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Dimuth believes spinners will play a role in the first Test

Sri Lanka likely to go with three pacers and one spinner
Sri Lanka Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne believes the New Zealand pitches are helpful for pacers, and considering the humidity, spinners will also play a role in Christchurch.
“We usually toured New Zealand in December, and now we are here in March and now the climate is warm here, so we believe the pitch will also dry and help spinners to play a role”, said the skipper prior to the first Test.
Sri Lanka will look to strike an early blow against New Zealand in Christchurch this week and hope Australia can thwart India to keep the World Test Championship (WTC) race alive.
With Australia already confirmed in the WTC final, Sri Lanka can join them by sweeping New Zealand in their two-Test series if India is denied victory in the fourth Test in the subcontinent. The series starts at Hagley Oval on Thursday, the same day India and Australia start their final Test at the mega-stadium in Ahmedabad.
“When we look at the series between England and New Zealand, spinners did fairly well. The pitch is being prepared yet, so we have the plan to go with an extra spinner apart from all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva. We are yet to finalize the playing XI but there will be a possibility that we will go with three fast bowlers and one spinner considering the conditions,” Dimuth further added.
The visiting side has a poor history against New Zealand in their own backyard, with Sri Lanka having only won two of the 19 Tests they have played in New Zealand.
They can reach the WTC final against Australia with a 2-0 series triumph, provided India fails to beat Australia in the final Test in Ahmedabad, which also begins Thursday.
If there is some chance for Sri Lanka to pull off an unlikely brace of victories, it is perhaps through their experience. They have also brought in two uncapped players, the 23-year-old batter Nishan Madushka and seam bowler Milan Rathnayake, 26.
Madushka forced his way into the Test squad after scoring two centuries and a double hundred in three appearances against the touring England Lions a few weeks ago.
Sri Lanka also has bowlers who could potentially trouble New Zealand’s top order, so long as they stay fit through the game. But it’ll be the batters who will likely have to lead the way. Angelo Mathews, who’s played exactly 100 Tests now, is on his fourth Test tour of New Zealand, and his skipper will need the experienced campaigner to use all his experience and lead Sri Lanka to a rare series win.
Sri Lanka has left no stone unturned in their preparations and recently held a training camp at a new facility in the hills south of Kandy to try to simulate New Zealand’s cool conditions and bouncy wickets. A team more accustomed to attacking with spin, Sri Lanka has brought a full stable of pace bowlers to New Zealand.
New Zealand, meanwhile, is in good spirits after pulling off a famous one-run win over England in Wellington last week.
That left the series a 1-1 draw and preserved the Black Caps’ unbeaten record at home dating back to 2017. The team’s top batter and former captain Kane Williamson will be a late arrival to Christchurch as he mourns the death of his grandmother.
පළමු ටෙස්ට් තරගයේදී දඟපන්දු යවන්නන් කාර්යභාරයක් ඉටු කරනු ඇතැයි දිමුත් විශ්වාස කරයි
ශ්රී ලංකාව වේගපන්දු යවන්නන් තිදෙනෙකු සහ එක් දඟපන්දු යවන්නෙකු සමඟින් තරග කිරීමට ඉඩ තිබේ
ශ්රී ලංකා ටෙස්ට් නායක දිමුත් කරුණාරත්න විශ්වාස කරන්නේ නවසීලන්ත තණතීරු වේගපන්දු යවන්නන්ට ප්රයෝජනවත් වන අතර ආර්ද්රතාවය සලකා බලන විට දඟපන්දු යවන්නන් ක්රයිස්ට්චර්ච් හි කාර්යභාරයක් ඉටු කරනු ඇති බවයි.
“අපි සාමාන්යයෙන් දෙසැම්බර් මාසයේදී නවසීලන්තයේ සංචාරය කළා, දැන් අපි මෙහි සිටින්නේ මාර්තු මාසයේදී වන අතර දැන් මෙහි දේශගුණය උණුසුම් බැවින් තණතීරුව ද වියළී ගොස් දඟ පන්දු යවන්නන්ට කාර්යභාරයක් ඉටු කිරීමට උපකාරී වනු ඇතැයි අපි විශ්වාස කරමු”, පළමු ටෙස්ට් තරගයට පෙර නායකයා පැවසීය.
