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Harshitha, Nilakshi’s fifties help Sri Lanka to bag the series 2-1.

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Bangladesh Women’s Tour of Sri Lanka 2023

Harshitha Samarawickrama and Nilakshi de Silva’s half-centuries steered Sri Lanka to a 44-run win over Bangladesh in the third and final T20I worked off at SSC grounds, Colombo on Friday (12).
Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka posted 158-3 in their allotted 20 overs on the back half centuries from Harshitha and Nilakshi, and in reply, Bangladesh was restricted to 114-7.

The Lionesses were off to a shaky start when they lost opener Vishmi Gunaratne (2) cheaply. After the early breakthrough, the vice-captain joined skipper Chamari Athapaththu in the middle and the duo looked to revive the innings by slowly building up a 27 runs partnership, but it was cut short when Nahida Akter delivered to send Chamari back to the pavilion for 32 runs.

At one stage it looked like Sri Lanka could settle for a score between 120-130, but Samarawickrama’s assured knock of 51 not out, coupled with de Silva’s unbeaten 63 at the other end took them to a competitive total.

Harshitha and Nilakshi smashed the Bangladesh bowlers all over the park and put on an unbeaten 102 runs partnership for the 3rd wicket.
In reply, Bangladesh were off to a similar start, losing their first three wickets inside the first 10 overs.

With the scoreboard reading at 50-3, the visitors looked to change gears and play some aggressive cricket, but their strategy was short-lived as they kept on losing wickets to Sri Lanka spinners.
The visitors were struggling to set up any form of meaningful partnership and wickets continued to fall at regular intervals throughout the innings.

Sobhana Mostary and skipper Nigar Sultana were the only batters to impress with 30 and 31 runs respectively, but their efforts were insufficient to take their team over the line.

Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoka Ranaweera and Kawya Kavindi were the picks of the bowlers sharing two wickets apiece, while Sugandika Kumari captured one.

The win also saw Sri Lanka come from behind to bag the series 2-1.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka: 158-3 (20) (Nilakshi de Silva 63, Harshitha Samarawickrama 51, Rebeya Khan 1-20, Nahida Akter 1-37, Fahima Khatun 1-37)
Bangladesh: 114-7 (20) (Nigar Sultana 31, Sobhana Mostary 30, Udeshika Prabodhani 2-17, Kawya Kavindi 2-28, Inoka Ranaweera 2-17)

හර්ෂිත, නිලක්ෂිගේ අර්ධ ශතක ශ‍්‍රී ලංකාවට තරගාවලිය 2-1ක් ලෙස ජය ගැනීමට ඉවහල් විය.

බංග්ලාදේශ කාන්තා ශ්‍රී ලංකා සංචාරය 2023

හර්ෂිත සමරවික්‍රම සහ නිලක්ෂි ද සිල්වාගේ අර්ධ ශතක හේතුවෙන් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව සහ බංග්ලාදේශය අතර පැවැති තෙවැනි සහ අවසන් විස්සයි20 තරගය සිකුරාදා (12) කොළඹ SSC ක්‍රීඩාංගණයේ දී නිමාවට පත් වූ අතර එහිදී ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ලකුණු 44 ක ජයක් අත්කර ගත්තේය.
පළමුවෙන් පන්දුවට පහර දීමට තීරණය කළ ශ්‍රී ලංකා කණ්ඩායම නියමිත පන්දුවාර 20 අවසානයේ හර්ෂිත සහ නිලක්ෂිගේ අර්ධ ශතක මත ලකුණු 158-3ක් රැස් කළ අතර පිළිතුරු ලෙස බංග්ලාදේශය ලකුණු 114-7කට සීමා විය.

ආරම්භක පිතිකරු විශ්මි ගුණරත්න (2) අඩු වියදමකින් දැවී ගිය විට සිංහයන්ගේ ආරම්භය බිඳ වැටුණි. ආරම්භක පිතිහරඹයෙන් පසු උපනායිකාව නායිකා චමරි අතපත්තු මැදට එක් වූ අතර ඔවුන් දෙදෙනා සෙමෙන් ලකුණු 27ක සබඳතාවක් ගොඩනඟා ගනිමින් ඉනිම පණ ගැන්වීමට බලාපොරොත්තු වූ නමුත් චමරිව නැවත මණ්ඩපයට යැවීමට නහිද අක්ටර් විසින් පන්දුවට පහරදීමත් සමඟ එය බිඳ වැටුණි. ලකුණු 32 යි.

