Sports

Lankan legends, Modi and the Jaffna dream

Published

9 months ago

2025/04/13

The Indian High Commission in Colombo arranged for a meet up between Sri Lanka’s World Cup winning team and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week.

Tamil Members of Parliament with roots across the Palk Strait are often quick to look towards India at the drop of a hat. But last week, all they managed was a photo op with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi – smiles, handshakes and little else. In contrast, Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup-winning cricket team was granted a 45-minute chinwag over tea with the Indian leader. The Indian High Commission in Colombo had arranged the meeting. Not even former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, with all his so-called diplomatic finesse, has managed to get a similar audience.

Pictures of Modi rubbing shoulders with Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda de Silva went viral in India on social media and it was the talking point across news channels and print media as well. And why not? Not since the marauding days of Sir Vivian Richards have Indian bowlers been sent on a leather hunt quite like they were by these two Sri Lankan giants. It was déjà vu for Indian fans – memories of the Wills World Cup semi-final at Eden Gardens, still fresh like an old wound that refuses to heal.

During the meeting, Jayasuriya pitched an idea to the Indian PM – seeking help to build a cricket stadium in Jaffna. It wasn’t a doosra out of nowhere. There’s a deep and genuine passion for cricket in the north. Some of the school big matches in the region have stood the test of time, with legacies stretching back over a century. Yet, due to decades of conflict, the region has remained a barren patch in terms of producing top-tier cricketing talent.

Since the guns fell silent, though, there’s been a fresh crop of hopefuls from the north. Leading the charge is leg-spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth – a name that’s now turning heads. Though his First-Class stats are more than decent, Viyaskanth has chosen the glitz and glamour of franchise cricket, where the pay cheques are fatter and the schedule less grueling.

Behind the scenes, Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC) District and Provincial coaches have done a stellar job, scouting and grooming pace bowlers and other youngsters from these long-neglected areas. Some of these boys have gone on to wear the Under-19 jersey with pride – a sign that the talent pool is slowly, but surely, filling up.

However, SLC’s grand vision of building new stadiums to attract larger crowds has hit a few bumps. The old guard – some former greats – have been quick to swing the bat in criticism. They’ve taken their eye off the ball, failing to see the bigger picture. Take next year’s T20 World Cup, for instance. Co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India, it promises to be a blockbuster. The high-voltage India – Pakistan clash is set to take place in Colombo, with the R. Premadasa Stadium’s 35,000 seats expected to vanish like isso vade at the Galle Face green. A bigger venue – like the proposed facility in Homagama – would have been just the ticket to meet such mammoth demand.

But Sanath’s plea is in a different league altogether. He’s not asking for a behemoth like Eden Gardens or the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. His is a humble request – a ground with decent infrastructure and floodlights that can host day-night matches. A facility like that would be a game-changer for the north, a true shot in the arm. Nothing ignites a young cricketer’s imagination more than watching their heroes up close, not through a television screen but under the stars, in their own backyard.

At present, the closest international venue to Jaffna is in Dambulla—hardly accessible, especially for aspiring fans and players from the peninsula. A ground in Jaffna would not only bridge that distance but also build a bridge of hope and opportunity.

Back in 2002, when Janashakthi opened a branch in Jaffna, the great Muttiah Muralitharan made the long road trip to play a friendly match on a matting wicket. The welcome he received was nothing short of electric. The crowd adored him, showering him with affection that could rival the warmth of any southern stand.

Since then, we’ve hardly scratched the surface when it comes to understanding the region’s cricketing appetite. If the Indian government lends an ear to Sanath’s appeal, we might just discover a goldmine of talent waiting to be unearthed in the north. Who knows? The next Murali or Malinga might be bowling on a dusty street in Jaffna this very moment – waiting for a stage, a spotlight, and a bit of help from across the Palk Strait.

by Rex Clementine

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Curran, bowlers lead Desert Vipers to maiden ILT20 title

Published

2 hours ago

2026/01/5

Priyan

The victorious Desert Vipers team hold the trophy aloft (Cricinfo)

After two heartbreaks, it was third time lucky for Desert Vipers as they broke the final hoodoo, defeating MI Emirates by 46 runs to claim their maiden ILT20 title in Dubai.

The win was headlined by captain Sam Curran, who held the Vipers innings together with an unbeaten 74 off 51 balls. He was helped by Max Holden (41 off 32) and Dan Lawrence (23 off 15) as Vipers notched up an impressive 182 for 4 in their 20 overs.

