Sports
Passing the torch; Sri Lanka’s next batting dynamos
Rex Clementine at Pallekele
When we think of world-class Sri Lankan batters, Kumar Sangakkara shines brightest. His numbers are simply otherworldly with a Test average of 57. That’s the stuff legends are made of. And it’s not just about the home turf heroics – Sanga’s average away from home was over 51, a feat only the finest achieve.
Then there’s Mahela Jayawardene. A maestro in his own right, although he narrowly missed the 50-mark. It was a bitter pill to swallow when his average dipped below 50 in his last Test innings, right on his beloved SSC ground. Overseas, MJ’s average of 41 wasn’t quite up to the standard, yet he remains one of the country’s greats.
Then, there’s Aravinda de Silva, Sri Lanka’s original cricketing maverick. Though he didn’t average 50, he was the hero of a generation. Arjuna Ranatunga once said that his captaincy recipe was simple: “Keep Aravinda happy, and he’ll win you games singlehandedly.” Even Mark Taylor, the Aussie skipper, admitted that the Aussies spent nearly an hour strategizing for Aravinda alone. The next day? Aravinda would still walk in and blast a century, leaving the Aussies scratching their heads.
Sri Lanka had its share of classy batters before the Test era too – legends like Mahadevan Sathasivam, F.C. de Saram, and Anura Tennekoon. Since Sanga’s retirement, we’ve seen plenty of raw talent, but few have hit the heights expected of them. Some players rested on past laurels, while others saw their dreams hampered by injuries.
Fast forward to today, and Sri Lanka’s changed its game. Training methods have shifted, and there’s newfound passion and commitment. This recent resurgence isn’t by chance. It’s been built on hard work, attention to detail, and the kind of endless practice sessions reminiscent of the Sanga era.
Pathum Nissanka: The History Maker
Could Pathum Nissanka be the next big name? Even Sangakkara has hinted that he might be the one to rewrite history. When asked, Pathum chuckled humbly, acknowledging Sanga’s greatness and saying that reaching his numbers would be an honour. This modesty makes you root for him all the more.
Already, Pathum’s created ripples. This year, he became the first Sri Lankan to score a double century in ODI cricket, breaking Sanath Jayasuriya’s long-standing record for most runs in an innings. Watching him bat is a treat – elegance meets ruthless efficiency. His century at The Oval, which powered Sri Lanka to their first Test win in England in a decade, was a masterclass. Patient early on, he then cut loose, treating the crowd to a dazzling array of shots, from square cuts to precise drives and well-timed pulls.
Pathum’s a cool customer, handling sledges with a grin. He’s already made waves in England, with Michael Atherton pondering why on earth Sri Lanka didn’t play him from the first game.
Kamindu Mendis: The Rescue Act
Then there’s Kamindu Mendis, a sensation since his Test comeback this year. With seven Tests under his belt in 2024, Kamindu has racked up five centuries and three half-centuries. His Player of the Series performances in two consecutive overseas series show his grit away from home – a hallmark of true greatness.
Batting at number five, Kamindu doesn’t always have ample time in the middle, often joining the lower order and tail. But he’s an essential cog, preventing collapses and staging rescue acts. In recent tight games in Bangladesh, England, and Galle, Kamindu stood tall, batting with the tail to steer Sri Lanka out of trouble. And here’s a jaw-dropper: batting that low and still becoming the third-fastest to 1,000 Test runs, tied with none other than Sir Don Bradman.
Other Notable Mentions
We can’t overlook Kusal Mendis, a standout of recent years, though his best years might be behind him. And Charith Asalanka has shown promise in limited-overs cricket, though a chronic knee issue has kept him from Test stardom.
In short, Sri Lankan cricket is fun to watch again. With Pathum and Kamindu leading the charge, who knows – we might just be witnessing the dawn of the next great era in Sri Lankan batting.
In the fifth T20I in Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand last year, the hosts had been dismissed for 92 chasing 135 in Christchurch. In the first T20I of this five-match series, that was a winning total for New Zealand after Kyle Jamieson and Jacob Duffy took apart a new-look Pakistan side.
The dropping of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan signalled that Pakistan were trying to step out of their comfort zone in T20 cricket, which is broadly very good. But on Sunday, they saw the risks that also come with it as they were bundled out for 91, their lowest total in New Zealand and their fifth-lowest in the format.
