Sports
How Arjuna spotted and nurtured Praveen Jayawickrama’s talent

by Rex Clementine
As Sri Lanka ended their Test win drought that had stretched for 16 months, they had an unlikely hero. Praveen Jayawickrama, a left-arm orthodox spinner on debut was Man of the Match, finishing with figures of 11 for 178, the tenth best bowling figures by a debutant in Test match cricket.
Despite having played just ten First Class games before his Test debut, Jayawickrama bowled like a man who had been in the professional circuit for years. The turn he was able to produce was quite handful when the wicket started crumbling, but he also had control, guile and a clever arm ball. His rise has surprised many Sri Lankans but not World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga, who predicted a bright future for the youngster when he saw him a decade ago and took him under his wings.
“Ten years ago, my school Holy Cross College, Kalutara wanted to do a full day training camp for all the cricketers of the school. Arjuna was the Member of Parliament from the area at that point. So we asked him whether he could come along and help us. He readily agreed,’’ Sunil Silva, an old boy of the school and the Most Popular Schoolboy cricketer of the Year in 1986 told The Island.
“I remember Praveen sent down his first delivery and Arjuna stopped the next bowler and had a word with Praveen. He then sent down a couple of more deliveries, Arjuna turned to me and said, ‘Sunil, I see a bit of Ajit de Silva in this kid.”
Ajit de Silva, also a left-arm orthodox spinner, played in Sri Lanka’s inaugural Test and later was banned for 25 years for going on the rebel tour to apartheid South Africa in 1982.
After the session, Ranatunga met the Rector of the school and inquired more about young Praveen. “Arjuna came up to me and said, Father, look after this kid. He is a special talent. He had no doubt Praveen would go onto play for Sri Lanka,” Rev. Fr. Camillus Fernando, the Rector of Holy Cross told The Island.
Ranatunga was conducting a cricket academy for the kids of that area every weekend and Praveen was invited to attend. He made steady progress and went onto represent Sri Lanka Under-19.
“Praveen’s father passed away when he was small. We have four kids,” Praveen’s mother Nimali told The Island.
“Praveen is our second son. The eldest son, got a law degree. The third son just got selected to University in Engineering. The fourth son is also good at studies. Only Praveen missed out on his studies. In fact, he could not sit for GCE AL exams. All the time he was occupied with games either with the school or with Sri Lanka Under-19. This was troubling me. But I remembered Arjuna’s words that one day he would go onto play for Sri Lanka. Therefore, I did not stop Praveen’s cricket and let him continue to play,” she added.
Speaking to The Island, Ranatunga said that there are lots of talent away from Colombo but they do not get nurtured properly. “I have always believed that outstations produce some superb talents. Look at Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan or Rangana Herath. But we don’t invest much on outstations. Praveen Jayawickrama and Ramesh Mendis took 17 wickets in the second Test that Sri Lanka won and both are from outstations.”
“Praveen has great potential. I have no doubt about that. But then, the important thing is young players need to be guided well. Discipline is the key. Talent will get you somewhere, but you need to work hard and stay disciplined to achieve greater things,” Ranatunga a veteran of 93 Tests added.
“He is not the finish product yet. There are a few technical areas he has to work on. I think his right arm is falling too soon. He needs to work on his endurance. If he can spend some time with someone like Murali, that would be ideal. But he is a smart kid with an ability to outsmart the batsmen. That’s a very rare skill. I am sure we are seeing a special guy here. We will hear a lot about him in years to come,” Ranatunga added.
Sports
Asalanka vows to bounce back after Dambulla drubbing

