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Dushan Hemantha and Matheesha Pathirana are in line to debut in the first ODI against Afghanistan
Leg spinner Dushan Hemantha and pacer Matheesha Pathirana are likely to debut in the first one-day International debuts when Sri Lanka takes on Afghanistan in the first ODI in Hambantota tomorrow.
Sri Lanka will head to the opening game without their ace spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who has been ruled out of the first two ODIs in the three-match series due to an injury in his right knee.
Since Wanindu is out of the first two ODI’s Dushan Hemantha could make his international cricket debut.
“Since Wanindu has an injury concern, Dushan Hemantha has a good chance to debut in the first ODI,” hinted Sri Lanka white ball captain Dasun Shanaka.
Dasun also said the inclusion of two senior pros- Dimuth Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews to the squad is a huge boost to the balance of the team and if they are looking for a long innings their contribution will play a huge role.
“Dimuth Karunartne and Angelo Mathews’s inclusion to the squad is a huge boost. If we are to play a long innings their contribution will play a major role. Their inclusion has strengthened the squad,” Dasun said.
The white ball skipper also disclosed the young Malinga-like pacer Matheesha Pathirana will make his debut tomorrow. Matheesha is back in Sri Lanka after a successful stint with Chennai Super Kings in the recently concluded Indian Premier League 2023. He will look to continue his fine form, especially in pace-friendly wickets in Hambanthota.
Afghanistan will engage in three ODIs on 2, 4 and 7 June at the MRIC Stadium in Hambantota.
Afghanistan last toured Sri Lanka for an ODI series in November 2022, when the sides engaged in a competitive battle. Afghanistan stunned Sri Lanka in the first ODI, winning the contest by 60 runs. After a no result in the second contest, the Lankans roared back by winning the third ODI by four wickets and levelling the series.
The series will also mark the return of international men’s cricket in Hambantota, with the venue last hosting an ODI match in February 2020.
දුෂාන් හේමන්ත සහ මතීෂ පතිරණ ඇෆ්ගනිස්තානයට එරෙහි පළමු එක්දින තරගයට එක්වීමට නියමිතයි.
ශ්රී ලංකාව සහ ඇෆ්ගනිස්තානය අතර හෙට හම්බන්තොටදී පැවැත්වෙන පළමු එක්දින තරගයේදී දඟ පන්දු යවන ක්රීඩක දුෂාන් හේමන්ත සහ වේග පන්දු යවන ක්රීඩක මතීෂ පතිරණ පළමු එක්දින ජාත්යන්තර තරගයට සහභාගි වීමට ඉඩ තිබේ.
දකුණු දණහිසේ ආබාධයකට ලක්වීම හේතුවෙන් තරග තුනකින් සමන්විත එක්දින තරගාවලියේ පළමු එක්දින තරග දෙකෙන් ඉවත් කර ඇති ඔවුන්ගේ දඟ පන්දු යවන ක්රීඩක වනිඳු හසරංග නොමැතිව ශ්රී ලංකාව ආරම්භක තරගයට පිවිසෙනු ඇත.
වනිඳු පළමු එක්දින තරග දෙකෙන් ඉවත්ව සිටින බැවින් දුෂාන් හේමන්ත ජාත්යන්තර ක්රිකට් තරගයට පිවිසිය හැකිය.
“වනිඳු ආබාධයකට ලක්ව සිටින නිසා දුෂාන් හේමන්තට පළමු එක්දින තරගයට එක්වීමට හොඳ අවස්ථාවක් තිබෙනවා” යැයි ශ්රී ලංකා සුදු පන්දු නායක දසුන් ශානක ඉඟි කළේය.
ජ්යෙෂ්ඨ ක්රීඩකයින් දෙදෙනෙකු වන දිමුත් කරුණාරත්න සහ ඇන්ජලෝ මැතිව්ස් සංචිතයට ඇතුළත් කිරීම කණ්ඩායමේ සමබරතාවයට විශාල ශක්තියක් බවත් ඔවුන් දිගු ඉනිමක් අපේක්ෂා කරන්නේ නම් ඔවුන්ගේ දායකත්වය විශාල කාර්යභාරයක් ඉටු කරන බවත් දසුන් පැවසීය.
