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Ranithma, Shenuk lead Sri Lanka at World Junior Badminton Championships in China

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Sri Lanka team for the World Junior Badminton Championship pose with officials.

A contingent of 21, inclusive of 15 players and six officials, will represent Sri Lanka at the upcoming Yonex BWF World Junior Championships 2024 to be held at the Nanchang International Sports Centre in Jiangxi, China. The Sri Lankan shuttlers, inclusive of eight girls and seven boys, will feature in two tournaments – the Yonex BWF World Junior Team Championship for the Suhandinata Cup and the Yonex BWF World Junior Championship for Eye Level Cup from September 30 to October 13, and a three-day Training Prorgramme prior to the tournament.

The teams, led by Ranithma Liyanage and Shenuk Samararatne, will initially participate at the Olympic Solidarity Youth Athletic Development Programme – World Junior Championship 2024 from September 26 to 28 before they enter the competitions.

The Yonex BWF World Junior Team Championship for the Suhandinata Cup will be held through September 30 to October 5, followed by the Yonex BWF World Junior Championship for the Eye Level Cup, which will be conducted from October 7 to 13. Both these competitions and the three-day Olympic Solidarity Youth Athletic Development Programme will be held at the Nanchang International Sports Centre in Jiangxi, Nanchang, situated approximately 1430 kimometres south from China’s capital, Beijing.

The Sri Lanka Junior boys led by Shenuk Samararatne, includes Thilina Rajakarune, Thidasa Weragoda, Achinthya Madapathage, Pasindu Mihiranga, Sanjula Handapangodage and Pamith Attanayake. The Ranithma Liyanage led eight-member Sri Lanka Junior girls’ team is formed by Sithuli Ranasinghe, Rashmi Bhagya Mudalige, Varangana Jayawardena, Dilini Ambalangodage, Sandathi Hewagallage, Isuri Attanayake and Sithumi Minara de Silva.

Officials accompanying the teams are Sahan Deelaka and Duminda Nirashana as coaches, and Asanga Wijesundera as Team Manager, Ms. Sumithra Dissanayake, Buddhika de Silva and Ms. Vijayalakshmi Punchihewa as team officials.

The dual Grade I competitions, organised by the Chinese Badminton Association (CBA) on behalf of Badminton World Federation (BWF), will see a total of 40 countries competing under eight different groups. Sri Lanka have been slotted alongside world badminton heavyweights Indonesia, Poland, Northern Marianas and Macau China in Group ‘F’. The Group ‘A’ includes hosts China, South Korea, Australia, Hong Kong China and Ghana, while France, Chinese Taipei, Singapore, Slovakia and Armenia form Group ‘B’.

Malaysia, Netherlands, Estonia, Norway and Mongolia form the Group ‘C’ as the UAE, Denmark, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago and Cook Islands are included in Group ‘D’. Group ‘E’ includes India, Turkey, Mauritius, Peru and Azerbaijan while Japan, Slovenia, England, Uganda and Latvia compete under Group ‘G’. Thailand, USA, Portugal, Vietnam and the Philippines form Group ‘H;’ to complete the number of 40 teams participating.



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Jayasuriya takes five as Australia lose 7 for 64 but lead still healthy

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Prabath Jayasuriya finally got some rewards on the third day (Cricinfo)

Left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya  found venomous bite with the second new ball and dismissed centurions Steven Smith  and Alex Carey,  but Australia built a first-innings lead of 157 runs as the second Test moved quickly early on day three.

Underlining that the very dry surface in Galle is difficult to bat on, Australia lost 7 for 64 after Smith was caught behind on 131 to end his 254-ball masterclass.

Jayasuriya struggled on day two to threaten and occasionally reverted to a defensive leg-stump line against Smith. But he was a different bowler this morning, with attacking line and lengths bamboozling a slew of batters. Jayasuriya claimed four wickets in the session to finish with 5 for 151 from 38 overs as Australia were bowled out for 414 by lunch.

Sri Lanka’s fightback, however, might have come too late with their struggling batting-order faced with a tough task in their second innings on a deteriorating surface.

Carey and Smith’s magnificent partnership of 259 ended less than 20 minutes into the day’s play. In another batting record for Australia in this series, it was the highest fourth-wicket partnership by a visiting pair in Sri Lanka in Tests, bettering the 258-stand between Michael Hussey and Shaun Marsh in Pallekele in 2011.

Australia resumed in a powerful position at 330 for 3, but they knew there was work to do in their bid to only bat once in this match.

After such a limp performance in the backend of day two, Sri Lanka desperately needed a spark and they immediately took the second new ball. Jayasuriya looked to attack Smith from around the wicket and found bite off the surface that he had been unable to find for much of the series.

But Smith seemed revitalised after looking gassed by the end of day two and disrupted the lengths of the spinners by skipping down the pitch.

