Sports

Kumara joins the 100 wicket club

Published

1 year ago

2024/12/6

Thilina Walpola

Lahiru Kumara cleaned up aiden Markram and went onto complete 100 wickets in Test cricket.

Rex Clementine
in Port Elizabeth

Fast bowler Lahiru Kumara bowled with fire and picked up two wickets in the morning session in the second Test against South Africa and in the process became only the fifth Sri Lankan quick to claim 100 Test wickets. South Africa after losing three for 44, recovered thanks to a 133 run partnership between Ryan Rickelton and Temba Bavuma and were 179 for four at tea.

Kumara, who started the game on 99 wickets cleaned up Aiden Markram with a delivery that swung back in. He then had Tristan Stubbs caught behind by Kusal Mendis to put South Africa in trouble.

Asitha Fernando, meanwhile, was on the money dismissing Tony de Zorzi with his first delivery in the game. Operating from the Duck Port End, Asitha sent down a yorker which the batter wasn’t able to keep away and was given out leg before wicket.

The third wicket partnership between Bavuma and Rickelton, making a comeback to the side, was threatening when Asitha came back for a fresh spell and dismissed the South African captain five minutes before tea.

Bavuwa was tested by a barrage of short, pitched bowling and he survived twice attempting to take on the bowler, but eventually gloved one to the wicketkeeper to depart for 78.

Rickelton carried on regardless and was unbeaten on 72.

South Africa opted to bat first after winning the toss and Sri Lanka’s bowlers toiled hard with the pitch offering little help for the bowlers.

Sri Lanka were contemplating to go with an all seam attack as the curators had left quite a bit of grass on the pitch. However, in the morning of the Test, they opted to play the same eleven that featured in Durban retaining left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya.

Jayasuriya bowled with control but couldn’t pick up a wicket.

Sri Lanka had a disastrous start to the series when they were bowled out for 42 in Durban. It is their lowest total ever in Test match cricket. Although they fared much better in the second innings, South Africa went onto complete comprehensive win with a day to spare.

The loss pushed Sri Lanka to number four in the points table of the World Test Championship and they badly need a win in Port Elizabeth to keep their chances alive in the WTC.They have got two more Tests in Galle against Australia in the cycle, but another defeat in South Africa will make their chances to go through to Lord’s next June difficult.

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Sports

All-round de Leede leads Netherlands to thumping win over Namibia

Published

1 hour ago

2026/02/10

Priyan

Bas de Leede put on an impressive all-round show to help Netherlands beat Namibia by seven wickets.

Asked to bat first, Namibia put on 156 for 8 despite a lot of big-hitters getting starts but not carrying on. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton was their top-scorer with 42, and Namibia couldn’t quite get into a strong position. The result meant Netherlands have got their campaign back on track after the heartbreak against Pakistan.

Scott Edwards brought de Leede on for two spells, and on both occasions, the medium pacer gave his captain breakthroughs. He removed Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus just when he had started to strike the ball cleanly, while JJ Smit also fell to de Leede when he was starting to look dangerous.

When he went out with the bat, de Leede initially let Michael Levitt take more of the strike, before recalibrating to enforcer mode. He added 70 runs for the third wicket with Colin Ackermann, hammering seven boundaries, including three sixes in his innings. All the way to Netherlands’ win.

Before the de Leede show with the bat, Levitt got Netherlands off to a flyer, with a six off Bernard Scholtz in the first over of the chase. He didn’t blink after losing opening partner Max O’Dowd in the third over, smashing Scholtz for a four later in the same over. And when Smit was brought into the attack, Levitt put him away over the midwicket boundary for another six.

De Leede joined in the fun, hammering Max Heingo for a 90m six over long-on, followed by Levitt flicking Ruben Trumpelmann for his third six. But that was all for the big-hitting opener, as he fell to the left-arm quick later in the same over. Levitt, though, had done the job in the powerplay.

In the first half, the Netherlands bowlers never quite allowed the Namibia batters to settle into a rhythm. No sooner had Jan Frylinck started to hit the ball freely in his 50-run second-wicket stand with Loftie-Eaton, than van Beek removed him with a cutter that took a thin inside edge through to the keeper.