“දිමුත් කරුණාරත්න සහ ඇන්ජලෝ මැතිව්ස් සංචිතයට ඇතුළත් කිරීම විශාල ශක්තියක්. අපි දිගු ඉනිමක් ක්රීඩා කරනවා නම් ඔවුන්ගේ දායකත්වය විශාල කාර්යභාරයක් ඉටු කරනවා. ඔවුන් ඇතුළත් කිරීම සංචිතය ශක්තිමත් කර තිබෙනවා” දසුන් පැවසීය.
වේග පන්දු යවන ක්රීඩක මතීෂ පතිරණ හෙට සිය මංගල තරගයට ක්රීඩා කරන බව ද සුදු පන්දු නායකයා තරුණ මාලිංග හෙළි කළේය. මතීෂ පසුගියදා අවසන් වූ ඉන්දීය ප්රිමියර් ලීග් 2023 තරඟාවලියේදී චෙන්නායි සුපර් කිංග්ස් කණ්ඩායම සමඟ සාර්ථක ක්රීඩා කිරීමෙන් පසු නැවතත් ශ්රී ලංකාවට පැමිණ ඇත.
ඇෆ්ගනිස්තානය ජුනි 2, 4 සහ 7 යන දිනවල හම්බන්තොට MRIC ක්රීඩාංගණයේදී එක්දින තරග තුනකට සහභාගි වීමට නියමිතය.
ඇෆ්ගනිස්ථානය අවසන් වරට ශ්රී ලංකාවේ එක්දින තරඟාවලියක් සඳහා සංචාරය කළේ 2022 නොවැම්බර් මාසයේදී දෙපාර්ශවය තරඟකාරී සටනක නිරත වූ අවස්ථාවේදීය. ශ්රී ලංකාව සහ ඇෆ්ගනිස්තානය අතර පැවති පළමු එක්දින තරගය ලකුණු 60කින් ජය ගැනීමට ඇෆ්ගනිස්තානය සමත් විය. දෙවැනි තරගයේ කිසිදු ප්රතිඵලයක් නොලැබීමෙන් පසු තුන්වැනි එක්දින තරගය කඩුලු 4කින් ජය ගනිමින් තරගාවලිය සම කිරීමට ශ්රී ලංකා ක්රිකට් ක්රීඩකයෝ සමත් වූහ.
මෙම තරඟාවලිය හම්බන්තොට ජාත්යන්තර පිරිමි ක්රිකට් ක්රීඩාවේ පුනරාගමනය ද සනිටුහන් කරනු ඇත, එම ස්ථානය අවසන් වරට 2020 පෙබරවාරි මස ODI තරඟයක් පවත්වනු ලැබේ.
ஆப்கானிஸ்தானுக்கு எதிரான முதல் ஒருநாள் போட்டியில் துஷான் ஹேமந்த மற்றும் மதீஷ பத்திரன ஆகியோர் களமிறங்க உள்ளனர்.
நாளை ஹம்பாந்தோட்டாவில் நடைபெறும் முதல் ஒருநாள் போட்டியில் இலங்கை ஆப்கானிஸ்தானை எதிர்கொள்ளும் போது, லெக் ஸ்பின்னர் துஷான் ஹேமந்த மற்றும் வேகப்பந்து வீச்சாளர் மதீஷ பத்திரனா ஆகியோர் முதல் ஒரு நாள் சர்வதேச அறிமுகத்தில் களமிறங்குவார்கள்.
வலது முழங்காலில் ஏற்பட்ட காயம் காரணமாக மூன்று போட்டிகள் கொண்ட தொடரில் முதல் இரண்டு ஒருநாள் போட்டிகளில் இருந்து விலகியுள்ள இலங்கையின் அதிவேக சுழற்பந்து வீச்சாளர் வனிந்து ஹசரங்க இல்லாமலேயே இலங்கை தொடக்க ஆட்டத்திற்குச் செல்லும்.
