Sports
A Request to Chairman of National Sports Council
A Request to Chairman of National Sports Council Mr. Mahela Jayawardene, and to its members, especially Mr. Kumar Sangakkara.
Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam. Ph.D. (Cornell)
Olympian 1952 and 1956.
Gold Medalist 1958 Asian Games, Tokyo.
My appreciation to Mr. Sangakkara for addressing, in his interview with Rex Clementine in the Island newspaper of August 22, 2020, the need to update the Sports Law of 1973 and its subsequent amendments. Though there are many sections that needed to be updated, I would like to specifically address two that need to be included or updated. I am making my observations and recommendation to improve the sports associations’ noble efforts in the spirit of the Olympic Games and not as a criticism.
They are:
1. Specify new requirements for registration of any Olympic Sport to be formed as a National Sports Association in addition to the current requirement.
2. Specify new requirements for any National Sports Association that wants to be affiliated to the corresponding International Association and the National Olympic Committee (NOC), in addition to the current requirement.
There are, as of end of 2019, thirteen (13) Olympic Sports Associations or Federations affiliated to the NOC Sri Lanka. Out of them Cricket, Athletics, Soccer, Volleyball, Basketball have functioning District Associations in all, or a majority, of the 25 Districts in Sri Lanka. The other registered National Sports Associations affiliated to the NOC are not as well registered in Districts across the country. This assessment is by personal observation. None of the associations have indicated in their websites the number of District Associations, their membership, or whether the District associations are represented in their Council. Such information should be published.
The rational for my suggestion of item 1 and 2 is based on the Spirit of the Olympic Games and Olympism, Vision and Mission that were adopted by the NOC SL (See Constitution of NOC SL adopted 04-01-2018)
“Olympism is a philosophy of life which places sport at the service of humanity. This philosophy is based on the interaction of the qualities of the body, will and mind. Olympism is expressed through actions which link sport to culture and education.”
Vision
Contribute to the building of a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practices without discrimination of any form whatsoever and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.
Mission
Develop, promote and protect the Olympic movement in Sri Lanka, in accordance with the Olympic Charter”. “Also committed to propagate Sports in Sri Lanka and thereby to achieve unity and brotherhood among the different communities living in Sri Lanka and to promote sportsmanship and healthy competition in the World Sports Arena.
Except for the Associations or Federations mentioned above none of the others are abiding by the spirit of Olympism or the NOC’s Vision and Mission. In most of such associations they do not abide by their Mission, Vision and Aim as stated in their websites.
The rationale for Items 1 and 2 above is based on observation of the activities of the National Sports Associations. For example, Soccer, Cricket, Athletics have functioning District Associations and have also spread their sport activities to most schools in almost all of the 25 Districts in Sri Lanka.
Many of the National Associations that are affiliated currently as members of the National Olympic Committee are not active in more than 3 – 5 Districts. Examples are Tennis, Golf, Archery, Rowing, Aquatic Sports, Yacht Association of Sri Lanka (YASL). Such organisations however represent Sri Lanka, at the expense of funds allocated by the Sports Ministry, because of their affiliation to the NOC and International Associations of their respective sports.
International Associations, except the ICC, do not have or have not published established criteria of representation a country should require to represent and to be affiliated to the International Association beyond the legal requirement to register an organisation within a country. It is therefore important for the Sports Law to address the issue. National Sports Council can examine the problem and make amendments to the Sports Law to ensure that the National Sports Associations and Federations adhere to Olympism and the Vision and Mission of the NOC. The NOC Constitution has provisions to consider and make amendments in its Annual General Assembly.
It is important to require all of the NOC affiliates to establish District Associations to increase the pool of events Participants and Officials in their sport. Such a spread will improve performance and number of performers in their sports in local and international competitions. Such a spread will also give the youths in all of Sri Lanka equal opportunities to achieve their potential.
National Sports Associations and Federations may not have the financial resources to establish District Associations in all 25 Districts. To start with the Sports Ministry and the Mercantile sector can help Olympic Sports Associations in at least 13 Districts first and then increase to at least one each year.
An Association of any sport should not be accredited as a National Sports Association for membership in its corresponding International Association if it cannot give a chance to citizens in all or at least most of the Districts in Sri Lanka to be selected for a National Team.
India pounced on poor bowling from the Bangladesh spinners to get out of jail on a Delhi surface that started off as tacky but kept on improving for batting as the night progressed. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh took India from 41 for 3 in the sixth over to 221, with a finishing kick provided by Hardik Pandya. In better batting conditions, the India bowling still proved too good for Bangladesh, sealing the series win.
The Bangladesh spinners suffered on both comparisons. Their fast bowlers bowled 12 overs for 102 runs, but the spinners conceded 116 in their eight. And then the India spinners rubbed it in for them with nine overs for just 49 runs and five wickets.
