Sports

Why SLC needs to back Khwaja as next ICC Chairman

Published

5 years ago

2020/11/2

By Rex Clementine

Amongst us live politicians who fail to see the broader picture. Developing nations mostly suffer due to short sighted decisions taken by our leaders. Politicians have some wonderful examples to follow in cricket – Sashank Manohar was one of them. A leading lawyer in Nagpur, the former President of Indian Cricket Board became the first independent Chairman of the ICC in 2016. He took some unpopular decisions including abolishing of the Big Three concept. He won re-election in 2018 unanimously. Manohar didn’t seek a third term and the position fell vacant in June this year.

Cricket’s Directors will choose the game’s new leader soon. It’s a two horse race between Chairman of New Zealand Cricket Greg Barclay and Imran Khwaja of Singapore.

Khwaja is a lawyer by profession. His rise in cricket has been impressive as he doesn’t come from a Full Member country. He joined the ICC board as a representative of Associate Members and soon became very popular and currently he is ICC’s interim boss after Manohar stepped down.

It is said that Sri Lanka Cricket is yet to decide on whom to vote. The Board will be represented by President Shammi Silva who will cast the vote for next ICC Chairman. Khwaja is a good choice for a variety of reasons.

Khwaja’s thinking is similar to Manohar having opposed the Big Three concept. Him becoming the ICC chief ensures a fair distribution method of ICC finances unlike what former Chairman N. Srinivasan had supported – a large chunk going to the Big Three with India taking the lion’s share.

Also Khwaja is an advocate of an extra ICC event in a four year cycle which gives an opportunity to stage an event such as Champions Trophy. Why this is important for smaller boards like Sri Lanka is that it brings them more revenue. Barclay believes in the opposite – more bilateral cricket – which allows India, Australia and England to play frequently between them.

Barclay is a lawyer as well. The biggest advantage he has is support from India. SLC has a history of voting with India. It remains to be seen what they will do this time around. This will be a secret ballet and there are 16 votes. The winner needs a two third majority – 11 votes.

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BCB to follow government directive before finalising Pakistan tour

Published

5 hours ago

2025/05/14

Priyan

Bangladesh were initially scheduled to play five T20Is in Pakistan from May 25 to June 3 [Cricinfo]

The BCB has said that they will rely on the Bangladesh government’s directive before finalising their tour to Pakistan later this month. Bangladesh were originally scheduled to play five T20Is there from May 25 to June 3, but the PSLs schedule was revised following cross-border tensions between Pakistan and India.

According to the revised fixtures, the PSL final will now be held on May 25, when Pakistan and Bangladesh were originally scheduled to play the first T20I.

ESPNcricinfo has learned that the PCB has sent a new schedule for the T20Is between Pakistan and Bangladesh, with the first match now slotted for May 27, and the last on June 5.

BCB’s media committee chairman Iftekhar Rahman said they will rely on information from government security agencies and the Bangladesh high commission in Islamabad to take the final decision.

“Once we receive official communication about the dates and venues [of the tour], we will forward it to the government,” Rahman said. “The BCB is not the decision-maker in this matter. If the government agencies and our embassy declare Pakistan safe for travel, only then will we proceed.

“In our previous meeting, we agreed that any such situation would be referred to the foreign and home ministries. Once we get clearance from all relevant bodies, we will finalise the tour. Security concerns were more significant in the past, but Pakistan has proven it can ensure safety. Still, given the current circumstances, we need to assess whether the situation across the country is stable before sending the team.”

Before playing Pakistan, Bangladesh are scheduled to play two T20Is against UAE in Sharjah on May 17 and 19. They were then supposed to fly to Lahore on May 21.

[Cricinfo]

Sports

Apna wins third title at 110th Colombo Championships

Published

8 hours ago

2025/05/14

Sahan Weerasooriya

Apna Perera and Dhilvan Herath(Pic by Kamal Wanniarachchi)

Apna Perera won his third title of the 110th Colombo Championships as he partnered Dhilvan Herath to beat Dumindu Dilum and Chehan Fernando in the open men’s doubles final.

Apna and Dhilvan registered 6-2, 6-2 win in the final.

Apna, the open men’s singles champion, was also the winner of the mixed doubles which was played according to round robin method. In the mixed doubles Apna partnered Inuki Jayaweera.

Results

Men’s doubles semi-finals

Apna Perera and Dhilvan Herath beat Ashen Silva and Lithum Jayabandu 6-1, 6-2

Dumindu Dilum and Chehan Fernando beat Methika Wickramasinghe and Vichinthya Nilaweera 6-3, 2-6, 10-4.

Sports

Sri Lanka Cricket conducts fast bowling talent search in Polonnaruwa

Published

8 hours ago

2025/05/14

Sahan Weerasooriya

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) recently carried out a Fast Bowling Talent Search program in the Polonnaruwa District as part of its ongoing efforts to identify and nurture emerging cricketing talent across the country.

The program, held at the Royal College Ground, Polonnaruwa, attracted over 60 promising young players—both boys and girls—including school cricketers of the district. Each participant underwent skill assessments to evaluate their fast bowling potential.

Following the evaluations, 20 talented bowlers were selected for further development.

The selected players will now receive structured training under the guidance of Provincial coaches of Sri Lanka Cricket, with a focus on refining their techniques and enhancing their overall performance.

Those who continue to demonstrate consistent improvement will be given the opportunity to join SLC’s district squads, thereby becoming part of the official National Pathway Program.

This initiative is a part of SLC’s ‘Cricket Gamata’, program which aims to find talent from rural areas across Sri Lanka.

The talent assessments were conducted by Lasantha Lakmin, SLC Talent Scout for the North Central and North Western Provinces; Lakshitha Herath, North Central Provincial Women’s Coach; and Saman Senanayake, North Central Provincial Fast Bowling Coach.

The event was organized by the North Central Provincial Cricket Association under the guidance of Sri Lanka Cricket. It was managed by Krishan Anandakumar, Manager of the Center of Excellence, Dambulla.