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Jayawardena calls for change after Pant IPL incident

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Mumbai Indians coach and ICC Hall of Famer Mahela Jayawardena wants to see greater communication between video umpires and on-field adjudicators and has called for change.

Jayawardena, speaking on The ICC Review, has made the recommendation on the back of the controversial finish to the IPL match between Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals last week, where the umpires on the field seemingly missed a clear-cut waist-high full toss in the final over of the run chase.

The DC camp were infuriated with the missed call, as skipper Rishabh Pant displayed his displeasure from the bench and assistant coach Pravin Amre stormed onto the field to approach the umpires about the decision as the Royals held on for the victory.

Both Pant and Amre were fined 100 per cent of their match fee for their behaviour and Amre was also handed a one-match ban for entering the field, a move condemned by Jayawardena.

Clause 21.5 of the ICC Playing Conditions states “The third umpire shall review television replays of the bowler’s front foot landing and, if he/she is satisfied that any of these three conditions have not been met, he/she shall immediately advise the bowler’s end umpire who shall in turn immediately call and signal No ball.”

However, the clause makes no mention of the third umpire being able to check for waist-high full tosses and Jayawardena has urged authorities to use the incident in the IPL as a wake-up call to make better use of video umpires in the future.

“It is something going forward that I think we need to look at,” Jayawardena told Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review.

“Is there an option for the third umpire to look at these things and inform the main umpires that it is a delivery that should be checked?

“It was disappointing to see that when you stop a game and have people come on to the field, but I honestly believe it was just emotions carrying over in the last over.

“A couple of sixes were hit and there was an opportunity that probably the umpires did get it wrong.

“But the rules say you can’t go to the third umpire to check on those things.”

Jayawardena said it was not a good look for the game to have Amre enter the playing field to dispute the decision.

“The spirit of the game and to see things moving forward, it is never an option for a player or a coach to come on to the field,” Jayawardena said.

“We (coaches) have the ability to come on to the field during the strategic time out at the IPL and that should be the only time that coaches or anyone else should be allowed on the field.”

Jayawardena said he discussed the incident with his Mumbai Indians squad and reminded them of their obligations during a match.

“We saw it on television. Most of the guys were watching it together and afterwards we had a chat,” the Sri Lanka legend said.

“We probably would have reacted similarly in the dugout, but it is never an option to go on to the field.

“That is not the way things should be and I am pretty sure that both Rishabh and Pravin would both regret what happened.

“I think Rishabh said it was the emotions and I think we need to give him the benefit of the doubt and move on.”

Jayawardena’s current thoughts are on trying to help his side move off the bottom of the IPL table and register their first win of the tournament.

The star-studded MI have yet to gel through eight winless matches and Jayawardena said his team’s batters need to lift their performance.

“For us, it is mainly with our batters, and that has been highlighted in the last few games as well,” he said.

“We have been in positions to win but have not been able to execute.

“It is tough for both coaches and players as well because every game becomes even more harder to cross that line and get that first win.

“We are taking it one game at a time, trying to settle everyone down and the players need to trust their ability and back themselves more as the tournament progresses.”

Jayawardena has already won three IPL titles as a coach in Mumbai but admits he is still working on finding the right way to pass on the advice given to him by the likes of former coaches Dav Whatmore and Tom Moody to his side’s younger players.

The Sri Lanka great, who was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame at the end of last year, said each new day as a coach provides him with fresh challenges and outlooks that he attempts to pass on to his players.

“There are quite a few different ways you have to approach this new generation,” Jayawardena acknowledged when asked about his modern coaching philosophies.

“It helps me to know what I have learnt and how it can be transferred to the new generation because the game has different demands at the moment with all the different formats.

“Every day we are learning about different competitions and different tactics.”

(ICC)



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Sayuri, Nuren clinch Under 12 singles titles

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Nuren Wevita (Pix by Kamal Wanniarachchi)

St. Joseph’s College, Darley Road player Nuren Wevita and Sayuri Mututhanthiri of Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo clinched the lowest age category titles of the 110th Colombo Championships concluded at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association clay courts on Friday.

Wevita won the Under 12 boys’ title with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Kashya Seneviratne in the final. Sayuri registered 6-1, 6-3 win over Rehansa Ranasinghe in the girls’ title fight.

