Sports
St. Aloysius’ fight back to win as Kalana takes seven wickets
Under 19 Cricket
by Reemus Fernando
In a rare piece of new-ball bowling left-arm paceman Kalana Pathum picked up seven wickets to rattle St. Benedict’s for 47 runs as St. Aloysius’ fought back to record five wickets victory in the Under 19 cricket encounter at Kotahena on Tuesday.
St. Aloysius’ had a first innings deficit of 45 runs but after Pathum dismissed the home team for scanty 47 runs they had a target of just 93 runs to chase. He was on a hat trick twice.
Visitors were troubled early in their run chase by Mewan Dissanayake. They lost wickets at regular intervals but the sixth wicket pair of Vidura Lakshan and Induwara Udena posted an unbroken stand of 56 runs to seal the victory with more than a session to spare. Udena was aggressive as he hammered four sixes in his unbeaten 40 which came in 36 balls.
At Colts ground, Randul Samarahewa top scored with 85 runs for Dharmasoka to record a fist innings win over Lumbini.
Despite a six wicket haul by Sajitha Vithanage, Richmond managed to take first innings honours against Nalanda at Dombagoda as they posted 165 runs in 67 overs against Nalanda’s 158 runs for which they consumed 99 overs.
At Uyanwatta, Devapathiraja forced St. Thomas’ to follow on as they restricted the home team to 97 runs in the first innings.
At Kandana, put to bat, De Mazenod were rocked by Venusha Akash who took early wickets to place them wobbling at three wickets down for nine runs. Later they slumped further to be placed five wickets down for 47 runs before Sithum Fernando (55), Thareen Sanketh (41) and Maleesha Mihishan (31n.o.) made useful contributions for them to recover.
Match Details
St. Aloysius’ beat St. Benedict’s by
five wickets at Kotahena
Scores:
St. Benedict’s
151 all out in 46.2 overs (Sheron Kannangara 43, Arshan Joseph 23, Kojitha Himsara 24; Kalana Pathum 2/19, Dumindu Naveen 2/31, Induwara Udena 2/23, Kavindu Kesara 3/24) and 47 all out in 19.2 overs (Kalana Pathum 7/21, Dumindu Naveen 2/12)
St. Aloysius’
106 all out in 47 overs (Charya Paranavithana 20, Oshanda Devinda 30; Chamath Chathurya 2/22, Vihara Aththanayake 2/26, Mewan Dissanayake 2/23) and 94 for 5 in 23.2 overs (Vidura Lakshan 31n.o., Induwara Udena 40n.o.; Mewan Dissanayake 4/49)
Samarahewa shines for Dharmasoka
at Colts ground
Scores:
Lumbini
171 all out in 61.2 overs (Dhanitha Sandeth 26, Yasiru Yugath 47, Pasindu Mahisha 15, Malith Kawindu 18; Pathum Malitha 5/35, Chanaka Jananga 3/49, Senitha Halambage 2/26) and 117 for 7 decl. in 47.4 overs (Pasindu Mahisha 52; Pathum Malitha 3/19, Senitha Halambage 2/31)
Dharmasoka
28 for no loss overnight 195 all out in 56.3 overs (Randul Samarahewa 85, Chanuka de Silva 39; Dumindu Sewmina 2/38, Malith Kawindu 4/15) and 25 for no loss in 3 overs (Randul Samarahewa 21n.o.)
