Sports
Team of the tournament: Mandhana, Wolvaardt, Gardner, Ecclestone and…?
The Women’s World Cup 2025 drew to a close at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, where India upstaged South Africa to be crowned champions. This was one of the closest World Cups in recent times, and there were some tricky choices to make in ESPNcricinfo’s team of the tournament.
Runs 434 | Avg 54.25 | SR 99.08
So rich was Mandhana’s vein of form coming into the competition that a quiet start – 54 runs in the first three outings – had left viewers perplexed. But she dialled things up once the big games arrived: 80 versus Australia, 88 versus England, and 109 in the high-stakes clash against New Zealand. She added 45 in the final to finish with the highest tally for an Indian in a women’s World Cup.
Laura Wolvaardt (capt)
Runs 571 | Avg 71.37 | SR 98.78
Wolvaardt, too, had a slow start, but more than made up for lost time, scoring 30 or more in seven consecutive matches – including half-centuries in wins against India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan – and then hit centuries in both knockouts. Her 101 in the final versus India may have ended in a losing cause, but the 169 against England to take South Africa to their maiden ODI World Cup final will go down as one of the all-time great performances. Her tally is, by some distance, the highest at an edition of the ODI World Cup.
Jemimah Rodrigues
Runs 292 | Avg 58.40 | SR 101.03
Speaking of iffy beginnings… Rodrigues found herself on the bench three weeks into her maiden ODI World Cup, after two ducks and two 30s. She celebrated her return – and a promotion to No. 3 – with a sparkling 76 not out off 55 balls versus New Zealand, before the career-defining 127 not out to end Australia’s reign with a record chase in the semi-finals.
Marizanne Kapp
Runs 208 | SR 102.97 | Wickets 12 | ER 4.18
Continuing the trend of peaking at the right time was Kapp, whose first big contribution (aside from a chase-stabilising half-century against Bangladesh) came in the sixth game of the campaign: 68 not out off 43 balls followed by three new-ball wickets against Pakistan. She then demolished England’s hopes of chasing 320 in the semi-final with a double-strike in the first over, finishing with 5 for 20, having earlier chipped in with a 33-ball 42.
Annabel Sutherland
Runs 117 | SR 85.40 | Wickets 17 | ER 4.45
Sutherland’s consistent mastery at the death, fuelled by a lethal back-of-the-hand slower ball, meant she was the joint highest wicket taker before the final. She started with a three-for against New Zealand, triggered an Indian collapse with 5 for 40 in Visakhapatnam, and added another three versus England – a game where she also had her only significant outing with the bat.
Ashleigh Gardner
Runs 328 | SR 130.15 | Wickets 7 | ER 5.30
Prior to 2025, the World Cup had seen only three hundreds from batters coming in at No. 5 or lower; Gardner hit two in this edition, both stunning recovery acts. She turned 128 for 5 into 326 against New Zealand by smashing 115 off 83 balls, and then turned a tricky chase versus England into a cakewalk – Australia were 68 for 4 in pursuit of 245 – with 104* off 73. There was a fifty in the semis too, and she chipped in with the ball all along.
Richa Ghosh (wk)
Runs 235 | Avg 39.16 | SR 133.52 | Dismissals 4
Ghosh takes the wicketkeeping gloves in our team owing to her finishing prowess. She was the tournament’s fastest scorer as well as its highest six hitter. Her unbeaten 20-ball 35 pushed India closer to 250 against Pakistan in Colombo; she played cameos in both the games versus Australia, including a handy 16-ball 26 in the record semi-final chase; she added 34 off 24 in the title clash against South Africa, and her 94 off 77 against the same opponents was an early contender for the knock of the tournament…
Nadine de Klerk
Runs 208 | SR 131.64 | Wickets 9 | ER 5.30
… only to be upstaged by de Klerk later the same evening. De Klerk pulled off rescue acts twice in five days in Visakhapatnam: the 84* off 54 against India pulled off one of the tournament’s all-time great escapes, while the 37* off 29 versus Bangladesh averted one of the big upsets. De Klerk finished as this edition’s second-fastest scorer, and with the second-most sixes, while remaining a reliable presence with the ball, taking at least a wicket every time she was called on to bowl.
