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KJP urges youngsters to play with the positive mindset
Kusal Perera’s aftermath of the first T20I, which Sri Lanka won via Super Over, the southpaw urged his teammates to play with greater energy during T20 internationals.
“It’s hard to play a T20 without momentum, and to win in T20 cricket you need a batter to provide that momentum,” Perera said during the post-match conference.
“There are a lot of young players in the squad, and what I’ve told them is you have to start learning now how to handle uncomfortable situations. Bowlers aren’t going to bowl how you like, they’re going to analyse you and be aware of your strengths and weaknesses. We need to be smart in those situations.”
Perera revealed that the key to Sri Lanka’s success, on the day, was every single batter going out to bat with a positive mindset.
Earlier New Zealand had won the toss and put Sri Lanka to bat first where the islanders posted 196-5, thanks to Charith Asalanka’s top knock of 67 off 41 balls.
Kusal Perera (53), Kusal Mendis (25) and Wanindu Hasaranga (21) also played fine hands to help the tourists post a healthy 196 on the board.
In response, New Zealand lost both openers in the first two overs, but Tom Latham (27) and Daryll Mitchell (66) then shared a 63-run partnership.
Despite losing wickets, New Zealand found boundaries with regularity and stayed within touching distance of the target.
With 7 runs required to win off the last ball Ish Sodhi smashed a six-over deep mid-wicket to take the match into a super over.
In the super over New Zealand mustered just eight runs from their over, and it took the Sri Lankans just half their allotted six to get the job done as Charith Asalanka cleared the ropes from an Adam Milne slower ball and then ramped the next for four more.
“I went ahead with a positive mindset, I wasn’t thinking about how long I had been out. Likewise, all the other batters also went out with a positive mindset, and that’s how we managed to capitalise on the conditions,” Perera further added.
The knock on Sunday was Perera’s first T20I fifty in three years, and while he was satisfied with his showing, the veteran claimed that there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
“Of course being out there in the middle and playing, I’m very happy with my performance. More than that I’m happy that the team won. That said I know there’s room for improvement and that will only come as I improve my match rhythm.”
KJP තරුණයන්ගෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටින්නේ ධනාත්මක මානසිකත්වයකින් ක්රීඩා කරන ලෙසයි
ශ්රී ලංකාව සුපිරි ඕවරය හරහා ජයග්රහණය කළ පළමු විස්සයි20 තරගයෙන් පසුව කුසල් පෙරේරාගේ ප්රතිඵලය, සවුත්පාව් තම සගයන්ගෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටියේ විස්සයි20 ජාත්යන්තර තරගවලදී වැඩි ශක්තියකින් ක්රීඩා කරන ලෙසයි.
“වේගයක් නොමැතිව T20 ක්රීඩා කිරීම දුෂ්කර ය, T20 ක්රිකට් ජයග්රහණය කිරීමට ඔබට එම වේගය ලබා දීමට පිතිකරුවෙකු අවශ්ය වේ,” පෙරේරා තරගයෙන් පසු සමුළුව අතරතුර පැවසීය.
“සංචිතයේ තරුණ ක්රීඩකයින් විශාල ප්රමාණයක් සිටින අතර, මම ඔවුන්ට පැවසූ දෙය නම්, ඔබ දැන් ඉගෙනීමට පටන් ගත යුතු අපහසුතාවයන් සමඟ කටයුතු කරන්නේ කෙසේද යන්නයි. පන්දු යවන්නන් ඔබ කැමති ආකාරයට පන්දු යැවීමට යන්නේ නැත, ඔවුන් ඔබව විශ්ලේෂණය කර ඔබේ ශක්තීන් සහ දුර්වලතා පිළිබඳව දැනුවත් වනු ඇත. එවැනි අවස්ථාවලදී අපි බුද්ධිමත් විය යුතුයි.”
ශ්රී ලංකා කණ්ඩායමේ ජයග්රහණයේ ප්රධානතම හේතුව වූයේ සෑම පිතිකරුවෙක්ම ධනාත්මක චින්තනයකින් පිතිකරණයට යාම බව පෙරේරා අනාවරණය කළේය.
