Sports
Raveen shines, Joes suffer second defeat
Under-19 Division I Cricket
by Reemus Fernando
Skipper Raveen de Silva produced probably the best all round performance so far in the tournament to guide Nalanda to 52 runs victory over Maliyadeva in the Under-19 Division I Limited Overs tournament Tier ‘A’ match at Kurunegala.
De Silva’s unbeaten 99 runs which held the Nalanda batting together and his five wicket haul which restricted Maliyadeva to 221 runs were the best all round performance so far in the limited overs tournament. He scored 99 runs in just 71 balls inclusive of 10 fours and two sixes.
In reply to Nalanda’s 273 runs, Maliyadeva were 170 for six wickets at one stage, with Rishi Adishtan, who had scored a century in their last match still holding guard. But de Silva managed to douse his threat as he accounted for the late order batting line up.
In the other Tier ‘A’ matches St. Sebastian’s recorded a thrilling two runs victory over St. Joseph’s. It was the second consecutive defeat suffered by the Joes. Trinity, Wesley, Mahanama and Prince of Wales were the other Tier ‘A’ teams to record wins on Tuesday.
In Tier ‘B’ matches, Mahinda, Devapathiraja, Isipatana, Joseph Vaz, Lumbini and Thurstan registered wins.
Tier A
St. Sebastian’s beat St. Joseph’s by two runs at Darley Road
St. Sebastian’s
134 all out in 48.5 overs (Savindu Rodrigo 29, Chakila Perera 22; Mithira Thenura 2/09, Shenuka de Silva 4/30)
St. Joseph’s
132 all out in 49.5 overs (Sheran Fonseka 28, Shevon Daniel 20; Sandeesh Fernando 2/29, Mahen Silva 2/15, Kalana Sandeepa 3/31)
Nalanda beat Maliyadeva by 52 runs at Kurunegala
Nalanda
273 for 7 in 50 overs (Rusiru Vilochana 37, Rashan Dissanayaka 39, Vinuja Ranpul 50, Raveen de Silva 99n.o.; Thimira Chandrasena 2/48, Nikila Dharmadasa 2/45, Charuka Herath 2/23)
Maliyadeva
221 all out in 43.1 overs (Rishi Adishtan 50, Thimira Chandrasena 38, Matheesha Weerasinghe 33, Chaluka Athapaththu 21, Pasan Kahagalla 21; Sajitha Vithanage 3/36, Raveen de Silva 5/42)
Cambrians beat S. Thomas’ by six wickets according to Parabola Method at Moratuwa
S. Thomas’
114 all out in 38.3 overs (Thenuka Liyanage 49n.o., Dhiren de Silva 23; Pasindu Pathum 4/32, Mahinsa Dinushan 2/18)
Prince of Wales
112 for 4 in 23.4 overs (Tharindu Amarasinghe 37, Upeka Fernando 32n.o.)
Mahanama beat St. Benedict’s by 91 runs at Kotahena
Mahanama
234 for 6 in 50 overs (Sachira Weliwatta 69n.o., Pavan Rathnayake 45, Achintha Supun 26n.o., Danaja Sandalidu 24, Savindu Kavinda 22; Akindu Karunaratne 2/42)
St. Benedict’s
143 all out in 47.4 overs (Sharujan Shanmuganathan 31, Hasindra Kaviratne 25, Chamath Chathurya 25n.o.; Sethum Kenula 3/30, Pavan Rathnayake 2/17, Devindu Kekirideniya 2/22, Sampath Nissanka 2/32)
Wesley beat DSS by four wickets at Campbell Park
DSS
196 all out in 47.2 overs (Amitha Dabare 25, Maneendra Jayathilaka 46, Manura Gathsara 41, Pumuditha Perera 24, Pasindu Denipitiya 21; Anudith Wickramasinghe 2/43, Thenuka Perera 3/28, Ravindu Sigera 2/22)
Wesley
200 for 6 in 47.5 overs (Sahil Dias 57, Rakith Fernando 42n.o., Anudith Wickramasinghe 29n.o.)
Trinity beat De Mazenod by seven wickets at Kandy
De Mazenod
184 all out in 48.5 overs (Mithul Senerath 62, Ashen Silva 24; Abhishek Anandakumara 3/33, Dinuka Thennakoon 3/39)
Trinity
185 for 3 in 37.2 overs (Thewin Amarasinghe 83n.o., Pawan Pathiraja 51; Chanuka Silva 2/36)
Tier B
Mahinda beat St. Aloysius’ by 86 runs according to Parabola Method at Galle
Mahinda
260 for 5 in 50 overs (Dhanuja Induwara 23, Kosala Udayanga 75, Navod Paranavithana 65, Rashmika Madushanka 64n.o.; Sandeepa Shamod 2/50)
St. Aloysius’
65 for 2 in 21.1 overs (Archana Udugampola 34n.o.)
