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Nishan Madushka’s ton, Dilshan Madushanka’s four-fer help Sri Lanka level series 1-1.

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2 years ago

June 7, 2023

Editor

South Africa ‘A’ tour of Sri Lanka 2023

Opener Nishan Madushka hit a match-winning century while spearhead Dilshan Madushanka picked up a four-fer to help Sri Lanka outplay South Africa ‘A’ by 7 wickets and level the series 1-1.

Surprisingly both match winners Nishan Madushka and Dilshan Madushanka have been overlooked by the selectors for the ongoing Afghanistan series and hopefully, after their top performance, the selectors will keep a close eye on the duo before they finalize their squad for the upcoming world cup qualifiers in June-July in Zimbabwe.

Earlier winning the toss and electing to bat first in a humid day at Pallekele international cricket stadium the visitors didn’t have the best of starts as they were struggling right from the first ball to be bowled out for 176 runs eventually.

None of the batters were comfortable in the middle, especially against Dilshan Madushanka, who was all over the South Africa batting order.

Madushanka ripped through the South Africa top batting lineup to end with figures of 4 for 33.

At one stage it looked like the Proteas would be unable to go past at least the 100-run mark, as they were struggling at 7-42, but a 111-run partnership for the 8th wicket between Tristan Stubbs and Gerald Coetzee saw the innings revived where they went onto score 175 runs.

When the chips were down low order batter Coetzee top scored with a brilliant 89 ball 77 runs while Stubbs chipped in with 59 runs.

In reply, Sri Lanka achieved the target in just 29 overs thanks to
Nishan Madushka’s watchful 107 runs off 85 deliveries, including 13 boundaries and two sixes.

Madushka along with all-rounder Sahan Arachchige were engaged in a match-winning 104-run partnership for the 4th wicket to seal the match for the Lankan lads. Arachchige also scored an unbeaten half-century.

The two sides will next meet on Thursday (8) to play the third and final match at the same venue.

Brief Scores:
South Africa A: 175 all out (43.2) (Gerald Coetzee 77, Tristan Stubbs 59, Dilshan Madushanka 4/33)
Sri Lanka A: 178-3 (29) (Nishan Madushka 107, Sahan Arachchige 50, Lizaad Williams 1/25, Tshepo Moreki 1/25)

දකුණු අප්‍රිකා ‘ඒ’ හා ශ්‍රී ලංකා සංචාරය 2023

නිශාන් මධුෂ්කගේ ශතකය හා ඩිල්ෂාන් මධුශංක කඩුළු හතර සමඟින් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව තරඟාවලිය 1-1ක් ලෙස සමකරයි.

ආරම්භක පිතිකරු නිශාන් මධුෂ්ක තරගයේ ජයග්‍රාහී ශතකයක් වාර්තා කළ අතර ඉදිරියෙන් සිටි ඩිල්ෂාන් මධුශංක කඩුළු හතරක් ලබා ගනිමින් දකුණු අප්‍රිකා ‘ඒ’ පිල කඩුලු 7කින් පරදවා තරගාවලිය 1-1ක් ලෙස සම කිරීමට ශ්‍රී ලංකා පිලට හැකි විය.

පුදුමයකට මෙන් තරඟ ජයග්‍රාහකයින් වන නිශාන් මධුෂ්ක සහ ඩිල්ෂාන් මධුශංක යන දෙදෙනාම දැනට පැවැත්වෙන ඇෆ්ගනිස්ථාන තරඟාවලිය සඳහා තේරීම් කමිටුව විසින් නොසලකා හැර ඇති අතර ඔවුන්ගේ මෙම දක්‍ෂතාවයෙන් පසුව එළඹෙන ජූනි – ජූලි හි සිම්බාබ්වේ හි පැවැත්වෙන ලෝක කුසලාන සුදුසුකම් ලැබීමේ තරඟ සඳහා ඔවුන්ගේ සංචිතය අවසන් කිරීමට පෙර තේරීම් කමිටුව ඔවුන් දෙදෙනා කෙරෙහි දැඩි අවධානයෙන් සිටිනු ඇතැයි අපේක්ෂා කෙරේ.

පල්ලෙකැලේ ජාත්‍යන්තර ක්‍රිකට් ක්‍රීඩාංගණයේ පැවැති මෙම තරඟය කාසියේ වාසිය දිනා පළමුවෙන් පන්දුවට පහර දීමට පිටියට පිවිසි දකුණු අප්‍රිකානු කණ්ඩායමට නිසිලෙස ආරම්භය නොලැබීම හේතුවෙන් අවසානයේදි ඔවුන් ලකුණු 176කට දැවී ගියහ.

විශේෂයෙන්ම දකුණු අප්‍රිකානු මැදපෙළ පිතිකරුවන්ට තරඟය පුරාවටම ඩිල්ෂාන් මධුශංකට එරෙහිව රිසි සේ ක්‍රීඩාකිරීමට අවකාශයක් නොලැබුණි. එහිදී, මධුශංක ලකුණු 33කට කඩුලු 4ක් ලබා ගනිමින් දකුණු අප්‍රිකාවේ පිතිකරණ ලැයිස්තුව බිඳ දැමූවේය.

දකුණු අප්‍රිකානු කණ්ඩායමට ලකුණු 7-42ක් ලෙස අසීරු තත්ත්වයක සිටි මොහොතකදි ට්‍රිස්ටන් ස්ටබ්ස් සහ ජෙරල්ඩ් කොට්සි අතර 8 වැනි කඩුල්ල සඳහා ලකුණු 111ක සබඳතාවක් ගොඩනැගුණු අතර එහිදී ඉනිම යළි ගොඩනැගුනද ඔවුන් අවසානයේ ලකුණු 175කට දැවී ගියහ.