Namibia captain Erasmus too fell after a big over, when de Leede had him caught at midwicket for 18 off nine balls. De Leede also removed Smit after the batter had taken on Timm van der Gugten in the 15th over. Attempting a late cut, Smit was bowled for 22 off 15 balls, again forcing Namibia to slow down in the last three-and-a-hald overs.

Trumplemann’s needless run out shortly after hitting a six in the 19th over was another instance of a Namibia batter falling immediately after gathering a bit of momentum.

Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton plays down the ground (Cricinfo)

While the other Namibia batters struggled to get going after good starts, Loftie-Eaton took his time. He was at 25 off 27 balls in the tenth over, before hitting Ackermann for a six and a four in the 11th over. That was the only time that he really opened up.

Loftie-Eaton, however, fell just on the cusp of something big, in the 15th over. It would have certainly helped Namibia’s scoring rate had their anchorman for the day batted in the death overs.

Brief scores:

Netherlands 159 for 3 in 18 overs (M8chael Levitt 28, Bas De Leede 72*, Collin Ackermann 32, Scott Edwards 18*; Bernard Scholtz 1-27, Ruben Trumpelmann) beat Namibia 156 for 8 in 20 overs (Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton 42, Jan Frylinck 30 , Gerhard Eramus 18, JJ Smit 22; Aryan Butt 1-13, Logan van Beek 2-13, Fred Klassen 1-25, Bas de Leede 2-20)by seven wickets

(Cricinfo)

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Wanindu Hasaranga ruled out of T20 World Cup with injury

Published

2 hours ago

2026/02/10

Priyan

Sri Lanka allrounder Wanidu Hasaranga has been ruled out of the 2026 T20 World Cup with a hamstring injury he suffered during their opening game aga8nst Ireland in Colombo on Sunday.

Although he completed his spell, taking 3 for 25 in four overs to derail Ireland’s spirited chase of 164, Hasaranga had an MRI scan on Monday that revealed a serious tear in his left hamstring. The report was seen by a specialist in the UK before he was ruled out on Tuesday.

The tear is understood to be related to a previous hamstring injury, though it is not a recurrence exactly. Hasaranga has battled injury for several years now, including a foot complaint

The ICC is yet to approve a replacement but Hasaranga is likely to be replaced in the squad by fellow legspin-bowling allrounder Dushan Hemantha. Although Hemantha, 31, brings roughly the same skillset, he has had only sporadic opportunities at the top level. He has played three T20Is, and has taken four wickets in those matches, with an economy rate of 7.85. Sri Lanka may also drop him straight into the XI – aside from the spinners who played on Sunday, there are no spinners in reserve in the squad.

Hasaranga’s loss is a substantial blow to Sri Lanka’s campaign nevertheless. He is the team’s most accomplished bowler in this format, and has been outstanding with the ball at T20 World Cups, taking 40 wickets and maintaining an economy rate of 6.01 across 20 innings.

Sri Lanka’s second group game is against Oman on February 12 in Pallekele, followed by Australia on February 16 in Pallekele, and finally Zimbabwe in Colombo (RPS) on February 19.

(Cricinfo)

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Spirited USA seek Pakistan scalp after opening day heartbreak

Published

7 hours ago

2026/02/10

Priyan

USA came close to springing one of the biggest cricket upsets in history, against India (Cricinfo)

After opening day fixtures for both sides that could have easily had the opposite outcomes, Pakistan and USA face each other at a time the World Cup has finally found its feet. To the extent even the US President Donald Trump appeared to have found out about the tournament, weighing in to wish his side the best of luck ahead of their next game.

Pakistan come into the fixture with a nervy win sealed by Faheem Ashraf’s penultimate over heroics against the Netherlands, while the USA hunt for their first points on the board after Suryakumar Yadav’s fireworks denied them one of cricket’s greatest upsets over India.

USA, of course, know a thing or two about great cricketing upsets, having inflicted one on this very opponent two years ago, when they took Pakistan to a Super Over before applying the knockout blow. They have spent the last week demonstrating they retain the capability to spring a similar surprise, after running New Zealand exceptionally close in a knockout game before that fright they gave India.

