Sports
Schools cricket to recommence in November
by Reemus Fernando
The Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA) will commence schools cricket tournaments in November for the Under-19 and Under-14 age categories under a new format to suit newly stipulated conditions by the Ministry of Education and health authorities. With the Ministry of Education expected to give the ‘green light’ to commence schools sports soon the Executive Committee of the SLSCA finalised new formats for the two tournaments on Friday.
“We will commence an Under-19 and an Under-14 tournament under new formats. We made the request and expect that the Ministry of Education to give us the green light soon rather than later to commence schools cricket in November,” J.A.K.S. Indrajith, the secretary of the SLSCA told The Island.
Accordingly the limited overs format will be used for the Under-19 tournament where both the Division I and Division II teams will play in two tiers ‘A’ and ‘B’. The teams will be categorized in to tier ‘A’ and ‘B’ according to their standings of the last league tournament. The first 18 teams will be playing in tier ‘A’ and the last 18 in tier ‘B’.
Teams in both tier ‘A’ and ‘B’ will be divided in to two groups where they will play eight league matches. The winners and the runners up of each group will play a knockout stage in February 2021.
There are 64 teams in Division III. They will be divided in to eight groups.
All matches of the Under-19 and Under-14 tournaments will be played over the weekends.
“With the Ministry of Education giving priority to education during the last two terms we have been compelled to conduct matches only on Saturdays and Sundays. There will be no matches on Poya days and on Religious Holidays,” Indrajith said.
“Although the new format will be only for this season, the results of this Under-19 limited overs tournament will be considered in promoting and demoting teams in the year 2021. For this year there will be no demotions and promotions,” Indrajith detailed.
The first four matches of the Under-19 tournament have to be completed before December 31.
The SLSCA is also considering allowing schools to conduct several of their traditional matches of innings format. A final decision regarding this will be taken after the Fixture Meeting.
The Executive Committee has also decided to conduct an Under-14 tournament also during weekends from mid November.
The usual innings format will be used but these matches will be limited to six hours (three sessions of two hour duration) with the first innings limited to a maximum of 50 overs for both teams. There too teams will be divided into groups of eight and each team will play seven matches.
“There will be no knockout stage. The group champions will be awarded certificates to encourage them,” Indrajith said.
The Ministry of Education canceled all schools sports tournaments and competitions which were halted in March and directed Sports Associations not to recommence them. A circular to that effect was issued early this month.
The Cabinet of Ministers granted their concurrence to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Youth Affairs to appoint S. Achchudan of Special Grade of Sri Lanka Administrative Service, who is currently serving as an Additional Commissioner of Elections at the Elections Commission who is
recommended by the panel of interviewers to the post of Director General of the Sports Development Department with effect form 01.01.2026.
After three low scores, three tosses lost and three heavy defeats, Sri Lanka gave hosts India more of a fight in the fourth T20I on Sunday when they finally got to chase a target instead of setting one. They got somewhat close thanks to contribution from batters apart from Chamari Athapaththu. With their confidence running a little higher, they would want to sign off fromthis five match tour with one win as the preparations for the T20 World Cup, which is less than six months away, heat up.
India have been clinical all through the series – with their share of luck, having won the first three tosses – in restricting Sri Lanka to totals under 130 and getting home with at least five overs and seven wickets in hand. That presents Sri Lanka the opportunity to test India’s middle and lower order on Tuesday, but with the gargantuan task of going past the duo of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, who put up India’s biggest partnership for any wicket to set up the hosts’ highest T20I total. India have had to use only five batters in this series so far.
Whether they set a total or chase one, Sri Lanka would draw inspiration from Hasini Perera’s start on Sunday, in which she took down Renuka Singh and Arundhati Reddy in the opening overs before Nilakshika Silva finally got some runs in the lower order.
Sri Lanka would also want to cash in on any lives their batters are offered as India have been sloppy this series – putting down five catches in the opener and two in the fourth game – which could help the visitors narrow the gap between the two sides.
