Sports
Valvoline joins Lanka Premier League as sponsor
Valvoline, the premium brand of lubricant from USA , proudly announces its momentous partnership as the official associate sponsor for the Lanka Premier League (LPL).
In addition to its role as the associate sponsor for LPL, Valvoline is delighted to announce its partnership with the esteemed Galle Gladiators team, spearheaded by the dynamic Sri Lankan ODI cricket captain, Dasun Shanaka. This alliance underscores Valvoline’s dedication to supporting cricket and fostering a deeper connection with its local consumers.
Commenting on the sponsorship, Valvoline Country Manager for Sri Lanka & Maldives, Dinushka Jayatissa, said, “Valvoline has been a part of Sri Lanka for over two decades through our local distributor, United Motors Lanka PLC. We look forward to actively engaging with our local customers during this exciting tournament and beyond.”
Dating back to its inception in 1866, Valvoline has forged an extraordinary global legacy, etching its name as one of the most revered lubricant brands across the world. With a relentless pursuit of innovation and an unwavering emphasis on quality, Valvoline has risen to become a benchmark for excellence in the lubricant industry. Its products have garnered the trust of millions, driving industries and powering vehicles on both land and water.
Over the years, Valvoline has continuously evolved, expanding its reach to every corner of the globe. This evolution has solidified its position as one of the most recognized and respected brands worldwide. As it continues to blaze new trails in lubrication technology, Valvoline remains devoted to meeting the diverse needs of its customers across various sectors.
Valvoline’s recent takeover by one of the largest companies in the world, Aramco marks a transformative milestone in the brand’s journey, promising to reinforce its position as a global leader in lubricants. With Aramco’s unparalleled expertise and resources, Valvoline is set to unleash a new era of strength, innovation, and quality. The synergistic partnership will empower Valvoline to enhance its product range, delivering even higher-quality lubricants tailored to diverse industry needs. As the LPL continues, Sri Lankan cricket enthusiasts can expect an unforgettable tournament. Valvoline remains committed to fostering strong connections with the Sri Lankan community and looks forward to embarking on more initiatives of this nature in the future.
A Sri Lankan innings that never really got going eventually parked itself at middling total of 219, as they were bowled out in 49.3 overs in the second ODI in Colombo. It’s a total England will fancy themselves to chase down as they look to level this three-match series.
Sri Lanka’s innings was headlined by Charith Asalanka’s 45 off 64 and Dhananjaya de Silva’s 40 off 59, but at strike rates of 67.79 and 70.31 it tells you all you need to know about how well England kept a lid on the innings.
For the visitors the wickets were spread out, with Adil Rashid, Jamie Overton and Joe Root picking up two apiece, the latter with the final two balls of the innings. There were also wickets for Liam Dawson, Rehan Ahmed and the returning Will Jacks.
And much like in the first ODI, England’s varied attack – no less than eight options were used across the innings – sought to give little away. “Keeping the stumps in play,” was Harry Brook’s refrain, speaking after losing the toss, and on an uber-dry surface with boundaries square and behind mostly protected, the onus was on the Lankan batters to use their feet in order to access the boundaries at extra cover and deep midwicket.
That sort of strokeplay however proved detrimental to the Lankan cause with four of their top five falling in their attempts to access the boundaries in front of square. Kamil Mishara sought to bring some impetus to the innings after a miserly early burst from the England seamers, but his attempted lashing cover drive could not clear Ben Duckett in the circle, who held on at the second attempt.
Pathum Nissanka, who had patiently waded through the opening powerplay when the scoring rate sat below four an over, then sought to capitalise on his added time in the middle, but only managed to loft an inside-out drive to long-off.
Later on in the innings Dhananjaya whacked one low to Root at midwicket, before the set Asalanka found deep midwicket with a slog sweep.
And arguably Sri Lanka’s best batter at accessing those regions, Kusal Mendis, ran himself out for a ground-out 26, when he cut one straight to point and absentmindedly set off for the single. The throw from the fit-again Jacks was pinpoint and found Mendis easily short as he sought in vain to fling himself back to safety.
There were promising stands between, notably a 42-run effort between Nissanka and Mendis and 66 between Dhananjaya and Asalanka, but none of the batters involved were able to push on and up the rate of scoring over any concerted period of time.
Pavan Rathnayake’s 29 off 34 had also shown promise, but he fell foul looking to clear the straight boundary as he sliced one to long-off, and in the process silenced an energetic Khettarama crowd.
The frustrating nature of Sri Lanka’s innings was illustrated by the fact that five batters scored at least 25 and faced at least 30 deliveries, but the highest score remained Asalanka’s 45.
England, to their credit, stuck to and executed their plans well. The use of eight bowlers – six of them spinners – meant Sri Lanka’s batters were ever really able to get a measure of any one bowler. And while the lengths were consistent, the pace of the deliveries was varied. It meant that even when a set batter such as Nissanka sought to take on the attack, Rashid was able to successfully deceive him in the flight.
Dunith Wellalage once more looked enterprising during a late cameo, but despite finding two boundaries in his brief stay, his 20 off 19 was far less damaging to England’s cause than had been in the first ODI.
England bowled 40.3 overs of spin across their innings, breaking their previous record of 36. That came in Sharjah in 1984-85, when Norman Gifford captained England at the age of 44, and took four wickets. The team wore black armbands during the first ODI after his death last week.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 219 in 49.3 overs (Charith Asalanka 45, Dhananjaya De Silva 40; Joe Root 2-12, Jamie Overton 2-21, Adil Rashid 2-34) vs England
(Cricinfo)
(Cricbuzz)
Sri Lanka elected to bat first in the second ODI against England at the R Premadasa International Stadium
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando
England: Rehan Ahmed, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, 4Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (capt), Jos Buttler (wk), Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid
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