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Ben Stokes: England all-rounder to come out of ODI retirement for Cricket World Cup

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Ben Stokes’ return to the England one-day side for the defence of the World Cup will be confirmed on Wednesday.

Stokes, 32, will come out of retirement to be named in a 15-man squad for a four-match series against New Zealand in September.
Stokes was man of the match in the final when England won the World Cup for the first time in 2019.
The all-rounder retired from one-day internationals last summer, saying that playing three formats was unsustainable.
He continued to lead the England Test team and play in T20 internationals, starring in the final as England lifted the World Cup in the shortest format in Australia in November.
When asked in July if he would play in the 50-over World Cup, Stokes reiterated he was retired.
But in an interview with the Daily Mail, England white-ball coach Matthew Mott said captain Jos Buttler would approach Stokes over reversing that decision. A number of newspaper reports on Monday said Stokes was considering the request.
A quirk of the schedule means England have no Tests until they tour India for five matches between January and March next year.
Stokes had planned to use the gap to address a long-standing left-knee problem, which has severely limited his ability to bowl.
Therefore, his role at the World Cup could largely be as a specialist batter.
England will name their squad for the New Zealand ODIs, played between 8-15 September, at 10:00 BST on Wednesday. They will also name a strong 15-man party for four T20s against the Black Caps, beginning on 30 August.
Following the New Zealand series, England will play three ODIs against Ireland at the end of September. A separate squad for this will be named at a later date.
Because of that series’ close proximity to the beginning of the World Cup on 5 October, most of the first-choice players will be rested.
England begins their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in a repeat of the 2019 final.
Mott also said England might be willing to take a risk on the fitness of pace bowler Jofra Archer, who has been plagued by injuries since bowling the super over in the thrilling finale four years ago.
England’s World Cup squad will have a familiar feel, probably including nine of the squad that was successful on home soil in 2019.

බෙන් ස්ටෝක්ස්: එංගලන්ත තුන් ඉරියව් ක්‍රීඩකයා ක්‍රිකට් ලෝක කුසලානය සඳහා යළිත් එක්දින ක්‍රිකට් පිටියට

ලෝක කුසලානය සඳහා බෙන් ස්ටෝක්ස් එංගලන්ත එක්දින කණ්ඩායමට නැවත පැමිණීම බදාදා ස්ථිර වනු ඇත.

32 හැවිරිදි ස්ටෝක්ස් විශ්‍රාම ගැනීමෙන් පසු සැප්තැම්බර් මාසයේදී නවසීලන්තයට එරෙහිව පැවැත්වෙන තරග හතරකින් යුත් තරගාවලිය සඳහා 15 දෙනෙකුගෙන් යුත් සංචිතයකට නම් කරනු ඇත.
2019 වසරේ පළමු වරට එංගලන්තය ලෝක කුසලානය දිනූ විට අවසන් මහා තරගයේ වීරයා වූයේ ස්ටෝක්ස් ය.
තුන් ඉරියව් ක්‍රීඩකයා පසුගිය ගිම්හානයේදී එක්දින ජාත්‍යන්තර තරඟවලින් විශ්‍රාම ගියේ ආකෘති තුනක් ක්‍රීඩා කිරීම තිරසාර නොවන බව පවසමිනි.
ඔහු නොවැම්බරයේ ඕස්ට්‍රේලියාවේ පැවති විස්සයි විස්ස ආකෘතියෙන් එංගලන්තය ලෝක කුසලානය ඔසවද්දී අවසන් මහා තරගයට ක්‍රීඩා කල අතර ඔහු එංගලන්ත ටෙස්ට් කණ්ඩායමට නායකත්වය දෙමින් T20 ජාත්‍යන්තර තරගවලට ක්‍රීඩා කළේය.
ඔහු ඕවර 50 ලෝක කුසලානයට ක්‍රීඩා කරන්නේ දැයි ජූලි මාසයේදී ඇසූ විට, ස්ටෝක්ස් නැවත වරක් කියා සිටියේ තමා විශ්‍රාම ගත් බවයි.
නමුත් ඩේලි මේල් සමඟ සම්මුඛ සාකච්ඡාවකට එක්වෙමින් එංගලන්ත පුහුණුකරු මැතිව් මොට් පැවසුවේ නායක ජොස් බට්ලර් එම තීරණය වෙනස් කිරීම සඳහා ස්ටෝක්ස් වෙත පැමිණෙනු ඇති බවයි. සඳුදා පුවත්පත් වාර්තා ගණනාවක් පැවසුවේ ස්ටෝක්ස් ඉල්ලීම සලකා බලන බවයි.
ඔහුගේ පන්දු යැවීමේ හැකියාව දැඩි ලෙස සීමා කර ඇති දිගුකාලීන වම් දණහිසේ ගැටලුවක් නිසාවෙන් ලෝක කුසලානයේ ඔහුගේ භූමිකාව බොහෝ දුරට විශේෂඥ පිතිකරුවෙකු ලෙස විය හැකිය.

Football

Lifebuoy Bodywash Ball Blaster 2025: Quarter-Final Lineup Shapes Up with Thrilling Group Stage Battles

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The Lifebuoy Bodywash Ball Blaster 2025 has reached the most exciting stage yet as teams battle for quarter-final glory.

In Group B, Kalutara Central College has stamped their authority with 2 wins from 2 matches, boasting a flawless defense and an impressive +2 goal difference. The battle for the second spot is wide open between Royal College and Alighar Central College, both on 3 points and looking to secure their place in the knockout rounds. Maris Stella College has unfortunately bowed out after a tough group stage.

