Sports
Persistent drizzle in Kanpur washes out second day
A start-stop drizzle meant there was no play on the second day of the second Test between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur. The whole ground remained under covers throughout the day. At times, three super-soppers came out, running over the covers, but the ground staff could not do much beyond that.
There was a steady drizzle till around 10am but after that, the rain was so light that had play been in progress, it might have continued. However, there was considerable rain last evening and overnight and that seemed to have done the most damage.
With no chance of an immediate start, the players went back to their hotel around 10.20am. Eventually, at 2pm, the umpires called it off.
Things were only slightly better on the first day. A combination of rain and bad light allowed just 33 overs in which Bangladesh scored 107 for 3. After India won the toss, which itself was delayed by an hour, Rohit Sharma opted to bowl. This is not what India do usually at home; the last time they chose to bowl first in a home Test was nine years ago: against South Africa in Bengaluru in 2015.. Coincidentally, that Test was also marred by rain.
Bangladesh openers Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam survived Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj’s opening spells. But Akash Deep dismissed both of them soon after to put India ahead. Mominul Haque and Najmul Hossain Shanto then stabilised the innings before R Ashwin ended their 51-run stand by trapping Shanto lbw. However, before either team could take significant advantage, the weather intervened.
Weather permitting, Shanto is hoping his batters can deliver on day three. “There is day three and four ahead of us and since there is rain and not much sun to be had, in that sense as the game progresses it will be [understood] how challenging the wicket is,” he said after day two. “I think we lost one wicket [too many on day one]. The start of the batting innings was good. It’s still good. I won’t say we are in a bad position. We have many batters left in the dugout.
“From here on, if we can form two big partnerships then we can reach a good position.”
(Cricinfo)
After conceeding a first innIngs deficit, St. Sebastians’ College Moratuwa bounced back in the second innings to record a six wickets victory over Richmond in the Under 19 Division I Tier A match at Ambepussa on Friday.
Adesh Almeida took seven wickets to dismiss Richmond for 149 runs in the first innng but the Sebs failed to capitalize as they were bowled out for 127 runs. The most of the scoring was done by Meshone Ferdinando (44) and Lashen Fernando (39).
When Richmond came to bat for the second time, Koshendra Fernando led the way with a five wicket haul to reduce them to 102 runs.
Chasing 125 runs to win, the Sebs were 53 for four wickets at one stage before Koshendra and Chamath Wellalage joined to dissapoint Richmond. They put on an unbroken 74 runs stand for the fifth wicket to seal the victory.
Scores:
Richmond 149 all out in 46.3 overs
(Minaga Ariyadasa 26, Ranindu de Silva 28, Adesh Almeida 7/58) and 102 all out in 44.3 overs (Bevin Jayawardhana 34; Koshendra Fernando 5/42, Adesh Almeida 2/08)
St. Sebastian’s 127 all out in 43.4 overs (Meshone Ferdinando 44, Lashen Fernando 39; Hiruk Akalanka 3/35, Thenusha Nimsara 5/45) and 127 for 4 in 30.5 overs (Koshendra Fernando 43n.o., Chamath Wellalage 39n.o.; Thenusha Nimsara 2/45)
by Reemus Fernando ✍️
Sophie Devine’s all-round effort (50 & 2-16) and Rajeshwai Gayakwad’s spell of 3 for 16 paved the way for Gujarat Giants to return to winning ways in Women’s Premier League 2026. They ended UP Warriorz two-match winning streak, beating the Meg Lanning-led side for the second time this season and moved to second spot on the points table with their massive 45-run win in Vadodara on Thursday.
Put in to bat, Giants made a solid start with Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, playing her first match of the season, cracking three boundaries early in the innings. Her stay lasted for only eight balls, but Beth Mooney (38) steadied the innings in the company of Anushka Sharma, Ash Gardner and Devine for a brief while.
A bit scratchy and out of form this season, Mooney couldn’t get the move on like she would’ve wanted. Just when it seemed like she was about to cut loose with a couple of boundaries off Chloe Tryon, she threw her wicket away in the 13th over, mistiming a shot to mid off.
Having paced away to 38 for 1 within four overs, the scoring rate had clawed back. With Warriorz striking at regular intervals, Giants found themselves at 93 for 4 in the 13th over. Devine measured her attack even in the death overs, but with wickets falling regularly at the other end while the batters looked for the big shots, Giants couldn’t find the required pace. However, Devine clubbed a couple of sixes in the last over, which yielded 16 runs, to register her half century and help Giants to a competitive 153 for 8.