Deepti Sharma
Wickets 22 | ER 5.52 | Runs 215 | SR 90.33
Deepti’s tournament started with a fifty and a three-for, and ended with a fifty and a five-for – the first such achievement in any World Cup final, women’s or men’s. The leading wicket-taker of the tournament, Deepti became the first player to do the double of 200+ runs and 15+ wickets in an edition of the women’s ODI World Cup. The Player of the Tournament recipient also contributed a four-for and fifty in the loss to England, and injected vital momentum in the semi-final chase against Australia with a 17-ball 24.
Alana King
Wickets 13 | Avg 17.38 | ER 4.03
King delivered the spell of the tournament, claiming the first seven-for in World Cup history, to bamboozle South Africa in Indore. But don’t discount the rest of her tournament: two key wickets in the opener versus New Zealand, miserly returns against Bangladesh (2 for 18) and England (1 for 20), and the first fifty from a No. 10 in a women’s white-ball international to stitch a rescue act against Pakistan.
Sophie Ecclestone
Wickets 16 | Avg 14.25 | ER 4.05
Ecclestone began the tournament playing second fiddle to fellow slow left-arm spinner Linsey Smith’s hero act against South Africa, but finished as strongly as ever. She proved too strong for Bangladesh (3 for 24) and Sri Lanka (4 for 17), and despite tougher outings in Indore, and an injury scare ahead of the semi-final, she was England’s standout performer in the defeat to South Africa with 4 for 44.
12th: Sophie Devine
Runs 289 | Ave 57.80 | SR 85.25 | Wkts 4
In the final chapter of an illustrious ODI career, Devine was the lone star of New Zealand’s campaign, top-scoring in defeats to Australia (112) and South Africa (85), and scoring 63 in the win over Bangladesh. That meant Devine had 260 runs after three outings, but New Zealand didn’t bat for another two weeks, and Devine didn’t get a perfect swansong with low scores against India and England.
[Cricinfo]
The countdown for the sixth edition of the Lanka Premier League began on Monday with the player draft where participation of players from 12 countries was confirmed. The event kicked off with the platinum local round, with the four-time champions, Jaffna Kings, picking Avishka Fernando as their first pick, while other teams went for fast bowlers and spinners in the first round, including Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, Maheesh Theekshana and Charith Asalanka.
With overseas rounds, the Afghan contingent grew, with Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz picked in the platinum round by Colombo Kaps, Dambulla Sixers, and Kandy Royals, respectively, while Ibrahim Zadran joined his countrymen in the league in the gold round after being picked by Jaffna Kings.
Colombo Kaps strengthened their batting further with the signings of Sadeera Samarawickrama and Janith Liyanage, joining the likes of Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis and the Aussie Ben McDermott as the pre-signed players, strengthening their middle-order with the vision of their head coach and former Sri Lankan batter Chamara Kapugedera. They also snapped 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Sharujan Shanmuganathan in the emerging round.
Pakistan pacer Shahnawaz Dahani and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris were also picked by Kaps adding variety to their squad.
While Dambulla Sixers bolstered their fast bowling attack with two overseas signings in Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr. and Shadley van Schalkwyk in platinum, gold and associate star rounds, respectively, joining Dushmantha Chameera from the pre-signed players, forming a fast-bowling trio to go along with the spin duo of Maheesh Theekshana and Akila Dananjaya, as well as Ramesh Mendis, featuring in the team coached by Rangana Herath.
The Sixers will also make use of the vast experience of Gulbadin Naib and the youthful batting talent of South African Dian Forrester, who has already made two trips to the subcontinent in the previous few months.
