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There Are No Clear Favourites, Any Team Could End Up Lifting The Trophy – Muralitharan

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Sri Lanka spin icon Muttiah Muralitharan stated there are no clear favourites for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 which starts from Sunday. The T20 World Cup will begin with the Round 1 Group B encounter between hosts Oman and Papua New Guinea on Sunday, with Scotland and Bangladesh, the other teams in Group B, clashing in the evening match.

“The most exciting thing about the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 is that there are no clear favourites. Coming into the competition in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, it feels like there is no standout side and as a result, any one of a large number of teams could end up lifting the trophy,” Muralitharan said in an ICC column.

“I’m obviously delighted to see the importance that spinners have taken on in T20 cricket. It is a fast game and is meant to be a batter’s game, but the bowlers have adapted in the 18 years since the format first started in England. Fast bowlers are bowling slow balls and cutters and different balls. Those are the skills you have to develop.”

Muralitharan also shared his experience of T20 cricket as a player and coach/mentor and said one has to approach the shortest format of the game with a ‘defensive mindset’.

“My experience, both as a player and a coach or mentor in T20 cricket, was that you have to approach it with a defensive mindset, whereas in ODIs or Tests, the aim is to take wickets. Defending is attacking in T20 in my mind, you need to aim to go for 6 or 6.5 runs an over and if you can manage that, you will probably take a couple of wickets as well,” he said.

“I have been out in the UAE for the IPL and looking at the wickets, it is clear that the spinners are going to have a huge role to play in the World Cup. It will depend a lot on how the curators have prepared the wickets, but it looks like the spinners will be key as the batters were finding it hard to connect and it made for some low scoring,” the Sri Lankan pointed.

Sri Lanka is placed with Ireland, Netherlands, and Namibia in Group A. The Round 1 matches will run till October 22. The top two teams in each group will proceed to the Super 12 stage of the tournament, beginning on October 23.

“From a Sri Lankan perspective, the team will have to go through qualifying in the first round. The team has gone down in the last five or six years and it’s the first time in our history that it has happened to us. Frankly speaking, we were not good enough, and have not played good enough cricket which is why we are in this position. But the team has capable players who can reach the Super 12s and have an impact, but first they have to qualify,” Muralitharan opined.

“The spinners are very good, whereas the batting is a little bit weaker, but if they can step up and manage decent totals, then the bowlers can defend them. If they make it through, I think they will upset a few teams,” he added.

The first semi-final of the T20 World Cup will be held in Abu Dhabi on November 10. The second semi-final will be hosted by Dubai on November 11. Both semi-finals have reserve days. The marquee clash of the tournament will take place in Dubai on November 14, Sunday, with Monday acting as the reserve day for the final.



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South Africa seal 10-wicket win to complete whitewash

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South Africa won the second Test comfortably by 10 wickets in the final session on Day 4 in Cape Town and thereby, clinched the series 2-0 against Pakistan. The hosts comfortably chased down the paltry target of 58 in just over seven overs. This was after Pakistan surmounted 478 in their second innings, a remarkable effort with the bat after being enforced to follow-on. The victory has ensured that South Africa were unbeaten in Tests in the 2024/25 season with nine wins and a draw.

