Sports

Ananda and Gateway sprinters to complete SL team for Asian Junior Championships

Published

3 years ago

2023/05/12

by Reemus Fernando

Sprinters Merone Wijesinghe of Ananda College, Colombo and Dinara Bandara Dela of Gateway College, Colombo who won the Under 20 boys’ and girls’ 100 metres sprints at the just concluded Junior National Athletics Championships will complete the eight member team for the upcoming Asian Junior Athletics Championships.

Wijesinghe returned a time of 10.79 seconds to win the Under 20 boys’ 100 metres at the Junior Nationals on Wednesday. However, it was his 10.77 seconds feat performed at the Selection trial that has forced the selectors to pick him in the team.

Dinara clocked 12.15 seconds to win the Under 20 girls’ 100 metres at the Junior National Championships after returning a time of 12.04 seconds to a tailwind of +1.1 in the heats. Her selection to the Asian event had been based on her 12.11 seconds winning feat performed at the Selection Trial.

Five athletes reached locally set qualifying standards for the Asian Junior Championships which will be held in Yecheon, South Korea in June. According to sources the Athletics officials have decided to send an eight member team filling the last three spots with athletes who came almost close to matching the qualifying standards.

While Kahawatta Central Triple Jumper Malith Yasiru, St. Aloysius’ College, Ratnapura hurdler T.O.V. Ariyawansa, Ratnayake Central, Walala runner Tharushi Karunaratne, sprinter Jayeshi Uththara and Dharmapala College, Pannipitiya high jumper Pehansa Gamage reached qualifying standards for the Asian event, there were others who were almost close to achieving qualifying standards.

Shehan Dilranga of Ratnayake Central who clocked 1:53.74 seconds in the 800 metres and 3:58.94 seconds in the 1,500 metres is the other athlete selected in the team. The team is yet to get the Sports Ministry approval.

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T20 World Cup: Scotland miss out as eight teams secure automatic spots for 2028

Published

2 mins ago

2026/06/27

Priyan

Sri Lanka's win against Scotland completed the group of eight teams [Cricinfo]

Teams that finished in the top four of each group at the ongoing T20 World Cup have secured their spots for the next edition of the tournament in 2028. From Group 1, Australia, India, South Africa and Bangladesh have qualified. England, West Indies, New Zealand and Sri Lanka join them from Group 2. Pakistan qualified as a result of being the tournament hosts; they finished fifth in the Group 2 table with just one win in five games.

Scotland missed out on a chance to directly qualify for the 12-team ICC event after losing to Sri Lanka on Friday.

The 10th spot will go to the next highest-ranked team on the T20I rankings table at the July 6, 2026 cut-off. As it stands, Ireland, ranked ninth, fill that spot. The remaining two places will be determined through a 10-team global qualifier, which will be supported by regional qualifiers.

Netherlands, ranked 14th, are likely to have to play in the qualifier to make the main event. So too Scotland (11th) and Ireland (9th) if they fall too far down the table.

The ICC also made a decision on the composition of teams at the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy, to be held next year in Sri Lanka. The hosts will be joined by the top five teams on the T20I rankings at the same July 6 cut-off. As it stands, the teams at the tournament will be Australia, England, India, New Zealand and South Africa.

[Cricinfo]

Sports

Maliban Biscuits and Peoples Leasing PLC qualify for CDB-MCA T10 Tier B final

Published

5 hours ago

2026/06/27

Priyan

A three wicket haul from Dilip Sandaruwan and notable contributions from Mohamed Shilmi [47] and Chathurabga Dewapriya [30] helped Maliban Biscuits defeat HNB Assurance by seven wickets while power hitting by Chathra Anuradha [50] and Isuru Gunasekera [39] eclipsed an unbeaten 70 off 20 balls from Isuru Jasinghe to help Peoples Leasing PLC defeat Hayleys Group B by seven wickets to qualify for the Tier B final of the CDB sponsored MCA T10 Cricket Tournament to be played under lights at the CCC ground on Sunday [28].

In the quarter-finals played at the MCA ground, HNB Assurance edged out HNB by 25 runs while an unbeaten 47 from Mohamed Shilmi helped Maliban Biscuits defeat English Tea Shop by five wickets.

At the D S Senannayaka College ground Peoples Leasing defeated Camera LK by eight wickets while Hayleys defeated Power Hand Plantations by five wickets to qualify for the semis.