All-rounder Dasun Shanaka-led Galle Gallants centred their squad around all-rounders, with Chamika Karunaratne joining the skipper in their ranks. They also bought Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mohammad Nawaz as spin-bowling all-rounders, adding two exciting overseas options.
The Galle Gallants added some much-needed depth to their squad with UAE left-arm spinner Haider Ali, Pakistan left-arm pacer Akif Javed and Australia wicketkeeper batter Sam Harper.
While the pre-signed players of Jaffna Kings were mostly from the middle-order and bowling departments, their draft picks of Avishka Fernando, Kamil Mishara and Ibrahim Zadran ensured they could check all the boxes, including the top-order. Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichanne, South African pacer Lizaad Williams and exciting Nepal all-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee will call Jaffna their home for LPL 2026.
Kandy Royals, led by two iconic Sri Lankan all-rounders as the pre-signed local picks in Angelo Mathews and Wanindu Hasaranga, further added two overseas all-rounders in the pre-signings in the shape of Moeen Ali and Vijay Shankar, while focusing on specialists in the draft like Kusal Perera and Rahmanullah Gurbaz for the top order, with the likes of Nuwan Thushara and Asitha Fernando in the fast bowling department.
Royals’ overseas options also include Australian left-arm pacer Daniel Sams, Afghan wrist-spinner Zahir Khan and New Zealand middle-order batter Dale Phillips while Scottish all-rounder Brandon McMullen is their Associate Star.
Wesley College, Colombo and St. Anthony’s College, Katugastota registered convincing victories against their counterparts in the Under 17 Division I cricket encounters played on Tuesday.
While Wesley rattled Galahitiyawa Central for 36 runs in 26.3 overs before cruising to a ten-wicket win, St. Anthony’s amassed 359 for nine wickets before reducing Wayamba Royal College, Kurunegala to 90 runs. Yenula Hewavitharana was the cynosure of all eyes as he hammered 190 runs off 138 balls, inclusive of 25 fours and five sixes, to lead the home team to a commanding position after being asked to bat. Adeesha Rathnayaka took four wickets for just five runs as he produced outstanding figures of 6-4-5-4 to seal a 269-run win at Katugastota.
At Godagamuwa, Charana Malimbada (3/08), Adhyaan Zian (3/10) and Ramika Ediribandara (3/02) shared three wickets apiece for Wesley to rattle Galahitiyawa Central for 36 runs before the openers sealed the match within three overs.
Meanwhile, at Bambalapitiya, S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia pulled off a stunning victory against St. Peter’s College. Chasing 210 runs to win, they were 131 for seven at one stage before Kushen Perera (24 off 47 balls) and Tharul Jayasuriya, with an unbeaten 37 off 76 balls, helped the visitors seal victory.
(RF)
Sri Lanka’s young tennis players made an impressive start to the SSC ITF J30 Junior Circuit 2026 Week 2 tournament, recording dominant straight-set victories in their opening-round matches played at the SSC Courts.
Lithum Jayabandu produced a confident performance to defeat India’s Hridhay Hridhay 6-1, 6-2 in the boys’ singles first-round encounter. Jayabandu controlled the match from the outset, to secure a comfortable win.
Aahil Kaleel was equally impressive as he brushed aside India’s Tanish Dasari 6-1, 6-0. Kaleel dictated play throughout the contest, allowing his opponent little room to settle as he sealed one of the most convincing victories of the opening round.
Lithum Jayabandu / Ashlin de Silva
Meanwhile, Ashlin de Silva delivered the most emphatic performance of the day, overpowering India’s Arsh Walke 6-0, 6-0. De Silva was in complete command from the first point to the last, producing a flawless display to book his place in the second round without conceding a single game.
The victories ensured a strong Sri Lankan presence in the boys’ singles draw as the SSC ITF J30 Junior Circuit 2026 Week 2 tournament, which runs from June 1 to June 6 at the SSC Courts, gathered momentum. With three players advancing comfortably, local hopes remain high for another successful week on the international junior tennis circuit.
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