Sports
Sri Lanka unearth another gem from Kalutara

Rex Clementine at Pallekele
Last month in the Caribbean, Sri Lanka unearthed a fine talent in Pathum Nissanka, who became the first Sri Lankan to score a hundred on debut overseas. He learned his cricket at Kalutara Vidyalaya. A few meters from his school, at Holy Cross College, a left-arm spinner was plying his trade. Praveen Jayawickrama is his name. Both Pathum and Praveen are the same age – 22. As if one gem from Kalutara in Pathum was not good enough, Sri Lanka have unearthed another gem in Praveen. He has claimed eight wickets for 150 runs in the ongoing Test match against Bangladesh at Pallekele and should go onto get a match bag of ten, or more.
Praveen on Saturday claimed the best figures in an innings by a Sri Lankan on debut. He should have the best figures in a match as well by a debutant by the time you have lunch today as Sri Lanka need five more wickets to wrap up the Test match and the series.
Today’s lunch should be good because Sri Lanka have not won a Test match in more than a year now. Since beating lowly Zimbabwe in January last year, Sri Lanka have played eight Tests without a win. That’s going to change thanks to young Praveen.
With just ten First Class games to his name, there were doubts how well he would fare. But credit to the selectors for backing him and it has paid off. Praveen was on the money. Bowling from Hunnasgiriya End throughout the game, he flighted the ball, found drift and with change of angles outsmarted the batsmen.
The delivery that he bowled to dismiss first Test centurion Najmul Shanto was a beauty. Pitched outside off-stump from over the wicket, the ball turned sharply, went through bat and pad of the left-hander and knocked top of leg-stump. The Sri Lankans loved it. It was classical bowling. This was ample indication that the team got their act wrong in the first Test where they backed seam instead of their traditional strength – spin.
Praveen should have claimed a ninth wicket but Lahiru Thirimanne dropped Mushfiqur Rahim at slip when he was on six.
Ramesh Mendis although not as accurate as Praveen was getting extra bounce that troubled the batsmen. He finished with three wickets in the innings. Both spinners play for Moors SC in domestic cricket and there was good understanding between them.
When day four ended 30 minutes before stumps due to bad light with still 12 overs remaining, Bangladesh were down to their last recognized pair.
Sri Lanka do not have any reviews left but that should not be a concern with plenty left in the game. Reviews are something that the Sri Lankans use so poorly. Bangladesh have been clever with their reviews. Both Mehdiy Hasan and Liton Das who remained unbeaten at stumps had been given out. But they overturned the decisions having successfully challenged the calls.
Bangladesh finished on 177 for five chasing a target of 437. They need another 260 runs.
Latest News
BCB to follow government directive before finalising Pakistan tour

The BCB has said that they will rely on the Bangladesh government’s directive before finalising their tour to Pakistan later this month. Bangladesh were originally scheduled to play five T20Is there from May 25 to June 3, but the PSLs schedule was revised following cross-border tensions between Pakistan and India.
According to the revised fixtures, the PSL final will now be held on May 25, when Pakistan and Bangladesh were originally scheduled to play the first T20I.
ESPNcricinfo has learned that the PCB has sent a new schedule for the T20Is between Pakistan and Bangladesh, with the first match now slotted for May 27, and the last on June 5.
BCB’s media committee chairman Iftekhar Rahman said they will rely on information from government security agencies and the Bangladesh high commission in Islamabad to take the final decision.
“Once we receive official communication about the dates and venues [of the tour], we will forward it to the government,” Rahman said. “The BCB is not the decision-maker in this matter. If the government agencies and our embassy declare Pakistan safe for travel, only then will we proceed.
“In our previous meeting, we agreed that any such situation would be referred to the foreign and home ministries. Once we get clearance from all relevant bodies, we will finalise the tour. Security concerns were more significant in the past, but Pakistan has proven it can ensure safety. Still, given the current circumstances, we need to assess whether the situation across the country is stable before sending the team.”
Before playing Pakistan, Bangladesh are scheduled to play two T20Is against UAE in Sharjah on May 17 and 19. They were then supposed to fly to Lahore on May 21.
[Cricinfo]
Sports
Apna wins third title at 110th Colombo Championships

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.
Sports
Sri Lanka Cricket conducts fast bowling talent search in Polonnaruwa

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.
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