News

A change in the leadership of the New Zealand Test

Published

2 years ago

December 16, 2022

Editor

Kane Williamson has stepped down as New Zealand Test captain and has been replaced by Tim Southee, the country’s cricket board (NZC) said on Thursday.

After taking charge in 2016, Williamson led New Zealand in 40 Tests – with 22 wins, 10 losses and eight clean sheets. Led the team to victory against India in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship 2021.

“For me, Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game and I have enjoyed the challenges of leading the team in the format,” Williamson said.

Williamson will continue as New Zealand’s white-ball captain and said he will play in all three formats.

Southee, who captained 22 Twenty20 internationals between 2017-21, will lead the next Test side. He is set to lead the two-match series in Pakistan at the end of this month.

නසීලන්ත ටෙස්ට් නායකත්වයේ වෙනසක්

කේන් විලියම්සන් නවසීලන්ත ටෙස්ට් නායකත්වයෙන් ඉවත් වී ඇති අතර ඒ වෙනුවට ටිම් සවුති පත් කර ඇති බව එරට ක්‍රිකට් මණ්ඩලය (NZC) බ්‍රහස්පතින්දා ප්‍රකාශ කළේය.

2016 දී වගකීම භාර ගැනීමෙන් පසු විලියම්සන් නවසීලන්තයේ ටෙස්ට් තරග 40 කදී නායකත්වය දැරූ අතර – ජයග්‍රහණ 22 ක්, පරාජයන් 10 ක් සහ ජය පැරදුමෙන් තොර තරග 8 ක් සමඟිනි. 2021 සමාරම්භක ලෝක ටෙස්ට් ශූරතා අවසන් තරගයේදී ඉන්දියාවට එරෙහිව කණ්ඩායම ජයග්‍රහණය කරා ගෙන ගියේය.

“මට නම්, ටෙස්ට් ක්‍රිකට් යනු ක්‍රීඩාවේ උච්චතම අවස්ථාව වන අතර, ආකෘතියේ කණ්ඩායම මෙහෙයවීමේ අභියෝග මම භුක්ති වින්දා,” විලියම්සන් පැවසීය.

විලියම්සන් නවසීලන්ත වයිට් බෝල් නායකයා ලෙස දිගටම කටයුතු කරන අතර ඔහු එම ආකෘති තුනේම ක්‍රීඩා කරන බව පැවසීය.

2017-21 අතර විස්සයි20 ජාත්‍යන්තර තරග 22ක් සඳහා නායකයා ලෙස පෙනී සිටි සවුති, මීළඟ ටෙස්ට් කණ්ඩායමට නායකත්වය දෙනු ඇත. මේ මස අගදී පාකිස්තානයේ පැවැත්වෙන තරග දෙකකින් සමන්විත තරගාවලිය සදහා ඔහු නායකත්වය ලබා දීමට සූදානම් වේ.

நியூசிலாந்து டெஸ்டில் தலைமை மாற்றம்

நியூசிலாந்து டெஸ்ட் கேப்டன் பதவியில் இருந்து கேன் வில்லியம்சன் விலகியுள்ளார், அவருக்கு பதிலாக டிம் சவுத்தி நியமிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளதாக அந்நாட்டு கிரிக்கெட் வாரியம் (NZC) வியாழக்கிழமை தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

2016 இல் பொறுப்பேற்ற பிறகு, வில்லியம்சன் நியூசிலாந்தை 40 டெஸ்டில் வழிநடத்தினார் – 22 வெற்றிகள், 10 தோல்விகள் மற்றும் எட்டு கிளீன் ஷீட்களுடன். உலக டெஸ்ட் சாம்பியன்ஷிப் 2021 இன் இறுதிப் போட்டியில் இந்தியாவுக்கு எதிராக அணியை வெற்றிபெறச் செய்தார்.

“என்னைப் பொறுத்தவரை, டெஸ்ட் கிரிக்கெட் தான் விளையாட்டின் உச்சம், மேலும் இந்த வடிவத்தில் அணியை வழிநடத்தும் சவால்களை நான் அனுபவித்தேன்” என்று வில்லியம்சன் கூறினார்.

நியூசிலாந்தின் ஒயிட்-பால் கேப்டனாக வில்லியம்சன் தொடர்வார், மேலும் அவர் மூன்று வடிவங்களிலும் விளையாடுவார் என்று கூறினார்.