Carey overtook his highest first-class score of 143 in style with a firm sweep that rocketed to the boundary and he also moved past Adam Gilchrist’s 144 as the highest score by an Australian wicketkeeper in Asia.

Jayasuriya was rewarded for his attacking line and lengths when Smith’s stout defence was finally breached by a brilliant delivery that pitched on off stump and gripped off the surface.

Smith walked off immediately and received a rousing ovation, but his dismissal reinvigorated Sri Lanka and brought a different complexion to the game. Josh Inglis made his way to the crease one spot lower in the batting-order after spending time off the field during Sri Lanka’s first innings because of a back spasm.

After scoring a memorable debut ton in the first Test, Inglis found himself in a tougher position and had a nervous moment first ball when only an inside edge saved him from being plumb lbw. But Inglis’ stumps were rattled on the next delivery when he played back to a full delivery that skidded on.

Jayasuriya was on a roll, but Carey’s presence still loomed large for Sri Lanka and he brought up his 150 as the lead passed 100 runs.

However, Carey on 156 finally succumbed to the sweep, a stroke he had been almost faultless through the innings, when he played over the top of a Jayasuriya delivery and was clean bowled.

All eyes were on 21-year-old debutant Cooper Connolly, who boasted a first-class average of 61.80 from four matches but three of those was at the pace-friendly WACA ground. This was an initiation into Test cricket for Connolly, who was beaten by a sharp offbreak from Nishan Peiris, who was Sri Lanka’s most threatening bowler on day two.

Connolly has proven to be a big-game performer in his fledgling career, backing his aggressive instincts, and he got off the mark in trademark cavalier fashion with a boundary albeit off a top-edge from a full-blooded sweep.

But Connolly didn’t add to his tally and was too ambitious when he skipped down to Peiris only to slice to backward point in an ugly dismissal. Peiris was denied another wicket when Starc was dropped at short leg by Pathum Nissanka before he had scored.

Beau Webster steadied the situation briefly, but had a difficult time. He was trapped lbw by Jayasuriya on 20 only for umpire Joel Wilson to once again have to overturn a decision. He was also dropped by wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis on 25 off Ramesh Mendis as Sri Lanka’s fielding woes continued.

But Webster was soon bowled by a big offbreak from Ramesh as Australia’s tail quickly fell away.

Brief scores: (Day 3 Lunch)

Australia 414 (Alex Carey 156, Steven Smith 131; Prabath Jayasuriya 5-151,  ishan Peiris 3-94, Ramesh Mendis 2- 81 ) lead Sri Lanka 257 by 157 runs

 

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Context is king as Pakistan and New Zealand open pre-Champions Trophy tri-series

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Mitchell Santner poses with the tri-series trophy [Cricinfo]

A triangular ODI series is something of a curiosity that belongs in a museum more than it does in 2025. Pakistan last hostedone in 2004, and there have been none in the ODI format anywhere since 2019.  When this particular series was announced not long ago, it stood out – it is the only ODI tri series in the current FTP.

Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa will play a truncated version of the classic tri-series, with just one round of matches followed by a final. The schedule was likely squeezed by the SA20 at one end and the Champions Trophy at the other, and it is that upcoming ICC event – the first hosted by Pakistan in nearly three decades – which gives the series context.

While South Africa’s squad is weakened by player commitments at the SA20 and injuries, Pakistan and New Zealand, who take each other on in the opener, have pretty much full-strength sides. Both have named near-identical squads for this series and the Champions Trophy, and had two practice sessions at the rebuilt Gaddafi Stadium, which will officially be inaugurated on Friday, on the eve of the first game.

For each side, it offers the opportunity for precious match practice in conditions where the Champions Trophy will be held in the main (with India’s matches in Dubai). Pakistan and New Zealand will also open the marquee tournament, though that game will take place in Karachi and not Lahore. Both have played exactly nine ODIs each since the end of the 2023 World Cup, and all in very different conditions to this. While Pakistan won each of their three recent ODI series, New Zealand fell short in the one they played in the subcontinent, a 2-0 reversal against Sri Lanka.

However, it’s not as if they are short of match practice in this country. Since December 2022, they have played two Tests, eight ODIs and ten T20Is in Pakistan across four series. On most of those occasions, though, multiple factors meant New Zealand sent in weakened squads, with larger context to build up to. This time, however, there is a multi-team trophy on the line, all while preparing for the second-biggest title in ODI cricket.

It offers the visitors a chance to trial what appears a healthy balance between seam and spin in Pakistan. Captain Mitchell Santner will have Rachin Ravindra, Michael Bracewell and Glenn Phillips for slow bowling company, while they also have a battery of fast bowlers – no fewer than six – in their tri-series squad.

