Sports

Our strength of beating Bangladesh is pace – De Mel

Published

6 years ago

2020/09/6

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.

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Sports

Sandhu’s 6 for 7 seals Pakistan’s semi-final spot

Published

12 hours ago

2026/09/8

Priyan

Nashra Sandhu and Fatima Sana celebrate a wicket [ACC]

Pakistan will play Sri Lanka in the Women’s Asia Cup semi-final on Friday after they secured a thumping win over Hong Kong in the final Group A contest. They finished second in their group with a 72-run win set up by a record-breaking spell of 6 for 7 from Nashra Sandhu and a resolute 35-ball 47 from Shawaal Zulfiqar.

Pakistan scored 143 for 8 after electing to bat first for the third time in as many matches, with Ayessha Zafar and captain Fatima Sana making valuable contributions of 26 off 19 and run-a-ball 24, respectively, before an excellent display of bowling saw Hong Kong fold for 71 in 19 overs.

Zulfiqar lives up to expectations

Zulfiqar made a thumping comeback to the T20I side last month in Sri Lanka and it made Pakistan persist with her at the top of the order despite the return of experienced Gull Feroza, who slid down to one-down. She could not build on a start against India with the wickets tumbling from the other end and the pressure mounting. But the right-hander fought through on Monday, despite the dismissals of experienced batters around her in Muneeba Ali (6 off 7) and Feroza (3 off 4).

Despite batting on a challenging surface that played slow and gripped, Zulfiqar timed the ball well as she struck six boundaries. She hit a few sparkling cover drives and stitched a sparkling partnership of 47 off 34 with Zafar before the latter fell in the 10th over. No Pakistan batter, barring Zafar and Fatima, was able to emulate the 21-year-old in an innings which saw only four batters post in the double digits.

Zulfqar was eventually outsmarted b Joyleen Kaur as she smashed a flighted ball outside off right back to the bowler to be caught and bowled in the 12th over. Pakistan seemed well in control until she was at the crease, but could add only 51 runs in 8.4 overs after her dismissal.

Joyleen brings joy to Hong Kong

Dubai has played slow throughout this women’s Asia Cup and naturally the idea was to make the most of the surface by bowling slow. While all the Hong Kong bowlers followed it, none of them executed it as perfectly as Joyleen as she hung the ball outside the hitting arc of the Pakistan batters who were desperate to post a big total.

It resulted in Zafar handing a simple catch at point while trying to slash hard at a tossed-up delivery outside off and Zulfiqar mis-hit a smash down the ground. She continued with the plan and it brought her two more wickets in her last over as Sadaf Shamas holed out to long-on and Eyman Fatima played all around a lobbed off-break to be trapped in front.

Joyleen finished with career-best figures of 4 for 19, the first time she took four wickets in a T20I.

Pakistan’s bowlers too good for Hong Kong

Hong Kong needed to overhaul the 144-run target inside 12.3 overs to beat Pakistan in the race to the semi-finals but it was always going to be an uphill task considering Pakistan’s strong bowling. They may have been subpar with the bat or in the field this tournament, but their bowling has been rated highly.

Sana defeated the defences of Mariko Hill at the end of the first over and Sadia Iqbal started the second by trapping Natasha Miles in front with an arm ball. From there it was a struggle for Hong Kong. Kary Chan struck a few boundaries as she finished with the highest score (30 off 47) in the innings.

Nashra Sandhu makes history

The left-arm spinner is known for her immaculate line and length bowling and Hong Kong never stood a chance against her. Introduced into the attack after the powerplay, as is often the case with her, Sandhu returned incredible figures of six for seven, the first time a Pakistan bowler has bagged a six-for in a women’s T20I.

Her loopy length ball, which turned away, had Yasmin Daswani in trouble. She then bowled Marina Lamplough and had Maryam Bibi caught across four balls in her next over. She took three wickets in five balls in her last over, the first two coming on consecutive balls. Each dismissal left her with a smile bigger than the last.

