Sports
SSP Pushpakumara delivers for Hockey
When SSP Kamal Pushpakumara came forward to contest the Hockey elections, he put forward an ambitious plan. The run up to the election was not so easy as his eligibility was challenged in the courts. Having overcome those challenges, he won the AGM fair and square and now he has started delivering for the sport that has a lot of potential but has failed to live up to expectations.
In less than three months after being elected as President, Pushpakumara has managed to move Hockey headquarters to a prime location in Colombo-7. Located at Sri Lanka Foundation Institute premises, the new headquarters will benefit the sport immensely.
Apart from building up the sport at grassroot levels, Pushpakumara also wants Sri Lankan hockey to become a force in the region.
Pushpakumara apart from representing Police in hockey, also played First Class cricket for the cops.
India took on Bangladesh in Kuala Lumpur and delivered a commanding performance, restricting Bangladesh to a mere 64 runs before chasing down the target with ease in just 7.1 overs
Wet weather in Kuala Lumpur delayed the highly anticipated clash between India and Bangladesh, with rain threatening to force an abandonment of the second match of the day. However, the cricket gods showed mercy, allowing play to resume and ensuring a full spectacle. India won the toss and chose to field, immediately putting Bangladesh under pressure by taking a wicket on the third ball of the match. The Indian bowlers maintained their dominance, either claiming wickets or restricting runs, leaving Bangladesh reeling at 23-5 by the end of the tenth over.
Skipper Sumaiya Akter and Jannatul Maoua displayed resilience for Bangladesh, putting together a 31-run partnership before Vaishnavi Sharma made a crucial impact with two wickets in the 17th over. Bangladesh managed to reach 64-8 at the end of their 20 overs. Vaishnavi Sharma was the standout bowler, finishing with impressive figures of 3/15, while Shabnam, Joshitha V. J., and Trisha Gongadi each chipped in with a wicket.
India made light work of the chase, facing no resistance from the Bangladesh bowlers as they chased down the target in just 7.1 overs. Trisha Gongadi led the charge with a blazing 40 off 31 balls, featuring an impressive eight boundaries. Habiba Islam Pinky and Mst. Anisa Akter Soba managed to pick up a wicket each, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Bangladesh from suffering a heavy defeat.
Vaishnavi Sharma was awarded Player of the Match for her outstanding figures of 3/15.
With this victory, India secured their spot in the semi-finals with one game remaining against Scotland. Bangladesh are unable to make it out of the Super 6 stage regardless of the result in their final match against the West Indies.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh Women Under 19s 64/8 in 20 overs [Jannatul Maoua 14, Sumaiya Akter 24; Shabnam Shakil 1-07, VJ Joshitha 1-06, Vaishnavi Sharma 1-15, Gongadi Trisha 1-06] lost to India Women Under 19s 66/2 in 7.1 overs [Gongadi Sharma 40, Sanika Chalke 11*; Anisa Akter Soba 1-29, Habiba Islam 1-15] by nine wickets
The wet weather found its way to Malaysia’s capital, and the start to Sri Lanka’s Super Six showdown with Scotland continued to be pushed back, until time ran out.
The two sides split the points, with neither now able to qualify for the semi-finals.
Scotland will play their last game of the tournament on Tuesday against India, while Sri Lanka will end their campaign with the final match of the Super 6 phase against Australia on Wednesday.
Kamindu Mendis, who scored 1451 runs across formats at an average just above 50, rubbed shoulders with some of the greats of the game in 2024.
The flamboyant left-handed batter had made just a solitary Test appearance for Sri Lanka prior to 2024, but ended the year having not only cemented his place as an all-format resource for Sri Lanka but also becoming their go-to-player in moments of crises and when the stakes were high.
This was on the show during Sri Lanka’s push for a maiden ICC World Test Championship Final spot as the 26-year-old delivered a streak of big scores in the whites.
Mendis’ year in review: 1049 runs from nine Tests, averaging 74.92
Slotting in the middle-order, Mendis was one of the six batters who scored over 1000 Test runs in the recently concluded calendar year – averaging the highest among them.
Making the most of his starts, Mendis hit five centuries and three fifties in his staggering tally of runs, taking Sri Lanka home on multiple occasions.
[ICC]
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