Sayuri Mututhanthiri

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Roston Chase appointed West Indies’ Test captain

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Roston Chase played his last Test more than two years ago [Cricinfo]

Roston Chase has been appointed West Indies’ new Test captain. The allrounder’s first Test as captain will be his 50th; his 49th, against South Africa in Johannesburg, came more than two years ago. West Indies have played 13 Tests since then.

Chase has previously led West Indies in one ODI and one T20I. His first assignment in the longest format will be the three-Test home series against Australia, which begins on his home ground in Bridgetown on June 25. Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican will be Chase’s vice-captain.

The series will be the first of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle for both teams.

CWI said that Chase had been appointed from a shortlist of six after a “detailed assessment process that included psychometric testing to evaluate leadership style, behaviour, and overall suitability for the role”. The other candidates interviewed were John Campbell, Tevin Imlach, Joshua Da Silva, Justin Greaves, and Warrican.

Shai Hope, West Indies captain in the white-ball formats, asked not to be considered in order to focus on his exciting leadership roles.

“This selection process is one of the most comprehensive and forward-thinking we have undertaken,” CWI president, Kishore Shallow, said. “I am deeply impressed by the professionalism, objectivity, and strategic thinking that shaped the final decision. It sets a new benchmark for leadership appointments in West Indies cricket.”

West Indies head coach, Daren Sammy, said: “I fully endorse this appointment. Our new captain has earned the respect of his peers, understands the responsibility that comes with the role, and has shown the leadership qualities we need to take this team forward. I urge fans across the region to rally behind him–we’re building something special.”

The 33-year-old Chase takes over from Kraigg Brathwaite, who resigned in March after 39 matches in charge of the Test team. West Indies won 10 of those Tests, lost 22 and drew seven.

At the time of Brathwaite’s resignation, CWI had handed Hope – already West Indies’ ODI captain – the T20I reins, but had held back on naming a new Test captain, announcing that they would do so “in the coming weeks”.

Brathwaite’s tenure was notable for a young West Indies team beginning to find ways of winning in different conditions with a growing pool of fast and spin bowlers. Notable performances included a 1-0 home series win over England in 2022, the Gabba Test win of January 2024, and a 1-1 draw in Pakistan in Brathwaite’s last series in charge, in January 2025.

Chase has scored 2265 runs at an average of 26.33, with five hundreds, and taken 85 wickets with his offspin at 46.00. One of his first tasks as captain will be to repair his batting numbers, which have fallen steadily following a promising start. He made a century in just his second Test, to help save the Jamaica Test against India in 2016, and scored two more over his first 10 Tests, across which he averaged 48.53. Since then, however, his numbers have declined significantly.

CWI announced Chase’s appointment via X, formerly Twitter, and said it had been “unanimously approved by the CWI Board of Directors” during a meeting on Friday.

[Cricinfo]

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WTC winners to get USD 3.6 million in prize money

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The winners of the Woorld Test Championship [WTC] final, to be played between South Africa and Australia at Lord’s starting June 11, will secure a prize money of USD 3.6 million, more than double of the winners in the last two cycles. The runners-up, meanwhile, will bag more than USD 2.1 million, while the prize for the same in the previous editions was USD 800,000.

The winners in the last two cycles — New Zealand and Australia — had earned USD 1.6 million each.

“The increase in prize money exhibits the ICC’s efforts to prioritize Test cricket as it looks to build on the momentum of the first three cycles of the nine-team competition,” the ICC said in its release.

India, who finished third on the table, will receive over USD 1.4 million, while fourth-placed New Zealand get USD 1.2 million. Even the prize money for teams finishing fifth (USD 960000) and sixth (USD 840000) — England and Sri Lanka — is more than what it was for the runners-up in the previous editions.

South Africa topped the table in the 2023-25 edition with eight wins from 12 games, and were the first team to seal a final spot with a dramatic two-wicket win over Pakistan. Defending champions Australia got through by pipping India to the second spot after winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-1 at home.

Both teams have named their squads for the final. The focus for South Africa will be on their pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada after his one-month ban for failing a drug test, while Cameron Green makes his return to Australia’s Test side after undergoing a lower spine surgery last year.

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