Sports
Sadeesh, Sashimal, Vihara shine as the Limited Overs tournament commences
by Reemus Fernando
An unbeaten century by St. Joseph’s batsman Sadeesh Jayawardena and a good all round feat by Anandian Ayesh Sashimal were among the highlights of the Under 19 Division I Tier ‘A’ and ‘B’ limited overs cricket tournament matches played on Monday. St. Joseph’s registered a five wickets victory over Mahanama thanks to the unbeaten century scored by Jayawardene who held their batting together with his 118 balls innings. Chasing a target of 154 runs to win St. Joseph’s lost five wickets but Jayawardena’s effort helped them reach the target with 13 overs to spare.
In a Tier ‘B’ match Ayesh Sashimal grabbed four wickets for 13 runs after top scoring with 63 runs for Ananda to register 132 runs victory over Dharmasoka. The day’s best bowling figures were produced by Vihara Aththanayake who took five wickets for St. Benedict’s to record a thrilling victory over Nalanda.
The Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association is conducting the Limited Overs Tournament ahead of the traditional two-day matches this season. The matches commenced over the weekend. Here are the results of yesterday’s (9) matches.
Tier ‘A’ Match Results
St. Joseph’s beat Mahanama by five wickets at Darley Road
Scores:
Mahanama 153 all out in 44.2 overs (Dulnith Sigera 57, Rashmika Perera 23; Muditha Dissanayaka 3/16, Yenula Dewthusa 2/25, Lahiru Amarasekara 2/47)
St. Joseph’s 154 for 5 in 36.4 overs (Sadeesh Jayawardena 107n.o.; Inuka Karannagoda 2/22)
St. Sebastian’s beat Maliyadeva by seven wickets at Kurunegala
Scores:
Maliyadeva 107 all out in 39.1 overs (Chamath Hettiarachchi 33, Ushan Bimsara 31; Virosh Wijesinghe 3/21, Sandeesh Fernando 2/17, Nadeesh Fernando 3/12)
St. Sebastian’s 108 for 3 in 34.5 overs (Ryan Dissanayake 39, Aloka Fernando 26, Vimath Dinsara 26n.o.)
Richmond beat De Mazenod by 104 runs at Galle
Scores:
Richmond 208 all out in 47.4 overs (Helith Edirisinghe 31, Janeth Kaushal 54, Kavindu Nirmana 44, Maheesha Vethmin 32; Savinu Chanthula 2/32, Kavindu Kaushalya 2/33
De Mazenod 104 for 7 in 50 overs (Maleesha Fernando 30, Sandeshka Abeykoon 24; Sihath Ramanayaka 2/15)
St. Benedict’s beat Nalanda by 30 runs at Campbell Place
Scores:
St. Benedict’s 234 for 8 in 50 overs (Viduneth Wilson 32, Sharujan Shanmuganathan 52, Shenel Samarathunga 47, Chamath Chathurya 24; Chanul Athukorala 2/51, Eranga Jayakody 2/24, Sajitha Vithanage 3/35)
Nalanda 204 all out in 49.5 overs (Yasiru Samarakoon 53, Risath Jayarathna 25, Chanul Athukorala 27, Eranga Jayakody 32; Vihara Aththanayake 5/44, Shenel Samarathunga 2/33)
Tier ‘B’ Match Results
St. Servatius’ beat Dharmapala by six wickets at Uyanwatta
Scores:
Dharmapala 129 all out in 42.3 overs (Chithma Hettiarachchi 22, Uditha Sandaruwan 26; Thisan Dewmith 2/23, VIshwa Supun 3/08)
St. Servatius’ 130 for 4 in 30.3 overs (Chamarindu Nethsara 35, Diniru Abeywickramasinghe 73; Kavindu Primal 2/24)
Ananda beat Dharmasoka by 132 runs
Scores:
Ananda 241 all out in 49.4 overs (Viduna Wijebandara 57, Ashinsa Nainayake 20, Iruth Gimshan 31, Ayesh Sashimal 63; Senitha Halambage 4/47, Maliththa Mendis 2/26)
Dharmasoka 109 all out in 24.4 overs (Randul Samarahewa 19, Senitha Halambage 19, Manasa de Silva 19; Pulindu Kiriella 2/30, Thisuka Sehas 2/25, Ayesh Sashimal 4/13)
North Korea has held the Pyongyang International Marathon for the first time in six years, welcoming some 200 foreign runners to the streets of the reclusive country’s capital.
The marathon, which was launched in 1981, took place annually in April to celebrate the birth of its founding leader Kim Il Sung.
Before Sunday’s marathon, the race was last held in 2019, wherein 950 foreigners participated. North Korea sealed itself off the following year, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
North Korea has been slow to reopen since, allowing only Russian tourists into its capital since last year.
Runners have had to enter the country as part of an organised tour group, as was the case before the pandemic.
Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based travel agency listed as an “exclusive partner” on the event website, offers six-day marathon tours at 2,195 euros ($2,406) including flights to and from Beijing.
“The Pyongyang Marathon is an extremely unique experience as it provides an opportunity to interact with locals,” the agency wrote on its website.