They will travel to Colombo from Mumbai and have little time to acclimatise, with less than 72 hours between the end of their previous game and the toss at the Sinhalese Sports Club. Once there, though, they know they have the ability to stifle Pakistan early on, just as they did with India. Injuries to Ali Khan and Shubham Ranjane could potentially cause bowling headaches, but in the disciplined seam of Shadley van Schalkwyk and the right and left arm spin of Mohammad Mohsin and Harmeet Singh, there were other avenues that discomfited India’s batters, too.

They will need more of a contribution from their top three, whose failure against India virtually sealed their fate in the first four overs, though the US will hope the likes of Andries Gous and captain Monank Patel have got their failure out of the way.

Pakistan may still be breathing sighs of relief after the get-out-of-jail card Faheem conjured up against the Netherlands. It was a win that showcased their fragility and lack of confidence at these events, having been knocked out of the last three ICC tournaments at the first hurdle. From a position of supreme comfort halfway through the chase, they imploded when a couple of wickets fell, and looked destined to throw the game away under the lightest of pressure from either the opposition or the match situation.

For Pakistan, with the boycott of the game against India on February 15 very much still on, this game, like all of their group games, feels very much like a knockout. They will be aware of the perils of even brief passages of play where the wheels come off or concentration sags being terminal to further involvement at the tournament. Fortunately for them, there wasn’t too much to complain as far as the fielding went, which was excellent, and little to worry about in the bowling department, where Pakistan got their spin and seam combination spot on, and still needed to use Saim Ayub and Faheem Ashraf for a combined one over.

The brittleness of their middle order and the alacrity with which it crumbled under pressure remains the biggest concern for Pakistan. Salman Ali Agha has promoted himself up the order while Babar Azam remains out of form. Under fire, Usman Khan is yet to be properly tested, while Pakistan will worry there’s not enough specialist batting quality to act as a shield before the procession of allrounders begins one spot too high in their lineup. It is a chink in their armour they are aware they need to conceal, but if the US can burrow through the top order, that soft underbelly could truly be exposed.

Pakistan will feel they have used a fair chunk of their fortune this tournament already, while the USA might be owed some.

While the scrutiny never seems to leave Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi’s greatest contribution against the Netherlands was merely as support act for Babar’s splendid relay catch on the boundary on Saturday. The left-arm pacer endured a torrid opening game, particularly in the powerplay, where Michael Levitt targeted him and took 23 off two overs. It was a setback following his decent return from a ligament injury during Australia’s visit to Pakistan, but with wickets offering more support for seam than expected, Pakistan will want their senior quick to step up.

It’s hard to look too far past Saurabh Netravalkar. His performance against Pakistan in 2024, and his professional backstory, which saw him take time off at Oracle as software engineer, caught the imagination of the cricketing world. He was the pick of the American bowlers, stifling Babar up top and removing Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed, conceding just 18 in four overs. But he saved his best heroics for last, defending 18 in the Super Over to give the USA its finest cricketing day on home soil.

Two years later, at the Wankhede for the Mumbai-born bowler, it was a more prosaic homecoming as he found himself smashed for 65 in four, the most expensive figures in T20 World Cup history. The USA will hope it is memories from two years rather than three days ago that inspire their star quick, especially in the potential absence of Ali Khan.

Pakistan continue to wrestle with what to do about Babar, who once more struggled to have an impact during Pakistan’s nervy chase against the Netherlands, and got himself out at a crucial juncture. Their bowling combination appeared to go according to plan, so sweeping changes are not expected.

Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan Saim Ayub Salman Ali Agha (capt) Babar Azam Shadab Khan Usman Khan/Khawaja Nafay (wk) Mohammad Nawaz Faheem Ashraf Shaheen Afridi Salman Mirza Abrar Ahmed

The USA side suffered a couple of key injuries to their bowlers at the tail-end of India’s batting innings. Pakistan-born Ali Khan pulled up trying to bowl the third over and is a serious doubt for the game with a leg injury. Shubham Ranjane, too, hobbled in the field and during his second over, but did come on to bat, and ended up joint-top scoring with 37 off 22. They have Jasdeep Singh as fast bowling cover.

United States of America: Andries Gous (wk), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Monank Patel (capt), Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Shubham Ranjane, Harmeet Singh, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan/Jasdeep Singh, Saurabh Netravalkar

(Cricinfo)