ශ්රී ලංකාව මේ සතියේ ක්රයිස්ට්චර්ච්හිදී නවසීලන්තයට එරෙහිව ඉක්මන් පහරක් එල්ල කිරීමට බලාපොරොත්තු වන අතර ලෝක ටෙස්ට් ශූරතා (WTC) තරඟය ජීවමානව තබා ගැනීමට ඕස්ට්රේලියාවට ඉන්දියාවට බාධා කළ හැකි වනු ඇතැයි බලාපොරොත්තු වේ.
ඕස්ටේ්රලියාව දැනටමත් WTC අවසන් මහා තරගයට සුදුසුකම් ලබා ඇති හෙයින්, උපමහාද්වීපයේ සිවුවැනි ටෙස්ට් තරගයෙන් ඉන්දියාව ජය ගැනීම ප්රතික්ෂේප කළහොත්, නවසීලන්තය සමග ඔවුන්ගේ ටෙස්ට් තරග දෙකකින් සමන්විත තරගාවලිය අතුගා දැමීමෙන් ශ්රී ලංකාවට ඔවුන් හා එක්විය හැකිය. මෙම තරගාවලිය බ්රහස්පතින්දා හැග්ලි ඕවල් ක්රීඩාංගණයේදී ආරම්භ වන අතර, එදිනම ඉන්දියාව සහ ඕස්ට්රේලියාව අහමදාබාද්හි මෙගා ක්රීඩාංගණයේදී ඔවුන්ගේ අවසන් ටෙස්ට් තරගය ආරම්භ කරයි.
“අපි එංගලන්තය සහ නවසීලන්තය අතර තරඟාවලිය දෙස බලන විට දඟපන්දු යවන්නන් තරමක් හොඳින් ක්රීඩා කළා. තණතීරුව තවම සූදානම් වෙමින් පවතින නිසා තුන් ඉරියව් ක්රීඩක ධනංජය ද සිල්වා හැර අමතර දඟපන්දු යවන්නෙකු සමඟ යාමට අපට සැලසුමක් තිබෙනවා. අපි තවම ක්රීඩා කරන XI එක අවසන් කරලා නැහැ නමුත් කොන්දේසි සලකා බලා වේගපන්දු යවන්නන් තිදෙනෙකු සහ එක් දඟ පන්දු යවන්නෙකු සමඟ යාමට හැකියාවක් තිබෙනවා” දිමුත් වැඩිදුරටත් පැවසීය.
සංචාරක කණ්ඩායමට ඔවුන්ගේම පිටියේදී නවසීලන්තයට එරෙහිව දුර්වල ඉතිහාසයක් ඇත, ශ්රී ලංකාව ඔවුන් නවසීලන්තයේ ක්රීඩා කර ඇති ටෙස්ට් තරඟ 19 න් දෙකක් පමණක් ජයග්රහණය කර ඇත.
බ්රහස්පතින්දා ද ආරම්භ වන අහමදාබාද්හි පැවැත්වෙන අවසන් ටෙස්ට් තරගයේදී ඔස්ට්රේලියාව පරාජය කිරීමට ඉන්දියාව අපොහොසත් වීමත් සමඟ ඔවුන්ට 2-0 තරඟාවලි ජයග්රහණයක් සමඟ ඕස්ට්රේලියාවට එරෙහිව WTC අවසන් මහා තරඟයට පැමිණිය හැකිය.
ශ්රී ලංකාවට බලාපොරොත්තු විය නොහැකි ජයග්රහණ රැසක් ලබා ගැනීමට යම් අවස්ථාවක් තිබේ නම්, එය ඔවුන්ගේ අත්දැකීම් තුළින් විය හැකිය. ඔවුන් 23 හැවිරිදි පිතිකරු නිශාන් මධුෂ්ක සහ 26 හැවිරිදි මිලාන් රත්නායක යන නොදැමුණු ක්රීඩකයින් දෙදෙනෙකු ද කැඳවා තිබේ.