Devapathiraja beat St. Sylvester’s by four
wickets at Lake View
St. Sylvester’s
158 all out in 44.1 overs (Sadeepa Halangoda 43, Charith Samuditha 21, Shashika Gihan 20; Matheesha Saranga 3/23, Sasanka Nirmal 2/18, Irushka Thimira 2/33)
Devapathiraja
164 for 6 in 27.4 overs (Pawan Sandesh 79n.o., Darshaka Sandeepa 30, Irushka Thimira 23; Shashika Gihan 3/42, Maleesha Silva 2/50)
Isipatana beat Dharmapala by 3 runs according to Parabola Method at Pannipitiya
Isipathana
167 all out in 40.5 overs (Thevindu Dickwella 44, Kavindu Amantha 23, Lomitha Ravindith 24; Thisara Sishara 3/13, Sachintha Chamika 2/30
Dharmapala
149 for 6 in 40.1 overs (Praveen Kumarapperuma 32, Pasindu Theekshana 33, Hiru Pawan 46n.o.; Lomitha Ravindith 3/19)
St. Joseph Vaz beat Zahira by seven runs according to Parabola Method at Katuneriya
St. Joseph Vaz
160 all out in 49.2 overs (Kaushan Wijerarthne 37, Menusha Perera 34; Raaed Rizwan 4/35, Adhil Ismarly 2/23)
Zahira
143 all out in 43 overs (Raaed Rizwan 31, Ishan Ruhaim 22, Rilwan Yoosuf 26; Shon Shenil 3/32, Kaushan Wijerarthne 3/39, Kavindu Maduranga 2/09)
Lumbini beat St. Servatius’ by five wickets at BRC
St. Servatius’
121 all out in 47.3 overs (Diniru Abeywickramasinghe 69; Sasanka Nethmina 3/15, Sahan Kaushalya 3/25)
Lumbini
124 for 5 in 34 overs (Gimhana Theekshana 46, Sakuna Nidarshana 32; Damindu Sankalpa 2/44)
Thurstan beat Dharmaraja by eight
wickets in Colombo
Dharmaraja
91 all out in 35 overs (Malitha Hapuarachchi 29, Upendra Warnakulasooriya 22; Nipun Premarathne 4/32, Punthila Kumara 2/15
Thurstan
92 for 2 in 18.2 overs (Dananja Silva 35, Sandeepa Kalhara 28n.o.)
Pakistan Women 116 in 20 overs (Fatima Sana 30, Nida Dar 23, Chamari Athapaththu 3-18, Sugandika Kumari 3-19, Udeshika Prabodhani 3-20, Kavisha Dilhari 1-16) beat Sri Lanka Women 85 for 9 in 20 overs (Vishmi Guneratne 20, Nilakshika Silva 22; Fatima Sana 2-10, Sadia Iqbal 3-17, Omaima Sohail 2-17, Nashra Sandhu 2-15) by 31 runs
Pakistan secured their first win in four meetings against Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka and opened their campaign with a win at T20 World Cup 2024. Sri Lanka had been riding a wave of success since the last T20 World Cup, winning three out of six bilateral T20I series and 22 out of 32 games, but Pakistan, who had lost four out of their last six series and 16 out of 27 games, had the measure of them on a slow, low Sharjah pitch.
Run-scoring was laboured on the opening day of the tournament and scoring rates did not get above six an over but Pakistan’s 116 still looked well below par. None of their top six scored more than 23, there were no partnerships in the top eight of over 25, and captain Fatima Sana, batting at No. 7, was the top scorer with 30. For Sri Lanka, left-armer Udeshika Prabofhani, left-arm spinner Sugandika Kumari and captain Chamari Athapaththu with her offspin, picked up three wickets each.
Buoyed by their efforts in the field, Sri Lanka would have fancied their chances of pulling off victory but fared the worst of the four teams in action today with the bat. They were tied down by spin, particularly Pmaima Sohail’s offspin and lack of pace. With the ball moving slowly through the air and keeping low, the Sri Lanka batters were often far too early into their shots. They were reduced to 52 for 5 in the 13th over and there was no coming back from that.
It took until the third over of the second match before the World Cup saw its first six and it came from Pakistan’s only centurion in the format: Muneeba Ali. She advanced down the track against Sri Lanka’s only seamer, Prabodhani, and sent her 63 metres over midwicket boundary. On a day when boundaries were particularly scarce, there were two more sixes in the Pakistan innings to go with five fours. Sri Lanka’s innings featured only three fours. There were no sixes in the earlier game between Bangladesh and Scotland and just 15 fours across both innings.
After doing an excellent job in keeping pressure on Pakistan by taking the wicket of Sidra Amin and with her bowling changes, Athapaththu brought herself on for a second over in the 14th. Her second ball was full outside off stump and took Tuba Hassan’s outside edge as she camped on the back foot and was caught behind. That brought Pakistan’s last recognised batter, finisher Aliya Riaz, to the crease with plenty of time to cash in but she missed the line of the next ball and was hit on the front pad. Riaz was walking off as she reviewed and the ball-tracking revealed it was hitting middle and leg stump. Athapaththu was on a hat-trick and came oh-so-close to getting it when Diana Baig edged the next ball but wicketkeeper Anushka Sanjeewani could not hold on. Athapaththu finished with 3 or 18 from her four overs.
