Sports
St. Sebastian’s, Isipatana, St. Peter’s record victories
by Reemus Fernando
St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa cemented their top position in Tier ‘A’ group ‘Y’ points table as they pulled off eight wickets victory over Maris Stella College in their tournament match at Negombo on Monday.
While Isipatana consolidated their top position in group ‘X’ of the Tier ‘B’ tournament with nine wickets victory over Wesley, St. Peter’s registered innings and 13 runs win over St. Aloysius’ College Galle in a traditional match.
Match Details
Tier ‘A’
Sebs beat Maris Stella by eight wickets at Negombo
Scores
St. Sebastian’s 212 all out in 56.5 overs (Kaveesha Perera 55, Adesh Almeida 40, Koshendra Fernando 37n.o.; Oshada Gunasinghe 4/67, Hasindu Perera 2/40, Kevin Kadigamuwa 3/43) and 114 for 2 in 29.5 overs (Kaveesha Perera 66n.o.)
Maris Stella
107 all out in 30.4 overs (Oshada Gunasinghe 41n.o., Ramith Bandara 28; Malintha Silva 4/21, Adesh Almeida 3/35, Koshendra Fernando 3/32) and 25 for no loss overnight 218 all out in 38 overs (Levin Fernando 35, Safni Deen 47, Yohan Aloka 25, Mineth Fernando 29; Malintha Silva 7/65, Koshendra Fernando 2/82)
Mahanama on first innings at BRC
Scores
Mahanama 168 all out in 47.4 overs (Chamika Heenatigala 32, Sithum Vihanga 38; Pasindu Maheesha 3/19, Dinal Sewmina 2/33, Praveen Maneesha 4/55) and 32 for no loss overnight 244 for 8 decl. in 53 overs (Sithum Vihanga 72n.o., Sineth Veerarathne 45, Anuka Wijewardana 37n.o., Eshan Withanage 24; Praveen Maneesha 7/92)
Lumbini
144 all out in 40 overs (Bimsara Weerasinghe 36, Gimhana Wijayapura 33, Ashan Shanika 20; Anuka Wijewardana 4/25, Sithum Vihanga 4/36) and 126 for 7 in 50 overs (Ashan Shanika 44, Praveen Maneesha 24; Sithum Vihanga 4/40)
DSS on first innings against Nalanda at DSS ground
Scores
DSS 316 for 9 decl. in 91.3 overs (Shanal Binuksha 76, Sohan Yapa 24, Chanul Athale 46, Dilash Kumaranayake 101n.o. ; Hasith Rathnayake 2/80, Sadew Samarasinghe 4/61) and 106 for 5 in 29 overs
Nalanda
9 for no loss overnight 276 all out in 77 overs (Nadul Jayalath 91, Osanda Pamuditha 59, Manasa de Silva 43n.o.; Shanal Binuksa 3/62, Chanul Athale 3/19)
Thomians win first innings points against Bens at Mount Lavinia
Scores
St. Benedict’s 179 all out in 63.5 overs (Eshan Edirisuriya 29, Janindu Nandasena 73, Aaron de Silva 3/25 Darien Diago 2/28) and 118 all out in 502 overs (Sharujan Shanmuganathan 92; Kavindu Dias 2/10, Darien Diago 4/28)
S. Thomas’ 109 for 2 overnight 232 for 9 in 82.1 overs (Dineth Goonewardene 94, Avinash Fernando 46, Mithila Charles 28; Nirwan Jayathilaka 2/46, Samindu Peiris 4/34)
Tier ‘B’
Isipatana beat Wesley by nine wickets at Campbell Park
Scores
Wesley 91 all out in 32.4 overs (Anuga Pahansara 22, Rukshan Tharanga 25; Chanul Dinoth 5/29, Menula Sadev 3/25) and 13 for 3 overnight 182 all out in 52.5 overs (Lithum Senuja 55; Dimuthu Tharaka 5/31, Menula Sadew 3/68)
Isipatana 233 all out in 54.3 overs (Navindu Hettiarachchige 35, Ruchith Rodrigo 48, Dilpa Ruwanaka 24, Ranmith Senarath 44, Chanul Dinoth 47; Dinuja Samararathne 6/63 Adhyaan Zain 3/68) and 41 for 1 in 7.4 overs (Navindu Hettiarachchige 24n.o.)