මීට පෙර කාසියේ වාසිය දිනූ නවසීලන්ත කණ්ඩායම ප්රථමයෙන් පන්දුවට පහර දීමට ශ්රී ලංකා පිලට ඇරයුම් කළ අතර එහිදී ලකුණු 196-5ක් ලබා ගත් චරිත් අසලංක පන්දු 41කදී ලකුණු 67ක් රැස් කළේය.
කුසල් පෙරේරා (53), කුසල් මෙන්ඩිස් (25) සහ වනිඳු හසරංග (21) ද හොඳින් ක්රීඩා කරමින් සංචාරක ක්රීඩකයින් හට සෞඛ්ය සම්පන්න ලකුණු 196 ක් ලබා ගැනීමට උපකාර කළහ.
පිළිතුරු ලෙස නවසීලන්ත පිලට පළමු ඕවර දෙකේදී ආරම්භක පිතිකරුවන් දෙදෙනාම අහිමි වූ නමුත් පසුව ටොම් ලේතම් (27) සහ ඩැරල් මිචෙල් (66) ලකුණු 63 ක සම්බන්ධතාවක් ගොඩනැගූහ.
කඩුලු දැවී ගියද නවසීලන්තය විධිමත් ලෙස සීමා මායිම් සොයා ගනිමින් ඉලක්කයට ළඟා විය හැකි දුරින් රැඳී සිටියේය.
අවසන් පන්දුවේදී ජයග්රහණය සඳහා ලකුණු 7ක් අවශ්යව තිබියදී ඉෂ් සෝදි ඕවර හයේ ඩීප් මිඩ් විකට් එකක් දවාලමින් තරගය සුපිරි ඕවරයකට රැගෙන ගියේය.
සුපිරි ඕවරයේදී නවසීලන්ත පිලට ඔවුන්ගේ ඕවරයෙන් රැස්කර ගත හැකි වූයේ ලකුණු 8ක් පමණක් වූ අතර, චරිත් අසලංක ඇඩම් මිල්න්ගේ මන්දගාමී පන්දුවකින් ලණු ඉවත් කර ඊළඟ පන්දුව තවත් හතරකට වේගවත් කළ බැවින් කාර්යය ඉටු කිරීමට ශ්රී ලංකා ක්රීඩකයන්ට ගත වූයේ ඔවුන්ගේ නියමිත හයේ භාගයක් පමණි. .
“මම ධනාත්මක මානසිකත්වයකින් ඉදිරියට ගියා. මම කොච්චර වෙලාවක් එළියට ගියාද කියලා හිතුවේ නැහැ. ඒ වගේම අනෙක් සියලුම පිතිකරුවන් ධනාත්මක මානසිකත්වයකින් එළියට ගියා. අපි කොන්දේසි වලින් ප්රයෝජන ගත්තෙ එහෙමයි,” පෙරේරා වැඩිදුරටත් පැවසීය. එකතු කළා.
ඉරිදා එල්ල වූ පහර වසර තුනකට පසු පෙරේරාගේ පළමු විස්සයි20 අර්ධ ශතකය වූ අතර, ඔහුගේ දස්කම් ගැන ඔහු සෑහීමකට පත්වන අතර, ප්රවීණයා කියා සිටියේ වැඩිදියුණු කිරීමට තවමත් ඕනෑ තරම් ඉඩ ඇති බවයි.
“ඇත්තෙන්ම මැද්දේ එළියේ ඉඳලා ක්රීඩා කරනවා, මගේ දක්ෂතාවය ගැන මම ගොඩක් සතුටු වෙනවා. ඊට වඩා කණ්ඩායම දිනපු එක ගැන මම සතුටු වෙනවා. ඒ කිව්වේ මම දන්නවා දියුණු වෙන්න ඉඩක් තියෙනවා කියලා. මම මගේ දියුණුවට පස්සේ තමයි ඒක එන්නේ කියලා. රිද්මයට ගැලපේ.”
