Sports
Buwaneka guides Crusaders to title
Li Ning – Lanka Shuttle Challenge
Central Crusaders led by Buwaneka Goonathilake turned tables on favourites Southern Stars in the final to clinch the inaugural Li Ning – Lanka Shuttle Challenge title in Colombo on Sunday.
Goonathilake paired Hasara Wijeratne and Lahiru Weerasinghe to win the mixed doubles and the men’s doubles ties respectively to set the stage for a huge up set. Dumindu Abeywickrama out played Southern Stars skipper Sachin Dias in a thrilling men’s singles which was decided in three sets. In the boys singles Sethum Perera won against Kaviru Sanjitha as Crusaders won 4-2 to disappoint their opponents who were the only unbeaten team of the tournament.
The only victories for Southern Stars were recorded by Hasini Ambalangodage who won the women’s singles and Panchali Adhikari who won the girls’ singles.
In the mixed doubles Goonathilake and Wijeratne beat Roshan Padma Kumara and Nilasi Balasooriya 21-12, 21-14.
Men’s singles saw Abeywickrama turning tables on Sachin Dias. After suffering 11-21 defeat in the first set, Abeywickrama came back strong to make it 21-17 and take the match to the third set where he cruised to 21-2 win.
Things went wrong for Sachin Dias in the men’s doubles as well, as Goonathilake and Weerasinghe beat the daylight out of Southern Stars recording 21-9 and 21-19. With an unassailable 4-2 lead the women’s doubles became a dead rubber.
It was a huge turn around for Crusaders in the final as they reached the business end of the tournament as the third placed team behind Southern and Western Warriors.
Central Crusaders beat Island Titans, captained by Dinuka Karunaratne, before facing the Western Warriors. They beat Island Titans 4-2 and eliminated Western Warriors with a similar score line on Saturday.
Southern Stars, had topped the table to book a direct ticket to the semi-finals after an unbeaten run. They overcame Western Warriors, led by Kavidi Sirimanage with a margin of 4-2.
ITF Junior Circuit J30 week 2 Tennis
Dinara de Silva reached the quarter-finals of the ITF Junior Circuit J30 week 2 tournament with a 6-1, 6-4 win in the women’s singles at the SSC courts in Colombo.
Dinara beat Akansha Ghosh of India.
She is the only Sri Lankan player to reach the quarter-final stage after Yuhansa Pieris, Gehansa Methnadhi, Mayooran Kubherane, Ashlin de Silva and Ganuka Fernando were knocked out.
Results
Girls:
Savitha Bhuvaneswara (India) beat Yuhansa Pieris 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.
Yoshino Kameda (Japan) beat Gehansa Methnadhi 6-0, 6-1.
Boys:
Shourya Bhattacharya (USA) beat Mayooran Kubherane 6-2, 6-4.
Chuan Ding (Chaina) beat Ashlin de Silva 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
Rafa Jeconia Mangunsong (Indonesia) beat Ganuka Fernando 6-4, 6-2.
The final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 will be held at Lord’s on Sunday 5 July, it was announced ahead of a launch event today at the iconic London venue which will be attended by some of the top names of British women’s sport.
Lord’s, which was also the venue for the thrilling final of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup between England and India in 2017, is one of seven venues confirmed for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, alongside Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Headingley, Edgbaston, Hampshire Bowl, The Oval and Bristol County Ground.
The tournament kicks off on Friday 12 June before culminating at Lord’s, 33 fixtures and 24 days later, showcasing the best of the global women’s game and seeking to take women’s cricket into the mainstream.
An expanded competition will see 12 teams descend on England and Wales to compete for the prestigious trophy that is currently held by New Zealand.
The schedule of the tournament, which will see teams competing in two groups before the knockout stage, will be announced in due course.
Eight countries are already sure of their place, with the final four participants to be decided through a Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier next year.
England and Wales were awarded hosting rights for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in 2022, with the seven host venues selected subsequently following evaluation of various criteria.
The official launch of the tournament at Lord’s will feature some of the biggest names in British women’s sport, including England Head Coach Charlotte Edwards, England stars Tammy Beaumont, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Bell, and England rugby player Ellie Kildunne*.*
It will set out a vision for the tournament to be a sporting spectacle which can accelerate equality in cricket and change the game for good, taking women’s cricket into the mainstream permanently.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) Chair Jay Shah and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Chief Executive Richard Gould welcomed the confirmation of the venues.
