Sports
Chamari Athapaththu ICC Women’s Player of the Month for May 2024

Chamari Athapaththu has won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for a second time, after the Sri Lanka star beat a hot field to claim the coveted award for May 2024.Athapaththu edged out strong opposition from Scotland captain Kathryn Bryce and England’s Sophie Ecclestone for the monthly gong, adding the title for May to the monthly award she also won in September last year.
The all-rounder is already established as a modern-day great as Sri Lanka’s highest run-getter in both white-ball formats and the 34-year-old was at her brilliant best during last month’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2024 where she finished the event as the leading run-scorer.
After a relatively indifferent start to the tournament, she came into her own during the business end of the event, smashing a top-notch century in the final to give Sri Lanka the title and help the island nation earn their place at this year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
In her four games during the month of May, Athapaththu scored 151 runs at an average of 37.75 and was equally as impressive with the ball as she picked up six scalps at merely 9.16 runs per wicket.
Athapaththu was thrilled to have won the award again and the Sri Lanka captain paid special tribute to both Bryce and Ecclestone for their achievement during the month.
“I am extremely delighted and honoured to once again receive the ICC Women’s Player of the Month Award, and wish to mention that continuous recognition at this level keeps me motivated to further up my game and continue the good performance,” she said.
“I wish to mention here that, both Kathryn (Bryce) and Sophie (Ecclestone) are also two exceptionally talented players with a proven record and wish them the very best, whilst I thank my teammates for their support given to me in this endeavour.”
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Asalanka’s ton and Theekshana’s four, down Australia

A captain’s innings of 127 off 126 balls by Charith Aslanka and a four wicket haul by Maheesh Theekshana helped Sri Lanka to defeat Australia in the first ODI played at the Ranasinghe Premadasa Stadium in Colombo today.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 214 in 46 overs [Charith Aslanka 127, Dunith Wellalage 30, Kusal Mendis 19; Spencer Johnson 2-44, Aaron Hardie 2-13, Sean Abott 3-61, Nathan Ellis 2-23] beat Australia 165 in 33.5 overs [Alex Careyb 41, Aaron Hardie 32, Sean Abott 20; Asitha Fernando 2-23, Maheesh Theekshana 4-40, Dunith Wellalage 2-33] by 49 runs
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Sri Lanka elect to bat in first ODI

Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first in the first ODI against Australia
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka (c), Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando
Australia: Matt Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cooper Connolly, Steve Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey (wk), Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson
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Shanaka in trouble with SLC after two matches in two countries in one day

Sri Lanka Cricket will conduct an inquiry over allegations that Dasun Shanaka left a first-class match in Colombo hours early, in order to play for the Dubai Capitals in the UAE that same evening on February 2.
The board’s chargesheet to Shanaka includes the allegation that first-class match referee Wendell Labrooy had been led to believe Shanaka had a concussion, in order to approve a substitute. This is according to SLC CEO Ashley de Silva, who told ESPNcricinfo “SSC [Shanaka’s first-class club] would probably be conducting their own inquiry as well”.
Shanaka, however, told ESPNcricinfo that de Silva and others had been aware that he would have to leave the first-class match early. According to Shanaka, he had left the ground soon after being dismissed on the third morning of the the three-day match. He said he visited a doctor at a nearby hospital first, to inspect a blow to the neck he had sustained while playing a sweep shot that morning, and then headed off to Dubai to play that evening’s T20, after a separate physiotherapist had cleared him to play.
“SLC and the club knew I had to leave,” Shanaka said. “I only came back because there was a request from the SSC to play this first-class match. But my other team wanted me back, as I’d helped win two games for them earlier in the tournament.”
For SLC, however, exiting a league game early, particularly with suspect reasons, is problematic, not that it has yet been established if there actually was any pretense involved. The board CEO de Silva explained that while Lasith Malinga had also famously played a Mumbai Indians match and then broken records in a domestic match in a match at Pallekele the next day, Malinga had played until both those matches reached their conclusion.
On the surface, though, Shanaka’s looks like a spectacular cricketing feat. He had been among the three players called back from the ILT20 by the SSC for their fixture against Moors Sports Club in the Major League Tournament, as SSC strove to avoid relegation. Shanaka had played the first two days of this three-dayer, bowling 21 overs and taking a wicket in Moors’ innings, before finishing on 39 not out at the end of day two.
Day three is when the absconding is alleged to have occurred, but before he left, Shanaka crashed a further 84, hitting 123 off 87 balls in total, 88 of those runs coming in boundaries. Though SSC’s innings ended not long after he got out, Shanaka did not bowl an over in the next Moors innings (the third of the match), and played no further part in the game.
What is clear is that several hours later, he appeared for the Capitals in Dubai, and struck 34 off 12 at No. 5, helping his team to 217 against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. He didn’t bowl in the Knight Riders’ innings either, however.
Capitals would go on to win the ILT20, Shanaka playing three further games for them. He has not appeared for SSC since February 2.
[Cricinfo]
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