Sunday’s marathon route took participants past landmarks across the city, including the Kim Il Sung stadium, the Arch of Triumph built to commemorate Kim Il Sung’s role in resisting Japanese rule, and the Mirae Future Scientists’ Street said to be a residential district for scientists and engineers.
Pictures online show the stadium – where runners start and finish their race – filled with spectators, many of them cheering and waving gold-coloured paper flags.
Pak Kum Dong, a North Korean runner, told Reuters news agency: “The eyes of our people on me helped me to bear the difficulties whenever I feel tired.”
There is no publicly available information on race results.
North Korea had only statred to scale back Covid-19 restrictions in the middle of 2023.
In Feburary, it allowed some Western tourists into the remote, eastern city Rason, but suspended those tours just weeks after.
[BBC]
Noor Ahmad, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) left-arm wristspinner, continues to head the Purple Cap table with ten wickets from four games. His spell of 4 for 18 in CSK’s first game against MI, remains his best so far.
DC’s Mitchell Starc who picked up his maiden five-for in T20s, against SRH remains second on the list with nine wickets in three games.
GT’s Mohammed Siraj equalled Starc’s tally on Sunday night with his own IPL best, albeit he has played four games to Starc’s three. Siraj picked up 4 for 17 against SRH to hand them their four successive loss, and was named the Player of the Match.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) suffered another batting malfunction, this time on a slow, black-soil surface at home, crashing to their fourth successive defeat in IPL 2025. Having lost Travishek in the powerplay, SRH waited until the 13th over to see the first six of the innings, and managed only one more after that Mohammad Siraj caused irreparable damage right from the start, ending with his career-best IPL figures of 4 for 17.
Pat Cummins’ cameo (22* off nine balls) and then his dismissal of Jos Buttler for a duck in Gujarat Titans’ (GT) chase of 153 gave SRH some hope, but that faded away once Washington Sundar clattered 23 off nine balls in the powerplay. Earlier in the day, GT didn’t need Washington with the ball, but his attacking enterprise at No. 4 settled their chase on a slow pitch. Washington fell agonisingly short of a maiden IPL half-century, but his captain Shubman Gill ushered GT home, with an unbeaten 61 off 43 balls, along with Sherfane Rutherford.
Siraj had sparked the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to life when he gave Travis Head a send-off in Adelaide last December. Four months on, Siraj was bowling to Head for the first time in T20s, and the battle lasted just five balls. After Head scored two fours off Siraj, the fast bowler struck with his trademark wobble-seam delivery, having him chip a catch to midwicket for 8.
Abhishek Sharma hit four fours before Siraj had him miscuing a catch to mid-on in his third over of the powerplay. It was Siraj’s 100th wicket in the IPL and sixth in the powerplay, the most by a bowler in that phase so far this season, with an economy rate of 6.27.
Siraj then returned in the death to york both Aniket Verma, the last recognised batter for SRH, and Simarjeet Singh, their Impact Player.
With both Head and Abhishek gone early,Rashid Khan, who was coming into this game on the back of figures of 4-0-54-0, could afford to ease himself in. He started fairly well by giving away just 10 runs in his first two overs, but when he erred in length, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klassen dispatched him to the fence. Rashid finished with 4-0-31-0, going wicketless for a third successive game, and with tournament figures of 1 for 143 in 14 overs at an economy rate of 10.21
Left-arm fingerspinner Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, on the other hand, showed remarkable control over his length and variations. He claimed the big wicket of Klaasen by knocking him over with a quick dart, which skidded off the pitch, for 27 off 19 balls. Sai Kishore also had Reddy holing out for 31 off 34 balls and finished with 4-0-24-2.
That SRH passed 150 was down to Cummins’ late blows. He was the only SRH batter in the top eight to have a strike rate of over 160.
It appeared like GT had handed a franchise debut to Washington to primarily match his offspin up with SRH’s left-hander heavy top order. But with Siraj dominating the powerplay and Sai Kishore taking care of the middle overs, GT ended up not using his offspin.
Washington then walked out to bat at No. 4 after his childhood friend B Sai Sudarshan and Buttler fell cheaply in successive overs. Washington took advantage of the last over of the powerplay, smoking Simarjeet for two sixes and two fours. It provided a throwback to Washington of 2016, when he opened the batting, alongside Abhinav Mukund, in the TNPL and showed the intent to hit over the top. Just like that, Washington dumped SRH’s Impact Player out of the attack.
Washington continued to attack even after that. When the ambidextrous Kamindu Mendis darted one on the stumps with his right hand, Washington manufactured swinging room and laced him over extra-cover for four. Washington seemed set for a fifty until he holed out one shy of the landmark in the 14th over.
Gill, who had already crossed 50 by that point, finished the job along with Rutherford, who hit an unbeaten 35 off 16 balls.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 153 for 3 in 16.4 overs (Shubman Gill 61*, Washington Sundar 49, Sherfaine Rutherford 35*; Mohammed Shami 2-28, Pat Cumminss 1-26) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 152 for 8 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 18, Ishan Krishan 17, Nitish Kumar Reddy 31, Heinrich Klassen 27, Aniket Verma 18,Pat Cummins 22*; Mohammed Siraj 4-17, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore 2-24, Prasidh Krishna 2-25)by seven wickets
[Cricinfo]
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