Sports

Future of Sri Lankan cricket bright says coach Mubarak

Published

3 years ago

2022/09/4

Rex Clementine in Derby

When Sri Lanka under-19 landed in UK for a month long tour, they were the underdogs as the hosts had named quite a few players who had represented their counties in First Class cricket, one-day competition on the Hundred. Despite a strong opposition, the tourists won the Test series.

The first Test in Chelmsford turned out to be a nail biting contest where after being set 273 runs in 59 overs, Sri Lanka slumped to 48 for four before Trinity’s Ranuda Somaratne played a blinder to help his team win by three wickets with 11 deliveries to spare. The second Test, it looked Sri Lanka had it in the bag heading into the final session as England had lost five wickets and had only a lead of 28 runs. There was some stubborn resistance by the lower order to ensure a draw but Raveen de Silva’s side won the series.

Apart from captain de Silva (Nalanda), Somaratne (Trinity), opening batsman Asitha Wanninayake (St. Anthony’s), top order batter Shevon Daniel (St. Joseph’s), fast bowler Duvindu Ranatunga (Mahanama) were some of the players to impress.

“They are all very different batters. Ranuda Somaratne was very impressive with the way he controlled the chase in the first Test. He rotated the strike, ran well between the wicket and has got a lot of potential. Asitha Wanniarachchi played a grinding innings, typical innings you would like to see in England. He pulled us out of a tricky situation. Same with Shevon in the second Test. Everyone got hit on the head and gloves and they fought well. Asitha maybe is a long format player, Shevon and Ranuda can switch into both formats. With Raveen the runs he scored and the way he bowled, he is good all-round potential.”

The youngest in the team is Duvindu Ranatunga. Hailing from Ratnapura, he landed at Mahanama College after passing the Grade Five Scholarship. While studies took him from Ratnapura to Colombo, cricket has taken him to UK. “Duvindu has been very impressive. He’s not been under pressure at all whether it’s the opposition, or the batsmen, language or the pitch. He has been very confident. He will always give you 110 percent. He was willing to go as night watchman in the second Test. He is only 17. We had got the AL results yesterday and hopefully we will get his OL results soon and I hope he has done well.”

Although England players were physically intimidating, young Duvindu didn’t mind firing them up by using the short ball to good effect.

“We were prepared to give as much as we got. We knew that we were going to get a lot of short balls. We said look our bowlers have got to help our batters out.”

“It was a fantastic effort by the boys. We played together as a team that was the difference I thought. In difficult times on and off the field we helped each other and I thought that was the hallmark of the success of the team.”

After winning the first Test, it was somewhat surprising to see Sri Lanka making two changes. Mubarak explained why. “The plan is to make sure that everyone gets a game. We believe that they are all good to play at this level. We expect everyone to maintain standards. Everyone who has come on tour will get a game.”

Several players on tour have come out of Sri Lanka for the first time and it’s no easy task to look after as they struggle with food and weather. “With the food, we have had a lot of help and support from the Sri Lankan community wherever we go. In Loughborough, Essex and in Derby as well the Sri Lankan community has been able to get Sri Lankan food from restaurants or home cooked meals. That has helped us to look after the boys.”

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Lanka Premier League draft set to take place on March 22

Published

8 hours ago

2026/01/13

Priyan

The sixth edition of the LPL will take place in July-August 2026 [Cricinfo]

There will be no auction for this year’s Lanka Premier League, Sri Lanka Cricket has announced, with a player draft set to take place instead on March 22.

The sixth edition of the LPL had originally been slated for early December 2025, but was postponed on account of ensuring the readiness of venues for the 2026 World Cup set to be co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India. The league has since been scheduled to take place from July 8 to August 8, which is the SLC’s preferred window.

This will be the first time since 2022 that a draft system is being utilised in the LPL, with both of the past two seasons hosting player auctions.

“During the draft, franchises will select both Sri Lankan and overseas players for the upcoming season of Sri Lanka’s premier domestic T20 tournament,” an SLC media release confirmed.

The inclusion of a sixth team had also been mooted prior to the competition’s postponement, however there have been no developments on that front since. Each of the first five editions of the LPL saw five teams representing Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Dambulla and Jaffna compete.

