Sports
Bangladesh take 187 run lead in Galle Test

Bangladesh kept their noses in front with a spirited showing on day four of the first Test in Galle on Friday, finishing strongly at 177 for three in their second innings. With a lead of 187 and plenty of batting left in the shed, the visitors will fancy their chances of setting Sri Lanka a tricky fourth-innings target on a wearing pitch.
A target in the vicinity of 250 could prove a tall order for the hosts, who were rattled by the guile of off-spinner Nayeem Hasan earlier in the day. Bangladesh, chasing only their second-ever win over Sri Lanka in 28 attempts, have history within touching distance.
The cornerstone of their resistance in the second innings was a 68-run stand for the third wicket between opener Shadman Islam and skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto. With both batsmen negotiating spin confidently, Sri Lanka were forced to turn back to pace. It was the bustling all-rounder Milan Rathnayake who broke the stand, trapping Shadman plumb in front for a fluent 76 — his sixth Test half-century.
Veteran campaigner Mushfiqur Rahim, fresh off a first-innings century, joined his captain and the duo ensured there were no further hiccups, putting on an unbroken 49-run partnership for the fourth wicket to put their side firmly in the driver’s seat heading into the final day.
Earlier, Bangladesh’s bowlers set the tone with a probing effort that denied Sri Lanka a first-innings lead. Off-spinner Nayeem Hasan was the pick of the bunch, weaving a web around the batters with his bounce and bite to claim a richly deserved five-wicket haul. He got the ball to talk, often making it spit and grip off the surface and the Sri Lankan batters were left groping.
In contrast, Sri Lanka’s spin twins — Prabath Jayasuriya and debutant Tharindu Ratnayake — failed to hit the right notes. Though both bagged a wicket apiece, they lacked venom. Jayasuriya, in particular, looked pedestrian with the Bangladeshi batsmen using their feet to good effect and blunting his left-arm spin with minimal fuss.
Captain Dhananjaya de Silva tried rotating his bowlers, but the bite was missing. On a pitch where Nayeem looked like he was bowling with a wand, Sri Lanka’s spinners seemed to be rolling pies.
Galle is a result-oriented venue — the last draw here came a dozen years ago — and with the pitch showing signs of wear and tear, all three results remain on the table. But make no mistake, it’s Bangladesh who hold all the aces.
Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka resumed on 368 for four and still 127 runs adrift. However, any hopes of taking the lead were dashed as they lost Dhananjaya de Silva (19) and Kusal Mendis (5) in quick succession. The pendulum swung back Sri Lanka’s way thanks to an enterprising 84-run partnership between Kamindu Mendis and Milan Rathnayake. But just when the hosts looked poised to nose ahead, Bangladesh came roaring back.
The game turned on its head after lunch, with the visitors striking thrice in the space of ten deliveries for just one run. The prize scalp was that of Kamindu Mendis, who played a gem of an innings for his 87. He was undone by a peach from Nayeem — one that pitched on a length, spat off the surface, kissed the edge and was safely pouched by the keeper.
Sports
Rude wake-up call ahead of World Cup

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

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.
Latest News
Usyk blows Dubois away to reclaim undisputed crown

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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