Sports

‘Best time for me to leave’ – Suranga Lakmal looks back at Test career before final hurrah

Published

4 years ago

2022/03/13

Ahead of his final Test, Suranga Lakmal talks about why he’s stepping away now, who can step into his boots, and what his own hopes for the future are.

What are your thoughts about the journey you’ve travelled?

More than thinking about my performance, I thought about what I can do for my team. I’ve played for 13 years, and now I’m 35. Rather than sticking around for a couple more years, I thought I’d give my place to someone younger. This is the best time to take my leave of Sri Lanka cricket.

You’re so close to 200 wickets, and there are quite a few Tests on the schedule this year. Why are you quitting now?

If I was going after 200 wickets, I don’t know how many more Tests I’d have to play. Maybe ten. Maybe five. But then you’re just going after personal goals. I didn’t want to be like that. If from my leaving, we can get one or two players who can take my place and have those opportunities – that’s what’s important.

You’re giving up the baton now, but there’s no one obvious to take it from you. Dimuth Karunaratne said this too. Couldn’t you have played for longer?

If I carried this baton even further, it’ll take even longer for someone else to come up and take my place. It could just be a few months, but it could be longer. We’re all playing for this Test Championship and a lot of service is expected of me there, but a lot of the Tests we will play in the rest of the year are in Sri Lanka. We all know that we prepare spinning pitches there. Even if there’s just one or two seamers playing, you have the opportunity to groom someone new. There are good players who don’t have experience, and they should get that chance.

Who might fill your place in the team?

Right now, there’s Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Dushmantha Chameera, Asitha Fernando, and Kasun Rajitha has started to play again as well. There are others in the domestic leagues like Pramod Madushan. We’ve got to look after them and make sure they have access to good trainers and physios. Now we’ve got four-day cricket starting soon as well. If we can get the national team players involved in that and play a couple of games, that would be great for younger players.

You’re going to Derbyshire county. Do you have any plans beyond that?

I really wanted to play a county cricket season before I retired, so I’ve got that opportunity. I’ve also been discussing the possibility of playing in Australia. Let’s see what happens this first year. If I can do something for Sri Lankan cricket, I’m very happy to do that. I’ve told the younger players they can call me any time. I’m not a legend, but whatever little I can do I will do. What I’ve got in life is thanks to cricket, and we have to love the game. I might be playing for Derbyshire, but I’d love to do as much as I can for our players.

What was the biggest success in your career?

Probably my biggest success was winning the pink-ball Test in Barbados under my captaincy. That was the first time an Asian team won there. Also whitewashing Australia at home in 2016. Winning in South Africa as the first Asian team to do that was great as well.

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Sports

SLC rope in Rathour as batting coach ahead of World Cup

Published

4 hours ago

2026/01/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

Former India opener Vikram Rathour has been roped in as Sri Lanka’s Batting Coach ahead of the T20 World Cup, which the island nation will co-host twith India.

Sri Lanka Cricket have strengthened their backroom staff ahead of the World Cup by roping in former India opener Vikram Rathour as Batting Coach, SLC sources told The Island.

The 56-year-old brings a weighty CV to the dressing room, having been part of the Indian coaching set-up that lifted the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean in 2024. Rathour is currently serving as assistant coach of IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals, but will join the Sri Lankan camp next week.

Rathour is expected to stay on through the six-match white-ball series against England at R. Premadasa Stadium and Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, before overseeing the team’s final tune-up for the World Cup. With a proven track record and a reputation for technical clarity, SLC will be hoping he can help the batters find their range before the big dance.

SLC have steadily been bolstering their support staff. Power-hitting coach Julian Wood was hired last year and continues to work with both the men’s and women’s teams from the High Performance Centre.

Former India Fielding Coach R. Sridhar has also had a stint with Sri Lanka overseeing fielding standards and is currently in Dambulla working with the squad involved in the three-match T20I series against Pakistan.

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Adding further firepower to the coaching arsenal, Sri Lanka great Lasith Malinga has been drafted in as fast-bowling coach up to the World Cup.

Sri Lanka have been placed in Group B of the 20-nation tournament alongside Australia, Oman, Zimbabwe and Ireland. The former champions open their campaign on February 8 against Ireland and are expected to progress to the second round, with Australia the only side ranked above them in the group.

An 18-member squad has already been named for the ongoing Pakistan series, with the final 15-man World Cup squad expected to be announced shortly.

