Sports

Cricket in shambles

Published

3 years ago

2023/07/30

Thilina Walpola

Sri Lanka surrendered to their worst defeat in Test cricket at home this week at SSC.

by Rex Clementine

The national selection panel may have not addressed a single media briefing during their two-year stint so far but through handpicked social media platforms like YouTube channels they are quick to boast of their achievements. But their blunders are rarely discussed.

Pramodya Wickramasinghe’s cockeyed policies have taken Sri Lankan cricket from pillar to post. Under his watch, Sri Lanka have played three World Cup Qualifying rounds, the first time ever since 1979. During his tenure as Chief Selector, Sri Lanka also have suffered the heaviest defeat ever in ODIs early this year in Trivandrum. In fact, it is the worst defeat by any team in the history of ODI cricket that has been played for over half a century now. If you are still not convinced that he’s got to go, there was further proof as Sri Lanka crashed to their worst defeat ever in Test match cricket at home – by an innings and 222 runs at the SSC on Thursday. Do we need to say more? What a shame. Cricket is in total shambles.

Test wins over teams like Ireland in April made some believe that everything is tickety-boo with our cricket. But Pakistan badly exposed where exactly our cricket is. There have been far better Pakistani sides that have come to our shores and hadn’t achieved what the current team accomplished.

Saud Shakeel and Abdullah Shafique are not household names in cricket. One has played just seven Tests while the other has featured in 14 games. Yet both of them scored double hundreds, a feat that far more accomplished Pakistani batters like Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan and Azhar Ali failed to achieve in Sri Lanka. That basically sums up our bowling; toothless, ineffective, and lacks penetration.

A bull in a China shop is less troublesome than Pramodya. He’s got to go, no doubt. But let’s not make him the scapegoat by placing all the blame on the Chairman of Selector’s doorstep. Sri Lanka’s senior cricketers have forgotten the art of playing Test match cricket. They were horrible throughout the series and need a wake-up call.

To win the toss at SSC is a bonus. There’s no better batting wicket in the country than the Maitland Place ground. A first innings total of 400 plus is guaranteed when you win the toss at SSC. But you have got to give the first hour to the bowlers. Sri Lanka’s batters were like amateurs at SSC this week forgetting this cardinal rule.

They slumped to 36 for four in the first hour and with that went the chances of the team winning the Test match.

Sri Lanka’s batting in the first innings was like watching a horror movie. Dimuth Karunaratne pushing one to covers taking on Pakistan’s best fielder – Shan Masood – was a no-brainer. He had sold his partner Nishan Madushka down the river. It was a brain fade moment for the captain. More than anybody Dimuth should know the blueprint to succeed as a batsman at his home ground. But he looked not all there and conceded that he wanted to give up captaincy. The selectors and the captain, did they have an axe to grind? Did they have an argument before the Galle Test over the captain’s fitness? Mind you Dimuth had missed the World Cup Qualifiers final with injury.

Unlike the selectors, who shamelessly hang in there, disaster after disaster, Dimuth has some self-respect and wants to go when everyone seems to wonder why rather than when.

Dhananjaya de Silva is thought to be the captain in waiting but the manner in which he was dismissed in both innings at SSC was shocking. Pakistan on both occasions tempted him to take on the fielder and he fell into the trap throwing away his wicket.

The time has come for us to move on from the Kusal Mendis fantasy. Players when they are dropped bounce back with a vengeance. It has happened with so many of them. Why does that not happen with Mendis is a question? At times, in order to become a better player, you need to go through the mill. Remaining the blue-eyed boy and becoming undroppable is not going to do any good for you.

Immensely talented no doubt but the manner in which Mendis throws away his wicket is excruciatingly painful to watch. Throughout history, we have picked someone who placed a high premium on his wicket as our number three. In other words, the team’s most reliable guy. There was Roy Dias in the early days and he was succeeded by the ever-dependable Asanka Gurusinghe and then came Kumar Sangakkara. Replacing Sanga with Mendis is like making Rohita Bogollagama the successor to Saroja Sirisena as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the UK.