Richmond take first innings honours against Nalanda at Dombagoda
Scores:
Nalanda
158 all out in 99 overs (Rusiru Vilochana 29, Eranga Jayakody 33; Malsha Tharupathi 6/45) and 121 for 3 in 43 overs (Rusiru Vilochana 66n.o., Sadew Samarasinghe 29; Yuri Koththigoda 2/39)
Richmond
165 all out in 66.4 overs (Tharinda Nirmal 31, Kavindu Nirmana 21, Sharon Abhishek 39, Maheesha de Silva 33; Sajitha Vithanage 6/61)
Devapathiraja take major honours at
drawn encounter at Matara
Scores:
Devapathiraja
230 for 3 overnight 277 for 9 decl. in 75.3 overs (Sandaru Theekshana 97, Pawan Sandesh 25, Dinitha Prabanka 30, Jeewaka Shashen 89; Bhanuka Insamal 3/64, Navija de Seram 4/80)
St. Thomas’
97 all out in 38.4 overs (Shashindu Jayasekara 18; Pathum Shaminda 3/29, Irushka Thimira 5/21) and 126 for 2 in 34 overs (Dumindu Sakshara 31, Abdul Maajid 34, Pesandu Sanjan 39n.o.;
Middle order fight back after Akash trouble De Mazenod at Kandana
Scores:
De Mazenod
175 for 7 in 66 overs (Neshan Dias 23, Sithum Fernando 55, Thareen Sanketh 41, Maleesha Mihishan 31n.o.; Venusha Akash 3/28)
Royal
St. Anthony’s take upper hand against Thurstan at Katugastota
Scores:
St. Anthony’s
234 all out in 64.1 overs (Thisara Ekanayake 63, Lahiru Abeysinghe 26, Ravindu Kapukotuwa 65, Janith Rathnasiri 26; Gagana Perera 3/27, Thanuga Palihawadana 3/49)
Thurstan
65 for 5 in 31 overs (Charuka Ekanayake 2/07)
by Reemus Fernando
Supun Chathura of Welimada Central and Tharindi Chamalka of Nuwara Eliya High School claimed the boys’ and girls’ titles at the All-Island Schools Games Half Marathon, held in Colombo on Sunday.
Chathura won the boys’ race in a notable 1:14.51. Sameesha Nimsath of St. Pope Paul the Sixth MV, Gampaha, took second in 1:16.40, while Suranga Lal Kumara of Pussadewa Secondary School, Batagolla, clinched third in 1:16.42.
In the girls’ category, Chamalka won in 1:28.56. D.M.S. Nimsarani of CWW Kannangara MMV, Matugama (1:31.09), and W.S.C. Priyadharshani of President’s College, Ambagasdowa (1:33.10), finished second and third respectively.
The 21.0975-kilometre race, sponsored by Nestomalt, started at the Ministry of Education in Battaramulla. It passed through Polduwa Junction, Parliament Road, Ape Gama Junction, Kimbulawala Junction, Thalawathugoda, Hokandara Junction, Arangala Junction, Koswatta and Battaramulla Palanthuna Junction before returning to the starting point.
Girls winners (from left)D.M.S. Nimsarani (2nd), Tharindi Chamalka (first) and W.S.C. Priyadharshani
Pat Cummins outfoxed a lacklustre South Africa batting-order on a relatively benign Durban surface, while Steven Smith continued to showcase his mastery in the slips as Australia eyed a big first innings lead in the opening Test.
Outstanding bowling and fielding suffocated South Africa, who appeared set to be bowled out before tea on day three until a rearguard from Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer halted Australia’s push.
Cummins has been at his best, consistently challenging the batters as he regularly hit speeds of 140kph and above. He had 3-54 from 15 overs by tea, with all four frontline bowlers having taken wickets.
Smith backed up the bowlers by claiming three sublime catches, which lifted him past Joe Root for the most Test catches by a non-wicketkeeper.
With great anticipation, Smith moved into position to snare skipper Temba Bavuma, who had unfurled a reverse-sweep off Nathan Lyon. Smith then pulled off a stunning catch to dismiss David Bedingham, diving across first slip – it was No. 221 of his Test career.
Maaz Sadaqat crashed 96 off 51,Sahibzada Farhan clobbered 73 off 44, and Pakistan scorched their way through the last 12 overs of their innings to mount a fearsome total of 215 for 3. Pakistan reaped 156 runs just in the last 12 overs of their innings, as a 73-run stand between Sadaqat and Farhan was followed by a manic 72-run partnership between Sadaqat and Hasan Nawaz.
