Sports
Our strength of beating Bangladesh is pace – De Mel
by Rex Clementine
Sri Lanka have always relied on spin to win Test matches on home tracks but times have changed and Chairman of Selectors cum Manager of the national cricket team Ashantha De Mel conceded that it is time to switch to pace when Bangladesh tour the island for a three match Test series.
Sri Lanka have enjoyed overwhelming success against Bangladesh having won 16 of the 20 Tests between the countries and while on paper they definitely have an edge, the tourists are no more pushovers as they proved during the tour of 2017 when they won their maiden Test match against Sri Lanka. That loss eventually cost Graeme Ford his job.
It is sensible to rely on pace against Bangladesh as they have formidable spin options while Sri Lanka’s spinners – except maybe an aging Dilruwan Perera (38) – are raw.
“Our thinking is to beat them with pace. It’s not definitely going to be spin. Bangladesh have a decent spin attack whereas we have a very good set of fast bowlers. So it’s sensible to stick to our strength. We might keep about five quicks in the squad. That is what the coaches are thinking,” De Mel told Sunday Island.
A pool of 23 players will start training next week (on Thursday) after a much needed break following the conclusion of the domestic season. De Mel singled out several players who were impressive during the season.
“Minod Bhanuka looked very promising. He is an aggressive player and good to see someone with such attacking instincts. Santhush Gunathilaka at six foot two hits the deck hard and has a smooth action. He is handy with the bat too. Then there is Lahiru Udara, who has been quite impressive. We are looking at keeping the younger guys in the squad so that they can gain exposure by being in the set up. Together with coaches, we have watched lot of domestic cricket and we need to appreciate what they have done and then look at which one to fast track.
Sri Lanka Cricket is yet to announce the schedule for the tour, but Sunday Island learns that the teams will be involved in a three Test series as was in the original itinerary. The series was supposed to be played in July but was postponed due to outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be the first international cricket series involving Sri Lanka since February this year.
SLC was looking at ways to play two Tests at Pallekele as conditions generally suit seam bowlers there more than any other venue. The remaining Test match will take place in Colombo and SSC seems to be the preferred choice. This means Galle – which rarely misses out on Test match cricket – will not host a game. A final decision is yet to be made as some seniors of the team are keen to play in Galle.
Bangladesh are expected to arrive in the island later this month with a pool of 30 players and will be involved in training and practice matches. Sources said that the first Test is likely to take place on the 24th of October. SLC are in discussions with health authorities on safety measures that need to be followed during the series. Board officials said while players and match officials will be in a ‘bubble’, they were looking at the possibilities of accommodating a limited number of fans during the games.
(Cricbuzz)
By A Special Sports Correspondent
All eyes will be on new entrants to rugby ‘Sri Lions Sports Club’ when they debut in the 2024/25 Inter-club league rugby tournament in Kandy on Sunday (December 15). Sri Lions are slated to take on last season’s league tournament runners-up Kandy Sports Club at the Nittawela grounds. Despite Sri Lions SC being new to domestic rugby, a thriller is expected; as the team is packed with players who are well drilled at training and the other reason being all players possess an IRB Level 1 qualification.
Sri Lions SC’s entry into division 1 rugby was not smooth. Many clubs opposed their promotion to the top league in the domestic tournament. Rugby sources told ‘The Island’ that despite the opposition shown by some clubs, Sri Lanka Rugby and other prominent sports authorities in Sri Lanka had to grant the new entrants their due place in the top league. This was largely because Sri Lions SC had made progress through the proper channel by winning the B Division rugby tournament last season.
Dr. Kelum Sujith Perera, the founder chairman of Sri Lions SC, was quoted in the newspapers saying that the club’s priority was centred around professionalism and transparency and that the club was committed to contributing to rugby development in Sri Lanka.
The club boasts of having in their line up comprising 12 former national players and a horde of talented ex-schoolboy players who have recently finished their academic commitments on a high.
The other matches scheduled for the first week of club rugby are: Sri Lanka Air Force Sports Club vs CH&FC at Ratmalana (December 13), Army Sports Club vs Police Sports Club at Panagoda, Navy Sport Club vs Havelocks SC at Welisara (Both matches on December 14).
CR&FC will be one of the teams to watch this season given that they are the reigning league rugby champions. The side is led by Gemunu Chethiya. The club upgrading their stadium to have floodlight facilities should elevate player thinking to another level. The other club to offer floodlight facilities for domestic rugby matches is Havelocks SC. However CR will not have a match in the opening week of the tournament.
Last season’s league runners-up Kandy SC are led this season by seasoned scrum half Srinath Sooriyabandara who counts years of experience playing in domestic and overseas tournaments. The side is coached by Fazil Marija. Kandy SC’s dominance in domestic rugby was broken last season and much is expected of the side from Nittawela, which is going through a team building phase at present.
CH&FC is a dangerous side to play against when the team members are gelled and focused. Last season the side finished fourth. This season the Gymkhana Club is led by Janidu Dilshan.
Havelocks SC led by Abdullah Faiz is set to finish on a high this season. The Park Club finished third in the league rugby tournament last season. Police SC, which had to be satisfied winning the ‘Plate Championship’ in the league tournament last season, will be another strong contender vying for honours . The side is led for the second consecutive year by third row forward Mohan Wimalaratne.
The other sides in the tournament are Army SC, Air Force Sports Club and Navy Sport Club.
The tournament is conducted by Sri Lanka Rugby, the governing body for the sport in the island. Rugby sources reveal that an SGM has been called on December 20 for clubs to attend with the motive of announcing the date for the much looked forward to Annual General Meeting of SLR. According to International Rugby regulations, SLR has to have it’s AGM before January 31 next year.
SLTA Hard Court Nationals
Revaan Amarasinghe and Shennon Senadheera reached the Under 12 boys singles final as they edged out their semi-final opponents at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association Hard Court Tennis Nationals at the SLTA courts on Thursday.
Amarasinghe of S.Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia beat Nuren Wevita 6-1, 6-1 in his semi-final.
In the other semi-final, Wesley’s Shannon Senadheera beat Yonal Dankumbura 7-6 (4), 6-2.
Results : Under 14 Boys quarter-final
Jayan Sebastian beat Buvidu Jayawardana 6-4, 6-3.
Damsath Peiris beat Thuvakar Sathiees 6-3, 6-4.
D. Wickramasinghe beat Umar Wayis 6-3, 6-1.
Under 18 Boys’ semi-final
Louis Knese beat Ganuka Fernando 6-4, 6-3
Women’s Singles quarter-final
Rukshika Wijesuriya beat Sandithi Usgodaarachchi 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Macron names centrist Bayrou as French PM in bid to end political instability
Bloody siege ends Myanmar army control of western border
Speaker of Parliament Asoka Ranwala resigns
-
News5 days agoSri Lanka’s first seven-star hotel ready for opening in 2025
-
Business4 days agoLaunching in Kandy of SL’s first seven-star hotel, valued at Rs. 9 billion
-
News7 days agoLocally produced superphosphate to be introduced next year to save foreign exchange
-
Opinion3 days agoFuture of SriLankan
-
Business7 days ago‘Hotel sector investment in tourism industry exceeding USD 15 billion despite facing stiff challenges’
-
Business4 days agoSri Lankan appointed Vice President, Global Rural Tourism Council
-
News4 days agoCourt to be moved against Ranil over loss of state funds
-
Business6 days agoHigh powered Japanese business team visits Hambantota Port