Sports
KJP not expected to play today
by Rex Clementine
Although he’s part of the bubble for the current limited-overs series against South Africa, the team’s most experienced player Kusal Janith Perera is not expected to feature in today’s series decider at RPS.
The series is levelled at 1-1 with the hosts winning the opener on Thursday by 14 runs while the Proteas bounced back by winning on Saturday. KJP seems to be not match-fit having spent several weeks on the mend after sustaining a shoulder injury. Then he also tested positive for COVID and had to be in isolation.
Dinesh Chandimal is a reserve batsman in the squad and he’s expected to play at the expense of Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who is getting the chop following his back-to-back ducks.
Question marks have been also raised on Akila Dananjaya, who failed to pick up a wicket in the last game. The indications initially were when he made a comeback after remodeling his action that he will be only considered for T20. However, the selectors have given him a go in ODIs as well and the experiment is not working.
The South Africans have executed the sweep shot so well throughout the series and Sri Lanka will have to think of some way to stop them.
Top-order batsman Janneman Malan has been a real find for the Proteas. At the age of 25, he has only played in eight games but already has got three centuries and two fifties. His stunning hundred in the second game set up South Africa’s victory. You don’t find many young South Africans playing spin so well but Malan looks a different beast.
Charith Asalanka has been the find for the Sri Lankans with back to back half-centuries.
From the time Asalanka was a schoolboy it was clear that he will go on to play for Sri Lanka. A lot of people expected him to be drafted into the side last year but that was delayed by knee surgery. Now he has arrived and grabbed the opportunity from both hands. His fielding, however, needs a lot of polishing up.
There was some superb fast bowling on display on Saturday as Kagiso Rabada hurled down some thunderbolts making the Sri Lankans hop around. He returned to the pavilion halfway through the innings with a sprained ankle having bowled just one spell. But he had done the damage in that spell. The six-over burst on the trot produced two for 12. Sri Lanka never recovered. He was receiving treatment and he’s expected to play today.
The BCB has said that they will rely on the Bangladesh government’s directive before finalising their tour to Pakistan later this month. Bangladesh were originally scheduled to play five T20Is there from May 25 to June 3, but the PSLs schedule was revised following cross-border tensions between Pakistan and India.
According to the revised fixtures, the PSL final will now be held on May 25, when Pakistan and Bangladesh were originally scheduled to play the first T20I.
ESPNcricinfo has learned that the PCB has sent a new schedule for the T20Is between Pakistan and Bangladesh, with the first match now slotted for May 27, and the last on June 5.
BCB’s media committee chairman Iftekhar Rahman said they will rely on information from government security agencies and the Bangladesh high commission in Islamabad to take the final decision.
“Once we receive official communication about the dates and venues [of the tour], we will forward it to the government,” Rahman said. “The BCB is not the decision-maker in this matter. If the government agencies and our embassy declare Pakistan safe for travel, only then will we proceed.
“In our previous meeting, we agreed that any such situation would be referred to the foreign and home ministries. Once we get clearance from all relevant bodies, we will finalise the tour. Security concerns were more significant in the past, but Pakistan has proven it can ensure safety. Still, given the current circumstances, we need to assess whether the situation across the country is stable before sending the team.”
Before playing Pakistan, Bangladesh are scheduled to play two T20Is against UAE in Sharjah on May 17 and 19. They were then supposed to fly to Lahore on May 21.
[Cricinfo]
Apna Perera won his third title of the 110th Colombo Championships as he partnered Dhilvan Herath to beat Dumindu Dilum and Chehan Fernando in the open men’s doubles final.
Apna and Dhilvan registered 6-2, 6-2 win in the final.
Apna, the open men’s singles champion, was also the winner of the mixed doubles which was played according to round robin method. In the mixed doubles Apna partnered Inuki Jayaweera.
Results
Men’s doubles semi-finals
Apna Perera and Dhilvan Herath beat Ashen Silva and Lithum Jayabandu 6-1, 6-2
Dumindu Dilum and Chehan Fernando beat Methika Wickramasinghe and Vichinthya Nilaweera 6-3, 2-6, 10-4.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) recently carried out a Fast Bowling Talent Search program in the Polonnaruwa District as part of its ongoing efforts to identify and nurture emerging cricketing talent across the country.
The program, held at the Royal College Ground, Polonnaruwa, attracted over 60 promising young players—both boys and girls—including school cricketers of the district. Each participant underwent skill assessments to evaluate their fast bowling potential.
Following the evaluations, 20 talented bowlers were selected for further development.
The selected players will now receive structured training under the guidance of Provincial coaches of Sri Lanka Cricket, with a focus on refining their techniques and enhancing their overall performance.
Those who continue to demonstrate consistent improvement will be given the opportunity to join SLC’s district squads, thereby becoming part of the official National Pathway Program.
This initiative is a part of SLC’s ‘Cricket Gamata’, program which aims to find talent from rural areas across Sri Lanka.
The talent assessments were conducted by Lasantha Lakmin, SLC Talent Scout for the North Central and North Western Provinces; Lakshitha Herath, North Central Provincial Women’s Coach; and Saman Senanayake, North Central Provincial Fast Bowling Coach.
The event was organized by the North Central Provincial Cricket Association under the guidance of Sri Lanka Cricket. It was managed by Krishan Anandakumar, Manager of the Center of Excellence, Dambulla.
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