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Sri Lanka look to maiden win in Women’s World Cup
by REX CLEMENTINE
Sri Lanka’s Women’s World Cup campaign hasn’t quite taken off yet, but Chamari Atapattu’s side will hope to turn the tide when they face New Zealand at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium today. With the so-called “big three” now out of the way, the islanders sense a chance to break their duck in the eight-nation competition.
The draw wasn’t kind to Sri Lanka, who opened against India in Guwahati before returning home to take on defending champions Australia and four-time winners England. Having endured that trial by fire, there is at last some breathing space with the heavyweights done and dusted.
India and England both won comfortably, while the fixture against Australia was washed out, a small mercy perhaps, given how formidable the Aussies have looked. Yet amid those defeats, Sri Lanka showed glimpses of promise before lapses in the field undid their good work.
Against India, they had the opposition on the ropes at 126-6, only for four dropped catches to let them off the hook. A few days later versus England, history repeated itself. Nat Sciver-Brunt was grassed on three and went on to hammer a run-a-ball 117, effectively batting Sri Lanka out of the contest.
Captain Atapattu didn’t mince her words afterwards. “Catches win matches, you see,” she reminded her troops, a line as old as the game but still as true as ever.
The skipper herself remains the heartbeat of the side. When Chamari is in full flow, Sri Lanka cruise; when she falls early, the innings often unravels. She’ll need support from emerging talents such as 20-year-old Vishmi Gunaratne, a bright prospect tipped to shoulder greater responsibility on the world stage.
There is reason for optimism. Sri Lanka defeated New Zealand in a bilateral series two years ago and have since lifted the Women’s Asia Cup. Those milestones have injected belief that the gap between them and the established giants is narrowing.
Their spinners in particular would fancy their chances on the turning tracks of RPS.
Missing out on the 2022 World Cup was a bitter pill to swallow, but the setback prompted a rebuilding drive. Investment, exposure and renewed professionalism have brought fresh energy into the women’s game. A strong finish in this tournament, starting with a win over the White Ferns, would be the perfect sign that the long rebuild is bearing fruit.
India claimed a 2-1 series victory over Australia in an anti-climax after the fifth and final T20I was abandoned due to heavy rain and thunderstorms in Brisbane.
After being sent in to bat, there had been intrigue over how India’s top-order would fare on a Gabba surface with plenty of bounce and carry. But with their nemesis Josh Hazlewood in Ashes prep mode and again not in the line-up, Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill plundered 52 runs before play came to a halt after 4.5 overs.
Abhishek did have luck having been dropped twice, but Gill was in sweet touch as he smacked 29 off 16 balls.
The series ended the same way it began after rain ruined the opening T20I in Canberra. Australia dominated game two in front of 82,000 fans at the MCG, largely thanks to a rampant Hazlewood but India ultimately prevailed in the series after their spinners gained a stranglehold on slower surfaces in Hobart and the Gold Coast.
India will head home well pleased ahead of their T20 World Cup title defence on home soil.
“The way everyone chipped in every game, it was a complete team effort with the bat, ball and in the field,” India captain Suryakumar Yadav said.
“I saw what happened with the women’s team winning the World Cup in India, having unbelievable support. When you play at home there is pressure but at the same there is a lot of excitement.”
In their final hit-out in the format before the T20 World Cup, Australia’s aggressive batting approach against high-quality spin attacks has come under scrutiny although recriminations are unlikely amid Ashes hysteria.
“I don’t think I can remember the last time we had so many rain interruptions,” Australia captain Mitchell Marsh said. “I think there are a lot of learnings to take forward, a lot of positives. The flexibility of our group and the squad that we’re trying to build in a World Cup year has been amazing.”
Earlier, a grinning Marsh once again won the toss but his mood soon soured after the start India’s openers got.
There was no settling in for left-arm quick Ben Dwarshuis as Abhishek bludgeoned a trademark boundary over mid-off on the fourth delivery of the match.
