Sports
Losing the focus for rugby in South Korea
By a Special Sports Correspondent
Sri Lanka’s sports have been disgraced of recent due to unpardonable events that took place in Australia and South Korea. First we got to hear about cricketer Dhanuhska Gunatilake’s issue where it’s alleged that he sexually assaulted a woman in Australia. In the incident that took place in South Korea a few days later the captain of the Sri Lanka women’s national rugby team went missing after the final day of matches.
Gunathilake’s incident is now being contested in a court of law and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is standing firm beside the player and offering him all the legal support to clear himself from the challenges he faces.
But where the female rugby player is concerned a national player going missing while on national duty amounts to a breach of trust or responsibility. Why? Because taking the players overseas for a tournament is a big investment from the side of SLR; hence the need for all the players to return home after the national assignment concludes.
This writer remembers a former Sri Lankan swimming champion being told very firmly by the Australian Embassy officials when he went to get his passport authorized that having returned to Sri Lanka during previous tours ‘down under’ was nothing to brag about. “You must return to Sri Lanka after your assignment in Australia and don’t consider it an achievement to return to base just because people do decamp” the official had underscored.
The player who went missing must understand that SLR invests on players when they pay for their training, book air tickets and incur other expenses when assembling a team to contest an overseas tournament. Most national players in the past have come from less affluent backgrounds and earned a better life through sport. Didn’t this female rugby player see this path?
Her incident could be the first of its kind where a Sri Lankan rugby player, regardless of being male or female and belonging to any age group or team going missing abroad after the completion of a tournament.
SLR is yet to release a comprehensive statement regarding this female player. The news associated with her is more about this player going missing and certainly not decamping. We also read in the media that the team management had lodged a complaint with the South Korean Police about the player going missing.
It’s interesting to find out the thoughts that preoccupied her mind during the tour because she had played in the matches and later showed up at a press conference after her team lost in the ‘Plate’ Championship final. Hence we are made to understand that she was in a good frame of mind to carry herself in public as a national ‘sportstar’ even after the tournament. That also meant she also wanted to be part of the team and be associated with the rest of the team members after the games. That also points out to the player having a sense of belonging. Where did she go wrong then?
There is one hitch though. Sri Lanka this time around contested under the National Olympic Committee flag and not the country’s flag. This was because Asia Rugby has suspended SLR. It’s interesting to locate the female player and inquire whether she had feelings of representing the country?
This is not the first time that Sri Lankan sports personalities have gone missing while touring abroad. We remember the great cyclist Boniface Perera decamping on his way back from an overseas assignment. Some of the other sports which are associated with decamping incidents- featuring Sri Lankan players- in the past are wrestling, boxing, beach volleyball and judo. Then there was that infamous incident when an entire handball team from Sri Lanka went missing after contesting a tournament in Germany. The Sri Lankan players did decamp when the economic situation back home was much healthier compared to what it is at present.
Sportsmen and women not only here but elsewhere in the world love fantasy. There are so many of them who have worked hard at junior level and earned their passage to immigrate on their performances alone. There are many examples of sports stars moving away from their fantasies and embracing reality later on. All over the world great performances at sport at junior level facilitates the legal immigration process. One such great champion was body builder Arnold Schwarzenegger who emigrated from Austria and settled down in America; going to be seven time winner of the most prestigious physique contest the Mr. Olympia. He also became the Governor of California.
When the rugby teams from Sri Lanka went to Incheon, South Korea there was a huge goal set for the men’s team; which was to finish among the top four. The Sri Lanka men’s team finished fourth after losing in the Cup semi-finals and then contesting the 3rd place playoff against Philippines. In that last match the Sri Lankans lost badly with a score of 7 points against 24 by the opponents. We really don’t know what goal the management had set for the women players compared to the male players. Most of these male players are club players back home and have contracts with clubs which offer them a monthly remuneration during the domestic league, knockout and ‘sevens’ tournaments. The men’s league rugby tournament is about to kick off and it’s safe to think that the male players were eager to get back home. But what can we say about the female rugby players? What is the future they have in a Sri Lankan rugby set-up where they get such little exposure as featuring in an annual domestic sevens tournament and an appearance or two at the annual Asian Sevens Series? A few of these players might have lucrative contracts with forces teams, but does that talk much compared to the exposure that Sri Lankan men’s players get here and abroad? This female players is also from a country where its economy has crashed. Did the circumstances put the impetus on Sri Lanka women’s captain to go missing in South Korea and later seek employment; South Korea being a country where many of her country’s men and women have come before her to seek greener pastures and have something to show for their trouble and effort.
