Sports
Where have all the budding hurdlers gone
Yamani Dulanjali competing at a selection trial before the Youth Asian Championships at Diyagama. (Pic RF)
Waiting for the next Olympic hurdler – Part V
by Reemus Fernando
When the Athletics Championship of the All Island Schools Games was held on a grass track at Beliatta (just a couple of months after the US citizen Christine Merrill competed in the 400 metres hurdles for Sri Lanka at the London Olympics) in 2012, there were some amazing performances that put to shame the records created on synthetic tracks. Of them all, the prowess of an unassuming little girl in the Under-15 age category was not to be missed. Clad in sleeveless top and running shorts, the girl from Ambagamuwa would line up for the heats without an iota of hesitation, win the heat, the semi final and the final. That sequence continued in all three individual events she took part in. She left the Games with three Under 15 titles, not knowing that she would continue such a sequence in a couple of years’ time, in a different event, the 400 metres hurdles at a top Asian Youth meet in Doha. One would expect such talent to blossom beautifully and win at international level when they reaching senior level.
She is 23-years-old now and has joined the multitude of former school athletes shouldering their family burdens.
Some junior athletes who produce outstanding performances at school level wither their performances at senior level. That is largely blamed on the inability of school coaches who peak their athletes prematurely. Yamani Dulanjali was not trained by an armature, who needed sudden results to boost his coaching career. She was still peaking when she last took part in a championship. The coach had the experience of meticulously guiding the destiny of one of Asia’s most successful 400 metres runners, Sugath Thilakaratne, who not only won in Asia but also excelled at world level.
It was not a drop in performances that caused her to quit. She suddenly disappeared from the radar. Hailing from an underprivileged family Yamani received the necessary support from Anura Bandara and Ambagamuwa Central to shape herself into one of the best of her age category in Sri Lanka. She was blessed with the natural ability to shine whatever the event she was introduced to. At Beliatta she competed in the 100m, 200m and 400 metres. With the first ever Asian Youth Athletics Championships to be held in Doha, Bandara groomed her for a new discipline, the 400 metres hurdles. That paid rich dividend as she started establishing age group records in the All Island Schools Games, Junior National Championships and the John Tarbet Senior Athletics Championships.
Yamani Dulanjali was hardly challenged at All Island Schools Games.(Pic by Nishan S. Priyantha)
Sri Lanka Athletics selectors had little doubt that Yamani would do something special when she was selected for the Asian Youth Athletics Championships in Doha in 2015. Unfortunately, she could not take part in the 400 metres flat event due to a technical difficulty, but clocked the fastest time in the heats in the 400 metres hurdles. In the final she (61.27 seconds) finished ahead of China’s Qui Zhangyen to win the gold. Kazakhstan’s Adelina Akhmetova who would win medals at senior Asian level later finished third. She was still in the development age but she had proved beyond doubt that she has the potential to become a future star, an Olympian who could probably compete in the 400 metres hurdles.
She was the only gold medalist for Sri Lanka in that meet. Now, that championship is three editions old and her medal remains the only gold that Sri Lanka has won at the championships.
Back at home, there were huge expectations. To her parents she was the next Sriyani Kulawansa. But sadly, there were no dividends. The life went on. Bandara continued to do his part and Yamani improved her timing within the next couple of years. When the time came for her to pull the curtain down on her glittering school career Yamani did it in style. When she left both the Schools Under-20 400 metres (55.29 secs) and the 400 metres hurdles () records were against her name.
With no room for the likes of Yamani Dulanjali to fully blossom, the institutions like the Sports Ministry and the National Olympic Committee can look for talent elsewhere to form Sri Lanka teams for Olympics.
The official tour showcasing the ICC T20 World Cup trophy, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka in 2026, was formally inaugurated on Wednesday (21) at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The trophy will be displayed in several major cities across the island from Wednesday 21st until Saturday 24th, over a period of four days. Cricket fans will have the opportunity to see the golden trophy up close during the Sri Lanka vs England One-Day International match at the R. Premadasa International Stadium in Colombo.