Scores:
Pakistan Women 143 for 8 in 20 overs (Shawaal Zulfiqar 47, Ayesha Zafar 26; Fatima Sana 14; Iqra Sathar 2-27, Kary Chan 2-33, Joyleen Kaur 4-19) beat Hong Kong Women 71/10 in 19 overs (Yasmin Daswai 13, Kary Chan 30, Joyleen Kaur 10; Fatima Sana 1-07, Sadia Iqbal 1-08, Um e Sabi1 1-21 Nashra Sandhu 6-07, ) by 72 runs

[Cricinfo]

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INS Udaygiri makes port call in Colombo

Published

15 hours ago

2026/09/8

Priyan

The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Udaygiri arrived at the Port of Colombo on an official visit today, 8 September 2026, where it was received by the Sri Lanka Navy in accordance with time-
honoured naval traditions.

INS Udaygiri is a 149.02m long Frigate, Commanded by Captain Vikas Sood. Meanwhile, the Commanding Officer of the visiting ship is scheduled to call on Commander Western Naval
Area, Rear Admiral Harsha De Silva at the Western Naval Command Headquarters.

Captain Sood served as the Defence Adviser at the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka from July 2020 to October 2023.
During their stay in the island, the crew of INS Udaygiri will participate in several goodwill events organized by the Sri Lanka Navy to enhance camaraderie between the two forces.

The visiting personnel are also scheduled to visit prominent tourist and cultural locations across the island.

Additionally, Sri Lanka Navy personnel are expected to visit the ship for capability observation and knowledge sharing, and will conduct onboard training during its stay.

Sports

Calm Harshitha takes Sri Lanka to Asia Cup semis

Published

23 hours ago

2026/09/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

Vice-captain Harshitha Samarawickrama’s match winning knock helped Sri Lanka overcome Bangladesh and book their place in the Asia Cup semi-finals in Dubai.

Sri Lanka’s women continue to provide compelling evidence that they could be genuine contenders for the next World Cup, while their male counterparts have, in recent years, largely been making up the numbers at global events.

The defending Asia Cup champions, who stunned formidable India in Dambulla two years ago to lift the title, marched into this year’s semi-finals with an unbeaten record.

Sri Lanka topped their group with three wins from three games and importantly, will avoid India in the semi-finals. Their opponents in Friday’s knockout clash will be either Pakistan or Thailand.

For years, Sri Lanka have leaned heavily on their talismanic captain Chamari Athapaththu, one of the greats of the women’s game. More recently, however, others have begun putting their hands up when the skipper has fallen cheaply. That growing depth has also given Chamari greater freedom to play her natural, attacking game.

Last week, Nilakshika de Silva produced a rescue act against Indonesia. On Sunday, after the captain fell to only her second ball, it was the turn of vice-captain Harshitha Samarawickrama to take charge and steer Sri Lanka home through choppy waters.

Chasing 115 to win their final group game against Bangladesh at Dubai Sports City, Sri Lanka were quickly in trouble as seamer Marufa Akter sent both openers packing cheaply. With wickets continuing to tumble at the other end, Harshitha kept her head while others were losing theirs.

At 44 for five, with half the side back in the pavilion, Sri Lanka were staring down the barrel. Harshitha and Nilakshika then began the repair job, adding 38 for the sixth wicket to drag the innings back from the brink.

Marufa has been an outstanding find for Bangladesh and they rely heavily on her for breakthroughs. With one over remaining in her quota, she was summoned back to break the partnership and did precisely that, removing a well set Nilakshika as she attempted to improvise.

There was, however, no stopping Harshitha.

She found a reliable ally in wicketkeeper Kaushini Nuthyangana and the pair calmly took Sri Lanka across the line with an unbroken 33 run stand for the seventh wicket. Harshitha finished unbeaten on 38 off 47 balls, striking four fours and two sixes.

Sri Lanka got home with four balls to spare, maintaining their perfect record in the competition. Yet beneath the celebrations there will be a nagging concern: the batting has collapsed too often, leaving one or two players with far too much heavy lifting to do. That is something they will need to address before the stakes rise further.

Sri Lanka will play the second semi-final on Friday, with the final scheduled for Sunday.