මධුෂ්ක සති කිහිපයකට පෙර සංචාරක එංගලන්ත ලයන්ස් පිලට එරෙහිව තරග තුනකදී ශතක දෙකක් සහ ද්විත්ව ශතකයක් රැස් කිරීමෙන් පසු ටෙස්ට් සංචිතයට ඇතුළත් විය.
නවසීලන්ත පිලේ මුල් පෙළට බාධා කළ හැකි පන්දු යවන්නන් ශ්රී ලංකාවට ද සිටිති, ඔවුන් ක්රීඩාවේ යෝග්යතාවයෙන් සිටින තාක් කල්. නමුත් බොහෝ විට පෙරමුණ ගැනීමට සිදුවන්නේ පිතිකරුවන්ටය. මේ වන විට හරියටම ටෙස්ට් තරග 100කට ක්රීඩා කර ඇති ඇන්ජලෝ මැතිව්ස් සිය සිව්වැනි නවසීලන්ත ටෙස්ට් සංචාරයේ යෙදී සිටින අතර, ඔහුගේ නායකයාට ඔහුගේ සියලු අත්දැකීම් උපයෝගී කර ගනිමින් ශ්රී ලංකාව දුර්ලභ තරගාවලි ජයග්රහණයක් කරා ගෙන යාමට අත්දැකීම් ප්රචාරකයෙකු අවශ්ය වේ.
ශ්රී ලංකාව ඔවුන්ගේ සූදානමේ කිසිදු ගලක් ඉතිරි කර නැති අතර නවසීලන්තයේ සිසිල් තත්ත්වයන් සහ පන්දු යැවීමේ කඩුලු අනුකරණය කිරීමට උත්සාහ කිරීම සඳහා මහනුවරට දකුණින් පිහිටි කඳුකරයේ නව මධ්යස්ථානයක පුහුණු කඳවුරක් පසුගියදා පැවැත්වීය. දඟ පන්දු යවන්නන්ට වඩාත් හුරුපුරුදු කණ්ඩායමක් වන ශ්රී ලංකා කණ්ඩායම නවසීලන්තයට පූර්ණ ස්ථාවර වේග පන්දු යවන්නන් පිරිසක් රැගෙනවිත් තිබේ.
මේ අතර, පසුගිය සතියේ වෙලින්ටන්හිදී එංගලන්තයට එරෙහිව සුප්රසිද්ධ එක් ලකුණක ජයග්රහණයක් ලබා ගැනීමෙන් පසු නවසීලන්තය හොඳ මානසිකත්වයකින් පසුවේ.
එය තරඟාවලිය 1-1ක් ලෙස සම තත්ත්වයට පත් වූ අතර බ්ලැක් කැප්ස්ගේ අපරාජිත වාර්තාව 2017 දක්වා දිවෙන ගෙදරදී ආරක්ෂා විය. කණ්ඩායමේ ප්රමුඛ පිතිකරු සහ හිටපු නායක කේන් විලියම්සන් තම ආච්චිගේ මරණය ගැන ශෝක වන බැවින් ක්රයිස්ට්චර්ච් වෙත පැමිණීමට ප්රමාද වනු ඇත.
முதல் டெஸ்டில் சுழற்பந்து வீச்சாளர்கள் பங்களிப்பார்கள் என்று திமுத் நம்புகிறார்
மூன்று வேகப்பந்து வீச்சாளர்கள் மற்றும் ஒரு சுழற்பந்து வீச்சாளருடன் இலங்கை களமிறங்க வாய்ப்புள்ளது
நியூசிலாந்து ஆடுகளங்கள் வேகப்பந்து வீச்சாளர்களுக்கு உதவிகரமாக இருப்பதாக இலங்கை டெஸ்ட் அணித்தலைவர் திமுத் கருணாரத்ன நம்புகிறார், மேலும் ஈரப்பதத்தை கருத்தில் கொண்டு, கிறைஸ்ட்சர்ச்சில் சுழற்பந்து வீச்சாளர்களும் பங்களிப்பார்கள்.
