Connect with us

News

I’m happy with my performance but not satisfied- Chamari

Published

on

Bangladesh Women’s Tour of Sri Lanka 2023

Sri Lanka women’s skipper Chamari Athapatthu said though she is happy with her performance in the T20 series against Bangladesh she is not satisfied, as she failed to convert good starts into big knocks.

“Actually, I’m happy with my performance but not satisfied, because after three good starts with 30’s couldn’t convert it into a big knock. But I believe with the upcoming series against New Zealand players will correct their mistakes, including me, and put on a better performance”.

Sri Lanka Women produced an all-round effort to beat Bangladesh Women by 44 runs and claim a 2-1 T20 series win in Colombo last week.

Batting first, Harshitha Madavi and Nilakshi de Silva all shined with the willow. De Silva smashed the highest for Sri Lanka Women, with 63 runs off 39 balls, while Harshitha scored 51 runs off just 42 balls. Sri Lanka Women finished their innings with a score of 158/3 in 20 overs.

In response, the Bangladesh Women could not chase down the target and were restricted to 114/7 in 20 overs. Sobhana Mostary and Nigar Sultana were the only two batters who contributed significantly with 30 and 31 runs, respectively.

The Lankan bowlers were successful in taking wickets at regular intervals. Udeshika Prabodhani and Inoka Ranaweera took two wickets each, while Kawya Kavindi and Sugandika Kumari took one wicket each.
“Some say Sri Lanka’s batting line-up depends on me, but now I can happily say there is no such thing. We got some highly talented players like Harshitha, Vishmi, Kaveesha, Kawya and Kavindi to name a few. They are the future of Sri Lanka women’s cricket. They should be given the opportunity and results will come our way”, Chamari further added.

The win also saw Sri Lanka winning a series after almost 8 years. Commenting on that Chamari went on to say: “Very happy about a series win after 5-7 years. We have built a good team now; we got a team that can now do the unthinkable. I believe our team will put on an improved performance this year, especially when facing top teams.”

Meanwhile, Nilakshi de Silva the player of the match who scored her maiden T-20 half century said I had to get my runs quickly while our task was to build up a challenging total. I missed many opportunities to complete half-centuries and most of the time I had to stay at the wicket with unbeaten knocks. However more than my maiden half-century we are happy to win the game and the series added Nilakshi de Silva.

Player of the series Harshitha Samarwickrama said I am really happy to receive the player of the series award.

She praised high in skipper Chamari Athapattu saying,

“My skipper Chamari Atapattu gave me the strength to play my innings while my coach advised me to stay at the wicket until the end of the innings and I did my best for the team said Harshitha Samarawickrma the 24-year-old top order batter”.

Sri Lanka’s next assignment will be the tour to England to play 3 T20Is and 3 ODI in August-September.

මගේ පිතිකරණ දස්කම් ගැන මම සතුටු වෙනවා නමුත් සෑහීමකට පත් වෙන්නේ නැහැ – චමරි

බංග්ලාදේශ කාන්තා ශ්‍රී ලංකා සංචාරය 2023

ශ්‍රී ලංකා කාන්තා නායිකා චමරි අතපත්තු ප්‍රකාශ කළේ බංග්ලාදේශයට එරෙහිව පැවැති විස්සයි20 තරගාවලියේදී දැක්වූ දස්කම් පිළිබඳව සතුටු වුවද හොඳ ආරම්භයන් විශාල පහරවල් බවට පරිවර්තනය කිරීමට අපොහොසත් වීම නිසා සෑහීමකට පත්විය නොහැකි බවයි.

“ඇත්ත වශයෙන්ම, මම මගේ කාර්ය සාධනය ගැන සතුටු වන නමුත් සෑහීමකට පත් නොවෙමි, මන්ද 30 ගණන්වල හොඳ ආරම්භයන් තුනකට පසුව එය විශාල පහරක් බවට පරිවර්තනය කළ නොහැකි විය. නමුත් එළඹෙන නවසීලන්ත ක්‍රිකට් තරගාවලියත් සමඟ මා ඇතුළු ක්‍රීඩකයන්ගේ වැරදි නිවැරදි කරගෙන වඩා හොඳ දස්කම් දක්වනු ඇතැයි මම විශ්වාස කරමි.”

