Connect with us

News

Chamari, Oshadi’s heroics steer Sri Lanka to a thumping 58 runs win over Bangladesh

Published

on

Bangladesh Women’s Tour of Sri Lanka 2023

Chamari Athapatthu’s half-century and Oshadi Ranasinghe’s fifer script Sri Lanka’s comfortable 58-run victory over Bangladesh women in the rain-shortened second ODI worked off at SSC, Colombo on Thursday.

Star batter Chamari compiled a brilliant 64 runs from just 60 deliveries as Sri Lanka posted a healthy total of 186-5, and Bangladesh never looked likely to reach the target as spinner Oshadi Ranasinghe (5/34) collected career-best figures to ensure the visitors were bowled out for just 128 in 29.5 overs.

After rain forced the match to start 3 hours late, the game was reduced to 30 overs per side. Sri Lanka opted to bat after winning the toss and was off to a decent start with a 50-run partnership for the first wicket between Chamari and Vishmi Gunaratne until the latter fell in the 10th over for 17 runs.

After a positive start, the Lionesses continued their domination when vice-captain Harshitha Samarawickrama joined skipper Chamari in the middle and added another 53-run partnership for the second wicket.

The veteran opener hit 6 boundaries and four massive sixes during her blistering knock of 64 runs to steal the show, as the dynamic left-hander continued her rich vein of form in devastating style.

With Sri Lanka at a decent position at the end of the 15th over, there was a mini middle order collapse when they lost the wickets of Chamari, Nilakshi de Silva (11) and Anushka Sanjeewani (12) to reduce them from 1-100 to 4-146.

With wickets falling at regular intervals, it needed a valiant effort from the highly talented Harshitha Samarawickrama (45*) to revive the Sri Lankan innings to a decent position at the end of the allotted overs.

In reply, Bangladesh were never in the hunt during the chase as they were bundled out for 128 runs. Oshadi Ranasinghe was the architect of the collapse as she ripped through the visitor’s batting lineup to end with figures of 5-34.

Skipper Nigar Sultana was the only batter to impress with a fighting 37 runs off 51 deliveries, while none of the other batters could go past the 30-run mark, the following best being Fargan Hoque with 24.

The victory also saw Sri Lanka take a 1-0 lead in the series 1-0 with one more game to be played on ( ).

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka: 186-5 (30) (Chamari Athapatthu 64, Harshitha Smarawickrama 45*, Sultana Kathun 1-22)

Bangladesh: 128 all out (29.5) (Nigar Sultana 37, Fargan Hoque 24, Oshadi Ranasinghe 5-34)

චමරි සහ ඕෂදීගේ සුපිරි ක්‍රීඩාවෙන් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව බංග්ලාදේශයට එරෙහිව ලකුණු 58ක විශිෂ්ට ජයක්

බංග්ලාදේශ කාන්තා ශ්‍රී ලංකා සංචාරය 2023

චමරි අතපත්තුගේ අර්ධ ශතකය සහ ඕෂදී රණසිංහගේ පිතිකරණය හේතුවෙන් බංග්ලාදේශ කාන්තා පිලට එරෙහිව වර්ෂාවෙන් බාධා එල්ල වූ දෙවැනි එක්දින තරගයෙන් ලකුණු 58 ක පහසු ජයක් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව බ්‍රහස්පතින්දා කොළඹ එස්.එස්.සී.

සුපිරි පිතිකරු චමරි පන්දු 60කදී විශිෂ්ට ලකුණු 64ක් රැස්කරමින් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ලකුණු 186-5ක් ලෙස සෞඛ්‍ය සම්පන්න මුළු ලකුණු සංඛ්‍යාවක් ලබා ගත් අතර, දඟපන්දු යවන ඕෂදී රණසිංහ (5/34) සිය වෘත්තීය දිවියේ හොඳම ලකුණු රැස්කිරීම නිසා බංග්ලාදේශය කිසිවිටෙකත් එම ඉලක්කය කරා ළඟා වීමට ඉඩක් නොපෙනුණි. නරඹන්නන් ඕවර 29.5කදී සියල්ලන් දැවී ලකුණු 128ක් පමණි.