The Black Caps followed the WhiteFerns in bringing up comprehensive victories on a double-header day in Christchurch as Jamieson and Duffy shared seven wickets between them, the bounce they were able to generate being too much for the Pakistan batters.
Jamieson, back in the T20I set up for the first time in nearly two years, set the tone for New Zealand with a wicket maiden, Mohammad Haris only able to help a short ball behind to wicketkeeper Mitch Hay.
Debutant Hasan Nawaz then got a leading edge off Duffy to Jamieson at deep third as Pakistan lost both openers without a run on the board. This was only the second time both Pakistan openers were dismissed for ducks.
Jamieson then had Irfan Khan edging behind in the third over as Pakistan slumped to 1 for 3 – their lowest score at the fall of the third wicket.
Tim Robinson then evoked rather fresh memories of Glenn Phillips from the Champions Trophy as he took a blinder at backward point to give Jamieson his third, with the scoreboard reading 11 for 4.
Pakistan were restricted to 14 for 4 in the powerplay, and it could have gotten worse immediately afterwards, but Tim Seifert dropped Khushdil Shah at point off the captain Michael Bracewell.
Agha then looked to drive a full ball from Zakary Foulkes the next over, only to get an edge but Daryl Mitchell shelled the chance in the slip cordon.
Agha and Khushdil used their second lives to arrest Pakistan’s free-fall. They finally looked to up the tempo in the tenth over, when Agha reverse-swept Ish Sodhi for four behind point and Khushdil smacked him over midwicket for Pakistan’s first six.
In the next over, Khushdil took Bracewell on for back-to-back sixes to try and put some pressure back on the bowlers. But it was a very short-lived phase of ascendancy for Pakistan.
Agha tried another reverse-sweep off Sodhi’s next ball, but he could only pick out deep backward point. Duffy was brought back into the attack for an over, and the move paid dividends as Khushdil slapped a short ball to backward point. Pakistan were 64 for 6 after 13.
Debutant Abdul Samad and Jahandad Khan then fell trying to play big shots before Duffy returned in the penultimate over to take the last two wickets, picking up from where he left off in the T20I series against Sri Lanka where he finished as the highest wicket-taker
Pakistan’s 91 is the fourth-lowest T20I score by any team in New Zealand.
After playing out the first over, Seifert got New Zealand going with a pull through midwicket off debutant Mohammad Ali. He then picked up three boundaries off Shaheen Afridi’s next over, including another pull in front of square.
Seifert gave the charge to Ali to pick up another boundary, before getting two off Jahandad’s first over, and the fifth of the innings. Finn Allen, largely a spectator until then, also joined the party as he lofted Jahandad down the ground for the first six of the chase.
Pakistan switched to spin and Seifert welcomed Abrar Ahmed with a massive hit over long-off. Abrar got the better of him with a carrom ball that Haris did well to hold on to behind the stumps off the bottom edge, but New Zealand by then had effectively won the match in the two powerplays.
Allen hit another six and two fours, while Robinson also got a six to his name as New Zealand completed the chase just one ball after the halfway mark of the innings.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 92 for 1 in 10.1 overs (Tim Seifert 44, Finn Allen 29*, Tim Robinson 18*; Abrar Ahmed 1-15) beat Pakistan 91 in 18.4 overs (Salman Agha 18, Khushdil Shah 32, Jahandad Khan 17; Jacob Duffy 4-14, Kyle Jamieson 3-8, Zakarie Foulkes 1-11, Ish Sodhi 2-27) by nine wickets
[Cricinfo]
At the recently concluded International Schools Athletic Championship (ISAC), Lyceum International School Wattala emerged as champions. However, during the competition, a protest was lodged, alleging that one of Lyceum Wattala’s athletes was on the payroll of the Sri Lanka Army and, therefore, ineligible to participate in ISAC. Following an inquiry, the athlete was disqualified, and the points he had earned were deducted from the school’s total. By that time, he had already won gold medals in the Long Jump, Triple Jump, and 4x100m relay.
Lyceum Wattala has built a reputation for excelling in sports, but many attribute this success to its large-scale recruitment of athletes through scholarships. Notably, the two champion athletes of this year’s ISAC had previously represented other schools. Further inquiries have now revealed that another athlete, who competed for Lyceum Wattala at ISAC 2025 and secured the Under-20 Champion title by winning the 400m, 110m hurdles, and 4x400m relay, is also on the payroll of the Sri Lanka Army.