Meanwhile, Group C promises drama in the final match between St. Patrick’s College and St. Joseph’s College. A win for Joseph will see them top the group, while Patrick could sneak into the quarter-finals with a narrow 1-0 victory. A draw would favor Joseph’s qualification on goal difference.

The quarter-finals, scheduled for 5th November at City League, will feature the following fixtures:

  • Q1: Zahira College, Colombo 🆚 Vaddakachchi Central College – 8:30 AM
  • Q2: Kalutara Central College 🆚 St. Joseph’s College / St. Patrick’s College – 11:00 AM
  • Q3: Gateway College/ St. Joseph’s College 🆚 Royal / Alighar – 1:30 PM
  • Q4: Hameed Al Husseinie College 🆚 Darussalaam College – 4:00 PM

Fans can expect high-octane football and edge-of-the-seat action as Sri Lanka’s brightest school football talents compete for the prestigious Lifebuoy Bodywash Ball Blaster Trophy 2025. Stay tuned to Sri Lankan Sports TV for live coverage, match updates, and exclusive interviews.

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Football

Group C Still Up for Grabs as Four Teams Eye Quarterfinal Spots in Lifebuoy Ball Blaster 2025!

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The Lifebuoy Bodywash Ball Blaster 2025 Schools Football Championship Group C stage remains finely poised — with all four schools still in contention to reach the quarterfinals. With Gateway College having completed all their matches, the final fixtures will decide the fate of St. Benedict’s, St. Patrick’s, and St. Joseph’s Colleges.

Current Standings:

SchoolMWLDGSGAGDPoints
Gateway College310264+25
St. Benedict’s College210132+14
St. Patrick’s College201134-11
St. Joseph’s College101013-20

Gateway College – Top for Now 🟢

Gateway College leads with 5 points after finishing all their group-stage matches. Their unbeaten record gives them a strong edge, but their qualification still depends on the final two matchdays. They’ll be watching closely as St. Benedict’s and St. Patrick’s fight for crucial wins.

St. Benedict’s College – Advantage in Hand ⚪

With 4 points from 2 games, St. Benedict’s College holds the upper hand. A victory in their next match will guarantee a quarterfinal spot, potentially as Group winners. A draw could still be enough, but a defeat would leave them vulnerable to a late surge from the other two schools.

St. Patrick’s College – Still in the Race 🟡

With 1 point from 2 games, St. Patrick’s still has a chance to qualify — but only if they win the remaining match. They’ll also need to improve their goal difference, currently at -1, to stay competitive in case of a tie on points.

St. Joseph’s College – A Must-Win Situation 🔵

After losing their opening game, St. Joseph’s College faces a do-or-die scenario. With two matches left, the Josephians must win both — and by convincing margins — to stay in contention for a top-two finish. Anything less will end their campaign.

Qualification Scenarios:

  • 🏆 If St. Benedict’s wins next match: Gateway and Benedict’s advance.
  • 🤝 If St. Benedict’s draws next match: Gateway likely through; second spot open between Benedict’s and Patrick’s.
  • If St. Benedict’s loses: St. Patrick’s or St. Joseph’s could qualify by winning their remaining games.

The Group C showdown promises edge-of-the-seat drama as school football’s finest battle for survival in the Lifebuoy Ball Blaster 2025. Every point counts — and one mistake could end a dream run.

Stay tuned to Sri Lankan Sports TV for live coverage, photos, and exclusive post-match reactions from the players and coaches.

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CBL Samaposha Continues to Empower Sri Lanka’s Young Footballers for the 14th Consecutive Year

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In a remarkable display of commitment to grassroots sports development, CBL Samaposha continues its proud legacy of empowering the U14 Inter-School National Football Championship for the 14th consecutive year, reaffirming its role as one of Sri Lanka’s most consistent supporters of school-level football.

Organized by the Schools Football Association of Sri Lanka (SSFA), this year’s championship will take place across 32 regional grounds islandwide, drawing participation from over 12,000 young players representing 510 boys’ teams and 110 girls’ teams.

Provincial champions will advance to the final rounds in Galle, with matches scheduled at the Dadella Football Complex, B.T.S. School Grounds, and Galle Municipal Grounds. The grand final will be played at the Colombo Racecourse Grounds on December 13, where the nation’s most talented young players will compete for top honors.

CBL Foods’ Chief Executive Officer Mr. Manjula Dahanayake emphasized the company’s deep-rooted commitment to nurturing youth potential, saying:

“Our vision is to inspire young Sri Lankans to pursue their dreams through sport, discipline, and teamwork. Supporting this tournament helps build the next generation of leaders both on and off the field.”

SSFA CEO Mr. Iraj Wimalasuriya expressed appreciation for Samaposha’s continued partnership, stating:

“CBL Samaposha has been a true ally in our mission to strengthen school football. Their long-term commitment ensures that children from all parts of the island get an equal opportunity to play, compete, and grow.”

Adding further, Lt. Col. G.G. Anura Apevikrama, Director of Physical Education and Sports at the Ministry of Education, noted that this championship is often the first competitive experience for many budding footballers — a crucial step in building Sri Lanka’s sporting future.

As a proudly homegrown brand under CBL Plenty Foods (Pvt) Ltd, Samaposha continues to fuel the nation’s youth — both nutritionally and inspirationally — reinforcing the value of sportsmanship and unity through football.

🏆 About the Championship

  • Organizer: Schools Football Association of Sri Lanka (SSFA)
  • Sponsor: CBL Samaposha
  • Players: Over 12,000 (Boys & Girls)
  • Venues: 32 regional grounds, finals in Galle & Colombo
  • Finals Date: December 13, 2025
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