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Lucky Six end decades long trophy drought at Pothupitiya

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President’s Challenge Cup Volleyball

by Reemus Fernando

Lucky Six SC, Pothupitiya, one of the leading volleyball clubs of Kalutara District reached top national level, challenging the sport’s traditional powerhouses of the island at the recently held President’s Challenge Cup tournament.

The team captained by Nuwan Kumara stunned Nattandiya United in the final of the President’s Challenge Cup tournament which was held alongside the President’s Gold Cup Volleyball Championship at Maharagama.

It was the first time the team from Pothupitiya clinched the title of a top national competition in more than three decades. They beat a team consisting of former and current national players 3-1 in a thrilling final.

According to a team official, the last time Lucky Six SC had won a national level competition was in 1984 when they clinched the ‘D’ Division title.

“The team was revitalized recently and the club has managed to make up for the lack of infrastructure,” he said.

After conceding the second set to level scores Lucky Six came back strong in the third and fourth sets to beat Nattandiya United 25-19, 19-25, 25-20, 27-25 in the final.

Nattandiya United consist of several top national players including former national team setter Nilanka Sanjaya (captain).

Lucky Six beat Katana Ekabadda in straight sets (25-18, 25-21, 25-21) in the knockout stage to secure the final spot after doing well in the group stage. Anjana Sandeepa and Malaka Senaratne were among leading contributors for the team in the final. While Sandeepa won the Best Player of the final award, Malaka Senaratne received the Best Setter award.

Lucky Six earned the opportunity to play in this tournament after they ended up as Kalutara District runners up to Gamini SC, Bandaragama.

While the champion teams of each district competed in the President’s Gold Cup tournament the runners up of each district took part in the President’s Challenge Trophy.

“We don’t have a ground of our own. We play at the Pothupitiya MV ground. We also do not have top national players in our team. On this back drop we cherish this victory as a huge accomplishment,” said an official of the team.

Pothupitiya has been the stronghold of volleyball in the Kalutara District for a long time and Lucky Six has a history which runs back to 1950s. Lucky Six considers B.H. Jayasekara who represented the country in 1954 as its first player to reach international level. Sammy Jayawardena, D. Danapala, Rani Perera (70s), Wimalajeewa Mahindaratne (80s) and Lasantha Abeyratne are some of the players who went on to reach top national level.



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October 11 at the Women’s T20 World Cup: Australia enter Dubai with eye on semi-final spot

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Pakistan are likely to be without Fatima Sana [Cricinfo]

Australia vs Pakistan

Dubai, 6pm local time

A personal tragedy has all but taken out chances of Pakistan captain Fatima Sana playing on Friday. With her departure to Karachi, Muneeba Ali is expected to fill in the role. Diana Baig – if fit to play – could replace her. But Sana’s shoes will be tough to fill as she is the joint-highest wicket-taker for Pakistan so far and her strike rate of 153.57 is by far the highest within the side. Despite the batters’ willingness to be aggressive, they have put up totals of 116 and 105 for 8 and will have to push past that if they are to challenge Australia

Australia have stood up to their champion billing and are currently on a hot streak of 13 straight wins in T20 World Cups since 2020. They have beaten Pakistan 13 times in T20Is and have never lost a game. Another win will all but confirm their spot in the semi-finals. Dubai could be a welcome change in venue for Australia, after playing both their games in Sharjah where the pitch and outfield were slow. Grace Harris, who replaced Darcie Brown against New Zealand, might have to make way for the pacer as Australia bat deep.

Australia squad:
Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

Pakistan squad:
Muneeba Ali (capt & wk), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan, Fatima Sana (unlikely starter)

Tournament form guide:
Table-toppers Australia are coming off of big wins against Sri Lanka [by six wickets] and  New Zealand [by 60 runs] and are the only unbeaten team in Group A. Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in their tournament opener and lost to India in Dubai and currently third on the table..