බංග්ලාදේශ කාන්තා පිල ලකුණු 44කින් පරදවා විස්සයි20 තරගාවලිය 2-1කින් ජය ගැනීමට ශ්‍රී ලංකා කාන්තා පිල පසුගිය සතියේ කොළඹදී තුන් ඉරියව් උත්සාහයක නිරත විය.

පළමුවෙන් පන්දුවට පහරදුන් හර්ෂිතා මාදවි සහ නිලක්ෂි ද සිල්වා විලෝ සමගින් බැබළුණා. ද සිල්වා පන්දු 39කදී ලකුණු 63ක් රැස්කරමින් ශ්‍රී ලංකා කාන්තා පිලේ වැඩිම ලකුණු සංඛ්‍යාව දවාලූ අතර හර්ෂිත පන්දු 42කදී ලකුණු 51ක් ලබාගත්තේය. ශ්‍රී ලංකා කාන්තා කණ්ඩායම සිය ඉනිම අවසන් කළේ පන්දුවාර 20 අවසානයේ ලකුණු 158/3 ක් ලෙසිනි.

පිළිතුරු ලෙස බංග්ලාදේශ කාන්තා කණ්ඩායමට එම ඉලක්කය හඹා යාමට නොහැකි වූ අතර ඔවුන් නියමිත පන්දුවාර 20 අවසානයේ කඩුලු 7ක් දැවී ලකුණු 114කට සීමා විය. සෝභනා මොස්ටාරි සහ නිගර් සුල්තානා පිළිවෙලින් ලකුණු 30ක් සහ 31ක් ලබා ගනිමින් කැපී පෙනෙන දායකත්වයක් දැක්වූ පිතිකරුවන් දෙදෙනා පමණි.

ශ්‍රී ලංකා පන්දු යවන්නෝ නියමිත කාල සීමාවේදී කඩුලු දවා ගැනීමට සමත් වූහ. පන්දු යැවීමේදී උදේශිකා ප්‍රබෝධනී සහ ඉනෝකා රණවීර කඩුලු 2 බැගින් ද, කාව්‍යා කාවින්දි සහ සුගන්දිකා කුමාරි එක් කඩුල්ල බැගින් ද බිඳ දැමූහ.

“සමහරු කියනවා ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ පිතිකරණ ලැයිස්තුව මම මත රඳා පවතිනවා කියලා, නමුත් දැන් මට සතුටින් කියන්න පුළුවන් එහෙම දෙයක් නැහැ කියලා. හර්ෂිතා, විශ්මි, කවීෂා, කාව්‍යා, කාවින්දි වගේ ඉහළ දක්‍ෂ ක්‍රීඩිකාවන් කීපදෙනකු අපට ලැබුණා. ඔවුන් ශ්‍රී ලංකා කාන්තා ක්‍රිකට් අනාගතයයි. ඔවුන්ට අවස්ථාව ලබාදිය යුතු අතර ප්‍රතිඵල අප වෙත පැමිණෙනු ඇත”, චමරි වැඩිදුරටත් පැවසුවාය.

වසර 8කට පමණ පසු ශ්‍රී ලංකාව තරගමාලාවක් ජය ගැනීමට ද මෙම ජයග්‍රහණය සමත් විය. ඒ පිළිබඳව අදහස් දක්වමින් චමරි වැඩිදුරටත් කියා සිටියේ “වසර 5-7කට පසු තරගමාලා ජයග්‍රහණයක් ලැබීම ගැන ගොඩක් සතුටුයි. අපි දැන් හොඳ කණ්ඩායමක් ගොඩනගා තිබෙනවා; අපිට දැන් හිතාගන්න බැරි දෙයක් කරන්න පුළුවන් කණ්ඩායමක් ලැබිලා තියෙනවා. විශේෂයෙන්ම ප්‍රමුඛ පෙළේ කණ්ඩායම්වලට මුහුණ දීමේදී අපේ කණ්ඩායම මේ වසරේ වැඩි දියුණුවක් ලබා දෙනු ඇතැයි මම විශ්වාස කරනවා.”