Subsequently, plans are in place to take the trophy to the cities of Kandy, Dambulla and Jaffna, providing cricket enthusiasts in those regions as well with the opportunity to take commemorative photographs with the World Cup trophy and view it. The primary aim of this tour is to generate excitement and build spectator interest in the lead-up to hosting a World Cup tournament in the country.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held from 7th February to 8th March 2026 co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India. This World Cup is the largest tournament Sri Lanka will host since the T20 World Cup held in 2012.
The tournament schedule was revealed on 25th November 2025 in India, where the International Cricket Council (ICC) selected the R. Premadasa International Stadium in Colombo, the Pallekele International Stadium and the Colombo SSC Ground as the venues for matches in Sri Lanka.
Accordingly, 8 matches are scheduled at the R. Premadasa International Stadium, 5 matches at the Colombo SSC Ground and 7 matches at the Pallekele International Stadium.
Twenty countries are set to participate in this tournament. Twenty matches of the tournament are scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka, with all matches involving the Pakistan team to be played in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, a special feature is that if the Pakistan team qualifies for the semi-finals and the final, Sri Lanka will also host those two matches.
In that event, the final will be held at the R. Premadasa International Stadium in Colombo, increasing the number of matches scheduled for Sri Lanka to 22.
Apart from the host nations Sri Lanka and India, Test-playing nations England, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan will be represented in this tournament. Additionally, the United States of America, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Namibia, Nepal, Oman and the United Arab Emirates are the other contributing countries.
The T20 World Cup to be held in Sri Lanka at the beginning of 2026 can be considered an excellent opportunity to deliver effective value to the country’s economy, tourism industry, sports development, international promotion and society.
In particular, the arrival of teams, media groups and thousands of spectators, including foreign tourists, will generate significant foreign exchange earnings for the country. It is also expected to create short and long-term employment opportunities in various sectors including hotel and food & beverage businesses, transport services and technical and operational services.
By Sri Lanka hosting this tournament, long-term benefits such as increased opportunities for new investments as Sri Lanka is recognised worldwide as a tourist destination, the identification of Sri Lanka as a year-round sports tourism hub and the strengthening of Sri Lanka’s international profile leading to an enhancement of the country’s value, will be attained.
Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Gamage, Deputy Minister of Sports, Sugath Tilakaratne, Director General of Sports, S. Achchudan, Sri Lanka Cricket President, Shammi Silva along with the Executive Committee and a group including Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup team captain Dasun Shanaka and Head Coach, Sanath Jayasuriya were also present at the occasion.
A third successive T20I half-century from Darwish Rasooli, an anchoring fifty from Sediqullah Atal and a maiden T20I hat-trick from Mujeeb Ur Rahman helped Afghanistan take an unassailable 2-0 lead over West Indies in the three match series.
Mujeeb grabbed four wickets in five deliveries spread across two different overs – and spells – to wreck West Indies’ pursuit of 190, and their downfall was swift thereafter. They were eventually bowled out for 150.
Before Mujeeb’s 4 for 21, Rasooli and Atal enjoyed a 115-run third-wicket stand to hold Afghanistan’s batting innings together. A late cameo from Azmatullah Omarzai on a turning surface made the total even more daunting.
The win made it a hat-trick of T20I series wins for Afghanistan. The two teams meet again on Thursday for what will be Afghanistan’s final T20I before the T20 World Cup. West Indies will seek a consolation win before their tour of South Africa.
West Indies’ chase started poorly. They lost newly promoted opener Alick Athanaze to a direct hit in the third over, and they could score only 29 in the powerplay, squeezed by Fazalhaq Farooqi’s opening spell.
Mujeeb, who bowled two overs in the powerplay, then returned in the eighth and went around the wicket to skid one straight through and hit No. 3 Evin Lewis’ pad before he could bring out a shot.
When right-hander Johnson Charles walked in next, Mujeeb came over the stumps and got a delivery to drift in beautifully from outside off and through the gate to peg back off stump as the batter drove away from his body. West Indies were 38 for 3.
