‘A’ matches Gurukula (against St. Sebastian’s) and St. Anthony’s Katugastota (against Royal) registered first innings victories.

‎Maliyadeva took first innings points against De Mazenod in a tier B match.

‎(RF)

Sports

Pakistan pull out threat leaves World Cup finances on a sticky wicket

Published

4 hours ago

2026/02/4

Sahan Weerasooriya

Pakistan’s decision to not to play India in the upcoming T20 World Cup has raised concerns everywhere.

Organisers of the ICC T20 World Cup are sweating over after Pakistan refused to play nuclear-armed neighbours India in Colombo, a decision that has left administrators scratching their heads and staring at a potential financial googly.

The India–Pakistan contest, the jewel in the tournament’s crown, is the game that oils cricket’s economic engine. If the marquee clash is bowled out, the loss of revenue will have every stakeholder feeling the pinch from boardroom to boundary rope. Islamabad’s call to withdraw, taken at government level, has sparked fears the verdict will not be overturned.

Anticipation for the grudge match had reached fever pitch. Tickets vanished on day one of sales, while Colombo’s hotels were snapped up quickly. Five-star rooms that normally fetch 150 US dollars were hiked to 600 USD, some even soaring to 800 USD as the city braced for a carnival.

With the capital full to the rafters, tour operators shuttled visitors to nearby Negombo, an hour’s drive from the stadium, while others opted for apartments as accommodation ran dry. Flights, too, were booked well in advance, but uncertainty over the epic duel has now cast a long shadow.

“We haven’t had many cancellations yet, but we fear the worst. Everyone will take a hit if the game doesn’t take place,” aviation industry official Thusitha Perera told Telecom Asia Sport.

Gihan Wickramasinghe, representing Colombo’s hoteliers, echoed the concern. “Our hope is the match goes ahead. If not, we’ll have to refund bookings and the tour operators will be hit even harder.”

Tour operator Lisa Fernando said the anxiety was mounting. “Two groups from Dubai alone, 75 people, were coming. Corporate clients had planned trips down south as well. There’s a lot of money at stake and so much unnecessary stress.”

Indian fan Varun Kumar from Bangalore has already paid for flights and hotels but intends to travel regardless. “Sri Lanka has been on my bucket list. Whether the match happens or not, we’ll come to experience the country,” he said.

Sri Lanka Cricket remains optimistic the contest will be rescued before the final over is called. But if the showpiece is scratched, it would be a hammer blow to an economy only just finding its feet after years of setbacks, leaving the tournament badly caught behind.

https://www.telecomasia.net/

Sports

Zacharia, Thishya Under 12 singles champions

Published

4 hours ago

2026/02/4

Sahan Weerasooriya

Thishya Banagala

SSC Open Tennis Championship 2026

Zacharia Akbar and Thishya Banagala were crowned champions in the Under 12 boys’ and girls’ singles respectively of the SSC Open Tennis Championships in Colombo.

‎In the boys final, Zacharia Akbar beat Kashya Seneviratne 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. The S.Thomas’ College player reached the finals with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Satheesh Appathuri in the semi-finals.

‎The Under 12 girls’ final saw Thishya Banagala beat Thiyansa de Silva 7-5, 6-2.

‎The Visakha Vidyalaya player reached the final after a 6-4, 6-4 win over Manuli Seneviratne in the semis.