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Sri Lanka aims to bounce back and level series

Published

2 years ago

March 16, 2023

Editor

The touring Sri Lankan side will need nothing less than a monumental effort to bounce back in the second Test and level the series when they meet high-riding New Zealand on Friday (17) at Basin Reserve, Wellington.

Sri Lanka’s hopes of reaching the finals of the World Test Championship have already been done and dusted after a heart-breaking defeat in the first Test. The visitors will, however, look to end the series on a high, especially considering their performance in the first Test.

The visiting side showed plenty of character in the first Test and very nearly came out on top. With a slightly better performance, they could well pose a challenge again in this game.

From a batting perspective, if Sri Lanka gets to bat on day one, the conditions will be ideal for the likes of Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mednis and Angelo Mathews to pile on the runs.

Dimuth has been brilliant with his foot movement. Mendis too has looked assured in the middle and a brilliant century from Angelo Mathews must have made him more confident going into the second Test.

Sri Lanka will also be hoping for another strong showing from their pacers Kasun Rajitha, Asitha Fernando and Lahiru Kumara to do the talking with the ball.

There are still some areas of concern. The Lankans have been unable to fix their middle order problem for one. Though their batters Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva have been getting the starts and going into the 30s, they have not been able to translate them into a big knock. However, the middle order will depend more on veteran Angelo Mathews who has a brilliant record against New Zealand.

Sri Lanka will likely make one change to their playing XI with Niroshan Dickwella, who had a bad day at the office in the previous outing, probably losing his spot to Nishan Madushka/ Chamika Karunaratne.

Time is running out for Dickwella as youngsters like Nishan Madushka and Milan Rathnayake are waiting in the wings, despite his being in prime form.

Having wasted so many opportunities in his 54-Test career with a below-par average of 30.97 it will be interesting to see what call is taken by the Sri Lankan team management.

New Zealand, on the other hand, is coming into this match after winning a cliffhanger in the first Test in Wellington last week. The hosts are a superior side in the head-to-head competition in the red ball format between the two teams.

New Zealand is also likely to make a change to their playing XI with Doug Bracewell coming in for the injured Neil Wagner.

Probable squad:

New Zealand: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee (captain), Matt Henry, Blair Tickner.

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (captain), Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Nishan Madushka, Kasun Rajitha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando.

ශ්‍රී ලංකා පිලේ අරමුණ වී ඇත්තේ නැවතත් ඉදිරියට පැමිණ තරගාවලි සම කිරීමය

සංචාරක ශ්‍රී ලංකා පිලට සිකුරාදා (17) වෙලින්ටන්හි බේසින් රිසර්ව්හි දී හයි රයිඩින් නවසීලන්තය මුණගැසෙන විට දෙවැනි ටෙස්ට් තරගයෙන් ආපසු පැමිණ තරගාවලිය සම කිරීමට දැවැන්ත උත්සාහයක් අවශ්‍ය වනු ඇත.

ලෝක ටෙස්ට් ශූරතාවලියේ අවසන් මහා තරගයට පැමිණීමේ ශ්‍රී ලංකා කණ්ඩායමේ බලාපොරොත්තුව පළමු ටෙස්ට් තරගයේ දී හද කම්පා කරවන සුළු පරාජයකින් පසුව දැනටමත් සිදු කර දූවිලි ගසා දමා ඇත. කෙසේ වෙතත්, නරඹන්නන්, විශේෂයෙන්ම පළමු ටෙස්ට් තරගයේ ඔවුන්ගේ දක්‍ෂතා සැලකිල්ලට ගනිමින්, තරගාවලිය ඉහළ මට්ටමකින් අවසන් කිරීමට බලාපොරොත්තු වේ.

ආගන්තුක කණ්ඩායම පළමු ටෙස්ට් තරගයේ දී බොහෝ චරිත පෙන්නුම් කළ අතර ඉතා ආසන්නව ඉහළට පැමිණියේය. තරමක් හොඳ කාර්ය සාධනයක් සමඟ, ඔවුන්ට මෙම ක්‍රීඩාවේදී නැවත අභියෝගයක් එල්ල කළ හැකිය.

