Sports
Pubudu Dassanayake appointed Nepal head coach
Pubudu Dassanayake has been reappointed as head coach of the Nepal men’s national team, Cricket Association of Nepal announced at the end of their board meeting held earlier today. Dassanayake will fill the vacancy that opened up after Dav Whatmore stepped down from the position in September at the end of Nepal’s ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 matches in Oman.
Dassanayake has had a successful run as coach at the Associate level over the years. From 2007 to 2011, he was with Canada, who he represented as a cricketer after migrating from Sri Lanka in 2001. He helped the team qualify for their third straight ODI World Cup, and was then appointed as Nepal coach.
“I am simply gratified and blessed that I have got this opportunity to work with Cricket Association of Nepal,” he said after his appointment. “I am hopeful I would be able now to take Nepal cricket to a great height as we have immense talent not only in senior level but also in the junior level.”
He was involved with the Nepal set-up from 2011 to 2016, guiding them from Division Four of the World Cricket League (WCL) to Division One, the WCL Championship, and to their first major ICC tournament, the 2014 T20 World Cup.
After that, he served as the head coach of USA for just under three years, before resigning in July 2019. He was in charge as USA moved up from Division Four of the WCL, in November 2016, to ODI status in April 2019 after they secured a top-four finish at WCL Division Two.
As a cricketer, Dassanayake, now 51, played 11 Tests and 16 ODIs as a wicketkeeper for Sri Lanka between 1993 and 1994, before Romesh Kaluwitharana became the preferred keeper for the national team. By the turn of the millennium, he was spending his off seasons playing as an overseas club pro for Centurions CC in the Toronto suburb of Brampton. By 2001, he had left Sri Lanka for good.
Though he didn’t have hopes of continuing as a cricketer in Canada, his performances with Centurions CC helped him make the Canada team once he had completed his four-year residency requirement. He made his debut at 34 in the 2005 ICC Trophy in Ireland, where he helped Canada qualify for the 2007 World Cup. He couldn’t take part in the tournament, though, because of his commitments as a duty manager at the Toronto Cricket, Skating & Curling Club.
At 36, after the 2007 World Cup, he took over as the coach of the Canada side, and has been a professional coach since.
Whatmore, whose shoes Dassanayake will fill, was appointed to the position in Nepal in December 2020 and took charge in early 2021, with qualification for the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia the stated focus. Whatmore, however, decided to step down shortly into his job, and it was understood at the time that his decision was influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic, which had made it difficult for him to see his family because of travel restrictions. (cricinfo)
Six-a-side school cricket is set to make a high-profile return to Moratuwa when the Old Boys’ Association of Prince of Wales’ College stages the Prince of Wales’ College 150th Anniversary Inter-School Sixes Cricket Tournament on August 29 and 30 at the De Soysa Stadium.
The two-day tournament is one of the major sporting attractions of the College’s historic 150th anniversary celebrations and
will bring together 16 leading school cricket teams for a knockout competition.
The tournament is aimed at reviving the excitement of six-a-side cricket, a format renowned for its fast pace and spectator-friendly nature, which has not featured regularly in major inter-school competitions in recent years.
The Old Boys’ Association believes the 150th anniversary provides the ideal opportunity to bring the format back to the forefront while celebrating Moratuwa’s deep-rooted passion for cricket.
Cricket has long held a special place in the hearts of Moratuwa’s residents, while Prince of Wales’ College boasts a proud cricketing tradition that has produced several outstanding players who have gone on to represent Sri Lanka at the highest level.
The organizers expect more than 5,000 cricket enthusiasts from Moratuwa and surrounding areas to witness the tournament over the two days, turning the event into a major festival of school cricket.
The opening ceremony on August 29 is scheduled to be attended by Kusal Mendis, one of the leading cricketers produced by Prince of Wales’ College and a member of the Sri Lankan national team.
The tournament will feature 16 schools, including Royal College Colombo, St. Joseph’s College Darley Road, Thurstan College Colombo, S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia, Dharmasoka College Ambalangoda, Prince of Wales’ College Moratuwa, Moratu Maha Vidyalaya, D.S. Senanayake College Colombo, Sri Sumangala College Panadura, Richmond College Galle, Mahanama College Colombo, St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa, St. Peter’s College Bambalapitiya, Wesley College Colombo, Ananda College Colombo and Mahanama College Panadura.
With the competition being played on a knockout basis, the compact format is expected to produce plenty of attacking cricket and give emerging players an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of a large crowd.
Apart from the competitive aspect, the tournament is also intended to promote sportsmanship, friendship and fellowship among the participating schools.
The tournament will conclude on August 30 with a ceremonial awards presentation, with the participation of Eran Wickramaratne, distinguished invitees, representatives of participating schools, past pupils and members of the cricketing community.
The Old Boys’ Association has also expressed its appreciation to the corporate sector and event sponsors whose support has helped make the tournament possible.
Their contribution, according to the organizers, reflects the continuing partnership between Prince of Wales’ College, its alumni and the corporate community in supporting educational, sporting and development initiatives.
The six-a-side tournament is therefore expected to provide not only two days of entertaining school cricket, but also a fitting sporting celebration of 150 years of Prince of Wales’ College.
India 503/9 decl (Devdutt Padikkal 117, Dhruv Jurel 115; Asitha Fernando 4-106, Prabath Jayasuriya 2-132) drew with Sri Lanka 290 (Sonal Dinusha 103, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 80; Prasidh Krishna 3-52, Manav Suthar 3-85) and 429/9 f/o (Sonal Dinusha 133*, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 92; Ravindra Jadeja 3-94, Manav Suthar 3-121)
American golfer Matt Gogel has been suspended for six months for betting on golf tournaments, the PGA Tour has said.
The 55-year-old competes on the PGA Tour Champions circuit which is reserved for professional golfers aged 50 and older.
Gogel did not bet on events in which he was participating but admitted to unknowingly violating PGA Tour policy by placing “small recreational wagers” in 2024 and 2025.
“I would never knowingly violate the integrity of the game of golf,” Gogel said in a statement.
“I made an honest mistake and I look forward to playing in 2027 on the PGA Tour Champions.”
He had two top-10 finishes across 18 PGA Tour Champions events in 2026 and was most recently in action during the Rogers Charity Classic in Calgary, Alberta where he finished tied 30th last week.
Gogel, who has earned more than $760,000 (£559,000) in prize money from Champions events, won the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 2002 – his only victory in 179 starts on the PGA Tour.
His suspension came into effect on 23 August and lasts until 22 February.
[BBC Sports]
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