Tennis world number one Rybakina withdraws from WTA Finals due to virus
Pakistan and Sri Lanka begin their search for a way forward in Tests
Golf Classic combines golfing experience with community impact
Unbeaten Zahira encounter formidable Christ King
Spicy pitches await Sri Lanka in Pakistan
Sri Lanka have named their squad for the ICC T-20 World Cup and some big names that featured in T-20 sides in recent outings have been given the cold shoulder. The most notable of them all is former captain Kusal Janith Perera. Perhaps the fiercest striker of the cricket ball in Sri Lankan colours currently, KJP has hardly had an impact in internationals after returning to the side from injury.
Given his seniority, reputation and the impact he can make in T-20 cricket, leaving KJP out of the side would have been a tough call, but the most important criteria in selections is form and KJP didn’t fit the bill. At the age of 33, you just hope that he doesn’t throw in the towel but hangs in there and bounces back strongly.
Avishka Fernando is another notable exclusion from the side. A very exciting talent with lots of time to play his shots, Avishka has the ability to turn a game on its head within a matter of few overs. But he’s been completely out of sort in recent internationals and although there were some sparkling knocks in the World Cup preparation competition, his inadequacies while facing left-arm swing bowling had been exposed in Bangladesh.
Left-arm seamer Binura Fernando was another player to be overlooked after featuring in the T-20 side in recent series. Nuwan Thushara, who impressed with a hat-trick in Sri Lanka’s recent outing has been preferred over Fernando.
Sri Lanka’s fast bowling is in good hands with Dushmantha Chameera returning to the side fully fit. He will spearhead the attack that will include young fast bowling sensation Matheesha Pathirana while left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka returns after injury.
Former captains Angelo Mathews and Dasun Shanaka provide back up in the bowling department while Dhananjaya de Silva provides a spin bowling option.
How Sri Lanka will use DDS remains to be seen. With the top six set and Kamindu Mendis providing a spin bowling option, you wonder whether DDS would fit into the scheme of things.
Dunith Wellalage is the only uncapped player in the squad. Although Wellalage has featured regularly in the 50 over format, he is yet to represent Sri Lanka in the shortest format of the game. The former Sri Lanka Under-19 captain had a good outing with the ball during the World Cup preparation competition.
Captain Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana are the team’s leading spin bowlers. Hasaranga missed the IPL due to injury and in recent domestic games has played as a specialist batsman. Since assuming duties as captain, more than as a bowler, Hasaranga has had an impact in his new role as a floater coming up the order and giving the team some quick runs.
Theekshana’s ability to bowl in the Power Plays is a big advantage and he will be the player to watch during the competition.
Sri Lanka’s batting revolves around Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama and Kamindu Mendis. Together with them, Angelo Mathews forms the top six.
Sri Lanka will leave for the World Cup on 14th May, two weeks ahead of the competition, to begin their preparations. They are pooled in Group ‘D’ along with South Africa, Bangladesh, Netherlands and Nepal. Their first game in the competition is against the Proteas on the 3rd June in New York.
Wanindu Hasaranga (Captain), Charith Asalanka (Vice-Captain), Kusal Mendis (Wicketkeeper), Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara, Dilshan Madushanka
Asitha Fernando, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Janith Liyanage
Sunrisers qualify for playoffs after washout against Titans
Curran sends Royals crashing to fourth straight loss
Isuru and Sahan star with bat and ball in Galle Marvels’ seven run win
Wellalage’s four, Shadab hat-trick help Colombo Strikers to a winning start
Rana’s 10-wicket haul wraps up India’s victory over South Africa
Luus and Wolvaardt lead South Africa’s fightback after Rana’s eight-for
Kapp, Luus score fighting half-centuries after India post record total
Dean, Beaumont, Bouchier lead New Zealand rout
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Defending champion Elena Rybakina has pulled out of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals, saying she was not physically ready to compete, allowing Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk to take her place in the eight-player field at Indian Wells.
Organisers on Saturday cited a viral illness as the official reason for the world number one’s “disappointing” withdrawal, but said the world number one needs time to recover from the physical toll of a demanding year.
Tournament director Garbine Muguruza, a former world number one and two-time Grand Slam champion, said she had spoken with Rybakina and that the Kazakh had been unable to recover in time after struggling with physical problems late in the season.
This Test series may not ultimately end up being relevant to the machinations of the pointy end of the World Test Championship (WTC), but could be an important clue about Pakistan and Sri Lanka’s direction of Test travel. Neither side has, to the extent they have played Test cricket, had much to celebrate of late, but these games promise to be an absorbing strategic battle at the beginning of Pakistan’s Test season.
For Pakistan, the only way, truly, is up; they just don’t know how to get there. They are rooted to the bottom of the table more than halfway into this WTC cycle with a points percentage of just over 4%. They have won two games in nine, most recently coming off a humbling tour of England, who might have endured struggles on their own, but were good enough to thrash Pakistan 3-0.
They removed captain Shan Masood at the start of the summer; now they have removed him from the squad altogether. They appointed Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul as head coach and bowling coach earlier this year; both were gone in months, now replaced by Mike Hesson, who becomes all format coach, and Shaun Tait. There are few signs yet, though, that any of this has injected fresh impetus into a waning Pakistan Test side. For the second Test in a row, Pakistan have made lastminute changes, announcing less than 48 hours before the game the removal of two men from the squad, and the arrival of four more.
There is some confusion about the nature of the pitches for this series, and that largely has to do with their opponents, Sri Lanka. Wary of the visitors’ perceived ability on turning tracks, Pakistan’s squad selection indicates they will pivot hard in the other direction. There is not a single specialist spinner in Pakistan’s squad; they never selected Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, and let go of Ali Usman on Saturday. Whether, in the early summer, this translates to flat, batting tracks or grassy, seam-friendly strips, this series does promise to be nothing like any home Test series for at least two years.
