Sports
Charith Asalanka – SL’s one-of-a-kind rescue package
Charith Asalanka, midway through a follow-through of a big shot, is gritting his teeth while his bat is twisted around to face the bowler, above his head. If a seasoned cricket-watcher saw a still of this moment, they might guess that something has gone very wrong for Asalanka.
It hasn’t. Asalanka is just fine. He has just shoveled an offcutter from Shaheen Shah Afridi in the air, past mid-off for four. Not hit a four, mind. Shoveled one.
Sri Lanka’s No. 5 batter is many things. A former Under-19 captain, an occasional bowler who can be effective on turning decks (as India found out), and a reliable outfielder. But he is not a pretty cricketer. Even just within this batting group, he has none of Dhananjaya de Silva’s effortless cool, little of Kusal Mendis or Sadeera Samarawickrama’s fluency, doesn’t have the fast hands of Kusal Perera, or the efficiency of Pathum Nissanka.
We do not aesthetic-shame batters here. So we will not call Asalanka’s cricket ugly. We will instead dwell on his many qualities. No other Sri Lanka middle-order batter can find boundaries so consistently in the first 15 balls of their innings as Asalanka. In this match, he thunked Iftikhar Ahmed over the deep midwicket rope (a go-to area, early in his innings) seventh ball.
And this four, off Afridi’s offcutter, is only the second boundary Asalanka has struck in this innings, but is off his 34th ball, and takes his score to 31. This tells you the other thing you need to know about him – the man knows how to work the gaps through the middle overs. He runs his singles urgently, calls his twos early, and even in tense situations such as this, tends to have clear communication with his partners. If you’re pretty fast, pretty skilful, and pretty conscientious, do you need to bother being pretty?
On a night and early morning (this match finished after 1 am) in which the Khettarama crowd was revelling in their baila breaks, dancing at every opportunity, the papare coming out of the northern stand, the crowd did not have any particular love for Asalanka. They roared for every run off his bat, and moved their hips for every boundary, but they would have done this for any Sri Lanka batter.
Earlier in the evening, when Mendis was making his way through his vital 91, many had had his name on their lips. Later, when Sadeera Samarawickrama was hit in the helmet by an Afridi slower ball and was visibly shaken, needing the physio’s attention, the crowd began to chant, “Sadeera, Sadeera,” willing the batter to recover even while he was undergoing a concussion test. Two nights ago, Khettarama was creaming for Dunith Wellalage, who was spectacular that evening.
Asalanka, may not have ready chants just yet. What he does have is a body of work. Since the start of 2021, no batter on the planet has as many as his 1248 runs at No. 5. This is with an average of 46.22, and a strike rate of 90, if you’re wondering. And this is despite his having only made his ODI debut in late June of 2021. He is almost 300 runs clear of the next-most prolific No. 5 – no less than Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza.
There is enough here to seed the thought that there is no one better in this specialised position than Asalanka. He has a decent top order to protect him now, but generally a poor lower middle order with whom to forge partnerships, as was the case against Pakistan.
But there is no shortage of love for him from his team-mates. On the third-to-last ball of the innings, Pramod Madushan missed with a big heave, but made sure he grounded his bat at the striker’s end while the keeper’s underarm throw went through, so he could protect Asalanka’s wicket as Asalanka ran through to the striker’s end.
Eventually it turns out that Sri Lanka needed two to win off the last ball. And here is the moment that perfectly encapsulates Asalanka – he gets a slower ball on off stump, and instead of trying to bash it to the boundary, he calmly shuffles across, clips it behind square on the leg side where he knows there is space, puts his head down, and sprints two.
The ball does not reach the boundary, because it did not have pace to begin with, and Asalanka has not hit it particularly hard. What he has done, is put it carefully into space. So much space that the fielders in the vicinity do not even seriously give chase. There is no point. This is so obviously a shot that is going to produce two runs. It is just enough. No unnecessary risks taken. No glory shots attempted.
When the win is secured, some of Asalanka’s team-mates storm the field and plant big, wet kisses on his head. Almost all of them are six inches taller.
None of them, though, have won a tense match with a measured flick to deep backward square off the last ball, putting their team in a major final. None of them are quite like Asalanka.
(Cricinfo)
Senegal stormed off the field in protest at a penalty awarded against them before returning to beat hosts Morocco 1-0 after extra time, and win the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), amid farcical scenes in the final.
Midfielder Pape Gueye netted the 94th-minute winner on Sunday, after Morocco’s star player Brahim Diaz squandered the chance to win it for the home side by fluffing the last-gasp penalty in normal time following a 14-minute delay.
Senegal coach Pape Bouna Thiaw ordered his players off, and it was talisman Sadio Mane who persuaded them to return.
The penalty was awarded following a VAR check by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala after Diaz had been tugged to the ground by Senegal full-back El Hadji Malick Diouf while defending a corner kick five minutes into stoppage time.
Officials and players jostled with each other while the referee consulted the touchline screen, and then again when Senegal walked off.
Once the players returned to the field, Diaz inexplicably tried a Panenka-style chip, and his soft penalty effort sailed tamely into the arms of Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
Senegal’s actions will be seen as a major blight on an otherwise successful tournament, although defeat continues Morocco’s poor record in the tournament, which they only previously won 50 years ago.
The Senegal team had initially been riled by the referee’s decision to disallow for a foul a goal they scored in the second added minute, when Abdoulaye Seck headed off the post at a corner, and Ismaila Sarr nodded in the rebound.
