Sports
World’s lowest paid captain on the verge of equalling World Record
Rex Clementine in Galle
Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne has hit a purple patch this year and if his run fest continues, he will be equalling a World Record when the second Test match against West Indies gets underway today here in Galle. Dimuth has notched up six consecutive half-centuries in his last six innings and that is one fifty short of equalling the World Record.
Despite the form, it’s been a tough 2021 for Dimuth. It all started off well when he became the first Sri Lankan to score a hundred at the Wanderers. The South African venue popularly known as the Bull Ring for its intimidating nature is considered world’s quickest wicket now that WACA is gone. Asian batsmen have a horrendous record at the Wanderers but Dimuth took on the South African quicks to hit a marvelous hundred.
However, that knock ended with Dimuth suffering a fractured finger and he was ruled out of the home series against India. Then he had to undergo a salary cut as his annual retainer was reduced by US$ 30,000. At US$ 70,000 a year, he must be world’s lowest paid Test captain. To add insult to injury, he was unceremoniously dumped as Sri Lanka’s ODI skipper in May. But that has not stopped him from scoring big runs in Test match cricket. His last six Test innings are; 83, 147, 66, 118, 244 and 75.
Having won the first Test by 187 runs, Sri Lanka have retained the Sobers-Tissera Trophy and if the second Test is drawn, they will move up in the ICC Test rankings as well to number seven. But a draw is the last thing they want. They are guaranteed of 12 points for a win in the World Test Championship and they’d be looking to end off the year on a high note.
Sri Lanka have decided to give Dushmantha Chameera a break. The injury prone quick has been overworked this year and not many expected him to feature in the Test series. It’s hard to comprehend the reason why he featured in the opening Test as this was going to be a trial by spin for Windies. Chameera sent down just 12 overs in the entire first Test and picked up no wickets. His new ball partner Suranga Lakmal sent down only six overs for a solitary wicket.
There’s been talk of Chamika Karunaratne coming in for Chameera and while that may have been justifiable at P. Sara Oval or Pallekele, in Galle where it turns square, Sri Lanka would be better off beefing up their batting department since they have already got four spin options. The rational thing to do would be to back Charith Asalanka to make his Test debut but common sense is an expensive commodity these days.
It remains to be seen what the Windies would do. The tourists made a big call to leave out Kemar Roach from the first Test and missed him. Roach is the eighth highest wicket taker for West Indies in the history and should make a comeback.
Jeremy Solozano, who made his debut last week but played no more than a session of Test cricket when he had to be rushed to the hospital after receiving blow on his helmet was substituted for concussion. He is unlikely to play the game.
The opening Test was heavily affected by rain and Sri Lanka won just in time. The second Test too most likely will be affected by inclement weather with rain expected for the first three days. However, you’ve got to take our weather predictions with a pinch of salt. Nobody takes Cabral’s rosy predictions about our economy seriously. So should you with weather predictions.
Teams:
West Indies (From) Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Kyle Mayers, Veerasammy Permaul, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Jeremy Solozano and Jomel Warrican.
Sri Lanka (From) Dimuth Karunaratne (Captain), Oshada Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Ramesh Mendis, Praveen Jayawickrama, Lasith Embuldeniya, Vishwa Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Chamika Karunaratne and Lahiru Kumara.
Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (SL) and Ruchira Palliyaguruge (SL)
Third Umpire: Lyndon Hannibal (SL)
Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SL)
[Cricbuzz]
Former Sri Lanka head coach Mickey Arthur has voiced disappointment over remarks made by Chairman of Selectors Pramodya Wickramasinghe, who last week claimed that Arthur was reluctant to include a young Pathum Nissanka during Sri Lanka’s tour of the Caribbean in 2021.
In his first media briefing, Wickramasinghe said it was he who pushed for Nissanka’s inclusion despite Arthur’s reservations. The former coach has flatly denied the allegation, calling it wide of the mark.