Only time will produce answers to these questions. This jolting incident has taken place when Sri Lanka is preparing for the final leg of the same Asian Sevens Rugby Series-this time in Dubai-and the upcoming domestic league rugby tournament.
In its fourth season, the WPL now feels part of the system, shaping careers and standards in increasingly visible ways. Most notably, it played a part in India winning their first ODI World Cup last year. How ’bout that. Almost silly that there was a time when this idea struggled to get off the ground.
While rivalries are still taking shape in this five-team league, Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru has all the ingredients of being the best one. Borrowing from its IPL counterpart, it pits two of the biggest names in Indian cricket, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, against each other. They are also the only teams to have lifted the trophy so far, with MI holding a slender 4-3 head-to-head advantage
There is an extra layer of significance this time. Harmanpreet and Mandhana return to the venue where the defining night of their international careers played out two months ago. The DY Patil Stadium will stir fond memories not just for the two captains but also for the India players on both sides, even if the sea of MI blue in the stands is expected to outweigh RCB’s red, black and gold. It was here that the duo shared an emotional hug after India clinched the World Cup, before circling the ground together, singing and dancing long into the night. On the eve of the WPL opener, both admitted those memories came flooding back as they walked into the stadium.
Harmanpreet has since spoken of the venue becoming a hub for women’s cricket in India, a sentiment Mandhana echoed ahead of the season. “Whenever you enter the ground, you remember exactly where the last catch was taken,” she said, recalling Harmanpreet’s leap at extra cover to dismiss South Africa’s Nadine de Klerk and seal the win in the final. “This is still just one-and-a-half months later, but even after 20 years, if we come back to this ground, we are still going to remember exactly what happened on November 2.”
The friendship remains untouched but once the WPL begins, Harmanpreet said the focus will be on “how we can win against each other.”
For defending champions MI, the template established in the inaugural season – continuity, role clarity, a strong core and enviable depth – continues to serve them well. Retaining five players ahead of the auction preserved the backbone of the batting, while the return of familiar faces ensured stability. While other teams opted for reshuffles, MI doubled down on their processes, backing experience, investing in youth and trusting a leadership group that has grown with the league.
RCB arrive with a sense of renewal after missing the knockouts last season. Mandhana remains the face of the team, supported by T20 firepower in Georgia Voll, Grace Harris, Richa Ghosh and Nadine de Klerk, though Ellyse Perry’s withdrawal leaves questions at the top. Their bowling, however, looks formidable, with pace from Lauren Bell, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar and de Klerk, and spin options in Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil and Harris.
G Kamalini 17, was retained by MI ahead of the auction alongside players like Harmanpreet, Sciver-Brunt, Matthews and Amanjot, which is an indicator of how highly she is rated. A left-handed wicketkeeper-batter with the ability to go big, Kamalini offers flexibility in the line-up. She made her WPL debut last season and announced herself in just her second game, against RCB, holding her nerve to seal a last over victory, She continued to impress in the domestic circuit, which earned her a maiden India call-up late last year for the T20I series against Sri Lanka, where she made her international debut. Captain Harmanpreet indicated ahead of this season that Kamalini would be given a “special role”, suggesting a move up the order, and said she expects the teenager to be one of the “main players” in the team.
After missing WPL 2025 and spending more than a year sidelined by a series of injuries, spin-bowling allrounder Shreyanka Patil returns to the tournament that launched her into prominence. She was just 20 when she debuted for RCB in 2023, and her rise was swift, with India T20I and ODI caps following later that year. Patil enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2024, finishing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker as RCB went on to lift their maiden title. She made her return from injury at the Women’s CPL last September, featured in the domestic season for Karnataka, and was one of four players retained by RCB ahead of the auction. In the lead-up to the season, Patil has focused on fine-tuning her offspin, batting and overall fitness during a month-long conditioning camp at the private academy where she trains.