After a toss that didn’t seem to matter – Bangladesh said they wanted to use the dew coming in later to their advantage and chase, India said they wanted to bat first to test their bowlers in dew – Bangladesh opened the bowling with Mehidy Hasan Miraz, whose arm balls were either too full or short and taken apart by Sanju Samson. On a tacky surface, the fast bowlers managed to draw misbehaviour though. Samson and Suryakumar Yadav fell to checked shots because of the slowness of the pitch, and Abhishek Sharma played on trying to slog Tanzim Hasan.
Rinku was the only one able to play smoothly from the start. Reddy got away twice in the early phase of his innings. When Litton Das dropped him down the leg side of Tanzim, Reddy moved to 6 off 4, and he was 19 off 14 when he survived an extremely close lbw – umpire’s call on impact on a reverse-sweep. That 19 included a six off a free-hit thanks to a no-ball by Mahmudullah.
Rishad Hossain is a legspinner full of promise, especially in T20 cricket. However, against a Rinku intent on all kinds of sweeps, he bowled his fifth ball too full and was slog-swept for six. And then Mahmudulllah offered the free-hit. In his second over, Rishad erred on length on both sides. Reddy took him for two sixes down the ground before Rinku pulled him for one. That 24-run over took India past 100 in 10 overs.
After that, only Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman managed an over without a boundary. Mehidy suffered the worst punishment as he couldn’t get Reddy off strike and kept bowling in his wheelhouse for 26 runs in the 13th over. A hundred in just his second match looked on but a slower ball from Mustafizur got the better of him to dismiss him for 74 off 34.
This was the right time for Bangladesh to squeeze in an over of spin but Hardik Pandya offered no concessions to Rishad’s errors in length. Rinku might have looked like the silent partner in the carnage but he got to his fifty at almost two a ball.
As India kept losing wickets looking for quick runs, Rishad managed some respite and got to bowl the last over for just eight runs. Bangladesh were still being asked to score their highest T20I total to stay alive in the series.
There’s a reason Bangladesh have never scored more than 215 in T20Is’ their batters don’t seem to have the game for it. Looking for the unprecedented, the batters took too many risks and got off to a quick start but it was a matter of time before the risks caught up with them. Parvez Hossain played Arshdeep on, Washington Sundar got Najmul Hossain Shanto twice in two games, Litton Das was all at sea against Varun Chakravarthy, Towhid Hridoy was done in by an Abhishek Sharma arm ball, and the game was all but done at 46 for 4 in the seventh over.
The rest was mere formalities, which involved a wicket for Riyan Parag, a stunning catch by Pandya, and a wicket at least for each of the seven bowlers India tried.
Brief scores:
India 221 for 9 in 20 overs (Nitish Kumar Reddy 74, Rinku Singh 53, Hardik Pandya 32; Taskin Ahmed 2-16, Tanzim Hasan Sakib 2-50, Mustafizur Rahman 2-36, Rishad Hossain 3-55) beat Bangladesh 135 for 9 in 20 overs (Mahmudullah 41; Arshdeep Singh 1-26, Varun Chakrawarthy 2-19, Nitish Kumar Reddy 2-23, Washington Sundar 1-04, Abhishek Sharma 1-10, Mayank Yadav 1-30, Riyan Parag 1-16 ) by 86 runs
[Cricinfo]
On a slightly cooler evening in Dubai, with semi-final qualification hopes in the balance, India brought their A-game to the fore to thrash Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup 2024. They put on their best batting show – perhaps the best among all teams in the tournament so far – and then were clinical with the ball and on the field to send the Asia Cup champions packing from the tournament.
Batting first, India rode on half-centuries from Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur to post 172 for 3, the highest total in this T20 World Cup. They then skittled Sri Lanka out for 90 to register an 82-run win, India’s biggest in T20 World Cups, with Arundhati Reddy and Asha Sobhana picking up three wickets apiece. As a result of their massive win, their net run rate (NRR) jumped to 0.576, better than Pakistan’s and only behind Australia’s. This is notable as their NRR had taken a beating following the 58-run defeat to New Zealand in their opening match.
Before Wednesday, India’s opening stands against Pakistan and New Zealand were 18 and 11 respectively. In a tournament where batting first seemed to give teams an advantage, India batted second in both their matches. India got to bat first after Harmanpreet won her first toss and the openers set about their task steadily.
Sri Lanka pressed their spinners into service and both Shafali Verma and Mandhana found it tough to break free. Shafali took the aerial route for India’s first four in the third over and did so again in the fourth and the fifth. She was on 24 off 20 in the fifth over; at that point Mandhana was on 6 off 10. But in a pattern different from the previous game, she was not being impatient or trying too hard.