ICC Chair Jay Shah said: “The confirmation of venues represents a defining moment as we build towards the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. This tournament will bring together the world’s finest players in a celebration of skill, spirit and sportsmanship.
“The United Kingdom’s rich diversity has always shown passionate support for all teams, something we witnessed so memorably at past events. The sell-out Women’s Cricket World Cup final at Lord’s in 2017 remains a landmark in the rise of the women’s game, and I cannot think of a more fitting stage for the final.”
“As we turn our focus to preparing for the tournament, we are excited by the promise of thrilling T20 action that will not only captivate fans here but also serve as a showcase for cricket’s return on the Olympic stage in Los Angeles 2028.”
ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould said: “We are hugely excited for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, and thrilled to be able to confirm the seven iconic venues that will host the tournament.
“It is of course extra special to announce that the final will be taking place at Lord’s. It is one of the finest venues in world cricket and every cricketer dreams of being part of occasions like a World Cup final at Lord’s.
“This will be the biggest women’s cricket event ever staged in England and Wales and is undoubtedly an opportunity to take the game to more people than ever before and welcome in new fans – young and old.
“Crucially though this isn’t just about scale, it’s about providing a world-class experience for players, fans and broadcasters alike, ensuring that the tournament reflects the elite performance of the players on the pitch.
“We want this competition to be part of a long-term movement, and not just a single moment in time. This World Cup will grow a new generation of fans who didn’t grow up with women’s cricket but will never imagine sport without it.”
The ICC’s global women’s events have been on an ascendancy since the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2017 with increased attendances at venues and more viewership across broadcast and digital platforms.
The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 final between Australia and India in Melbourne saw a record 86,174 spectators in attendance while the finals of the subsequent T20 World Cups in Cape Town (2023) and Dubai (2024) were also sold out in markets where women’s cricket had never been ticketed before.
[ICC]
Seven venues have been confirmed to host the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup next year in England.
The historic Lord’s Cricket Ground has been confirmed as the venue for the Final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, with the title clash set for 5 July.
The announcement was made on 1 May during a launch event at Lord’s, where it was also revealed that Edgbaston, Hampshire Bowl, Headingley, Old Trafford Cricket Ground, The Oval and Bristol County Ground will host matches during the tournament.
The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 will begin on 12 June and span 24 days, featuring 33 matches before reaching its grand finale at Lord’s.
The full tournament schedule will be unveiled in due course.
With an expanded field of 12 teams – the largest ever in a Women’s T20 World Cup – this edition promises to be the most competitive yet as the best in the world vie for the prestigious title.
Eight teams – hosts England, Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies – have already secured their spots for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. Four additional teams will join them through the Qualifier scheduled next year.
The 12 teams will be split into two groups of six for the group stage, followed by the knockout rounds and finals.
“The confirmation of venues represents a defining moment as we build towards the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. This tournament will bring together the world’s finest players in a celebration of skill, spirit and sportsmanship,” said ICC Chair Jay Shah.
“The United Kingdom’s rich diversity has always shown passionate support for all teams, something we witnessed so memorably at past events. The sell-out Women’s Cricket World Cup final at Lord’s in 2017 remains a landmark in the rise of the women’s game, and I cannot think of a more fitting stage for the final.”
“As we turn our focus to preparing for the tournament, we are excited by the promise of thrilling T20 action that will not only captivate fans here but also serve as a showcase for cricket’s return on the Olympic stage in Los Angeles 2028.”
ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould added: “We are hugely excited for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, and thrilled to be able to confirm the seven iconic venues that will host the tournament.
“It is of course extra special to announce that the final will be taking place at Lord’s. It is one of the finest venues in world cricket and every cricketer dreams of being part of occasions like a World Cup final at Lord’s.
“This will be the biggest women’s cricket event ever staged in England and Wales and is undoubtedly an opportunity to take the game to more people than ever before and welcome in new fans – young and old.
“Crucially though this isn’t just about scale, it’s about providing a world-class experience for players, fans and broadcasters alike, ensuring that the tournament reflects the elite performance of the players on the pitch.
“We want this competition to be part of a long-term movement, and not just a single moment in time. This World Cup will grow a new generation of fans who didn’t grow up with women’s cricket but will never imagine sport without it.”
The 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup will mark the milestone 10th edition of the tournament, which began in 2009.
The most recent edition, hosted by Bangladesh in the UAE in 2024, saw New Zealand claim their first-ever title, defeating South Africa by 32 runs in the final.
[ICC]
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