இளைஞர்கள் நேர்மறை எண்ணத்துடன் விளையாட வேண்டும் என்று KJP கேட்டுக்கொள்கிறது
சூப்பர் ஓவர் மூலம் இலங்கை வென்ற முதல் T20I இன் குசல் பெரேராவின் பின்விளைவு, தென்பாகம் T20 சர்வதேசப் போட்டிகளில் அதிக ஆற்றலுடன் விளையாடுமாறு தனது அணியினரை வலியுறுத்தினார்.
“வேகம் இல்லாமல் டி20 விளையாடுவது கடினம், டி20 கிரிக்கெட்டில் வெற்றி பெற அந்த வேகத்தை வழங்க உங்களுக்கு ஒரு பேட்டர் தேவை” என்று போட்டிக்கு பிந்தைய மாநாட்டின் போது பெரேரா கூறினார்.
“அணியில் நிறைய இளம் வீரர்கள் உள்ளனர், நான் அவர்களிடம் கூறியது என்னவென்றால், சங்கடமான சூழ்நிலைகளை எவ்வாறு கையாள்வது என்பதை நீங்கள் இப்போது கற்றுக் கொள்ள வேண்டும். பந்து வீச்சாளர்கள் நீங்கள் விரும்பும் விதத்தில் பந்துவீசப் போவதில்லை, அவர்கள் உங்களைப் பகுப்பாய்வு செய்து உங்கள் பலம் மற்றும் பலவீனங்களை அறிந்து கொள்ளப் போகிறார்கள். இதுபோன்ற சூழ்நிலைகளில் நாம் புத்திசாலித்தனமாக இருக்க வேண்டும்.”
இலங்கையின் வெற்றிக்கான திறவுகோல், அன்றைய தினம், ஒவ்வொரு பேட்டரும் நேர்மறையான மனநிலையுடன் பேட்டிங் செய்யச் செல்வதே என்று பெரேரா வெளிப்படுத்தினார்.
முன்னதாக நியூசிலாந்து டாஸ் வென்று இலங்கையை முதலில் பேட் செய்ய வைத்தது, அங்கு தீவுவாசிகள் 196-5 ரன்களை எடுத்தனர், சரித் அசலங்காவின் அதிகபட்ச 41 பந்துகளில் 67 ரன்களுக்கு நன்றி.
குசல் பெரேரா (53), குசல் மெண்டிஸ் (25) மற்றும் வனிந்து ஹசரங்க (21) ஆகியோரும் சிறப்பாக விளையாடி சுற்றுலாப் பயணிகளுக்கு ஆரோக்கியமான 196 ரன்களை எடுக்க உதவினார்கள்.
பதிலுக்கு, நியூசிலாந்து முதல் இரண்டு ஓவர்களில் இரு தொடக்க ஆட்டக்காரர்களையும் இழந்தது, ஆனால் டாம் லாதம் (27) மற்றும் டேரில் மிட்செல் (66) பின்னர் 63 ரன்கள் பார்ட்னர்ஷிப்பைப் பகிர்ந்து கொண்டனர்.
விக்கெட்டுகளை இழந்த போதிலும், நியூசிலாந்து வழக்கமான எல்லைகளை கண்டது மற்றும் இலக்கை தொடும் தூரத்தில் இருந்தது.
கடைசி பந்தில் வெற்றிக்கு 7 ரன்கள் தேவை என்ற நிலையில், இஷ் சோதி சிக்ஸர் ஓவரில் டீப் மிட் விக்கெட்டை அடித்து ஆட்டத்தை சூப்பர் ஓவருக்கு கொண்டு சென்றார்.
சூப்பர் ஓவரில் நியூசிலாந்து தனது ஓவரில் வெறும் 8 ரன்களை மட்டுமே எடுத்தது, மேலும் சரித் அசலங்கா ஆடம் மில்னே ஸ்லோயர் பந்தில் இருந்து கயிற்றை துடைத்ததால், அடுத்ததை மேலும் நான்கு ரன்களுக்கு உயர்த்தியதால், அந்த வேலையைச் செய்ய இலங்கை வீரர்கள் அவர்களுக்கு ஒதுக்கப்பட்ட சிக்ஸரில் பாதி மட்டுமே தேவைப்பட்டது. .