“நாங்கள் வழக்கமாக டிசம்பரில் நியூசிலாந்தில் சுற்றுப்பயணம் செய்தோம், இப்போது நாங்கள் இங்கே மார்ச் மாதத்தில் இருக்கிறோம், இப்போது இங்கு தட்பவெப்பநிலை சூடாக இருக்கிறது, எனவே ஆடுகளம் வறண்டு, ஸ்பின்னர்கள் ஒரு பங்கை வகிக்க உதவும் என்று நாங்கள் நம்புகிறோம்” என்று முதல் டெஸ்ட் போட்டிக்கு முன்னதாக கேப்டன் கூறினார்.
இந்த வாரம் கிறிஸ்ட்சர்ச்சில் நியூசிலாந்திற்கு எதிராக இலங்கை ஒரு ஆரம்ப அடியைத் தாக்கும், மேலும் உலக டெஸ்ட் சாம்பியன்ஷிப் (WTC) பந்தயத்தை உயிருடன் வைத்திருக்க ஆஸ்திரேலியா இந்தியாவை முறியடிக்கும் என்று நம்புகிறது.
WTC இறுதிப் போட்டியில் ஆஸ்திரேலியா ஏற்கனவே உறுதிசெய்யப்பட்ட நிலையில், துணைக் கண்டத்தில் நான்காவது டெஸ்டில் இந்தியா வெற்றி பெற மறுத்தால், நியூசிலாந்தின் இரண்டு டெஸ்ட் தொடரில் இலங்கையும் அவர்களுடன் சேரலாம். வியாழன் அன்று ஹாக்லி ஓவல் மைதானத்தில் தொடர் தொடங்குகிறது, அதே நாளில் இந்தியா மற்றும் ஆஸ்திரேலியா அணிகள் தங்கள் கடைசி டெஸ்ட்டை அகமதாபாத்தில் உள்ள மெகா ஸ்டேடியத்தில் தொடங்குகின்றன.
“இங்கிலாந்து மற்றும் நியூசிலாந்து இடையேயான தொடரை பார்க்கும்போது, சுழற்பந்து வீச்சாளர்கள் சிறப்பாக செயல்பட்டனர். ஆடுகளம் இன்னும் தயாராகி வருகிறது, எனவே ஆல்ரவுண்டர் தனஞ்சய டி சில்வாவைத் தவிர கூடுதல் சுழற்பந்து வீச்சாளருடன் செல்ல நாங்கள் திட்டமிட்டுள்ளோம். நாங்கள் இன்னும் விளையாடும் லெவன் அணியை இறுதி செய்யவில்லை, ஆனால் நாங்கள் மூன்று வேகப்பந்து வீச்சாளர்கள் மற்றும் ஒரு சுழற்பந்து வீச்சாளருடன் நிலைமைகளைக் கருத்தில் கொண்டு செல்வதற்கான வாய்ப்பு உள்ளது, ”என்று திமுத் மேலும் கூறினார்.
நியூசிலாந்திற்கு எதிராக நியூசிலாந்திற்கு எதிராக அவர்களது சொந்த மைதானத்தில் ஒரு மோசமான வரலாறு உள்ளது, இலங்கை நியூசிலாந்தில் விளையாடிய 19 டெஸ்ட் போட்டிகளில் இரண்டில் மட்டுமே வெற்றி பெற்றுள்ளது.
அவர்கள் ஆஸ்திரேலியாவுக்கு எதிரான WTC இறுதிப் போட்டியை 2-0 என்ற தொடர் வெற்றியுடன் அடையலாம், வியாழன் அன்றும் தொடங்கும் ஆமதாபாத்தில் நடக்கும் கடைசி டெஸ்டில் ஆஸ்திரேலியாவை இந்தியா தோற்கடிக்கத் தவறினால்.