පිතිකරණ දෘෂ්ටිකෝණයෙන්, ශ්‍රී ලංකාව පළමු දිනයේ පන්දුවට පහර දීමට ගියහොත්, දිමුත් කරුණාරත්න, කුසල් මෙඩ්නිස් සහ ඇන්ජලෝ මැතිව්ස් වැනි ක්‍රීඩකයින්ට ලකුණු රැස් කිරීමට සුදුසු කොන්දේසි වනු ඇත.

දිමුත් ඔහුගේ පාද චලනයෙන් විශිෂ්ටයි. මෙන්ඩිස් ද මැද භාගයේදී සහතික වී ඇති අතර ඇන්ජලෝ මැතිව්ස්ගේ විශිෂ්ඨ ශතකයක් දෙවන ටෙස්ට් තරගයට යාමට ඔහුට වඩාත් විශ්වාසදායක විය.

කසුන් රාජිත, අසිත ප්‍රනාන්දු සහ ළහිරු කුමාර යන වේග පන්දු යවන්නන්ගෙන් පන්දුවෙන් කතා කිරීම සඳහා තවත් ප්‍රබල දස්කම් දැක්වීමක් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව බලාපොරොත්තු වනු ඇත.

තවමත් සැලකිලිමත් විය යුතු අංශ කිහිපයක් තිබේ. ශ්‍රී ලංකා ක්‍රීඩකයින්ට ඔවුන්ගේ මැදපෙළ ගැටලුව එකකට විසඳා ගැනීමට නොහැකි වී තිබේ. ඔවුන්ගේ පිතිකරුවන් වන දිනේෂ් චන්දිමාල් සහ ධනංජය ද සිල්වා ආරම්භය ලබා ගනිමින් 30 දශකය දක්වා පැමිණියද එය විශාල පහරක් බවට පරිවර්තනය කිරීමට ඔවුන්ට නොහැකි වී තිබේ. කෙසේ වෙතත්, නවසීලන්තයට එරෙහිව විශිෂ්ට වාර්තාවක් තබා ඇති ප්‍රවීණ ක්‍රීඩක ඇන්ජලෝ මැතිව්ස් මත මැද පෙළ වැඩි වශයෙන් රඳා පවතිනු ඇත.

නිශාන් මධුෂ්ක/ චාමික කරුණාරත්න හමුවේ ඔහුගේ ස්ථානය අහිමි වීමට බොහෝ දුරට ඉඩ ඇති අතර, පෙර තරගයේදී කාර්යාලයේ නරක දවසක් ගත කළ නිරෝෂන් දික්වැල්ල සමඟින් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ඔවුන්ගේ ක්‍රීඩා කරන XI හි එක් වෙනසක් සිදු කරනු ඇත.

නිශාන් මධුෂ්ක, මිලාන් රත්නායක වැනි යොවුන් ක්‍රීඩකයින් ප්‍රමුඛ පෙළේ සිටියත් දික්වැල්ලට කාලය ගෙවෙමින් තිබේ.

30.97 ට වඩා අඩු සාමාන්‍යයක් සහිතව ඔහුගේ 54-ටෙස්ට් ක්‍රිකට් දිවියේ බොහෝ අවස්ථා අපතේ හරින ලද ශ්‍රී ලංකා කණ්ඩායම් කළමනාකාරීත්වය කුමන ඇමතුමක් ගන්නේද යන්න සිත්ගන්නාසුළු වනු ඇත.

අනෙක් අතට, නවසීලන්තය මෙම තරගයට පැමිණෙන්නේ පසුගිය සතියේ වෙලින්ටන්හිදී පැවැති පළමු ටෙස්ට් තරගයෙන් ක්ලිෆ්හැන්ගර් ජය ගැනීමෙන් පසුවය. කණ්ඩායම් දෙක අතර රතු පන්දු ආකෘතියේ හිසට හිස තරගයේ දී සත්කාරක කණ්ඩායම සුපිරි කණ්ඩායමකි.

ආබාධයකට ලක් වූ නීල් වැග්නර් වෙනුවෙන් ඩග් බ්‍රේස්වෙල් පැමිණීමත් සමඟ නවසීලන්තය ඔවුන්ගේ ක්‍රීඩා කරන XI හි වෙනසක් කිරීමට ද ඉඩ තිබේ.

විය හැකි සංචිතය:

නවසීලන්තය: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Doug Bracewell, Tim Southe (නායක), Matt Henry, Blair Tickner.