As Sri Lanka arrive on the doorstep of another World Cup, there is the usual attendant instability. The captain has been switched out but the team is still losing against good opposition. The top order is being rejigged frequently, and yet consistent scores are not forthcoming. There are strong elements in the attack – such as the bowling of Dushmantha Chameera and Wanindu Hasaranga – but there is fragility elsewhere. It might not take much to turn them around though. The raw materials of a decent T20 side are there.
Pakistan, meanwhile, have no serious work-ons from Wednesday, save for the catching and ground fielding. Head coach Mike Hesson described their big win in the first T20I as “very clinical”, praising not only the bowling that decked Sri Lanka for 128, but the top order batters who aced the chase as well.
That they are putting up such performances while key players – such as Babar Azam – are away in the Big Bash League, is especially impressive. If they are to put together a good campaign in the forthcoming World Cup, Wednesday’s win might have been the day they planted their flag in Sri Lanka. So far, they seem at ease in these conditions.
In the T20I tri-series in Pakistan last month, Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan had topped the run list, hitting 191 runs at a strike rate of 147. He has now made a bright start in Sri Lanka, hitting 51 off 36 in his first innings on the island. Farhan was especially good at taking down the round-arm seam of Nuwan Thushara, which caused significant problems for Sri Lanka, who require early wickets from Thushara. Farhan’s dominance will make Sri Lanka think twice about playing Thushara in this match.
Second on that run chart from the tri-series last month was Kamil Mishara with 169 runs at a strike rate of 139. He couldn’t get going on Wednesday, registering a three-ball duck after he spooned a catch to mid off. But he has shown glimpses of serious talent at the top level. Impactful innings in this series and the one to come against England will likely seal his spot at the top of the order.
The Dambulla surface for the first ODI was conducive to spin. At this time of year, showers are possible, but are unlikely to last long enough to wash out the match.
Pakistan may see no need to change their XI while Sri Lanka may consider bringing in Matheesha Pathirana for Thushara, which will mean Dasun Shanaka is required to bowl with the new ball.
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (capt.), Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (capt.), Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana/Nuwan Thushara
The first T20 International against Pakistan in Dambulla underlined, yet again, how heavily Sri Lanka lean on their talismanic opener Pathum Nissanka. When he gets going, Sri Lanka can push into the 180 plus scores that win you games. When he fails, the innings tends to unravel like a loose sweater. On Wednesday night, they were skittled with four balls to spare.
Ranked third in the world in T20Is, Nissanka has been a model of consistency over the past 24 months, scripting more than his share of Sri Lanka’s recent successes. But cricket’s law of averages is an unforgiving umpire. When he departs cheaply, the rest of the batting order too often looks short of ideas and shorter on intent.
That brings the debate around Kusal Janith Perera into sharp focus. If the selectors believe KJP belongs in the squad, then he must be in the playing XI. He remains one of the few in the current set-up who can clear the ropes against both pace and spin, a necessity in T20 cricket. Leaving that firepower unused doesn’t make sense.
Charith Asalanka and Kamindu Mendis offer adequate part-time spin options and with the bat both are better suited to the demands of T20 cricket than Dhananjaya de Silva. The Test captain was previously cast in a similar role ahead of the last T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA, a move that failed to deliver dividends and was quietly shelved after the tournament. Curiously, the same experiment has resurfaced, funnily enough, on the eve of another World Cup.
Sri Lanka may well be the only international side juggling three different captains across formats, with all three turning up in the T20 XI. How can that be?
A top order of Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis, followed by Kusal Perera at number three, gives the batting unit a far more settled look. Crucially, that trio has the ability to maximise the six overs of Powerplay, when the field is up.
Further down the order, Dunith Wellalage at number eight could provide a safety net if there is a collapse. At present, the top order is overly dependent on Nissanka and without Wellalage, the lower order offers precious little resistance once the chips are down.
With a home World Cup around the corner, Sri Lanka need to finalise their combinations rather than shuffle the pack. Experimentation is part of the process, but doing so this close to a global event is a gamble with long odds.
While Sri Lanka have made reasonable strides in Tests and ODIs, the T20 format continues to throw up worrying signs. There was at least a sense of gradual progress under Charith Asalanka and Upul Tharanga, slow, perhaps, but forward. What is unfolding now feels like a return to square one, dusting off old plans that previously backfired and hoping, against evidence, for a different result.
Rex Clementine ✍️
in Dambulla
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