Sports
Unbeaten South Africa in front as USA hope for more magic
It’s Super Eight time!
Before the start of the T20 World Cup 2024, the ICC had allotted pre-decided seedings to the eight top teams. A2 was given to Pakistan. The match timings were set according to what would be prime time in Pakistan and the rest of the subcontinent. But then a USA-sized blow hit Pakistan in their very first match and the tournament hasn’t been the same since.
So USA, in their first T20 World Cup appearance, are now A2, and will kickstart the Super Eight stage against South Africa. As both teams head over to North Sound in Antigua – USA aren’t quite at home anymore, note – they would hope for two things: better batting conditions and no rain.
South Africa are entering the Super Eight stage with an all-win record. But after their win over Sri Lanka in the first game, the rest could have gone either way. They found themselves at 12 for 4 chasing 104 against Netherlands, only scored 113 for 6 and won by four runs against Bangladesh, and scraped through by a solitary run against Nepal.
South Africa have lost 11 wickets and are averaging a mere 9.63 in the powerplay this World Cup – the third-lowest behind Uganda and Papua New Guinea. And none of their top-order batters have a strike rate of 100 in the first six overs.
Having said that, South Africa played three of their four games in New York, where batting conditions were far from ideal. And in hopefully better conditions in North Sound, they will hope the top order can finally flex their muscles.
USA, in foreign shores after playing 12 straight home games (of which two were abandoned), will hope for the fairy tale to continue. They showed their batting muscle in the opening game against Canada and then restricted Pakistan to a middling total in the second game. Even against India, they had the opposition top order in a bit of early strife.
The likes of Aaron Jones, Saurabh Netravalkar and Monank Patel have shown they belong to this level of cricket. Now for them to give it another tilt and try to take another Full Member down.
Left-arm quick Saurabh Netravalkar has been a star for USA in the powerply, where he’s picked up three wickets and gone at an economy of 4.57. He’s found swing and shape consistently and even accounted for the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma already. Coder by day, fast bowler by night, he has had to extend his leave at his day job by a few more weeks and will want to make it count against a South Africa top order that is struggling for form.
Anrich Nortje had a forgettable IPL 2024, where he picked up just seven wickets in six games and went at 13.36. But, he’s hit his straps from the get-go at the T20 World Cup. He’s bowled with pace, he’s been accurate, and, more importantly, has picked up wickets. After four games, Nortje is the joint second highest wicket taker in the tournament with nine wickets, and has bowled at an economy of just 4.37. His bustling pace might be useful against the USA batters who might not have faced such high speeds too often.
USA’s last group game in Lauderhill was abandoned without a ball bowled. Before that, they played India, where Monank Patel, their regular captain, missed out because of a shoulder injury. He is likely to come back into the team replacing Shayan Jahangir at the top. Depending on the conditions, there is also a chance USA could slot in left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige in place of fast bowler Shadley van Schalkwyk.
USA (probable): Steven Taylor, Monank Patel (capt), Andries Gous (wk), Nitish Kumar, Aaron Jones, Corey Anderson, Harmeet Singh, Shadley van Schalkwyk/Nosthush Kenjige, Jasdeep Singh, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan
South Africa brought in Tabraiz Shamsi for Keshav Maharaj in their last group game, and that could be the only selection they spend time on for this game. While Shamsi got four wickets against Nepal, Maharaj has performed consistently.
South Africa (probable): Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (capt), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Tabraiz Shamsi/Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman, Anrich Nortje
[Cricinfo]
by Reemus Fernando
Nalanda College, Colombo continued their unbeaten run to come closer to securing a berth in the knockout stage as they beat Gurukula College by nine wickets in the Under 19 Division I Tier A Limited Overs Tournament match played at Campbell Place on Tuesday.
With Rusandu Silva continuing his impressive run in the tournament, Nalanda did well to restrict the team from Kelaniya to just 113 runs (in 35.4 overs).
After two outings Rusandu had six wickets against his name coming to this match.Rusandu and Methuka Perera claimed three wickets each. Lithum Wijekumara also impressed with two wickets, while Santhul Wijeyarathne took one.
Adeepa Pinsara was the only batsman to make a contribution of note as he top-scored with 35 off 49 balls, including four fours and two sixes, while Javindu Madusanka made 20.
In their chase Nalanda made light work of the modest target, reaching 114 for one, scoring at a rate of over a run a ball.
Nadul Jayalath cracked an unbeaten 62 from just 52 balls. His innings contained four fours and five sixes. He received valuable support from Lithum Wijekumara, who scored 35 off 42 deliveries with six boundaries.
Ranmith Senarath completed the successful chase with an unbeaten 10 off seven balls, including two fours.
Nalanda lost only one wicket as the opening pair added 89 for the first wicket. Jayalath and Senarath then finished the contest comfortably, securing a convincing nine-wicket victory with many overs to spare.