சாத்தியமில்லாத வெற்றிகளைப் பெறுவதற்கு இலங்கைக்கு ஏதேனும் வாய்ப்பு இருந்தால், அது அவர்களின் அனுபவத்தின் மூலம் இருக்கலாம். அவர்கள் 23 வயதான பேட்டர் நிஷான் மதுஷ்கா மற்றும் சீம் பவுலர் மிலன் ரத்நாயக்க, 26 ஆகிய இரு அன்கேப்டு வீரர்களையும் சேர்த்துள்ளனர்.
சில வாரங்களுக்கு முன்பு சுற்றுலா இங்கிலாந்து லயன்ஸ் அணிக்கு எதிராக மூன்று போட்டிகளில் இரண்டு சதம் மற்றும் இரட்டை சதம் அடித்த பிறகு மதுஷ்கா டெஸ்ட் அணியில் இடம் பிடித்தார்.
நியூசிலாந்தின் டாப் ஆர்டரைத் தொந்தரவு செய்யக்கூடிய பந்துவீச்சாளர்களும் இலங்கையில் உள்ளனர், அவர்கள் ஆட்டம் முழுவதும் ஃபிட்டாக இருக்கும் வரை. ஆனால், பேட்டிங் செய்பவர்கள்தான் வழி நடத்த வேண்டும். இப்போது சரியாக 100 டெஸ்ட் போட்டிகளில் விளையாடியுள்ள ஏஞ்சலோ மேத்யூஸ், நியூசிலாந்தில் தனது நான்காவது டெஸ்ட் சுற்றுப்பயணத்தில் இருக்கிறார், மேலும் அவரது கேப்டன் தனது அனுபவத்தை பயன்படுத்தி இலங்கையை ஒரு அரிய தொடர் வெற்றிக்கு அழைத்துச் செல்ல அனுபவம் வாய்ந்த பிரச்சாரகர் தேவை.
இலங்கை தனது தயாரிப்புகளில் எந்தக் கல்லையும் விட்டு வைக்கவில்லை, மேலும் நியூசிலாந்தின் குளிர்ச்சியான சூழ்நிலைகள் மற்றும் பவுண்டரி விக்கெட்டுகளை உருவகப்படுத்த முயற்சிப்பதற்காக கண்டிக்கு தெற்கே உள்ள மலைப்பகுதியில் உள்ள புதிய வசதி ஒன்றில் சமீபத்தில் பயிற்சி முகாமை நடத்தியது. சுழற்பந்து வீச்சுடன் தாக்குதல் நடத்தப் பழகிய இலங்கை அணி, நியூசிலாந்துக்கு முழு நிலையான வேகப்பந்து வீச்சாளர்களை கொண்டு வந்துள்ளது.
இதற்கிடையில், கடந்த வாரம் வெலிங்டனில் இங்கிலாந்துக்கு எதிரான புகழ்பெற்ற ஒரு ரன் வெற்றியைப் பெற்ற நியூசிலாந்து நல்ல உற்சாகத்தில் உள்ளது.
இது தொடரை 1-1 என்ற கணக்கில் சமன் செய்து, பிளாக் கேப்ஸின் தோற்கடிக்கப்படாத சாதனையை 2017 ஆம் ஆண்டு சொந்த மண்ணில் தக்கவைத்தது. அணியின் சிறந்த பேட்டரும், முன்னாள் கேப்டனுமான கேன் வில்லியம்சன், தனது பாட்டியின் இறப்பிற்காக துக்கம் அனுசரிக்கும்போது, கிறிஸ்ட்சர்ச்சிற்கு தாமதமாக வருவார்.
Football
Stafford vs. Colombo International: The Second Edition of the Big Match Kicks Off!
