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Asalanka soaks up pressure of batting at five

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Charith Asalanka has remained at number five and has done a fabulous job for the team.

Rex Clementine
at Pallekele

Number five is not the easiest position to bat in ODI cricket and very few have succeeded in the role. Arjuna Ranatunga, Mahela Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews are cases in point. Sometimes, with players seniority going up, they also move up the order absorbing the lion’s share of 50 overs of the innings. However, despite his elevation as vice-captain, Asalanka has remained at number five and has done a fabulous job for the team.

In the second ODI against Afghanistan on Sunday at Pallekele, Asalanka played a match winning role posting an unbeaten 97 and enabled the team to post a total of 308. Afghanistan could only manage 153 runs and lost the contest by 155 runs as Sri Lanka took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

In his brief career so far, we have seen Asalanka soaking in all the pressure during run chases and scripting some famous wins. But on Sunday, he showcased another aspect of his game in setting up a total. His choice of strokes, his decision making and smartness were all exhibited and he’s proving to be a vital cog in the side.Not too long before, it can be assured that Asalanka will take up a spot among the top ten batters in the official ICC Rankings.

After the World Cup flop, it was a vital series win for Sri Lanka. Afghanistan were a team on the rise following their World Cup heroics where they defeated three former champions – England, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. They finished the competition sixth and qualified for the Champions Trophy whereas Sri Lanka finished a disappointing ninth and were knocked out of the Champions Trophy.

“Very pleased with the effort to finish the series with a win with a game to spare. It’s not done yet. Ideally, we would like to complete a 3-0 sweep,” Asalanka told journalists at the post-match media briefing.

“Number five is a pressure position. At times you’ll have to come out to bat with the score on ten for three or with the score on 200 for three. I have played over 50 games and I have been getting a lot of input from the coaches about how to go about things. Pleased with the way I have done it,” Asalanka went onto say.

Sri Lanka were notorious for batting collapses as showcased during the World Cup and the Asia Cup prior to that. On Sunday though at 147 for four with 21 overs remaining in the innings, Asalanka addressed the issue.

“Although Kusal and Sadeera were dismissed in quick succession, they had maintained a good run rate. The plan was to bat till the 40th over. Janith Liyanage took the pressure off me and we were able to go at run a ball and that partnership enabled us to get to 300.”

Asalanka was left stranded on 97 not out and missed out on his fourth century. He was on 96 facing the penultimate ball of the innings and could manage only a single leaving fellow Richmond College player Wanindu Hasaranga with the last ball.

“I had the century in mind. I thought the ball went to the gap and wanted to get two runs. Wanindu wanted me to play the last ball, but I heard that call late. We were attacking at that point and we were looking at 320. When we were walking back we chatted that we were about ten runs short.”

The pitches at Pallekele have been tailor-made for batting with Sri Lanka scoring more than 300 runs in both games. Sri Lanka had the habit of preparing rank turners for home games in a bid to win contests but their weaknesses were exposed when they went for events like the World Cup where usually you get batsmen friendly tracks.

“After the World Cup, we spoke about pitches a lot. Wickets we played at home last year, we couldn’t post totals above 300. But since the World Cup, we have got good wickets. If we are going to get flat wickets for ICC events, we should play on flat wickets at home too. Our bowlers are also learning the art of bowling and containing sides on good wickets.”

During the second ODI, Afghanistan were in the hunt with the run chase going well as Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran posted half-centuries. But soon after the two experienced batters were dismissed, there was a sensational collapse

“The partnership between Rahmat and Ibrahim was a bit of headache. I was chatting to Kusal Mendis and we expected a close game. We wanted to keep overs of our best bowlers towards the end. We wanted to leave them with about 100 runs in the last ten overs. Once the dot ball pressure came they cracked under pressure. Wanindu was awesome today and so were the seamers to create that pressure.”

Asalanka was at the non-striker’s end when Pathum Nissanka became the first Sri Lankan to score a double hundred in the first ODI. He celebrated the moment by lifting up his subdued colleague.

“I really like to watch Pathum bat. Absolutely fabulous knock. I really enjoyed it. Nobody had scored a double hundred before. Glad I was out there in the middle when that happened.”