At the MCA Grounds:

Quarterfinals:

HNB Assurance edge out HNB by 25 runs
HNB Assurance 112/7 in 10 overs [Dulanjana Wijesinghe 46, Linal Subasinghe 38*; Mahen Silva 4-19, Ikram Razik 2-17, Thushan Udayanga 1-19]
HNB 87/5 in 10 overs [Dinesh Panditharathne 29, Ashen Fernando 17, Jeyakumar Kishanthujan 20, Ikram Razick 12; Chamod Piyumal 18, Linal Subasinghe 1-17, Taaariq Naziar 1-15, Dulanjana Wijesinghe 2-25]

Shilmi propels Maliban Biscuits to 5 wicket win
English Tea Shop 66/8 in10 overs [Lahiru Gamage 10, Semila Liyanage 26; Chathuranga Dewapriya 1-13, Chamara Rathnayake 2-06]
Maliban Biscuits 72/5 in 9.2 overs [Mohomad Shilmi 47*, Tharindu Siriwardena 10; Gaveen Gunarathna 1-13, Semila Liyanage 1-15, Ramesh Fernando 2-14]

Semifinal

Sandaruwan, Shilmi and Chathuranga propel Maliban Biscuits to 7 wicket win and the final
HNB Assurance 93/5 in 10 overs [Lahiru Sithpriya 26, DasunAbeywardena 27, Pasindu Pathum 24*, Tharindu Guruge 12; Dilan chathuranga 1-15, Dilip Sandaruwan 3-17, Chamara Rathnayaka 1-33]
Maliban Biscuits 94/3 in 7.overs [Mohammed Shilmi 47, Chathuranga Dewapriya 30; Chamod Piyumal 2-19]

At the D S Senanayake College grounds:

Quarterfinals:

Esitha and Arjuna power Peoples Leasing to semis
Camera LK 128/4 in 10 overs [Anjana Orton 23, Anushka Gunasinghe 45, Kasun Madushanka 18, Sineth Malwattage 31*; Ruwan Fernando 1-29, Arjuna Perera 2-22]
Peoples Leasing PLC 129/2 in 8.0 overs [Esitha Gimhana 67*, Isuru Gunasekera 12, Arjuna Perera 34*; Anushka Gunasinghe 1-37, Anjana Orton 1-30]

Hayleys defeat Power Hand Plantations by 5 wickets
Power Hand Plantations 87/10 in 10 overs [Kasun Vidura 20*, Hirusha Dulanja 15, Sanjeewa Dalpathadu 24; Sanuja Niduwara 2-07, Senal de Silva 2-15, Vanith de Silva 1-17, Daham Nirmal 1-12]
Hayleys Group ‘B’ 88/5 in 9.1 overs [Kashyapa Dissanayake 22, Jithesh Wasala 12, SanujaNiduwqra 21, Yasiru Jasinghe 20*; Tharindu Silva 1-34, Waruna Mayantha 2-03, Pasindu Munasinghe 2-07]

Semifinal

Peoples Leasing overcome Hayleys Group ‘B’ by seven wickets
Hayleys Group ‘B’ 125/5 in 10 overs[Lahiru Dawatage 31, Ryan Fernando 11, Yasiru Jasinghe 70*; Sanath Dasanayake 1-20, Ruwan Fernando 1-18,Arrokkiyanathar Vinoshan 1-10]
Peoples Leasing PLC 126/3 in 9.2 overs [Chathura Anuradha 50, Isuru Gunasekera 39, Arrokiyanathar Vinoshan 22*; Kashyapa Dissanayake 1-08, Ryan Fernando 1-25, Yasiru Jasinghe 1-12]

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Ben Stokes four-for, Ben Duckett hundred as England roar back

Published

10 hours ago

2026/06/27

Priyan

Ben Duckett raced through to an 88-ball hundred [Cricinfo]

As well as things had gone for New Zealand on day one at Trent Bridge, they went badly on day two. England, led by a four-wicket haul from Ben Stokes, completed their turnaround with the ball to cap the visitors at 438 – having been 317 for 0 – and Ben Duckett then rattled off his first international hundred in more than a year to launch the reply.

Duckett was given a life on 8, dropped in the slips by Henry Nicholls, but went on to form a second-wicket partnership worth 179 at exactly a run a ball with Jacob Bethell, who was eyeing a hundred of his own by the close of another scorching day in Nottingham.

New Zealand’s problems were compounded by a concussion suffered by Blair Tickner, who was struck on the side of the helmet by Jofra Archer while batting and, despite initially being cleared to continue and delivering a three-over spell before tea, did not emerge for the evening session. He was eventually replaced by Zak Foulkes.

With Tickner, Mitchell Santner and Ben Sears – the three changes from New Zealand’s victorious XI at The Oval – all leaking runs at upwards of five an over, things began to unravel for the tourists. When Duckett brought up an 88-ball hundred midway through the evening session, the game had almost completely flipped in trajectory from 24 hours earlier, when Tom Latham and Devon Conway were amassing 150s during their triple-century opening stand.

Having taken two wickets with the last two balls on day one, England continued their fightback on the second morning. Stokes claimed three in the session during an eight-over spell, as New Zealand’s middle order struggled to build on the foundation laid for them, before two in an over from Shoaib Bashir helped wrap the innings up.