Player to watch:
Nida Dar is the only Pakistan batter to have gone past 20 in both games this tournament. She is the stabilising force at No. 5. She bowled just under five overs and has gone at an economy of 4.55 but is yet to pick up a wicket, something she would like to change against Australia. Beth Monney’s forties in both games at Sharjah took Australia home in a modest chase and set the platform to post the highest total in the venue so far this tournament. A friendlier pitch in Dubai will add to the run tally and raise her boundary count if she can get off to another start

[Cricinfo].

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Ramharack, Matthews keep West Indies in contention for semi-finals with crucial win

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Karishma Ramharack took 4 for 17 [Cricinfo]

Karishma Ramharak’s four-wicket haul and Hayley Mathews’  quickfire 34 helped West Indies coast to an important eight-wicket victory against Bangladesh, in Sharjah. Having chased down the target of 104 in 12.5 overs, West Indies, with their second win in three matches, moved to top of Group B.  Three teams from this group are now in contention for the two semi-final spots with South Africa and England also on four points, but the latter have played only two matches.

Bangladesh succumbed to their second straight defeat in three matches and their chances of advancing to the knockouts took a big hit. Batting once again hurt Bangladesh as they lost six wickets for 27 runs after they were sent in to bat.

West Indies used as many as seven bowlers but it was Ramharack who stood out by taking a wicket each in her four overs across different phases of the game. The offspinner struck with her very first delivery when opener Shathi Rani tried to sweep and missed. Shemaine Campbelle took the bails off in a flash to effect a stumping. In her second over, the last one in the powerplay, Dilara Akter moved across to sweep but missed, only to expose her middle stump and be bowled. When Ramharack came out to bowl in the 13th over, she mixed her lines well but kept the ball outside off. She had Sobhana Mostary stumped by making her come down the track to an outside off-stump delivery. That ended the 40-run third-wicket stand for Bangladesh.

Just when Nigar Sultana and Ritu Moni were looking to stitch a stand during the death overs, Ramaharack came back and knocked Moni out. Chinelle Henry took an excellent running catch after the batter came down and miscued a lofted shot to deep midwicket. Ramharack finished with 4 for 17.

Bangladesh showed positive intent with the bat early on, with the openers charging down as early as the second over to go aerial. Nigar started briskly after the openers fell in the powerplay. She particularly took legspinner Afy Fletcher on and smacked three fours off her second over and moved to 20 off 17 balls. However, once Mostary fell in the 13th over and Fletcher struck twice in the 15th, Nigar, who was on 27 off 27, slowed down despite West Indies’ sloppy fielding. Her next 17 deliveries fetched just 12 runs and eventually, she fell to Matthews in the final over attempting a big heave towards deep midwicket.

Bangladesh struggled to pitch the ball up and got punished as they erred on the shorter side. It allowed the West Indies batters to rock back and play their shots. Matthews, in particular, pounced on this opportunity in the powerplay and blunted the Bangladesh attack. After being on a run-a-ball seven, Matthews lined up the left-arm spin of Nahida Akter with a punch off the backfoot, piercing the gap between cover and extra cover. Two balls later, Nahida bowled short again and received the same treatment.

Legspinner Fahima Khatun, after having given away just four runs off her first over, bowled short on off stump in the fifth over and Matthews stayed back and punched uppishly to find her third boundary on the off side. Marufa Akter overpitched the last ball of the powerplay, which Matthews drove through cover to bring up her sixth boundary. But she was bowled by a nip-backer from the fast bowler in the eighth over for a 22-ball 34. At the end of Marufa’s over though, West Indies needed just 49 off 72 balls which was taken care of by Stafanie Taylor – before she limped off retired hurt – and Deandra Dottin, who smashed an unbeaten 19 off just seven balls.