මේ අතර, සිය මංගල T-20 අර්ධ ශතකය වාර්තා කළ තරගයේ ක්‍රීඩිකාව වන නිලක්ෂි ද සිල්වා ප්‍රකාශ කළේ අභියෝගාත්මක ලකුණු සංඛ්‍යාවක් ගොඩනැගීම අපගේ කාර්යය වූ අතරේ මට ඉක්මනින් ලකුණු ලබා ගැනීමට සිදු වූ බවයි. අර්ධ ශතක සම්පූර්ණ කිරීමට තිබූ අවස්ථා රැසක් මගහැරී ගිය අතර බොහෝ අවස්ථාවලදී නොදැවී පන්දුවට පහර දෙමින් කඩුල්ලේ රැදී සිටීමට සිදුවුණා. කෙසේ වෙතත් මගේ මංගල අර්ධ ශතකයට වඩා තරගය ජයග්‍රහණය කිරීම ගැන අපි සතුටු වන අතර තරගාවලියට නිලක්ෂි ද සිල්වා මහත්මිය එක් කළාය.

තරඟාවලියේ ක්‍රීඩකයා හර්ෂිත සමරවික්‍රම පැවසුවේ තරඟාවලියේ ක්‍රීඩකයා සම්මානය ලැබීම ගැන ඇත්තටම සතුටුයි.

ඇය නායිකා චමරි අතපත්තු ගැන ඉහළින් වර්ණනා කළේ මෙසේය.

“මගේ නායිකා චමරි අතපත්තු මට මගේ ඉනිම ක්‍රීඩා කිරීමට ශක්තියක් ලබා දුන් අතර මගේ පුහුණුකරු ඉනිම අවසන් වන තුරු කඩුල්ලේ රැඳී සිටින ලෙස මට උපදෙස් දුන් අතර මම කණ්ඩායම වෙනුවෙන් මගේ උපරිමය කළා යැයි 24 හැවිරිදි මුල් පෙළ පිතිකරු හර්ෂිත සමරවික්‍රම පැවසීය. .

ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ මීළඟ පැවරුම වනුයේ අගෝස්තු-සැප්තැම්බර් මාසවල T20I තරඟ 3 ක් සහ ODI 3 ක් ක්‍රීඩා කිරීම සඳහා එංගලන්ත සංචාරයයි.

எனது பேட்டிங் திறனில் நான் மகிழ்ச்சியடைகிறேன், ஆனால் திருப்தி இல்லை- சாமரி

பங்களாதேஷ் பெண்கள் இலங்கை சுற்றுப்பயணம் 2023

பங்களாதேஷுக்கு எதிரான டி20 தொடரில் சிறப்பாக செயல்பட்டாலும், நல்ல தொடக்கத்தை பெரிய ஆட்டங்களாக மாற்றத் தவறியதால் திருப்தி அடையவில்லை என இலங்கை மகளிர் அணித் தலைவர் சாமரி அத்தபத்து தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

“உண்மையில், எனது செயல்திறனில் நான் மகிழ்ச்சியடைகிறேன், ஆனால் திருப்தி அடையவில்லை, ஏனென்றால் 30களில் மூன்று நல்ல தொடக்கங்களுக்குப் பிறகு அதை ஒரு பெரிய நாக்காக மாற்ற முடியவில்லை. ஆனால் நியூசிலாந்துக்கு எதிரான தொடரில், நான் உட்பட, தங்கள் தவறுகளை சரிசெய்து, சிறப்பான ஆட்டத்தை வெளிப்படுத்துவார்கள் என நம்புகிறேன்” என்றார்.