It was Nalanda’s third successive victory in the Tier A tourney after having beaten Thurstan (155) by seven wickets and St. Servatius’ Matara (187) by four wickets in the first two matches.
As of now, they are the leading team in Group G where they have only St. Joseph’s Darley Road to meet before the knockout stage.
With just two teams advancing to the next stage from each Group Nalanda are almost assured of their place.
33RD SINGER – MCA Super PREMIER LEAGUE
Hayley’s Group ‘A’, HNB ‘A’ and CDB registered wins by defeating Colombo Aces, Fairfirst Insurance and SLC Youth in the matches of the Mercantile Cricket Association’s Super Premier League cricket tournament on Sunday (04).
The MCA Super Premier League is sponsored by Singer Sri Lanka for the 33rd consecutive year.
At the Bloomfield Cricket ground, Nishan Madushka, Pulindu Perera and Minod Dhanuka smashed half tons as Hayley’s Group ‘A’ registered their second win of the tournament defeating Colombo Aces by six wickets.
At the Thurstan ground, Nipun Dhananjaya and Muditha Lakshan posted eighty plus scores to help CDB amass 307/8, which the bowlers defended by 71runs.
At the Colts Ground Milan Rathnayake starred with bat and ball [71 and 3-24] to help HNB ‘A’ overcome SLC Youth by 41 runs. Rehan Pieris topped SLC Youth score card with a 108 ball 77 with six fours and a six.
At Bloomfield Ground Colombo:
Hayley’s overcome Colombo Aces by six wickets
Colombo Aces 222/10 in 49 overs
[ Kavin Bandara 62, Dinura Kalupahan 50; Dhanajaya Lakshan 2-14, Ramesh Mendis 4-36]
Hayleys Group A 227/4 in 25.2 overs [Nishan Madushka 61, Pulindu Perera 51, Minod Bhanuka 54; Dinura Kalupahana 2-35]
At Thurstan College Ground:
CDB BY 71 runs
CDB 307/8 in 50 overs
[ Vishsd Randika 53, Nipun Dhananjaya 86, Muditha Lakshan 89; Himesh Ramanayake 3-49, ]
Fairfirst Insurance 236/10 in 46.4 overs
[Sanoj Dharshika 58, Yasiru Rodriga 78; Movin Subasinghe 3-27, Lahiru Madushanka 2-16]
At Colts ground;
Milan Rathnayake stars in HNB A’s 41 run win:
HNB ‘A’ 262/10 in 50 overs
[Janishka Perera 43, Anjala Bandara 54, Milan Rathnayake 71; Gimhan Mendis 2-43, Latheendra Akash 2-28, Himaru Deshan 2-42]
SLC Youth 221/10 in 44 overs [Rehan Peiris 77, Kithma Widnapathirana 53; Duvindu Ranathunga 2-40, Milan Rathnayake 3-24, Chamindu Wijesinghe 2-18]
The 20 nominees for the World Athlete of the Year honours have been announced ahead of the World Athletics Awards taking place in Monaco on 29 November.
The nominees – selected by an international panel of athletics experts – include 10 for Women’s World Athlete of the Year and 10 for Men’s World Athlete of the Year.
In what has been another sensational year for the sport, the nominations reflect some of the standout performances achieved at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship and World Athletics Series events held throughout the year, as well as during various one-day meeting circuits, Label road races and other events around the world.