වර්ෂාවෙන් පැය 3ක් ප්‍රමාද වී තරගය ආරම්භ කිරීමට සිදුවීමත් සමඟ තරගය එක් පිලකට ඕවර 30කට සීමා විය. කාසියේ වාසිය දිනා පළමුවෙන් පන්දුවට පහර දීමට තීරණය කළ ශ්‍රී ලංකා කණ්ඩායම පළමු කඩුල්ලට 10 වැනි ඕවරයේදී ලකුණු 17කට දැවී යන තෙක්ම චමරි සහ විශ්මි ගුණරත්න අතර පළමු කඩුල්ලට ලකුණු 50ක සබඳතාවයක් සමඟින් යහපත් ආරම්භයක් ලබා ගත්හ.

ධනාත්මක ආරම්භයකින් පසුව සිංහ ක්‍රීඩකයින් සිය ආධිපත්‍යය දිගටම පවත්වා ගෙන ගිය අතර උපනායක හර්ෂිත සමරවික්‍රම නායිකා චමරි සමඟින් එක්ව දෙවැනි කඩුල්ලට තවත් ලකුණු 53ක සබඳතාවක් එක් කරන ලදී.

ප්‍රවීණ ආරම්භක පිතිකරුවා හතරේ පහර 6ක් සහ දැවැන්ත හයේ පහර 4ක් එල්ල කරමින් ලකුණු 64ක් ලබාගෙන තරගය සොරා ගැනීමට සමත් වූ අතර, ගතික වමතින් පිත්ත හසුරුවන ක්‍රීඩිකාව විනාශකාරී විලාසයෙන් ඇගේ පොහොසත් ස්වරූපය දිගටම කරගෙන ගියහ.

15 වැනි ඕවරය අවසානයේ ශ්‍රී ලංකාව යහපත් තත්ත්වයක පසුවූ අතර, චමරි, නිලක්ෂි ද සිල්වා (11) සහ අනුෂ්කා සංජීවනී (12) ලකුණු 1-100 සිට 100 දක්වා පහත හෙළීමත් සමඟ කුඩා මැදපෙළ බිඳ වැටීමක් සිදුවිය. 4-146.

නියමිත කාල පරතරයන්හිදී කඩුලු බිඳ වැටීම හේතුවෙන්, නියමිත පන්දුවාර අවසානයේ ශ්‍රී ලංකා ඉනිම යහපත් තත්ත්වයකට ගෙන ඒම සඳහා අති දක්ෂ හර්ෂිත සමරවික්‍රම (45*) ගේ අභීත උත්සාහයක් අවශ්‍ය විය.

පිළිතුරු ලෙස බංගලාදේශය ලකුණු 128කට දැවී ගිය බැවින් හඹා යාමේදී කිසිවිටෙකත් දඩයම් කිරීමට නොහැකි විය. ඕෂදී රණසිංහ, ආගන්තුකයන්ගේ පිතිහරඹය බිඳ හෙළමින් ලකුණු 5-34ක් ලෙසින් අවසන් වන විට කඩා වැටීමේ නිර්මාතෘ විය.

නායක නිගාර් සුල්තානා පන්දු 51කදී සටන්කාමී ලකුණු 37ක් රැස්කළ එකම පිතිකරුවා වූ අතර අනෙක් කිසිඳු පිතිකරුවෙකුට ලකුණු 30 සීමාව පසු කිරීමට නොහැකි වූ අතර පහත දැක්වෙන හොඳම පිතිකරුවා වූයේ ෆර්ගන් හෝක් ලකුණු 24ක් රැස් කිරීමයි.

මෙම ජයග්‍රහණයත් සමග ශ්‍රී ලංකාව තරගාවලිය 1-0ක් ලෙස ඉදිරියෙන් සිටින අතර තවත් තරගයක් () පැවැත්වීමට නියමිතව ඇත.

