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A championship in November might hurt athletes’ preparation for next year’s key events

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by Reemus Fernando  

Sri Lanka Army’s decision to schedule their flagship athletics event to November is likely to hurt top athletes’ preparations for next year’s major international events. The Army’s decision has come just a couple of weeks after Sri Lanka Athletics decided to windup the pandemic plagued season in October to allow enough time for off season as top athletes will have several crucial international competitions in 2022 including the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.

“Sri Lanka Athletics took the decision to conclude the season with the remainder of the National Championship in October in consultation with coaches as we have a busy schedule in 2022. Most of the coaches whose athletes had already completed their National Championship disciplines had started off-season training when the Army decided out of the blues to conduct their championship in November,” a senior coach told The Island.

Most of the top track and field athletes of the country are employed by Sri Lanka Army and athletes are bound to give equal prominence to the Army Athletics Championship. However, preparing them for the championship in November is likely to derail training plans of coaches who are eager to bring the best out of their athletes at two major international events in 2022.

Not having a proper Competition Calendar has been a problem that has hurt track and field athletes for decades now. Though Sri Lanka Athletics continue to announce their competition calendar in advance other stakeholders in the sport including the tri forces and the Sports Ministry have at times failed to announce theirs.

True the Covid 19 pandemic has hampered all schedules but it is important that all stake holders come together to take decisions vital for national athletics.

Despite the Covid 19 pandemic hampering sports events, Sri Lanka Athletics conducted a number of disciplines of the National Championship 2021 at the first leg in May to give opportunities for athletes who are closer to earn Olympic qualifying standards. The remaining legs of the National Championship 2021 which were rescheduled several times due to the pandemic will now be held on October 30 and 31.

The track and field governing body which will celebrate its centenary year in 2022 is eager to prepare strong teams for both the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games as it has not experienced medal success at these championships for years now. Country has won 46 medals at the Asian Games. Of them 27 are from track and field sports. From the 11 gold medals it has won in the history of the Games ten have come from track and field. However, Sri Lanka has not won a medal in track and field after the men’s 4×400 metres relay team won a bronze in 2006. Sri Lanka has won only three track and field medals at the Commonwealth Games but non during the last two decades.



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Jaker, Taijul and Rana script Bangladesh’s first win in West Indies since 2009

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Taijul Islam and Jaker Ali were Bangladesh's stars on the fourth day [Cricinfo]

Bangladesh posted their first Test win in the West Indies in 15 years when they beat the hosts by 101 runs in Jamaica. It was a remarkable comeback by the visitors after their big defeat in the first Test in Antigua, with the series finishing 1-1. It was cathartic for a side that lost their last five Tests so emphatically, as the likes of Taijul Islam, Jaker Ali and Nahid Rana scripted their third away win in 2024 – their most in a calendar year.

Left-arm spinner Taijul took 5 for 50 in the fourth innings to help bowl out West Indies for 185. It was his 15th five-wicket haul, fourth abroad and a first in the Caribbean after 10 years. Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud and Rana took the other five wickets.

Rana took his maiden Test five-wicket haul in the second innings, helping bowl West Indies out for 146.

Bangladesh had made only 164 in their first innings, but their revival in the second innings was a notable one too. This was courtesy Jaker, who cracked five sixes and eight fours in a counter-attacking 91. Jaker scored 62 out of Bangladesh’s 75 runs in the morning session of the fourth day.

West Indies will feel they gave away a great start in the Test match when Jayden Seales returned remarkable figures of 5 for 4 from 15.5 overs. A fired up Seales however leaked runs in the third innings as Bangladesh shifted the momentum in a feisty third afternoon.

On the fourth morning, Jaker held Bangladesh’s key to grow their lead from 211. It didn’t start well for him, as Alzarri Joseph pinged him on the top of his helmet. The Bangladesh physio Bayezid Islam Khan took a bit of time to clear Jaker, with the BCB wary of his history of concussions.

The situation compounded when Bangladesh lost back to back wickets.

Taijul edged a short ball on 14, after he and Jaker added 34 runs for the sixth wicket. Mominul Haque completed his second Test pair when he fell off his fourth ball. He looked visibly ill as he walked off, with Bangladesh’s tail now exposed.