ශ්‍රී ලංකාව: දිමුත් කරුණාරත්න (නායක), ඕෂද ප්‍රනාන්දු, කුසල් මෙන්ඩිස්, ඇන්ජලෝ මැතිව්ස්, දිනේෂ් චන්දිමාල්, ධනංජය ද සිල්වා, නිශාන් මධුෂ්ක, කසුන් රාජිත, ප්‍රභාත් ජයසූරිය, ලහිරු කුමාර, අසිත ප්‍රනාන්දු.

ශ්‍රී ලංකා පිලේ අරමුණ වී ඇත්තේ නැවතත් ඉදිරියට පැමිණ තරගාවලි සම කිරීමය

විය හැකි සංචිතය:

இலங்கை மீண்டும் முன்னேறி தொடரை சமன் செய்வதை நோக்கமாகக் கொண்டுள்ளது

வெலிங்டனில் உள்ள பேசின் ரிசர்வ் மைதானத்தில் வெள்ளிக்கிழமை (17) ஹை ரைடிங் நியூசிலாந்தை சந்திக்கும் போது, சுற்றுப்பயணம் மேற்கொண்டுள்ள இலங்கை அணிக்கு இரண்டாவது டெஸ்டில் மீண்டும் எழுச்சி பெற்று தொடரை சமன் செய்ய மகத்தான முயற்சியைத் தவிர வேறொன்றும் தேவையில்லை.

உலக டெஸ்ட் சாம்பியன்ஷிப்பின் இறுதிப் போட்டிக்கு செல்லும் இலங்கையின் நம்பிக்கை ஏற்கனவே முதல் டெஸ்டில் இதயத்தை உடைக்கும் தோல்விக்குப் பிறகு தூள்தூளாகிவிட்டது. இருப்பினும், பார்வையாளர்கள், குறிப்பாக முதல் டெஸ்டில் அவர்களின் செயல்திறனைக் கருத்தில் கொண்டு, தொடரை அதிக அளவில் முடிக்க விரும்புவார்கள்.

வருகை தருபவர்கள் முதல் டெஸ்டில் ஏராளமான குணங்களை வெளிப்படுத்தினர் மற்றும் கிட்டத்தட்ட முதலிடம் பிடித்தனர். சற்று சிறப்பாக செயல்பட்டால், இந்த விளையாட்டில் அவர்கள் மீண்டும் ஒரு சவாலாக இருக்க முடியும்.

பேட்டிங் கண்ணோட்டத்தில், இலங்கை முதல் நாள் பேட்டிங் செய்ய கிடைத்தால், திமுத் கருணாரத்னே, குசல் மெட்னிஸ் மற்றும் ஏஞ்சலோ மேத்யூஸ் போன்றவர்கள் ரன்களை குவிக்க சிறந்த சூழ்நிலை இருக்கும்.

திமுத் தனது கால் அசைவில் அசத்தியுள்ளார். மெண்டிஸும் நடுப்பகுதியில் உறுதியாகத் தோன்றினார் மற்றும் ஏஞ்சலோ மேத்யூஸின் அற்புதமான சதம் அவரை இரண்டாவது டெஸ்டில் அதிக நம்பிக்கையடையச் செய்திருக்க வேண்டும்.

பந்து வீச்சாளர்களான கசுன் ராஜித, அசித்த பெர்னாண்டோ மற்றும் லஹிரு குமார ஆகியோரிடமிருந்து மற்றொரு வலுவான ஆட்டத்தை இலங்கை எதிர்பார்க்கிறது.

கவலைக்குரிய சில பகுதிகள் இன்னும் உள்ளன. இலங்கை வீரர்களால் மிடில் ஆர்டர் பிரச்சனையை சரி செய்ய முடியவில்லை. அவர்களது துடுப்பாட்ட வீரர்களான தினேஷ் சந்திமால் மற்றும் தனஞ்சய டி சில்வா ஆகியோர் தொடக்கங்களைப் பெற்று 30 களுக்குள் சென்று கொண்டிருந்தாலும், அவர்களால் அவற்றை பெரிய ஆட்டமாக மாற்ற முடியவில்லை. இருப்பினும், மிடில் ஆர்டர் நியூசிலாந்திற்கு எதிராக சிறந்த சாதனை படைத்த அனுபவமிக்க ஏஞ்சலோ மேத்யூஸையே அதிகம் சார்ந்திருக்கும்.

