Sports
Dharmaraja favourites against Kingswood
117th Battle of the Maroons
by Reemus Fernando
Dharmaraja captained by Dulara Bandulasena hold the edge when they meet Kingswood in the 117th Battle of the Maroons which starts at the Pallekelle International Cricket Stadium on Friday.
With seven outright victories under their belt, Dharmaraja are among the top teams this season. They ended up among the top four teams in their group at the end of the group stage in the Division I tier B tournament by virtue of the four outright wins in the league. They concluded the tournament at the quarter final stage where they conceded first innings points to St. Peter’s.
Having encountered tough Division I opponents in the tournament proper Dharmaraja are expected to do well against Kingswood who are competing in the Division II tournament.
Dharmaraja will look forward for a solid start from left handers Onajith de Silva and Pulindu Perera. Perera is reputed for strong batting displays but his services were not available for many matches this season due to his Sri Lanka Under 19 commitments. He has scored more centuries and runs for Sri Lanka Under 19s than for Dharmaraja this season. De Silva has scored over 500 runs this season and much is expected from this pair at the Big Match.
Isuru Pannala, who has a safe pair of gloves behind wickets (he has scored over 500 runs this eason), Lakvin Abeysinghe, Nisala Abeyrathne, Irusha Jayawardane and Arosha Mahagedara are expected to form the backbone of Dharmaraja batting.
Lakvin Abeysinghe has been the most consistent batsman for Dharmaraja this season. He has scored over 800 runs and has three centuries and two half centuries in his tally. He has also been handy with his off-spin making a strong spin combination with skipper Dulara Bandulasena and Dakshika Manukalpa.
Fifth year coloursman Bandulasena and Manukalpa are their key strike bowlers. The left arm spinners have accounted for 100 wickets together. Bandulasena’s 50 wickets include two five wicket hauls and a match bag of ten wickets.
Nisala Abeyrathne and Sheshan Marasinghe are taking care of Dharmaraja’s new ball duties. Both speedsters have taken over 30 wickets each.
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- Kingswood Team Front row (from left): Nenuka Dissanayake (Captain), Tissa Wijeratne (Director of Cricket), Lakshman Tilekeratne (PoG), Namal Chandrakumara (Principal), Asela Jayaratne (Master in-Charge), Suresh Peiris (Head Coach), Hishara Bandara (Asst. Coach), Kavija Gamage. Second row (standing from left): Pamuditha Bandara, Sadeesha Ratnayake, Chanul Kodituwakku, Amesh Rupasinghe, Amiru Amunupura, Damitha Ratnayake, Upadhi Jayawardena, Nadeesha Bandaranayake, Gauranga Bandara. Third row (standing from left): Yosath Abeykoon, Nikeshala Nanayakkara, Aadil Sheriff, Hasith Gunasekera, Barana Ratnayake, Kenula Phillyanga, Rizwan Razack, Raneesh Herath, Dilshan Weerawansha, Sandaruwan Navaratne
Kingswood under Nenuka Dissanayake’s captaincy have done well to reach the quarter-finals of the Division II TIer ‘B’ tournament. Their strong performances against Christ King College, JaEla, Rahula College, Katugastota and Dudley Senanayake College in the tournament proper have powered them to the top four positions in the points table in their group.
However, having encountered Division II opponents for a better part of the season it would be interesting to see how Kingswood perform against their formidable arch rivals.
Vice-captain Kavija Gamage and top order batsman Adil Sherif are the leading batsmen in the lineup. They are expected to take greater share of batting responsibilities. Gamage has scored over 650 runs with two centuries and five half centuries. Sherif has over 400 runs against his name.
In the bowling attack Yosath Abeykoon and Dilshan Weerawansha are sharing the new ball while skipper Nenuka Dissanayake, Kenula Pihiliyanga (left arm spin) and Amesh Rupasinghe are expected to dominate the spin department.
Dharmaraja lead the victory tally of the historic series 35-19, while 62 editions have ended in draws. Dharmaraja are in the possession of the T.B. Tennakoon Challenge Trophy having last won under the captaincy of Tharusha Weragoda in 2015. Kingswood’s last win came way back in 1958 under Maurice Fernando’s captaincy.