Pakistan were still set to fightback after Tea with Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Rizwan in the middle. Two overs in, the former survived a LBW shout as he got his bat down in the nick of time before the ball crashed into his pads, and Rizwan brought up the 400 with a four off Keshav Maharaj who was still wicketless at that stage. But the 88-run stand was broken as Rizwan chipped one delivery by Maharaj to Temba Bavuma at cover, in what was a soft dismissal.
Aamer Jamal was dropped two balls later by Aiden Markram at first-slip and made them pay with a boundary in the same over to bring scores level. Agha survived an LBW appeal through the recourse of DRS but was caught at slip two balls later, once again off Maharaj. Jamal and Mir Hamza latched into Kagiso Rabada milking him for few boundaries, and the latter played a lovely lofted shot straight down the ground for six off a length ball. Soon after Pakistan’s lead had crossed 50, both batters fell within five balls of each other to leave the hosts with a small target to chase.
David Bedingham was promoted to open after Ryan Rickelton could not bat due to a knock he picked up while fielding yesterday. He was in a belligerent mood in his 30-ball 47 which consisted of five fours and two sixes. Meanwhile, Aiden Markram rotated the strike around to seal the chase quickly and marked South Africa’s seventh successive Test win.
Earlier in the day, South Africa struck twice in the first session which included nightwatchman Khurram Shahzad and Kamran Ghulam. Marco Jansen generated the extra bounce which forced Shahzad to tentatively push one to the point fielder while Ghulam was beautifully set up by Rabada with multiple outswingers before a nip-backer from the pace ace had the batter’s stumps castled. However. Masood continued to push on from the other end.
South Africa then struck with the key wickets of Saud Shakeel and Masood soon after Lunch with the new ball. Pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada picked up Shakeel as one shaped in with the angle from around the wicket which the batter nicked to second-slip. In the very next over, Maphaka sent back Masood LBW after the hosts asked the third umpire to have a look once Nitin Menon gave it not-out on field. The ball just struck Masood in line in front of the off-stump and it was straight enough to hit the flush of off-stump. The two wickets set up the victory for the hosts heading into the final session despite Rizwan’s and Agha’s resistance.
Brief Scores:South Africa 615 (Ryan Rickelton 259, Temba Bavuma 106, Kyle Verreynne 100; Mohammad Abbas 3-94, Salman Ali Agha 3-148) & 58/0 (Davod Bedingham 47*, Aiden Markram 14*) beat Pakistan 194 (Babar Azam 58, Mohammad Rizwan 46; Kagiso Rabada 3-55, Keshav Maharaj 2-14) & 478 (Shan Masood 145, Babar Azam 81; Marco Jansen 2-85) by 10 wickets

 

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Dilash hammers quickfire century as rejuvenated DSS put up big score

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Dilash Kumaranayake

DSS spark to life after Aravinda’s pep talk

by Reemus Fernando

D.S. Senanayaka College Colombo have been struggling during the third term matches of the Under 19 Division I cricket tournament. They were the lowest placed team in their group according to the year end points table. But yesterday they were a totally different batting unit as the scored 316 for nine wickets declared against Nalanda in their fifth tournament match at DSS ground.

It is now their highest score of the season. While Shanal Binuksha (76), Sohan Yapa (24), and Chanul Athale (46) made useful contributions in the top order, number nine batsman Dilash Kumaranayake hammered an unbeaten 101 runs in 88 balls inclusive of 11 fours and six sixes for the home team to post 316 for nine wickets declared.

Has the relegation scares made the struggling batting unit realized their true potential?

“Aravinda de Silva delivered a pep talk yesterday. He made the boys realize that they were there to enjoy the game of cricket. I think that has transformed the team,” coach Keerthi Gunarathna told The Island.

” There’s a long way to go hope they will keep on fighting,” he said.

The batting legend Aravinda de Silva, an old boy of D.S. Senanayaka has met the cricketers on Gunarathna’s request.

Match Details

Tier ‘A’

Mahanama fight back on 20 wickets day at BRC

Scores

Mahanama

168 all out in 47.4 overs (Chamika Heenatigala 32, Sithum Vihanga 38; Pasindu Maheesha 3/19, Dinal Sewmina 2/33, Praveen Maneesha 4/55) and 32 for no loss in 4 overs

Lumbini

144 all out in 40 overs (Bimsara Weerasinghe 36, Gimhana Wijayapura 33, Ashan Shanika 20; Anuka Wijewardana 4/25, Sithum Vihanga 4/36)

DSS score big against Nalanda at DSS ground

Scores

DSS

316 for 9 decl. in 91.3 overs (Shanal Binuksha 76, Sohan Yapa 24, Chanul Athale 46, Dilash Kumaranayake 101n.o. ; Hasith Rathnayake 2/80, Sadew Samarasinghe 4/61)