“நான் நேர்மறையான மனநிலையுடன் முன்னேறினேன், எவ்வளவு நேரம் நான் அவுட்டாக இருந்தேன் என்பதைப் பற்றி நான் யோசிக்கவில்லை. அதேபோல், மற்ற அனைத்து பேட்டர்களும் நேர்மறையான மனநிலையுடன் வெளியேறினர், அதனால்தான் நாங்கள் நிலைமைகளைப் பயன்படுத்திக் கொள்ள முடிந்தது,” பெரேரா மேலும் கூறினார். சேர்க்கப்பட்டது.
ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை அடித்தது பெரேராவின் மூன்று ஆண்டுகளில் முதல் T20I அரைசதம் ஆகும், மேலும் அவர் தனது காட்சியில் திருப்தி அடைந்தபோது, முன்னேற்றத்திற்கு இன்னும் நிறைய இடங்கள் இருப்பதாக மூத்த வீரர் கூறினார்.
“நிச்சயமாக நடுவில் வெளியே இருந்து விளையாடி, எனது செயல்திறனில் நான் மிகவும் மகிழ்ச்சியடைகிறேன். அதைவிட அணி வெற்றி பெற்றதில் நான் மகிழ்ச்சியடைகிறேன். அதில் முன்னேற்றத்திற்கு இடம் இருக்கிறது என்று எனக்குத் தெரியும், நான் என்னை மேம்படுத்தினால் மட்டுமே அது வரும். மேட்ச் ரிதம்.”
Cricket
Feroza, Sidra guide Pakistan Women to comfortable win
Pakistan Women produced a composed batting performance led by Gull Feroza and Sidra Amin to register a five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka Women in the opening ODI of their tour after successfully chasing 211 with seven overs to spare.
After opting to bat, Sri Lanka struggled to build substantial partnerships despite several batters making useful contributions. Opener Vishmi Gunaratne gave the hosts a positive start with 28 off 38 deliveries, striking four boundaries before becoming the first of three victims for left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu.
Captain Chamari Athapaththu looked set for a bigger score, compiling an elegant 46 from 67 balls with six fours. She added 53 runs with Hasini Perera for the second wicket, but Nashra’s timely breakthrough halted Sri Lanka’s momentum.
Perera contributed a patient 35 while Kavisha Dilhari added another valuable 35 in the middle order. Nilakshika Silva remained unbeaten on 46 from 50 deliveries, ensuring Sri Lanka batted out their full quota of 50 overs to post 210 for nine.
Pakistan’s disciplined bowling attack shared the workload effectively. Nashra Sandhu finished with impressive figures of 3 for 42, while Tasmia Rubab claimed 2 for 34. Umm-e-Hani, Syeda Aroob Shah and captain Fatima Sana chipped in with a wicket apiece to keep the scoring under control.
In reply, Pakistan laid the foundation through Gull Feroza, who produced a fluent 78 off 77 balls, laced with 11 boundaries. She dominated the opening stand before being trapped leg before wicket by Kavisha Dilhari after steering her side into a commanding position.
Experienced batter Sidra Amin anchored the chase with a measured 57 from 94 deliveries, rotating the strike effectively while building partnerships that kept Pakistan comfortably ahead of the required rate. Ayesha Zafar then finished the job with an unbeaten 27, while Najiha Alvi contributed a useful 13.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers found occasional breakthroughs, with Dilhari returning 2 for 37, while Inoka Ranaweera, Chamari Athapaththu and Nimasha Meepage claimed one wicket each. However, the modest target never placed Pakistan under sustained pressure as they reached 211 for five in 43 overs to take an early lead in the series.
Brief Scores:
Sri Lanka Women 210/9 (50 overs) – Chamari Athapaththu 46, Nilakshika Silva 46; Nashra Sandhu 3/42, Tasmia Rubab 2/34. Pakistan Women 211/5 (43 overs) – Gull Feroza 78, Sidra Amin 57, Ayesha Zafar 27; Kavisha Dilhari 2/37.