කෙටි ලකුණු:

ශ්‍රී ලංකාව: 186-5 (30) (චමරි අතපත්තු 64, හර්ෂිතා ස්මරවික්‍රම 45*, සුල්තානා කතුන් 1-22)

බංග්ලාදේශය: සියලුම දෙනා දැවී 128 (29.5) (නිගර් සුල්තානා 37, ෆර්ගන් හෝක් 24, ඕෂදී රණසිංහ 5-34)

சாமரி, ஓஷாதியின் அதிரடி ஆட்டத்தால் இலங்கை வங்கதேசத்தை 58 ரன்கள் வித்தியாசத்தில் அபார வெற்றி பெற்றது.

பங்களாதேஷ் பெண்கள் இலங்கை சுற்றுப்பயணம் 2023

சாமரி அத்தபத்துவின் அரை சதம் மற்றும் ஓஷதி ரணசிங்கவின் பந்து வீச்சால், வங்காளதேச மகளிர் அணிக்கு எதிரான இரண்டாவது ஒருநாள் போட்டியில், மழையால் குறைக்கப்பட்ட இரண்டாவது ஒருநாள் போட்டியில் இலங்கை அணி 58 ரன்கள் வித்தியாசத்தில் வெற்றி பெற்றது.

நட்சத்திர பேட்டர் சாமரி வெறும் 60 பந்துகளில் 64 ரன்களை எடுத்தார், இலங்கை ஆரோக்கியமான மொத்தமாக 186-5 ரன்களை எடுத்தது, மேலும் வங்காளதேசம் சுழற்பந்து வீச்சாளர் ஓஷதி ரணசிங்க (5/34) சிறந்த எண்ணிக்கையை சேகரித்ததால் இலக்கை எட்ட வாய்ப்பில்லை. பார்வையாளர்கள் 29.5 ஓவர்களில் 128 ரன்களுக்கு ஆட்டமிழந்தனர்.

மழையால் ஆட்டம் 3 மணி நேரம் தாமதமாக தொடங்கப்பட்டதால், ஆட்டம் ஒரு அணிக்கு 30 ஓவர்களாக குறைக்கப்பட்டது. டாஸ் வென்று பேட்டிங் தேர்வு செய்த இலங்கை, சாமரி மற்றும் விஷ்மி குணரத்னே இடையேயான முதல் விக்கெட்டுக்கு 50 ரன்கள் பார்ட்னர்ஷிப்பில் ஒரு நல்ல தொடக்கத்தில் இருந்தது, 10வது ஓவரில் 17 ரன்களுக்கு வீழ்ந்தது.

ஒரு நேர்மறையான தொடக்கத்திற்குப் பிறகு, துணைக் கேப்டன் ஹர்ஷித சமரவிக்ரம நடுவில் கேப்டன் சாமரியுடன் இணைந்து இரண்டாவது விக்கெட்டுக்கு மற்றொரு 53 ரன் பார்ட்னர்ஷிப்பைச் சேர்த்தபோது சிங்கங்கள் தங்கள் ஆதிக்கத்தைத் தொடர்ந்தனர்.

மூத்த தொடக்க ஆட்டக்காரர் 6 பவுண்டரிகள் மற்றும் நான்கு பாரிய சிக்ஸர்களை அடித்து 64 ரன்களை குவித்து நிகழ்ச்சியைத் திருடினார், ஏனெனில் டைனமிக் இடது கை ஆட்டக்காரர் தனது செழுமையான நரம்பை அழிவுகரமான பாணியில் தொடர்ந்தார்.

15வது ஓவரின் முடிவில் இலங்கை அணி சிறப்பான நிலையில் இருந்த நிலையில், சாமரி, நிலக்ஷி டி சில்வா (11), அனுஷ்கா சஞ்சீவனி (12) ஆகியோரின் விக்கெட்டுகளை இழந்து மினி மிடில் ஆர்டர் சரிவை ஏற்படுத்தியது. 4-146.

சீரான இடைவெளியில் விக்கெட்டுகள் வீழ்ந்ததால், இலங்கை இன்னிங்ஸை குறிப்பிட்ட ஓவர்கள் முடிவில் ஒரு நல்ல நிலைக்கு மீட்டெடுக்க மிகவும் திறமையான ஹர்ஷித சமரவிக்ரம (45*) ஒரு துணிச்சலான முயற்சி தேவைப்பட்டது.