கடந்த வாரம் கொழும்பில் நடைபெற்ற டி20 தொடரை 2-1 என்ற கணக்கில் வங்காளதேச மகளிர் அணியை 44 ரன்கள் வித்தியாசத்தில் வீழ்த்தி, இலங்கை மகளிர் அணி ஆல்ரவுண்ட் முயற்சியில் ஈடுபட்டது.

முதலில் பேட் செய்த ஹர்ஷிதா மாதவி, நிலக்ஷி டி சில்வா ஆகியோர் வில்லோவுடன் பிரகாசித்தார்கள். இலங்கை மகளிர் அணியில் அதிகபட்சமாக டி சில்வா 39 பந்துகளில் 63 ஓட்டங்களையும், ஹர்ஷிதா 42 பந்துகளில் 51 ஓட்டங்களையும் பெற்றனர். இலங்கை மகளிர் அணி 20 ஓவர்களில் 3 விக்கெட்டுக்கு 158 ரன்கள் எடுத்திருந்தது.

பதிலுக்கு, பங்களாதேஷ் மகளிர் இலக்கை துரத்த முடியாமல் 20 ஓவர்களில் 114/7 என்று கட்டுப்படுத்தப்பட்டது. சோபனா மோஸ்டரி மற்றும் நிகர் சுல்தானா ஆகியோர் முறையே 30 மற்றும் 31 ஓட்டங்களுடன் குறிப்பிடத்தக்க பங்களிப்பை வழங்கினர்.

சீரான இடைவெளியில் விக்கெட்டுகளை வீழ்த்துவதில் இலங்கை பந்துவீச்சாளர்கள் வெற்றியடைந்தனர். பந்து வீச்சில் உதேஷிகா பிரபோதனி மற்றும் இனோகா ரணவீர ஆகியோர் தலா 2 விக்கெட்டுகளையும், காவ்யா கவிந்தி மற்றும் சுகந்திகா குமாரி ஆகியோர் தலா ஒரு விக்கெட்டையும் கைப்பற்றினர்.
“இலங்கையின் பேட்டிங் வரிசை என்னைப் பொறுத்தது என்று சிலர் கூறுகிறார்கள், ஆனால் இப்போது அப்படி எதுவும் இல்லை என்று நான் மகிழ்ச்சியுடன் கூற முடியும். ஹர்ஷிதா, விஷ்மி, கவீஷா, காவ்யா மற்றும் கவிந்தி போன்ற திறமையான சில வீரர்களை நாங்கள் பெற்றுள்ளோம். அவர்கள் இலங்கை பெண்கள் கிரிக்கெட்டின் எதிர்காலம். அவர்களுக்கு வாய்ப்பு வழங்கப்பட வேண்டும் மற்றும் முடிவுகள் எங்கள் வழியில் வரும்”, சாமரி மேலும் கூறினார்.

இந்த வெற்றியின் மூலம் ஏறக்குறைய 8 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு பிறகு இலங்கை அணி தொடரை கைப்பற்றியது. இது குறித்து சாமரி மேலும் கூறியதாவது: 5-7 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு பிறகு தொடரை வென்றதில் மிகவும் மகிழ்ச்சி. நாங்கள் இப்போது ஒரு நல்ல அணியை உருவாக்கியுள்ளோம்; இப்போது நினைத்துப் பார்க்க முடியாததைச் செய்யக்கூடிய ஒரு குழு எங்களிடம் உள்ளது. குறிப்பாக சிறந்த அணிகளை எதிர்கொள்ளும் போது எங்கள் அணி இந்த ஆண்டு மேம்பட்ட செயல்திறனை வெளிப்படுத்தும் என்று நான் நம்புகிறேன்.