Brief scores:
West Indies Women  104 for 2 in 12.5 overs  (Hayley Matthews 34, Stafanie Taylor 27, Shermaine Campbelle 21, Demdra Dottin 19*; Nahida Akter 1-22,   Marufa Akter  1-20) beat Bangladesh Women 103 for 8 in 20 overs (Nigar Sultana 39; Karishma  Ramharack 4-17, Hayley Mathews 1-19, Afy Fletcher 2-25) by eight wickets

[Cricinfo]

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Why Sri Lankan hearts beat for the West Indies

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West Indies arrived in Colombo yesterday and headed to Dambulla. Former captain Darren Sammy, under whom West Indies won the World T-20 at RPS in 2012 is the Head Coach now.

by Rex Clementine

For most of us, there’s no greater pleasure than watching Sri Lanka triumph. But, when our lads aren’t in the fray, it’s the West Indies that steal our hearts. It’s no accident that so many of us have a soft spot for the men in maroon – perhaps it’s their thrilling domination in the 1970s and 80s, a golden era that swept fans off their feet and turned cricket into a carnival. The spirit and swagger with which they played captured the world’s admiration, making them everyone’s second team.

Take, for instance, a moment with Sidath Wettimuny. Fresh off his iconic hundred at Lord’s, becoming the first Sri Lankan to reach that milestone at the hallowed ground, Sidath was signing autographs when a tap on his shoulder stopped him. He turned, and there was none other than Sir Viv Richards. “Good knock, maan. Great cover drives. I just came to wish you,” Richards said, exuding that legendary West Indian warmth.

Sidath was stunned, goosebumps racing down his spine. Here stood a man who’d sent the world’s best bowlers running for cover, coming over to applaud him. “They’re just nice people, the West Indians,” Sidath told this newspaper once. “They never sledged; they always appreciated their opponents. That’s how cricket should be played.” The West Indies weren’t just competitors; they were ambassadors of sportsmanship, elevating the game with their grace.

The impact of West Indian brilliance lingered long after. When Brian Lara danced through Sri Lanka in the 2001 series, amassing a staggering 688 runs – 42% of his team’s total – it left such an indelible mark that two years later, Sri Lanka felt the tremors at the World Cup in Cape Town. A dropped catch by Marvan Atapattu gave Lara a lifeline, and skipper Sanath Jayasuriya was so furious that he didn’t speak to his vice-captain for two whole weeks. Imagine that – sharing the same dressing room, same bus, same hotel, all while giving each other the silent treatment. It speaks volumes about the reverence Sri Lankans had for Lara’s ruthless elegance.

Viv Richards was a hero to so many of us, but even most of us right-handers dreamed of playing with the finesse of the left-handed Lara. Every drive, every flick was poetry in motion.

And then, of course, there was Christopher Henry Gayle – a colossus at the crease. He remains the only overseas player to score a triple century in Sri Lanka, and it was a knock that shook Galle to its core. Early in his innings, Dhammika Prasad had Gayle caught off a no-ball. After that reprieve, Gayle unleashed hell. Sixes rained down, with some even landing at the Galle bus halt, leaving Prasad wondering if he could vanish into thin air.

The quicks? Oh, they were fire-breathing dragons. Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, and Malcolm Marshall instilled terror. When that fearsome quartet handed over the baton, Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose ensured the West Indies pace legacy roared on. It wasn’t just fast bowling; it was fast-bowling artistry.

Who do they have now? Enter Alzarri Joseph from Antigua – all six-foot-four of him, bowling serious thunderbolts that have batters trembling. He’s not the only Joseph on the 150 km/h express, either. Shamar Joseph, fresh from a spell that humbled the Aussies at the Gabba, could be one to keep a close eye on in Dambulla. Playing through pain, Shamar carved out a moment of pure grit in that historic Aussie fortress, a place where visiting teams rarely win. That spell was one for the ages.

What about their batters? While Nicholas Pooran, their brightest star, isn’t touring, there’s no shortage of firepower. Brandon King, Evin Lewis, and Sherfane Rutherford bring the kind of raw hitting that sends spectators scrambling for cover. Each of them promises to put on a show in Dambulla, reminding us once more why we can’t help but love the West Indies.

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