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T20 World Cup in Australia- Chances of Sri Lankan team

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Sri Lanka is coming off a very successful Asia Cup tournament where the islanders sent shock waves by defeating much fancied India and Pakistan.

By Dharmakulasingham Aiyampilai

The stage is set for the eighth edition of the T20 World Cup in Australia. Host country Australia, the defending champion has put in place elaborate preparation and exceptional Australian hospitality awaits the participating teams and others. The proud moments of winning the world cup in 1996 at Lahore still resonate in the hearts and minds of Sri Lankans. A proud cricketing nation that produced outstanding players of the calibre of Sathasivam, HIK. Fernando, Abu Fuard, Michel Thisera, Anura Tennakone and many others is eagerly waiting to witness a thrilling performance from the young team. Like the once powerful West Indies, Sri Lanka too slipped from the peak. The stakeholders of the game came up with an excuse of transition of the teams after many legends retired. What are the chances for Sri Lanka this time is the question many Sri Lankan fans are saddled with.

Just completed Asia cup unexpectedly renewed the energy levels of the Sri Lankan team and the self-belief has been restored. More importantly, the fear of failure has been removed by the wise words of the coach and the involvement of master tactician Mahela Jayawardene as a consultant coach is considered as a huge positive. Highly respected Mahela’s successful involvement with Mumbai Indians and his achievements as a master tactician brought him many accolades and Mahela was inducted to the ICC cricket Hall of Fame in 2021. Mahela’s tactical acumen is definitely going to be a blessing to the young Sri Lankan team which can gradually and easily acclimatise to the Australian conditions with the input from Mahela since he has been familiar with Australian conditions. Team Management including coach Silverwood, Mahela Jayawardena and others are well aware of the fact that risk management plays a vital aspect in T20 games.

Playing in Australia is all about adjusting to the pace and bounce and the dimensions of the grounds are bigger than many grounds in Sri Lanka and UAE. Sri Lanka is coming off a very successful Asia Cup tournament where the islanders sent shock waves by defeating much fancied India and Pakistan. Sri Lanka do not have big hitters or T20 stars like Chris Gayle, Andre Russel, Hales, Buttler, Suryakumar Yadev, Bracewell, David Warner etc. It is generally believed that batters who can easily clear the boundary lines can win the games. However, the Sri Lankan teams without much fancied big hitters or a local league like IPL or Big Bash reached finals on three occasions and 2014 was another memorable year for Sri Lankan cricket as it defeated the powerful Indian team in the final in Bangladesh under the captaincy of Kumar Sangakara. World Cup winning team under captain cool Arjuna Ranatunga at the 1999 World Cup was disastrous. Seam and swing conditions in English, among many reasons, were attributed to the poor performance of the star-studded Sri Lankan team. In other words, Asia Cup glory in Dubai on 12 September 2022 by defeating the strong Pakistan team by 23 runs can’t guarantee the same competitive performance in Australian conditions. Being drawn in group B with Namibia, UAE and Netherlands in the qualifying round before progressing to the super 12 stage Sri Lanka have the opportunity of playing three matches in Australian conditions. Training sessions and official warm-up matches will help the Sri Lankan team to face the Namibian team in the tour opener on 15th October at Geelong. It is pertinent to ask the question whether Sri Lanka have ticked all the boxes in the checklist.

The batting department is more or less looks settled with openers and the top order. Pathum Nissanka’s technique against pace and bounce conditions and Kusal Mendis attacking instinct with his ability to play pace and spin at the top would provide space for the other batsmen to phase out their innings. Asalanka had a quiet series in the Asia Cup and he is backed by the management since he scored heavily in the 2021 World Cup. Danuska Gunathilake, Dhananjaya de Silva, Bhanuka Rajapakse are all in good form. Captain Shanaka, Hasaranga and Karunaratne could give the finishing touches.

The bowling department is, particularly pace bowling, a strong area for the current team with Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madusanka, and Promod Madushan with all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne and skipper Shanaka for whom Australian pitches may be favourable. The spin bowling unit is as usual very strong in the hands of Hasaranga and mystery spinner Theekshana. The presence of leg spinner Vandersay provides options for team management depending on the rival team’s strengths and weaknesses. Recent fielding efforts by young Sri Lankans in UAE Asia Cup matches have been hugely appreciated by the commentators.

What is of immediate concern to Sri Lanka at this early stage is whether Sri Lanka will continue their winning streak and earn entry to the super 12 stage. The first hurdle is in the qualifying round. Though it appears it is a cakewalk for the Sri Lankan team, the great uncertainties of the game might have a field day and spoil the expectations. Sri Lank has a history of heavily defeating the associate countries in big stages and the current young team’s chances of earning entry to the super 12 are bright.



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Amin, bowlers leave West Indies Women’s World Cup hopes hanging by a thread

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File photo: Sidra Amin scored 54 in Pakistan's total of 191 [Cricinfo]

West Indies’ ODI World Cup hopes are hanging by a thread after they slumped to a second defeat in three matches in the qualifier in Lahore. They were beaten by 65 runs by hosts Pakistan, who have moved to the top of the points table, and are undefeated in the event so far as they remain on track for the Women’s World Cup.

