Sports

Trinity’s Althaf passes his toughest rugby test at the Bradby

Published

3 years ago

2023/07/26

Trinity fly half Shan Althaf emerged as the hero for his team at the First Leg of the Bradby Shield against Royal when he contributed eight points with his kicking boots. Here the lad shows that he is not afraid to tackle when he readies himself to bring down a fast running Royal player.

By A Special Sports Correspondent

Trinity produced one of their best performances at rugby this season and most importantly showed how to play against a much favoured side like Royal this season in the first leg of their Bradby Shield encounter on Saturday (July 22).

Whatever said about Royal in pre-match previews Trinity sucked out Royal’s energies throughout a 70 minute blockbuster encounter and ran away worthy winners with a 13 points to 10 win at Pallakelle; a home turf which has brought the Kandy crowd in numbers when the Trinitians are at rugby. In other words Royal were given a taste of their own medicine. We have seen how the Royalists have snuffed the life out of teams in the second half this season and the Colombo boys were quite surprised when Trinity did that to them in front of a vociferous home crowd.

The Trinity players played a few notches less than their potential, but the game produced enough punch to keep an appreciative crowd at the edge of their seats. This was thanks to a rugby lesson Trinity gave everyone at the stadium in how to groom a player for the future. And the recipient of the lesson was young 16-year old fly half Shan Althaf who was easily the pick among the Trinity players in the game against Royal.

Althaf was struggling in the first half with his kicking boots and kicked astray three vital penalties; all which were taken within kicking range. Then someone in the bench or may be the skipper then decided that Trinity would pursue with the young lad in the kicking department for the rest of the game. We remember former Sri Lanka cricketer Marvan Atapattu’s zero zero days. The cricket management or coaches at that time pursued with Atapattu and the player went on to become the captain of the national side and also one of the best openers in the game.

Althaf has many more seasons ahead of him; three more if this writer’s calculations are right. He might even captain Trinity in the future.

St. Peter’s College Bambalapitya did well to beat Science College 29-0 last week which helped them remain unbeaten this season after six weeks of rugby.

There is also another aspect to this Althaf episode. The coaching staff at Trinity must have seen huge potential in the lad to play him so early or at such a young age in the First XV side. It’s damn hard to come in so young and play in such a physical game like rugby union; even though the competition is at school level. But present day rugby is played at a time when gym facilities and supplements available for sportsmen and women are at a very advanced level. Hence being the youngest member of the side doesn’t really matter because the body can be conditioned and nourished to take some big knocks on the rugby field. Althaf wearing the number 10 jersey fed his three quarters without being selfish and also tackled hard to excel in defence. The total points he contributed to the side was eight out of the 13 that Trinity piled up. We can remember some very young players who donned the first XV jersey in school rugby at a tender age. S. Thomas’ had prop Naren Perera who was 15 when he wore the blue- black jersey, Isipatana had Champika Nishantha (Playing as a utility player) who was 13 when he wore the green jersey and Nalanda had Centre Manjula Damith who was also 13 when he wore the First XV jersey. Damith and Champika went on to represent Sri Lanka at rugby.

Royal will be licking their wounds, but they have an experienced coach in Dushanth Lewke who is capable of putting the boys through their paces and getting them ready for the second leg of the Bradby which is scheduled for August 5 (Saturday) at Royal Sports Complex.

Isipatana College under the captaincy of Nuwan Kanishka did well to see off their opponents with much ease this season in the six outings they’ve had thus far. Last week they beat Wesley 24-11 at Havelock Park. Another side that has already booked their passage to the super round in the schools’ league rugby tournament is St. Peter’s which has remained unbeaten this season. They beat Science 29-0 at Bambalapitiya last week. The other schools which are in with a chance of filling the remaining two slots are Royal, S. Thomas’, D.S. Senanayake and St. Anthony’s which have one more game each left in the first round of the tournament. In the latest standings of the points table after six weeks of school rugby Isipatana and D.S. Senanayake occupy the first and second places respectively in Division 1 Segment A Group 1 while St. Peter’s and Royal occupy first and second places in Division 1 Segment A Group 2.

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Namibia begin campaign in crucial game against Netherlands

Published

4 hours ago

2026/02/10

Priyan

This match is big for the teams involved. Netherlands vs Namibia in Delhi won’t draw as many eyeballs as when subcontinental giants clash, but for the team that loses on Tuesday, it is the beginning of their end at the 2026 T20 World Cup. They have been placed in Group A alongside USA, India, and Pakistan. Only the top two make the Super Eights, and a loss will put either team on the brink of elimination.

Such a fate might seem particularly cruel for Namibia, who are the only team in the group to have not played a match yet. But like most Associate nations, they are used to jeopardy when they take the field – and they tackle it better than most of their peers. Their consistency has vaulted them to their fourth consecutive World Cup appearance after a competitive Africa qualifiers tournament. This match will also be their first T20I since October 2025; that last one was a final-over thriller they won in their first ever clash against South Africa.