MIE never got their chase going, losing wickets at regular intervals. Naseem Shah was at his fiery best, picking up 3 for 18 in his four overs, while Usman Tariq curbed the runs in the middle overs, returning 2 for 20. David Payne also picked up 3 for 42, all three of his wickets coming in an over, as MIE were bowled out for 136 in 18.3 overs. It was fitting that the most consistent team of the season took home the title.

Vipers’ win means that ILT20 has now had a different winner in each of the first four seasons – Gulf Giants, MIE, Dubai Capitals and now Vipers.

Fakhar Zaman didn’t take time to go after Shakib Al Hasan, depositing him over wide long-on second ball of the innings. MIE were sloppy with their fielding, and both Fakhar and Jason Roy cashed in. After Fakhar collected a boundary off first ball off AM Ghazanfar, Roy hit left-arm quick Muhammad Rohid for back-to-back fours as Vipers raced to 34 for 0 after three overs. But Fazalhaq Farooqi helped MIE hit back with a double-wicket opening over.

Roy first flat-batted a short-of-a-length delivery straight to short midwicket before Farooqi cleaned up Fakhar with a peach of an inducker that pitched just outside off and swung back in breaching the opener’s defenses. Curran took five balls to get off the mark but closed out the powerplay in style with three straight fours off Farooqi as Vipers reached 59 for 2 in six overs.

While Holden took his time to settle, Curran kept the scorecard ticking. He pulled offspinner Tajinder Singh twice through midwicket before guiding Kieron Pollard past short third. Holden, going just about a run-a-ball, found his groove as well as he took Tajinder inside out over covers and then planted him over long-on as Vipers raced past 100 in the 12th over.

Mystery spinner Arab Gul broke the 89-run third-wicket stand by accounting for Holden but Lawrence ensured the momentum wasn’t lost. He smoked Gul over covers second ball before Curran reached his fifty off 39 balls as Vipers eyed a late push. That came via a 21-run 18th over with Curran and Lawrence sending Romario Shepherd over the fence three times. Vipers collected 46 runs off the last four overs to breach the 180-mark.

Muhammad Waseem, MIE’s star of the ILT20, started the chase briskly. He clubbed Payne over deep midwicket, while Andre Fletcher sent fast bowler Khuzaima Tanveer straight down the ground for six. Though Fletcher fell, mistiming Naseem to deep midwicket, Waseem kept going. He pulled Naseem through midwicket and then edged Curran past the wicketkeeper. But a flurry of wickets dented MIE’s chase.

Naseem struck for the second time when his pacy indipper had Tom Banton’s bat turning in his hand for a simple catch to Curran at mid-on for 7. Tanveer then got the prized scalp of his countryman Waseem, who in a bid to steer the ball fine, could only manage a thick edge to the wicketkeeper as MIE stumbled to 46 for 3 in six overs. Tariq then got into the act, sending back Sanjay Krishnamurthi. Having managed just 2 off 8, Krishnamurthi tried to pull Tariq over deep midwicket but could only manage a miscue and Hassan Nawaz completed a stunning diving catch low to his right.

With the required rate touching close to 11, it was down to the two experienced heads Shakib and Pollard to try and conjure some magic. They added 60 off 45 balls, but Vipers maintained their lines, not giving much away on a surface which had something for the bowlers throughout. With the required rate almost 14 at the start of the 16th over, Shakib tried to haul Tariq over long-on but failed to generate enough power with Tanveer doing the rest.

Pollard fell six balls later and with that went MIE’s chances of a second title. Payne picked up three wickets in an over before Tanveer closed the chase, sparking wild celebrations in the Vipers dugout. MIE lost their last six wickets for just 22 runs in 3.3 overs to go down in a heap.

Brief scores:

Desert Vipers 182 for 4 in 20 overs (Fakhar Zaman 20, Janson Roy 11, Sam Curran 74*, Max Holden 41, Dan Lawrence 23; Fazalhaq Farooqi 2-33, Arab Gul 1-14) beat MI Emirates 136 in 18.3 overs (Muhammed Waseem 26, Andre Fletcher 10, Shakib Al Hasan 36, Kieron Pollard 28, Tajinder Singh 12; Naseem Shah 3-18, Davi Payne 3-42, Khuzaima Tanveer 2-22, Usman Tariq 2-20) by 46 runs

(Cricinfo)

Sports

Chamod, Amasha clinch sprint titles

Published

3 hours ago

2026/01/5

Thilina Walpola

Sprinters Chamod Yodasinghe and Amasha de Silva claimed the 60m titles as the likes of Nimali Liyanarachchi and Lakshika Sugandi remained unchallenged in their respective pet events at the season opening National Short Track Championship held at the Sugathadasa Stadium 200metres track on Saturday.