நிஷான் மதுஷ்கா/ சாமிக கருணாரத்னவிடம் தனது இடத்தை இழக்க நேரிடும்.

நிஷான் மதுஷ்கா மற்றும் மிலன் ரத்நாயக்க போன்ற இளம் வீரர்கள் டிக்வெல்ல சிறந்த ஃபார்மில் இருந்த போதிலும், அவர் களமிறங்கக் காத்திருப்பதால், டிக்வெல்லவுக்கு நேரம் ஓடிக்கொண்டிருக்கிறது.

அவரது 54-டெஸ்ட் வாழ்க்கையில் 30.97 க்கும் குறைவான சராசரியுடன் பல வாய்ப்புகளை வீணடித்துள்ள நிலையில், இலங்கை அணி நிர்வாகத்தால் என்ன அழைப்பு எடுக்கப்பட்டது என்பதைப் பார்ப்பது சுவாரஸ்யமாக இருக்கும்.

மறுபுறம், நியூசிலாந்து, கடந்த வாரம் வெலிங்டனில் நடந்த முதல் டெஸ்டில் கிளிஃப்ஹேங்கரை வென்ற பிறகு இந்த போட்டிக்கு வருகிறது. இரு அணிகளுக்கும் இடையிலான சிவப்பு பந்து வடிவத்தில் தலை-தலை போட்டியில் புரவலன்கள் சிறந்த அணி.

காயம் அடைந்த நீல் வாக்னருக்குப் பதிலாக டக் பிரேஸ்வெல் வருவதால், நியூசிலாந்து அவர்களின் ஆடும் லெவன் அணியில் மாற்றம் செய்ய வாய்ப்புள்ளது.

சாத்தியமான அணி:

நியூசிலாந்து: டாம் லாதம், டெவன் கான்வே, கேன் வில்லியம்சன், ஹென்றி நிக்கோல்ஸ், டேரில் மிட்செல், டாம் ப்ளூன்டெல், மைக்கேல் பிரேஸ்வெல், டக் பிரேஸ்வெல், டிம் சவுத்தி (கேப்டன்), மாட் ஹென்றி, பிளேர் டிக்னர்.

இலங்கை: திமுத் கருணாரத்னே (கேப்டன்), ஓஷதா பெர்னாண்டோ, குசல் மெண்டிஸ், ஏஞ்சலோ மேத்யூஸ், தினேஷ் சண்டிமால், தனஞ்சய டி சில்வா, நிஷான் மதுஷ்கா, கசுன் ராஜித, பிரபாத் ஜெயசூர்யா, லஹிரு குமார, அசித பெர்னாண்டோ.

Cricket

Kamindu Mendis Shines as Sunrisers Hyderabad Break Chepauk Curse, Crush CSK’s Playoff Hopes | IPL 2025

Published

2 days ago

April 26, 2025

Editor

Sri Lankan all-rounder Kamindu Mendis delivered under pressure, helping Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) script a historic first-ever win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium during the IPL 2025 season.

Chasing a tricky target of 155, Mendis played a composed and crucial unbeaten knock of 32 off 22 balls, stitching an unbroken 49-run partnership with Nitish Kumar to seal a five-wicket victory with eight balls to spare. His calm presence at the crease when the game was delicately poised underlined his growing stature in T20 cricket.

Earlier, the Chennai Super Kings, once invincible at home, continued their disastrous 2025 campaign — suffering a fourth consecutive home defeat. Batting first, CSK stumbled despite a promising start, collapsing to 154 all out. Dewald Brevis impressed briefly on debut with a quickfire 42 runs, but it was Harshal Patel’s brilliant spell (4 wickets for 28 runs) that broke CSK’s backbone.

For CSK, promising youngster Ayush Mhatre shone early, but a middle-order collapse proved costly. Even skipper M.S. Dhoni’s tactical gamble of giving Sam Curran two overs backfired, as SRH batters capitalized to turn the game.

In the SRH chase, despite early hiccups — losing Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head quickly — Ishan Kishan’s fluent 44 and Kamindu Mendis’ finishing touch ensured Hyderabad stayed alive in the playoff race.