Sri Lanka’s batting was woeful in response. They slumped to 64 for 5 by the 11th over, with none of their top seven managing to get to 30. They limped to 133 for 7, having had their hopes of leveling the series wrecked by quicks Mohammad Imran and Salman Mirza, who took five wickets between them.
Sadaqat propels Pakistan into the stratosphere
The openers had laid a decent platform with Pakistan having got to 55 for 1 by the end of the seventh over. But it was Sadaqat who injected the energy that truly set Pakistan on course to their mammoth total. Having gone at less than a run a ball in his first eight balls, Sadaqat unleashed a spectacular lofted square drive off Eshan Malinga to collect his first six, before pumping the same bowler down the ground later in the 10th over.
Sadaqat would go on to clobber six further sixes and five further fours. The big hits tended to come down the ground, while his fours were more square of the wicket. Of the 125 runs Pakistan plundered in the second half of their innings, 79 off 40 came from Sadaqat, who pummeled both pace and spin with equal relish. Off the sixteenth over, bowled by Maheesh Theekshana, Sadaqat thumped three sixes in the arc between long on and midwicket.
Sadaqat, whose previous top score in three T20Is had been 50, could have gone to triple figures off the last ball of the innings, but holed out to deep cover instead, unable to quite find the power to lift a Malinga slower ball over the ropes. He had utterly dominated the middle and late overs, however.
Farhan sets the tone
On another flat Rawalpindi deck, Farhan made the first big charge, although he waited until spin came on to really get into high gear. Theekshana was one of his main victims as well. Farhan’s first six came from a slog sweep off Theekshana in the seventh over, before he launched the same bowler over wide long on and cow corner off successive balls in the ninth over. Getting to his 12th T20I fifty off the 31st ball he faced, Farhan began to aim big blows off the seamers as well. He was caught at deep third off the bowling of Dasun Shanaka, in the 15th over.
Sri Lanka stumble in the powerplay
An excellent Salman Mirza bouncer took the glove of Lahiru Udara in the first over, ending the innings of one of Sri Lanka’s few form batters for a mere five runs. And although Sineth Jayawardena – playing his first international in a full-strength Sri Lanka side – hit three consecutive boundaries in the third over, Sri Lanka were unable to build up any momentum in the powerplay. By the end of the sixth over, they had laboured to 35 for 2.
Imran’s spell lights up the middle overs
A full house in Rawalpindi was treated to some excellent fast bowling by Imran, who finished with the game’s best figures of 3 for 11 from his four overs. Having got Jayawardena to top-edge a desperate pull shot at the end of his second over, Imran had Kusal Mendis caught behind off a slower delivery, before two balls later (a wide in between), he took Sahan Arachchige’s edge with a quick delivery angled across the left-hander. Wicketkeeper Khawaja Nafay made two diving grabs to convert these chances in the eighth over.
All through his unbroken spell, Sri Lanka’s batter struggled to so much as hit Imran off the square, despite the good batting conditions on offer. Imran mixed up his pace, frequently going to slower balls, but his line and length control were also excellent through the spell. When he finished his unbroken spell at the end of the 10th over, Sri Lanka’s required rate had climbed past 15.
Chamindu Wickramasinghe and Theekshana struck some late boundaries, but by the time they came to the crease, Sri Lanka did not have a realistic shot at levelling this series. They lost by 82 runs in the end.
Scores:
Pakistan 215 for 3 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 73, Fakhar Zaman 22, Maaz Sadaqat 96, Hasan Nawaz 19*; Maheesh Theekshana 1-55, Eshan Malinga 1-41,Dasun Shanaka 1-30) beat Sri Lanka 133 for 7 (Sineth Jayawardena 22, Kamnbdu Mendis 23, Chamindu Wickremasinghe 29, Maheesh Theekshana 32*; Salman Mirza 2=28, Mohammad Imran 3-11, Saim Ayub 1-19, Shadab Khan 1-19) by 82 runs
[Cricinfo]
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