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Goonethilleka & Nettasinghe finish third in the Maldives
Sri Lanka’s star shuttlers Buwaneka Goonethilleka and Viren Nettasinghe put up commendable performances against top opponents to clinch the bronze medal in the men’s doubles at the LI-NING Maldives International Challenge 2023 in Male, over the weekend.
After eliminating some of the best pairs in the tournament in the Maldivian capital, the duo lost to the formidable Malaysian pair of Low Hang Yee and Masng Eng Cheong. Despite their best efforts, Goonethilleka and Nettasinghe were outmatched by their Malaysian opponents in the semi-final which ended with a scoreline of 11-21, 10-21, favouring Yee and Cheong. The Malaysian World No. 98 pair eventually fell to Thailand’s Pharanyu Kaosamaang and Thaworrapol Thongsa-Nga who went on to clinch the doubles title with a 21-19, 21-16 win.
Earlier, in the opening round of the tournament, Goonethilleka and Nettasinghe faced a formidable Indian pair, Deep Rambhiya and Akshan Shetty, and displayed great resilience and determination, eventually securing a hard-fought victory with a scoreline of 21-15, 13-21, 21-17.
Building on their initial success, Goonethilleka and Nettasinghe faced the Thai pair Pongsakorn Thongkham and Wongsathorn Thongkham in a nail-biting Round 2 encounter. The match went down to the wire, with both teams displaying incredible skill and tenacity, but the Sri Lankan pair eventually emerged triumphant with a close scoreline of 21-19, 17-21, 21-19.
Advancing to the quarter-finals, they faced the Canadian top seeds Kevin Lee and Ty Alexander Lindeman. The match proved to be an intense battle, with each pair fighting tooth and nail for every point. After an exhilarating three-game contest, the Sri Lankan pair emerged victorious with a final score of 15-21, 21-15, 21-19, securing their spot in the semifinals.
Although they fell short in the semifinals, Goonethilleka and Nettasinghe’s performances throughout the LI-NING Maldives International Badminton Challenge 2023 were highly commendable as they displayed exceptional skill, determination, and sportsmanship.
ගුණතිලක සහ නෙත්තසිංහ මාලදිවයිනේදි තෙවැනි ස්ථානයට පත්වේ
ශ්රී ලංකාවේ සුපිරි බැඩ්මින්ටන් ක්රීඩකයින් වන බුවනෙක ගුණතිලක සහ විරේන් නෙත්තසිංහ සති අන්තයේ මාලේ හි පැවති LI-NING මාලදිවයිනේ ජාත්යන්තර අභියෝගතා 2023 පිරිමි යුගල ඉසව්වේ ලෝකඩ පදක්කම දිනා ගැනීමට ඉහළම ප්රතිවාදීන්ට එරෙහිව ප්රශංසනීය දස්කම් දැක්වීමට සමත් වූහ.
මාලදිවයිනේ අගනුවර පැවති තරගාවලියේ දක්ෂ යුගල කිහිපයක් පැරදවීමෙන් පසුව, ඔවුන් දෙදෙනා මැලේසියානු ප්රබල යුගල වන Low Hang Yee සහ Masng Eng Cheong හමුවේ පරාජයට පත් වූහ. ඔවුන්ගේ ප්රහාරය නොතකා, ගුණතිලක සහ නෙත්තසිංහ අවසන් පූර්ව තරගයේදී ඔවුන්ගේ මැලේසියානු ප්රතිවාදී ක්රීඩකයින් අභිබවා යමින් 11-21, 10-21ක් ලෙස ලකුණු ලබා ගත්හ . ලෝක ශ්රේණිගත කිරීම් හී 98 වන මැලේසියානු යුගලය අවසානයේ තායිලන්තයේ Pharanyu Kaosamaang සහ Thaworrapol Thongsa-Nga හමුවේ පරාජයට පත් වූ අතර ඔවුන් යුගල ශූරතාව දිනා ගැනීමට 21-19, 21-16 ජයග්රහණයක් ලබා ගත්හ.
මීට පෙර තරගාවලියේ ආරම්භක වටයේ දී ගුණතිලක සහ නෙත්තසිංහ ප්රබල ඉන්දීය යුගලයක් වන දීප් රම්භියා සහ අක්ෂාන් ෂෙට්ටි හමුවේ ලකුණු 21-15, 13-21, 21-17 ක් ලෙස තියුණු ජයග්රහණයක් ලබා ගත්හ.
ඔවුන්ගේ ආරම්භක සාර්ථකත්වය මත ගොඩනැගුණු ගුණතිලක සහ නෙත්තසිංහ, තායිලන්ත යුගලය වන පොන්සාකෝන් තොන්කාම් සහ වොන්ග්සතෝර්න් තොංකාම් සමඟ 2 වටයේ තරගයකදී මුහුණ දුන්හ. කණ්ඩායම් දෙකම ඇදහිය නොහැකි දස්කම් සහ දස්කම් දැක්වීමත් සමඟ අවසානයේ ශ්රී ලංකා යුගලය 21-19, 17-21, 21-19ක් ලෙසින් ජයග්රහණය කළේය.
