Shaheen Shah Afridi is set to make his maiden appearance in the Lanka Premier League, which begins this week. The PCB confirmed to Cricinfo that the fast bowler has been granted an NOC to participate in the tournament. He will play for Kandy Royals.

Afridi – earlier this month – was omitted from Pakistan’s squads for the Tests against West Indies and England after an indifferent run in the format. The 26-year-old has of late been perceived as more inclined towards white-ball cricket, with Aaqib Javed, Pakistan selector and high-performance director, saying earlier this month that “a player has to pick which format he wants to play”. The Tests against the West Indies clash with the LPL.

Afridi was recently named in the ongoing white-ball camp at the National Cricket Academy, despite the red-ball camp being conducted simultaneously and was left out of the second Test against Bangladesh in Sylhet.

Afridi was named Pakistan’s ODI captain last year and led Pakistan to a 2-1 series win over Australia at home last month. He was joint-leading wicket-taker with seven scalps at 12.14 runs apiece alongside left-arm orthodox Arafat Minhas, who debuted in the first of the three ODIs, and Nathan Ellis.

This will be Afridi’s second appearance in an overseas T20 league in the last year. He participated in the most recent BBL, turning out for Brisbane Heat. He had a forgettable run, however, taking only two wickets at an average of 76.50 in four matches. However, he remains in demand on the T20 circuit; Afridi has 362 wickets at 20.99 and an economy rate of 7.97. No Pakistan bowler has more than his 136 wickets in T20Is, which have come at an average of 21.35 and an economy of 7.83.

The LPL will run from July 17 until August 8. Kandy Royals play their first match against Dambulla Sixers on July 18.

[Cricinfo]

Colombo Championships

Thishya Banagala of Visakha Vidyalaya and Kashya Seneviratne of Colombo International School emerged as the girls’ and boys’ Under-12 champions respectively at the Vision Care Colombo Championship 2026, played on the clay courts of the Sri Lanka Tennis Association.

‎Banagala produced a series of commanding performances on her way to the girls’ title. She sealed the championship with a convincing 6-2, 6-1 victory over Thiyansa de Silva in the final.

‎The boys’ final provided a far sterner challenge as Kashya Seneviratne overcame Abhine Induwara in an entertaining three-set battle. After taking the opening set 6-2, Seneviratne dropped the second set 4-6 before holding his nerve to win the deciding match tie-break 10-4 and secure the championship.‎

India Under-19s produced a spirited response with the bat after Sri Lanka Under-19s posted a commanding first-innings total of 424 for 9 declared, as the visitors reached 186 without loss at stumps on the second day of the opening Youth Test at the Galle International Cricket Stadium.

‎Sri Lanka resumed the day on 344 for four and saw Senuja Wekunagoda adding 30 runs to his overnight score before being dismissed for 233 runs as the first wicket of the day.

‎His outstanding 233 formed the backbone of the innings. His marathon knock, one of the finest by a Sri Lankan in Youth Tests enabled the hosts to build a formidable total before declaring at 424 for 9.

‎In their essay, India responded impressively in the final two sessions. The opening pair did everything to blunt the Sri Lankan attack, negotiating the remainder of the day without losing a wicket.

‎The unbeaten partnership of 186 ensured India finished the day on a positive note despite still trailing by 238 runs. The openers denied Sri Lanka any breakthrough, turning what initially appeared to be a difficult situation into a promising platform.

‎Although Sri Lanka remain in control thanks to Wekunagoda’s double century and their sizeable first-innings lead, India’s determined batting display has kept the contest alive.