Sports

Sri Lanka World Cup games uninterrupted despite cyclone and flooding

Published

5 months ago

2025/12/23

Pallekele Stadium in Kandy all set for World Cup fixtures.

Sri Lanka’s share of the T20 World Cup will go ahead without disruption despite a recent cyclone and severe flooding that left large parts of the country battered and bruised.

Tournament organisers confirmed that matches scheduled in the island nation will proceed as planned, with Sri Lanka co-hosting the sport’s showpiece event alongside India. Three venues in Sri Lanka will stage games during the competition.

Sri Lanka is set to host 20 of the 55 matches in the tournament. Should Pakistan advance deep into the competition, the island will also stage a semi-final and the final, as Pakistan are unable to travel to India due to long-standing political tensions between the neighbours.

On November 27, cyclonic storm Ditwah swept across Sri Lanka and several other South-East Asian countries, bringing daily life to a grinding halt. Flooding and landslides claimed at least 634 lives, with more than 200 deaths reported in the central city of Kandy.

A recent inspection of facilities in Kandy, however, allayed fears, with authorities giving the ground the all-clear after confirming that damage was minimal.

“We are happy with the progress we have made and it is going to be a superb event,” an official involved in inspecting the Pallekele Stadium told Telecom Asia Sport. “Sri Lanka has hosted ICC events before with great success and we have no doubt this tournament will be another feather in our cap. Kandy has been cleared, as have the other two venues.”

Work is also nearing completion at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club ground, where floodlights are being installed ahead of five scheduled matches. The capital’s R. Premadasa Stadium will host the bulk of the fixtures, including the blockbuster India–Pakistan clash on February 15.

“There has been huge demand for tickets for the India–Pakistan game,” the official said. “We expect a surge of tourists into Colombo around that fixture, which will provide a significant boost to the economy. Travel companies have already rolled out special packages and we anticipate full houses for several marquee games. India–Pakistan is the main attraction, no doubt, but matches like Sri Lanka versus Australia are also keenly awaited.”

Sri Lanka recently staged several Women’s World Cup matches, some of which were affected by rain. Organisers, however, are confident the weather will stay out of the contest this time, with February and March traditionally dry months in both Colombo and Kandy. (www.telecomasia.net)

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Kapila Wijegunawardena to head SLC’s new selection committee

Published

14 mins ago

2026/05/21

Priyan

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has issued a statement approving the members nominated for the new Selection Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

The appointments have been made by the Sports Minister in accordance with the powers vested under Section 39 (1) of the Sports Law No. 25 of 1973 and the Extraordinary Gazette Notification No. 2437/24 dated May 21, 2025.

The members of the new selection committee are:

Kapila Wijegunawardena – Chairman

Amal Silva – Member

Brendon Kuruppu – Member

Waruna Waragoda – Member

Vanessa De Silva – Member

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Afghanistan refugee women’s team set for England tour under ECB initiative

Published

28 mins ago

2026/05/21

Priyan

The visiting Afghanistan women's team will also attend the final of the Women's T20 World Cup

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will host an Afghanistan Refugee Women’s Team for a tour beginning on June 22. The programme will include T20 matches and high-performance training opportunities and will be delivered in partnership with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the MCC Foundation. The visiting players will also attend the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Lord’s, scheduled to be held on July 5.

The tour is significant because the visiting squad comprises former Afghanistan women cricketers who had to leave the country following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, after which women were effectively excluded from sport and public life. Many of the players eventually resettled in Australia, where they have continued to pursue cricket. An Afghanistan women’s team played against a ‘Cricket Without Borders XI’ at the Junction Oval in January 2025 ahead of the Women’s Ashes Test at the MCG, a game that was streamed by Cricket Australia.

The ECB said the tour aimed not only to provide competitive opportunities but also to reaffirm cricket’s commitment to inclusivity. “Since being displaced from Afghanistan in 2021, these players have shown extraordinary resilience in continuing their cricket journeys, in incredibly challenging circumstances,” Clare Connor, ECB Deputy CEO and Managing Director of England Women, said.

“We have worked with It’s Game On to build an itinerary and a set of experiences that we hope will be enjoyable and memorable. We are also delighted that the squad will attend the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.

“Cricket has a responsibility to stand for inclusion and opportunity, and we are proud to be hosting this tour and supporting the players in deepening their connection to the game.”

The relocation and continued support of the players has been facilitated in part by It’s Game On, a global sports consultancy co-founded by former Australia cricketer Mel Jones and Emma Staples, along with Dr Catherine Orway. Jones, in particular, played a pivotal role in helping the players relocate to Australia. Her organisation has worked with international sporting bodies on initiatives centred around equity and opportunities for displaced female athletes.

“This tour is a major step forward, but also highlights how much work remains,” Jones said.

“These players have shown extraordinary courage and commitment to the game, despite everything that has been taken from them. They deserve more opportunities like this; they deserve to be recognised as part of the global cricket community. Moments like this matter, but we need to see plans for sustained and meaningful action beyond this year.”

[Cricbuzz]

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DR Congo cancels World Cup training camp over Ebola outbreak

Published

5 hours ago

2026/05/21

Priyan

DR Congo have qualified for the Fifa World Cup for the first time since 1974 (BBC)

The Democratic Republic of Congo has cancelled its pre-World Cup training camp in the capital, Kinshasa, because of an Ebola outbreak in the east of the country.

Preparations have been moved to Belgium amid the upsurge, which is thought to have killed more than 130 people.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern”, but said it was not at pandemic level.

Jerry Kalemo, a spokesperson for the national football team, told international media that pre-tournament games in Europe would go ahead as planned, as the squad gears up for their first World Cup since 1974.

DR Congo are due to play friendly matches against Denmark, on 3 June in Belgium, and Chile, on 9 June in Spain, ahead of the World Cup finals.

A spokesperson for the DR Congo team told the Reuters news agency that the squad’s training camp had been cancelled due to travel restrictions imposed by the US, who are hosting the World Cup this summer, along with Mexico and Canada.

The US’ public health agency has banned entry from non-Americans who have been in the DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days, in response to the Ebola outbreak

All DR Congo’s players, as well as the team’s French coach, Sébastien Desabre, are based outside the central African country and will therefore not be affected by the restrictions now the training camp has been cancelled.

The high-profile event in Kinshasa was supposed to have been attended by fans, along with DR Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi, according to Reuters.

Kinshasa is roughly 1,800 km (1,120m) away from the eastern Ituri province, the epicentre of the Ebola outbreak. There have not yet been any reported cases in the city.

On Wednesday, the WHO said 139 people were thought to have died, out of 600 suspected cases. However, on the same day, Congolese health minister Samuel Roger Kamba told state broadcaster RTNC TV that authorities had registered 159 deaths.

(BBC Sports)