Football
European Parliament Members Push for FIFA Inquiry Over Balogun Suspension Decision
A group of European Parliament members is seeking a formal investigation into FIFA President Gianni Infantino following the controversial decision to allow United States forward Folarin Balogun to play after receiving a red card earlier in the tournament.
The lawmakers argue that the move raises serious concerns about FIFA’s independence and whether political influence played a role in altering a disciplinary decision during the FIFA World Cup.
Balogun, 25, was sent off in the United States’ July 1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Under standard tournament regulations, the dismissal would have ruled him out of his team’s next fixture. However, FIFA’s disciplinary authorities later lifted the suspension, enabling the striker to feature in Monday’s match.
The decision came after U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly appealed directly to Infantino on Balogun’s behalf, prompting criticism from European lawmakers who say football’s governing body compromised the integrity of its own rules.
In a joint statement, Members of the European Parliament Barry Andrews, Lara Wolters and Niels Fuglsang described the decision as “a disgrace and a perversion of justice,” arguing that changing the application of red-card suspensions during an ongoing tournament undermines confidence in the sport’s disciplinary system.
The lawmakers are calling on football associations across European Union member states to urge FIFA’s Ethics Committee to examine Infantino’s conduct. They want investigators to determine whether political pressure from the Trump administration influenced the reversal of Balogun’s suspension and to assess what they describe as other possible violations of FIFA’s principle of political neutrality, including the awarding of the FIFA Peace Prize to Trump.
FIFA has maintained that the decision to overturn Balogun’s suspension was made independently by its disciplinary committee.
According to the lawmakers, support for the initiative is growing, with 35 members of the European Parliament already backing the proposal.
“The beauty of sport lies in the consistent and transparent application of its rules,” the statement said. “When political influence determines who is eligible to compete, the principle of fairness is fundamentally weakened.”
News
Sri Lanka dominate Ceylon Masters with 36 gold medals
Sri Lankan shuttle experts recorded a majestic dominance at the claiming a record overall tally of 137 medals at the CMB Masters International Badminton Championships 2026, successfully held at the AIR Sports Complex in Rajagiriya. Out of the total Sri Lanka won a straight tally of 101 medals through their experienced shuttlers, while the remaining 36 were added from collaborations in Doubles with shuttlers from other nations.
From the tally of 101, Sri Lanka claimed 22 gold, 27, silver and 52 bronze medals to lead the medals tally at the end of the five-day competition held with the participation of over 500 leading Masters’ shuttlers representing 15 countries. India finished overall second with 65 medals – 19 each of gold and silver and 27 bronze medals.
Malaysia finished behind at third with nine medals, three each of gold and bronze and a silver to their tally. Chinese Taipei, China, Nepal, Switzerland, UAE, France, Australia and Indonesia followed in behind one another to complete the medal board, while certain nations claimed medals from Doubles events collaborating with shuttlers from other countries.
Among the standout performers for Sri Lanka were Niroshan Wijekoon, Nadeesha Gayanthi, Renu Chandrika de Silva, Thushari Brahmanage, Niluka Karunaratne, Rohan de Silva, Hasitha Chanaka, Duminda Jayakody and Deshani Bandara, who were among a host of local players to produce outstanding performances throughout the tournament. Many of the leading Sri Lankan competitors are former national players who represented the country during their prime, while several are former national champions. Their continued success highlighted the depth of experience and enduring quality within Sri Lanka’s Masters badminton circuit.
The strong participation of overseas players also reflected the growing appeal of the event on the international calendar. Players from 15 countries competed in the championships, reinforcing Sri Lanka’s potential to develop sports tourism by hosting major international Masters events.
The CMB International Badminton Championships 2026, organised by Ceylon Masters Badminton (CMB), also received strong backing from the corporate sector. Some of the country’s leading companies, including McLarens Group, Mobil, Prime Group, 3M, Cool Max, Iodex, Li-Ning, Hundred, RovinAds, Seylan Bank, Sampath Bank, HNB Finance, Ceylon Biscuits Ltd, Mr. FixIt, McFoil and Elite Badminton, stepped forward as sponsors, playing a key role in the successful staging of the tournament.
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