එක් අවස්ථාවකදී ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට ලකුණු 120-130 අතර සෑහීමට පත් විය හැකි බවක් පෙනෙන්නට තිබුණද, සමරවික්‍රම නොදැවී ලකුණු 51ක් ලබා ගැනීමත්, අනෙක් අන්තයේ දී ද සිල්වා නොදැවී ලකුණු 63ක් ලබා ගැනීමත් සමඟින් ඔවුන් තරගකාරී මුළු ලකුණු සංඛ්‍යාවක් කරා රැගෙන ගියේය.

හර්ෂිතා සහ නිලක්ෂි බංගලාදේශ පන්දු යවන්නන් උද්‍යානය පුරා බිඳ දමමින් 3 වැනි කඩුල්ලට නොදැවී ලකුණු 102ක සබඳතාවක් ගොඩනැගූහ.
පිළිතුරු ඉනිම ක්‍රීඩා කළ බංගලාදේශය පළමු ඕවර 10 තුළදී ඔවුන්ගේ පළමු කඩුලු ත්‍රිත්වය ද දැවී ගියේ එවැනිම ආරම්භයක් ලබාගනිමිනි.

ලකුණු පුවරුව 50-3ක් ලෙස කියවීමත් සමඟ අමුත්තන් ගියර් වෙනස් කර ආක්‍රමණශීලී ක්‍රිකට් ක්‍රීඩා කිරීමට බලාපොරොත්තු වූ නමුත් ශ්‍රී ලංකා දඟපන්දු යවන්නන්ට දිගින් දිගටම කඩුලු අහිමි වීම නිසා ඔවුන්ගේ උපාය කෙටි කාලීන විය.
නරඹන්නන් ඕනෑම ආකාරයක අර්ථවත් සබඳතාවක් පිහිටුවීමට දැඩි වෙහෙසක් දරමින් සිටි අතර ඉනිම පුරාවටම නියමිත කාල සීමාවන්හිදී කඩුලු බිඳ වැටෙන්නට විය.

සෝභනා මොස්ටාරි සහ නායක නිගාර් සුල්තානා පිළිවෙලින් ලකුණු 30ක් සහ 31ක් ලබා ගත් එකම පිතිකරුවන් වූ නමුත් ඔවුන්ගේ උත්සාහය තම කණ්ඩායම සීමාව ඉක්මවා යාමට ප්‍රමාණවත් නොවීය.

පන්දු යැවීමේදී උදේශිකා ප්‍රබෝධනී, ඉනෝකා රණවීර සහ කාව්‍යා කාවින්දි කඩුලු 2 බැගින් බෙදී ගිය අතර, සුගන්දිකා කුමාරි එක් කඩුල්ලක් දවා ගත්තාය.

මෙම ජයග්‍රහණයත් සමඟින් ශ්‍රී ලංකා පිල තරග 2-1ක් ලෙසින් තරගාවලිය ජය ගැනීමට ද සමත් විය.
කෙටි ලකුණු:
ශ්‍රී ලංකාව: 158-3 (20) (නිලක්ෂි ද සිල්වා 63, හර්ෂිතා සමරවික්‍රම 51, රෙබෙයා ඛාන් 1-20, නහිදා අක්ටර් 1-37, ෆාහිමා ඛාතුන් 1-37)
බංග්ලාදේශය: 114-7 (20) (නිගර් සුල්තානා 31, සෝභනා මොස්තාරි 30, උදේශිකා ප්‍රබෝධනී 2-17, කාව්‍යා කාවින්දි 2-28, ඉනෝකා රණවීර 2-17)

ஹர்ஷிதா, நிலக்ஷியின் அரைசதங்கள் இலங்கை 2-1 என தொடரை கைப்பற்ற உதவியது.