Football fever returns as Stafford International School and Colombo International School gear up for the second edition of their highly anticipated Big Match! This year, the rivalry intensifies with four matches across different age and gender categories:
✅ U15 Girls
✅ U15 Boys
✅ U20 Girls
✅ U20 Boys
🏆 Stafford International’s Rising Stars:
- U15 Girls: Defending TISSL U14 and Colombo SLSFA District champions, featuring standout players like Keshalee Ranatunga and Sonja Ratanayake (just 10 years old!).
- U15 Boys: All-Island U14 runners-up out of 462 schools, led by goalkeeper Yash Amarasekara, who was named Best U14 GK in Sri Lanka.
- U20 Girls & Boys: Both teams finished as TISSL runners-up, boasting stars like Raya Rikaz, Yumna Safraz, Adnaan Ameen, and Nidurshan Mohan.
🏆 Colombo International’s Key Players:
- U15 Girls: TISSL U16 runners-up, featuring top defender Khadeeja Niyas and striker Ozra.
- U20 Girls: TISSL U20 runners-up, with Fioni Dedhia named Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
- U20 Boys: Defending Big Match champions, looking to retain their title behind stars like Krishwen and Habib.
👀 Who will come out on top this time? Watch the action LIVE at the link below! 🎥👇
#BigMatch2025 #SchoolFootball #SriLankaFootball #StaffordVsCIS #RivalryRenewed
Cricket
Shammi Silva Re-Elected as Sri Lanka Cricket President for Fourth Consecutive Term
Shammi Silva has been re-elected as the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) president for the 2025-27 term, marking his fourth consecutive tenure at the helm of the nation’s cricket governing body. Silva secured the position uncontested at the 64th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Colombo on Monday.
A Controversial Yet Dominant Tenure
Silva’s leadership has not been without controversy. His previous term saw a high-profile clash with former Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe in 2023, which led to an interim committee being appointed after Sri Lanka’s poor performance in the ICC ODI World Cup. This move resulted in ICC suspending SLC, which led to Sri Lanka losing the hosting rights for the U19 Men’s World Cup, which was later held in South Africa.
Despite these setbacks, Silva regained control after a court ruling reinstated his administration, and he was later appointed as the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in December 2023, replacing Jay Shah.
Challenges & Future Outlook
Sri Lanka Cricket has long been seen as a powerful and influential body, with internal politics often shaping its leadership. With financial mismanagement concerns highlighted in the Auditor General’s report, Silva’s administration faces the challenge of restoring credibility and ensuring better governance.
With the ICC ban lifted, Sri Lanka looks to rebuild its cricketing structure and improve performance on the international stage. The focus now shifts to upcoming bilateral series, the Asia Cup, and preparations for the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Stay tuned for more updates on Sri Lanka Cricket and the latest in the world of sports!
Cricket
Stephen Fleming Defends MS Dhoni’s Batting Position Amid Criticism
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming has defended MS Dhoni’s late entry in the batting order, stating that the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman cannot play an extended innings at full intensity due to lingering knee concerns.
The 43-year-old Dhoni faced criticism after coming in at No. 9 during CSK’s 50-run loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Chepauk. In the next match against Rajasthan Royals on March 30, 2025, he batted at No. 7 when CSK required 54 off 25 balls but managed just 16 off 11 as his team fell short by six runs.
Fleming’s Explanation on Dhoni’s Role
Fleming emphasized that Dhoni carefully assesses the match situation before deciding when to bat.
“It’s all about timing. MS judges his body and situation. His knees aren’t what they used to be, so he can’t bat for 10 overs at full intensity. He will step in based on the game’s demands,” Fleming explained at the post-match press conference.
The CSK coach reiterated that Dhoni remains too valuable to the team for his leadership and wicketkeeping and that sending him in too early could be a strategic misstep.
“From around the 13th or 14th over, he assesses the situation and decides. He trusts other batters early on but steps up when needed.”
CSK’s Struggles in the Powerplay Cost Them the Match
Fleming also pinpointed CSK’s poor powerplay performance as a key reason for their loss against Rajasthan Royals. While RR blasted 79/1 in the powerplay, CSK only managed 42/1,
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