Sports
A thrilling contest on the cards as Joes meet Petes
90th Battle of the Saints
by Reemus Fernando
Formidable opponents St. Joseph’s and St. Peter’s will be out to produce a close contest when they take the field in the 90th Battle of the Saints Big Match starting at the SSC ground today.
With a couple of Sri lanka Under 19 players bracing key positions, the two teams are expected to produce a thrilling contest. The two teams have peaked at the right moment to do so.
St. Peter’s, captained by Sri Lanka Under 19 cap Vishen Helambage, are just one win away from securing a place in the Tier A category after the team did well to reach the semifinals of the Tier B tournament.
St. Joseph’s under Lahiru Amarasekara completed the league stage at the fifth place in the points table in the Tier ‘A’ tournament. Though they are not part of the knockout stage the Joes too have come up with some outstanding performances during the latter part of the season.
The Joes have a strong batting line up. Though it was once rocked by Trinity this season they bounced back in dramatic fashion in the second essay. Hiran Jayasundara and Yenula Dewthusa, who were part of that rescue mission, are ready to repeat the rearguard action they have produced on more than one occasion this season if needed. Jayasundara has earned a special place in St. Joseph’s cricket history by becoming the only batsman to have scored two double centuries during the schools career. Abhishek Jayaweera, Aveesha Samash, Senuja Wakunugoda, Sri Lanka Under 19 player Hirun Kapurubandara and Rishma Amarasinghe are the other batsmen to watch.
In the bowling department Amarasekara and Dewthusa are expected to play a major role. Like their counterparts from other schools, the Joes speedsters too have shone when conditions suited them, with Dinuk Serasinghe and Manasa Madubashana leading from the front.
For Petes, Shennon Rodrigo was the key strike bowler during the season. He is expected to play vital roles in both the bowling and batting departments. While Lakshmika Perera and Helambage join him in the spin department, Ishira Ayupala will spearhead their pace attack.
Asadisa de Silva, Dilana Damsara, Oween Salgado, Helambage and Rusanda Gamage form the top order bating line up for Petes.
The Joes lead the victory tally of the Big Match 12-10. However, they have not tasted victory since the team led by Ruwantha Fernandopulle won the match in 2008. The Rev. Father Maurice J. Legoc Trophy remains in the custody of St. Peter’s having won it in 2016 under the captaincy of Vinu Mohotty.
Seated (from left): Torin Pitigala (Asst. Coach), Dilan Ramanayake (Head Coach), Asiri Caldera (Master in Charge), Lahiru Amarasekara (Captain), Rev. Fr. Ranjith Andradi (Rector), Rev. Fr. Priyan Tissera (Priest in Charge), Hiran Jayasundara (Vice Captain), Sanjeewa Fernando (Master in Charge Second XI), Hirun Kapurubandara, Kalpaq Fernando (Coach Second XI) Second row (from left): Nushan Perera, Subashana Potzmann, Dihen de Silva, Yenula Dantanarayana, Yenula Dewthusa, Heshan Ramanayake, Maanasa Madubashana, Dunick Perera, Dunik Serasinghe, Kenath Liyanage, Aveesha Samash. Back row (from left): Abishek Jayaweera, Kaven Pathirana, Rishma Amarasinghe, Deshan Thalahitiyagala, Senuja Wakunugoda, Demion de Silva.
North Korea has held the Pyongyang International Marathon for the first time in six years, welcoming some 200 foreign runners to the streets of the reclusive country’s capital.
The marathon, which was launched in 1981, took place annually in April to celebrate the birth of its founding leader Kim Il Sung.
Before Sunday’s marathon, the race was last held in 2019, wherein 950 foreigners participated. North Korea sealed itself off the following year, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
North Korea has been slow to reopen since, allowing only Russian tourists into its capital since last year.
Runners have had to enter the country as part of an organised tour group, as was the case before the pandemic.
Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based travel agency listed as an “exclusive partner” on the event website, offers six-day marathon tours at 2,195 euros ($2,406) including flights to and from Beijing.
“The Pyongyang Marathon is an extremely unique experience as it provides an opportunity to interact with locals,” the agency wrote on its website.
Sunday’s marathon route took participants past landmarks across the city, including the Kim Il Sung stadium, the Arch of Triumph built to commemorate Kim Il Sung’s role in resisting Japanese rule, and the Mirae Future Scientists’ Street said to be a residential district for scientists and engineers.
Pictures online show the stadium – where runners start and finish their race – filled with spectators, many of them cheering and waving gold-coloured paper flags.
Pak Kum Dong, a North Korean runner, told Reuters news agency: “The eyes of our people on me helped me to bear the difficulties whenever I feel tired.”
There is no publicly available information on race results.
