Sports
Hurdlers Dharshana and Amesha smash records
Junior National Athletics Championships
by Reemus Fernando
Despite the uncertainty surrounding their participation in the World Junior Athletics Championships the two hurdlers who had already qualified for the major event showcased their readiness with some noteworthy performances on day two of the Junior National Athletics Championships at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Wednesday.
Top on the list was the record breaking feat of Dhanuka Dharshana of Ambagamuwa Central who won the Under 20 boys’ 400 metres hurdles event with a new meet record mark of 52.11 seconds.
Girls High School Kandy hurdler Amesha Hettiarachchi who is the other 400 metres hurdler to have qualified for the World Junior Championships smashed the meet record held by Yamani Dulanjali with a feat of 1:01.04 seconds in the Under 20 heats on Tuesday with a time of 1:04.40 to win the gold.
Later in the day Amesha set a new meet record in the 100 metres hurdles with a time of 14.86 seconds. She was pushed hard in the final by Swarnamali Balika athlete Samadhi Lakshani who also bettered the previous record. She clocked 14.93 secs.
A number of junior athletes have reached qualifying standards for the World Junior Championships but the participation of the full strength team still remains uncertain due to lack of funds. Some athletes have received the backing of sponsors and Sri Lanka Athletics is yet to receive the support to field the entire team.
Ratnayake Central runner Tharushi Karunaratne who has the experience of taking part in the last Junior World Championship also won her pet event (800 meters) clocking 2:10.18 seconds. The day’s best 800 metres performance in the girls category was by Shanika Lakshani who returned a time of 2:08.44 seconds to win the Under 23 event.
Kavishka Sri Bandara of Elapatha MV, Ratnapura produced the fastest time in all four age categories in the boys 800 metres. He clocked 1:54.09 seconds to win.
Madushani Herath of Nannapurawa MV, Moneragala continued to improve her profile winning the second gold medal of the meet. The athlete who won the long jump on May 9, sat for her O/L exam and returned to win the Under 18 girls’ triple jump with a feat of 11.24 metres yesterday.
Ambagamuwa Central had success in the Under 18 400 metres hurdles as Ayomal Akalanka clinched the gold in that event.
The second day began with Sadeesha Anusanka of Moratu Maha Vidyalaya winning the Under 20 boys 10,000 metres (35:14.57 secs).
A feat of 13.5 metres in the Under 16 boys’ triple jump by Heshan Dulanjna Jayathilika of Lyceum International, Wattala, a throw of 15.13 metres by S. Mithunraj of Hartley College, Point Pedro in the Under 20 boys’ shot put and Isali Malkethmi of Lyceum International, Wattala winning the Under 18 girls’ discus throw (28.54m) ahead of her teammate Chethana Kavindi (28.14) were among the highlights in the morning session of the meet.
Sri Lanka Athletics was yet to announce the official results of the events held in the afternoon when this edition was ready for press.
[Cricbuzz]
Why did David Miller refuse a single off the penultimate delivery with Delhi Capitals needing 2 off 2? It’ll be spoken of for a while, but not inside the Gujarat Titans change room. Because Prasidh Krishna bowled a nerveless slower bouncer off the final delivery that Miller missed, and Jos Buttler then nailed a direct hit with an underarm throw from behind the stumps to run out Kuldeep Yadav, clinching a dramatic first win for GT in IPL 2026.
Despite being adjudged run out on the field, Miller wasn’t in the mood to concede defeat, and reviewed the final ball for a possible wide. But when replays confirmed what he had perhaps known, he was crestfallen. Equally distraught in the dugout was K L Rahul, whose 52-ball 92 set the game up for DC but for one run.
It was GT’s first win of the tournament and the first loss for DC after starting the campaign with two wins in a row.
Thirty-six needed off 12. A bruised finger that didn’t make it easy for him to grip the bat had forced Miller to retire hurt with DC needing 81 off 42. But when Tristan Stubbs was run-out in the 17th over, Miller returned hoping to play second fiddle to Rahul. Instead, he was now expected to deliver a box-office hit with Rahul nicking behind off a full Mohammed Siraj delivery two balls later.