Earlier this year, Jaffna Kings – formerly the longest-standing franchise, having joined in the tournament’s second edition – and Colombo Strikers were terminated by SLC for “failure to uphold contractual obligations.” As a result, the LPL currently has no franchise owners with a history stretching back beyond 2024. New owners for both the Jaffna and Colombo teams are yet to be announced.

[Cricinfo]

Sports

Hasaranga backs Sri Lanka for World Cup semi-final push

Published

21 hours ago

2026/01/13

Sahan Weerasooriya

Sri Lanka’s leg-spin spearhead Wanindu Hasaranga has warned rivals not to write off the hosts ahead of the World Cup, after his four-wicket burst in the final T20I against Pakistan helped Sri Lanka square the three-match series on Sunday.

Hasaranga’s spell turned the game on its head and restored belief in a side that has blown hot and cold. Speaking after being named Player of the Match and Player of the Series, the leg-spinner said Sri Lanka, buoyed by home conditions, remain very much in the hunt for a semi-final berth.

Under head coach Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka have made steady strides over the past 18 months. There have been a few distractions recently like changes in selectors and captaincy among them, but the dressing room, Hasaranga insisted, is quietly confident.

“We know the conditions and we’ve grown up playing in these conditions,” Hasaranga said. “If we use them well, we can have a major impact. Players need to identify their roles. Once that happens, we can put on a good show.”

Sunday’s decider was reduced to 12 overs a side after rain delayed the start by more than two hours, but Hasaranga felt the shortened contest still offered valuable lessons.

“Today we looked good,” he said. “We’ve been lacking a bit of consistency in recent years. In a World Cup, you have to minimise mistakes and keep moving forward.”

Bowling with a wet ball tested the spinners’ skills and patience, but Hasaranga viewed it as useful match practice rather than an inconvenience.

“It was challenging with a wet ball,” he explained. “But it’s good these things happen before a World Cup. It prepares you for all kinds of situations. I even spoke to our batters about what deliveries they’d prefer to face, and that input helped when we went out to defend.”

Sri Lanka now enjoy a week’s breather before hosting England with Hasaranga keen to see his side peak at the right time.

“When this series started, we had six games leading into the World Cup,” he said. “Rain in Dambulla meant things didn’t always go to plan. As a team, we wanted winning momentum. There are only a couple of games left now and we need to be firing on all cylinders when the World Cup begins.”

Sri Lanka had stumbled in the opener, losing by six wickets after being bowled out inside 20 overs, while the second match was washed out without a toss. A 14-run win in the final game, however, ensured honours ended even.

Rex Clementine
in Dambulla

Sports

Sunil Gunawardana among contenders for top post of Sri Lanka Athletics

Published

21 hours ago

2026/01/13

Sahan Weerasooriya

It will be a four-way battle for the top post of Sri Lanka Athletics as fresh nominations for the election of office bearers closed at the Sports Ministry on Monday. Former president Sunil Gunawardana, Bimal Wijesinhge, Sugath Kumara and Prasanna Indika are the nominees for the post of president and they are subjected to objections.

‎This is the second time the Ministry of Sports called for nominations after different stakeholders successfully challanged the earlier niminations alleging that there were errors in the process.

‎Informed sources said that this time too the Ministry of Sports has left enough room for allegations as it announced the names of the nominees without waiting for the nominations sent by post.

‎”There was a fundamental error as they did not wait for nominations sent by post. They informed the stake holders by post. Some member federations had received the letters only on last Thursday. They were in a mighty hurry to announce the names of the nominees soon after the nominations closed,” a source close to athletics told The Island.

‎Following are the nominees for various posts of Sri Lanka Athletics.

‎‎President: Sunil Gunawardana, Bimal Wijesinhge, Prasanna Indika, Sugath Kumara

‎‎Vice President: Prasanna Indika, Lal Chandrakumara, Lt. Col. G.N. Jayathilaka, Irangani Rupasinghe, Jagath Silva, G.J. Siyamudali, Prasanna Aluvihare

‎‎Secretary: Dr. Dhammika Senanayake, Sameera Perera, Madawa Herath

‎Asst. Secretary: Sameera Perera, Aloy Wickramasinghe (RF)