The Sri Lankan leg of the tournament will be staged at R. Premadasa Stadium, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground and Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, while India will host the bulk of the competition, including the semi-finals and final. However, should Pakistan advance to the knock-out stages, both their semi-final and final will be played in Colombo under the hybrid model.

There has also been speculation that Bangladesh’s World Cup fixtures could be shifted to Colombo amid ongoing political tensions with India.

Sports

Mewan shines as Bens pull off three wicket win

Published

4 hours ago

2026/01/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

Under 19 Cricket

St. Benedict’s pulled off an exciting three wickets victory over St. Aloysius’ as Mewan Dissanayake held the batting line up together with an unbeaten half century in the Under 19 Division I tier ‘B’ match at Karandeniya on Wednesday.

‎Bens beat St. Aloysius’ by three wickets at Karandeniya

‎Scores

‎St. Aloysius’ 167 all out in 54.5 overs

(Chanul Sanketh 23, Vinod Danushka 23, Sevitha Dumal 37, Dulsath Nimviru 29; Yohan Edirisinghe 2/18, Vihanga Rathnayake 3/24, Lithika Jayasundara 3/09) and 116 all out in 52.1 overs (Chanul Sanketh 44; Ayesh Gajanayake 3/27, Lithika Jayasundara 2/16, Mewan Dissanayake 3/30)

‎St. Benedict’s 144 for 5 overnight 167 all out in 45 overs

(Tehan Bitar 30, Vihanga Rathnayake 28, Sithum Hasaranga 36, Lithika Jayasundara 31; Chenul Nethmina 4/42, Hiviru Nimtharana 4/22) and 117 for 7 in 31.3 overs (Mewan Dissanayake 52n.o.; Hiviru Nimtharana 2/09, Oshadha Devinda 3/39)

‎First innings win for Thurstan at Thurstan ground

‎‎Scores

‎Thurstan 257 all out in 74.4 overs (Akhen de Alwis 25, Yohan Senanayake 34, Rison Jansen 20, Sethru Fernando 57, Rachintha de Silva 29, Udarsha Nimsara 23, Dewmika Hewapathirana 21; Minaga Ariyadasa 5/88, Thenusha Nimsara 2/92, Nethuja Bashitha 2/25) and 121 for 4 decl.in 30.3 overs (Yohan Senanayake 44, Rachintha de Silva 63n.o.)

‎Richmond 69 for 2 overnight 166 all out in 53.5 overs

(Chalindu Karunaratne 52, Ameesha Rasanjana 25; Yovun Silpa 3/46, Thanuga Palihawadana 4/44) and 68 for 3 in 25 overs (Ameesha Rasanjana 24n.o.; Thanuga Palihawadana 3/39)

Sports

Dialog secures ICC Media Rights

Published

4 hours ago

2026/01/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

Left to right: Yamith Anuradha, Senior Product Manager – Media and Home Business, Dialog Axiata PLC; Pubudu Aluthgedara, Vice President / Head of Media and Home Business, Dialog Axiata PLC; Lim Li San, Group Chief Operating Officer, Dialog Axiata PLC; R.M. Manivannan, Chairman, Supreme Global Holdings; Thambithurai Lokeshwaran, Group Chief Executive Officer, Supreme Global Holdings; Satish Iyer, Chief Business Officer, TV Supreme

Dialog Television announced that it has secured the exclusive media rights in Sri Lanka for all International Cricket Council (ICC) events from 2026 to 2028, alongside a free-to-air broadcast collaboration with TV Supreme.

This landmark agreement positions Dialog Television as the official Pay-TV broadcaster of ICC events in Sri Lanka, covering all major tournaments across Men’s, Women’s and Under-19 formats. The rights include the ICC Cricket World Cups and T20 World Cups for both Men and Women, the ICC World Test Championship Final, and other ICC-sanctioned international events during the 2026–2028 period.

Dialog Television also holds the exclusive OTT and mobile streaming rights for ICC events in Sri Lanka, enabling fans to follow the action across smartphones, tablets, and connected devices. Supported by Dialog’s high-speed mobile network and expanding 5G capabilities, this ensures a smooth, high-quality viewing experience, allowing fans to enjoy ICC matches seamlessly via the Dialog ViU+ app, wherever they choose to watch.

Complementing its Pay-TV coverage, Dialog Television has partnered with TV Supreme as the official free-to-air (FTA) broadcast partner in Sri Lanka, ensuring nationwide access to ICC events. TV Supreme is a fast-growing free-to-air television network with an established presence in cricket broadcasting.