With his back to the wall, Jaker went after the West Indies attack. He hooked Kemar Roach over wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva for a boundary. Jaker then timed a pull shot off Alzarri for his first six, which took him to his third consecutive fifty in his first three Tests. He is only the second Bangladesh player with the feat after Zakir Hasan.

Jaker got on a roll in the next two balls. He flayed at a short ball to get a four over the slips, and then followed it up with a hooked six. Jaker smashed Roach over wide long-on in the next over, but he fought back with two more wickets. Roach removed Mahmud and Taskin in consecutive overs.

Jaker however had one more burst of boundaries in him. He smashed Shamar Joseph for two fours in an over, both pull shots, before launching Roach for his fourth six, straight down the ground. His fifth six was off Shamar, hoicked over midwicket, before falling to a catch in the deep later in the over.

Taijul got to work as early as the fifth over when he had Mikyle Louis in a tangle. Attempting to drive the ball, Louis edged the ball on to his front foot, with Shahadat Hossain claiming a diving catch at forward short leg.

Sensing the need to grab the momentum, Brathwaite went after the Bangladesh bowling. He had already picked up a boundary with a square-cut, but after the lunch break, he drove Mahmud through the covers. He launched Taijul over wide long-on for a six, but Keacy Carty couldn’t quite get the bowlers away at the other end.

Taskin had Carty caught behind for 14, after a build-up of dot balls, before Taijul accounted for the big one of Brathwaite. He troubled the West Indies captain a few times, before getting one to turn and pop on the shoulder of Brathwaite’s bat. Mahmudul Hasan Joy ran to his right from slip, to complete a tumbling catch. Taijul then got one to pitch on a rough patch and spin back through Alick Athanaze’s huge gap between bat and pad. Athanaze, who went for an expansive drive, looked confused about his approach in his six-ball stay.

All this time, Hodge kept his shape, looking sharp as he picked up regular boundaries. He slapped Rana and cut Taskin in consecutive overs. He struck Mehidy for two fours in an over, before going inside out against Taijul before tea.

West Indies started the third session on a happy note. Hodge got to his fifty off the first ball after the interval, but he fell shortly afterwards too. Hodge played back to a Taijul delivery that kept very low, trapping him lbw. Keshav Maharaj and Shoaib Bashir have also got him out in similar fashion before.

Taskin then cleaned up Justin Greaves with one that kept a little low too, but the batter didn’t make an effort to get low enough to meet the ball. Joshua Da Silva’s miserable series ended when Taijul had him lbw, again another West Indies batter falling lbw to a ball that they could have played off the front foot.

When Mehidy brought around Mahmud for a second spell, he made an instant impact. He removed Alzarri and Roach to bring Bangladesh to the brink. Then came the big moment when Rana, who changed the momentum of the game with his first-innings five-for, removed Shamar with a yorker to seal the hard-fought win.

Brief scores:
Bangladesh 164 (Shadman Islam 64, Jayden Seales 4-5, Shamar Joseph  3-49) and  268 (Jaker Ali 91, Shadman Islam 46, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 42; Kemar  Roach 3-36, Alzarri Joseph 3-77) beat West Indies 146 (Keacy Carty 40, Kraigg Brathwaite 39;  Nahid Rana 5-61, Hasan Mahmud 2-19) and 185 (Kavem Hodge 55, Kraigg Brathwaite 43, Taijul Islam  5-50, Hasan Mahmud 2-20) by 101 runs

[Cricinfo]

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Kandamby calls for Hashan style grit as SL fight to stay afloat

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Sri Lanka were shot out for 42 runs in Durban in the first innings, their lowest total ever in Test match cricket

Rex Clementine in Port Elizabeth

Batting coach Thilina Kandamby has urged his batsmen to take a leaf out of former captain Hashan Tillakaratne’s book, drawing inspiration from the grit and guts Tillakaratne displayed during Sri Lanka’s 2002 tour of South Africa. Back then, Tillakaratne weathered a relentless storm of short-pitched deliveries, enduring bruises and blows before etching his name in the history books as the first Sri Lankan to score a Test century on South African soil.

