Sports

Galle to host 50th Test match

Published

2 months ago

2026/08/13

Thilina Walpola

Galle International Stadium will host its 50th Test match on Saturday

by Rex Clementine ✍️

One of cricket’s most iconic venues, the Galle International Stadium, is set to host its 50th Test when Sri Lanka take on India on the visitors’ Independence Day this Saturday.

The magnificent 17th century Dutch Fort and its famous clock tower have helped put the venue on the world cricketing map. These days, an aspiring cricketer’s bucket list does not merely contain Lord’s and the MCG. Galle, with the Indian Ocean on one side and centuries of history towering over the other, is very much on it too.

Galle as a Test venue was the brainchild of former SLC boss Thilanga Sumathipala. Having become the youngest SLC President at the age of 33, he decided to take Test cricket to Galle barely three months later when New Zealand toured Sri Lanka.

Steve Waugh’s Australians followed, but it was when England arrived with some 5,000 members of their adoring Barmy Army that word truly spread about the beauty and charm of the ground.

Since then, whenever England have toured Sri Lanka, they have invariably wanted at least one Test in Galle. On occasions, they have been quite happy to play more than one Test here on the same tour.

In the good old days, Galle’s oppressive heat and pitches that turned square gave visiting teams nightmares. These days, improved fitness regimes mean players are better equipped to cope with the heat, while the IPL and the proliferation of franchise cricket have ensured that overseas batsmen are far more accomplished against spin.

Across the 49 Tests staged at this iconic venue, some of the game’s great landmarks have been reached here. Shane Warne claimed his 500th Test wicket in Galle, while Muttiah Muralitharan signed off from Test cricket in fairytale fashion by taking his 800th, with his final delivery in the format, no less.

Galle has had its share of battles away from the cricket too. The Archaeology Department and the Galle District Cricket Association have frequently been at loggerheads over constructions that could obscure the view of the historic Fort. As a result, new structures are severely restricted, which explains why the ground does not have a conventional scoreboard.

That absence once came at a considerable cost to Kumar Sangakkara.

Against Pakistan in 2012, Sangakkara was left stranded on 199 not out, unaware of precisely what was required as the last man fell. One more run would have taken him to another double hundred and drawn him alongside Sir Donald Bradman’s extraordinary record of 12 Test double centuries.

Chris Gayle also left his mark on Galle, hammering a monumental 333 in 2010. Half a dozen of his blows seemed destined for the nearby bus stand, or perhaps Sydney Bar alongside it, a popular watering hole before boarding the bus back to Colombo.

Dinesh Chandimal has fond memories of the place as well. He was on 30 when umpire Kumar Dharmasena turned down a caught behind appeal off Mitchell Starc in 2022. Chandimal made the most of the reprieve, marching on to an unbeaten double hundred as Australia were made to eat humble pie.

Galle was also the scene of Sri Lanka’s last Test victory over India. That came in 2015, when the hosts pulled off a remarkable comeback victory. Sangakkara retired after the following Test and against India at least, it has largely been downhill since.

Sri Lanka’s selectors have sprung their share of surprises in recent months and there was another eyebrow raiser when the squad for the first Test was announced, with a pace heavy combination named for a venue traditionally regarded as a spinner’s paradise.

Sri Lanka squad: Dhananjaya de Silva (Captain), Lahiru Udara, Nishan Madushka, Kamindu Mendis (Vice-Captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella, Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Keshara Nuwantha, Milan Rathnayaka, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka.

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Sineth Jayawardena, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth in Sri Lanka squad for Pakistan T20Is

Published

2 hours ago

2026/10/2

Priyan

Vijayakanth Viyaskanth celebrates a wicket with his team-mates [SLC]

Opening batter Sineth Jayawardena has charged into the Sri Lanka T20I squad for the series against Pakistan, while Vijayakanth Viyaskanth has claimed the legspinner’s spot in the absence of the injured Wanindu Hasaranga. Seam-bowling allrounder Chamindu Wickremesinghe has also been named, as has batter Sahan Arachchige, while seamer Binura Fernando makes a return.

Omitted from the the squad were the likes of batter Charith Asalanka, fast bowler Dilshan Madushanka, ambidextrous spinner Tharindu Rathnayake, and batting allrounder Janith Liyanage.

Fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera was named in the squad, but his participation is subject to fitness.

Jayawardena, 21, has got his call-up because of an outstanding recent run in domestic T20s. In the past month, he has struck 101 off 52 and 82 off 32 for Tamil Union Cricket Club in the club T20 competition. He has played a single T20I, at the ongoing Asiad, but otherwise has never been part of a full-strength Sri Lanka side.

Others, such as Wickramasinghe, Arachchige, and Viyaskanth have earned their call-ups through years of performance at domestic level. Each of these players has appeared in T20 internationals for Sri Lanka before, but with the national team having had little success in this format in 2026, this inclusion represents their best chance yet to embed themselves within the side.

The three T20Is, which are all set to be played in Rawalpindi, will begin on October 9.

Sri Lanka squad :
Kamil Mishara, Sineth Jayawardena, Kusal Mendis (capt.), Lahiru Udara, Sahan Arachchige, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, Eshan Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera (subject to fitness)

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Bronze at stake as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka look to bring cheer to Asian Games contingents

Published

4 hours ago

2026/10/2

Priyan

Litton Das will hope to end his barren run of scores across formats [Cricinfo]

At the end of a wretched week in Nisshin, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have something real to play for: an Asian Games bronze.