‎Yodasinghe blazed to a 6.68 seconds finish to win the men’s 60 m final while Amasha clocked 7.55 seconds to win the women’s event after returning a time of 7.58 seconds in the heats. M.P.P. Silva and Meron Wijesinghe fiished second and third respectively in the men’s final.

‎In the absence of veterans Kalinga Kumarage and Anura Dharshana, Isuru Lakshan took the men’s 400 metres title in a time of 48.15 seconds, while emerging talent Kalhara Indupa finished second in a time of 49.24 seconds.

‎The corresponding women’s event was sans all top athletes and was won by WHM Fernando (58.97).

‎In the 60 metres hurdles Roshan Ranatunga (7.90secs) and veteran Lakahika Sugandi (8.69secs) were the undisputed champions.

‎The women’s 800 metres witnessed a close finish with veteran Nimali Liyanarachchi winning the contest in a time of 2:12.43 seconds. Ajantha Kumari (2:12.47) and Madushani Dilrukshi (2:12.85) finished second and third respectively.

‎Former Walala Central athlete Shehan Dilranga took the men’s 800 metres in a time of 1:52.49 seconds as experienced campaigners Harsha Karunaratne and Rusiru Chathuranga were conspicious by their absence. Pansilu Giridara (1:52.76) fiished a close second while Sanjaya Srinath finished third.

‎Madushani Herath had little competition in winning the women’s long lump (6.21m) and the triple jump (13.23m). A.P. Krishandan (7.50m) and Pasindu Malshan (16.11m) were the winners of the men’s long jump and triple jump respectively.

‎R.P. Gamage (women’s high jump – 1.71m), S.A.T Dasun (men’s high jump -2.13m), O.T. Chandrasekara (women’s shot put- 12.03m), Subeendrakumar Mithunraj (men’s shot put – 14.79m), R.A.D.H. Kumara (men’s 3000m – 8:50.50 secs) and Rasara Wijesuriya (women’s 3000m – 9:29.38 secs) were the winners of the other events.

by Reemus Fernando ✍️

Latest News

Bangladesh look to move T20 World Cup matches from India amid Mustafizur row

Published

16 hours ago

2026/01/4

Priyan

Mustafizur Rahman's situation has brought Bangladesh's participation at the T20 World Cup into focus [Cricinfo]

Bangladesh will ask the ICC to relocate their T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka, after Kolkata Knight Riders were instructed to release Mustafizur Rahman as a result of deteriorating political ties between Bangladesh and India.

The BCB is expected to write to the ICC to raise their concerns about player safety in Kolkata, where Bangladesh are scheduled to play their first three matches of the World Cup next month.

Following the BCB’s emergency meeting of board directors over Zoom on Saturday, the media committee chairman Amzad Hussain told ESPNcricinfo: “We have three matches of the T20 World Cup in Kolkata, so we will write to the ICC regarding what has happened today.”

Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Nazrul said that he has doubts about the team’s safety in India, after the BCCI cited “recent developments” in their explanation for Mustafizur’s removal from the IPL, adding that he will instruct the BCB to write to the ICC about moving their matches to Sri Lanka.

“I have asked the BCB to explain the entire matter to the ICC,” Nazrul wrote on his official Facebook page. “The board should inform that where a Bangladeshi cricketer cannot play in India despite being contracted, the entire Bangladeshi cricket team cannot feel safe going to play in the World Cup. I have also instructed the Board to request that Bangladesh’s World Cup matches be held in Sri Lanka.”

Nazrul added that he has requested the country’s information and broadcasting ministry to stop showing the IPL in Bangladesh.

Following the BCCI’s instructions, KKR confirmed that they have released Mustafizur from their squad for the 2026 IPL. KKR had acquired the left-arm fast bowler’s services for 9.2 crore in the IPL auction last month, though they faced a backlash for their selection in the last few days from Indian spiritual and political leaders.

Interestingly, the BCB had announced their home schedule for 2026 on Friday, including white-ball matches against India, a series that was postponed from 2025.

Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches are scheduled to be held in Kolkata and Mumbai, with their opening fixture against West Indies at Eden Gardens on February 7.

[Cricinfo]