பதிலுக்கு, வங்கதேசம் 128 ரன்களுக்கு ஆட்டமிழந்ததால், துரத்தலின் போது ஒருபோதும் வேட்டையில் ஈடுபடவில்லை. ஓஷதி ரணசிங்க, பார்வையாளர்களின் பேட்டிங் வரிசையை கிழித்து 5-34 என்ற புள்ளிகளுடன் முடிவடைந்ததால், சரிவின் கட்டிடக் கலைஞர் ஆவார்.

கேப்டன் நிகர் சுல்தானா மட்டும் 51 பந்துகளில் 37 ரன்களுடன் போராடி 30 ரன்களைத் தாண்ட முடியவில்லை, மேலும் ஃபர்கன் ஹோக் 24 ரன் எடுத்தார்.

இந்த வெற்றியின் மூலம் இலங்கை 1-0 என்ற கணக்கில் தொடரில் 1-0 என முன்னிலை பெற்றுள்ளது, மேலும் ஒரு ஆட்டம் () அன்று நடைபெற உள்ளது.

சுருக்கமான மதிப்பெண்கள்:

இலங்கை: 186-5 (30) (சாமரி அதபத்து 64, ஹர்ஷிதா ஸ்மரவிக்ரம 45*, சுல்தானா கதுன் 1-22)

பங்களாதேஷ்: 128 ஆல் அவுட் (29.5) (நிகர் சுல்தானா 37, ஃபர்கான் ஹோக் 24, ஓஷாதி ரணசிங்க 5-34)

News

BALL BLASTER 2026: SRI LANKA’S BIGGEST SCHOOL FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT RETURNS BIGGER THAN EVER

Published

on

By

24 Schools, 15 Venues and Three National Trophies as Ball Blaster Enters Its Third Year

COLOMBO — Ball Blaster, Sri Lanka’s premier school football tournament, is set to return in 2026 with its biggest edition yet, organized by Aasgard Sports (Private) Limited in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Schools Football Association and the Ministry of Education.

Now entering its third year, Ball Blaster has grown from 2023 with 20 schools into one of the country’s largest youth football events. The 2025 edition featured 16 schools competing across four groups, drawing national broadcast attention through Sri Lankan Sports TV and PEO TV. For 2026, the tournament expands significantly, with 24 schools set to compete across 15 venues nationwide, in a season spanning six weeks and 84 matches.

A NEW FORMAT: THREE TROPHIES, THREE CHAMPIONS

The standout feature of Ball Blaster 2026 is a new three-tier trophy format. Schools will be drawn into four groups of six, playing a round-robin group stage before advancing into one of three parallel championships based on their group finish: the Cup Trophy for group winners, the Bowl Trophy for runners-up, and the Plate Trophy for second runners-up. The format ensures every participating school remains in contention for a national title deep into the tournament.

All three championships will reach their conclusion on the same finals weekend, with third-place playoffs and grand finals for the Cup, Bowl and Plate trophies all being played at Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo.

“Ball Blaster has always been about giving young footballers a stage,” said a spokesperson for Aasgard Sports. “This year, we’re expanding that stage to every corner of the island, and making sure every school that takes part has something real to play for, right to the final whistle.”

BUILDING ON A STRONG 2025

Ball Blaster’s growth has been underpinned by strong sponsor support. The 2025 edition was backed by Lifebuoy as Title Sponsor, alongside Lemonade as Refreshing Partner and Sky Market Travels as Travelling Partner. Organizers say conversations are already underway with returning and new sponsors ahead of the 2026 season, as the tournament’s expanded scale — nationwide venues, a longer season and three separate finals — offers significantly greater visibility for partners.

BROADCAST AND COVERAGE

As in previous years, Ball Blaster 2026 will be broadcast live via Sri Lankan Sports TV and PEO Sports, with matches also available on YouTube and across Sri Lankan Sports TV’s digital platforms.