Both teams have a point to prove. Bangladesh recovered well from a poor start in their semi-final against Pakistan, thanks to Towhid Hridoy’s efforts with the bat, but their bowlers couldn’t defend 111 in a 13-overs-a-side game, and Mustafizur Rahman was taken to the cleaners in one of his rare poor outings in T20Is.

But at least they ran Pakistan close. In the other semi-final, India ran riot over Sri Lanka, bowling them out for 45. Sri Lanka had a second-string side on the field, but they wouldn’t have bargained for the basic mistakes they made, like the three run-outs in their innings.

Bangladesh, who can call on most of their first-choice players, start the third-place match as clear favourites, but the testing conditions at Nisshin can even up contests that look one-sided on paper. And both teams will have the motivation of bringing joy to contingents that have endured mostly barren Asian Games campaigns.

After a run-less Australia tour where Litton Das made three ducks in a row in the Test series, he was out for 2 against Pakistan. Litton faced just three balls, off which he attempted two reverse-sweeps, the second of them costing him his wicket. It was a perplexing innings on a pitch that offered a lot of turn and awkward bounce. Sometimes it’s hard to say if a batter is really out of form when he’s made a string of low scores, but Litton, who has led Bangladesh impressively in this format over the last couple of years, will want to break out of this run quickly.

Sahan Arachchige couldn’t quite muster up a captain’s performance against India, especially after his top three batters fell for ducks. He scored 9 before falling to a sweep shot against Axar Patel. He had earlier taken two wickets with his offbreaks. The 30-year-old allrounder now has the chance to put together a better show and inspire his team to the bronze.

Both teams could test their bench strength in the bronze-medal match.

Sri Lanka (probable): Sineth Jayawardena, Lasith Croospulle, Sohan de Livera (wk), Nuwanidu Fernando, Sahan Arachchige (capt), Ashen Bandara, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanuja Sahan, Tharindu Ratnayake, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Binura Fernando.

Bangladesh (probable): Tanzid Hasan, Saif Hassan, Litton Das (capt), Parvez Hossain Emon (wk), Towhid Hridoy (c), Mosaddek Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Aliss Al Islam/Nasum Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman/Hasan Mahmud.

[Ceicinfo]

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Wanderers to host 2027 men’s ODI World Cup final as well as India vs Pakistan

Published

4 hours ago

2026/10/2

Priyan

Australia are the ODI World Cup defending champions [Cricinfo]

The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg will host the 2027 ODI World Cup final, as it did in 2003, as well as the marquee match between India and Pakistan on October 10 at next year’s tournament. Wanderers, South Africa’s biggest ground with a capacity of over 30,000, has been preferred over Newlands in Cape Town, an iconic ground because of its mountain backdrop.

Newlands will instead host the opening match between India and defending champions Australia on October 7. So, a re-match of the 2023 final kicks off the group stage of the 14th edition of the tournament. Prior to that, the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek will stage the Super Series, a three-team preliminary round which will decide which side makes it to the 12-team main event. Newlands gets a semi-final as well on November 17, with the other knockout game scheduled to take place in SuperSport Park in Tshwane (Centurion) on November 18. Zimbabwe, the co-hosts, are getting five games in the World Cup group stage and they play all of them at home.

The 12 teams – two of whom have yet to be decided – will be divided into two groups of six. Afghanistan, Australia, India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and one of the qualifiers make up Group A. Bangladesh, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the other qualifier make up Group B. The two qualifiers will come from a 10 team tournament early next year, with the winner advancing to the group stage and the losing finalist and two losing semi-finalists to play the Super Series. A venue for the qualifiers has yet to be established but it is likely to be played either in South Africa or Namibia. The top eight teams besides the co-hosts in the ICC rankings on September 30 this year gained automatic qualification to the World Cup.

The World Cup will be staged between October 2 – to commemorate the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, who spent two decades working as a lawyer in South Africa – and will conclude on November 21. The semi-finals and the final will have a reserve day.

South Africa, the co-host in group B, begin their campaign against New Zealand – a re-match of the 2026 T20 World Cup semi-final – at Newlands on October 9. Zimbabwe, the co-host in group A, will face Afghanistan in Bulawayo on October 11 to start their journey.

The top three teams of each group will move into the Super 7 phase, with the better fourth-place finisher across the two groups taking the seventh spot. Several teams already have their designations for the Super 7 phase and there is a chance of a second India vs Pakistan game in Cape Town on November 7.

A1: India
A2: Australia
A3: Pakistan
AB4: England
B1: New Zealand
B2: South Africa
B3: Sri Lanka

If either Bangladesh or Afghanistan or any other team who are not seeded, get through their groups, they will assume seeding of the seeded team that gets knocked out.

In addition to hosting the preliminary round of the World Cup, Windhoek will host three group games, two of them involving 2019 champions England. The newly constructed Mosi-oa-Tunya Stadium in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe got the final game of the group stages – India vs Zimbabwe on October 24 and three Super 7 matches. According to the ICC’s pre-seeding, these will be India vs Australia on October 28, Pakistan vs England on October 30 and Australia vs New Zealand on November 1.

There will be five matches played at Durban, including the final one of the Super 7 between A1 (India) and B3 (Sri Lanka) on November 14. In all there are 12 venues – Windhoek in Namibia, Victoria Falls, Harare and Bulawayo in Zimbabwe and Cape Town, Paarl, Johannesburg, Tshwane (Centurion), Bloemfontein, Durban, KuGompo City (East London) and Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).

[Cricinfo]