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Scotland face West Indies with a chance to reopen World Cup wounds

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Scotland captain Kathryn Bryce is in good form with both bat and ball [Cricinfo]

Scotland take on West Indies in Leeds at 18:30 local time (17:30 GMT) in Group 2 of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.  Both teams won their opening matches in this competition – Shemaine Campbelle’s unbeaten 90 aided by New Zealand’s dropped catches saw West Indies emerging victorious, while a strong all round performance from Scotland brushed aside Ireland.

Scotland and West Indies have played each other only three times across formats – their lone T20I meeting coming at the last World Cup. Crucially, though, Scotland dealt West Indies perhaps their biggest blow in recent times with their win in the Women’s ODI World Cup Qualifier last year. Scotland staved off an all-round show from Hayley Matthews to eke out an 11-run win, denying West Indies a chance to qualify for the ODI World Cup last year.

Coming on the back of a comfortable win, expect Scotland to go in unchanged.

Scotland (probable XI): Darcey Carter, Katherine Fraser, Kathryn Bryce (capt),  Sarah Bryce (wk),  Ailsa Lister, Megan McColl, Priyanaz Chatterji, Rachel Slater,  Chloe Abel,  Kirstie Gordon,  Gabriella Fontenla

West Indies head coach Shane Deitz had said that Chinelle Henry was close to playing their opening game. If fit, she can add heft to their lower-middle order as well as the bowling department.

West Indies (probable XI): Qiana Joseph, Hayley Matthews (capt),  Shemaine Campbelle (wk),  Deandra Dottin,  Jahzara Claxton/Chinelle Henry,  Jannillea Glasgow,  Aaliyah Alleyne, Zaida James,  Shawnisha Hector,  Afy Fletcher, Karishma Ramharack

Players to watch:

Kathryn Bryce: The Scotland captain had a big role to play in their first win at this T20 World Cup. She scored a rapid half-century and picked up two wickets against Ireland. Bryce has picked up at least one wicket in 11 of the 12 T20Is she has played this year, apart from being consistent with the bat. Her experience of playing regularly in England’s domestic circuit could be key for Scotland against West Indies.

Deandra Dottin: She was at her brutal best in the last iteration of the T20 World Cup (strike rate 165.54, average 39.4, 12 sixes) but since the start of 2025, Dottin has only one T20I half-century at a strike rate of 122.84. Dottin had scored an unbeaten 15-ball 28 the last time she faced Scotland. Can she find her mojo back against them?

While Australia’s bowlers bulldozed Bangladesh, India’s batters made merry to show the batting-friendly nature of the surface in Leeds. Weather wise, the evening is likely to become cooler, with temperatures ranging from 19 to 22 degrees Celsius. There is no forecast of rain, even though it grew slightly overcast towards the start of Netherlands’ innings on Wednesday.

[Cricinfo]

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Sooryavanshi to have parents with him on tour of Ireland and England

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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is currently playing for India A in Sri Lanka [SLC]

The BCCI has allowed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s parents to accompany their son on his maiden India tour of Ireland and England in June and July to help the 15-year-old cope with any challenges that may arise. The board secretary Devajit Saikia said the BCCI would cover their expenses on the trip.

“You see, not all national teams at the senior level have a 14 or 15-year-old in their squad. After many decades, we have someone like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi,” Saikia told PTI. “At one point in time, it was Sachin Tendulkar who made it to the national team at such a young age. When such a young kid is part of the senior team, there are obviously a lot of issues that can crop up.

“Therefore, to make him comfortable and help him get used to an adult environment, where all the other players are above 18 years of age, and the team management members are also adults, we felt it would be helpful.

“We are doing this because we believe it will ease a lot of issues as far as Vaibhav is concerned.”

Sooryavanshi was picked in India’s T20I squad for the first time following a stellar IPL 2026 season in which he top-scored with 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.30, winning the Orange Cap, the MVP, and Emerging Player awards.

He is currently in Sri Lanka, representing India A for the first time, in a 50-over tri-series against Afghanistan A and Sri Lanka A, and became the focal point of an on field confrontation that involved physical contact during the game against the hosts.

While no official sanctions have been announced for any code of conduct breaches, the A-team tri-series falls within the jurisdiction of the host board – Sri Lanka Cricket – and not the ICC or BCCI. Saikia dismissed the notion of the BCCI taking any action.

