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Goonethilleka & Nettasinghe finish third in the Maldives

Published

2 years ago

June 13, 2023

Editor

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.

Cricket

Sri Lanka vs Australia 2nd Test: Spin to Dominate as Galle Pitch Set to Turn

Published

7 hours ago

February 5, 2025

Editor

As Sri Lanka prepares to take on Australia in the second Test in Galle, all eyes are on the pitch conditions, which appear significantly drier than in the opening match. With intense heat baking the surface over the past few days, expectations are high for a spin-friendly track that could heavily influence the outcome of the game.

Sri Lanka Aiming to Maximize Spin Advantage

Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva has expressed confidence in his team’s spinners, emphasizing that Galle has historically been a venue where spin bowlers thrive. After suffering a crushing defeat in the first Test, where Australia posted 654/6 declared and Sri Lanka managed only 165 and 247, the home team is looking to bounce back by capitalizing on the turning track.

“Our strength has always been spin bowling, and history shows that spinners have been among the top wicket-takers at this venue,” said de Silva. “We hope our bowlers can use these conditions to their advantage.”

Australia Prepared for Spinning Conditions

Despite Sri Lanka’s reliance on spin, Australia has adapted remarkably well to turning pitches. In the first Test, they fielded a three-man spin attack with Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann, and Todd Murphy—who collectively claimed 17 wickets. Their ability to exploit subcontinent conditions has been shaped by extensive preparations, including training camps in Dubai and studying India’s successful spin strategies.

Australian stand-in captain Steven Smith noted that their strategy has been influenced by India’s success in such conditions. “We’ve taken a page out of India’s playbook by using multiple spinners who can create pressure and take wickets. Having three frontline spinners allows us to rotate bowlers and keep the attack fresh, which is crucial in these conditions.”

Sri Lanka’s Batting Needs to Step Up

Sri Lanka’s batting lineup struggled against Australia’s spinners in the first Test, with many batters getting starts but failing to convert them into significant scores. De Silva stressed the importance of building big innings, similar to how Australia did in the first game.

“In the first Test, several batters got starts but didn’t go on to score centuries. This time, we need someone to anchor the innings with a 150 or 200, allowing others to bat around them and post a competitive total,” he added.

A Classic Galle Thriller on the Cards?

With both teams armed with quality spinners and a dry surface expected to break up early, the second Test could turn into a low-scoring battle of attrition. While Sri Lanka looks to bounce back and leverage home conditions, Australia is determined to continue its dominant run with a well-rounded spin strategy.

The action kicks off on Thursday, with cricket fans expecting another enthralling chapter in this exciting Test series.

Cricket

Dimuth Karunaratne to Retire After 100th Test Against Australia in Galle

Published

1 day ago

February 4, 2025

Editor

Sri Lanka’s veteran opener Dimuth Karunaratne has announced his retirement from Test cricket, marking his 100th Test match against Australia in Galle as his final appearance in the longest format. The experienced left-hander, who debuted at the same venue in 2012, will step away after an illustrious 12-year career.

Reasons Behind the Decision

Karunaratne’s retirement is influenced by three key factors:

Sri Lanka’s limited Test schedule, with only two matches scheduled until May 2026.
A dip in form, averaging 27.05 since 2024.
The end of the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, making it an ideal time to transition younger players into the squad.

“It felt like the right time to step away, especially with a few young players ready for the next WTC cycle. Finishing in Galle, where I started my career, makes it even more special,”

Karunaratne shared.

A Legacy in Sri Lankan Cricket

Karunaratne will become Sri Lanka’s seventh cricketer to achieve 100 Test appearances, joining legends such as Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, and Angelo Mathews.

With over 7,000 Test runs at an average close to 40, he remains Sri Lanka’s highest-scoring opener in Test history. His career highlights include:

16 Test centuries & 39 half-centuries
244 – Career-best score
30 Tests as captain, leading Sri Lanka to a historic 2-0 Test series win in South Africa (2019)
Played 50 ODIs, including leading Sri Lanka in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup

What’s Next for Karunaratne?

Now residing in Melbourne, Karunaratne has expressed interest in coaching after a break from cricket. “I’d love to get involved again in the game,” he stated, hinting at a future role in cricket development.

As Sri Lanka prepares to face Australia in the second Test, Karunaratne’s farewell at Galle International Stadium will be an emotional moment for Sri Lankan cricket fans.

Cricket

Battle of the Hindus 2025: Jaffna vs. Colombo Clash Set for February 7-8

Published

2 days ago

February 3, 2025

Editor

The much-anticipated 14th Battle of the Hindus Inter-School Big Match between Hindu College, Jaffna, and Hindu College, Colombo, is set to take place on February 7-8 at the Hindu College Grounds in Jaffna. This historic encounter, which first began in 1982, continues to celebrate the rich cricketing legacy and camaraderie between these two prestigious institutions.

Sponsors and Legacy

The 2025 edition is proudly sponsored by Janashakthi Group (title sponsor) and SLIIT Northern University (platinum sponsor), further elevating the significance of the event. Over the years, both schools have demonstrated remarkable performances, securing three wins each, while seven matches ended in draws.

A Tradition of Excellence

Speaking at a media briefing in Colombo, Hindu College, Jaffna Principal, Ratnam Senthilmaran, highlighted the immense contributions of both schools in shaping influential figures in academics, sports, and various professional fields.

Meanwhile, Hindu College, Colombo Principal, K. Nagenthra, emphasized that this annual fixture represents more than just cricket—it is a symbol of brotherhood, sportsmanship, and shared cultural heritage, uniting Hinduites across generations.

Excitement Builds for the 2025 Edition

With the stage set for another thrilling chapter in this historic rivalry, cricket fans can expect a fiercely competitive match filled with passion and pride. Stay tuned for all the latest updates on Sri Lankan Sports TV!

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