St. Anne’s record first innings win at Ambepussa
Scores
Moratu MV 300 for 6 decl. in 79 overs (Isuru Nidharshana 118, Visal Sri Sathsara 38rtd., Sanjana Senevirathne 104; Shehan Kumara 3/92) and 33 for 2 in 12 overs
St. Anne’s 34 for 1 overnight 311 for 8 in 106.3 overs (Wageesha Ranasinghe 52, Kushan Subasinghe 69, Chamith Sasenjana 43, Buddhima Nandasiri 41, Oshada Kodikara 51n.o.; Nishitha Fernando 2/52, Sathsara Mihiranga 3/67)
Traditional Matches
St. Peter’s beat St. Aloysius’ by innings and 13 runs at Bambalapitiya
Scores
St. Aloysius’ 140 all out in 42.5 overs (Charya Paranavithana 36; Dilana Damsara 5/35) and 139 all out in 45.2 overs (Kavindu Kesara 57; Joshua Sebastian 3/12, Dilana Damsara 3/37)
St. Peter’s 213 for 5 overnight 292 all out in 72 overs (Dilana Damsara 92, Asadisa de Silva 66, Thareen Sanketh 49n.o.)
Scott Boland has entered the top ten of the ICC’s Test bowling rankings for the first time after taking 21 wickets in three Border-Gavaskar Trophy Tests.
Averaging 13.19 in the series, Boland broke into the top ten after a match haul of 10 for 86 at the SCG, which sealed the series 3-1 in Australia’s favour and earned him a Player-of-the-Match award. He has moved up to joint-ninth after climbing 29 positions.
Jasprit Bumrah, who topped the wicket-takers’ chart at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with 32 wickets at 13.06, remains the No. 1 Test bowler, adding one rating point and going up to 908, improving on the record for Indian bowlers.
Pat Cummins and Kagiso Rabada have moved up to No. 2 and No. 3 respectively, while Josh Hazlewood has fallen just out of the top three. Marco Jansen rounds up the top five for Test bowlers.
South Africa’s big batting performance in the second Test against Pakistan, where they scored 615 in the first innings, has seen their key batters move up the Test batting charts.
Temba Bavuma’s 106 has taken him three places up to a career-best No. 6 Ryan Rickelton’s 259 has lifted him 48 positions to 55th, while Kyle Yerrevnne’s 100 has seen him move up four spots to No. 24.
For Pakistan, Babar Azam (No. 12) inched closer to the top ten after scores of 58 and 81.
Rishabh Pant meanwhile, has regained his place in the top ten among Test batters, after hitting 40 and 61 in India’s defeat in Sydney. He moved up three places to No. 9 while his team-mate Yashasvi Jaiswal remained at No. 3 behind world No. 1 Joe Root and second-placed Harry Brook.
[Cricinfo]
Maheesh Theekshana’s hattrick was in vain as New Zealand sealed the three-match series against Sri Lanka with another massive 113-run victory in a rain-curtailed second ODI in Hamilton. After a lengthy rain delay, Rachin Ravindra (79) and Mark Chapman (62) hit half-centuries to propel the hosts to 255 for 9 with Theekshana tying up the lower-order. However, barring Kamindu Mendis, neither of the Sri Lankan batters stepped up as the visitors folded for just 142 in reply.
After pre-toss showers delayed the start of proceedings, Sri Lanka opted to bowl first in order to make the most of the conditions on offer. But an early wicket of Will Young is all they could manage in the PowerPlay before the two half-centurions combined for a century stand.