North Korea had only statred to scale back Covid-19 restrictions in the middle of 2023.
In Feburary, it allowed some Western tourists into the remote, eastern city Rason, but suspended those tours just weeks after.
[BBC]
Noor Ahmad, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) left-arm wristspinner, continues to head the Purple Cap table with ten wickets from four games. His spell of 4 for 18 in CSK’s first game against MI, remains his best so far.
DC’s Mitchell Starc who picked up his maiden five-for in T20s, against SRH remains second on the list with nine wickets in three games.
GT’s Mohammed Siraj equalled Starc’s tally on Sunday night with his own IPL best, albeit he has played four games to Starc’s three. Siraj picked up 4 for 17 against SRH to hand them their four successive loss, and was named the Player of the Match.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) suffered another batting malfunction, this time on a slow, black-soil surface at home, crashing to their fourth successive defeat in IPL 2025. Having lost Travishek in the powerplay, SRH waited until the 13th over to see the first six of the innings, and managed only one more after that Mohammad Siraj caused irreparable damage right from the start, ending with his career-best IPL figures of 4 for 17.
Pat Cummins’ cameo (22* off nine balls) and then his dismissal of Jos Buttler for a duck in Gujarat Titans’ (GT) chase of 153 gave SRH some hope, but that faded away once Washington Sundar clattered 23 off nine balls in the powerplay. Earlier in the day, GT didn’t need Washington with the ball, but his attacking enterprise at No. 4 settled their chase on a slow pitch. Washington fell agonisingly short of a maiden IPL half-century, but his captain Shubman Gill ushered GT home, with an unbeaten 61 off 43 balls, along with Sherfane Rutherford.
Siraj had sparked the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to life when he gave Travis Head a send-off in Adelaide last December. Four months on, Siraj was bowling to Head for the first time in T20s, and the battle lasted just five balls. After Head scored two fours off Siraj, the fast bowler struck with his trademark wobble-seam delivery, having him chip a catch to midwicket for 8.
Abhishek Sharma hit four fours before Siraj had him miscuing a catch to mid-on in his third over of the powerplay. It was Siraj’s 100th wicket in the IPL and sixth in the powerplay, the most by a bowler in that phase so far this season, with an economy rate of 6.27.
Siraj then returned in the death to york both Aniket Verma, the last recognised batter for SRH, and Simarjeet Singh, their Impact Player.
With both Head and Abhishek gone early,Rashid Khan, who was coming into this game on the back of figures of 4-0-54-0, could afford to ease himself in. He started fairly well by giving away just 10 runs in his first two overs, but when he erred in length, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klassen dispatched him to the fence. Rashid finished with 4-0-31-0, going wicketless for a third successive game, and with tournament figures of 1 for 143 in 14 overs at an economy rate of 10.21
Left-arm fingerspinner Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, on the other hand, showed remarkable control over his length and variations. He claimed the big wicket of Klaasen by knocking him over with a quick dart, which skidded off the pitch, for 27 off 19 balls. Sai Kishore also had Reddy holing out for 31 off 34 balls and finished with 4-0-24-2.
That SRH passed 150 was down to Cummins’ late blows. He was the only SRH batter in the top eight to have a strike rate of over 160.
It appeared like GT had handed a franchise debut to Washington to primarily match his offspin up with SRH’s left-hander heavy top order. But with Siraj dominating the powerplay and Sai Kishore taking care of the middle overs, GT ended up not using his offspin.
Washington then walked out to bat at No. 4 after his childhood friend B Sai Sudarshan and Buttler fell cheaply in successive overs. Washington took advantage of the last over of the powerplay, smoking Simarjeet for two sixes and two fours. It provided a throwback to Washington of 2016, when he opened the batting, alongside Abhinav Mukund, in the TNPL and showed the intent to hit over the top. Just like that, Washington dumped SRH’s Impact Player out of the attack.
Washington continued to attack even after that. When the ambidextrous Kamindu Mendis darted one on the stumps with his right hand, Washington manufactured swinging room and laced him over extra-cover for four. Washington seemed set for a fifty until he holed out one shy of the landmark in the 14th over.
Gill, who had already crossed 50 by that point, finished the job along with Rutherford, who hit an unbeaten 35 off 16 balls.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 153 for 3 in 16.4 overs (Shubman Gill 61*, Washington Sundar 49, Sherfaine Rutherford 35*; Mohammed Shami 2-28, Pat Cumminss 1-26) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 152 for 8 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 18, Ishan Krishan 17, Nitish Kumar Reddy 31, Heinrich Klassen 27, Aniket Verma 18,Pat Cummins 22*; Mohammed Siraj 4-17, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore 2-24, Prasidh Krishna 2-25)by seven wickets
[Cricinfo]
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