Unethical practices of this nature create an unhealthy competitive environment and discourage underprivileged schools, which struggle to retain their talent. Lyceum is not the only international school offering scholarships to top athletes; other international schools have also followed suit. One such leading institution, known for its strong academic results, has extended its scholarship program to sports, aggressively recruiting high-achieving students from other schools.
This school has reportedly granted scholarships to several students and even gone as far as providing free textbooks, exam fees, and opportunities for foreign travel.
Rather than nurturing homegrown talent, these international schools seem more focused on acquiring ready-made athletes from other institutions. The era of developing skilled players appears to be fading, as these schools increasingly prioritize assembling teams over fostering individual talents.
Strong all-round performances fromSuzie Bates and Brooke Halliday along with a breakout bowling display from Bree Illing helped New Zealand breeze to a seven wicket win against Sri Lanka in Christchurch to level the series at 1-1.
New Zealand’s bowlers set the tone with a frugal display after winning the toss and electing to bowl, restricting Sri Lanka to 113 for 7 in their 20 overs before Bates and Halliday made 47 and 46 not out respectively as the hosts cruised home with seven wickets and nine balls to spare. Bates was named player of the match after also bowling four overs for just 16 runs while Halliday also took 1 for 12 with the ball in addition to posting her highest T20I score.
Illing made use of the early morning start picking up a wicket in the opening over and a second in the seventh as she bowled straight with the new ball to finish with figures of 2 for 18 in just her second T20I after going wicketless in her debut in game one of the series on Friday
Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu was well held as Eden Carson, Jess Kerr and Bates were rotated at the other end with the latter bowling a maiden to Athapaththu in her first over. The scoreboard pressure told when Kerr castled her for 23 off 29 in the following over, the ninth of the innings, with Sri Lanka stalled at 3 for 46.
That soon became 4 for 53 when debutant Flora Devonshire picked up a wicket in her first over in international cricket.
Sri Lanka steadied thanks to a 54-run stand between Manudi Nanayakkara and Nilakshika Silva. Nanyakkara made 35 from 32 with four boundaries while Silva made 20 from 22. But neither player could break free as Bates bowled four overs for just 16 runs while Halliday also took a wicket in her two overs for 11 runs. Kerr took a wicket in the final over to finish with figures of 2 for 29.
New Zealand’s chase started poorly with Georgia Plimmer caught behind in the second over for just 4. Emma McLeod followed suit in the seventh over for a sluggish 11 from 13 but Bates controlled the chase at the other. Safe in the knowledge she needed less than a run-a-ball, she struck just four boundaries and only faced consecutive dot balls once in her 46-ball innings before she was caught and bowled in 15th over with 29 still needed to win.
Halliday ensured they were knocked off with ease striking multiple boundaries in both the 16th and 18th overs as she made 46 not out from 40 balls to steer her side home and go past her previous T20I best of 38.
The series will be decided in the third T20I in Dunedin on Tuesday.
Brief scores:
New Zealand Women 117 for 3 in 18.3 overs (Suzie Bates 47, Emma McLeod 11, Brooke Halliday 46*; Inoshi Priyadarshini 1-19, Sugandika Kumari 1-16, Achini Kulasuriya 1-11)beat Sri Lanka Women 113 for 7 in 20 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 23, Harshith Samarawickrema 11, Kavisha Dilhari 12, Manudi Nanyakkara 35, Nilakshika Silva 20; Bree Illing 2-18, Jess Kerr 2-29, Flora Devonshire 1-12, Brooke Halliday 1-11) by seven wickets
[Cricinfo]
51 dead after North Macedonia nightclub fire
Pakistan 91 all out as post Babar-Rizwan era begins with a whimper
International Schools accused of poaching athletes for ISAC glory
-
Foreign News1 day agoSearch continues in Dominican Republic for missing student Sudiksha Konanki
-
News5 days agoAlfred Duraiappa’s relative killed in Canada shooting
-
Opinion7 days agoInsulting SL armed forces
-
Features4 days agoRichard de Zoysa at 67
-
Editorial6 days agoGhosts refusing to fade away
-
Features4 days agoSL Navy helping save kidneys
-
Midweek Review5 days agoRanil in Head-to-Head controversy
-
Features6 days agoThe Gypsies…one year at a time