Skipper Charith Asalanka has promised a swift turnaround after Sri Lanka’s crushing defeat in the second T20I against Bangladesh left the three-match series level at 1-1.
The hosts were blown away for just 94 in a calamitous run chase at Dambulla on Sunday, their lowest T20I total on home soil and heaviest defeat to Bangladesh in the format, as the tourists romped home by 83 runs.
“Very disappointed with the batting effort. But these collapses can happen in T20 cricket,” Asalanka told reporters. “What matters is how you bounce back. We’ve done it before in the ODI series. We’ll dust ourselves off and come back hard in Colombo.”
Bangladesh had posted a competitive 177 for seven after being put into bat, but Sri Lanka’s response never got out of the blocks. The top order floundered and the innings fell apart like a house of cards.
“Once you restrict the opposition to 180 on that wicket, it should be a gettable target,” said a visibly frustrated Asalanka. “But we were nowhere near it. The batting was a big letdown.”
The team’s brittle middle order has long been a soft underbelly, with Chamika Karunaratne batting at number seven and Avishka Fernando, under scrutiny, struggling at four.
“We need to sit down and sort this out,” Asalanka said. “Number four and six have been problem positions. With the World Cup coming up, we can’t afford to shuffle without clarity. We’ve got to lock down our best XI.”
Despite the debacle with the bat, there were a few silver linings. Left-arm seamer Binura Fernando delivered a probing spell, returning career-best figures of three for 31. However, Sri Lanka’s sloppy fielding let the game slip further from their grasp.
Litton Das, who top-scored with a fluent knock, was handed two lives, once on 30 when Kusal Mendis fluffed a stumping and again on 56 when Maheesh Theekshana spilled a regulation chance. Both reprieves came off the bowling of leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay.
“Binura was excellent — he bent his back and dragged us into the contest during his second spell,” Asalanka said. “But we let ourselves down badly in the field. You can’t afford to gift chances at this level.”
A full house witnessed the Dambulla encounter, and another sell-out crowd is expected in Colombo for the series decider. Tickets for the final game were snapped up a week in advance, and with the series now on a knife edge, fans are hoping for a blockbuster finish.
by Rex Clementine
Sports
Idupa joins sub 46 club, bags best athlete title

Schoolboy Kalhara Idupa Silva joined an elite group of Sri Lanka’s 400 metres sprinters when he achieved a massive personal best time of 45.99 seconds to win the men’s 400 metres at the Western Province Athletics Championship of the National Sports Festival concluded at Diyagama on Sunday.
In the 100 year old track and field history in Sri Lanka only six men had run the one lap race under 46 seconds according to official counts. Idupa became the seventh athlete to accomplish the target and proved beyond doubt that the impressive performance displayed at the last selection trial was not a fluke.
Eyebrows were raised when he clocked 46.62 seconds in April to get selected to the Asian Championship in Gumi.
He also became the second athlete in the Under 20 age category to run the distance under 46 seconds. Reigning national champion Aruna Dharshana was the first.
Commenting on his achievement his coach Sumith Jayantha said that Idupa was groomed carefully to achieve success at senior level. “He did not get deceived by the talent scouts of Colombo schools. When he started winning podium places there were interest from Colombo schools. We have seen many talented athletes failing at senior level after peaking at junior level in those schools,” Jayantha said in an interview with The Island.

Sumith Jayantha (Coach)
“He deserves the support of a sponsor. He could not get the Mas Holding sponsorship as he could not attend the trial. I am hopeful the authorities would act swiftly to aupport him,” said Jayantha.
Idupa and national sprinter Sayuri Lakshima Mendis stole the limelight at the weekend when they bagged the best athlete titles of the Western Province Athletics Championship.
The 400 metres specialists were adjudged the most outstanding athletes for their impressive performamce during the two day meet where the winners of the three district meets of Colombo, Kalutara and Gampaha clashed for supremacy.
Indupa from Ananda Sastralaya Kotte excelled in both the men’s 200 metres and the 400 metres as he established new meet records in both events. The up and coming athlete who formed country’s 4×400 metres relay team with seasoned campaigner Kalinga Kumarage in Gumi, slashed nearly one second off the meet record when he stopped the clock under 46 seconds to win the 400 metres. In the 200 metres Idupa returned a time of 21.10 seconds.v
Lakshima clocked 53.93 seconds to win the 400 metres. She was adjudged the best athlete in the women’s category ahead of H.R.D. Sithmini who cleared 6.10 metres in the long jump.
by Reemus Fernando
Sports
Sinner beats Alcaraz to win first Wimbledon title

World number one Jannik Sinner won his first Wimbledon title by wearing down Carlos Alcaraz in another high-quality Grand Slam final between the dominant forces of the men’s game.
Italy’s Sinner claimed a 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory at the All England Club, avenging his brutal French Open defeat by Spanish world number two Alcaraz just 35 days ago.
Sinner led by two sets – and held three championship points – before Alcaraz roared back to win a five-set classic lasting more than five hours.
The 23-year-old has responded by taking two-time defending champion Alcaraz’s crown on the Centre Court grass, following another gripping contest which again showcased the pair’s shot-making, athleticism and star power.
“It is so special,” Sinner said. “I’m living my dream.”
Sinner, who served a three-month doping ban earlier this year, has claimed the fourth Grand Slam title of his career and a first major victory not on a hard court.
A composed and clinical performance from the top seed ended Alcaraz’s 24-match winning streak.
[BBC]
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