பங்களாதேஷ் பெண்கள் இலங்கை சுற்றுப்பயணம் 2023

ஹர்ஷித சமரவிக்ரம மற்றும் நிலக்ஷி டி சில்வாவின் அரைசதங்களால் இலங்கை அணி பங்களாதேஷ் அணிக்கு எதிரான மூன்றாவதும் இறுதியுமான டி20 போட்டியில் இலங்கை அணி 44 ஓட்டங்களால் வெற்றியீட்டியது.
முதலில் துடுப்பெடுத்தாடத் தீர்மானித்த இலங்கை, ஹர்ஷிதா மற்றும் நிலக்ஷி ஆகியோரின் அரைச் சதங்களின் அடிப்படையில் தமக்கு நிர்ணயிக்கப்பட்ட 20 ஓவர்களில் 158-3 ஓட்டங்களைப் பெற்றது, பதிலுக்கு, பங்களாதேஷ் 114-7 என மட்டுப்படுத்தப்பட்டது.

தொடக்க ஆட்டக்காரர் விஷ்மி குணரத்னேவை (2) மலிவாக இழந்தபோது சிங்கங்கள் அதிர்ச்சியான தொடக்கத்தில் இருந்தன. ஆரம்ப முன்னேற்றத்திற்குப் பிறகு, துணைத் தலைவர் கேப்டன் சாமரி அதபத்துவை நடுவில் இணைத்தார், இருவரும் மெதுவாக 27 ரன்களின் பார்ட்னர்ஷிப்பை உருவாக்கி இன்னிங்ஸை மீட்டெடுக்க முயன்றனர், ஆனால் சாமரியை மீண்டும் பெவிலியனுக்கு அனுப்ப நஹிடா அக்டர் கொடுத்தபோது அது துண்டிக்கப்பட்டது. 32 ரன்கள்.

ஒரு கட்டத்தில், இலங்கை 120-130 என்ற புள்ளிகளுக்கு இடையில் ஒரு ஸ்கோரைத் தீர்த்துவிடலாம் என்று தோன்றியது, ஆனால் சமரவிக்ரமவின் உறுதியான ஆட்டமிழக்காமல் 51 ரன்களும், மறுமுனையில் டி சில்வாவின் ஆட்டமிழக்காமல் 63 ரன்களும் சேர்ந்து அவர்களை ஒரு போட்டித் தொகைக்கு அழைத்துச் சென்றது.

ஹர்ஷிதாவும், நிலக்ஷியும் வங்கதேச பந்துவீச்சாளர்களை பார்க் முழுவதும் அடித்து நொறுக்கி, 3வது விக்கெட்டுக்கு 102 ரன்களை ஆட்டமிழக்காமல் சேர்த்தனர்.
பதிலுக்குத் துடுப்பெடுத்தாடிய பங்களாதேஷ் அணி, முதல் 10 ஓவர்களுக்குள் தனது முதல் மூன்று விக்கெட்டுகளை இழந்தது.

ஸ்கோர்போர்டு 50-3 ஆக இருந்த நிலையில், பார்வையாளர்கள் கியர்களை மாற்றிக்கொண்டு சில ஆக்ரோஷமான கிரிக்கெட்டை விளையாடினர், ஆனால் அவர்கள் இலங்கை சுழற்பந்து வீச்சாளர்களிடம் விக்கெட்டுகளை இழந்து கொண்டே இருந்ததால் அவர்களின் உத்தி சிறிது காலம் நீடித்தது.
பார்வையாளர்கள் எந்தவொரு அர்த்தமுள்ள பார்ட்னர்ஷிப்பையும் அமைக்க சிரமப்பட்டனர் மற்றும் இன்னிங்ஸ் முழுவதும் சீரான இடைவெளியில் விக்கெட்டுகள் தொடர்ந்து விழுந்தன.

சோபனா மோஸ்டரி மற்றும் அணித்தலைவர் நிகர் சுல்தானா ஆகியோர் முறையே 30 மற்றும் 31 ரன்களுடன் மட்டுமே சிறப்பாக ஆடினர், ஆனால் அவர்களது முயற்சிகள் தங்கள் அணியை எல்லைக்கு மேல் கொண்டு செல்ல போதுமானதாக இல்லை.

பந்துவீச்சாளர்களில் உதேஷிகா பிரபோதனி, இனோகா ரணவீர மற்றும் காவ்யா காவிந்தி ஆகியோர் தலா 2 விக்கெட்டுக்களைப் பகிர்ந்ததோடு, சுகந்திகா குமாரி ஒரு விக்கெட்டையும் கைப்பற்றினர்.