Both Ravindra and Chapman looked flawless at the crease in their 112-run partnership for the second wicket. Both were equally aggressive, but it was the opener who got to his fifty first – with a six off Wanindu Hasaranga straight down the ground – in 43 deliveries. Chapman followed soon enough, and also with a maximum – off Eshan Malinga – as New Zealand cruised to a comfortable 143 for 1 in the 20th over until Theekshana struck on the last ball.
This was the start of a spin-inspired late comeback from the visitors as Ravindra lasted only a little longer. He did hit three boundaries in a quick timeframe to take the hosts past 150, but Hasaranga took him out at the end of the 23rd. Daryl Mitchell’s run-a-ball 38 was well complemented by skipper Mitchell Santner’s quick cameo of 20 in 15 deliveries – where he took Asitha Fernando to the cleaners – before Sri Lanka came back to clip their wings. Theekshana dismissed Santner in the very next over, followed by Nathan Smith and then Matt Henry at the start of his next – and final over – to complete a hattrick. He finished with overall figures of 4 for 44 in eight overs, playing a major hand alongside Hasaranga in restricting the hosts who looked set, at one point, to post 280+.
But Sri Lanka’s top-order woes continued for a second successive game. They were reduced to 23 for 4 in the first ODI, and 22 for 4 today courtesy Jacob Duffy’s twin early strikes and a run-out of their captain. Kamindu fought a lone battle from there on. He led two useful partnerships – worth 57 with Janith Liyanage (22 off 31) and of 47 runs with Chamindu Wickramasinghe (17 off 27). However, the latter’s run-out also came at a crucial juncture to douse any hopes.
Kamindu reached his half-century in the 24th over, with back to back fours off Daryl Mitchell. However, William O’Rourke sent him packing soon after on 64. He was the eighth batter dismissed, reducing Sri Lanka to 131 for 8 and the tall pacer cleaned up the tail too all by himself to shoot down the visitors inside 31 overs and secure a big win.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 255/9 in 37 overs (Rachin Ravindra 79, Mark Chapman 62; Maheesh Theekshana 4-44, Wanidu Hasaranga 2-39) beat Sri Lanka 142 all out in 30.2 overs (Kamindu Mendis 64; Janith Liyanage 22; William O’Rourke 3-32, Jacob Duffy 2-30) by 113 runs – match reduced to 37 over per side due to rain
Pakistan have been docked five World Test Championship (WTC) points and fined 25% of their match fee for maintaining a slow over rate during their 10-wicket defeat in the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town. They were ruled to be five overs short of their target after time allowances were taken into consideration.
Match referee Richie Richardson imposed the sanction, which Pakistan captain Shan Masood accepted after pleading guilty to the charge – levelled by on-field umpires Kumar Dharmasena and Nitin Menon, third umpire Alex Wharf and fourth umpire Stephen Harris – which meant that was no need for a formal hearing.
Teams are deducted one point for every over by which they fall short of their target. This is Pakistan’s third points deduction in the 2023-25 WTC cycle. They were docked two points after the first Test against Australia in Perth in December 2023, and six points following the first Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi in August 2024.
As a consequence, Pakistan now have 35 points – instead of a possible 48 – from 12 Tests in the 2023-25 cycle. The latest deduction has brought their percentage of points contested – the number that determines a team’s position on the WTC table – down from 27.78 to 24.31. They remain in eighth place as before, but their points percentage is now only a few decimal points better than West Indies, who occupy the bottom of the nine-team table with a percentage of 24.24 – with no over-rate deductions.
The deduction adds a layer of intrigue to one of the two remaining series in the 2023-25 WTC cycle – Pakistan are due to host West Indies for two Tests, in Karachi and Multan, starting January 16.
[Cricinfo]
Boland, Bumrah, Bavuma and Babar make gains in ICC rankings
“The Government plays a crucial role in supporting and advancing scientific education and research in Sri Lanka”. – Prime Minister
Harsha Sugathadasa Feature Writer of the year 2023
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