Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Selection Committee Chairman Ashantha de Mel firmly stood by his committee’s decision to drop former captain Marvan Atapattu from the test squad to Australia despite attempts by the Minister of Sports Gamini Lokuge to include the player.

The 33rd National Sports festival will get underway at the Sugathadasa Stadium and fourteen other centres tomorrow as the elaborate arrangements to host the same at the D.A. Rajapaksa Stadium, Beliatta failed. Ironically President Mahinda Rajapaksa who was scheduled to declare open the festival will have to give it a skip as he at present is on a private ....