Netherlands will be rueing a topsey-turvy contest against Pakistan on Saturday that they were losing, then surely winning, and then losing again. Paul Van Meekeren did not mince his words in the aftermath of the contest: “I want to be very clear: Pakistan didn’t win the game today, we lost the game against ourselves.”

Netherlands could have been on two points after causing an opening-day upset, but instead they enter this game knowing they cannot afford to let another winning situation slip past them.

Netherlands quick Paul van Meekeren had been there, almost done that on Saturday: Pakistan needed just 50 off nine overs when he bowled a double-wicket maiden to trigger a massive slowdown. He finished with figures of 2 for 20, but Netherlands fell short of a win and van Meerken of the headlines.

If T20 squads are built around allrounders, JJ Smit has certainly laid Namibia’s strong foundations in the build-up to this World Cup. He was their biggest utility player at the Africa qualifiers – the tournament’s third-highest run-scorer, with 197 runs in four innings at 98.50 and a strike rate of 187.61. He can also bowl handy medium pace, and chipped in with six wickets in five games. In 2025, he bowled with an economy rate of 6.19, and will be vital to Namibia’s chances of taking control of the middle overs.

An impressive all-round bowling performance took Netherlands close to a famous win, so it is unlikely they will be tinkering with their combinations just yet.

Netherlands (possible): Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (capt & wk), Zach Lion-Cachet, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Kyle Klein, Paul van Meekeren

The Delhi pitch should have plenty in it for the spinners, especially under the sun, for Namibia to begin the tournament with their veteran left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz in the eleven.

Namibia (possible): Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (capt), JJ Smit, Malan Kruger, Zane Green (wk), Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, Jack Brassell

(Cricinfo)

Sports

Markram, Ngidi help South Africa ease past dogged Canada

Published

4 hours ago

2026/02/10

Priyan

Lungi Ngidi picked up the first three wickets (Cricinfo)

South Africa’s first T20 World Cup match since the heartbreak of the 2024 final proved a substantially less fraught affair. In the echoing environs of the Narendra Modi Stadium, they were made to work just hard enough by Canada in the first meeting between the two nations, eventually easing to a 57-run victory thanks to Aiden Markram’s 28-ball fifty, and 4 for 31 from Lungi Ngidi.

Canada fought hard in patches, principally through Anush Patel’s three wickets of wristspin, then a feisty half-century from Navneet Dhaliwal, whose 64 from 49 was the highest score of the match. Most of his runs came in a fifth-wicket stand of 69 with Harsh Thaker that cracked along at eight an over even as the rate continued to rise. By then, however, Ngidi had claimed three of his wickets in the powerplay to wreck any realistic hopes of an upset.

With its mix of red and black soil, Ahmedabad’s pitches can veer between extremes. But this offering, hard and lightly grassed, could hardly have been better suited to South Africa’s route-one methods.

Markram set the tone from the top of the order with a dominant 59 from 32 balls, Ryan Rickelton chipped in with 33 from 21, before Tristan Stubbs and David Miller brought up the rear in unbeaten knocks of 34 from 19 and 39 from 23 respectively.

Though no-one turned up for a statement display, none was really needed against enthusiastic but outclassed opponents whose fielding – despite one moment of individual brilliance – was consistently sub-par, and whose bowlers served up 13 extra deliveries across their innings, including nine wides and back-to-back no-balls on height in Kaleem Sana’s final over.

Pace and bounce, and a hint of seam movement. Ngidi doesn’t need a second invitation to thrive in such conditions. With a hefty target of 214 on the board, he landed the first ball of Canada’s reply right in the channel and found a thin snick off the edge of Dilpreet Bajwa’s bat, even as he tried to leave it alone.

In Ngidi’s next over, the left-hander Yuvraj Samra was done in by one that left him a fraction, for Quinton de Kock to claim his second catch of the powerplay. And though Nicholas Kirton smashed his second ball through the covers for four, he then spliced his third to Kagiso Rabada at mid-on. Ngidi had 3 for 13 in two overs, and Canada’s challenge was faltering before it had begun.

Rabada then beat Shreyas Movva for pace to leave them teetering at 45 for 4, but with the dew factor kicking in – as Canada’s captain Bajwa had anticipated at the toss – further breakthroughs were put on hold as Dhaliwal and Thaker exploited the extra zip onto the bat, and across the outfield. But when Ngidi returned for his final over, Thaker failed to pick his looping slower ball, and Rabada at deep third clung on to the leading edge.

If South Africa felt at home from home in these conditions, then Patel was literally so. Born in nearby Vadodara, he had moved to Toronto as a baby, but returned to Gujarat at the age of 10, when his father took a punt on his burgeoning cricket talent. A contract with Punjab Kings ensued in 2022, but a change in eligibility rules forced him home again, and into the midst of Canada’s return to the big-time.

Ansh’s first act of his home-from-homecoming didn’t quite go to plan, when he spilled de Kock at short third on 6. De Kock, however, didn’t quite make Canada pay. He had been ominously placed on 25 from 22 when he played over the top of a looping delivery from Bajwa, and lost his off stump.

