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A comeback by a former Australian captain

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Tim Paine is set to return to first-class cricket after being named in Tasmania’s squad for this week’s Sheffield Shield opener against Queensland in Brisbane.

Paine last played a first-class game in early 2021 but returned to club cricket last weekend when he scored an unbeaten 20 as a wicket-keeper.

Paine had stepped down from Australia’s Test captaincy before the Ashes following a historic probe into sexually suggestive texts to a female teammate.

Paine will keep wickets for Tasmania alongside Matthew Wade in Australia’s squad ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup later this month and will face a Queensland team with former Test teammates Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne.

Australian T20 captain Aaron Finch hailed Paine’s return to cricket.

“I think it’s really good for Australian cricket to have Tim around,” Finch said ahead of the first T20I against the West Indies on Wednesday.

ඕස්ට්‍රේලියානු හිටපු නායකයෙකුගේ නැවත පැමිණිමක්

මේ සතියේ බ්‍රිස්බේන්හි ක්වීන්ස්ලන්තයට එරෙහිව ෂෙෆීල්ඩ් පලිහ ආරම්භක තරගය සඳහා ටැස්මේනියාවේ සංචිතයට නම් කිරීමෙන් පසු ටිම් පේන් පළමු පෙළ ක්‍රිකට් වෙත ආපසු යාමට සූදානම් වේ.

පේන් අවසන් වරට පළමු පෙළ තරගයක් ක්‍රීඩා කළේ 2021 වසරේ මුල් භාගයේදී වන නමුත් පසුගිය සති අන්තයේ නැවත ක්‍රීඩා සමාජ ක්‍රිකට් ක්‍රීඩාවට පිවිසියේ කඩුලු රකින ක්‍රීඩකයෙකු ලෙස නොදැවී ලකුණු 20ක් රැස් කළ අවස්ථාවේදීය.

පේන් අළු බඳුනට පෙර ඔස්ට්‍රේලියානු ටෙස්ට් නායකත්වයෙන් ඉවත් වී තිබුණේ කාන්තා සගයකුට ලිංගිකව අසභ්‍ය පාඨ පිළිබඳ ඓතිහාසික පරීක්ෂණයක් මත ය.

Paine මේ මස අගදී පැවැත්වෙන විස්සයි20 ලෝක කුසලානයට පෙර ඕස්ට්‍රේලියානු සංචිතයේ සිටින මැතිව් වේඩ් සමඟ Tasmania  වෙනුවෙන් කඩුලු රකිනු ඇති අතර හිටපු ටෙස්ට් සගයන් වන Usman Khawaja සහ Marnus Labuschagne සමග Queensland කණ්ඩායමකට මුහුණ දෙනු ඇත.

ඔස්ට්‍රේලියානු විස්සයි20 නායක ආරොන් ෆින්ච්, පේන් ක්‍රිකට් ක්‍රීඩාවට නැවත පැමිණීම අගය කලේය.

“මම හිතන්නේ ඕස්ට්‍රේලියානු ක්‍රිකට් වලට ටිම් ළඟ සිටීම ඇත්තෙන්ම හොඳයි,” ෆින්ච් බදාදා බටහිර ඉන්දීය කොදෙව්වන්ට එරෙහිව පළමු T20I තරඟයට පෙර පැවසීය.

முன்னாள் ஆஸ்திரேலிய கேப்டனின் மறுபிரவேசம்

பிரிஸ்பேனில் குயின்ஸ்லாந்திற்கு எதிரான இந்த வாரம் ஷெஃபீல்ட் ஷீல்ட் தொடக்க ஆட்டத்தில் டாஸ்மேனியா அணியில் இடம்பிடித்த பிறகு டிம் பெயின் முதல் தர கிரிக்கெட்டுக்கு திரும்ப உள்ளார்.

பெயின் கடைசியாக 2021 ஆம் ஆண்டின் முற்பகுதியில் முதல்தர ஆட்டத்தில் விளையாடினார், ஆனால் கடந்த வார இறுதியில் அவர் விக்கெட் கீப்பராக ஆட்டமிழக்காமல் 20 ரன்கள் எடுத்தபோது கிளப் கிரிக்கெட்டுக்குத் திரும்பினார்.

ஆஷஸ் தொடருக்கு முன் ஆஸ்திரேலியாவின் டெஸ்ட் கேப்டன் பதவியில் இருந்து பெயின் விலகினார், இது ஒரு பெண் அணி வீரருக்கு பாலியல் ரீதியாக தூண்டும் உரைகள் பற்றிய வரலாற்று விசாரணையைத் தொடர்ந்து.

இந்த மாத இறுதியில் இருபது20 உலகக் கோப்பைக்கு முன்னதாக ஆஸ்திரேலியா அணியில் மேத்யூ வேடுடன் டாஸ்மேனியாவுக்காக பெயின் விக்கெட்டுகளை வைத்திருப்பார், மேலும் முன்னாள் டெஸ்ட் அணி வீரர்களான உஸ்மான் கவாஜா மற்றும் மார்னஸ் லாபுசேன் ஆகியோருடன் குயின்ஸ்லாந்து அணியை எதிர்கொள்வார்.

ஆஸ்திரேலிய டி20 கேப்டன் ஆரோன் பின்ச், பெயின் கிரிக்கெட்டுக்கு திரும்பியதை பாராட்டினார்.

புதன்கிழமை மேற்கிந்தியத் தீவுகளுக்கு எதிரான முதல் டி20 போட்டிக்கு முன்னதாக ஃபின்ச், “ஆஸ்திரேலிய கிரிக்கெட்டுக்கு டிம் அருகில் இருப்பது மிகவும் நல்லது என்று நான் நினைக்கிறேன்.

