Sports
Can Galle Gladiators emulate Imran’s ‘cornered tigers’ of 1992?
Former Pakistan captain and Galle Gladiators coach Moin Khan during a training session. Galle Gladiators will take on Jaffna Stallions in the LPL final tonight at Suriyawewa.
by Rex Clementine
The finals of Lanka Premier League will take place tonight with tournament favourites Jaffna Stallions taking on giant killers Galle Gladiators at Suriyawewa. Galle Gladiators had a horrible start to the competition losing five games in a row. Their campaign is a reminder of Pakistan’s stunning World Cup win in 1992. Imran Khan’s side was almost eliminated from the competition in the first round itself when their captain urged the team to fight like ‘cornered tigers’ and they went onto win the World Cup beating favourites New Zealand in the semis and England in the finals.
Galle Gladiators narrowly edged Kandy Tuskers out on Net Run Rate and then in the semis they created a major upset beating table toppers Colombo Kings. A win in the final would complete one of the finest comebacks in the game.
Opening batsman Danushka Gunathilaka has carried the Galle side single-handedly having scored 475 runs at an average of 67 and Strike Rate of 145. No other batsman has managed 300 runs in the tournament.
Galle’s heavy dependence on their spin bowling all-rounders has not given them the desired results and against a well grilled unit like Jaffna Stallions mistakes will be costly.
Jaffna Stallions have most bases covered and one of their weak-links is absence of a batsman who could play the anchor role. But their bowling is so versatile and skillful that they defend any modest target.
With 16 wickets to his name, Wanindu Hasaranga is the highest wicket taker in the competition and Thisara Perera has used him well as an attacking option. Not many have picked his wrong’un but even if they do, batsmen have to deal with his leg-break which has caused trouble.
When T-20 cricket was mushrooming, many believed that spin will have little impact in the game. To the contrary, wrist spinners have thrived.
So if Hasaranga is Jaffna Stallions key man, Lakshan Sandakan has done a fine job for Galle Gladiators. He has 11 wickets in the tournament but has played two games lesser than Hasaranga. Sandakan may not have the control of Hasaranga, but he still could be handful.
Mohammad Amir bowled a couple of hostile spells when the team most needed him and Galle Gladiators will be hoping he makes some early inroads for the likes of Sandakan to put pressure.
An interesting contest is on the cards tonight.
The BCB has said that they will rely on the Bangladesh government’s directive before finalising their tour to Pakistan later this month. Bangladesh were originally scheduled to play five T20Is there from May 25 to June 3, but the PSLs schedule was revised following cross-border tensions between Pakistan and India.
According to the revised fixtures, the PSL final will now be held on May 25, when Pakistan and Bangladesh were originally scheduled to play the first T20I.
ESPNcricinfo has learned that the PCB has sent a new schedule for the T20Is between Pakistan and Bangladesh, with the first match now slotted for May 27, and the last on June 5.
BCB’s media committee chairman Iftekhar Rahman said they will rely on information from government security agencies and the Bangladesh high commission in Islamabad to take the final decision.
“Once we receive official communication about the dates and venues [of the tour], we will forward it to the government,” Rahman said. “The BCB is not the decision-maker in this matter. If the government agencies and our embassy declare Pakistan safe for travel, only then will we proceed.
“In our previous meeting, we agreed that any such situation would be referred to the foreign and home ministries. Once we get clearance from all relevant bodies, we will finalise the tour. Security concerns were more significant in the past, but Pakistan has proven it can ensure safety. Still, given the current circumstances, we need to assess whether the situation across the country is stable before sending the team.”
Before playing Pakistan, Bangladesh are scheduled to play two T20Is against UAE in Sharjah on May 17 and 19. They were then supposed to fly to Lahore on May 21.
[Cricinfo]
Apna Perera won his third title of the 110th Colombo Championships as he partnered Dhilvan Herath to beat Dumindu Dilum and Chehan Fernando in the open men’s doubles final.
Apna and Dhilvan registered 6-2, 6-2 win in the final.
Apna, the open men’s singles champion, was also the winner of the mixed doubles which was played according to round robin method. In the mixed doubles Apna partnered Inuki Jayaweera.
Results
Men’s doubles semi-finals
Apna Perera and Dhilvan Herath beat Ashen Silva and Lithum Jayabandu 6-1, 6-2
Dumindu Dilum and Chehan Fernando beat Methika Wickramasinghe and Vichinthya Nilaweera 6-3, 2-6, 10-4.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) recently carried out a Fast Bowling Talent Search program in the Polonnaruwa District as part of its ongoing efforts to identify and nurture emerging cricketing talent across the country.
The program, held at the Royal College Ground, Polonnaruwa, attracted over 60 promising young players—both boys and girls—including school cricketers of the district. Each participant underwent skill assessments to evaluate their fast bowling potential.
Following the evaluations, 20 talented bowlers were selected for further development.
The selected players will now receive structured training under the guidance of Provincial coaches of Sri Lanka Cricket, with a focus on refining their techniques and enhancing their overall performance.
Those who continue to demonstrate consistent improvement will be given the opportunity to join SLC’s district squads, thereby becoming part of the official National Pathway Program.
This initiative is a part of SLC’s ‘Cricket Gamata’, program which aims to find talent from rural areas across Sri Lanka.
The talent assessments were conducted by Lasantha Lakmin, SLC Talent Scout for the North Central and North Western Provinces; Lakshitha Herath, North Central Provincial Women’s Coach; and Saman Senanayake, North Central Provincial Fast Bowling Coach.
The event was organized by the North Central Provincial Cricket Association under the guidance of Sri Lanka Cricket. It was managed by Krishan Anandakumar, Manager of the Center of Excellence, Dambulla.
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