After Diaz’s penalty miss, however, it felt almost inevitable that a galvanised Senegal would go on to score, and they did so in the fourth minute of extra time to stun the home fans in the crowd of 66,526 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
Mane won possession in midfield and found Idrissa Gana Gueye, who released his namesake Pape Gueye.
The Villarreal midfielder held off the backtracking Moroccan captain Achraf Hakimi as he advanced towards the box, before beating goalkeeper Yassine Bounou with a superb strike into the top corner.
Morocco were distraught, in particular Diaz, who was promptly substituted.
They could still have forced a penalty shootout, with Nayef Aguerd heading against the crossbar in the second half of extra time.
But it was not to be for the hosts, who had been dreaming of winning the title in front of their own fans to end a 50-year wait to become African champions for just the second time.
(Aljazeera)
Contrasting half-centuries from Oman Sadat and Mahboob Khan set up Afghanistan’s 13 run win over West Indies. They wrapped up the win when Nooristani Omarzai bagged his fourth wicket. With two wins in as many games, Afghanistan have locked in their Super Sixes spot.
After Afghanistan opted to bat, Sadat and Khalid Ahmadzai put on 86 for the opening wicket before Vitel Lawes, the sixth bowler West Indies used in 18 overs, created a brief stutter. He struck three times in eight overs as Afghanistan lost 3 for 24. Mahboob then steadied the ship in Sadat’s company, adding 77 for the fourth wicket. While Sadat took 68 balls to get to his fifty, Mahboob got there in 54, before accelerating. Mahboob scored 36 off his next 15 balls as Afghanistan scored 79 off the last ten overs to post 262 for 7.
In reply, only Jewel Andrew, who has played eight internationals for West Indies’ senior side, and 15 CPL matches, offered some resistance. He scored 57 off 70 balls, laced with four fours and three sixes, and was the eighth wicket to fall with the score on 101.
West Indies had lost their first four wickets inside 11 overs. While Wahidullah Zadran started the slide in the first powerplay with his offspin, seamer Omarzai’s strikes through the middle overs was too much for West Indies, who were bowled out for 124.
Brief scores:
Afghanistan Under 19s 262 for 6 in 50 overs (Osman Sadat 88, Mahboob Khan 86; Jakeem Pollard 3-39, Vitel Lawes 3-48) beat West Indies Under 19s 124 in 33.2 overs (Jewel Andrew 57; Nooristani Omarzai 4-16, Khatir Stanikzai 3-20, Wahidullah Zadran 3-36) by 138 runs
[Cricinfo]
England have confirmed their place in the Super Sixes of the Under 19 World Cup 2026 after crushing hosts Zimbabwe to register successive wins in the group stage. Captain Thomas Rew (86*) and Ben Mayes (77*) led the chase of 209 in Harare. England asked Zimbabwe to bat first, and struck third ball as Alex French got Nathaniel Hlabangana for a duck.
From there onwards, each time a partnership looked stable for Zimbabwe, England hit back to disrupt their momentum. There were stands of 30, 45 and 32 for the second, third and fourth wickets, respectively, with Luke Hands, Farhan Ahmed and Ralphie Albert among the wickets.
All Zimbabwe batters from Nos. 3-6 scored at least 30 but none passed captain Simbarashe Mudzengerere’s 45 not out. England’s Manny Lumsden got three wickets.
In reply, England got off to a quick start. They were two down within seven overs, but had also scored 48. Rew and Mayes had got together on the fifth ball of that over, and their union remained unbroken on 167. Rew was the first to get to fifty off 30 balls by smashing Dhruv Patel for a six in the 18th over. Mayes got a run-a-ball half-century in the 22nd over, as England clubbed the final 64 runs in seven overs to win with a whopping 22 overs to spare.
Zimbabwe’s loss came after their first game, against Scotland, was washed out. They face Pakistan next, and could find it tough to enter the next round.
Brief scores:
England Under 19s 209 for 2 in 28 overs (Thomas Rew 86*, Ben Mayes 77*; Shelton Mazvitorera 2-54) beat Zimbabwe Under 19a 208 for 9 in 50 overs (Simbarashe Mudzengerere 45*; Manny Lumsden 3-38, Farhan Ahmed 2-33, Ralphie Albert 2-49) by eight wickets
[Cricinfo]
PM departs Sri Lanka to participate in the 56th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.
Several killed in Kabul blast, Afghan Interior Ministry says
Senegal beat hosts Morocco to win AFCON 2025 after farcical walk-off
At least six killed in Pakistan as fire rips through Karachi shopping mall
Chile declares ‘state of catastrophe’ as deadly wildfires menace cities
At least 21 killed in Spain after crash involving high-speed trains
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Editorial2 days agoIllusory rule of law
-
News3 days agoUNDP’s assessment confirms widespread economic fallout from Cyclone Ditwah
-
Business5 days agoKoaloo.Fi and Stredge forge strategic partnership to offer businesses sustainable supply chain solutions
-
Editorial3 days agoCrime and cops
-
Features2 days agoDaydreams on a winter’s day
-
Editorial4 days agoThe Chakka Clash
-
Features2 days agoSurprise move of both the Minister and myself from Agriculture to Education
-
Business5 days agoSLT MOBITEL and Fintelex empower farmers with the launch of Yaya Agro App