இந்த வெற்றியின் மூலம் இலங்கை அணி 2-1 என தொடரை கைப்பற்றியது.
சுருக்கமான மதிப்பெண்கள்:
இலங்கை: 158-3 (20) (நிலக்ஷி டி சில்வா 63, ஹர்ஷிதா சமரவிக்ரம 51, ரெபேயா கான் 1-20, நஹிடா அக்டர் 1-37, ஃபஹிமா காதுன் 1-37)
பங்களாதேஷ்: 114-7 (20) (நிகர் சுல்தானா 31, சோபனா மோஸ்டரி 30, உதேஷிகா பிரபோதனி 2-17, காவ்யா கவிந்தி 2-28, இனோகா ரணவீர 2-17)

Football

Heritage Derby Trophy Goes to Hameed Al Husseinie College

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Colombo – Hameed Al Husseinie College emerged victorious in the prestigious Heritage Derby Trophy football encounter against Zahira College, Maradana, securing a 3–1 win at the Colombo Racecourse grounds yesterday.

The match kicked off under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, adding special significance to this annual football rivalry.

Hameed Al Husseinie College took control early, leading 2–0 at halftime before sealing the victory with a third goal in the second half. Zahira College managed to pull one back, but it was not enough to challenge the dominant performance of the winners.

The trophy presentation was held soon after the final whistle, with the principals of both schools — Rizvi Marikkar of Zahira College and Mrs. Dain of Hameed Al Husseinie College — present to witness the celebrations.

This latest victory adds another chapter to the rich history of the Heritage Derby, further cementing Hameed Al Husseinie College’s reputation in school football.

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Football

Exclusive: AFC Fines Sri Lankan Footballer Over “Free Palestine” Message

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Colombo – June 13
Sri Lankan national footballer Mohamed Thilham, who recently made headlines after displaying a “PRAY FOR FREE PALESTINE” message on his undershirt during post-match celebrations, has now been officially penalized by international football authorities.

Following Sri Lanka’s 3-1 victory over Chinese Taipei in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers on June 10 at the Colombo Racecourse Stadium, Thilham—a non-playing substitute—unveiled the message, drawing both praise and criticism from various quarters.

⚠️ AFC Sanctions Player with USD 2,000 Fine

FIFA, in coordination with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), has now issued a formal disciplinary notice to the player, imposing a USD 2,000 fine. This letter, according to sources within the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL), was sent addressing to Thilham, underscoring AFC stance on politically charged expressions at official matches.

According to FIFA’s Disciplinary Code, players are prohibited from displaying political, religious, or personal slogans during matches or official ceremonies. While Thilham’s gesture occurred after the final whistle, FIFA and AFC treat any action within the stadium environment as part of official conduct.

⚽ FFSL Under Scrutiny for Disciplinary Action

FFSL President Jaswar Umar previously stated that the act “was not authorized by the federation” and “violates international football disciplinary norms.” He also confirmed that the FFSL would take internal disciplinary action against the player.

However, this incident has reignited public debate over the role of athletes in social advocacy and the limits imposed by international sports law. While some supporters see Thilham’s actions as courageous and morally driven, others have raised concerns about the player’s career stability and future opportunities under increasing scrutiny.

📝 Editorial Insight

At Sri Lankan Sports TV, we initially chose to withhold the content of the message in our match coverage—out of responsibility to the player’s career and to respect global sports protocol. However, the message went viral after several social media users circulated the full image, seemingly with the intention of sparking controversy.

The resulting spotlight has unfortunately led to a formal penalty, underscoring the real-world consequences that athletes may face when international regulations intersect with personal conviction.

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Part 2: FIFA Funds Squandered – Inside the Financial Collapse of Sri Lanka Football

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In continuation of Sri Lankan Sports TV’s exclusive coverage of the Kusala Sarojini Inquiry Report, this feature focuses on the financial irregularities uncovered within the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL)—which played a central role in the nation’s football crisis.

The Special Inquiry Committee, chaired by Retired High Court Judge Mrs. Kusala Sarojini Weerawardena, exposes how over a decade of misusing FIFA and AFC development funds directly contributed to the collapse of Sri Lankan football.