That was the cue for Ansh to enter the attack. With his energetic, low-slung, left-arm wristspin, he provided the handbrake that Canada needed as he whirred through his repertoire to claim 3 for 31, all between overs eight and 16.

He needed a moment of inspiration to ignite his display. Markram had been in ominous touch with 10 fours and a six, as he peppered the arc from cover to mid-on with his favoured range of drives. But, when he dragged Ansh’s googly a touch too straight, Dilon Heyliger was lurking at long-on with a sensational interception: a leaping, reaching take on the run to his left, capped with cool footwork as he kept his balance inches inside the rope.

Rickelton was also done in while attempting a launch down the ground, a far more straightforward catch to Thaker at long-on, and Ansh made it three in nine balls when Dewald Brevis was deceived in flight to hoist a steepler to mid-off for a run-a-ball 6.

From 126 for 1 to 138 for 4, it was the start of a fightback … but only from South Africa’s impressively stacked middle order. Though Heinrich Klaasen remains much missed since retiring from internationals, Stubbs and Miller are no mean combo for the death overs. Five sixes between them from the final 14 balls put the contest out of reach.

Brief scores:

South Africa 213 for 4 in 20 overs (Aiden Markram 59, Quinton de Kock 25, Ryan Rickelton 33, David Miller 39*, Tristan Stubbs 34*; Dilpreet Bajwa 1-40, Ansh Patel 3-31) beat Canada 156 for 8 in 20 overs (Yuvraj Samra 12, Navneet Dhaliwal 64, Harsha Thaker 33, Saad Bin Zafar 11; Lungi Ngidi 4-31, Marco Jansen 2-30, Kagiso Rabada 1-40, Corbin Bosch 1-27) by 57 runs

(Cricinfo)

Latest News

Pakistan withdraw boycott of India match at T20 World Cup

Published

4 hours ago

2026/02/10

Priyan

India and Pakistan will face off on February 15 in Colombo (Cricinfo)

The ten-day standoff over Pakistan’s refusal to play India in their scheduled 2026 T20 World Cup group fixture ended in an evening of frenzied press statements and near simultaneous announcements from the Pakistan government and the ICC that the match, billed to be the commercial centrepiece of the tournament, will go ahead on February 15 in Colombo.

The statement from the Pakistan government confirmed that a number of ICC members, including Sri Lanka and the UAE, had urged the PCB not to boycott their fixture, citing financial impact on other nations. It also confirmed that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had spoken to Sri Lanka President Kumara Dissanayake on the issue.

“In view of the outcomes achieved in multilateral discussions, as well as the request of friendly countries, the Government of Pakistan hereby directs the Pakistan National Cricket Team to take the field on February 15, 2026, for its scheduled fixture in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Moreover, this decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the spirit of cricket, and to support the continuity of this global sport in all participating nations,” the government statement concluded

The ICC said talks had been successful. “The dialogue between ICC and PCB took place as part of a broader engagement with both parties recognising the need for constructive dealings and being united, committed and purposeful in their aspirations to serve the best interests of the game with integrity, neutrality and cooperation.

“In that prevailing spirit, it was agreed that all members will respect their commitments as per the terms of participation for ICC events and do all that is necessary to ensure that the ongoing edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is a success.”

Thedecision not to penalise Bangladesh after their exclusion from the T20 World Cup for refusing to play in India, appears to be the most significant public outcome from a fortnight of negotiations between the ICC, the PCB and, ultimately, the BCB. Pakistan had linked their decision to boycott the game to Bangladesh’s absence from the event, which the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had said was an example of the ICC’s “double standards” and an “injustice”.

ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB also brought up a morere equitable ICC revenue share model in their negotiations, though neither the Pakistan government nor the ICC made reference to that in their statements. Speculation that bilateral, or trilateral, series with India was a PCB condition has been strenuously denied by the board.

Though back-channel communications have been going ever since Naqvi first cast doubt on the PCB’s participation in the T20 World Cup a fortnight ago, they intensified after the Pakistan government announced that Pakistan will participate but not play India. Those culminated with a meeting in Lahore on Sunday between Naqvi, the BCB chairman Aminul Islam and ICC director Imran Khawaja. The PCB was the only member other than the BCB to vote against Bangladesh’s removal from the T20 World Cup at an ICC board meeting and wanted any resolution of the India match boycott to include redress for Bangladesh.

ESPN Cricinfo had reported earlier on Monday that there was growing optimism those discussions might bear fruit. On Monday evening, developments unfolded quickly. Naqvi said a decision on Pakistan’s game against India could come within the next 24-48 hours. Minutes earlier, the ICC had released its statement on Bangladesh, confirming that no penalty would be levied on them. Furthermore, the BCB was granted hosting rights for an additional ICC tournament in the 2028-2031 cycle. As a result, the BCB issued a statement thanking the PCB for its support, and asking them to take part in their fixture against India. Following all of this came the Pakistan government’s statement.

(Cricinfo)