Sports

Lord’s Honours Board, dream come true for Asitha

Published

2 years ago

2024/09/4

Asitha Fernando became only the second Sri Lankan bowler after Rumesh Ratnayake to have his name in the Lord’s Honours Board.

Rex Clementine in London

There were not many positives for Sri Lanka during their 190 run loss at Lord’s as their unbeaten run in London in Test match cricket that had stretched for 33 years came to an end. The only positive perhaps was the manner in which Asitha Fernando bowled. The fast improving 27-year-old quick finished with eight wickets that included a five wicket haul in the first innings.

“It’s a dream come true for me. Any bowler wants his name in the Honours Board. I always dreamed of it and tried hard that if I had the opportunity to bowl at Lord’s I would ensure I entered my name on that list. Very satisfying,” Asitha told journalists.

“Coming here and watching the Honours Board, I saw only Rumesh Ratnayake sir has done it. I was inspired to get my name there to become only the second Sri Lankan. Very happy that I was able to place my name amongst the legends. Rumesh sir actually sent a message congratulating me. Felt nice.”

Asitha’s skill test has won him many admirers in England. While rest of the bowlers have been ineffective once the ball loses the shine, Asitha has been able to unsettle the batters with the old ball by either reverse swinging it or bowling bouncers.

“In England bowlers have friendly wickets so you don’t have to make big changes. The ball does plenty here so the main thing is stick to a good line and get your length right. That’s why I was successful.”

Sri Lanka’s bowlers have started off games well bowling to good plans but it is in the third session that the opposition has taken hold of the game.

“It happened to us in both Tests. We are discussing how we should plan with our bowling attack. In the second Test, we changed the plans by bowling them bouncers when the tail was building partnerships and that worked. Maybe that’s something that we should do at The Oval as well.”

Asitha hails from the far off Katuneriya, a village between Negombo and Chilaw. He played his cricket for St. Sebastian’s, Katuneriya and appreciated the support his childhood coach had given him.

“From my childhood days my coach has been Anton Costa sir. He is the one who has guided me to come this far. He has always been behind me. Even now he always calls me before and after the match. He keeps a close eye on what I do and I am thankful to him always.”

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Kapila Wijegunawardena to head SLC’s new selection committee

Published

17 mins ago

2026/05/21

Priyan

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has issued a statement approving the members nominated for the new Selection Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

The appointments have been made by the Sports Minister in accordance with the powers vested under Section 39 (1) of the Sports Law No. 25 of 1973 and the Extraordinary Gazette Notification No. 2437/24 dated May 21, 2025.

The members of the new selection committee are:

Kapila Wijegunawardena – Chairman

Amal Silva – Member

Brendon Kuruppu – Member

Waruna Waragoda – Member

Vanessa De Silva – Member

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Afghanistan refugee women’s team set for England tour under ECB initiative

Published

31 mins ago

2026/05/21

Priyan

The visiting Afghanistan women's team will also attend the final of the Women's T20 World Cup

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will host an Afghanistan Refugee Women’s Team for a tour beginning on June 22. The programme will include T20 matches and high-performance training opportunities and will be delivered in partnership with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the MCC Foundation. The visiting players will also attend the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Lord’s, scheduled to be held on July 5.

The tour is significant because the visiting squad comprises former Afghanistan women cricketers who had to leave the country following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, after which women were effectively excluded from sport and public life. Many of the players eventually resettled in Australia, where they have continued to pursue cricket. An Afghanistan women’s team played against a ‘Cricket Without Borders XI’ at the Junction Oval in January 2025 ahead of the Women’s Ashes Test at the MCG, a game that was streamed by Cricket Australia.

The ECB said the tour aimed not only to provide competitive opportunities but also to reaffirm cricket’s commitment to inclusivity. “Since being displaced from Afghanistan in 2021, these players have shown extraordinary resilience in continuing their cricket journeys, in incredibly challenging circumstances,” Clare Connor, ECB Deputy CEO and Managing Director of England Women, said.

“We have worked with It’s Game On to build an itinerary and a set of experiences that we hope will be enjoyable and memorable. We are also delighted that the squad will attend the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.

“Cricket has a responsibility to stand for inclusion and opportunity, and we are proud to be hosting this tour and supporting the players in deepening their connection to the game.”

The relocation and continued support of the players has been facilitated in part by It’s Game On, a global sports consultancy co-founded by former Australia cricketer Mel Jones and Emma Staples, along with Dr Catherine Orway. Jones, in particular, played a pivotal role in helping the players relocate to Australia. Her organisation has worked with international sporting bodies on initiatives centred around equity and opportunities for displaced female athletes.

“This tour is a major step forward, but also highlights how much work remains,” Jones said.

“These players have shown extraordinary courage and commitment to the game, despite everything that has been taken from them. They deserve more opportunities like this; they deserve to be recognised as part of the global cricket community. Moments like this matter, but we need to see plans for sustained and meaningful action beyond this year.”

[Cricbuzz]

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DR Congo cancels World Cup training camp over Ebola outbreak

Published

5 hours ago

2026/05/21

Priyan

DR Congo have qualified for the Fifa World Cup for the first time since 1974 (BBC)

The Democratic Republic of Congo has cancelled its pre-World Cup training camp in the capital, Kinshasa, because of an Ebola outbreak in the east of the country.

Preparations have been moved to Belgium amid the upsurge, which is thought to have killed more than 130 people.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern”, but said it was not at pandemic level.

Jerry Kalemo, a spokesperson for the national football team, told international media that pre-tournament games in Europe would go ahead as planned, as the squad gears up for their first World Cup since 1974.

DR Congo are due to play friendly matches against Denmark, on 3 June in Belgium, and Chile, on 9 June in Spain, ahead of the World Cup finals.

A spokesperson for the DR Congo team told the Reuters news agency that the squad’s training camp had been cancelled due to travel restrictions imposed by the US, who are hosting the World Cup this summer, along with Mexico and Canada.

The US’ public health agency has banned entry from non-Americans who have been in the DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days, in response to the Ebola outbreak

All DR Congo’s players, as well as the team’s French coach, Sébastien Desabre, are based outside the central African country and will therefore not be affected by the restrictions now the training camp has been cancelled.

The high-profile event in Kinshasa was supposed to have been attended by fans, along with DR Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi, according to Reuters.

Kinshasa is roughly 1,800 km (1,120m) away from the eastern Ituri province, the epicentre of the Ebola outbreak. There have not yet been any reported cases in the city.

On Wednesday, the WHO said 139 people were thought to have died, out of 600 suspected cases. However, on the same day, Congolese health minister Samuel Roger Kamba told state broadcaster RTNC TV that authorities had registered 159 deaths.

(BBC Sports)