“It could be observed that financial procedure which follows proper methodology has not been maintained in the Football Federation of Sri Lanka since before 2014.”
FIFA Sri Lanka Inquiry Report (2023)

Millions in Global Funding – Little to Show on the Pitch

Between 2018 and 2022, the FFSL received consistent international grants, including:

  • USD 500,000 annually from FIFA
  • USD 500,000 annually from the AFC
  • USD 100,000 annually for equipment purchases
  • USD 200,000 for air tickets for international competitions
  • COVID emergency funding during 2021 and 2022

However, the report confirms that most of these funds were misused or misappropriated, with little to no investment in grassroots development or player welfare.

“Although FFSL had a Chartered Accountant, the financial powers were concentrated among elected officials, and payments were made without transparency, contrary to proper accounting practices.”
Sri Lanka Inquiry Report, p. 10

Highlights of Financial Mismanagement

Ticket Scandals & Undocumented Spending

  • Rs. 16 million was spent on 230 Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 tickets, but:
    • No records of buyers
    • No receipts
    • No profits to FFSL
  • Rs. 12 million paid for footballs that were never delivered; transaction done via WhatsApp—no contract or supplier identified

“Not only were proper procurement methods not followed, in many cases there was no documentation at all.”
Inquiry Committee

Reckless Dollar Transfers Amid National Crisis

  • During Sri Lanka’s 2022 dollar shortage, FFSL moved USD 500,000 to a rupee account without Executive Committee approval, causing an estimated loss of Rs. 75 million.

“Transfer of dollars without a justifiable need during a high exchange rate period inflicted a significant financial loss on the Federation.”
Report Section: Financial Control

Crony Contracts & Fake Tenders

  • Catering contracts were awarded to individuals connected to former FFSL executives without calling quotations.
  • In most instances, approvals were made based on verbal instructions or internal memos, bypassing required board procedures.

Ghost Coaches, Unused Staff

A coach hired for the U-23 national team was paid Rs. 200,000/month, even though no team was ever formed.

  • “Coordination officers” across Sri Lanka were paid monthly with no service rendered.
  • PAYE taxes were paid (Rs. 3.3 million) for foreign coaches with no clear deliverables.

“Despite making these payments, youth development remained stagnant and the national teams were not properly formed or trained.”
Committee Observation

Rs. 100 Million Used as Election Bribe?

  • A Rs. 100 million fixed deposit—intended as a financial reserve—was used to send 73 league officials to Malaysia, allegedly in exchange for future votes.

“This action was considered as a bribe given to them with the purpose of getting votes in the future.”
Page 11, Report

A System Without Checks

The Committee notes that former FFSL President Mr. Jaswar Umaru Lebbe held dual powers as President and Chairman of the Finance Committee, enabling unchecked control over finances.

“This situation was extremely inappropriate and harmful.”
Inquiry Report, p. 16

Payments were routinely authorized by Mr. Jaswar and a few close allies, without proper board oversight or documentation.

The Fallout – A Sport in Decline

As a result of this mismanagement:

  • Sri Lanka’s men’s team plummeted to 207th in FIFA rankings by 2022
  • FFSL was suspended by FIFA in January 2023
  • National youth programs, women’s football, futsal, and coaching development were completely inactive

A Glimmer of Recovery – Ranking Now 196th

Since early 2023, now, Sri Lanka’s FIFA ranking has climbed to 196th—a 10-place improvement. However, the report warns that structural reform is essential to ensure this progress is not lost.

“Financial control and administration must be independent, transparent, and free from political interference.”
Official Recommendation by Kusala Sarojini-led Committee

What Must Happen Now?

The committee strongly recommends:

  1. Forensic audit of FFSL finances since 2012
  2. Criminal complaints under Sections 386, 389, and 403 of the Penal Code
  3. Legal reform to prevent future abuse:
    • Term limits for officials
    • Ban on combining finance and executive powers
    • Mandatory procurement audits
  4. Quarterly public financial disclosures

“A system must be developed to prevent elected officials from having unilateral control over funds.”
Report, p. 17

The Final Word

The Inquiry, led by Justice Kusala Sarojini, leaves no doubt:
Sri Lanka’s football didn’t fail from a lack of funds—it failed because those funds were looted by those entrusted to protect the game.

“If transparency, legal action, and governance reform are not implemented, this country’s football will have no future.”
Inquiry Report, Final Section

Coming Up in Part 3:
How fake leagues, ghost clubs, and vote-buying tactics poisoned the electoral system of Sri Lankan football.

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