The irony here is it isn’t at all clear spin is Sri Lanka’s most efficient route to success. They bring with them left-arm orthodox spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, who once bowled them to victory over Pakistan four years earlier. But if these wickets do support pace bowling, they have a balanced pace attack, with five diverse seam bowlers to choose from. Wins of late have been hard to come by, with four winless Tests this year, but a battling draw against India demonstrated the grit of their batting line-up, in contrast to Pakistan’s own fragilities in that department.
The build-up to this series has been about which side can better conceal its weaknesses.. Come tomorrow, there will be no hiding place.
Sonal Dinusha, Kamindu Mendis and Lahiru Udara in the middle of training (Cricinfo)
A honeymoon start isn’t uncommon for a Pakistan fast bowler, but the reality check that follows has tripped many fast bowlers up of late. Razaullah , the express quick bowler who lit up Edgbaston with his high pace, big hitting, and intoxicating charisma, must now back it up in Rawalpindi. The timing has been kind to him, with Pakistan potentially looking to offer the fast bowlers something with the wickets they produce. But Razaullah was fast-tracked in extraordinary circumstances into Pakistan’s Test side, with no discernible long-term plan to ease him into its rigours. The home season coming up will go a long way to determining whether Birmingham was a flash in the pan or the accidental emergence of a true talent.
As far as starts to Test careers go, they don’t come much dreamier than 25-year-old Sonal Dinusha’s Only one of his last six Test innings have produced a score under 84, with three centuries in his last four knocks. He scored two hundreds against India in his most recent Test, a heroic unbeaten 133 in the second innings keeping India at bay. In his five-Test career so far, he has never batted higher than six, but if he follows up his big home summer with his first significant contributions away, it is hard to imagine him not rising very quickly.
Arafat Minhas is the only credible spin option Pakistan’s squad is left with. The surfeit of allrounders in the squad suggests they wish to bat deep, while also retaining at least five bowling options. That could bring Aamer Jamal, belatedly called up to the squad, into the side, with three out-and-out seamers to follow.
Pakistan (probable): Azan Awais, Sameer Minhas, Tayyab Arif, Babar Azam (capt), Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha, Ghazi Ghori/Saad Baig (wk), Arafat Minhas/Aamer Jamal, Razaullah, Mohammad Abbas, Saqib Khan/Ali Shabbir.
Razaullah gets a crash course from Mohammad Abbas ( PCB)
This will be the first time Kusal Mendis takes charge of a Test side, but for the most part, there is likely to be continuity from the sides that played against India and West Indies earlier this year. Despite Dhananjaya’s reduced recent workload with the ball, they have the security of an extra spinner in their top seven, allowing them to operate with a three-man pace attack.
Sri Lanka (probable): Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Lahiru Udara (wk), Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sonal Dinusha, Kusal Mendis (capt), Prabath Jayasuriya, Keshara Nuwantha, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka
The 11th Dialog Club Vision Rotary Par 3 Golf Classic 2026, organized by the Rotary Club of Colombo Metropolitan (RCCM) in partnership with title sponsor Dialog Club Vision, brought together more than 100 golfers at the Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) on Saturday, 31 October.
Darshan Veeraragavan emerged as the Overall Gross Winner, taking home the latest iPhone 18 Pro, powered by Dialog, while Chris Benjamin claimed the Overall Net title and won an iPhone Air.
For the tournament, the Royal Colombo Golf Club’s traditional 18-hole course was transformed into a challenging par-54 layout, with every hole played as a par 3. The competition was held in two sessions, starting at 7.00 a.m. and 12.30 p.m., giving participants a different experience from the usual format.
Dialog Club Vision has been associated with the tournament for nine years and served as title sponsor for the second consecutive year.
Several other performances were rewarded with exclusive gifts from Dialog. Division B winner Arjun Fernando received a Dialog 5G Ultra MiFi, while runner-up Yeun Kook Chung was presented with Dialog AirFibre. Dhinuka Boralessa, winner of the Nearest to the Pin award, received AirPods Pro 3.
Over the past five years, RCCM has raised more than LKR 47 million through its charitable projects, supporting children’s healthcare, the provision of essential medical equipment, education, programmes for children with disabilities and other community welfare initiatives.
Continue Reading Latest Trending Latest News 53 mins ago Navy secures National Productivity Award 2025/26 in Public Sector Inter-Departmental Category Latest News 1 hour ago Tennis world number one Rybakina withdraws from WTA Finals due to virus Latest News 1 hour ago At least 21 dead as small boat sinks off Senegal Latest News 2 hours ago Pakistan and Sri Lanka begin their search for a way forward in Tests News 2 hours ago Navy assists to put out fire at Galle fisheries harbour boatyard Latest News 11 hours ago Tanker on fire in Strait of Hormuz after hitting naval mine, says Iranian navy News 5 years ago ‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’ News 6 years ago Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines News 6 years ago #SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines News 6 years ago Sunday Island – 28th March News 6 years ago Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March News 6 years ago Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines Trending Opinion 3 days ago Searching for leadership: Can we bring back qualities of our golden years?
Private sector salaries surge ahead of public sector pay structures as National Budget looms
President Inaugurates 63rd General Assembly of Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union
SAARC: The regional dream that South Asia never quite built
SAARC: The regional dream that South Asia never quite built – II
Mendis and Udara steady ship with warm-up fifties
Copyright © 2020 Upali Newspapers (Pvt) Ltd. Solution by LankaCom Privacy Policy
Loading comments…