Sports

Sri Lanka haven’t played international cricket since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020

Published

4 years ago

2021/04/11

Chamari Athapaththu: ‘Want more match time ahead of Women’s World Cup Qualifier’

Sri Lanka Women captain Chamari Athapaththu believes the postponement of the global Qualifier to determine the final three spots at the 2022 Women’s ODI World Cup from its June-July window to December is a “good thing”. Just for context, Sri Lanka, hosts of the qualifying event, haven’t had any form of international cricket for over a year now.

“To get an additional four-five months for our preparation is a good thing because we haven’t played any international cricket in over 13 months,” Athapaththu told ESPNcricinfo. “Things have been uncertain because of the Covid-19 pandemic and I was a bit worried that if the event went ahead as scheduled, we would have been underprepared. I hope that leading up to December we get a few more series apart from the one against Pakistan that our board is trying to organise.”

ESPNcricinfo understands that talks between SLC and the PCB about Pakistan potentially touring Sri Lanka for limited-overs matches before the Qualifier are only at a preliminary stage. Should they come to fruition, the series might be held only after May.

Both teams, along with West Indies, are among the sides part of the 2017/18-2021 Women’s ODI Championship who will vie for the three qualifying berths for the World Cup to be held in New Zealand from March 4 to April 3.

“Getting some match practice on a regular basis is going to be very important for us before the Qualifiers,” Athapaththu said. “Thailand’s debut in the T20 World Cup last year was proof of the kind of challenge teams outside of the top-ranked nations can present on the world stage. We cannot afford to take anyone lightly because it’s qualification to a World Cup that’s at stake.

“If there are long gaps [for teams] without any cricket for say a year or a year-and-a half, even the best look ordinary. I followed the recent series between India and South Africa. India are a top side, but they hadn’t played for a year, so they couldn’t play well. On the other hand, because South Africa had played some games before coming to India, they looked far better even in the absence of some of their senior players.”

Among a raft of world tournaments that the ICC has postponed due to the pandemic is the inaugural Under-19 Women’s World Cup. Originally scheduled for this year in Bangladesh, the tournament has been pushed back to January 2023. In Athapaththu’s assessment, the postponement will rob several deserving young players of the opportunity to play in the world tournament.

“We have a good bunch of Under-19 girls,” Athapaththu said. “The school cricket tournaments were on over the past few weeks and I think a few girls were on the radar as far as making the potential squad for the Under-19 World Cup was concerned. But, unfortunately, most of them will no longer be able to take part in it because a gap of two years is a sizeable one.

“Age-group tournaments come with age-related restrictions, so not having the tournament this year is a very disappointing thing for those young Sri Lankan girls and for me as an international cricketer. I feel bad for them because our qualifiers have also been postponed, but we will still get a chance [to compete in that tournament], but so many of these girls won’t. We will now have to look for pretty much a fresh bunch of girls to field in the 2023 edition.”

Athapaththu hits form in domestic

competition

Since the T20 World Cup last year, where Sri Lanka won only one of their four league games, the only opportunity Athapaththu has had to play any form of top-flight cricket was in the BCCI’s Women’s T20 Challenge in November in the UAE, where she was the leading run-scorer.

On the domestic front, she was part of the recently concluded Women’s Division One Tournament, the eight-team 50-over competition. Athapaththu, who plays for the Chilaw Marians Cricket Club, finished atop the tournament’s run charts with a 429-run tally in seven innings at an average of 61.29, striking at 120.51. The next-best strike rate, 69.49, belonged to Nilakshi de Silva, who took the second place on this list with 246 runs at an average of 49.20.

For the record, the Navy Sports Club, who were undefeated in the league stage, emerged champions after clinching a two-wicket victory over the Army A team in the final in Welisara on April 2.

Inoka Ranaweera, representing Navy, was the leading wicket-taker in the competition, with 25 wickets in seven innings, at an economy of just 2.27. Kavisha Dilhari, the 20-year-old offspin-bowling allrounder with 14 international caps to her name, finished in the top 10 on both charts.