Both teams, though, still have to play unbeaten Bangladesh and win-less Thailand. West Indies, meanwhile, have to win their remaining two matches, and hope other results go their way to help them get to the World Cup.

After bowling Pakistan out for 191, West Indies would have felt their bowlers had done most of the hard work against a line-up that continues to struggle to build partnerships and score quickly. Pakistan had no half-century stands – their highest was 47 runs for the second wicket between Muneeba Ali and Sidra Amin – and no one in their top five had a strike rate over 60. But a quality bowling attack and much improved fielding helped Pakistan defend what seemed a bowler-par total for the second time in the campaign.

Captain Fatima Sana led from the front, and after holding herself back until the 24th over against Scotland, took the new ball under lights in this game. Her first delivery was full and straight, and clipped the top of  Hayley Matthews’  back pad. As a result, Sana had her opposite number out for a first-ball duck. Matthews looked disappointed with the decision, but with no reviews at the qualifier, she could only trudge off.

The experienced Shemaine Campbelle was sent out ahead of Zaida James at No. 3 but was run-out for the second time in the tournament. Campbelle tucked a delivery from Sadia Iqbal on the leg side, and set off for a single, but didn’t account for Sidra Nawaz’s speed. Keeping wicket in place of Muneeba, who has been left to focus on her batting, Nawaz charged off to field the ball, and her direct hit caught Campbelle out of her ground.

Three overs later, West Indies had another mishap. Diana Baig appealed for an lbw against Jannillea Glasgow as the ball bobbled to slip. Glasgow and James took the opportunity to steal a run, but Nawaz was quick to see them hesitate and called for the ball while the umpire was still deciding on the appeal. Nawaz ran James out to leave West Indies at 29 for 3, but with Stafanie Taylor still in the hut. Taylor had taken ill in the field, and could not come out to bat until an hour and a quarter into the innings, or until West Indies were five down, whichever came first.

That is why Chinelle Henry walked out to bat at No. 5, and joined Glasgow. Henry slapped the first ball she faced for four, and hit two more boundaries in her first seven balls.

Left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu was brought on in the 12th over, and dismised Glasgow and Henry in the space of three balls to all but end West Indies’ hopes. They were 54 for 5 when Taylor walked in, before she shared a 34-run sixth wicket stand with Shabika Gajnabi. Taylor started to look threatening when she hit Rameen Shamim back over her head for six but was caught by Muneeba at short fine leg, and West Indies had no senior batters left.

Sana came back to take two late wickets, and finished with figures of 3 for 16. She is now joint-second on the tournament’s wicket-takers’ list, and just behind Matthews, who has ten wickets. That will be scant consolation to Matthews, who had Gull Feroza out early and took 2 for 30 in ten overs in this match, given the state West Indies find themselves in.

Though their bowling was tight, and only Karishma Ramharack conceded above five runs an over, their batting has let them down. After finishing World Cup 2022 as semi-finalists, they could miss out on the 2025 edition altogether after losses to Scotland and Pakistan.

West Indies have two days off before their next match against Bangladesh, and will want to use that time to address their batting concerns, including whether to bring Qiana Joseph back into the XI. Pakistan, too, will have some worries about their batting. Muneeba laboured to 33 off 60 balls, and Amin took 86 balls to get to fifty, but they anchored the innings.

No other batter scored more than Sidra Nawaz’s 23, and the middle order’s inconsistency is something they will want to address in coming games. Pakistan play Thailand on Thursday, and then play Bangladesh in their final game on Saturday.

Should Pakistan qualify for the World Cup, their matches will take place outside of India, in accordance with the hybrid model agreed on by the BCCI and PCB earlier this year.

Brief scores:
Pakistan Women 191 in 49.5 overs (Muneeba Ali 33, Sidra Amin 54, Aliya Riyaz 20, Sidra Nawaz 23; Hayley Matthews 2-30, Afy Fletcher 2-39, Karishma Ramharak 2-55) beat West Indies Women 126 in 39.2 overs (Aaliya Alleyne 22, Shabika Gajnabi 21;  Fatima Sana 3-16, Rameen Shamim 2-26, Nashra Sandhu 2-31) by 65 runs

[Cricinfo]

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IPL 2025: Dhoni, Jadeja snap Chennai Super King’s losing streak

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MS Dhoni and Shivam Dube bump fists in the middle [BCCI]

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were staring at the prospect of losing a sixth game in a row when MS Dhoni joined Shivam Dube with five overs left in the chase. But Dhoni won the battle against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) seamers with an 11-ball 26 while Dube made 43 to give them their second win in seven outings.

LSG captain Rishabh Pant felt right after the game that LSG were “10-15 runs short” in their first-innings effort. Despite Pant’s own 49-ball 63, his first half-century in LSG colours, they scored only 166 for 7 in 20 overs, their lowest total of the season. They were pegged back by Ravindra Jadeja’s two wickets and kept in check by Noor Ahmed’s miserly four overs that went for only 13 runs.

