Sports
CSA T20 league: Livingstone and Buttler in top salary bracket as England, SA players hit paydirt

Eoin Morgan and Jason Roy are among 11 England players to have signed on for CSA’s new T20 league, joining Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali. English representation is the largest among the direct overseas signings the league has made so far. With 10 players, including Niroshan Dickwella, Sri Lanka is next. English players will also be the best paid. The likes of Buttler and Livingstone can expect to earn US$ 500,000 each to play in the league in January and February next year, while Moeen will be paid $400,000.
On Wednesday, CSA announced that it had signed over 30 marquee names for the league, without identifying them. But ESPNcricinfo has a list of the players signed up.As expected, there are no Pakistan players on the list. There have been suggestions that they would not be picked because franchises are owned by IPL owners – where Pakistani players have, in effect, been barred. But a league official, while clarifying that the league doesn’t get involved in selections, said Pakistan’s schedule constraints, where they have home series and then the PSL this year, have played a part in their non-availability.
The list also shows the salaries these players will receive, ranging from $30,000 all the way up to $500,000. That ceiling means that this league is now jostling with the UAE-based ILT20 for the title of cricket’s second-most lucrative league behind the IPL. The two leagues are competing for the world’s best players and a window in the calendar; the ILT20 has been offering up to $450,000 to top players.
Though it is not yet public, the overall purse for each of the six franchises is expected to be $2 million. But $250,000 will be considered the maximum salary in that purse: any player above that will be paid the full amount but over $250,000 will be considered a marketing cost. In Buttler’s case, for example, $250,000 will be his salary as far as the purse is concerned but he will be paid $500,000 – the remaining $250,000 will be part of the league’s marketing cost.
Each of the six franchises will have 17-man squads, in which up to five players – three overseas but no two from the same country, one South Africa international player and one uncapped South African player – will be pre-signed. An auction for the remaining spots will be held in the next few weeks. The league is likely to allow four international players in XI, with no other requirements such as transformation targets.
As all franchises in the league are owned by IPL owners, it is likely that there will be an alignment between players who play in the IPL for a franchise, and the corresponding franchise in CSA’s league. It is believed, for instance, that Buttler has signed with the Paarl franchise owned by Rajasthan Royals, Holder has signed with the Durban franchise owned by Lucknow Super Giants and Theekshana has signed with the Super Kings-owned Johannesburg franchise.
(Cricinfo)
Sports
Australia tighten their grip on second Test

Rex Clementine in Galle
Australia are well and truly in the driver’s seat in the second Test against Sri Lanka after commanding centuries from skipper Steve Smith and wicketkeeper Alex Carey. At stumps on day two, the visitors were 330 for three, leading by 73 runs, and poised to post a mammoth first-innings total, heaping pressure on the hosts.
The duo stitched together an unbroken 239 run stand for the fourth wicket, frustrating the Sri Lankan bowlers, who were left searching for answers. The hosts had their moments early on, but once the ball lost its bite, the spinners struggled to get the same fizz off the surface, and Australia capitalized in style.
Smith, fresh from a big hundred in the first Test, had a jittery start, negotiating a few testing deliveries. He was given out leg-before on 24, but the decision was overturned on review. Once he settled in, it was vintage Smith on display. With cover drives that oozed elegance and pull shots executed with precision, he stamped his authority. He took a few calculated risks, and with Sri Lanka lacking a substantial total to defend, the field was soon spread out to cut off boundaries rather than hunt for wickets. That didn’t deter the Aussie captain, who pierced the gaps with ease, dispatching nine fours and a six. He brought up his 36th Test hundred in style, pulling part-timer Kamindu Mendis to the mid-wicket boundary.
Carey, promoted to number five in place of Josh Inglis – who was off the field nursing a sore back – grabbed his chance with both hands. The left-hander outpaced his captain, racing to his half-century in just 68 deliveries. His hundred came in emphatic fashion, a well-timed sweep racing to the boundary. He needed just 118 balls to reach the milestone, finishing with a career-best 139 off 156 balls with 13 fours and two sixes.
Sri Lanka began promisingly, reducing Australia to 37 for two before prising out the key wicket of Usman Khawaja at 91. But that was as good as it got for the hosts. Once Smith and Carey joined forces, they wrested control, dictating terms and pushing Sri Lanka onto the back foot.
With a 2-0 series sweep in their sights, Australia are on course to seal the deal, having already inflicted Sri Lanka’s worst-ever Test defeat in the series opener – a crushing innings-and-242-run humiliation. The home side now face an uphill battle to turn the tide, but with Australia tightening the screws, the writing appears to be on the wall.
Sports
Malintha bags ten wickets as St. Sebastian’s book semi-final ticket