It meant New Zealand had suffered a collapse of 10 for 121 and their total of 438, while respectable, was nevertheless the third-lowest in Test history for any innings featuring a 300-run partnership – behind England’s 407 against India at Edgbaston last summer, and the 431 made by West Indies at Sabina Park in 1999 – and the lowest when those runs had been scored by the openers.

England’s momentum was briefly checked when Will O’Rourke had Emilio Gay caught down the leg side for a five-ball duck in the second over. They should have been 8 for 2 when Nathan Smith found Duckett’s outside edge, only for Nicholls to make a hash of the catch at third slip.

Duckett, who had twice drilled Smith for fours in his opening over, was in the mood to make New Zealand pay for such generosity. His next ball also disappeared through the covers, and he used the knowledge of his home ground to good effect, cutting, pulling and clipping his way to ten boundaries in a 40-ball fifty.

With Bethell recovering from a scratchy start against O’Rourke and the probing Smith, England went on to make New Zealand sweat in the field in much the same way they had through two-and-a-half sessions on day one.

Runs flowed in the passage after tea. Santner wasn’t allowed to settle, picked off for five boundaries in his first four overs by Duckett – although one of those, a thick outside edge, might have been held by Daryl Mitchell at slip had he not been stood so wide. From the other end, Sears was pulled and driven by Bethell, leaking 23 runs from three overs as England raced into three figures.

Latham was forced to go back to O’Rourke and, while Santner began to find some rhythm in his first Test appearance in ten months, Bethell worked him leg side for a single to bring up his first half-century in a home Test – and first such score in the first innings, having made all of his previous four in the second dig.

Duckett was by now in the 90s and quickly homed in on the milestone, his seventh hundred in Tests and first since the India series last year – ending a barren run of 22 innings in which he had only passed 50 three times. It was also his fourth 50-plus score in four innings at his home ground and although he was bowled shortly after, dragging on against Smith, Joe Root joined Bethell to steer England to the close two down.

New Zealand had added 77 to their overnight 361 for 4, Blundell’s 30 the only score of note as they fell well short of 500 – a total that looked all but inevitable when Latham and Conway were cashing in after opting to bat in baking conditions. Their frustration at being pegged back perhaps added to a sense of grievance around the dismissals of Mitchell and Santner, with both given out by the third umpire, Adrian Holdstock, after reviews.

The mercury was still rising on the second morning, with temperatures in the mid-30s C again forecast. New Zealand made a largely circumspect start in the knowledge that another long day in the field for England would only strengthen their hand in this deciding Test – only for Stokes to once again wrest the game his way during a tenacious spell with the ball.

O’Rourke, the nightwatcher, provided the main impetus for New Zealand inside the first hour as he advanced to his highest score in first-class cricket – beating the 17 not out he had made for Canterbury against Otago in March 2023. He managed boundaries off Archer, Josh Tongue and Stokes, comfortably eclipsing his previous Test best of 5 not out – and England then fluffed their first chance of a breakthrough as Jamie Smith dived across first slip in pursuit of a thick outside edge, but only managed to fingertip the ball out of Root’s grasp.

Stokes, already a shade of beetroot, threw his arms up in anger but bent himself to the task and extracted Mitchell an over later. Umpire Nitin Menon did not initially grant the appeal as Stokes nipped one past the bat, but UltraEdge detected a feather of an outside edge; Mitchell, however, seemed to think the sound was his bat hitting his front pad as he pushed forward.

O’Rourke was dismissed after the drinks break without having added to his score, and Stokes then chipped out his third of the session, and 250th in Tests, when Santner ducked into a bouncer and ballooned a catch to Bethell in the gully. Santner reviewed, gesturing that the ball had struck him on the arm guard. But Holdstock, in the TV umpire seat, took barely 30 seconds to examine one front-on replay before concluding that there was also contact with the strap of his glove, and upholding the on-field call.

After lunch, Bashir bounced back from dropping Blundell at deep backward square leg – a tough chance off Archer, but one he should have held having made up the ground. Archer’s chagrin appeared to extend to not joining the huddle to celebrate Bashir’s breakthrough a few balls later, when Smith drilled a return catch back – at least until Stokes made a point of calling the fast bowler up from fine leg.

Bashir made it two in four balls when Blundell missed a reverse-hoick at a delivery from round the wicket, which ball-tracking showed had pitched in line on review. With Nos. 10 and 11 at the crease, Archer had Tickner ducking and diving before delivering a full, straight one to pin Sears in front of leg stump first ball.

Scores:
England 223 for 2 in 45 overs (Ben Duckett 113, Jacob Bethell 74*) trail New Zealand 438 in 114.5 overs (Tom Latham 151, Devon Conway 157; Ben Stokes 4-70) by 215 runs

[Cricinfo]