Miller nearly delivered what was expected, as he went 6, 4, 6 off Siraj, repeatedly peppering the short leg-side boundary. At the other end, Vipraj Nigam also ramped four off a short delivery to bring the equation down to a manageable 13 off the final over.
Prasidh was tasked to bowl the final over. His three overs prior to that had been walloped for 41; Rahul, his state mate, had climbed into him earlier in the night. But all that would’ve been forgiven if Prasidh delivered a gun final over. That GT could only have four fielders out due to a slow over rate added to his challenge. And he nearly succumbed.
Nigam made room and swung cleanly to hit the first ball to the long-off fence, but a rush of blood had him swipe the second delivery to Shubman Gill at mid-off. With DC now needing nine off four, Kuldeep gently deflected his first ball to deep third to leave the chase in Miller’s hands.
With the equation down to 8 off 3, Prasidh bowled a slot-ball that Miller walloped over long-off. But with two needed, Miller inexplicably refused a single to take it all upon himself to finish the deal. He couldn’t connect on the final ball, and Prasidh belted a roar. GT had pulled one from under DC’s rug in dramatic circumstances.
After scores of 1 and 0 in his first two games, Rahul announced himself with a 29-ball half-century that was as pleasing as they come for large parts. It was also one that didn’t have the baggage of him playing run-accumulator, like he has tended to in the past while opening the batting. This Rahul was fun, free and fearless and he helped DC overcome a few roadblocks along the way, like when they lost two wickets in two deliveries to Rashid Khan at the halfway mark.
Rahul was particularly menacing against the fast bowlers, and it began with a wristy flick that he sent way back over deep square off Kagiso Rabada. The early jitters out of the way – if he even had some inkling of them – he batted like a man possessed, fearlessly climbing into length balls from Prasidh over cover, and slapping disdainfully over point.
He is good, but where is the Rashid of old, they asked. Turns out he hadn’t gone anywhere. After he conceded just nine in his first two with DC rampant, he returned to dismiss Nitish Rana in his dramatic third over, the 10th of the innings. Having been given out lbw earlier, only for Rana to overturn the decision through DRS, he was out a few balls later when he miscued a googly to Sai Sudharsan at long-off. This was Rana’s third sub-20 score of the season.
This brought the in-form Sameer Rizvi to the middle, and he lasted all of one delivery as Rashid snuck through his inside-edge with a ripping googly to briefly elicit jitters in the DC camp. This is when Miller entered, before briefly exiting with seven overs left. But in the same over, when Rashid had Axar Patel slice one to Glenn Phillips running back from cover, GT started to have an opening.
On any other night, Rashid’s spell would have cracked open the game. The fact that DC were still in it despite these wickets was down to Rahul. It needed the skilful Siraj to dismiss him with DC needing 45 off three overs. By then, the pressure was telling.
That GT were eventually able to get over the line was down to their run cushion, made possible thanks to half-centuries from Jos Buttler, Gill and Washington Sundar. Buttler looked unshackled, hitting four sixes off his first 15 deliveries en route a bruising half-century, while Gill played himself in and then allayed fears of neck spasms during his takedown of Kuldeep with the slog sweep. Then Washington, promoted to No. 4, struck his maiden IPL fifty to shore up the innings.
Even so, GT managed just 49 off the last five. On another day, this may have proved to be costly. It didn’t on Wednesday, and for that, they have Rashid to thank.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 210 for 4 in 20 overs (Sai Sudarshan 12, Shubman Gill 70, Jos Buttler 52, Washington Sundar 55, Glenn Phillips 14*; Mukesh Kumar 2-55, Lungi Ngidi 1-24, Kuldeep Yadav 1-42 ) beat Delhi Capitals 209 for 8 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 41, KL Rahul 92, David Miller 41*, Vipraj Nigam 12; Mohammed Siraj 1-42, Rashid Khan 3-17, Prasidh Krishna 2-52) by one run
[Cricinfo]
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Showers will occur at a few places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy, Nuwara-Eliya and Mannar districts after 2.00 p.m.
Sun directly overhead Chilaw, Bingiriya, Halmillawewa, Panduwasnuwara, Gokarella, Kawudupelella, Koppaveli and Kirankulam about 12:12 noon. today (09)
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