இதற்கிடையில், தனது முதல் T-20 அரை சதத்தை அடித்த போட்டியின் வீராங்கனை நிலக்ஷி டி சில்வா கூறுகையில், சவாலான ஸ்கோரை உருவாக்குவதே எங்களது பணியாக இருந்த போது நான் எனது ஓட்டங்களை விரைவாக பெற வேண்டியிருந்தது. அரை சதங்களை பூர்த்தி செய்வதற்கான பல வாய்ப்புகளை நான் தவறவிட்டேன், பெரும்பாலான நேரங்களில் நான் ஆட்டமிழக்காமல் விக்கெட்டுகளில் இருக்க வேண்டியிருந்தது. எவ்வாறாயினும், எனது கன்னி அரை சதத்தை விட, நாங்கள் ஆட்டத்தை வெல்வதில் மகிழ்ச்சி அடைகிறோம் மற்றும் தொடரில் நிலக்ஷி டி சில்வா சேர்க்கப்பட்டார்.

தொடரின் வீராங்கனை ஹர்ஷித சமர்விக்ரம, தொடரின் நாயகி விருதை பெற்றதில் மிகவும் மகிழ்ச்சியடைகிறேன் என்றார்.

கேப்டன் சாமரி அத்தபட்டு குறித்து அவர் பாராட்டினார்.

“எனது கேப்டன் சாமரி அதபத்து எனது இன்னிங்ஸை விளையாட எனக்கு பலம் கொடுத்தார், அதே நேரத்தில் இன்னிங்ஸ் முடியும் வரை விக்கெட்டில் இருக்குமாறு எனது பயிற்சியாளர் அறிவுறுத்தினார், மேலும் நான் அணிக்காக என்னால் முடிந்த அனைத்தையும் செய்தேன்” என்று 24 வயதான டாப் ஆர்டர் பேட்டர் ஹர்ஷித சமரவிக்ரம கூறினார். .

ஆகஸ்ட்-செப்டம்பரில் 3 டி20 மற்றும் 3 ஒருநாள் போட்டிகளில் விளையாடுவதற்காக இலங்கையின் அடுத்த பணி இங்கிலாந்துக்கு சுற்றுப்பயணம் ஆகும்.

Cricket

Asalanka Defends Colombo Pitch After England’s Criticism

Published

on

By

Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka has played down criticism of the pitch used for the second One-Day International against England in Colombo, insisting that the surface was suitable for ODI cricket despite concerns raised by visiting players.

England levelled the three-match series with a comfortable victory at the R. Premadasa Stadium, chasing down a target of 220 with more than three overs to spare. Following the match, several England players expressed dissatisfaction with the playing surface, suggesting it was not ideal for one-day internationals.

Speaking after the match, Asalanka acknowledged that opinions on pitch conditions can differ but pointed to the overall scoring as evidence that the surface was not excessively poor.

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion,” Asalanka said. “But when you look at the match as a whole, the two teams scored around 440 runs. That doesn’t really suggest an unplayable wicket.”

The Sri Lanka skipper also drew comparisons with previous encounters between the two sides, noting that similar scrutiny had not been applied on other occasions when conditions were challenging.

“In the World Cup game in Bengaluru, England were bowled out for around 160, and there wasn’t much discussion about the pitch then,” he added. “So I don’t fully understand why the reaction is so strong this time.”

While defending the Colombo surface against heavy criticism, Asalanka conceded that it did not play as expected, particularly when compared to the first ODI of the series, which offered better conditions for batting.

“I didn’t expect the second pitch to behave that way,” he said. “In the first match, scores of around 270 or 280 were achievable. As a batting side, you always want to give your bowlers more runs to work with. The pitch definitely played differently, but even then, I don’t think it was a 220-run wicket. I was personally aiming for something closer to 250 or 260.”

With the series now level, attention turns to the decider, where pitch conditions and adaptability are once again likely to play a significant role. Both teams will be eager to adjust quickly as they seek to claim the series in Colombo.

