Sports
SLC confirms Kumara was left out due to fitness reasons
By Rex Clementine
There was confirmation from Sri Lanka Cricket yesterday that fast bowler Lahiru Kumara had been selected in the squad to play the three match series against Zimbabwe that gets underway later this week, but the player was withdrawn after he had failed the skin folds test. While Kumara had completed the two kilometer run under the stipulated time of eight minutes and ten seconds, his skin folds were over the limit making him ineligible for selection.
Along with Kumara, 21-year-old left-arm quick Kalana Perera from S. Thomas’ also had been withdrawn from the squad after not meeting the required fitness standards.
Kumara has come under heavy criticism in recent months for not showcasing maturity during crunch situations in close games. Having been entrusted with the final over on more than one occasion, Kumara had bowled poorly to gift away games to opponents. However, there is no denying of the fact of his immense talent. He is the fastest bowler in Sri Lanka capable of bowling 140kmph on average. Him failing the minimum fitness standards is another blow to his promising career.
SLC also announced that three players had been withdrawn from the squad after testing positive for COVID. Avishka Fernando and Janith Liyanage were pulled out even before the squad had reached Kandy as they had tested positive in Colombo but a PCR test done on Kamil Mishara turned positive while the squad was in a bubble and it remains a cause for concern.
SLC said that five players had been added to the squad as replacement for those who were withdrawn. Accordingly, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis, Nuwan Pradeep, Shiran Fernando and Kamindu Mendis have joined the squad.
Sri Lanka’s batting seems to be thin on paper. There are just five specialist batsmen in the squad with captain Dasun Shanaka and Chamika Karunaratne backing them up as all-rounders. What that means is Dasun will probably bat at number six, a huge ask for him given that he is not in the best of form. Chamika Karunaratne at seven has big shoes to fill.
Apart from the 17 players in the squad, Sri Lanka have also drafted in six players as standbys; Ashen Bandara, Pulina Tharanga, Nimesh Vimukthi, Ashian Daniel, Asitha Fernando and Vishwa Fernando.
The three match series gets underway at Pallekele on Sunday. All three games will take place in Kandy.
Full squad:
Dasun Shanaka (capt.), Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Minod Bhanuka, Charith Asalanka, Chamika Karunaratne, Kamindu Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Ramesh Mendis, Praveen Jayawickrama, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Pradeep, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nuwan Thushara, Chamika Gunasekera, Shiran Fernando.
Apna Perera won his third title of the 110th Colombo Championships as he partnered Dhilvan Herath to beat Dumindu Dilum and Chehan Fernando in the open men’s doubles final.
Apna and Dhilvan registered 6-2, 6-2 win in the final.
Apna, the open men’s singles champion, was also the winner of the mixed doubles which was played according to round robin method. In the mixed doubles Apna partnered Inuki Jayaweera.
Results
Men’s doubles semi-finals
Apna Perera and Dhilvan Herath beat Ashen Silva and Lithum Jayabandu 6-1, 6-2
Dumindu Dilum and Chehan Fernando beat Methika Wickramasinghe and Vichinthya Nilaweera 6-3, 2-6, 10-4.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) recently carried out a Fast Bowling Talent Search program in the Polonnaruwa District as part of its ongoing efforts to identify and nurture emerging cricketing talent across the country.
The program, held at the Royal College Ground, Polonnaruwa, attracted over 60 promising young players—both boys and girls—including school cricketers of the district. Each participant underwent skill assessments to evaluate their fast bowling potential.
Following the evaluations, 20 talented bowlers were selected for further development.
The selected players will now receive structured training under the guidance of Provincial coaches of Sri Lanka Cricket, with a focus on refining their techniques and enhancing their overall performance.
Those who continue to demonstrate consistent improvement will be given the opportunity to join SLC’s district squads, thereby becoming part of the official National Pathway Program.
This initiative is a part of SLC’s ‘Cricket Gamata’, program which aims to find talent from rural areas across Sri Lanka.
The talent assessments were conducted by Lasantha Lakmin, SLC Talent Scout for the North Central and North Western Provinces; Lakshitha Herath, North Central Provincial Women’s Coach; and Saman Senanayake, North Central Provincial Fast Bowling Coach.
The event was organized by the North Central Provincial Cricket Association under the guidance of Sri Lanka Cricket. It was managed by Krishan Anandakumar, Manager of the Center of Excellence, Dambulla.
PSL 2025 will resume on May 17, with the final on May 25. While there hasn’t yet been a public decision on the fixture list or venues, the announcement confirms the league will end a week after it was originally scheduled to.
This was announced on X (formerly Twitter) by PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi. “HBL PSL X picks up from where it left off,” he wrote in the post. “6 teams, 0 fear. Get ready for 8 thrilling matches starting 17th May, leading up to the Grand Final on 25th May. Best of luck to all the teams!”
PCB is expected to announce further details shortly, and though Naqvi’s tweet did not officially confirm it, the remaining matches are expected to be played in Pakistan. The league, which was postponed due to increasing cross-border tensions with India, has eight games left and the PCB, as well as several franchises, have been eager to conclude the season as early as possible.
The PSL held meetings with the franchises on Monday to discuss specific dates and venues. The most pressing issue is the availability of overseas players, with ESPNcricinfo understanding a significant number are unlikely to return. The asymmetry of player availability may also impact squads, with some franchises more confident about overseas players rejoining than others. To mitigate that, PCB has also considered a replacement draft to make up the numbers.
This also confirms that Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan will not stick to its original schedule. The final of the PSL takes place on the day Bangladesh were to play their first T20I against Pakistan, in Faisalabad. BCB has said it is in active and ongoing discussions about the tour.
(Cricinfo)
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