In response, Warriorz struggled in the chase. Kiran Navgire fell for another duck; this time stumped to a delivery down the leg side by Renuka Singh. The onus fell yet again on Meg Lanning and Pheobe Litchfield to control the innings. It was going well till the fifth over when Lanning missed a pull to a delivery that didn’t rise as high as she had anticipated before she too was stumped in similar fashion to that of Navgire.
However, Litchfield, with her range of strokes, kept the scoreboard ticking. Even as Harleen Deol struggled to pick pace in her innings, at the time of the southpaw’s dismissal in the eighth over when she was dismissed playing a reverse sweep, Warriorz were very much in the hunt of the target. But her dismissal triggered a collapse.
Gayakwad, returning to the XI, ripped through the middle order, sending back Deepti Sharma, Shweta Sehrawat and S Asha in quick succession. By then, Harleen’s innings was also cut short for a painful 12-ball three. Devine returned for her second spell and ran through the tail while Tryon attempted to put up a solo fight. Warriorz were bundled out in the 18th over for 108.
Brief Scores:
Gujarat Giants Women 153/8 in 20 overs (Sophie Devine 50, Beth Mooney 38; Kranti Gaud 2-18, Sophie Eccelestone 2-22) beat UP Warriorz Women 108 in 17.3 overs (Phoebe Litchfield 32, Chloe Tron 30*; Rajeshwari Gayakwad 3-16, Sophie Devine 2-16) by 45 runs
Charith Asalanka faced the media for the first time since being stripped of Sri Lanka’s T20 captaincy and there was no bitterness in his tone. Instead, he sounded like a man choosing to play with a straight bat, pragmatic, reflective and determined not to let emotions drag him into more trouble after a bruising few weeks.
Asalanka has long been earmarked for leadership. Groomed for the role for more than a decade, he cut his teeth at Richmond College, Galle, winning multiple titles alongside a cohort that included Wanindu Hasaranga, Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya Lakshan. He was the obvious choice to captain Sri Lanka Under-19s and repaid that faith handsomely, steering the side to a series victory in England. Coached then by former great Roy Dias, Asalanka was marked out early as a special talent with an old head on young shoulders.
When he graduated to the senior side, the signs were clear, this was a captain-in-waiting. He did little to disappoint his backers. Under his watch, Sri Lanka ticked off important ODI series wins over Australia and India, arresting a worrying slide in the 50-over format. T20 cricket, however, proved a trickier pitch. Progress there was slow and the Asia Cup became his stumbling block. Questionable bowling changes, coupled with perceptions that he didn’t fully trust his bench, led to murmurs of clique-building, a charge that stuck.
Matters came to a head in Pakistan when players, despite security assurances from both boards, revolted and demanded an early return home. Asalanka was widely believed to be the ring-leader, summoned back and relieved of the captaincy. There is little doubt he had begun to look a touch too big for his boots. But cricket, like life, rarely deals in absolutes; there is no sinner without a past and no saint without a future.
Having paid his dues, Asalanka now deserves clarity and backing to move forward at least as the leader of the ODI side. He has continued to deliver with the bat, scripting several come-from-behind victories. It is the calmness he brings to nerve-jangling run chases that sets him apart, ice in the veins, eyes firmly on the prize. He remains Sri Lanka’s sole representative in the ICC’s top ten ODI batters, a testament to his consistency and temperament.
If Asalanka can recalibrate his leadership, steering the team by destiny rather than chasing cheap popularity, Sri Lanka may yet reap rich dividends in the years ahead. In cricket, as ever, the long game matters most.
Alleged drug kingpin and ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding arrested after years on the run
Showers above 50 mm are likely at some places in the Northern, North-central, and North-western provinces and in Trincomalee district
Karu argues against scrapping MPs’ pension as many less fortunate members entered Parliament after ’56
Johnston, two sons and two others further remanded over alleged misuse of vehicle
CIABOC indicts MP Chamara Sampath in HC on bribery allegation
High-level discussion held to enhance Sri Lanka Agricultural Productivity with Chinese assistance
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Editorial6 days agoIllusory rule of law
-
Features6 days agoDaydreams on a winter’s day
-
Features6 days agoSurprise move of both the Minister and myself from Agriculture to Education
-
Features5 days agoExtended mind thesis:A Buddhist perspective
-
Features6 days agoThe Story of Furniture in Sri Lanka
-
Opinion4 days agoAmerican rulers’ hatred for Venezuela and its leaders
-
Features6 days agoWriting a Sunday Column for the Island in the Sun
-
Business2 days agoCORALL Conservation Trust Fund – a historic first for SL