Continue Reading

Cricket

Wellalage Dedicates Player of the Match Award to Late Father After Sri Lanka’s ODI Win

Published

on

By

Sri Lanka all-rounder Dunith Wellalage produced a match-winning performance in the opening One-Day International against England in Colombo, guiding his side to a 19-run victory and earning the Player of the Match award, which he emotionally dedicated to his late father.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Wellalage revealed that disciplined execution was the key to Sri Lanka’s success.

“The skipper’s advice was to bowl in good line and length and keep the overs tight. Our plan was to build pressure with disciplined bowling, and by sticking to that plan, we were able to finish on the winning side,” he said.

After winning the toss, Sri Lanka posted a competitive 271 for 6. Openers Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara laid a solid foundation with a 50-run stand before England struck back with early wickets. The innings was then stabilised by Kusal Mendis and Janith Liyanage, whose crucial 88-run partnership helped regain momentum.

Wellalage credited Kusal Mendis for anchoring the innings.

“Much of the credit should go to Kusal. Thanks to his knock we were able to post a competitive total. My role was to support him and stay till the end. The plan was to score between 260 and 270, and thankfully we achieved that,” he explained.

Wellalage added late impetus with an unbeaten 25 off 12 balls, pushing Sri Lanka to a challenging total. England spinner Adil Rashid was the standout bowler for the visitors, finishing with figures of 3 for 44.

In reply, England lost Zak Crawley early, but a strong 117-run partnership between Joe Root and Ben Duckett brought them firmly back into contention. As the pitch slowed in the latter stages, Sri Lanka’s bowlers adjusted smartly and tightened their grip on the game.

“The wicket became a little slow towards the end, so the plan was to reduce pace and bowl good line and lengths,” Wellalage noted.

The strategy paid off as Pramod Madushan led the attack with three wickets, while Wellalage and Jeffrey Vandersay claimed two each, bowling England out for 252.

Reflecting on the emotional significance of the performance, Wellalage paid tribute to his father.

“The last few months have been very hard for me after my father’s death. His wish was to see me represent my country, and I dedicate this Man of the Match award to him,” he said.

Sri Lanka now take early momentum into the remainder of the ODI series as they continue their preparations during England’s 2026 tour.

Continue Reading

Football

Abdullah Al Mutairi Bids Farewell to Sri Lanka Football After Contract Ends

Published

on

By

Sri Lanka national football head coach Abdullah Al Mutairi has officially concluded his tenure with the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL), bringing an end to a period widely viewed as one of progress and renewed belief for the national team.

The Kuwaiti coach confirmed the development via a Facebook post, stating that his contract with FFSL ended by mutual agreement. Reflecting on his journey, Al Mutairi expressed appreciation to everyone who contributed to Sri Lankan football during his time in charge.

“I would like to share that my contract with Football Sri Lanka has come to an end by mutual agreement between all parties,” Al Mutairi wrote. “I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone I had the honor of working with during this journey.”

Al Mutairi thanked Sri Lankan football fans for their unwavering support and praised the players for their commitment, discipline, and fighting spirit. He also acknowledged the efforts of the coaching staff and support personnel who worked behind the scenes to drive the team forward.

Special appreciation was reserved for FFSL President Jaswar Umar, whose trust and full backing, according to Al Mutairi, played a crucial role in the national team’s achievements. The coach noted that strong leadership from the federation allowed the team to grow both technically and mentally on the international stage.

During his tenure, Sri Lanka showed clear improvement in performance and competitiveness, recording notable victories against higher-ranked opponents and earning increased respect within the region. Enhanced tactical discipline, improved fitness levels, and stronger team unity were widely regarded as key areas of progress under his leadership.

One of the standout moments of Al Mutairi’s time in charge was Sri Lanka’s historic qualification to the second round of the AFC World Cup qualifiers, a major milestone for the nation and a significant step forward in its footballing journey.

As he departs, Al Mutairi expressed gratitude for the experiences and memories gained and wished Sri Lankan football continued success. While his chapter as head coach has come to a close, the foundations laid during his tenure are expected to leave a lasting impact on the national team’s future development.

Continue Reading

Trending