“I am glad we were able to host the women’s inter-club tournament because several of our national-team players, seniors and youngsters alike, got a chance to shake off a bit of the rust,” Athapaththu said. “It also allowed many of us to assess how we are doing individually because we have been mostly training individually in our hometowns because of the pandemic, though we have had a couple of national camps since September last year. The Covid situation has been an obvious a hindrance to hosting games in Sri Lanka but it’s good to have got some competitive cricket this year.”

Although there are substantial Covid-19 restrictions still imposed by the government, with over 90,000 active cases, Sri Lanka has largely avoided the worst of the pandemic, and many aspects of life have returned to normal. The island’s Covid-19 death toll is just under 600.

In the recent past, SLC hosted the Lanka Premier League and a men’s Test tour, and has a schedule lined up for the men’s national team over the next three months. Athapaththu, who is currently training under her personal coach in Kurunegala, was hopeful that the Division One tournament would pave the way for more playing opportunities for Sri Lanka’s women’s cricketers, too.

“The inter-club tournament went well and Kavisha and many of the other national-team players expectedly did better than the others. If youngsters like her get more game time – on the domestic as well as international level – that will be good for the health of women’s cricket in Sri Lanka. SLC is trying to organise practice matches against Under-17 boys, so that, too, could help us.”

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IPL2025: Arya and Prabhsimran shine but Punjab Kings suffer first-ever washout

Published

10 hours ago

2025/04/27

Priyan

Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya put on 120 for the first wicket [Cricinfo]

Punjab Kings [PBKS] had to settle with just one point despite scoring 201 on a slow pitch as late-evening thunders showers washed out the chase in Kolkata. They will be disappointed for they had done the hard work on a pitch whose consensus reading was “very, very slow”. The one point moved PBKS to No. 4 on the points table while the lagging Kolkata Knight Riders rose to No. 7 with seven points from nine matches.

Outside the frustration of not getting the win, PBKS will be pleased with their openers, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimrn Singhe, whose half-centuries took them to the daunting total in tough conditions. Especially how they scored the runs. They were almost obsessed with not over-hitting, holding their shape and relying more on their timing, adding 120 for the first wicket, PBKS’ only century stand this IPL. Arya scored 69 off 35, Prabhsimran 83 off 49, and even though the last six overs produced only 42, PBKS were confident they had scored an above-par total.

On the slow track with grip available for those bowling into the pitch, PBKS took 74 off the eight overs of spin between Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine. Even Harshit Rana, KKR’s slower-ball specialist, was allowed to bowl only two overs for 27 runs.

Arya, in particular, was clever in his targeting of the bowlers. He took 50 off 20 balls of pace, and just 19 off 15 balls of spin. Prabhsimran took the spinners on, taking 41 off 22 balls bowled by them. Both of them were measured in the first couple of overs, getting used to the pace in the pitch, before targeting the pace bowlers. Arya preferred timing – his first four fours were driven between mid-off and cover – and Prabshimran struggled early, getting to only 34 off 32 at one point.

With an audacious switch-hit six off Narine, Prabhsimran turned his innings around, in the process consigning Narine to a 22-run over. His worst has been 23 in all T20 cricket. Prabhsimran scored 49 off the last 17 balls he faced; Shreyas Iyer managed only five in a 40-run stand with him.

That the death overs were not easy to hit only encouraged PBKS. Andre Russell managed reverse-swing, Narine and Varun conceded just 13 in their final overs, and Vaibhav Arora drew purchase when he bowled slower balls. PBKS were confident there wouldn’t be much dew either, but we never could find out.

Scores:
Punjab Kings 201 for 4 (Prabhsimran Singhe 83, Priyansh Arya 69, Vaibhav Arora 2-34, Varun Chakravarthy 1-39, Andre Russel 1-27) vs Kolkata Knight Riders 7 for 0 in 1 over Match abandoned

[Cricinfo]

Sports

A Pope who played the game right

Published

14 hours ago

2025/04/27

Thilina Walpola

Pope Francis (L) meets Diego Maradona at Paul VI Hall before the “Interreligious Match for Peace” at Olimpico Stadium, Rome, Sept. 1, 2014.