It could be argued that Sana made a tactical blunder by batting herself at No. 7 but she scored 30 off 20 balls, which ended up changing the game, and then took great responsibility with the ball. Baig only bowled one ball before she pulled up with what looked like a calf injury and Sana decided to take over immediately. She finished Baig’s over and kept herself on for more, when she took out her opposite number. Athapaththu was leaden-footed when she drove Sana to extra cover where Sohail took a good catch to her left. Athapaththu understood the magnitude of the moment and punched her bat as she walked off the field. Her dismissal sent Sri Lanka into a shell, and they finished the powerplay on 26 for 2, with the required rate already up at 6.50.
It was game over, in theory, when Vishmi Guneratne hit Nashra Sandhu straight down the ground and into the hands of Amin to leave Sri Lanka 52 for 5. But this is not to put the blame on the 19-year-old. Instead, it’s an illustration of the kinds of shots that were being played in frustration as the Pakistan spinners became more and more difficult to get away. On a big outfield, Sri Lanka scored 47 singles but only nine twos and while Pakistan were only marginally better with 51 singles and 11 twos, it’s those tiny margins that make a difference.
Brief scores:
Pakistan Women 116 in 20 overs (Fatima Sana 30, Nida Dar 23, Chamari Athapaththu 3-18, Sugandika Kumari 3-19, Udeshika Prabodhani 3-20, Kavisha Dilhari 1-16) beat Sri Lanka Women 85 for 9 in 20 overs (Vishmi Guneratne 20, Nilakshika Silva 22; Fatima Sana 2-10, Sadia Iqbal 3-17, Omaima Sohail 2-17, Nashra Sandhu 2-15) by 31 runs
[Cricinfo]
by Reemus Fernando
Standout performances of young prodigy Dilni Rajapaksha and hurdler Sandun Koshala earned them the best athlete titles as St. Joseph Vaz’s College, Wennappuwa and Lyceum International Wattala clinched the boys’ and girls’ overall championships respectively of the Sir John Tarbat Senior Championships at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Thursday.
The girls’ overall title changed hands from Ratnayaka Central, Walala for the first time in twelve years as Lyceum aggregated 189 points to win the trophy.
Ratnayaka Central had won 25 girls’ titles since 1998 and the only time they had been denied the top spot previously was in 2012. Lyceum rode on the strong performances of their sprinters and the power of their recruitment drive to dethrone the reigning champions who collected 157 points. Lyceum’s newest recruit Dulanjana Pradeepani (formerly of Wickramabahu Central Gampola) was on the money as she earned them as many as 30 points winning three individual events apart from running a vital leg in the Under 20 4×400 metres relay. In her third individual event yesterday she returned a time of 4:43.78 seconds to break the 2009 meet record in the Under 20 girls’ 1,500 metres.
Lyceum had the honour of bagging the best athlete titles in both the boys’ and girls’ categories. It was a rare achievement for 14-year-old Dilni Rajapaksha, who shattered nearly a three decades old Under 16 girls’ long jump meet record to beat senior athletes to the best athlete award. It was the first time an athlete in the under 16 age category had cleared the six metres mark.
South Asian Junior Championship gold medallist Sandun Koshala clocked 14.10 seconds to win the Under 20 110 metres hurdles event. That won him 1048 points, the highest in the boys category.
Incidentally, Koshala and Dilni are both trained by former national athlete Damitha Dahanayake.
Sprinting was the strong point of St. Joseph Vaz’s who collected 117 points to beat St. Benedict’s to clinch the boys’ overall award. The Bens aggregated 77 points, while Maris Stella, Negombo were a close third with 74 points.
Of the final day’s impressive performances Tharushi Abisheka’s dominant run in the Under 18 girls’ 1,500 metres was arguably the best. The South Asian Junior Championship gold medallist from Wickramabahu Central Gampola slashed nearly ten seconds off the meet record as she returned a time of 4:35.84 seconds to win.
The ICC has banned Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama from all cricket for one year, of which the last six months are suspended, after he admitted to breaching the global body’s anti-corruption code.
In August the ICC charged Jayawickrama with two breaches of the code. He has admitted to breaching article 2.4.7, which relates to: “Obstructing or delaying any investigation that may be carried out by the ACU [anti-corruption unit], including concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may be evidence or may lead to the discovery of evidence of corrupt conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code.”
The charges, according to an ICC release, relate to international cricket and the Lanka Premier League (LPL).
Having made his international debut in a Test against Bangladesh in April 2021, Jayawickrama has played five Tests, five ODIs and five T20Is. His last appearance for Sri Lanka was in a T20I series at home against Australia in 2022.
In LPL 2021, Jayawickrama was a part of the Jaffna Kings side that won its second title. He played one match that season, taking two wickets. In LPL 2024, he turned out for Dambulla Sixers.(Cricinfo)
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