අර්ධ අවසන් පූර්ව වටයට පිවිසීමට ඔවුන් මුහුණ දුන්නේ කැනේඩියානු ප්රමුඛ පෙළේ කෙවින් ලී සහ ටයි ඇලෙක්සැන්ඩර් ලින්ඩමන් සමඟ ය. තරගය තියුණු සටනක් බව ඔප්පු වූ අතර, සෑම යුගලයක්ම සෑම ලකුණු සඳහාම සටන් කළහ. උද්වේගකර තරග තුනකින් අනතුරුව අවසන් පූර්ව වටයේ ස්ථානය තහවුරු කර ගනිමින් ශ්රී ලංකා යුගලය අවසන් ලකුණු සංඛ්යාව 15-21, 21-15, 21-19ක් ලෙසින් ජයග්රහණය කිරීමට සමත් විය.
ඔවුන් අවසන් පූර්ව වටයේදී අඩුවෙන් ඉවත් වුවද, LI-NING මාලදිවයිනේ ජාත්යන්තර බැඩ්මින්ටන් අභියෝගතා 2023 පුරාවටම ගුණතිලක සහ නෙත්තසිංහගේ දස්කම් ඉතා පැසසුමට ලක්විය හැකි වූයේ ඔවුන් සුවිශේෂී දක්ෂතා, අධිෂ්ඨානය සහ ක්රීඩාශීලිත්වය ප්රදර්ශනය කළ බැවිනි.
மாலத்தீவில் குணதிலகா மற்றும் நெட்டசிங்க மூன்றாவது இடத்தில் உள்ளனர்
மாலேயில் வார இறுதியில் நடைபெற்ற LI-NING மாலத்தீவுகள் சர்வதேச சவால் 2023 ஆடவர் இரட்டையர் போட்டியில், இலங்கையின் பேட்மிண்டன் சூப்பர் ஸ்டார்களான புவனேகா குணதிலகா மற்றும் வீரேன் நெட்டசிங்க ஆகியோர், சிறந்த எதிர்ப்பை எதிர்த்து வெண்கலப் பதக்கத்தை வென்றனர்.
மாலத்தீவின் தலைநகரில் நடந்த போட்டியில் பல திறமையான ஜோடிகளை தோற்கடித்த பின்னர், இருவரும் மலேசியாவின் அதிகார மையமான லோ ஹாங் யீ மற்றும் மாஸ்ங் எங் சியோங்கிடம் தோற்றனர். அவர்களின் தாக்குதலுக்கு மத்தியிலும், குணதிலகே மற்றும் நெத்தசிங்க அரையிறுதியில் 11-21, 10-21 என்ற கணக்கில் மலேசிய எதிரணியை வீழ்த்தினர். உலகத் தரவரிசையில் 98-வது இடத்தில் உள்ள மலேசிய ஜோடி, இறுதியில் தாய்லாந்தின் ஃபரன்யு கௌசமாங் மற்றும் தவோரபோல் தோங்சா-ங்கா ஜோடியிடம் தோல்வியடைந்தது, அவர்கள் 21-19, 21-16 என்ற கணக்கில் வெற்றி பெற்று இரட்டையர் பட்டத்தை வென்றனர்.
முன்னதாக, போட்டியின் தொடக்கச் சுற்றில் குணதிலகே மற்றும் நெட்டசிங்க ஜோடி 21-15, 13-21, 21-17 என்ற செட் கணக்கில் வலுவான இந்திய ஜோடிகளான தீப் ரம்பியா மற்றும் அக்ஷன் ஷெட்டிக்கு எதிராக வெற்றி பெற்றது.
அவர்களின் ஆரம்ப வெற்றியைக் கட்டியெழுப்ப, குணதிலகே மற்றும் நெட்டசிங்க தாய்லாந்து ஜோடியான பொன்சகோன் தோங்கம் மற்றும் வோங்சதோர்ன் தோங்கம் ஆகியோரை ஒரு சுற்று 2 போட்டியில் எதிர்கொண்டனர். இறுதியில் இரு அணி வீரர்களும் அபாரமான ஆட்டத்தை வெளிப்படுத்தியதன் மூலம் இலங்கை ஜோடி 21-19, 17-21, 21-19 என்ற செட் கணக்கில் வெற்றி பெற்றது.
அவர்கள் காலிறுதிக்கு முன்னேற கனடாவின் முதல் நிலை வீரரான கெவின் லீ மற்றும் டை அலெக்சாண்டர் லிண்டேமன் ஆகியோரை எதிர்கொண்டனர். ஒவ்வொரு ஜோடியும் ஒவ்வொரு புள்ளிக்காகப் போராடியதால், போட்டி இறுக்கமான போராக இருந்தது. பரபரப்பான மூன்று போட்டிகளுக்குப் பிறகு, இலங்கை ஜோடி 15-21, 21-15, 21-19 என்ற கணக்கில் இறுதிப் புள்ளிகளில் வெற்றி பெற்று அரையிறுதிக்குத் தகுதி பெற்றது.