வனிந்து முதல் இரண்டு ஒருநாள் போட்டிகளில் விளையாடாததால் துஷான் ஹேமந்த சர்வதேச கிரிக்கெட்டில் அறிமுகமாகலாம்.
“வனிந்துவுக்கு காயம் இருப்பதால், துஷான் ஹேமந்தவுக்கு முதல் ஒருநாள் போட்டியில் களமிறங்குவதற்கான நல்ல வாய்ப்பு உள்ளது,” என்று இலங்கை வெள்ளை பந்து கேப்டன் தசுன் ஷனக சுட்டிக்காட்டினார்.
இரண்டு மூத்த சாதகர்களான திமுத் கருணாரத்ன மற்றும் ஏஞ்சலோ மேத்யூஸ் அணியில் சேர்க்கப்பட்டிருப்பது அணியின் சமநிலைக்கு ஒரு பெரிய ஊக்கமளிப்பதாகவும், அவர்கள் நீண்ட இன்னிங்ஸை எதிர்பார்க்கும் பட்சத்தில் அவர்களின் பங்களிப்பு பெரும் பங்கை வகிக்கும் என்றும் தசுன் கூறினார்.
திமுத் கருணார்த்னே மற்றும் ஏஞ்சலோ மேத்யூஸ் அணியில் சேர்க்கப்பட்டிருப்பது மிகப்பெரிய ஊக்கம். நாம் நீண்ட இன்னிங்ஸ் விளையாட வேண்டும் என்றால் அவர்களின் பங்களிப்பு முக்கிய பங்கு வகிக்கும். அவர்கள் சேர்க்கப்பட்டிருப்பது அணியை பலப்படுத்தியுள்ளது,” என்று தசுன் கூறினார்.
வேகப்பந்து வீச்சாளர் மதீஷா பத்திரனா நாளை தனது முதல் ஆட்டத்தில் களமிறங்குவார் என வெள்ளை பந்து கேப்டன் இளம் மலிங்காவையும் வெளிப்படுத்தினார். சமீபத்தில் முடிவடைந்த இந்தியன் பிரீமியர் லீக் 2023ல் சென்னை சூப்பர் கிங்ஸ் அணியுடன் வெற்றிகரமான ஆட்டத்திற்குப் பிறகு மதீஷா மீண்டும் இலங்கைக்கு திரும்பியுள்ளார். குறிப்பாக ஹம்பாந்தோட்டாவில் வேகப்பந்து வீச்சுக்கு ஏற்ற விக்கெட்டுகளில் அவர் தனது சிறப்பான ஆட்டத்தை தொடர விரும்புவார்.
ஜூன் 2, 4 மற்றும் 7 ஆகிய தேதிகளில் ஹம்பாந்தோட்டாவில் உள்ள எம்ஆர்ஐசி மைதானத்தில் ஆப்கானிஸ்தான் அணி மூன்று ஒருநாள் போட்டிகளில் பங்கேற்கிறது.
ஆப்கானிஸ்தான் கடைசியாக நவம்பர் 2022 இல் ஒருநாள் தொடருக்காக இலங்கைக்கு சுற்றுப்பயணம் செய்தது, அப்போது இரு அணிகளும் போட்டி போரில் ஈடுபட்டன. இலங்கைக்கு எதிரான முதல் ஒருநாள் போட்டியில் ஆப்கானிஸ்தான் அணி 60 ரன்கள் வித்தியாசத்தில் வெற்றி பெற்றது. இரண்டாவது போட்டியில் எந்த முடிவும் எட்டப்படாத நிலையில், மூன்றாவது ஒருநாள் போட்டியில் 4 விக்கெட்டுகள் வித்தியாசத்தில் வெற்றி பெற்று தொடரை சமன் செய்தது இலங்கை அணி.