Mandhana finally got going with a smack over the left-arm spinner Sugandika Kumari’s head as India ended the powerplay on 41 for 0. She also slogged another left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera for a six over wide long-on in the next year to signal the gear change. India managed to hit at least one four in each over between the third and the ninth. Chamari Athapaththu kept India guessing by giving her bowlers one-over spells till the 13th over, by then Mandhana overtook Shafali to get to a fourth T20 World Cup half-century.
It took a run-out to end India’s opening partnership at 98, their third-highest in T20 World Cups, when Athapaththu and Ama Kanchana – brought in for Hasini Perera – combined to catch Mandhana short on 50. On the very next ball, Athapaththu had Shafali miscuing a heave to cover. That over meant Athapaththu ended the one-spell strategy and bowled a second over in the spell – the 13th and the 15th overs.
Having batted at No. 4 against Pakistan, Harmanpreet came in at No. 3 and was soon joined by Jemimah Rodrigues before she even faced a ball. Few batters in the Indian line-up are at ease against spin than Rodrigues. She used the sweep to first put Ranaweera away and then moved in her crease to pull Athapaththu to the deep square leg boundary.
At the other end, Harmanpreet hit Kumari for a four and a six to ensure the openers’ platform did not go to waste. Rodrigues soon fell for 16 off 10 – she was given a life at 13 when Kavisha Dilhari dropped a dolly at deep midwicket – but played a vital role in injecting momentum after two quick wickets.
By then, Harmanpreet, with a cushion of a long batting line-up to follow, cut loose. She first paddled Kanchana past short fine leg before hitting two fours to spoil Athapaththu’s figures. Ranaweera could not hang on to a powerful hit at cover when Harmanpreet was on 22. She hit Kanchana and Prabodhani for two fours each in the last two overs to bring up only her third half-century in T20Is since the 2023 T20 World Cup. That blitz – 52 not out off just 27 balls – helped India take 46 off the last four overs, the most by any team in this T20 World Cup.
She had retired hurt against Pakistan due to a neck injury, and had come for the toss with a pain-relief patch on the right side of her neck but was termed fit for this game. However, she did not take the field in the chase, with Mandhana captaining the team
by Rex Clementine
Sri Lanka have thrown open the doors for Bhanuka Rajapaksa, recalling him to the squad after more than 20 months in the wilderness. The hard-hitting southpaw was benched post the Indian tour in early 2023, and despite being on the radar for the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies, he missed out, relegated to the role of traveling reserve.
Rajapaksa’s ability to clear the ropes in crunch time swayed the national selectors to pull him back into the fray. With former skipper Dasun Shanaka shown the door, a vacancy has opened up, calling for the firepower only a seasoned hitter can bring.
At 32, Rajapaksa remains hot property in franchise leagues across the globe, most recently turning out for St. Lucia in the Caribbean Premier League. The memory of his blistering, unbeaten 71 that paved the way for Sri Lanka’s 2022 Asia Cup triumph over Pakistan in Dubai still lingers – proof that he knows how to steal the show when the stakes are high.
Though Rajapaksa’s batting skills have never been in doubt since his school days at Royal College, his fitness – or rather lack of it – has been the proverbial thorn in his side. Passing the two-kilometer run, once a non-negotiable for national selection, has been a steep mountain for him. Nowadays, players face hefty fines for failing fitness tests, a rule Rajapaksa will need to toe.
Fielding has been another Achilles’ heel for Rajapaksa. With Head Coach Sanath Jayasuriya prioritizing fielding brilliance, the big question remains: can Rajapaksa rise to the challenge and cement his spot?
The national team has been licking its wounds after an early exit from this year’s T20 World Cup and a rough series against India. However, with gaps being patched and players finding their groove, hopes are high for a rebound against the West Indies.
Sri Lanka sit at a lowly eighth in T20 rankings – a bitter pill to swallow as their lowest standing across formats – while the West Indies boast the third spot. This upcoming series presents a golden opportunity for Sri Lanka to climb the ranks.
West Indies, however, are playing without their full arsenal, with heavyweights like Andre Russell, Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, and Akeal Hosein opting out for personal reasons.
The Sri Lankan squad reached Dambulla on Tuesday, hit the nets yesterday, and are set for a warm-up game today. The first T20 International kicks off on Sunday. After the T-20s, both teams will head to Pallekele for the three-match ODI series.
It’s shaping up to be a showdown where Sri Lanka’s resilience meets the Caribbean flair – and Rajapaksa’s return adds just the right spice.
Indian tycoon Ratan Tata dies aged 86
Nitish Kumar Reddy makes an all-round splash as India seal the series
Heavy showers above 100mm are likely at some places in Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle and Matara districts
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