Nominees for 2026 Women’s World Athlete of the Year (in alphabetical order):
Tigest Assefa, Ethiopia
• Won the Berlin Marathon in 2:11:04, the third-fastest time in history
• Won the London Marathon in a women-only world record of 2:15:41
Chase Jackson, USA
• Twice improved the North American shot put record, to 21.02m and 21.14m
• Won the world indoor title and set a Diamond League record to regain the Diamond Trophy
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, USA
• Won a sprint double at the Ultimate Championship
• Set world leads of 10.62 in the 100m and 21.47 in the 200m, the latter putting her third on the world all-time list
Agnes Ngetich, Kenya
• Won the world half marathon title by 50 seconds in a women-only world record of 1:05:15 and won the world cross-country title by 42 seconds
• Ran world leads of 8:08.95 for 3000m and 28:58 for 10km
Marileidy Paulino, Dominican Republic
• Won the Ultimate 400m title and regained the Diamond League title
• Set a world lead and Diamond League record of 48.48 and remained unbeaten, running under 49 seconds in eight races
Maria Perez, Spain
• Set an inaugural world half marathon race walk record of 1:30:06
• Won the European title by 58 seconds with that world record performance
Camryn Rogers,Canada
• Improved her own North American hammer record with 81.13m, strengthening her place at second on the world all-time list
• Achieved the five best performances in the world and retained the Commonwealth Games title
Masai Russell, USA
• Set a world 100m hurdles record of 12.09 and achieved nine of the 10 fastest times of the season
• Won Ultimate and Diamond League titles as part of an unbeaten season in the 100m hurdles
Aubrey Werro, Switzerland
• Won Ultimate, Diamond League and European 800m titles
• Broke the Diamond League record three times, improving to a world lead of 1:53.70 – putting her third on the world all-time list
Yan Zivi, China
• Threw 71.74m on her season opener, an Asian and world U20 record that puts her second on the world javelin all-time list
• Won Diamond League and Asian Games titles
Nominees for 2026 Men’s World Athlete of the Year (in alphabetical order):
Kenneth Bednarek, USA
• Achieved a sprint double at the Ultimate Championship, winning the 100m in 9.85 and 200m in a world-leading PB of 19.52
• Won the Diamond League 200m title in 19.62
Kristian Ceh. Slovenia
• Won the Diamond League discus title with a Memorial van Damme meeting record of 71.29m
• Retained the European title with a championship record of 72.51m
Andy Diaz Hernandez, Italy
• Won world indoor, Diamond League and European triple jump titles
• Jumped 18.15m to move to fourth on the world all-time list
Allison dos Santos, Brazil
• Set a world 400m hurdles record of 45.80 and won the Ultimate title in 45.98, the third-fastest time in history
• Went undefeated in 11 hurdles races, including the Diamond League Final
Mondo Duplantis, Sweeden
• Improved his world pole vault record to 6.31m
• Won Ultimate, world indoor and European titles
Collen Kebinatshipi, Botswana
• Won the Ultimate 400m title in 43.39, putting him fifth on the world all-time list
• Won the Diamond League title and improved the Diamond League record three times, to a best of 43.40 – one of his six sub-44.00 races, a record for a single season
Josh Kerr, Great Britain and NI
• Set a world mile record of 3:42.66, achieving a world lead of 3:27.62 for his 1500m split
• Won Ultimate 1500m, world indoor 3000m, and Commonwealth Games mile titles
Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage,Sri Lanka
• Won Ultimate, Diamond League, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games javelin titles
• Set a world-leading national record of 92.62m and won 13 of his 14 competitions
Sabastian Sawe, Kenya
• Won the London Marathon in a world record of 1:59:30
• Became the first man to break two hours in a record-eligible marathon
JaKobe Tarp, USA
• Set a world 110m hurdles record of 12.75 at the NCAA Championships
• Won Ultimate and Diamond League titles and broke 13 seconds in six races
An eight-strong panel of statisticians – two members from World Athletics and one from each of the six area associations – selected the nominees. A four-way vote, which closes on Saturday 17 October at midnight CEST, will now determine their final ranking, from first to 10th.
Each of the four voting groups will contribute 25% of the final vote:
• World Athletics fans voting
by survey available via the World Athletics app, website and social media channels
• Athletes
who have competed at World Athletics Series events during 2026
• Members of the media
including TV and radio commentators, written press journalists and content creators who have been accredited at World Athletics Series events in 2026
• World Athletics Family
including Council members; commission members; athlete representatives; World Athletics Series event local organising committee chairs; Diamond League, World Indoor Tour Gold and Continental Tour Gold meeting directors; member federation presidents; official partners; and World Athletics staff
The six finalists – three for the women’s World Athlete of the Year award and three for the men’s – will be announced on 10 and 11 November and be invited to Monaco for the World Athletics Awards on 29 November, when each winner will be announced live on stage.
Other awards presented on stage will include the men’s and women’s Rising Star honours, Coach of the Year, the President’s Award and, for the first time, the Moment of the Year award.
[World Athletics]
Fuel crunch looms
Gnansara Thera to be assigned to prison printing section: Officials
Speaker rejects Ajith Perera’s privilege complaint
OIC of FCID summoned before Maligakanda Magistrate
Sallay cleared for discharge, to return to CID custody
Senior prelate urges authorities to allow Gnanasara Thera to wear his robes in prison
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Latest News7 days agoGold winner Tharanga gets brand-new Honda Vezel from SLAAJ
-
News6 days agoUS-assisted ‘Ice’ detection: NPC to examine IGP’s move to transfer drug-busting team
-
Editorial5 days agoColombo Port drug bust: The plot thickens
-
Editorial6 days agoDrug busting, transfers and trust deficit
-
Features3 days agoThe first woman in the foreign service or Ceylon Overseas Service it was then called
-
Latest News4 days agoTharindu Rathnayake, bowlers secure Asian Games Bronze for Sri Lanka
-
News6 days agoSri Lankan facing death penalty in Saudi Arabia: Mano G appeals to Crown Prince
-
Editorial4 days agoFuelling discontent and protest