“If you look back at that hundred, Hashan took several hits on his body but stood tall to complete a memorable innings,” Kandamby told The Island. “Dinesh Chandimal showed a similar fighting spirit in the second innings in Durban. He deserved a hundred for the way he batted. It’s a shining example for others to follow.”

Sri Lanka’s campaign in Durban began on a nightmarish note as they collapsed for a paltry 42 runs in the first innings—their lowest total in Test cricket history—leaving them climbing an uphill battle for the rest of the game.

“We failed to read the conditions properly, and our shot selection left much to be desired,” Kandamby admitted. “The key in situations like these is patience. The longer you stay at the crease, the more the odds tilt in your favor. In the first innings, their bowlers only had to bowl one spell each, but by the second innings, when they returned for their third and fourth spells, they were clearly tiring. I’m not making excuses, but it’s worth noting that it was our first time batting on a center wicket this series.”

Kandamby emphasized the importance of seeing off the new ball, describing it as the foundation upon which big innings are built. “There’s no point in swinging wildly or being overly aggressive early on. You’ve got to bide your time, put away the loose deliveries, and survive that crucial first hour. Once you do, the game starts to tilt in your favor.”

Sri Lanka entered the South African series riding high at third place in the World Test Championship standings, with an eye on making the finals at Lord’s next June. However, the defeat in Durban saw them tumble to fifth, their hopes hanging by a thread.

“It’s incredibly frustrating,” Kandamby said, not mincing his words. “South Africa were down a bowler, and we should have exploited that advantage. Take Marco Jansen, for instance—we didn’t even make him bowl a second spell. The silver lining, though, was our improved showing in the second innings. We were far more organized.”

For young Kamindu Mendis, it was a baptism by fire. The promising batter, who had made a habit of churning out centuries or half-centuries in his fledgling Test career, fell flat in Durban.

“Kamindu is an upbeat character,” Kandamby said. “The guys were teasing him, saying, ‘What happened to your streak of centuries?’ But this is Test cricket—such setbacks are part of the game. He’s in good touch, but his shot selection let him down. I have no doubt he’ll rise to the occasion in Port Elizabeth.”

Kandamby didn’t hold back in praising the bowlers, who found themselves thrown back into the cauldron just 14 overs after dismissing South Africa for under 200 in the first innings. Despite the daunting task, they stepped up without complaints, recognizing the batsmen were in dire straits.

“Hats off to the bowlers,” Kandamby said with evident pride. “They barely had time to catch their breath, but they took up the challenge without a grumble. They knew the team needed them, and they delivered.”

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Vimath scores vital century as SL Under 19s remain unbeaten

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Former St. Sebastian's College player Vimath Dinsara scored a match turning century.

A century by former St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa batsman Vimath Dinsara stood in good stead for Sri Lanka Under 19s as the youth team pulled off a stunning seven runs victory to complete the group stage unbeaten at the Under 19 Asia Cup in UAE.

Sri Lanka Under 19s were in trouble after electing to bat first in Dubai. They were two wickets down for 15 runs when Dinsara dropped anchor with his valuable knock. He saw wickets falling at regular intervals from the other end but managed to bat through to the final over for Sri Lanka to post 228 runs.

He was the last man out after having scored ten boundaries.

Dinsara was in line to take up the first XI captaincy at St. Sebastian’s but moved to Royal College Colombo just before the start of the season.

With Dinsara there are two Royal players in the Sri Laka Under 19 team.

In their essay Bangladesh were in control for a better part of their chase but some crucial run outs and skipper Vihas Thewmika’s vital three wicket haul helped Sri Lanka Under 19 pull off victory.

Scores

Sri Lanka

U19s 228 all out in 49.2 overs (Vimath Dinsara 106, Lakvin Abeysinghe 21, Viran Chamuditha 20, Vihas Thewmika 22; AL Fahad 4/50, Rizan Hossan 3/40)

Bangladesh

U19s 221 all out in 49.3 overs (Zawad Abrar 24, Kalam Siddik 95, Debasish Deba 31; Vihas Thewmika 3/37)

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