2017-21 க்கு இடையில் 22 டி20 சர்வதேசப் போட்டிகளுக்கு கேப்டனாக இருந்த சவுதி, அடுத்த டெஸ்ட் அணிக்கு தலைமை தாங்குவார். இம்மாத இறுதியில் பாகிஸ்தானில் நடைபெறும் 2 போட்டிகள் கொண்ட தொடருக்கு அவர் தலைமை தாங்க உள்ளார்.

Athletics

Three Sri Lankan Athletes Qualify for World Athletics Indoor Championships 2025

Published

12 hours ago

March 13, 2025

Editor

Colombo: In a historic achievement for Sri Lankan athletics, three national athletes have officially qualified for the World Athletics Indoor Championships 2025, set to take place from May 21 to 23 in Nanjing, China. This marks Sri Lanka’s largest representation at the prestigious event in over two decades.

Sri Lankan Athletes Heading to Nanjing 2025

The three Sri Lankan athletes who secured their spots based on performances and world rankings are:

Chamod Yodasinghe – 60m Sprint
Kalinga Kumarage – 400m
Kaveesha Bandara – 60m Hurdles

Their qualification comes after impressive performances at the inaugural National Short Course Championship, highlighting Sri Lanka’s growing potential in indoor athletics.

A Historic Moment for Sri Lanka

The last time Sri Lanka sent a team to the World Athletics Indoor Championships was in 2001 (Lisbon), where four athletes represented the nation. This latest qualification marks the largest contingent in over 20 years, showcasing significant progress despite limited indoor competition opportunities in Sri Lanka.

With preparations underway, these athletes will aim to make an impact on the global stage and elevate Sri Lanka’s presence in international athletics.

Stay tuned for more updates on Sri Lanka’s journey to Nanjing 2025!

News

Chinese Government Pledges Support for Sri Lanka’s Sports and Youth Development

Published

1 day ago

March 12, 2025

Editor

Colombo: In a significant move towards strengthening sports and youth development in Sri Lanka, Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong met with Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Kumar Gamage, and Deputy Minister Eranga Gunasekara today (26) at the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

During the meeting, Ambassador Qi Zhenhong congratulated the newly appointed ministers and reaffirmed China’s commitment to supporting Sri Lanka’s sports and youth programs. Discussions centered on enhancing bilateral cooperation and exploring actionable initiatives to uplift sports development in the country.

A key highlight of the discussions was China’s willingness to promote sports such as Tai Chi and Dragon Boat Racing in Sri Lanka. This initiative aligns with the broader vision of fostering international sports collaboration and expanding the sporting culture within the country.

This renewed partnership marks an important step in Sri Lanka’s sports development, paving the way for future investments and technical support to enhance local sporting infrastructure and training programs.

Stay tuned for more updates on this collaboration and its impact on Sri Lankan sports!

Football

Sri Lanka to Host the Prestigious 2025 SAFF Championship After 17 Years

Published

1 day ago

March 12, 2025

Editor

Colombo: Sri Lanka has officially been granted the hosting rights for the 2025 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship, set to take place in June 2025. The decision marks a historic moment for Sri Lankan football, as the nation last hosted the tournament in 2008 alongside the Maldives.

The SAFF Championship is widely regarded as the “World Cup of South Asia,” bringing together the best footballing nations from the region. The 2025 edition will feature seven teams:

India (Defending champions and most successful team)
Pakistan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Maldives
Nepal
Sri Lanka (Host nation)

With the backing of home supporters, Sri Lanka will look to capitalize on this opportunity and aim for a deep run in the competition.

SAFF Championship: A Look at Past Editions and Winners

The SAFF Championship, first held in 1993, has seen 14 editions so far. India has been the most dominant team in the tournament’s history, winning a record 9 titles. The Maldives and Bangladesh have each won the tournament twice, while Sri Lanka claimed their only title in 1995, when they hosted the event in Colombo.

Here is a look at the past winners:

India – 9 titles (1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2021, 2023)
Maldives – 2 titles (2008, 2018)
Bangladesh – 2 titles (2003, 2023)
Sri Lanka – 1 title (1995)

Sri Lanka’s return as the host nation in 2025 gives them a golden opportunity to reclaim the championship after 30 years.

If executed well, the 2025 SAFF Championship could mark the beginning of a new era for Sri Lankan football, helping the nation rise again in South Asian football.

Can Sri Lanka make the most of this historic opportunity? The countdown to SAFF 2025 begins!