For sponsorship and partnership enquiries, contact: Pasindu Mihiranga Sri Lankan Sports TV | Aasgard Sports (Private) Limited 0726 85 18 18 marketing@srilankansportstv.com

www.srilankansportstv.com

Continue Reading

Football

Jaswar Umar Hails FIFA Series as Turning Point for Sri Lankan Football

Published

on

By

Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) President Jaswar Umar has described the inaugural FIFA Series in Colombo as a major milestone for the country’s football development, saying the tournament has given Sri Lanka renewed confidence and a stronger connection with the international game.

Umar, who has been involved in efforts to strengthen Sri Lankan football administration and development, said hosting the tournament demonstrated that developing football nations could compete on the global stage when given meaningful opportunities.

The FIFA Series, held in Colombo in March 2024, brought Sri Lanka together with Bhutan, Papua New Guinea and the Central African Republic. The four participating nations represented three different confederations, giving Sri Lanka an unusual opportunity to face teams with different playing styles.

Sri Lanka completed its campaign unbeaten, drawing 0-0 against Papua New Guinea and defeating Bhutan 2-0. Umar said the matches provided valuable experience for the national team and helped players adapt to different forms of international competition.

DOHA, QATAR – DECEMBER 17: FIFA President Gianni Infantino with Football Federation of Sri Lanka President Jaswar Umar during a meeting on December 17, 2024 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Serhat Akin/FIFA)

He stressed that the benefits extended beyond the football field. Sri Lankan officials involved in administration, technical operations, media, medical services and event management gained practical experience in organising matches to international standards.

The Racecourse Ground also received an important upgrade through assistance from FIFA’s Forward Programme. The renovation enabled the historic Colombo venue to host international football and created improved facilities for future events.

Umar said one of the most important achievements was bringing international football closer to Sri Lankan supporters. Young fans were able to watch national players compete against foreign opposition in their own city, helping to inspire a new generation.

He thanked FIFA and its President Gianni Infantino for supporting developing football nations.

According to Umar, the FIFA Series has left Sri Lanka with more than match results. It has provided international experience, stronger administrative capabilities, improved infrastructure and, most importantly, renewed belief in the future of Sri Lankan football.

Continue Reading

Cricket

Dulani’s sparkling century powers Sri Lanka to thrilling victory

Published

on

By

Imesha Dulani stole the spotlight with a sensational unbeaten century as Sri Lanka Women chased down a formidable target of 177 to register a convincing six-wicket victory over Pakistan Women in the first T20I worked off at Dambulla international Stadium.

Pakistan looked set for victory after posting a competitive 176 for 7 in their 20 overs. Captain Muneeba Ali gave the innings early momentum with a fluent 42 off 24 balls, while Shawaal Zulfiqar anchored the innings superbly with a brilliant 63 from 41 deliveries, striking 10 fours and a six. Eman Naseer added a valuable 21, while Ayesha Zafar and Saira Jabeen played aggressive cameos in the closing overs to push Pakistan to an above-par total.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers shared the wickets, with Kavisha Dilhari leading the way with two dismissals. Chamudi Praboda, Sugandika Kumari and Kawya Kavindi chipped in with one wicket apiece, while disciplined fielding produced two crucial run-outs.

The chase belonged entirely to Dulani, who delivered the innings of the match. Displaying confidence, composure and a wide range of attacking strokes, she remained unbeaten on 101 from just 64 balls, smashing 17 boundaries and a six. Her innings combined elegance with controlled aggression, ensuring Sri Lanka stayed ahead of the required rate throughout the chase.

Captain Chamari Athapaththu provided the ideal platform with a sparkling 39 off 22 balls, adding 78 for the opening wicket before Nashra Sandhu broke the partnership. Although Sri Lanka lost wickets at regular intervals in the middle overs, Dulani remained firmly in control, rotating the strike effectively before accelerating when it mattered most.

Kavisha Dilhari contributed 11 valuable runs, while Nilakshika Silva remained unbeaten on nine as Sri Lanka reached 177 for 4 in 19 overs, sealing victory with six balls to spare.

Pakistan spinner Nashra Sandhu finished with two wickets, but she could do little to halt Dulani’s memorable knock.

Continue Reading

Trending