An ODI between Canada and Netherlamds in King City Toronto on Tuesday was abandoned due to a dangerous pitch. The fixture was part of the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 competition, which is part of the qualification pathway for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
The match was abandoned just 4.1 overs into the Netherlands innings after they had chosen to bat. They were 15 for 1, with Max O’Dowd the batter dismissed for a duck in the second over. The pitch had uneven bounce and the batters were struck several times during the short passage of play.
On June 12, four days before the abandoned match, the ICC had issued a statement saying the pitch at King City that was used for an ODI between USA and the Netherlands on June 8 had been given an “unsatisfactory” rating and one demerit point.
“This was a pitch that fell below the standard expected for this level of cricket,” match referee Phil Thompson had said about the surface for the USA-Netherlands match. “Both captains expressed disappointment with how it turned out, and the match officials assessed it as ‘very poor’. The inconsistent bounce created challenging and potentially unsafe playing conditions. Taking all factors into consideration, I believe the pitch merits an ‘unsatisfactory’ rating.”
According to the ICC’s pitch and outfield monitoring process, pitches that get an “unsatisfactory” rating will be given one demerit point, while an “unfit” pitch rating will result in three demerit points for the venue. Demerit points remain active for a rolling five-year period, and an accumulation of six demerit points will result in the venue being suspended from hosting international matches for 12 months (12 demerit points will lead to a 24-month ban).
(Cricinfo)
Joshua Da Silva and Amir Jangoo have earned recalls to West Indies’ squad for the two-match World Test Championship series at home against Sri Lanka starting later this month, while the two Josephs, Alzarri and Shamar, are back after missing the tours of India and New Zealand late last year because of injuries.
Trevin Imalch had kept wicket when West Indies last played Test cricket, in New Zealand last December, but Da Silva, 33 Test matches old, has returned after scoring 996 runs across the last two seasons of the West Indies Championship. Imlach, who failed with the bat in New Zealand with a total of 81 runs across six innings – after scoring 33 runs in his only Test in India – has been named captain of a West Indies Select XI to play the Sri Lankans in a tour match in Coolidge from June 18 to 21. Roston Chase will continue to captain the Test side.
West Indies vs Sri Lanka Tests
Jangoo, dropped after only one Test appearance, in Multan in January 2025, where he scored 0 and 30, has returned to the side following a fruitful WI Championship in which he scored 411 runs in seven innings. He finished second on the scorers’ table there, only behind Da Silva, who scored 413 in seven outing. The highlight of Jangoo’s season was the 203 not out he scored for Trinidad & Tobago against Leeward Islands
The pair of Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, meanwhile, last played Test cricket during the home series against Australia in mid-2025.”Every Test series is an opportunity for us to grow as a team and strengthen our identity,” Darren Sammy, the head coach, said in a Cricket West Indies statement. “Sri Lanka are a quality side, so we know we’ll have to be at our best, but we’re excited about the challenge ahead.”For us, it’s about playing with discipline, showing character when the game gets tough, and representing the West Indies with pride. The players have been putting in the work, and we’re looking forward to putting on a strong display for our fans across the Caribbean.”
Some of the squad members are currently participating in a high-performance training camp in Antigua, which began on June 12 and will run till June 22. The members of the Test squad who were also part of the white-ball series against Sri Lanka – West Indies lost the ODIs and won the T20Is – will join the camp on June 15. The Tests will be played in North Sound from June 25 to 29 and July 3 to 7.
“This is a key component of our preparations heading into the series, providing players and coaches with valuable time to enhance and improve the skills we want to see sharpened, based on the areas we need to focus our attention on when facing this opponent,” Sammy said about the camp. “It also gives us the opportunity to put clear objectives and plans in place for the conclusion of the summer against Pakistan.
“Additionally, the four-day warm-up game prior to the series provides the chance for some of our Test hopefuls to play in high-intensity action and create the avenue for more competition within the squad ahead of the upcoming and future series.”
West Indies are currently bottom of the nine-team WTC table, having lost seven of their eight games in the ongoing cycle.
West Indies squad for Test series against Sri Lanka
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