Sports
Jaden’s century confirms draw Thomians yearned for
The 147th edition of the historic Battle of the Blues ended in a draw, with Jaden Amaraweera producing the only century of the Big Match to give fans a rare highlight after three days of largely uneventful cricket.
Amaraweera’s unbeaten hundred in the final stages of the match provided an individual milestone for spectators who had otherwise endured a contest dominated by cautious batting and slow scoring.
From the outset it appeared that S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia had approached the game with the intention of batting for a draw. Their first innings progressed at a snail’s pace, raising questions among critics about whether the Mount Lavinia side had come prepared to merely occupy the crease rather than push for a result.
The Thomians batted for a massive 124 overs but managed only 302 runs, a modest return for more than 500 minutes of batting. Openers Jaden Amaraweera and Avinash Fernando set the tone with an extremely cautious approach, adding 110 runs for the first wicket in 40 overs. Even their consistent batsman, Reshon Solomon, consumed 147 deliveries for his 66 runs.
In contrast, Royal College Colombo scored at a comparatively brisker rate in their first innings. Skipper Rehan Peiris and Ramiru Perera struck half centuries to guide Royal’s reply. The Reid Avenue school eventually declared their innings in 86 overs with nine wickets down, still trailing by 41 runs.
However, the declaration had little impact on the outcome, as the final day offered limited opportunity for a decisive result.
With the match drifting towards an inevitable draw, the stage was set for individual achievements. Amaraweera seized the moment, crafting the only century of the 2026 encounter. His composed unbeaten 100 came off 162 deliveries and included nine fours and three sixes, ensuring that the match would at least be remembered for a notable batting effort.
Jaden Amaraweera scored an unbeaten century in the second innings
Royal entered the contest as favourites, yet the Thomians once again managed to deny their arch rivals victory, settling for a draw in another chapter of Sri Lanka’s most celebrated school cricket rivalry
Brazil are the unlikely candidates to have claimed two cricket records as one of their bowlers took a record nine wickets – including five in a row – in their 189-run T20 Women’s International victory against Lesotho in Botswana.
Having won the toss on Thursday, at the BCA Kalahari Women’s T20 International Tournament, Brazil posted a daunting 202-8 with wicketkeeper Monnike Machado hitting 69 off 41.
The fun, for the Brazilians, was only just beginning, though, as Laura Cardoso claimed a hat-trick with the last three deliveries of her first over – the second of the Lesotho innings – to set in motion the incredible feat that eventually saw the Africans bowled out for 13.
The 21-year-old then continued her wicket-taking achievement with a Women’s T20 International first of five dismissals in a row as she struck with the first two balls of her second over. This was all part of claiming the first nine Lesotho wickets to fall, but being denied the chance to take all 10 after a change of bowling following her third over. Her final wicket was Ret’sepile Limema, who fell to the fifth ball of the fifth over, with Cardoso replaced for the following over at that end. Her nine wickets, nevertheless, is the best return in either men’s or women’s T20 internationals.
The right-arm seamer did, indeed, come close to another hat-trick, when she claimed wickets with the last two balls of her second over, which itself totalled four victims.
Cardoso, who has has taken 55 wickets in 48 T20 matches for Brazil, replaces Indonesia’s Rohmalia Rohmalia at the top of the Women’s T20 best bowling rankings, as she finished with figures of 3-2-4-9.
Rohmalia had claimed seven wickets in 2024 in a match against Mongolia in Bali. Only three other women have claimed seven in a T20 international.
The men’s record, and the overall in the format, had been held by Bhutan’s Sonam Yeshey after he took eight wickets for seven runs against Myanmar last year.
The previous record for the number of wickets in consecutive deliveries was four, and was jointly held with the most prominent occasion in women’s cricket being when Shakera Selman pulled off the feat for the West Indies against Pakistan in 2018. Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan and Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga are among the most notable bowlers from the men’s game to have claimed four consecutively in the format.
Although a huge winning margin, Brazil’s overall win does not compare with Argentina’s record after they beat Chile by 364 runs in 2023. The Argentinians had struck 427-1 to set up their victory.
Lesotho’s part in the record extends to no further than Cardoso’s haul, with the record-lowest total belonging to Mali, who were bowled out for 6 in 2019 by Rwanda.
Brazil, who lead the six-team tournament with five straight wins, play Mozambique on Friday.
[Aljazeera]
| Date | Match |
|---|---|
| May 3 | 1st ODI |
| May 6 | 2nd ODI |
| May 9 | 3rd ODI |
| May 12 | 1st T20I |
| May 14 | 2nd T20I |
| May 15 | 3rd T20I |
[Cricbuzz]
Brazil bowler Laura Cardoso takes 9 Lesotho wickets in record-breaking T20 win
Zimbabwe Women set for maiden tour of Pakistan
Bangladesh advance match timings to save energy
PM on inspection tour of newly renovated Colombo Central Bus Stand
Israel to hold direct talks with Lebanon but no ceasefire, Netanyahu says
Sun directly overhead Nagawilluwa, Galgamuwa, Sigiriya, Palugasdamana and Mankerni about 12:11 noon today (10)
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Features6 days agoRanjith Siyambalapitiya turns custodian of a rare living collection
-
News5 days agoGlobal ‘Walk for Peace’ to be held in Lanka
-
News4 days agoLankan-origin actress Subashini found dead in India
-
Features6 days agoBeyond the Blue Skies: A Tribute to Captain Elmo Jayawardena
-
News1 day agoAG: Coal procurement full of irregularities
-
Features6 days agoAspects of Ceylon/Sri Lanka Foreign Relations – 1948 to 1976
-
Business2 days agoHayleys Mobility introduces Premium OMODA C9 PHEV
-
Sports2 days agoDS to face St. Anthony’s in ‘Bridges of Brotherhood’ cricket encounter