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Ayomal, Dhananjana hog limelight on day two

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Ayomal Akalanka (Pix by Kamal Wanniarachchi)

Junior National Athletics Championship

Hurdler Ayomal Akalanka’s national junior record feat, meet record performances by Dhananjana Fernando, Indupa Silva and  Indusara Vidushan in the 200 metres finals and Vavunia athlete Ilango Vikirthan’s steeplechase triumph were among the highlights of day two of the Junior National Athletics Championship at Diyagama on Friday.

Ambagamuwa Central hurdler Ayomal Akalanka renewed his national junior record when he clocked 50.20 seconds to win the Under 20 400 metres hurdles. The athlete selected in the senior team for the upcoming Thailand Open Athletics Championship was hardly challenged right throughout.

Lyceum International sprinter Dhananjana Fernando was probably the best in the girls’ category on day two as she returned a meet record time of 24.45 seconds to win the Under 18 girls’ 200 metres final. She was the only athlete to clock sub 25 seconds.

Ananda Sastralaya Kotte sprinter Indupa Silva returned a meet record time of 21.23 seconds to win the  Under 20 boys’ 200 metres, while Indusara Vidushan won the Under 23 event in a time of 21.34 seconds.

Ilango Vikirthan of Poovarasankulam MV, Vavuniya turned tables on athletes from higher altitudes when he won the Under 20 boys’ 3,000 metres steeplechase with a time of 9:25.81 seconds. He broke a 16-year-old record held by W.M.J.E. Weerasinghe of Ratnayake Central Walala.

Pawan Bimsara Ekanayaka of Dharmapala College, Pannipitiya (Under 18 boys’ 110m hurdles – 14.08 secs), W.D.N.D. Fernando of St’ Mary’s College, Chilaw (Under 16 boys’ 100 m hurdles – 13.17 secs) and Lakshya Sandali of Royal International School, Kurunegala (Under 16 girls’ 100m hurdles – 15.31 secs) entered record books erasing  meet records in the hurdles events.

Dhananjana Fernando

Asian Youth Championship medallist Janith Lakshan Jenkings of St. Sylvester’s College, Kandy erased the meet record in the Under 18 boys’ triple jump with an effort of 15.50 metres.

The Under 23 women’s 400 metres hurdles final saw Air Force athlete G. A. Sathsarani establishing a new meet record with a performance of 60.41 seconds.

Selvarasa Nirusika of Arunodaya College, Alaveddy (Under 20 girls’ pole vault – 3.40m) and Dilki Nehara of Sri Sumangala Balika, Panadura (Under 18 girls’ triple jump – 12.44m) were among the other athletes to have produced meet record performances.

In the 800 metres held in the morning, Asian Youth Championship medallist Tharushi Abisheka won the Under 18 final convincingly in a time of 2:11.77 seconds.

She had a six seconds lead over Sujatha MV, Badulla athlete Sandeepani Silva who finished second.

The Wickramabahu National School, Gampola athlete was the fastest accross all age category finals in the morning, including the Under 23 event which ended in a tape finish. Army’s Shanika Lakshani pipped D.N. Samarakoon by one hundredth of a second to win the event in a time of 2:15.95 seconds.

Lyceum International Wattala athlete Gimhani Aloka won the Under 16 event with a time of 2:19.65 seconds. Ratnayake Central Walala athletes Sithumini de Silva and Sandachaya Danasekara finished second and third respectively.

In the boys’ category, R.D. Amarasinghe of St. Joseph Vaz’s College, Wennappuwa (Under 16- 1:59.59 secs), South Asian Junior Championship winner Shavindu Avishka of Dammissara National School (Under 18 – 1:54.88 secs), Oshada Jayamanne of St. Benedict’s College (Under 20 – 1:52.24 secs) and Air Force athlete H.S. Dilranga (Under 23 – 1:50.86 secs) were the winners.

by Reemus Fernando ✍️



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Rude wake-up call ahead of World Cup

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Charith Asalanka stressed on a few key issues following Sri Lanka's shocking series loss to Bangladesh this week

While young opposition MPs continue parroting tired old slogans without once owning up to the sins of their political leaders, who led their parties straight into the wilderness, they would do well to take a leaf out of Charith Asalanka’s book.

Sri Lanka’s white-ball skipper fronted the media after a humbling T20 series defeat to Bangladesh and unlike the politicos dodging accountability, Asalanka fronted up, took it on the chin and didn’t sugarcoat the situation.

The 27-year-old admitted that his team had been outplayed, accepted that solutions were not just around the corner and stressed the importance of chipping away until answers emerged.

But even the best captains can only do so much. Cricket, like nation-building, is not a one-man show. It takes a team effort and right now, Sri Lanka’s is looking shaky, alarmingly so, with the T20 World Cup which they will co-host just months away.

