Sports
Long distance medley relay, 3,000 metres added to schools athletics programme
By Reemus Fernando
The Department of Sports of the Ministry of Education has made amendments to its sports programmes that will pave the way for a couple of new long distance events to be included in track and field competitions from the upcoming season.
The Under 18 age category will have the 3,000 metres as its longest track event from this season after the secretary of the Ministry of Education M.N. Ranasinghe signed the new circular yesterday.
The grueling event has been competed around the world by athletes in the Under 18 age category for years. The 3,000 metres has also been competed at two major local competitions, the Junior National Athletics Championships conducted by Sri Lanka Athletics and the Sir John Tarbat Senior Athletics Championships conducted by the Sri Lanka Schools Athletics Association, though the event was not a part of the programme at the Education Ministry conducted athletics championships. The All Island Schools Games Athletics Championships which is conducted in multiple stages from Divisional, Zonal, Provincial and All Island level is the premier athletics event conducted by the Ministry of Education.
The importance of including the 3,000 metres in the schools athletics programme and reintroducing the long distance medley relay to the Under 18 age category of the Schools Relay Carnival was highlighted by veteran athletics coach Susantha Fernando at a recent meeting convened by the Ministry of Education. The meeting was also attended by the representatives of Sri Lanka Athletics, Sports Medical Unit and the Directors of Sports (Education) of the nine provinces.
“The new event (3,000m) will be competed in the Under 18 age category. It will be first competed in the upcoming Divisional and Zonal competitions before the winners advance to the Provincial and National level events,” Upali Amaratunga, the Director of Sports of the Ministry of Education told The Island after the new amendments were approved yesterday.
The 1,500 metres was the longest track event for the athletes of the Under 18 age category up to last season.
According to the new circular the track and field competitions in the Under 12 age category will proceed only up to provincial level, while the Under 14 age category will have the 800 metres included in the event schedule. The Under 14 age category will also have the 60 metres instead of the 80 metres as its sprint event.
For the Education Ministry sanctioned Relay Carnival, the Under 16 age category will have the 4×800 metres relay, while the Under 18 and Under 20 age categories will have the long distance medley relay making a return after a lapse of four years.
Meanwhile, scrapping of the Under 12 100 metres freestyle and backstroke events from the swimming programme, introduction of aerobic gymnastics to the Under 14 age category, increasing the distance of boys’ cycling event to 50 kilo metres and changes to age categories and weight classes of wrestling events and judo events are the other changes that will come to effect from this season.
An ODI between Canada and Netherlamds in King City Toronto on Tuesday was abandoned due to a dangerous pitch. The fixture was part of the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 competition, which is part of the qualification pathway for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
The match was abandoned just 4.1 overs into the Netherlands innings after they had chosen to bat. They were 15 for 1, with Max O’Dowd the batter dismissed for a duck in the second over. The pitch had uneven bounce and the batters were struck several times during the short passage of play.
On June 12, four days before the abandoned match, the ICC had issued a statement saying the pitch at King City that was used for an ODI between USA and the Netherlands on June 8 had been given an “unsatisfactory” rating and one demerit point.
“This was a pitch that fell below the standard expected for this level of cricket,” match referee Phil Thompson had said about the surface for the USA-Netherlands match. “Both captains expressed disappointment with how it turned out, and the match officials assessed it as ‘very poor’. The inconsistent bounce created challenging and potentially unsafe playing conditions. Taking all factors into consideration, I believe the pitch merits an ‘unsatisfactory’ rating.”
According to the ICC’s pitch and outfield monitoring process, pitches that get an “unsatisfactory” rating will be given one demerit point, while an “unfit” pitch rating will result in three demerit points for the venue. Demerit points remain active for a rolling five-year period, and an accumulation of six demerit points will result in the venue being suspended from hosting international matches for 12 months (12 demerit points will lead to a 24-month ban).
(Cricinfo)
Joshua Da Silva and Amir Jangoo have earned recalls to West Indies’ squad for the two-match World Test Championship series at home against Sri Lanka starting later this month, while the two Josephs, Alzarri and Shamar, are back after missing the tours of India and New Zealand late last year because of injuries.
Trevin Imalch had kept wicket when West Indies last played Test cricket, in New Zealand last December, but Da Silva, 33 Test matches old, has returned after scoring 996 runs across the last two seasons of the West Indies Championship. Imlach, who failed with the bat in New Zealand with a total of 81 runs across six innings – after scoring 33 runs in his only Test in India – has been named captain of a West Indies Select XI to play the Sri Lankans in a tour match in Coolidge from June 18 to 21. Roston Chase will continue to captain the Test side.
West Indies vs Sri Lanka Tests
Jangoo, dropped after only one Test appearance, in Multan in January 2025, where he scored 0 and 30, has returned to the side following a fruitful WI Championship in which he scored 411 runs in seven innings. He finished second on the scorers’ table there, only behind Da Silva, who scored 413 in seven outing. The highlight of Jangoo’s season was the 203 not out he scored for Trinidad & Tobago against Leeward Islands
The pair of Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, meanwhile, last played Test cricket during the home series against Australia in mid-2025.”Every Test series is an opportunity for us to grow as a team and strengthen our identity,” Darren Sammy, the head coach, said in a Cricket West Indies statement. “Sri Lanka are a quality side, so we know we’ll have to be at our best, but we’re excited about the challenge ahead.”For us, it’s about playing with discipline, showing character when the game gets tough, and representing the West Indies with pride. The players have been putting in the work, and we’re looking forward to putting on a strong display for our fans across the Caribbean.”
Some of the squad members are currently participating in a high-performance training camp in Antigua, which began on June 12 and will run till June 22. The members of the Test squad who were also part of the white-ball series against Sri Lanka – West Indies lost the ODIs and won the T20Is – will join the camp on June 15. The Tests will be played in North Sound from June 25 to 29 and July 3 to 7.
“This is a key component of our preparations heading into the series, providing players and coaches with valuable time to enhance and improve the skills we want to see sharpened, based on the areas we need to focus our attention on when facing this opponent,” Sammy said about the camp. “It also gives us the opportunity to put clear objectives and plans in place for the conclusion of the summer against Pakistan.
“Additionally, the four-day warm-up game prior to the series provides the chance for some of our Test hopefuls to play in high-intensity action and create the avenue for more competition within the squad ahead of the upcoming and future series.”
West Indies are currently bottom of the nine-team WTC table, having lost seven of their eight games in the ongoing cycle.
West Indies squad for Test series against Sri Lanka
Ireland Women 118/9 in 20 overs (Alana Dalzelle 14, Orla Prendergast 26, Leah Paul 10, Alice Tector 10, Louise Little 26*; Lauren Bell 1-39, Linsey Smith 1-20, Sophie Ecclestone 3-22, Charlie Dean 2-11, Dani Gibson 2-10) lost to England Women 119/6 in 17.3 overs (Dani Wyatt Hodge 16, Nat Sciver-Brunt 48, Heather Knight 26; Aimee Maguire 2-23, Orla Prendergast 2-17) by 4 wickets
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