If it’s not funny, what’s funny is when Mendis is burning reviews when the ball is hitting the middle of the middle stump. His cricketing skills are outstanding, but his intelligence is below average. As Sanath Jayasuriya once said in his own inimitable style, ‘God doesn’t give everything to everyone. For Kusal, he has given plenty of talent but upstairs, he has left empty. You can give it for rent.’

Kudos to Pakistan. They had come here having drawn up some plans and they pulled them off in style. Barring some terrific bowling by Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi, there was nothing extraordinary about Pakistan’s spinners. To give away seven wickets in an innings to Noman Ali was a crime.

In Test cricket, you play the waiting game and cash in when the loose balls are on offer or when the bowlers are beyond their second spell. Sri Lankan batters’ patience ran thin. They have been an embarrassment in this series. The LPL had come early for them.

The second Test ended inside four days. But literally, it was a three-day game as only ten overs were possible on day two and one hour’s play was lost on day one. Test cricket is one format that Sri Lanka hadn’t done too badly. To lose a home series 2-0 was unimaginable. It’s time for fresh thinking.

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Ronaldo apologizes for Portugal walkout; says Jesus broke promise

Published

9 hours ago

2026/10/7

Priyan

Cristiano Ronaldo is Portugal's leading scorer (Aljazeera)

Cristiano Ronaldo has accused Portugal ‌coach Jorge Jesus of twice breaking his word, saying a failed agreement to publicly ⁠explain his omission ⁠against Norway drove him out of the camp, but insisting he remained available after any punishment.

In a lengthy statement, the 41-year-old gave his account of the dispute ⁠that prompted his departure from Copenhagen before Portugal’s Nations League match versus Denmark last week.

Ronaldo said Jesus had agreed a plan under which the forward would miss the Norway and Denmark ⁠matches to manage his fitness. However, on the day of the Norway game, the coach told him he would play for 30 minutes.

“Everyone knows the rest. I warmed up from halftime onwards, watched the minutes tick by and wasn’t called on,” Ronaldo said.

“The manager had broken his word to me.”

Portugal’s ‌captain and all-time leading scorer said a subsequent meeting with Jesus, attended by his club side Al Nassr’s sporting director Simao Coutinho, produced an agreement for the coach to clarify events at his next news conference.

According to Ronaldo, an eight-point document was prepared saying he had never demanded playing time, had respected Jesus’s decisions and that the coach asking him to warm up without bringing him on had been a mistake.

Ronaldo said the agreed notes did ⁠not require Jesus to apologise to him but said the coach’s ⁠public remarks bore no resemblance to their private discussion.

“It was the second time he had broken his word to me,” Ronaldo said. “I decided to leave the training camp without waiting for any further broken promises.”

The statement provided Ronaldo’s account⁠, but on Sunday, after Portugal’s win over Norway, Jesus denied he had made any agreement with the player, nevertheless leaving the door open ⁠for his return.

The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) did not immediately respond ⁠to a request for comment about Ronaldo’s statement.

Ronaldo apologised for failing to greet supporters after the Norway match and for leaving his teammates, accepting that his captaincy made his conduct more serious.

“The consequences of my actions must be assessed ‌and punished by the Portuguese Football Federation,” he said.

Despite the rupture, Ronaldo said he was not limiting his international ambitions to a farewell appearance.

“If I’m physically fit, playing for my club – scoring ‌goals, ‌I hope – after serving whatever suspension is imposed on me, I’ll be available, as I’ve always been until now, to compete and win for our national team,” he added.

(Aljazeera)

Sports

Nalanda on the cusp of reaching knockout stage as unbeaten run continues

Published

10 hours ago

2026/10/7

Sahan Weerasooriya

Rusandu Silva has nine wickets against his name after three matches.

by Reemus Fernando

Nalanda College, Colombo continued their unbeaten run to come closer to securing a berth in the knockout stage as they beat Gurukula College by nine wickets in the Under 19 Division I Tier A Limited Overs Tournament match played at Campbell Place on Tuesday.

