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Sri Lanka Cricket’s annual awards ceremony at City of Dreams on Thursday night honoured the country’s finest performers, with Pathum Nissanka and Chamari Atapattu crowned Cricketers of the Year for 2025. Yet, the loudest applause of the evening was reserved for two former captains whose contributions transcended statistics.
Michael Tissera and Anura Tennekoon received Lifetime Achievement Awards in recognition of their immense role in paving Sri Lanka’s path to Test cricket.
Both gentlemen were present to receive the honour. At 87, Tissera captivated the audience with a polished speech delivered without the aid of glasses, while Tennekoon reflected eloquently on the values and spirit of the game. The packed ballroom rose as one to give the two pioneers a prolonged standing ovation.
Former Test cricketer Sidath Wettimuny paid a heartfelt tribute, recalling how Tissera had been his childhood hero, an elegant batter and skilful leg-spinner, before speaking of the privilege of playing under Tennekoon. He concluded by saying that the current generation had much to learn from the two stalwarts.
Whether that message resonated with everyone present is another matter.
At least half a dozen centrally contracted players, including Test captain Dhananjaya de Silva, arrived late for the ceremony. This was not merely another social gathering but the flagship event organised by the institution they represent and the body that pays their salaries. The least expected of national players is the courtesy and professionalism to arrive on time.
Too often Dhananjaya has given the impression that his laid back approach is ill suited to the demands of national captaincy. In truth, he inherited the role largely because there was no obvious alternative, which in itself says much about Sri Lanka Cricket’s failure to groom the next generation of leaders. A glance around the current Test squad reveals a worrying shortage of leadership material.
As captain, Dhananjaya sets the standard. His tardiness should not be brushed aside. He ought to be summoned before a disciplinary committee, asked to explain his conduct and handed a substantial fine. As Mike Brearley observed in The Art of Captaincy, “A fish rots from the head down.”
The evening also recognised excellence across domestic and international cricket. Kamil Mishara and Imesha Dulani were named Emerging Players of the Year, while Ravindra Kottahachchi received the Umpire of the Year award.
The ceremony was sponsored by Dialog, the national team’s long standing partner, which has committed to supporting the awards annually over the coming years.
Sri Lanka’s international cricketers, leading domestic players, club officials, sponsors and other stakeholders attended the glittering event.
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The Sri Lanka Tennis Association paid tribute to the late Mr. Suresh Subramaniam, former President and serving Vice President of the SLTA, who passed away on the 15 July In recognition of his outstanding contributions to Sri Lankan and Asian tennis, the Asian Tennis Federation presented a commemorative trophy honouring his dedicated service to the sport. This token of appreciation was presented to his wife, Ranjitha Subramaniam, by the Governor of the Western Province, Hanif Yusoof, in the presence of Iqbal Bin Isaac, President of the Sri Lanka Tennis Association and J. M. Wijebandara, Director General Legal of the Presidential Secretariat.
Mr. Subramaniam served as SLTA President from 2002 to 2007 and later became the first Sri Lankan to serve as Vice President of the Asian Tennis Federation. He also served as ATF Secretary General and contributed to tennis administration at the international level.
His remarkable contribution to tennis and sports administration will remain an enduring part of Sri Lanka’s sporting legacy
The Colombo Junior Open Squash Championship 2026, an official Asian Junior Super Series (AJSS) event, concluded successfully on Thursday at the Squash Complex, Sri Lanka Air Force Base, Ratmalana, following five days of exciting competition.
The championship, held from 24 to 28 October 2026, brought together 176 junior athletes, including 54 international players representing nine countries: Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong-China, Macao-China, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore and Sri Lanka. The competition featured ten age categories across Boys’ and Girls’ Under-11, Under-13, Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 divisions.
In the Boys’ Under-19 category, Malaysian player Kesawan Gunasekaran emerged as champion, while Sri Lankan player Matheesha Wijesekara secured the runner-up position. In the Girls’ Under-19 category, Rashnima Shre Ragu claimed the championship title, while Thvyashini Muthukumar finished as runner-up.
