Sports
Sri Lanka aim to restore pride as Australia keep Champions Trophy in sight
by Rex Clementine
Sri Lanka might be out of the Champions Trophy race, but they are determined to make the most of the two match ODI series against Australia, starting today (Wednesday). Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka emphasized the importance of ensuring Sri Lanka never missed out on another ICC event. His side aren’t part of the ICC Champions Trophy that gets underway in Pakistan in a week’s time.
“It’s disappointing, no doubt about it. But there’s nothing we can do about it now. What’s important is that we make sure this never happens again,” Asalanka admitted.
“Last year, we had some big moments in ODI cricket – we beat India for the first time in 27 years and won several bilateral series. We need to build on that momentum and ensure we don’t find ourselves in this position again,” he added.
Sri Lanka’s failure to qualify for the Champions Trophy marks the first time in half a century that they have missed out on an ICC event. Their ninth-place finish at the last World Cup in India meant they were left on the sidelines while the top eight teams booked their tickets to Pakistan.
For Australia, this series is more than just a warm-up; it’s a chance to fine-tune their game ahead of the Champions Trophy. The defending World Champions are placed in a tough group alongside England, South Africa, and Afghanistan, with a few preliminary games also set to be played in Dubai.
“I’d be lying if I said the Champions Trophy wasn’t at the forefront of our minds. It’s a massive ICC tournament for us,” Australian skipper Steve Smith told reporters in Colombo.
“While our focus is on finishing this series well, we’re also looking at the bigger picture. These two games will help us get our plans in place for the tournament,” Smith added.
Both ODIs will be played as day games, a rare sight in modern cricket, as the floodlights at R. Premadasa Stadium are yet to be installed following renovations. With Sri Lanka set to co-host next year’s T20 World Cup alongside India, most of the upgrade work has been completed, but the lights remain a work in progress.
“Day games are quite different, actually. To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I played one. But whatever the conditions, it’s going to be warm out there, and we’re looking forward to the challenge,” Smith noted.
The Aussies arrived in Colombo full of confidence, fresh from a 2-0 Test series whitewash in Galle, where they completely outplayed the hosts. They will be eager to keep their winning streak intact before shifting their focus to the global stage.
“Before coming to Sri Lanka, we had a training camp in Dubai, where we prepared on challenging wickets. The batters found methods to succeed in these conditions, the spinners worked on varying their pace, and the seamers fine-tuned their reverse swing. We hope to bring all that into this series and finish well,” Smith explained.
With Sri Lanka aiming to restore pride and Australia using this as a dress rehearsal for their Champions Trophy campaign, the two-match series promises to be more than just a routine bilateral contest. The first ODI will be played on Wednesday, followed by the second on Friday.
by Reemus Fernando
Sri Lanka Athletics has invited India, the Philippines and the Maldives for next month’s Relay Championships conducted by Sri Lanka Schools Athletics Association in a bid to provide the men’s 4×400 metres relay quartet with a chance to reach qualifying standards for the World Relays.
Currently Sri Lanka men’s 4×400 metres relay team is within the required ranking position to compete at the prestigious World Relays taking place in Guangzhou, China. The 3:04.48 seconds finish to win the gold medal of the men’s 4×400 metres at the Asian Relays in May last year has placed Sri Lanka in the 31st position in the ‘Road to Guangzhou’ rankings.
But with many competitions coming up within the next couple of months Sri Lanka Athletics wants to leave no stone unturned in their quest to keep the ranking position within the qualifying range.
The teams in the first 32 positions according to the times produced within the qualifying period (January 1, 2024 to April 13, 2025) become eligible for the World Relays taking place on May 10 and 11 in Guangzhou.
Sri Lanka’s chances of improving the current standings (31st) at this week’s World Indoor Championship in China are minimal as Olympian Aruna Dharshana, who is the fastest of the current crop of athletes will not be available for the event.
Dharshana is currently training and competing in Australia. He is looking forward to reach qualifying standards or reach the required ranking position for World Championships in the 400 metres.
The World Athletics has set a tough standard of 44.85 seconds for the men’s 400 metres. While only 17 are selected through direct qualifying standards, 31 athletes are selected through rankings for the 400 metres. Dharshana is yet yo enter rankings to be eligible for the World Championships.
Sri Lanka Athletics will field Dharshana, Kalinga Kumarage, S.B.R. Madushan and Sadew Rajakaruna for the relay event in April.
Defence Services Beach Volleyball Championship 2025 was held from March 12 to 14 at the SLAF beach volleyball courts, Katunayake. During the finals SLAF Men’s team defeated SL Army (2-0) while the SL Navy Women’s team defeated SLAF Women’s team (2-0). Incidentally is the seventh Defence Services Beach Volleyball title won by the SLAF Men’s Team.
Base Commander SLAF Base Katunayake AVM Dhammika Dias graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Chairman of SLAF Volleyball, Group Captain Milinda Mendis, Senior Officers from SL Army and Navy were also present for the finals.
The Central Province Badminton Association (CPBA) is now accepting entries for one of Sri Lanka’s most anticipated badminton competitions, the Summer Season All-Island Open Championships 2025, which will be staged at the Municipal Council Indoor Stadium in Nuwara Eliya from April 21 to 27.
The highly followed seven-day annual badminton tournament, held during the Nuwara Eliya April Holiday Season, is known to attract Sri Lanka’s top ranked shuttlers. The National Ranking Level 1 competition, sanctioned by Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB), is one of the key sporting attractions of Nuwara Eliya during April every year, known to generate increasing public interest.
The championship will feature a wide range of events from Under-11 to Under-19 in the Junior category and Over-30 to Over-70 in the Senior category, with an addition of three Combined Age segment of 100+. The main attraction of the competition will be the Open events comprising Men’s and Women’s Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles, with an addition of a Plate Championship for the losers in Men’s and Women’s Singles.
The opening ceremony will take place on April 21st at 9:00am, followed by the preliminary rounds, leading up to the climax on April 26 with the quarter-finals and semi-finals. The excitement will continue on April 27 with the highly anticipated semi-finals and final matches, followed by the Closing Ceremony to mark the culmination of this championship.
The main draw seeding will be determined based on SLB Ranking as of April 13, followed by the draw on April 16 at 11:00am at No.2, Cambridge Terrace, Colombo 7. Entries will close on April 10 at noon. Entries can be submitted online or by contacting Sadeesha Adithya on 0761759017 and further details of the tournament are available in the prospectus published in the SLB website.
A total prize money of Rs.750,000 for all events based on the number of entries will be on offer, in addition to trophies, medals and certificates guaranteed for winners, runners-up and semi-finalists of each event of the tournament. Junior winners will receive appropriate gifts instead of prize money, according to a decision taken by the tournament organisers. The tournament is sponsored by Mobil, Li Ning, McFoil, 3M and GAC.
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