News

Janith Liyanage the saviour for Sri Lanka

Published

1 year ago

January 9, 2024

Editor

Zimbabwe tour of Sri Lanka 2024

Janith Liyanage notched up his maiden half century to guide Sri Lanka to a nerve tingling 2 wickets win over Zimbabwe in the second One dayer worked off at R. Premadasa Stadium Colombo on Monday.

Having won the toss, Zimbabwe skipper Craig Ervine elected to bat first under gloomy conditions in Colombo.

However, it was the hosts who got off to a flyer when Dilshan Madushanka gave the early breakthrough when Tinashe Kamunhukamwe (00) were caught behind in the third ball of the innings.

Despite a early setback, Wicket-keeper batter Joylord Gumble was joined by skipper Craig Ervine and the duo stitched a 60-run stand to get their team out of trouble, before Maheesh Theekshana castled Gumble after scoring 30 runs off 36 balls.

After the breakthrough Milton Shumba joined skipper Craig and the duo cautiously batted until the 25th over engaging in another 50 runs stand.

However Sri Lanka were rewarded with the wicket of Shumba who walked back to the pavilion for 26 runs.

To make things worse for the boys in Red, they were stuck with another quick wicket that of their star batter Sikandar Raza who departed for just 1 run.

At one stage Zimbabwe were on course for a strong total but a middle order collapse saw
the visitors slipped to 182/5 when their mainstay Craig Ervine also walked back for a well played 82 runs.

With half of their batters back in the pavilion the Zimbabwe lower order fell like a pack of cards as they lost their last 6 wickets for just 26 runs before being all out for below par score of 208 runs.

Maheesh Theekshana who didnt have a good outing in the last year World Cup in India was back among wickets when he ended with figures of 4-31.

In reply, Sri Lanka batters once again failed to impress as none of their star batters were among runs apart from Janith Liyanage who played a lone cameo of 95 runs to drag thier team over the line.

When the chips were down with scoreboard reading at 6-112 Maheesh Theekshana joined Janith Liyanage in the middle to rescue Sri Lanka from a humiliating defeat. The duo added a 56-run stand for the 7th wicket.

With another less than 40 runs required Sri Lanka were stuck with few quick wickets including the all important wicket of Janith Liayange’s when the 28 year old attempted a lofted shot over mid-off but ended straight at the hands of Ricard Ngarava.

The equation being more tougher to the host, with all the recognized batters back in the pavilion Dusmantha Chameera (18) and Jeffery Vandery (19) launch a late strike as the duo took Sri Lanka home with 6 balls to spare.

In bowling front Richard Ngarava picked up his maiden ODI fifer while Sikandar Raza picked two wickets.

After the thrilling win Sri Lanka are currently leading the three match Series 1-0 with one more game left to play. The two sides will
Meet again on Thursday (11) for the final game and move to shorter format of the game (T20I’s) starting from 14th January.

Brief scores: Zimbabwe 208 in 44.4 overs (Craig Ervine 82; Maheesh Theekshana 4-31) lost to Sri Lanka 211/8 in 49 overs (Janith Liyanage 95; Richard Ngarava 5-32) by two wickets.

Football

Stafford vs. Colombo International: The Second Edition of the Big Match Kicks Off!

Published

3 days ago

April 2, 2025

Editor

Football fever returns as Stafford International School and Colombo International School gear up for the second edition of their highly anticipated Big Match! This year, the rivalry intensifies with four matches across different age and gender categories:

✅ U15 Girls
✅ U15 Boys
✅ U20 Girls
✅ U20 Boys

🏆 Stafford International’s Rising Stars:

U15 Girls: Defending TISSL U14 and Colombo SLSFA District champions, featuring standout players like Keshalee Ranatunga and Sonja Ratanayake (just 10 years old!).
U15 Boys: All-Island U14 runners-up out of 462 schools, led by goalkeeper Yash Amarasekara, who was named Best U14 GK in Sri Lanka.
U20 Girls & Boys: Both teams finished as TISSL runners-up, boasting stars like Raya Rikaz, Yumna Safraz, Adnaan Ameen, and Nidurshan Mohan.

🏆 Colombo International’s Key Players:

U15 Girls: TISSL U16 runners-up, featuring top defender Khadeeja Niyas and striker Ozra.
U20 Girls: TISSL U20 runners-up, with Fioni Dedhia named Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
U20 Boys: Defending Big Match champions, looking to retain their title behind stars like Krishwen and Habib.

👀 Who will come out on top this time? Watch the action LIVE at the link below! 🎥👇

#BigMatch2025 #SchoolFootball #SriLankaFootball #StaffordVsCIS #RivalryRenewed

Cricket

Shammi Silva Re-Elected as Sri Lanka Cricket President for Fourth Consecutive Term

Published

4 days ago

April 1, 2025

Editor

Shammi Silva has been re-elected as the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) president for the 2025-27 term, marking his fourth consecutive tenure at the helm of the nation’s cricket governing body. Silva secured the position uncontested at the 64th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Colombo on Monday.

A Controversial Yet Dominant Tenure

Silva’s leadership has not been without controversy. His previous term saw a high-profile clash with former Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe in 2023, which led to an interim committee being appointed after Sri Lanka’s poor performance in the ICC ODI World Cup. This move resulted in ICC suspending SLC, which led to Sri Lanka losing the hosting rights for the U19 Men’s World Cup, which was later held in South Africa.

Despite these setbacks, Silva regained control after a court ruling reinstated his administration, and he was later appointed as the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in December 2023, replacing Jay Shah.

Challenges & Future Outlook

Sri Lanka Cricket has long been seen as a powerful and influential body, with internal politics often shaping its leadership. With financial mismanagement concerns highlighted in the Auditor General’s report, Silva’s administration faces the challenge of restoring credibility and ensuring better governance.

With the ICC ban lifted, Sri Lanka looks to rebuild its cricketing structure and improve performance on the international stage. The focus now shifts to upcoming bilateral series, the Asia Cup, and preparations for the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup.

Stay tuned for more updates on Sri Lanka Cricket and the latest in the world of sports!

Cricket

Stephen Fleming Defends MS Dhoni’s Batting Position Amid Criticism

Published

5 days ago

March 31, 2025

Editor

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming has defended MS Dhoni’s late entry in the batting order, stating that the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman cannot play an extended innings at full intensity due to lingering knee concerns.

The 43-year-old Dhoni faced criticism after coming in at No. 9 during CSK’s 50-run loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Chepauk. In the next match against Rajasthan Royals on March 30, 2025, he batted at No. 7 when CSK required 54 off 25 balls but managed just 16 off 11 as his team fell short by six runs.

Fleming’s Explanation on Dhoni’s Role

Fleming emphasized that Dhoni carefully assesses the match situation before deciding when to bat.

“It’s all about timing. MS judges his body and situation. His knees aren’t what they used to be, so he can’t bat for 10 overs at full intensity. He will step in based on the game’s demands,” Fleming explained at the post-match press conference.

The CSK coach reiterated that Dhoni remains too valuable to the team for his leadership and wicketkeeping and that sending him in too early could be a strategic misstep.

“From around the 13th or 14th over, he assesses the situation and decides. He trusts other batters early on but steps up when needed.”

CSK’s Struggles in the Powerplay Cost Them the Match

Fleming also pinpointed CSK’s poor powerplay performance as a key reason for their loss against Rajasthan Royals. While RR blasted 79/1 in the powerplay, CSK only managed 42/1,