There are always expectations from Athapaththu when Sri Lanka bat, and it was refreshing to see Hasini Perera take the lead in the opening partnership with her captain on Sunday. It was Perera’s penchant for boundaries that charged Sri Lanka to 52 for 0 in the first four overs. Hasini has played nearly 90 T20Is and the last game of the series will be the perfect chance for her to score her maiden T20I half-century that will only increase the faith in her abilities in the lead up to the T20 World Cup.
She has been dismissed just twice this series and Shafali Verma is reaching scary heights in the T20 format with 236 runs already at a strike rate of 185.82 this series. The next best strike rate this series (minimum 50 runs) is Jemimah Rodrigues’ 140.54. Shafali has taken down every possible bowling combination Sri Lanka have thrown at her at the start and with three half-centuries in a row, a continuation of her boundary barrage could be another spectacular show from the India opener.
Rodrigues missed the fourth T20I while recovering from a mild fever and India brought in Harleen Deol for her first game of the series but she didn’t get a chance to bat. Already leading 4-0, India may also want to hand a debut to 17-year-old wicketkeeper-batter G Kamalini, the only player in the squad who hasn’t played this series.
India (possible): Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues/Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Richa Ghosh/G Kamalini (wk), Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Renuka Singh/Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Vaishnavi Sharma, Shree Charani
Sri Lanka have been making changes through the series too, and even though they have used up all their players from the squad of 15, don’t rule out any more changes on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka (possible): Chamari Athapaththu (capt), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Imesha Dulani, Nilakshika Silva, Kaushini Nuthyangana (wk), Kavisha Dilhari, Kawya Kavindi/Malki Madara, Inoka Ranaweera, Malsha Shehani, Nimasha Meepage
[Cricinfo]
Under 19 Cricket
A century by Bihan Gamage and and a six wicket haul by Mevindu Kumarasiri were the individual highlights on day one of the Under 19 Division I Tier ‘A’ and ‘B’ matches on Monday.
While Gamage’s century was the backbone of DS Senanayake’s challenging total of 365 runs against Nalanda, Mevindu Kumarasiri’s six wicket haul helped Sri Sumangala restrict Isipatana to 136 runs.
Later Sri Sumangala reached 158 for two wickets at stumps thanks to an unbroken third wicket stand of 140 runs between Sandeep Wijerathna (61n.o.) and Neksha Iddamalgoda (81n.o.).
That was not the only notable partnership of the day as the ninth wicket pair of Kaveesha Githmal (43) and Kavindu Nimsara (66) put on 99 runs for Mahinda to post 284 runs against Lumbini in their match.
At DSS ground
Scores
DSS 365 all out in 79 overs (Savain Kalansooriya 54, Bihan Gamage 102, Janindu Ranasinghe 50, Shevan Welgama 73; Osanda Pamuditha 2/69, Dunitha Anusara 4/66, Sahas Godage 3/76)
Nalanda 28 for 1 in 10 overs
At Galle
Scores
Mahinda 284 all out in 72.2 overs (Dulsith Darshana 63, Randula Mabarana 28, Manitha Rajapaksha 23, Kaveesha Githmal 43, Kavindu Nimsara 66; Yashod Kavindu 5/100, Dinal Sewmina 2/32)
Lumbini 76 for 4 in 20 overs (Kisandu Dulneth 33, Yashod Kavindu 26; Sadev Nethmina 2/27)
At Panadura
Scores
Isipatana 136 all out in 47.2 overs (Yuveen Keshan 21, Dasith Senal 31; Mevindu Kumarasiri 6/54)
Sri Sumangala 158 for 2 in 45 overs
(Sandeep Wijerathna 61n.o., Neksha Iddamalgoda 81n.o.) (RF)
S. Achchudan appointed as Director General of the Sports Development Department.
Amendment of the National Environment Act No. 47 of 1980
Tax relief for Dates received as donations or gifts for Ramadan
Cabinet nod to establish the Sri Lanka Industrial Transformation and innovation Authority
Temporary employment of Sri Lankan labour in the State of Israel
Cabinet approves liquidation of Sahasya Investment Company
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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