இந்தத் தொடர் அம்பாந்தோட்டையில் சர்வதேச ஆண்கள் கிரிக்கெட் மீண்டும் தொடங்குவதைக் குறிக்கும், அந்த மைதானம் பிப்ரவரி 2020 இல் கடைசியாக ODI போட்டியை நடத்துகிறது.
Cricket
LPL 2026 Player Draft Set for June 1 in Colombo
The much-anticipated Player Draft for the sixth edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026 is scheduled to take place on June 1 in Colombo, marking a significant milestone ahead of Sri Lanka’s premier domestic T20 tournament.
A total of 421 cricketers including 179 Sri Lankan players and 242 overseas players will be available for selection during the draft process. The local player pool will consist of national representatives, domestic performers, and emerging talents, offering franchises a wide range of options as they finalize their squads for the upcoming season.
The draft will be conducted across several player categories, namely Platinum, Gold, Classic, Emerging, and Associate Stars.
Among the Sri Lankan contingent, 17 players have been listed in the Platinum category, while 34 players fall under Gold, 80 under Classic, and 48 under Emerging.
The overseas player lineup includes 31 Platinum players, 64 Gold players, 99 Classic players, and 48 players in the Associate Stars category.
The official draft proceedings will commence at 1.30 p.m. and are expected to draw the participation of all franchise owners and team management representatives.
Hon. Sunil Kumara Gamage, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, will attend the event as the Chief Guest.
Several key cricket administrators and officials are also expected to be present, including Mr. Eran Wickramaratne, Chairman of the Cricket Transformation Committee (CTC), members of the Transformation Committee, Mr. Ashley De Silva, Chief Executive Officer of Sri Lanka Cricket, and Mr. Samantha Dodanwela, Tournament Director of the Lanka Premier League.
The LPL has continued to grow in stature since its inception, providing a competitive platform for local talent while attracting international stars to Sri Lanka’s premier T20 competition.
Athletics
Tarushi Abisheka Wins Gold for Sri Lanka at Asian Under-20 Championships
Sri Lanka’s rising middle-distance runner Tarushi Abisheka delivered an outstanding performance to claim the gold medal in the girls’ 1500 metres event at the Asian Under-20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong on Thursday.
Abisheka crossed the finish line in 4 minutes and 31.41 seconds, securing first place ahead of Iran’s Maryam Baluoutaki, who finished second, while South Korea’s Song Dawson claimed the bronze medal.
The young Sri Lankan athlete is also competing in the 800m event at the continental championship, continuing to showcase her talent on the international stage.
The Asian Under-20 Athletics Championships has attracted competitors from 40 countries, with athletes taking part in 46 events during the tournament.
Sri Lanka has fielded a 22-member team for the competition, consisting of 15 male athletes and seven female athletes.
News
India snap Sri Lanka winning streak
Sri Lanka’s impressive winning streak at the FIBA U-18 Asia Cup SABA Qualifiers came to an end yesterday as they suffered a hard-fought 72-77 defeat against a strong Indian side at the Sugathadasa Stadium.
Coming into the match with two consecutive victories, the hosts displayed tremendous spirit and determination throughout the contest. Sri Lanka made an energetic start and matched the taller and more experienced Indian outfit in every department during the opening stages of the game.
The home team enjoyed an excellent first half and went into the breather with a narrow 43-40 lead after producing some attractive attacking basketball. Sri Lanka’s quick passing, aggressive drives to the basket and accurate shooting kept the Indian defence under constant pressure. The local cagers also showed great discipline in defence, forcing several turnovers and capitalising on fast-break opportunities.
However, India bounced back strongly after halftime with improved defensive work and better control in the final two quarters. Their experience and physical advantage gradually helped them regain momentum as they edged ahead during the decisive stages of the encounter.
Despite trailing in the closing minutes, Sri Lanka continued to fight bravely and reduced the margin with some spirited play. The hosts received strong support from the spectators who gathered at the stadium to cheer the young team.
India eventually held their nerve to secure a five-point victory and remain one of the strongest contenders in the tournament. Although Sri Lanka ended on the losing side, the performance of the young players earned praise for their fighting spirit and determination against a formidable opponent.
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