Sports
Sri Lanka shows dominance in Asia Division 1 rugby with smashing 45-7 win over Kazakhstan
by A Special Sports Correspondent
Sri Lanka stamped it’s class in the Asia Men’s Division 1 rugby tournament when it crowned itself as the winner of ‘Cup Championship’ by beating Kazakhstan 45-7 in a lopsided contest in the presence of an appreciative Saturday crowd at the Race Course in Colombo.
The winners played the game wide and used speed and quick-silver footwork to rake up seven tries. Kazakhstan didn’t have a plot for the game and waited in vain for the Sri Lankans to run into them and start a physical encounter. The Sri Lankans chose otherwise and as a result finished off their opponents clinically and all that was achieved with a relatively young side.
The Kazakhstan side saw their goal line being cracked open at regular intervals; five of the Sri Lankan tries coming in the first half. The winners led 31-0 at half time.
What caught the visiting team to Sri Lanka off guard was the will of the Islanders to run the ball at every given opportunity. Back division players Zubair Dooray, Thenuka Nananyakkara, Adeesha Weerathunga, Tharinda Ratwatte and winger Dinal Ekanayake crossed the Kazakhstan goal line in the first half. Ratwatte was in a class of his own and scored the team’s third try with a show of individual brilliance. He also kicked right three conversions to swell the host teams score in the first half.
Kazakhstan was never out of the game and tried their best to keep pace with the fast-running Sri Lankans. Skipper and number eight Magamodov played hard in the lose and also contributed with a try in the 56th minute of the game. He scored at a time when the Sri Lankans were inside their ‘22’ and defending stubbornly to save their goal line. With that try being converted the Kazakhstan side saved their face because if not for that touchdown they would have been staring at an empty scoreboard after the game.
Before that try by Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka earned their sixth touchdown through the hard running half back Heshan Jansen who thundered his way over the line with the game into its 41st minute. About 19 minutes from the end Sri Lanka took off many of their hard-working players and gave the players on the bench some game time. The final try for Sri Lanka came off the efforts of Sachith Silva.
In the third-place playoff Qatar got the better of India with a score of 34 points against 25. India looked hopeless in the first half and trailed 26-6 at the ‘breather’. India fought back strongly and found the art of scoring tries in the second half, but their comeback into the game was recorded too late.
The tournament was conducted by Sri Lanka Rugby on behalf Asia Rugby.
Salman Ali Agha said that he would have done things ‘differently”, after Mehidy Hasan Miraz ran him out in controversial circumstances in the second ODI in Dhaka.
Agha, who made 64 from 62 balls, had been backing up at the non-striker’s end when Mohammad Rizwan drove the ball back towards him. He was still out of his ground as Mehidy swooped round behind him in an attempt to gather, and Agha had appeared ready to pass the ball back to the bowler before Mehidy reached down to grab it first and throw down the stumps.
Agha reacted furiously to the dismissal, throwing his gloves and helmet down in disgust at the decision. However, he later came to the post-match press conference, ahead of captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and player of the match Maaz Sadaqat, to clear the air.
“I think sportsman spirit has to be there,” Agha said. “What he [Mehidy] has done is in the law. I think if he thinks it’s right, it’s right, but if you ask me my perspective, I would have done differently. I would have gone for sportsman spirit. We haven’t done this [type of thing] previously, we would never do that in the future as well.”
Agha explained that he had been trying to pick up the ball to give to Miraz, thinking it was likely to have been called dead. “Actually, the ball hit on my pad and then my bat,” he said. “So I thought he can’t get me run-out now, because the ball already hit on my pad and my bat.
“I was just trying to give him the ball back. I was not looking for the run or anything like that, but he already decided [to make the run-out].”
Agha however regretted his angry reaction. “It was just heat-of-the-moment kind of stuff,” he said. “If you ask me what would I have done, I would have done things differently. But it was everything, whatever happened after that, it was in the moment.”
He was also involved in a robust exchange with Bangladesh wicketkeeper Litton Das, though he didn’t divulge many of the details.
“I can’t remember what I was saying and I can’t remember what he was saying,” he said. “I’m sure I wasn’t saying nice things, and I’m sure he wasn’t saying nice stuff as well. But it was just heat of the moment, so we are fine.
Asked if he had patched things up with Mehidy, Agha said: “I haven’t yet, but don’t worry, I’ll find him.”
Pakistan won the match by 128 runs via the DLS method.
[Cricinfo]
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix that were scheduled for next month are set to be cancelled as a result of the war in the Middle East.
A formal decision to call off the races has not yet been made but is expected before the end of the weekend.
Freight would need to start being shipped to the Middle East in the coming days. With no sign of the conflict between the US/Israel and Iran coming to a conclusion, holding the races would put personnel at too great a risk.
Neither event will be replaced, with the season being cut to 22 grands prix and F1 taking a commercial hit of more than £100m, given Bahrain and Saudi Arabia pay two of the highest hosting fees.
The race in Bahrain was scheduled to be on 12 April with Jeddah the following weekend.
Consideration was given to holding events at Portimao in Portugal, Imola in Italy or Istanbul Park in Turkey.
But it was accepted that the time to organise a race at any of those locations was too short, and there was little chance of securing a hosting fee.
The decision will mean there is a five-week break between the Japanese Grand Prix on 29 March and Miami on 3 May.
(BBC)
Royal College made steady progress in reply to their arch rivals’ first innings total as skipper Rehan Peiris and Ramiru Perera guided them to 175 for four wickets at stumps on day two of the 147th Battle of the Blues at the SSC ground on Friday.
Royal needed only 51 overs to reach their end-of-day total after S. Thomas’ College had earlier adopted a cautious approach before being bowled out for 302 runs.
Royal suffered an early setback when open batsman Hirun Liyanarachchi was dismissed for naught in the very first over, caught behind by Aaron Kodituwakku off the bowling of Gimhan Mendis.
Skipper Rehan Peiris then steadied the innings, repairing the early damage with two useful partnerships. He first added 41 runs for the second wicket with Udantha Gangewatta and followed it up with a 34-run stand for the third wicket alongside Sri Lanka Under-19 skipper Vimath Dinsara.
Dinsara struggled to find fluency during his stay at the crease, managing 11 runs off 30 balls before being trapped leg-before by Gimhan Mendis, who finished the day with two wickets.
Rehan continued to anchor the innings and produced the most productive stand of the Royal innings when he combined with Ramiru Perera for a vital 78-run partnership for the fourth wicket. The Royal skipper’s determined knock finally ended on 63 when he was dismissed by Ludeesha Matarage.
From there, Ramiru Perera and Yasindu Dissanayake ensured there were no further setbacks, batting cautiously until bad light forced the umpires to call off play.
Perera remained unbeaten on 70, an attractive innings that included ten boundaries, while Dissanayake provided solid support at the other end as Royal closed the day strongly.
Earlier in the day, resuming from their overnight score, the Thomians continued with their ultra-cautious approach, scoring at just over two runs per over. Reshon Solomon top-scored with 66 runs, while Ludeesha Matarage and Raphael Hettige chipped in with useful contributions in the twenties.
S. Thomas’ were eventually bowled out for 302 just before the lunch interval on the second day, having consumed 124 overs during their four-session first innings.
Gagan Gamage was the pick of the Royal bowlers with impressive figures of four wickets for 49 runs. He received good support from Sehandu Sooriyaarachchi, who claimed three wickets for 64 runs, while Himaru Deshan picked up two wickets for 43. Ramiru Perera also chipped in with a wicket to complete the Thomian innings.
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