In 1978, when Pope John Paul II had a swimming pool installed at the Vatican, it made more than just a ripple. A few Cardinals raised eyebrows at the cost—after all, it wasn’t exactly a drop in the holy bucket. But when word reached the Pope, he waved away the murmurs with a smile and said, “Cheaper than a conclave.” For a man who lived and breathed his daily laps, it was a matter of staying afloat – literally and spiritually. John Paul II wasn’t just a man of prayer but also a man of play, once donning gloves as a goalkeeper in his native Poland.

When he elevated the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, to the rank of Cardinal, he knew he was passing the torch to a kindred sporting soul. The two are said to have often bonded over football – a sacred ritual in Argentina almost as fervent as Mass itself.

Like many Argentine boys, Francis grew up with a football at his feet. But if you’re imagining a future Messi or Maradona in the making, think again. The young Jorge wasn’t quite dancing past defenders – he later admitted he had “hard feet,” and his friends didn’t let him forget it. Still, his love for the game never waned.

As Pope, Francis became a spiritual coach to athletes the world over. When meeting footballers at the Vatican, he preached the gospel of teamwork. “Football is a team sport. You can’t have fun alone. Teamwork leads to dream work,” he told them. “Team spirit nourishes both the mind and the heart, especially in a world overwhelmed by individualism.”

True to his roots, Francis remained a die-hard fan of San Lorenzo, the club founded in 1908 by Father Lorenzo Massa. The fans, affectionately known as “the Crows” (in honor of the founder’s black cassock), shared a special bond with their most famous supporter. The Pope held membership number 88,235 and faithfully paid his annual dues till the very end. Fittingly, the club now plans to name their new stadium after him – a tribute cast in stone for a man of faith and football.

Asked once to name the greatest among Pele, Messi, and Maradona, the Pope didn’t pull any punches. “Maradona as a player was great, but as a man, he failed,” he said, speaking truth with grace. It’s the same sentiment that most sports lovers share about the Argentine great, whose ‘hand of God’ sent England packing in the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

Yet when Maradona passed, Francis offered prayers for his fallen compatriot – a reminder that compassion, not condemnation, was his style of play.

To sportsmen chasing glory, Francis offered a word of caution. “Don’t let success go to your head,” he said. “Remember your journey – one of sacrifice, victories, and battles. True greatness lies not just on the scoreboard, but in how you live your life.”

In the wake of the Pope’s passing, both Argentina and Italy postponed their sporting events – a moment of silence for a voice that echoed across locker rooms as much as it did from pulpits.

Tributes came flooding in. Lionel Messi wrote, “You were a different, approachable Pope. Thank you for making the world a better place. We will miss you.” Gianluigi Buffon, Italy’s legendary goalkeeper, added, “Francis illuminated his era like only the greatest can. He moved our souls. I’ll carry his example forever in my heart.”

by Rex Clementine

Sports

Sri Lanka, India and South Africa kick off World Cup preparations with ODI tri-series

Published

2 days ago

2025/04/26

Priyan

Arundhati Reddy is expected to lead India's pace attack in the absence of Renuka Singh, Titas Sadhu and Pooja Vastrakar [BCCI]

The Women’s ODI World Cup is five months away and, after the drama of the qualifier in which Pakistan and Bangladesh confirmed their places at the tournament, preparation begins in Sri Lanka with a tri seried. Sri Lanka host India and South Africa for a seven-match tournament, which will include the pressure of reaching a final. All three sides have uncapped players in their squads so there are bound to be some new faces alongside old rivalries.