“I am very disappointed with Pramodya’s comments,” Arthur told Telecom Asia Sport. “The right people know exactly how I felt about Pathum. There was never any doubt that he was our future. I don’t want any credit for Pathum’s success. That belongs entirely to his hard work. I simply gave him an opportunity because the talent was impossible to ignore.”
Arthur said Nissanka’s domestic form had left little room for debate. “He was scoring runs for fun and the sheer weight of them made it impossible not to take a look. Once he joined the squad on tour, his attitude and work ethic were truly remarkable. From that moment, there was no doubt this bloke was going places,” Arthur added.
Even before Nissanka’s elevation to the senior side, Arthur had publicly spoken of his admiration for young prospects such as Nissanka and Charith Asalanka, stressing the importance of giving emerging players a long rope. His view was simple: once talent is identified and the attitude checks out, selectors and team management must back those players through thick and thin.
Arthur arrived in Sri Lanka with a formidable résumé, having coached South Africa, Australia and Pakistan. He placed a premium on fitness and fielding and under his watch a team in transition began to show signs of turning the corner. At the end of his tenure, Arthur opted not to renew his contract and instead took up a stint in English county cricket with Derbyshire.
As for Nissanka, he has scarcely put a foot wrong since breaking into the side. There was a Test hundred on debut in the West Indies, followed last year by a match-winning unbeaten century against England at The Oval on a lively seaming pitch. In between, he made history by becoming the first Sri Lankan to score a double hundred in ODIs. Last week, he was snapped up by Delhi Capitals at the IPL auction.
Nissanka is currently ranked third in T20 internationals and is knocking on the door of the top ten in both Tests and ODIs.
73rd National Badminton Championship
Defending champions Viren Nettasinghe and Ranithma Liyanage made a fitting end to their campaigns of the 2025 season, by defending the Men’s and Women’s Open Singles titles as Varangana Jayawardana and Rashmi Mudalige clinched the Women’s Open Doubles title at the 73rd National Badminton Championship, concluded at the S. Thomas’ College Indoor Sports Complex, Mount Lavinia on Wednesday (24).
Viren clinically overcame each of his opponents from the Round of 32, all in straight sets, to reach the final. The country’s top Men’s Singles shuttler continued his form against Rasindu Hendahewa in the final, winning in straight sets to defend the title. Viren defeated Rasindu 21-10 and 21-14 to win his second national title in style.
Ranithma aptly defended her Women’s Open Singles title by recording a comfortable straight sets win against Rashmi Mudalige in an absorbing final that lasted nearly 45 minutes. Though the title decider stretched way longer than anticipated, Ranithma managed to seal the victory by recording set wins of 21-12 and 21-18 to claim the national title for the second year running.
Fourth seed pair Sanuda Ariyasinghe and Thisath Rupathunga created an upset by toppling top seeds Oshamika Karunarathne and Thulith Palliyaguru in a lengthy final that went down to the wire in the Men’s Open Doubles. Sanuda and Thisath won the first set 21-15, but the top pair bounced back to level the game one-all with a 21-18 win. But the gritty pair of Sanuda and Thisath maintained their composure to overcome the favourites 21-15 in the decider and claim the Men’s Open Doubles title.
Varangana Jayawardana and Rashmi Mudalige completed a successful campaign to defend the Women’s Open Doubles title from last year, this time overcoming the aspiring pair of Dilni Ambalangodage and Ranumi Manage in straight sets. Varangana and Rashmi remained unbeaten throughout, as they ended the unblemished run of Dilni and Ranumi with set wins of 21-13 and 21-18.
The Mixed Open Doubles title was claimed by Thulith Palliyaguru and Panchali Adhikari, who battled for 45 minutes to overcome Aashinsa Herath and Rashmi Mudalige 2-1 in the final. After conceding the first set by 12-21, Thulith and Panchali regrouped to claim the next two sets 21-18 and 21-15.
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