‘You can’t just turn up and win World Cups’ – Mahela Jayawardena
Sri Lanka’s Consultant Coach, Mahela Jayawardena says that bowling forms the foundation to win championships and the absence of country’s premier strike bowlers, Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera has come to haunt them during the ongoing World Cup in India. Jayawardena, a Sri Lankan great who led Sri Lanka to the 2007 50-over World Cup [...]
Injured Shanaka be ruled out; Chamika comes in
Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka has been ruled out for two to three weeks with a Grade II Quadricep injury in his right thigh. He has been replaced by bowling allrounder Chamika Karunaratne in the 15-man squad. The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 approved Karunaratne as a replacement, after [...]
Sharma hits 86 as India hand Pakistan 7-wicket rout
AHMEDABAD, India, Oct 14, 2023 (AFP): Skipper Rohit Sharma’s 86 and an inspired bowling display helped India hammer Pakistan by 7 wickets in their high-profile World Cup clash at the 132,000-capacity Ahmedabad stadium on Saturday. India bowled out Pakistan for 191 after their rivals collapsed from 155-2. They overhauled the total with 117 balls to [...]
Thurstan prevail over Zahira in two-run thriller
A quick-fire 85-ball knock of 101, inclusive of six boundaries and seven sixes by Zahira College opener Ismath Zayan, was in vain as it could not prevent Thurstan College from pulling off a thrilling 2-run win in their Under-19 Inter-Schools Limited Over Tournament game played at Maradana yesterday. The match curtailed to 30 overs per [...]
Nayacalevu says Fiji aim to ‘make history’ in World Cup
MARSEILLE, Oct 14, 2023 (AFP): Fiji captain Waisea Nayacalevu says his country will be carrying the hopes of an entire region when they look to make history against England at the World Cup in Marseille on Sunday. The Flying Fijians are playing in the quarter-finals for just the third time. They are one of only [...]
Coe says IOC made ‘only decision’ in banning Russia
MUMBAI, Oct 14, 2023 (AFP): World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said Saturday the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had made the ‘only decision left open to them’ in suspending Russia’s national Olympic body for violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine’s membership. The IOC’s move, made Thursday during an ongoing executive board meeting in Mumbai, came after [...]
The ‘Mendis Specials’ are here to stay
In June 2021, a video went viral that showed Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella out in public. Danushka Gunathilaka was not in the frame but was later confirmed to have been there. This was serious because Sri Lankan players were warned not to breach the Covid-19 bio security bubble that was in place during the [...]
WTA final in Cancun, Mexico
In the WTA 2023 events calendar, the final showdown with Top 8 players will be in Cancun, Mexico, a tourist paradise with turquoise sea, powdery white sands, coral reefs and reef sinkholes with clear waters inviting to jump. Of the eight eligible for the WTA final event with US$ 9 million as prize money, only [...]
Emiliano Boffelli boots Argentina past Wales into World Cup semis
MARSEILLE, Oct 14, 2023 (AFP): Emiliano Boffelli kicked 19 points to help Argentina to a dramatic 29-17 victory over Wales in Marseille on Saturday to set up a World Cup semi-final against the winners of England versus Fiji. Los Pumas came into the quarter-final at the Stade Velodrome as underdogs, having finished Pool ‘D’ runners-up [...]
SLTA President honoured by ITF
The President of Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA), Iqbal Bin Issack, was honoured with a service award from International Tennis Federation for his service rendered to the game from 2012 to 2022, at the ITF Annual General Meeting 2023 held in Cancun, Mexico last week. Bin Issack, of Negombo Tennis Club, who was reelected to [...]
Jonathan Trott, Afghanistan coach ready for friends reunited
MUMBAI, Oct 14, 2023 (AFP): Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott will try to plot the downfall of England when his current side meets his former team in a World Cup match in New Delhi today. And yet it was only because of the illness of another fellow former England batsman in Graham Thorpe that he found [...]
A new football administration is in place, but is there unfinished business?
We are Football’ rings the catchy slogan of the renewed football administration with the popular maestro, Jaswar Umar at the helm. Shepherding him are stalwarts, Ranjith Rodrigo and Dr. Manil Fernando, who have joined hands in promising a clean and transparent management of affairs at Football House. For all purposes, the overwhelming support of so [...]
Yasidu Premaratna creates Thomian boxing history
The 104th Stubbs Shield All-Island Schools Boxing Championship, took place from September 25 to 29 at the Royal MAS Arena, organised by the Schools Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (SBASL), and it remains as the pinnacle of school-level event in Sri Lanka. The Stubbs Shield has a rich history dating back to its inauguration in [...]
8th Royal-Thomian Sailing Regatta comes to an exciting end
As the sailing community eagerly anticipated the 8th Annual Royal-Thomian Sailing Regatta that took place on October 4 and 5, Bolgoda Lake once again became the battlefield of choice for the longstanding rivalry between traditional rivals S. Thomas’ College and Royal College. This competition promised an exhilarating spectacle for sailing enthusiasts and sports fans alike. [...]