There’s a fresh buzz in the domestic circuit as First-Class cricket in Sri Lanka has found its competitive edge once more. The coaching staff of the national team, together with the selection panel, have put their heads together and encouraged top cricketers to roll up their sleeves and return to the grind of red-ball cricket. The result? A season brimming with tight contests, spirited performances, and no shortage of drama.

With T20 leagues mushrooming across the globe and luring players with lucrative paydays, the traditional longer format had taken a back seat in recent times. But in a bid to sharpen skills and build temperament, Sri Lanka Cricket’s think tank has drawn a line in the sand – urging players to embrace the hard yards of First-Class cricket.

Leading the charge is young Dunith Wellalage, who has embraced the challenge with both arms. Prior to the ongoing season, the 22-year-old left-arm spinner had ironically donned the Sri Lankan cap in more international games than he had appearances in First-Class matches. But this season, he’s made up for lost time in style.

Last week, he played the starring role for Galle, who squared off against Dambulla in a fiery contest. Chasing a modest 255, Dambulla’s innings imploded like a house of cards, reduced to a nightmarish 23 for six. Though there was some resistance down the order, the writing was on the wall. Wellalage ran through the line-up like a hot knife through butter, finishing with figures of six wickets in the innings. His haul not only sealed a thumping 145-run win for Galle but also brought him to the brink of a significant milestone – just two shy of 100 First-Class wickets.

Galle, under the leadership of former Royalist Pasindu Suriyabandara, now sit pretty at the top of the points table, with momentum firmly in their corner.

Another notable returnee to the First-Class fold is white-ball skipper Charith Asalanka. A household name in Sri Lanka’s limited-overs set-up, Asalanka had become something of a stranger to the long format. In a career spanning nine years, he had played only 48 First-Class games, while already featuring in 134 internationals. That imbalance has finally begun to even out this season.

Leading Colombo, Asalanka found himself in the thick of things during a rollercoaster of a game in Hambantota against Kandy. Kandy piled on a mammoth 460 in their first innings, and Colombo, in reply, crumbled to a paltry 106. Asked to chase an Everest-like target of 599, Colombo’s fate looked sealed with seven wickets down heading into the final session.

But cricket, as they say, is a game of glorious uncertainties. Enter Kasun Rajitha and Sheahan Fernando – unlikely heroes who dug in their heels and stonewalled the Kandy attack for two hours. The great escape ensured Colombo clung on for a draw from the jaws of defeat.

As the tournament gathers steam, the upcoming fixtures promise more fireworks. This Thursday, the action shifts to Dambulla and RPS. Dambulla host Colombo, while Kandy lock horns with Jaffna. Galle, the team to beat so far, get a week’s breather.

by Rex Clementine

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), in its ongoing efforts to enhance domestic cricket performance, provided local clubs with state-of-the-art performance-enhancing equipment, including skinfold calipers and pocket radars with smart displays.

A total of 17 clubs and the four centers of excellence of the SLC received skinfold calipers, enabling trainers to assess players’ body fat percentage by measuring subcutaneous fat thickness at specific body locations.

This tool helps track fitness progress and assess body composition, ensuring players maintain peak physical condition for competitive cricket.

Additionally, clubs were provided with Pocket Radar devices that offer precise ball speed measurements and other performance metrics. These tools are essential for both training and competitive analysis, allowing real-time performance monitoring.

The equipment was distributed during a special ceremony held at SLC recently, attended by senior SLC officials, including Jayantha Dharmadasa, Ashley de Silva, Jerome Jayaratne, Chinthaka Edirimanne and Pramodya Wickramasinghe.

“It is important for the clubs to focus on player fitness, and apart from building the skill set of the players, a weightage should also be given to maintaining the fitness levels of the players; hence any player to get national recognition should fulfill the fitness criteria set by the selectors,” said Ashley De Silva, SLC CEO.

SLC, in order to make the distribution productive, will work with the clubs by training fitness trainers and coaches of the clubs in the effective use of the new equipment.

“This skinfold testing equipment will help clubs measure, evaluate, and implement necessary steps to keep players fit and prepared for competitive cricket at all times,” stated Jerome Jayaratne, Director of Cricket at SLC.

“The Pocket Radars will enable coaches to consistently measure bowling speeds and monitor various aspects of player performance in real time,” Jayaratne added.

The introduction of these advanced tools marks a significant step in strengthening Sri Lanka’s first-class cricket system, enhancing the player standards in terms of fitness and performance.

The distribution program was held at SLC with the participation of club representatives and SLC Super Provincial Coaches, reinforcing SLC’s dedication to elevating domestic cricket through technological advancements.

Among the clubs that received the equipment are Colombo Cricket Club, Colts Cricket Club, Burger Recreation Club, Chilaw Marians CC, Nondescript Cricket Club, Ragama Cricket Club, Sinhalese Sports Club, Moors Sports Club, Negombo Cricket Club, Tamil Union C & AC, Badureliya Cricket Club, Panadura Sports Club, Bloomfield A & CA, Kurunegala YCC, Ace Capital Cricket Club, Nugegoda S & WC and Police Sports Club.

Under 19 Cricket

Skipper Oween Salgado led the way with a top score of 70 runs as St. Peter’s posted 378 runs against St. Benedict’s on day one of the Under 19 traditional cricket encounter at Kotahena on Monday.

As many as four batsmen scored half centuries for the Petes while Mewan Dissanayake grabbed five wickets for the Bens.

At Darley Road, St. Joseph’s lost two quick wickets for five runs after restricting Trinity to 264 runs.

At Katugastota, a half century by Januka Rathnayake stood in good stead for St. Anthony’s as it helped them post 207 runs against Moratu Vidyalaya.

Put to bat Mahanama were 218 for seven wickets against Thurstan in their match at Thurstan ground.

Match Details

At Darley Road

Scores

Trinity

264 all out in 84.3 overs (Dimantha Mahavithana 38, Rajindu Thilakarathne 33, Vathila Udara 51, Oshana Lokuge 39, Mahendra Abeysinghe 43; Yenula Dewthusa 4/66, Demion de Silva 2/52, Nushan Perera 2/53)

St. Joseph’s

5 for 2 in 6.2 overs (Ranul Gunarathna 2/ 1run)

At Kotahena

Scores

St. Peter’s

378 all out in 81 overs (Oween Salgado 70, Dilana Damsara 54, Jason Fernando 64, Enosh Peterson 65, Thareen Sanketh 34, Lashmika Perera 28, Virul Amarapala 23; Hashen Olagama 2/55, Mewan Dissanayake 5/57)

St. Benedict’s

20 for 1 in 5.2 overs

At Katugastota

Scores

St. Anthony’s

207 all out in 79.5 overs (Januka Rathnayake 83, Kevan Fernando 29, Tharusha Dasun 35n.o.; Sadaneth Yahampath 2/32, Sachithra Tanuka 4/28, Nishitha Fernando 2/39)

Moratu Vidyalaya

53 for 3 in 18 overs (Isuru Nidharshana 30 n.o.; Tharusha Dasun 2/25)

At Thurstan ground

Scores

Mahanama

218 for 7 in 68 overs (Dulnith Sigera 80, Eshan Withanage 27, Chamika Heenatigala 23, Gimantha Dissanayake 22; Binupa Thathmira 3/30, Sanvidu Dissanayake 2/30, Thanuga Rajapaksha 2/69)

by Reemus Fernando