He tried to repeat the dose on the next ball only to miscue high into the air where Glenn Maxwell nestled under having trudged back from mid-off. A resigned Abhishek had already begun walking off only for the unthinkable to happen, with Maxwell spilling a straightforward catch.
While Abhishek lived dangerously, Gill was in sublime touch as he stroked four boundaries off Dwarshuis’ second over with the best being a gorgeous cover drive. Gill was in the type of commanding form that had eluded him during a tough tour – which started with an ODI series defeat in his captaincy debut in the format – and he looked determined to finish on a high.
Abhishek, on 11, received another life when he was dropped by Dwarshuis who ran in from fine-leg before compounding Nathan Ellis’ misery by smashing him over midwicket for six.
Typical for Brisbane this time for year, bad weather loomed large and the players went off due to lightning before heavy rain cascaded onto the ground in a major disappointment for the sold-out crowd.
Scores: No result
India 52 for 0 in 4.5 overs (Shubman Gill 29*, Abhishek Sharma 23*) vs Australia
[Cricinfo]
The controversial trial which saw the Kookaburra ball used for some rounds of the County Championship season has been scrapped after three seasons.
The ECB first proposed the trial as part of Andrew Strauss’ high-performance review three years ago in the hope that using the Kookaburra ball – rather than the Dukes – would encourage the development of spinners and bowlers with “extreme skills”. The pilot initially lasted two rounds of games in the 2023 season, and was criticised by county coaches.
Rob Key, the ECB’s managing director of men’s cricket, was a strong advocate for the Kookaburra ball and convinced the counties to expand the trial to four rounds for the 2024 season. Surrey’s Alec Stewart described that as ‘the worst decision ever’ but Key doubled down, saying it had produced “some bloody good cricket” after 17 of the first 18 fixtures ended in draws.
The Kookaburra was used for four further rounds in 2025 but again produced a high proportion of draws, epitomised by Surrey piling on a club-record 820 for 9 declared against Durham at The Oval.
It led directors of cricket from the 18 counties to make clear their wish to scrap the trial at a meeting last month, and the decision to revert to using the Dukes ball throughout the 2026 season was confirmed at a meeting of the Cricket Advisory Group – a sub-committee of the ECB Professional Game Committee – earlier this week.
Key and the ECB have taken a more hands-off approach to county cricket in recent years, and made a point of leaving discussion over proposed fixture restructures to the clubs earlier this summer. The counties failed to come to an agreement over the future of the Championship, but did agree to a small cut in the number of T20 Blast fixtures for 2026.
(Cricinfo)
Dasun Shanaka has been named Sri Lanka’s vice-captain for the upcoming T20I tri-series that will also involve Pakistan and Zimbabwe. Fast bowler Eshan Malinga, meanwhile, is in line to make his debut in the same series while also being included in the ODI squad for the three matches against Pakistan before the tri-series begins.
Dilshan Madushanka has been ruled out of the ODI series as he hasn’t yet recovered from a knee injury, and was replaced by Malinga, whereas Matheesha Pathirana isn’t a part of the T20I squad as he is recovering from an upper respiratory tract infection. Pathirana was replaced by Asitha Fernando.
Top-order batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who last played a T20I at the start of the year, was back in the squad for the shortest format, having missed two bilateral series and the Asia Cup since then.
Left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage didn’t find a spot in either of the 16-member squads, but he will lead Sri Lanka A in the Rising Stars T20 Asia Cup in Doha later this month.
Sri Lanka’s ODIs against Pakistan are all scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi, on November 11, 13 and 15. Those will be followed by the tri-series from November 17 in Rawalpindi and Lahore, with the final slated for November 29.
Sri Lanka squads
ODIs: Charith Asalanka (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranaga, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Dushmantha Chameera, Asitha Fernando, Pramod Madushan, Eshan Malinga
T20I tri-series: Charith Asalanka (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Kamil Mishara, Dasun Shanaka (vice-capt), Kamindu Mendis, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranaga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Asitha Fernando, Eshan Malinga
[Cricinfo]
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