அரையிறுதியில் அவர்கள் குறுகிய வெளியேற்றம் இருந்த போதிலும், LI-NING மாலத்தீவுகள் சர்வதேச பூப்பந்து சவால் 2023 முழுவதும் குணதிலக மற்றும் நெட்டசிங்கவின் செயல்திறன் மிகவும் பாராட்டத்தக்கது, ஏனெனில் அவர்கள் விதிவிலக்கான திறமை, உறுதிப்பாடு மற்றும் விளையாட்டுத்திறனை வெளிப்படுத்தினர்.
Vishmi Gunaratne produced a composed unbeaten half-century while Dewmi Vihanga starred with the ball as Sri Lanka ‘A’ Women secured a dominant 56-run victory over New Zealand ‘A’ Women in the second unofficial ODI at the Dambulla International Stadium on Saturday.
Batting first in the 20-over encounter, the hosts recovered from a few middle-order setbacks to post an imposing 152 for 5, with Vishmi anchoring the innings brilliantly.
Sri Lanka made a lively start through Sanjana Kavindi, who attacked the New Zealand bowlers early with a quickfire 27 off 20 balls, striking six boundaries before falling to Jess Watkin.
Vishmi then took charge of the innings, combining caution with timely aggression to keep the scoreboard moving. The left-hander found strong support from Vimoksha Balasuriya, who added 33 off 27 deliveries with two fours and two sixes during an important middle-order stand.
Although Sri Lanka lost a cluster of wickets late in the innings, Dewmi Vihanga’s explosive finish gave the innings further momentum. Dewmi blasted an unbeaten 14 from only three balls, including a six and two boundaries, helping the hosts finish strongly at the death.
New Zealand ‘A’ began the chase poorly and struggled to recover after losing wickets regularly against disciplined Sri Lankan bowling.
Captain Jess Watkin was dismissed in the opening over before Chamudi Praboda removed both Kate Anderson and JA Watkins to leave the visitors under pressure.
The innings never gained stability as Sri Lanka tightened their grip through the middle overs. Dewmi Vihanga then delivered the decisive blows, dismissing Tash Wakelin, Bella Armstrong and the dangerous Emma Black to effectively end New Zealand’s hopes.
Emma Black provided the lone resistance with an aggressive 28 off 20 balls, but the visitors were eventually bowled out for 96 in 19.5 overs.
Dewmi finished with impressive figures of 3 for 19 while Chamudi Praboda supported well with 2 for 15 as Sri Lanka ‘A’ completed a comprehensive all-round performance.
Former national selector and ex-fast bowler Pramodya Wickramasinghe has sought an official explanation from the Sports Ministry and Sri Lanka Cricket following reports that his tenure as chairman of the national selection panel had been cut short ahead of schedule.
In a letter sent on May 21 to Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage, Wickramasinghe said he had only been verbally informed about discussions surrounding a move to end his appointment early and reorganize the Selection Committee structure.
The development comes just a day before the appointment of a new national selection panel by the Sports Ministry on Thursday, effectively replacing the existing committee.
Wickramasinghe stated that his appointment had originally been approved in December 2025 for a fixed two-year term. He noted that, despite widespread reports regarding the restructuring, he had not received any formal written communication confirming the termination of his role.
In his letter, Wickramasinghe requested that either the ministry or Sri Lanka Cricket provide official written notification outlining the decision and the administrative grounds for ending his contract before its expiry.
He stressed that proper communication was essential to maintain transparency and professionalism during the transition process.
“In order to ensure that all administrative transitions are handled with the utmost transparency, adherence to proper protocol, and mutual respect, I kindly and respectfully request that your office or Sri Lanka Cricket provide me with formal, written notification of this decision,” Wickramasinghe stated in the letter.
The former selection chief further said that receiving formal confirmation would allow him to complete his duties in an orderly manner and ensure that official records accurately reflected the end of his tenure.
Sri Lanka Cricket’s interim administration has launched a major clean-up operation after uncovering what officials describe as extensive financial mismanagement within the governing body.
Speaking at his first press conference since taking charge last month, interim president Eran Wickramaratne announced that a forensic audit had been ordered to examine the organisation’s accounts in detail.
According to Wickramaratne, the scale of the suspected irregularities exceeded initial expectations, prompting urgent calls for structural reforms and tighter oversight within Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).
The current administration was appointed by the government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake following the resignation of the previous elected committee in April. The move sparked concerns over possible disciplinary action from the International Cricket Council (ICC), which prohibits political interference in cricket boards.
Sri Lanka Cricket had previously faced a two-month suspension from the ICC in 2023 under similar circumstances.
However, Wickramaratne said discussions with the global governing body had been positive and cooperative.
“Our engagement with the ICC has been constructive from the beginning,” he said. “We have kept the process transparent, and they have encouraged reforms carried out through proper and open procedures.”
The interim administration is now working on introducing a new constitution designed to strengthen governance and prevent individuals or groups from holding influence over the board for extended periods.
The resignation of former SLC president Shammi Silva and his committee cleared the way for the latest restructuring effort, which comes amid wider criticism over the board’s management and the national team’s recent performances.
Sri Lanka’s early exit from this year’s T20 World Cup jointly hosted with India intensified public frustration and added pressure for change within the country’s cricket establishment.
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