Here’s what you can look forward to over the next two weeks:

India’s quest for silverware begins

As hosts of this year’s World Cup, and after their failure to make the semi-finals of the last T20 tournament, all eyes will be on India to see if they can grab their first major trophy and continue to set the pace for the development of the game. Their players come into the series on the back of recent game time in the WPL and a six-match winning streak in ODIs, albeit against non-World Cup participants Ireland and West Indies. Regular captain Harmanpreet Kaur missed the Ireland matches but is back to lead the side in a sign that the leadership will remain unchanged heading into the World Cup.

Their most exciting prospect is 22-year old Kashvee Gautam, who was the most expensive uncapped player of the WPL and has Harmanpreet’s name on her wickets’ list. She was the joint-leading bowler among Indian players at the WPL with 11 to her tally (along with Shikha Pandey, who has not played an international in two years) and had best economy rate among Indian bowlers (and second best overall) and her international call-up is as deserved as it is expectant.

There was no such reward for the leading Indian run-scorer at the WPL. Shafali Verma scored two runs more than Harmanpreet and was fourth-highest overall but cannot find a spot in a squad that includes Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh. While India’s batting looks strong and familiar, their bowling reserves could be tested as all of Renuka Singh, Titas Sadhu and Pooja Vastrakar are injured which will leave it to Arundhati Reddy to lead the pace attack. Left-arm spinners N Shree Charani and Shuchi Upadhyay are the two others who could have their first international outing. Upadhyay was the third-highest wicket-taker in the domestic women’s one-day trophy last year.

Sri Lanka’s sweeping changes

Sri Lanka are back at the ODI World Cup after missing out on the 2022 edition and secured automatic qualification when they finished fifth in the Women’s Championship, ahead of New Zealand, but there’s work to be done to have a good tournament showing. Sri Lanka have lost their last two series – to Ireland and New Zealand – and will want to find form ahead of the World Cup, especially as they are not scheduled to play any other matches between now and the start of the tournament.

They’ve rung in the changes for this series, with six from the last squad, and included four uncapped players as well. Thirty-nine-year-old left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera is back in a squad that will be headlined by a strong spin contingent, including Malki Madara, who may get her first game. There are three other spinners in Sugandika Kumari, Inoshi Priyadharshani and Kavisha Dilhari, which has left space for only two seamers. Achini Kulasuriya is one of them and 18-year-old allrounder Rasmika Sewwandi, who was part of the Under-19 squad, is the other.

Sri Lanka’s batting is well-settled and the challenge will be for them to continue finding contributions from sources other than Chamari Athapaththu, who will doubtless be key to their World Cup campaign, but has stressed the need for the load to be shared. Slowly, that’s started to happen. Harshita Samarawickrama and Vishmi Gunaratne both scored hundreds in the last year and became the only Sri Lankan batters other than Athapaththu to do so. Sri Lanka will want to see more names on that list soon.

South Africa without Kapp

Before South Africa can start thinking about whether this World Cup could be the one where they take one more step than usual to get to the trophy, they have to find their feet under a new(ish) coach Mandla Mashimbyi, who has enjoyed title-winning success with the Titans provincial team but had no prior experience in women’s cricket, was appointed late last year and oversaw part of the home series against England (which went badly as South Africa won only one match out of seven across formats), but this will be his first proper test.

He will take it without senior allrounder Marizanne Kapp, who is being rested as she manages her workload, or batter Anneke Bosch, who is injured, but has the core of the squad that reached the T20 World Cup final at his disposal. That includes legspinner Seshnie Naidu, who did not get a game in the UAE but may play a big role alongside Nonkululekho Mlaba in future visits to the subcontinent.

Wicketkeeper-batter Karabo Meso, who was key to South Africa’s run to the Under-19 World Cup final, is the talk of the town on the domestic circuit and could bring depth to a batting line-up that will have an in-form Sune Luus (third on the domestic run-scorers charts) and the experience of Laura Wolvaardt, Nadine de Klerk and Chloe Tryon to lean on. South Africa have also gone light on seamers with Masabata Klaas and allrounders Annerie Dercksen and de Klerk to share duties as they aim to give their spinners a solid run. South Africa will also travel to West Indies and Pakistan before the World Cup.