Nalanda

9 for no loss in 6 overs

Sebs make Maris Stella follow on at Negombo

Scores

St. Sebastian’s

212 all out in 56.5 overs (Kaveesha Perera 55, Adesh Almeida 40, Koshendra Fernando 37n.o.; Oshada Gunasinghe 4/67, Hasindu Perera 2/40, Kevin Kadigamuwa 3/43)

Maris Stella

107 all out in 30.4 overs (Oshada Gunasinghe 41n.o., Ramith Bandara 28; Malintha Silva 4/21, Adesh Almeida 3/35, Koshendra Fernando 3/32) and 25 for no loss in 6 overs

Thomians 109 for 2 after Bens’ 179 at Mount Lavinia

Scores

St. Benedict’s

179 all out in 63.5 overs (Eshan Edirisuriya 29, Janindu Nandasena 73, Aaron de Silva 3/25 Darien Diago 2/28)

S. Thomas’

109 for 2 in 36 overs (Dineth Goonewardene 55n.o., Avinash Fernando 35n.o.)

Tier ‘B’

Isipatana in complete control at Campbell Park

Scores

Wesley

91 all out in 32.4 overs (Anuga Pahansara 22, Rukshan Tharanga 25; Chanul Dinoth 5/29, Menula Sadev 3/25) and 13 for 3 in 10 overs (Dimuthu Tharaka 2/02)

Isipatana

233 all out in 54.3 overs (Navindu Hettiarachchige 35, Ruchith Rodrigo 48, Dilpa Ruwanaka 24, Ranmith Senarath 44, Chanul Dinoth 47; Dinuja Samararathne 6/63 Adhyaan Zain 3/68)

Isuru, Sanjana score centuries for Moratu Vidyalaya at Ambepussa

Scores

Moratu MV

300 for 6 decl. in 79 overs (Isuru Nidharshana 118, Visal Sri Sathsara 38rtd., Sanjana Senevirathne 104; Shehan Kumara )

St. Anne’s

34 for 1 in 19 overs (Wageesha Ranasinghe 24n.o.)

Traditional Matches

St. Peter’s dominate at Bambalapitiya

Scores

St. Aloysius’

140 all out in 42.5 overs (Charya Paranavithana 36; Dilana Damsara 5/35)

St. Peter’s

213 for 5 in 55 overs (Dilana Damsara 92, Asadisa de Silva 50n.o.)

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M.J.M. Lafir trophy championship commences today

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Sri Lanka’s world billiards champion M.J.M. Lafir.

3rd SAARC Snooker Championship

SAARC Snooker Championship conducted by Billiards and Snookers Association of Sri Lanka will commence at the Moors Sports Club billiards table in Colombo today.

The four-day championship organized by the South Asian Cue Sports Association will see 14 cueists from six nations competing for the prestigious M.J.M. Lafir Memorial Trophy.

It is the third edition of the tournament. The inaugural championship was hosted by Bangladesh in the year 2019. It was won by Asjad Iqbal of Pakistan when he defeated compatriot Mohammad Bilaal while the second edition was held in 2022. In 2022, Ishpreet Singh Chadha of India won defeating compatriot Brijesh Damani.

Malship Group along with Pyramid Wilmar, Olanda Villas, National Olympic Committee, Automobile Association and Crown Billiard International have come together to sponsor the event.

The tournament will witness the participation of 14 cueists with four from Sri Lanka and two each from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Nepal.

The hosts are represented by Susantha Boteju who has won 19 national snooker championship titles, Irshath Thaha the reigning national billiard, six red ball snooker and the national snooker champion, Murugesu Prathap and Mohamed Musharaf.

Pakistan fields three time world snooker champion Mohammad Asif who is also the reigning world snooker champion and Naseem Akhta. India will have Saurav Kothari and Paras Gupta, while Bangladesh are represented by Ahmed Nizam Uddin and Asif Imran. Afghanistan will field Salih Mohammad and Mohammad Rahim and Nepal’s pair are Ayush Gautam and Ankit Man Shrestha.

The opening ceremony is scheduled to be held at the Moors Sports Club billiards parlour at 9.00 a.m.

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