“A lot of things are going on in the social media that BCCI is contemplating action, etc. Do you want BCCI to step into the domain of match referee?” Saikia said. “The BCCI is not an authority, we should not intrude into the area where the match referee and the umpires are the main persons who can take any decision regarding any incident that had happened in the playground.

“Whatever had happened, it was a part of the game, and the BCCI have no role to play. The role is of the match referee. If anything is going wrong, he will take a call, the umpires will take a call, and there is a system in place.”

Sooryavanshi has so far scored only 117 runs with a high score of 44 in four innings in the tri-series , but those runs have come at a strike rate of 153.94. India A have qualified for the final in Dambulla on June 21.

[Cricinfo]

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Luis Diaz, Colombia defeat World Cup 2026 debutants Uzbekistan

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Colombia's Luis Diaz celebrates scoring their second goal [Aljazeera]

Colombia opened their World Cup Group K campaign with a 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan at the Estadio Azteca on Wednesday, as Daniel Munoz, Luis Diaz and Jaminton Campaz ⁠struck to overcome a spirited second-half response from the tournament debutants.

Uzbekistan were disciplined for long periods under their Italian coach Fabio Cannavaro, but Colombia’s greater quality stood out in front of a crowd of over 80,000 on a cool, rain-tinged evening in Mexico City.

Colombia the Copa ⁠America runners-up, had early sights of goal through Jhon Arias and James Rodriguez, but Uzbekistan sat deep, scrapped gamely and waited for mistakes. Bekhruz Karimov almost profited when he burst forward, only for Jhon Lucumi to intervene before he could shoot.

Diaz had the clearest chance of the opening half when he struck the post, before Abdukodir Khusanov slid in after the winger ‌had knocked the ball past him, taking out both the Colombian player and a pitchside cameraman who required medical treatment.

Uzbekistan’s resistance finally cracked in the 40th minute. Diaz gathered the ball after an attack had broken down and clipped a fine pass into the path of Munoz, who guided home a neat finish for his third international goal.

The large  Colombian contingent erupted, their yellow shirts making the Azteca look and sound almost like home. Chants of “Vamos Colombia”, adapted from a Club America-style chorus, rolled around the ground, while Uzbekistan’s small band ⁠of supporters answered with drums of their own.

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group K - Uzbekistan v Colombia - Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico - June 17, 2026 Colombia's Luis Diaz celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Eloisa Sanchez
Colombia’s Luis Diaz celebrates scoring their second goal [Aljazeera]

Uzbekistan improved after the ⁠break and equalised on the hour with the country’s first World Cup goal.

Dostonbek Khamdamov fed Eldor Shomurodov, whose shot from the right side of the box was saved low by Camilo Vargas. The goalkeeper could not hold it, however, and Abbosbek Fayzullaev nodded in the rebound from ⁠close range.

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group K - Uzbekistan v Colombia - Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico - June 17, 2026 Uzbekistan's Abbosbek Fayzullaev celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Eloisa Sanchez
Abbosbek Fayzullaev celebrates scoring Uzbekistan’s first World Cup goal [Aljazeera]

However, Uzbekistan’s joy lasted only five minutes.

Gustavo Puerta released Diaz in the 65th minute, and the forward side-footed across goal to restore Colombia’s lead. The crowd ⁠responded with chants of “Lucho, Lucho”.

Uzbekistan kept pushing. Akmal Mozgovoy shot narrowly off ⁠target in stoppage time, Karimov hit the bar with an effort from distance, and Azizbek Amonov had a shot blocked after Otabek Shukurov’s pass.

But Colombia had the final word, Campaz scoring in the ninth minute of stoppage time to settle a contest in which Nestor Lorenzo’s side had 15 attempts to Uzbekistan’s nine, ‌and extended their strong recent group-stage record to seven wins in eight World Cup matches.

Colombia face DR Congo on Tuesday in Guadalajara, after Uzbekistan play Portugal on the same day in Houston.

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group K - Uzbekistan v Colombia - Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico - June 17, 2026 Colombia's Jaminton Campaz celebrates after the match REUTERS/Eloisa Sanchez
Colombia’s Jaminton Campaz celebrates after the match [Aljazeera]

[Aljazeera]

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