Meanwhile, in the updated IPL 2025 points table, Sunrisers Hyderabad now sits 8th with 6 points, while CSK languishes at the bottom with just 4 points from 9 games, effectively ending their playoff dreams.

Mendis’ all-round contribution, including a key wicket earlier, and his coolness in the chase were pivotal. While Harshal Patel deservedly took the Player of the Match award, Sri Lanka can proudly celebrate Kamindu’s evolving prowess on the IPL stage.

Points Table Update (After SRH vs CSK Match):

GT, DC, and RCB are leading the race with 12 points each.
PBKS and MI are close behind with 11 and 10 points.
CSK and RR are at the bottom with just 4 points, all but knocked out of the playoffs.

News

Kaya Daluwatte and Reshan Algama Shine at 16th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final in Vietnam

Published

2 days ago

April 26, 2025

Editor

Sri Lanka’s promising golf talents Kaya Daluwatte and Reshan Algama showcased their growing international class with stellar performances at the prestigious 16th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, held at the stunning Laguna Golf Lang Co in Vietnam.

Facing off against the finest junior golfers from the Asia-Pacific region—including representatives from Australia, England, Japan, India, and Wales—both Kaya and Reshan rose to the occasion, underlining Sri Lanka’s emerging strength in the sport.

Kaya Daluwatte delivered one of her career-best performances, finishing as the runner-up in the Girls’ Under-16 category. After three composed rounds, she posted a remarkable final score of even-par 216, highlighted by an impressive 2-under-par finish in the final round. Despite Japan’s Al Goto clinching the title with a score of 213, Kaya’s climb up the leaderboard captured widespread admiration. Her poise, precision, and birdies during the crucial back-nine holes showcased a maturity well beyond her years.

This runner-up finish at one of Asia’s top junior championships marks a historic achievement for Sri Lankan golf, signaling that the nation’s junior golfers are ready to challenge the region’s traditional powerhouses.

In the Boys’ Under-16 category, Reshan Algama also left his mark by securing a strong fourth-place finish with a gross score of 218. Although his final round did not match the brilliance of his earlier efforts, Reshan displayed commendable composure against a highly competitive international field. His consistency across top-level tournaments reflects his rapid development into a serious contender on the global junior golf circuit.

Vietnam’s Tuan Anh Nguyen dominated the Boys’ division, leading from start to finish to claim the title with a superb score of 205. India’s Arshvant Srivastava and Kanav Chauhan finished second and third, with scores of 214 and 216 respectively.

Kaya and Reshan’s performances not only bring pride to Sri Lanka but also signal a bright future for the country’s junior golfing scene on the Asian stage.

Football

SAFF Championship Postponement Exposes Deeper Issues Within FFSL

Published

4 days ago

April 24, 2025

Editor

The much-anticipated SAFF Championship, originally scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka in July 2025, has now been officially postponed to 2026—a move that has raised serious concerns over the competence and credibility of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL).

According to the SAFF Executive Committee, the decision to delay the tournament stemmed largely from pressure exerted by its marketing partner, Sportfive, which advocated for a home-and-away format to increase commercial value. Furthermore, it is reported that Sportfive preferred the event be hosted in Bangladesh or India, citing better sponsor access and commercial feasibility in those countries if the tournament were to follow a centralized model.

However, beyond external pressure, this development highlights a troubling reality: the FFSL’s inability to effectively organize and defend Sri Lanka’s hosting rights on the international stage. This isn’t merely a scheduling issue—it reflects a deeper pattern of administrative shortcomings, lack of vision, and prioritization of media narratives over tangible development.

As previously reported by Sri Lankan Sports TV, the FFSL continues to focus more on optics and media stunts rather than on the foundational work required to uplift football in the country. The failure to safeguard Sri Lanka’s opportunity to host a major regional tournament not only affects the sport’s growth domestically but also damages the nation’s reputation within South Asian football.

For a federation that has long promised reform and transparency, this latest setback exposes how little progress has actually been made. When commercial partners have more sway than the national football body itself, it’s a clear indication that local football governance is being undermined by weak leadership and poor planning.

This should be a wake-up call—not just for the FFSL, but for every stakeholder invested in the future of Sri Lankan football. The time for slogans and staged announcements is over. Sri Lanka needs action, accountability, and genuine commitment to building a sustainable footballing culture. Until then, headlines like this will only continue to reflect a sport lost in mismanagement.