Under 19 Division I Cricket
by Reemus Fernando
A painstaking knock of 49 runs by Kaveesha Perera and a valuable half century by Navod Fernando helped St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa pull off an exciting four wicket victory over St. Anthony’s College Katugastota in the Under 19 Division I Tier ‘A’ cricket quarter-final at Gajaba Regiment Ground Saliyapura, Anuradhapura on Friday.
It was a huge turnaround for the Sebs after conceding a first innings deficit of 51 runs. Tournament’s highest wicket taker, Malintha Silva’s six wicket haul in the second innings was the turning point as Sebs dismissed St. Anthony’s for 103 runs. Malintha collected a match bag of ten wickets.
Chasing 149 runs for victory St. Sebastian’s lost three wickets for 40 runs but Navod Fernando’s 58 runs and Kaveesha’s 131-ball 49 helped them ease nerves and reach the target with a session to spare.
Now St. Sebastian’s will meet the winners of the match between St. Joseph’s and St. Peter’s in the semi-final on 12, 13 and 14 at Samadi Ground Anuradhapura.
In the other quarter-final, first innings points were enough for Royal to advance to the semi-final.
Despite having a huge first innings lead, Royal decided not to enforce the follow-on. They posted 248 runs thanks to an unbeaten 122 runs by Vimath Dinsara. In their second essay S. Thomas’ were 186 for three wickets at close.
Now Royal will wait for a decision by a SLSCA committee to see who would be their semi-final opponents from the Mahanama-Trinity match. The quarter-final between Mahanama and Trinity did not last the full distance after Mahanama disputed a move by the ground staff to roll the wicket earlier than the scheduled time and pulled out. Trinity were ahead in the first innings. The committee were scheduled to meet in the morning on Saturday (8) to take a decision.
Match Details
At Gajaba Regiment Ground Saliyapura, Anuradhapura
Scores
St. Anthony’s 204 all out in 70 overs
(Sanuka Kalpana 41, Charuka Ekanayake 24, Kevan Fernando 89n.o.; Risinu Prabesh 2/21, Malintha Silva 4/60) and 103 all out in 35.4 overs (Okitha Fernando 29, Charuka Ekanayake 21, Kevan Fernando 28; Malintha Silva 6/54, Shenas Hashein 3/23)
St. Sebastian’s 159 all out in 67 overs
(Ushen Silva 33, Ryan Dissanayake 33, Navod Fernando 34; Charuka Ekanayake 3/66, Dinura Ganegoda 3/20, Kevan Fernando 2/09) and 00 for 1 overnight 149 for 6 in 51.1 overs (Kaveesha Perera 49, Navod Fernando 58; Charuka Ekanayake 2/33, Ryan Gregory 2/24, Sadew Amarakoon 2/22)
At Samadi Ground Anuradhapura
Scores
Royal 301 all out in 102.4 overs
(Hirun Liyanarachchi 22, Rehan Peiris 82, Ramiru Perera 81, Yasindu Dissanayake 58; Kavindu Dias 2/69, Abheeth Paranawidana 2/66, Minon Warnasuriya 2/37) and 50 for 2 overnight 248 all out in 63.5 overs (Isula Geeganage 47, Vimath Dinsara 122n.o, Ramiru Perera 25; Abheeth Paranawidana 3/63, Aaron de Silva 3/48)
S. Thomas’ 120 all out in 58.2 overs
(Dineth Goonewardene 28, Sachitha Gunasinghe 33; Sehandu Sooriyaarachchi 5/31, Ranuka Malaviarachchi 2/39) and 186 for 3 in 39 overs (Sadew Soysa 57, Jaden Amaraweera 46, Dineth Gunawardana 44n.o., Mithila Charles 34n.o.)
Sports
Sandas, Venuli Under 18 singles champs

CL Synergy SSC Open Tennis Championship
Sandas Usgodaarachchi and Venuli Jayasinghe emerged Under 18 boys’ and girls’ singles champions of the CL Synergy SSC Open Tennis Championship continued in Colombo on Friday.
Usgodaarachchi beat Ganuka Fernando 6-0, 6-1 in the final to clinch the title.
In the girls’ singles title fight, Venuli Jayasinghe beat Sandithi Usgodaarachchi 1-6, 7-6, 7-5.
Meanwhile, Revan Amarasinghe and Avin Diad beat Sanithu Samaraweera and Chirath Subasinghe 6-2, 3-6, 10-5 to win the Under 14 boys’ doubles title.
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