After CSK’s opening partnership put them on course early, LSG dragged the game back with their spinners. Digvesh Rathi, Ravi Bishnoi and part-time offspinner Aiden Markram produced combined figures of 11-0-80-4, but a 19-run over from Shardul Thakur in the penultimate over ended LSG’s hopes.

When Dhoni walked in at the 15th over, Dube had made only 17 in his first 20 balls. Dube had failed to boss the spinners like his usual self and the dismissals of Vijay Shankar and Jadeja had only added to the pressure.

But Dhoni enjoys pace, coming into the game with a strike-rate of 222 against seamers since IPL 2024, and LSG supplied him with just that. Despite one over of Bishnoi left, LSG went for Avesh Khan and Shardul Thakur, and their wide yorker plan to both batters ended up being predictable.

Dhoni edged a couple of fours down to deep third but showed his power by punching a boundary through the covers, flicking a full toss over midwicket and dragging a one-handed six over deep square leg.

He also ran his ones and twos, sometimes gingerly, with Dube and took the pressure off him. When Shardul bowled two full tosses at the start of the 19th over, Dube smacked him for four and a no-ball six.

Dhoni picked up his first IPL player-of-the-match award since 2019 while Dube, soon after hitting the winning runs, said he was proud of taking the game deep. Their partnership of 57 came in only 28 balls.

Shaik Rasheed’s skills were never in doubt. He is a former Under-19 World Cup-winning vice-captain, has a Syed Mushtaq Ali century and a double ton in first-class cricket. It’s for those reasons CSK have kept a close eye on him since IPL 2023.

With Devon Conway not among the runs, CSK gave Rasheed an IPL debut and he took strike to start the chase. By the second over, he had pumped three fours off Akash Deep, with one flick over midwicket described on the broadcast as “Virat Kohli-like.”

His 19-ball 27 with six fours helped CSK reach fifty in only 4.2 overs, and alongside Rachin Ravindra’s 22-ball 37, gave them a rare successful opening stand. Those runs proved crucial as a collapse against spin soon followed.

With a strike-rate of 80 and a high score of 21 this season, Pant needed to get going. He walked-in in the fourth over with Markram and Nicholas Pooran out to Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj cheaply.

He started on a positive note, improvising a reverse lap over third man early for six along with a handful of contorted pulls and cuts. But his strike-rate of 165 plummeted to 103 when CSK’s spinners applied the squeeze. Pant saw wickets fall from the other end, and ended up playing ten dots in 15 balls against Noor, scoring only six runs. His strike rate of 40 against the purple-cap holder ended up being the second worst for any batter against a bowler in IPL (minimum15 balls).

However, from 40 in 39 balls, Pant found his touch against the pace-on options of Matheesha Pathirana and Khaleel to turn his innings around. He couldn’t stay till the end, though, and the CSK spinners’ effort ensured LSG could make only 166 on a day where their second-highest individual score was Mitchell Marsh’s 30.

Brief scores:
Chennai Super Kings 168 for 5 in 19.3 overs (Shaik Rasheed 27, Rachin Ravindra 37, Shivam Dube 43*, Mahendra Singh Dhoni 26*; Digvesh Rathi 1-23, Avesh Khan 1-32, Ravi Bishnoi 2-18, Aiden Markram 1-25) beat Lucknow Super Giants 166 for 7 in 20 overs (Mitchell Marsh 30, Rishabh Pant 63, Ayush Badoni 22, Abdul Samad 20; Khaleel Ahmed 1-38, Anshul Kamboj 1-20, Ravindra  Jadeja 2-24, Matheesha Pathirana 2-45) by five wickets

[Cricinfo]

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Therapuththa National School Amabalanthota reach finals of Under 19 division III Tier B limited over cricket tournament

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The Therapuththa National School Under 19 cricket team with offficials

Therapuththa National School Ambalanthota reached the final of the Under 19 division III Tier B limited over cricket tournament conducted by the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association

The Therapuththa team captained by N M Senura Daksitha was selected from  P A Imanga Rashmika, M P Akash Udayanga, M B Senuth Daritha, J G Pramith Hasintha, A J A Senuth  Kithmina, K G Pathum Dilshan, Jayasinghe Sathira, H W Ashan Chamika, U M Senuka Dineth Ransara, B G Didun Nethsara, J H Yasith Pinsara, A Y Rahal Lakkitha, U H Yashmin Ashinsana Kulathilaka, T H Malindu Prabashwara, O P Samudya Charunya, Nethindu Thamudina, P P G Sadeep Lakshan, and A L G Sanuth Sandera.

The team was coached by P A Leelananda Kumarasiri together with J M Kokum Induma and T G Kavindu Keshika.

As the Under 19 division III Tier B final between Therapuththta National School Ambalanthota and Nenamal Royal International School Kelaniya, which was to be played  at the Army ground Diyagama on 10th April was abandoned without a toss due to rain,  both teams were named joint champions. A total of 282 teams participated in this years Under 19 division III  tournament

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