‎With Rusandu Silva continuing his impressive run in the tournament, Nalanda did well to restrict the team from Kelaniya to just 113 runs (in 35.4 overs).

‎After two outings Rusandu had six wickets against his name coming to this match.‎Rusandu and Methuka Perera claimed three wickets each. ‎Lithum Wijekumara also impressed with two wickets, while Santhul Wijeyarathne took one.

‎Adeepa Pinsara was the only batsman to make a contribution of note as he top-scored with 35 off 49 balls, including four fours and two sixes, while Javindu Madusanka made 20.

‎In their chase Nalanda made light work of the modest target, reaching 114 for one, scoring at a rate of over a run a ball.

‎Nadul Jayalath cracked an unbeaten 62 from just 52 balls. His innings contained four fours and five sixes. He received valuable support from Lithum Wijekumara, who scored 35 off 42 deliveries with six boundaries.

‎Ranmith Senarath completed the successful chase with an unbeaten 10 off seven balls, including two fours.

‎Nalanda lost only one wicket as the opening pair added 89 for the first wicket. Jayalath and Senarath then finished the contest comfortably, securing a convincing nine-wicket victory with many overs to spare.

‎It was Nalanda’s third successive victory in the Tier A tourney after having beaten Thurstan (155) by seven wickets and St. Servatius’ Matara (187) by four wickets in the first two matches.

‎As of now, they are the leading team in Group G where they have only St. Joseph’s Darley Road to meet before the knockout stage.

‎With just two teams advancing to the next stage from each Group Nalanda are almost assured of their place.

Sports

Wins for Hayley’s Group ‘A’ , HNB ‘A’ and CDB on Saturday

Published

10 hours ago

2026/10/7

Sahan Weerasooriya

33RD SINGER – MCA Super PREMIER LEAGUE

Hayley’s Group ‘A’, HNB ‘A’ and CDB registered wins by defeating Colombo Aces, Fairfirst Insurance and SLC Youth in the matches of the Mercantile Cricket Association’s Super Premier League cricket tournament on Sunday (04).

The MCA Super Premier League is sponsored by Singer Sri Lanka for the 33rd consecutive year.

At the Bloomfield Cricket ground, Nishan Madushka, Pulindu Perera and Minod Dhanuka smashed half tons as Hayley’s Group ‘A’ registered their second win of the tournament defeating Colombo Aces by six wickets.

At the Thurstan ground, Nipun Dhananjaya and Muditha Lakshan posted eighty plus scores to help CDB amass 307/8, which the bowlers defended by 71runs.

At the Colts Ground Milan Rathnayake starred with bat and ball [71 and 3-24] to help HNB ‘A’ overcome SLC Youth by 41 runs. Rehan Pieris topped SLC Youth score card with a 108 ball 77 with six fours and a six.

At Bloomfield Ground Colombo:

Hayley’s overcome Colombo Aces by six wickets

Colombo Aces 222/10 in 49 overs

[ Kavin Bandara 62, Dinura Kalupahan 50; Dhanajaya Lakshan 2-14, Ramesh Mendis 4-36]

Hayleys Group A 227/4 in 25.2 overs [Nishan Madushka 61, Pulindu Perera 51, Minod Bhanuka 54; Dinura Kalupahana 2-35]

At Thurstan College Ground:

CDB BY 71 runs

CDB 307/8 in 50 overs

[ Vishsd Randika 53, Nipun Dhananjaya 86, Muditha Lakshan 89; Himesh Ramanayake 3-49, ]

Fairfirst Insurance 236/10 in 46.4 overs

[Sanoj Dharshika 58, Yasiru Rodriga 78; Movin Subasinghe 3-27, Lahiru Madushanka 2-16]

At Colts ground;