At present, the side leans heavily on its openers, particularly the mercurial Kusal Mendis. For years, Mendis was the great hope who never quite delivered, like a Rolls Royce engine fitted into a tuk-tuk. But now, when he gets going, Sri Lanka more often than not end up on the right side of the result. Conversely, when he falls early, as he did in Dambulla and at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Sri Lanka’s innings collapses like a house of cards.

In those two games, Mendis was sent packing cheaply, and Sri Lanka’s totals, 94 and 132, were never going to trouble the scorers. Bangladesh cantered home both times, completing comprehensive wins.

Asalanka’s main concern is the lack of power-hitters in his ranks. While global heavyweights boast line-ups stacked with batters striking at 130 or more, Sri Lanka’s cupboard looks bare. Only a couple of players in the squad touch that strike-rate threshold.

Julian Wood, the much-vaunted Power-Hitting Coach is expected in Colombo soon for a week-long clinic. But while Wood might be able to polish a few rough diamonds, the question remains, why hasn’t Sri Lanka’s system produced natural big-hitters in the first place?

Bhanuka Rajapaksa is the country’s cleanest striker of a cricket ball, when he’s in the mood, he can hit a bowler onto the next postal code. But inconsistency, questionable fitness and fielding lapses have seen him fall out of favour. If he could just plug those holes, the selectors might hand him a longer rope.

Then there’s Avishka Fernando. In the nets, he’s a six-hitting machine with effortless power and sublime timing. But come match day, he shrinks.

It’s perhaps time to cast the net wider, to the ‘A’ team and emerging squads, for hitters who can clear the ropes and change the tempo. The clock is ticking.

Equally puzzling is the treatment of Sri Lanka’s pace trio: Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana, and Eshan Malinga. If they’re good enough to land IPL contracts, why are they warming the bench in national colours? Chameera, in particular, hit 140+ kmph regularly during the ODI series and had Bangladesh hopping about, yet didn’t feature in the T20s.

Sri Lanka’s showing in the last T20 World Cup was forgettable. They didn’t even clear the first round. The loss to Bangladesh in Dallas should’ve rung alarm bells loud enough to wake the dead. A total overhaul was expected. while handing Asalanka the reins was a step in the right direction, the core group from that campaign remains largely unchanged.

With the World Cup looming large, it’s time for a serious stocktake. The current unit looks like it’s caught in the nervous nineties, hesitant, unsure and lacking the firepower to finish an innings strong.Unless Sri Lanka pulls up its socks soon, the dream of lifting a global title on home soil may remain just that, a dream.

by Rex Clementine ✍️

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SLC to provide Cricket balls for MCA’s three top tier tournaments

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Bandula Dissanayake, Secretary Sri Lanka Cricket hands over the cricket balls to Mahesh de Alwis President of the Mercantile Cricket Association. Also in the picture are Rohan Somawansa (General Secretary MCA) and Hasitha Dassanayake (Assistant Treasurer and Chairman sponsorship committee MCA)

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will provide 622 ‘Grays Cavallier’ white cricket balls for the Super Premier, Premier League and ‘C’ division league tournament organised by the Mercantile Cricket Association (MCA).

The ‘C’ division league cricket tournament is currently underway with the participation of 12 teams while 10 teams have entered for the MCA Super Premier and MCA Premier tournaments respectively. The Super Premier tournament will be played from September to November while the MCA Premier League will be played from July to September.

Sri Lanka Cricket has been extending its support to the Mercantile Cricket Association since 2017 by providing the full requirement of white cricket balls for their top three tournaments.

Secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket Bandula Dissanayake handed over the consignment of cricket balls for this years tournament to MCA’s president Mahesh de Alwis at a ceremony held at the Legends Wing of the MCA last Thursday.

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Usyk blows Dubois away to reclaim undisputed crown

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Oleksandr Usyk (right) has won all four fights as a professional on UK soil [BBC]

Oleksandr Usyk further cemented his place as one of boxing’s greats by stopping Daniel Dubois in round five to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion.

The Ukrainian put on a masterclass in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium to dash Dubois’ dreams of being the first Briton to unify the division in the four-belt era.

Usyk, 38, put Dubois down twice in the fifth and the Londoner was unable to return to beat the count the second time round.

He also stopped Dubois in 2023 and extends his perfect record as a professional to 24 victories.

“I’m sorry Dubois, it’s sport. My people wanted this win,” Usyk told DAZN.

“Nothing is next. It’s enough. Next, I want to rest. My family, my wife, my children, I want to rest now. Two or three months, I want to just rest.”

Dubois – who beat Anthony Joshua to defend his IBF title in September – tastes defeat for the third time in 25 contests as a professional, with each of those losses coming inside the distance.

Usyk reclaimed the IBF title, which was stripped from him just weeks after unifying the division in 2023, and added it to his WBA (Super), WBO and WBC belts.

“I have to commend him on the performance, I gave everything I had. Take no credit away from that man, I’ll be back,” Dubois told DAZN.

“I was just fighting, trying to pick up round by round. It is what it is.”

[BBC]

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