Sports
Our hands are clean says SLC Chief
Responding to criticism that Sri Lanka Cricket Executive Committee members had utilized boards’ funds to purchase air tickets for family members and actresses, SLC President Shammi Silva squashed allegations as totally false and baseless.
Last week Opposition MP Hesha Withanage had alleged that a sum of over 67 million had been spent to purchase air tickets for family members and friends of SLC Ex-Co members.
However, Shammi Silva said that only the airfare of the Ex-Co-member had been paid for by the board. He further clarified that for others the board had only issued letters to the Australian High Commission for the purpose of obtaining visa.
“Our accounts are clean. If anyone proves that we have misused the board’s funds to take our family members or outsiders for the World Cup, we will resign the next day,” Silva told journalists at a media briefing held at SSC yesterday.
“There are lots of people who can’t stand the progress we have made. There are those who know that the board has a financial surplus and want to regain power and enjoy the perks. They are cooking up lies to tarnish our image,” Silva went onto say.
Further elaborating on the progress SLC has made, the board President said that over the next three years a lot of international events will take place in the country including the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2024 and the T-20 World Cup in 2026.
Sri Lanka will also be the neutral venue for the Afghanistan – Pakistan series scheduled for next month. There will also be ICC meetings taking place in the country. The biggest announcement from the press conference was that BCCI had confirmed two bilateral tours outside the Future Tours Program (FTP) which will give Sri Lanka a financial windfall.
“The 2026 T-20 World Cup we could have hosted on our own. But we did not have a fifth venue with floodlights and we had to share the event with India. We wanted to put up an international venue in Diyagama and you all know how people put objections for this. There are individuals who are hindering the progress of the game,” Silva went onto add.
SLC also revealed plans to make women’s cricket professional and all major leading cricket playing clubs like SSC, NCC, CCC, Colts and Tamil Union will have women’s teams that will feature in annual white ball tournaments conducted by SLC.
There are also moves to develop schools and club cricket while the LPL is making steady progress.
“Our target was to have a fixed deposit of US$ 35 million and we have achieved that. Our next aim is to improve it to US$ 50 million and further take it to US$ 70 million. Financially, we are more stable than New Zealand, I am glad to say,” Silva added.
A 34 ball 51 from Lahiru Udara and a four wicket haul by Nuwan Thushara helped Kandy Royals defeat Kandy Royals defeat Dambulla Sixers by 34 runs in the sixth match of the Lanka Premier League 2026 played at Dambulla on Tuesday [21st]
Scores:
Kandy Royals 194/6 in 20 overs [Kusal Perera 25, Lahiru Udara 51, Moeen Ali 24, Wanidu Hasaranga 29, Angelo Mathews 29, Vijay Shankar 13*; Fazalhaq Farooki 2-20, Mohammad Wasim 1-42, Dushmantha Chameera 1-37, Maheesh Theekshana 1-39, Vishwa Lahiru 1-40]
Dambulla Sixers 151/8 in 20 overs [Shahibzada Farhan 74, Dinesh Chandimal 12, Niroshan Dikwella 26, Reeza Hendricks 27; Shaheen Shah Afridi 1-32. Nuwan Thushara 4-29, Wanidu Hasaranga 1-19, Duushan Hemantha 2-23]
Ratnayake Central Walala won the boys’ and girls’ overall championships at the Central Province Schools Athletics Championship held at Bogambara recently.
Ratnayake Central aggregated 202 points to edge out Trinity College by two points to win the boys title.
Kingswood were a distant third with 81 points.
In the girls category, Ratnayake Central dominated a majority of events to win the title with 245 points.
Girls High School Kandy finished second with 165 points, while Ambagamuwa Central were third with 114 points.
The dominance of Ratnayake Central was evident throughout the event as they accounted for ten of the 32 new meet records established.
Akash Dhananjaya Senavirathne of Theldebiya National School who clocked 48.4 seconds to win the 400 metres won the best athlete award in the boys’ category.
U.M.S. Himashani of Ambagamuwa Central was adjudged the best athlete in the girls category for the outstanding performance in the 800 metres (2:13.3 seconds).
When my good friend Nimal Welgama requested me to pen a few lines about Sir Gary Sobers as I had the privilege of playing for Sri Lanka against the mighty West Indies as they were known then, I was wondering whether I can do justice to this awesome cricketing all rounder.
In this particular game Sir Gary fell short of scoring his usual hundred. Sir Gary had a flair for unique stylishness which no other cricketer matched and it came naturally to him. He wore his shirt open all the way down to the navel perhaps to keep himself cool from the hot weather one encounters when playing cricket.He walked into bat leaning forward slightly with a gait that that had confidence written all over it.I had the good fortune of viewing on a video clip of an innings of 230 plus he made in a Match against Australia against a formidable attack headed by fearsome Dennis Lillee where he tore the the bowling to shreds.This innings was described by probably the greatest batters of all time Sir Donald Bradman as the best innings he has witnessed live.A tribute difficult to ignore. I wish to conclude by saying that Sir Garfield Sobers was an all rounder of exceptional ability which void will be hard to fill.
by Anura Tennekoon ✍️
Thushara four-for, Udara fifty hand Kandy Royals first points
Charted Computer Institute of Sri Lanka to be established
Drug Dependent Persons (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act No 54 of 2007 to be amendend
Mrs. O. T. M. I. Thilakarathne appointed to the Post of Surveyor General
Purchase of 600 buses for intercity / long distance services of the Sri Lanka Transport Board
Protection of Historical, Cultural, and Traditional Intellectual Property related to the Kandy Esala Perahera
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