But they were not going down without a fight, and Shimron Hetmyer’s assault on Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad kept West Indies in the game. Hetmyer pumped six sixes in a 17-ball 46. Farooqi, however, dismissed him in the 14th over, and Rashid brought Mujeeb back for his third, with West Indies needing 68 runs in five overs.
Mujeeb kept his length back, and with West Indies desperate for big shots, Brandon King (50) came down the track and miscued the hat-trick ball down to long on. Mujeeb wheeled away in celebration, having become the third Afghanistan bowler to achieve the feat after Rashid and Karim Janat. Two balls later, T20I newbie Quentin Sampson failed to put bat on a googly, and Mujeeb had his fourth.
The lower order offered little resistance, as West Indies lost their last five wickets for 27 runs.
On Monday, Rasooli had smashed 84 in a 162-run stand with Ibrahim Zadran to set up Afghanistan’s series-opening win, and on Wednesday he combined just as effectively with Atal.
As in the first game, Afghanistan lost both openers inside the powerplay, and Rasooli ensured there were no stutters by taking the aggressive route with his square cuts, drives through the off side and flat-batted shots down the ground.
Helped by let-offs from the West Indies fielders, Rasooli reached his fifty in 22 balls – his third in a row for Afghanistan – while Atal was more watchful.
Rasooli powered along through the middle overs, taking down Khary Pierre and Gudakesh Motie. Atal and Rasooli fell in the 17th and 18th overs respectively, but with the big-hitting Mohammad Nabi and Omarzai walking in next, there was no respite for West Indies. Motie, left to bowl the 20th over, conceded 19 with Omarzai hitting him for back-to-back sixes, and Afghanistan posted 189 for 4.
Brief scores:
Afghanistan 189 for 4 in 20 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 22, Darwish Rasooli 68, Sediqullah Atal 53, Azmatullah Omarzai 26*; Maththw Forde 2-25, Shamar Joseph 1-35, Ramon Simmonds 1-39) beat West Indies 150 in 18.5 overs (Brandon King 50, Evin Lewis 13, Shimron Hetmyer 46, Khary Pierre 11; Fazalhqu Farooki 2-28, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 4-21, Azmatullah Omarzai 2-20, Rashid Khan 1-19) by 39 runs
[Cricinfo]
Afghanistan continued their dream start to the Under-19 World Cup. After toppling South Africa and West Indies, they hammered Tanzania, bowling them out for 85 and chasing the target down with nine wickets and 224 balls to spare. Seamer Nooristani Omarzai bagged 5 for 9 as Tanzania collapsed to a total that would have been even smaller without Afghanistan conceding 25 extras.
Tanzania laboured to just 14 runs in the powerplay, playing out two maidens and losing two wickets. To add to their trouble, Rehaan Ahtif retired hurt in the 16th over. Augustino Mwamele and captain Laksh Bakrania added 35 for the fourth wicket, but that was as good as it got for Tanzania. From 66 for 3 in the 29th over, they lost 7 for 19 in the next 7.1 overs.
During that collapse, offspinner Uzairullah Niazai took two wickets, including that of Bakrania. Only three Tanzania batters got into double figures.
They lost Khalid Ahmadzai for 14 in the fifth over, but had knocked off 27 runs by the end of that over. Faisal Shinozada, who arrived after Ahmadzai departed, ensured the game was all but done by the end of the first powerplay. He was on 34 off 23 balls at that stage, including six fours. Shinozada finished unbeaten on 55 off 34 balls, with nine fours and a six. As a result of the win, Afghanistan ended the group stage as table toppers.
Brief scores:
Afghanistan Under 19s 88 for 1 in 12.4 overs (Faisal Shinozada 55*; Khalidy Juma 1-32) beat Tanzania Under 19s 85 in 36 overs (Nooristani Omarzai 5-09, Uzairullah Niazai 2-9) by nine wickets
[Cricinfo]
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