Organised under the auspices of the Asian Squash Federation in collaboration with Sri Lanka Squash, the tournament provided a valuable platform for young athletes to gain international exposure, improve their competitive experience and earn ranking points towards the national and Asian Squash Federation rankings.
The championship also provided Sri Lankan junior players with an opportunity to compete against international opponents while promoting Sri Lanka as a destination for international sports tourism.
The successful conclusion of the championship reflects the growing popularity of squash in the region and the continued commitment towards nurturing the next generation of Sri Lankan squash talent.
Thvyashini Muthukumar finished as runner-up in the Under 19 girls’ category
The event was proudly supported by Star Gold, a brand under RG Brothers, as the Main Sponsor, and Winged Falcon as the Official Racket Partner, whose contribution supported the successful conduct of the championship.
A decade ago, in a bid to revive Sri Lankan cricket, Thilanga Sumathipala was willing to give Chandika Hathurusingha a blank cheque. He even changed the board’s constitution to allow the Head Coach to serve as a national selector. The current administration seems willing to give Gary Kirsten a similarly free hand. Good on them. Judging by the performances in Pakistan, he appears to be pulling the right strings.
Often, it is the simple things that go unnoticed. Kirsten, a fitness enthusiast himself, has placed considerable emphasis on what players consume and how they conduct themselves away from the ground. On it, they are being given licence to express themselves, rather than retreat into their shells for fear of failure.
He has also looked beyond the immediate demands of the national team, pushing for better playing surfaces and helping educate coaches at grassroots level. He could easily confine himself to the job at hand. Instead, he has rolled up his sleeves to address problems further down the line. That willingness to go the extra mile is one reason he commands such respect in the game.
The Pakistan series offered plenty of encouragement. This team remains a work in progress, but there is reason to believe it will be in a better place in a few months. Saturday’s final in Lahore slipped away for two straightforward reasons: Sri Lanka did not score enough runs at the death and their fielding was not up to scratch.
In recent years, selectors and coaching staff have rarely sung from the same hymn sheet. The current arrangement appears refreshingly different. The selectors are willing to listen to Kirsten and seem happy to back almost everything he proposes.
Co-operation, though, should leave room for the occasional firm “no”.
The recall of Niroshan Dickwella after more than three years brought an avalanche of criticism. It was Kirsten’s call and the selectors backed him. Dickwella may remain the best wicketkeeper in the country, but his glovework has seldom been the only consideration. The distractions accompanying him were always part of the equation.
Kirsten was coming in from outside. The selectors should have supplied the local knowledge and the full picture, including his disciplinary history. That is part of their job. A coach’s confidence in a player cannot be the beginning and end of the discussion.
The same question arose on this tour with the return of Dasun Shanaka. After more than two years away from ODI cricket and with little in domestic cricket to demand a recall, he was brought back into the fold. Before long, the old problems resurfaced.
We have been down this road before. Shanaka’s presence in the middle order ahead of the 2023 World Cup did not produce the desired results. Just when you thought Sri Lanka had turned the page, there he was again, with the 2027 World Cup on the horizon.
Bringing Shanaka back into the ODI side is rather like the NPP government handing the Finance Ministry to Ravi Karunanayake. Or inviting Ajith Nivard Cabraal back to run the Central Bank. Sri Lankan cricket may not have a Nandalal Weerasinghe waiting in the wings, but that hardly makes Cabraal the answer. The same applies to Shanaka.
Over the next three months, ODI assignments in India and New Zealand will provide sterner examinations. They should give us a clearer indication of how far this team has come and how much ground remains to be covered.
The tour of Pakistan has certainly breathed life into Sri Lanka’s ODI cricket. The task now is to build on those gains, back players who are taking the team forward and resist the temptation to keep fishing in waters that have already yielded precious little.
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