A superb display of spin bowling led by Sri Lanka Under-19 spinner Vigneswaran Akash powered St. Joseph’s College to a first innings victory over Royal College in the Under-19 Division I Tier ‘A’ cricket final concluded at the P. Sara Oval on Thursday.

‎Defending a formidable first innings total of 443, the Josephians relied on their spinners to dismantle a strong Royal batting line-up, eventually bowling them out for 378 to secure the title on first innings.

‎The spin trio of Akash, Vishwa Peiris and Nushan Perera shared all ten wickets between them, maintaining tight control throughout Royal’s reply. Leading the charge was Akash, the Jaffna-spinner, who delivered a match-winning performance with five wickets for 136 runs in a marathon spell of 44.2 overs.

‎Akash’s key breakthrough came when he removed his Sri Lanka Under-19 captain Vimath Dinsara, who top-scored with a valiant 95. Dinsara, along with Ramiru Perera (90), kept Royal in contention with a strong fourth-wicket stand after early setbacks.

‎Royal showed resilience through several useful contributions. Rehan Peiris made 43, while Dushen Udawela added 45. However, the Josephian spinners struck at crucial intervals to halt any momentum, with Peiris claiming three wickets and Perera chipping in with two.

‎Earlier, St. Joseph’s built the foundation for victory with an imposing 443 in their first innings. Senuja Wakunegoda led the batting effort with a magnificent 123, supported by Rishma Amarasinghe (73), Chethina Kavinda (78), Dilpa Maduranga (56) and Nushan Perera (54). For Royal, Mahiru Kodithuwakku and Himaru Deshan claimed three wickets apiece.

‎Despite a spirited batting effort, Royal ultimately fell short against a disciplined and relentless spin attack, as St. Joseph’s celebrated a well-deserved championship triumph.

(RF)

Smooth transition of power in Sri Lanka Cricket are about as rare as a tailender’s century and history offers precious little comfort. When Ana Punchihewa was bundled out just days after the 1996 World Cup triumph, the game’s corridors of power stooped to all kinds of underhand work. Four years later, strongmen stood guard at Maitland Place as the tussle between Thilanga Sumathipala and Clifford Ratwatte boiled over, forcing the State to step in and send special forces.

Fast forward to 2023 and Shammi Silva turned to the courts like a batter reviewing a dubious LBW, armed with the sharpest legal minds from Hulftsdorp, to overturn his ouster. Most Presidents counsel that you see on a Tuesdays at St. Anthony’s shrine were seated next to

Shammi that day. But this time, there was no last-ditch appeal, no gloves-off scrap. Shammi and his committee walked off quietly, no fuss, no fireworks, leaving the field without contest.

Whispers suggest this was no accident. A carefully crafted innings, some say, with every loose end tied up and no room for late drama. Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed via a media release that its President and Executive Committee had stepped down yesterday. The Sports Ministry, quick to raise the flag, accepted the resignations and took the game under its wing. By stumps, Eran Wickramaratne had been handed the captaincy as Chairman of the Interim Committee.

A product of Royal College Colombo, he later traded bat for balance sheets, serving as CEO of Nations Trust Bank for nearly a decade before entering Parliament via the UNP National List in 2010. When he faced the electorate in Colombo, he didn’t just scrape through, he was hugely popular, polling over 82,000 votes. A former Deputy Finance Minister, he now steps into cricket’s hot seat with the nation desperate for reversal of fortunes.

The supporting cast reads like a well-balanced XI. Roshan Mahanama, Sidath Wettimuny and Kumar Sangakkara bring pedigree and poise, while names like Thushira Radella, Avanthi Colombage, Prakash Schaffter, Upul Kumarapperuma and Dinal Philips add administrative nous and experience.

Interim Committees, of course, are not new to Sri Lanka’s cricketing playbook. When the board hit rock bottom after the 1999 World Cup debacle, President Chandrika Kumaratunga stepped in, removing Sumathipala and handing the reins to banker Rienzie Wijetilleke. It proved a masterstroke. Wijetilleke played to his strengths, tightening the screws on finances while surrounding himself with sharp cricketing minds; Michael Tissera, Wettimuny, S. Skandakumar, Ashantha de Mel and Kushil Gunasekara. Within a year, Sri Lanka were back punching above their weight, toppling heavyweights like India, Australia, England and South Africa.

Another reset followed in 2002, with Vijaya Malalasekera at the helm. The team responded with a record 10-Test winning streak, a purple patch that still stands tall in the record books. A third committee under Hemaka Amarasuriya kept the ship steady, steering Sri Lanka to a World Cup semi-final.

But when Mahinda Rajapaksa took charge of the country, the template changed. Interim Committees became less about merit and more about manoeuvre, offering a backdoor entry for those who had lost at the ballot. Mahinda always took care of friends and family. As a result, lines between cricket and politics blurred and the game often paid the price with Mahinda’s sons winning the lucrative television rights.

There was a brief return to cricketing sanity in 2015 when Naveen Dissanayake brought in Wettimuny, but that innings was cut short and politics once again tightened its grip.

Now, the latest committee arrives with a promise; less politics, more purpose. Whether that holds will depend on how they play the conditions. The tenure, the roadmap and the ability to clean up a system long mired in off-field drama remain the real tests.

by Rex Clementine

Half-centuries from Harshitha Samarawickrama and Imesha Dulani propelled Sri Lanka to a 25-run win in the first T20I against Bangladesh. The home side’s batting woes continued as they failed to chase down 162 against an efficient bowling effort by the visitors in Sylhet.

Malki Madara, Mithali Ayodhya and captain Chamari Athapaththu picked up two wickets each as Sri Lanka restricted Bangladesh to 136 for 7 in the chase. Athapaththu was outstanding with her accuracy, conceding just 19 runs in her four overs for the two wickets. Bangladesh had been put in early trouble when they slipped to 44 for 4 in the sixth over, despite starting off rapidly with 39 for no loss in the first 3.3 overs.

Shorna Akter then struck 60 off 45 balls, with six boundaries including two sixes, but her knock was for a losing cause. There was no help from batters at the other end. Shorna stuck around even as Bangladesh kept losing wickets and was the last batter dismissed off the final ball of the innings.

Earlier, Sri Lanka were powered by Athapaththu, who cracked five boundaries and a six in her 32. After her dismissal in the tenth over, Dulani and Samarawickrama added 80 runs for the third wicket. Samarawickrama struck five fours and two sixes in her 61 off 35 balls, while Dulani slammed seven fours in her 55 off 40 balls.

Their approach derailed Bangladesh’s bowlers, with only offspinner Sultana Khatun putting in an impressive bowling display: she took 2 for 29. The remaining two T20Is in the series will also be held in Sylhet.

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka Women 161 for 4 in 20 overs

(Chamari Athapaththu 32, Imesha Dulani 55, Harshitha Samarawickrama 61; Marufa Akter 1-37, Sultana Khatun 2-29, Nahida Akter 1-26) beat Bangladesh Women 136 for 7 in 20 overs (Dilara Akter 23, Juairiya Ferdous 16, Shobhana Mostary 16, Shorna Akter 60; Malki Madara 2-31, Mithali Ayodhya 2-34, Chamari Athapaththu 2-19) by 25 runs

[Cricinfo]