Football

Uzbekistan Dominate Sri Lanka 10-0 in AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers

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Colombo, June 29 – The Sri Lanka Women’s National Football Team suffered a crushing 10-0 defeat at the hands of Uzbekistan in their opening fixture of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers, exposing not only the performance gap on the field but also the deep-rooted structural failures off it.

From kickoff, Uzbekistan showcased their superiority with relentless attacking football, scoring five goals in each half. The match statistics tell a story of complete dominance:

  • Shots on Target: 14 (Uzbekistan) vs 0 (Sri Lanka)
  • Possession: 70% (Uzbekistan) vs 30% (Sri Lanka)
  • Dangerous Attacks: 137 (Uzbekistan) vs 28 (Sri Lanka)

Sri Lanka managed only two shots in the entire match—none of which tested the opposition goalkeeper—while spending most of the game pinned back in defense.

However, beyond the scoreboard, this defeat highlights a more alarming truth: the lack of commitment to women’s football by local authorities. The Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) has failed to organize a single women’s tournament domestically in recent years, and the squad selected for this major continental qualifier was chosen solely through a limited trial. There was no competitive platform or league for players to develop or prove themselves ahead of international duty.

This performance is not just a reflection of the players’ inexperience—it’s a direct consequence of administrative negligence. FFSL must take full responsibility for this embarrassing result, as it continues to send underprepared teams to international tournaments merely to safeguard its position, rather than genuinely investing in the development of Sri Lankan football.

Even more concerning is the silence from the Ministry of Sports. Despite the humiliating performances of the Under-20 team in the recent SAFF Championship and now the senior women’s team in the AFC qualifiers, no action has been taken, and no accountability has been demanded. The ministry’s indifference to these repeated failures raises serious questions about its role in ensuring sports governance and development in Sri Lanka.

As Sri Lankan football continues to struggle, it is clear that without structural change, genuine investment, and accountability, results like these will only continue.

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News

Dialog Schools Rugby League Week 4: Powerhouses Dominate as Rivalries Intensify

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The fourth week of the 2025 Dialog Schools Rugby League brought high-octane action across Colombo and Kandy, as traditional rugby giants asserted dominance while title ambitions sharpened. Here’s a round-up of the top matches that defined the week:

Trinity Outmuscles St. Joseph’s at CR & FC

Trinity College, Kandy, continued their unbeaten streak with a commanding 29-07 win over St. Joseph’s College, Maradana at the CR & FC grounds in Colombo. Trinity crossed the whitewash five times with 5 tries and 2 conversions, displaying explosive forward play and well-structured phases.

St. Joseph’s struggled to match Trinity’s physicality but managed a consolation try and conversion. At halftime, Trinity led 22-0, setting the tone early and maintaining control throughout.

Wesley Tames St. Peter’s in Tight Clash

At Havelock Park, Wesley College recorded a gritty 23-05 victory over St. Peter’s College. The Wesleyites scored 3 tries, 1 conversion, and added 2 penalties, proving their clinical edge under pressure.

St. Peter’s could only respond with a single try and failed to find rhythm. Wesley led 8-0 at the break and controlled territory effectively in the second half.

Isipathana Outguns Zahira in a High-Scoring Thriller

In one of the most entertaining matches of the weekend, Isipathana College edged out Zahira College 38-27 at Zahira Grounds. Isipathana scored 6 tries and 4 conversions, showcasing pace and creativity in attack.

Zahira fought back gallantly with 4 tries, 2 conversions, and a penalty, pushing the defending champions to the limit. At halftime, Isipathana led 26-8, and though Zahira launched a strong second-half rally, the Green Machine held on.

Royal Routs Vidyartha in Dominant Display

Royal College, Colombo, was at their clinical best as they overcame Vidyartha College, Kandy, 29-07 at the Royal Complex. The home side dotted down 5 tries and 2 conversions, demonstrating power rugby and slick handling.

Vidyartha managed a single converted try but struggled to contain Royal’s powerful forwards and rolling mauls. Royal led 12-7 at halftime before pulling away in the second half.

Looking Ahead

With teams like Trinity, Isipathana, and Royal continuing to impress, the Dialog Schools Rugby League 2025 is shaping up for a thrilling finish. Fans can expect tighter games and fierce battles as title dreams grow stronger.

Stay tuned with Sri Lankan Sports TV for full match reports, results, and exclusive school rugby coverage!

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Athletics

Sri Lanka Shines at Thailand Open 2025 with 11-Medal Haul

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The Sri Lankan athletics team wrapped up a remarkable campaign at the Thailand Open Athletics Championship 2025, securing an impressive 11 medals, including 6 golds, during the competition held from June 21 to 25 in Bangkok.

The Sri Lankan squad, made up of eight athletes—four men and four women—delivered standout performances across track and field events, making the nation proud on the international stage.

Leading the charge was Rusiru Chathuranga, who clinched double gold in the Men’s 800m and 1500m events. Vicknaraj Vakshan added to the tally with a gold in the 5000m and a silver in the 1500m, while W.K.L.A. Nimali matched that feat by claiming gold in the Women’s 800m and silver in the 1500m.

Madushani Herath showed her dominance in the field events, capturing gold in both the long jump and triple jump. Ayomal Akalanka earned silver in the Men’s 400m hurdles, and Wathsala Hapuarachchi took silver in the Women’s 100m hurdles. Safreen Ahmed contributed a bronze medal in the Men’s triple jump.

While seven out of eight athletes reached the podium, Amasha de Silva narrowly missed out, finishing fourth in the Women’s 100m final, showcasing a commendable performance.

The full team is expected to return to Sri Lanka today after a tour that highlights the depth of talent in local athletics and signals strong potential ahead of upcoming regional events

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