Pakistan appear to have shown their hand slightly more, with just one full-time spinner alongside Salman Ali Agha, their most plausible part-time spin option. There is a bit of tinkering required at the top, where it appears Fakhar Zaman, back in from the cold, will open with Babar Azam, an experiment the PCB are testing ahead of the Champions Trophy. With this their only game before the deadline to make changes to the squad on February 11, there is more riding on it for them than just the eventual outcome of the contest.

 

Babar Azam is always in the spotlight, but things are different this time. With Saim Ayub’s injury and Abdullah Shafique’s loss of form, ESPNcricinfo understands Pakistan’s former captain is expected to be called upon to open the batting to provide stability up top. He has, with polarising effect, performed this role in T20 cricket for several years, and more recently stood in as Test opener in Cape Town, scoring a half-century in each innings. In ODIs, however, all but 14 of his innings have come at three, and as he looks to navigate his way out of a difficult run of form, a change of position in his most prolific format will guarantee all eyes on him.

Lockie Ferguson has not played ODI cricket since the tail-end of 2023, but with Pakistan also naming four seamers in their squad, this may be a series where express pace is a factor. Fresh off a respectable showing in the ILT20, where he places among the top-ten wicket-takers, the 33-year-old Ferguson is the oldest fast bowler across all three sides this tri-series, but also the quickest. Against a makeshift Pakistan opening pair and, in Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan, middle-order players more accomplished against spin than high pace, Ferguson’s extra heat presents a locus of vulnerability for Pakistan, and a point of difference for New Zealand.

Ayub, recovering from an ankle injury, is out of the series and the Champions Trophy. Pakistan are expected to open with Fakhar and Babar, with three premier seam bowlers and Abrar Ahmed as lone frontline spinner. The middle order will see some rotation over the series.

Pakistan (likely) Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam,  Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk),  Tayyab Tahir/Saud Shakeel,  Salman Agha,  Khushdil Shah,  Shaheen Afridi,  Naseem Shah,  Haris Rauf,  Abrar Ahmed

New Zealand have two opportunities to work out their best side here before the deadline for the Champions Trophy squads shuts. The conditions would suggest three fast bowlers at a minimum. With all of New Zealand’s spinners also handy batters, balance of the side is not much of an issue.

New Zealand (possible)  Devon Conway,  Will Young,  Rachin Ravindra,  Kane Williamson,  Daryl Mitchell,  Tom Latham (wk),  Glenn Phillips/Michael Bracewell,  Mitchell Santner (capt),  Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry,  Will O’Rourke

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Australia tighten their grip on second Test

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Dhananjaya de Silva looked to have run out of ideas as Australia batted themselves into a commanding position on day two of the second Test in Galle.

Rex Clementine in Galle

Australia are well and truly in the driver’s seat in the second Test against Sri Lanka after commanding centuries from skipper Steve Smith and wicketkeeper Alex Carey. At stumps on day two, the visitors were 330 for three, leading by 73 runs, and poised to post a mammoth first-innings total, heaping pressure on the hosts.

The duo stitched together an unbroken 239 run stand for the fourth wicket, frustrating the Sri Lankan bowlers, who were left searching for answers. The hosts had their moments early on, but once the ball lost its bite, the spinners struggled to get the same fizz off the surface, and Australia capitalized in style.

Smith, fresh from a big hundred in the first Test, had a jittery start, negotiating a few testing deliveries. He was given out leg-before on 24, but the decision was overturned on review. Once he settled in, it was vintage Smith on display. With cover drives that oozed elegance and pull shots executed with precision, he stamped his authority. He took a few calculated risks, and with Sri Lanka lacking a substantial total to defend, the field was soon spread out to cut off boundaries rather than hunt for wickets. That didn’t deter the Aussie captain, who pierced the gaps with ease, dispatching nine fours and a six. He brought up his 36th Test hundred in style, pulling part-timer Kamindu Mendis to the mid-wicket boundary.

Carey, promoted to number five in place of Josh Inglis – who was off the field nursing a sore back – grabbed his chance with both hands. The left-hander outpaced his captain, racing to his half-century in just 68 deliveries. His hundred came in emphatic fashion, a well-timed sweep racing to the boundary. He needed just 118 balls to reach the milestone, finishing with a career-best 139 off 156 balls with 13 fours and two sixes.

Sri Lanka began promisingly, reducing Australia to 37 for two before prising out the key wicket of Usman Khawaja at 91. But that was as good as it got for the hosts. Once Smith and Carey joined forces, they wrested control, dictating terms and pushing Sri Lanka onto the back foot.

With a 2-0 series sweep in their sights, Australia are on course to seal the deal, having already inflicted Sri Lanka’s worst-ever Test defeat in the series opener – a crushing innings-and-242-run humiliation. The home side now face an uphill battle to turn the tide, but with Australia tightening the screws, the writing appears to be on the wall.

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