පන්දු 89කින් ලකුණු 77ක් රැස්කළ අතර, අවසන් පෙළ පිතිකරු Coetzee ලකුණු 77ක් රැස් කළ අතර ස්ටබ්ස් ලකුණු 59ක් රැස් කළේය.

පිළිතුරු ඉනිම ක්‍රීඩා කළ ශ්‍රී ලංකා කණ්ඩායම පන්දුවාර 29කදී එම ඉලක්කය සපුරා ගැනීමට සමත් වූ අතර නිශාන් මධුෂ්ක පන්දු 85කදී හතරේ පහර 13ක් සහ හයේ පහර 2ක් සමඟින් ලකුණු 107ක් රැස් කළේය.

මධුෂ්ක සහ තුන් ඉරියව් ක්‍රීඩක සහන් ආරච්චිගේ 4 වැනි කඩුල්ලට ලකුණු 104ක සබඳතාවක් පවත්වමින් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව වෙනුවෙන් තරගයේ ජය තහවුරු කළහ. ආරච්චිගේ නොදැවී අර්ධ ශතකයක් ද රැස් කළේය.

දෙපිලම මීළඟට බ්‍රහස්පතින්දා (8) තුන්වැනි සහ අවසන් තරගය එකම ක්‍රීඩාංගණයේදීම ක්‍රීඩා කිරීමට නියමිතය.

දකුණු අප්‍රිකාව A: සියලු දෙනා දැවී 175 (43.2) (ජෙරල්ඩ් කෝට්සි 77, ට්‍රිස්ටන් ස්ටබ්ස් 59, ඩිල්ෂාන් මධුශංක 4/33)
ශ්‍රී ලංකා ඒ: 178-3 (29) (නිෂාන් මධුෂ්ක 107, සහන් ආරච්චිගේ 50, ලිසාඩ් විලියම්ස් 1/25, ෂෙපෝ මොරෙකි 1/25)

நிஷான் மதுஷ்கவின் சதம் மற்றும் டில்ஷான் மதுஷங்கவின் நான்கு விக்கெட்டுகளால் இலங்கை அணி தொடரை 1-1 என சமன் செய்தது.

தொடக்க ஆட்டக்காரர் நிஷான் மதுஷ்கா ஆட்டத்தை வென்ற சதம் மற்றும் முன்னணி தில்ஷான் மதுஷங்க நான்கு விக்கெட்டுகளை வீழ்த்த, இலங்கை தென்னாப்பிரிக்கா ‘ஏ’ அணியை 7 விக்கெட் வித்தியாசத்தில் தோற்கடித்து தொடரை 1-1 என சமன் செய்தது.

வியக்கத்தக்க வகையில் மேட்ச்-வின்னர்களான நிஷான் மதுஷ்கா மற்றும் தில்ஷான் மதுஷங்க இருவரும் தற்போது நடைபெற்று வரும் ஆப்கானிஸ்தான் தொடருக்கான தேர்வாளர்களால் புறக்கணிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளனர், மேலும் அவர்களின் செயல்திறனைத் தொடர்ந்து ஜூன்-ஜூலை ஜிம்பாப்வேயில் நடைபெறவுள்ள உலகக் கோப்பை தகுதிச் சுற்றுக்கான அணியை இறுதி செய்வதற்கு முன்பு தேர்வாளர்கள் அவர்களை நீக்கியுள்ளனர். நெருக்கமாக கண்காணிக்க வேண்டும்.

பல்லேகல சர்வதேச கிரிக்கெட் மைதானத்தில் நடைபெற்ற இப்போட்டியில், நாணய சுழற்சியில் வென்ற தென்னாபிரிக்க அணி முதலில் துடுப்பெடுத்தாட களம் இறங்கியது.

குறிப்பாக தென்னாபிரிக்க மிடில் ஆர்டர் பேட்ஸ்மேன்களுக்கு போட்டி முழுவதும் தில்ஷான் மதுஷங்கவுக்கு எதிராக அவர்கள் விரும்பிய அளவுக்கு விளையாட இடம் கொடுக்கப்படவில்லை. அங்கு, மதுஷங்க 33 ரன்களுக்கு 4 விக்கெட்டுகளுடன் தென்னாப்பிரிக்காவின் பேட்டிங் தரவரிசையை தகர்த்தார்.

தென்னாப்பிரிக்க அணி 7-42 என்ற நிலையில் திணறிக் கொண்டிருந்த நேரத்தில் டிரிஸ்டன் ஸ்டப்ஸ் மற்றும் ஜெரால்ட் கோட்ஸி ஜோடி 8வது விக்கெட்டுக்கு 111 ரன்கள் சேர்த்தனர்.

89 பந்துகளில் 77 ரன்கள், கடைசி பேட்ஸ்மேன் கோட்ஸி 77 ரன்கள் மற்றும் ஸ்டப்ஸ் 59 ரன்கள் எடுத்தனர்.

பதிலுக்கு துடுப்பெடுத்தாடிய இலங்கை அணி 29 ஓவர்களில் வெற்றி இலக்கை எட்டியதுடன் நிஷான் மதுஷ்க 85 பந்துகளில் 13 பவுண்டரிகள் 2 சிக்ஸர்களுடன் 107 ஓட்டங்களைப் பெற்றார்.

மதுஷ்கா மற்றும் சஹான் ஆராச்சியின் 4வது விக்கெட்டுக்கு 104 ரன்கள் குவித்தது இலங்கையின் வெற்றியை உறுதி செய்தது. ஆராச்சிகே ஆட்டமிழக்காமல் அரைசதம் அடித்தார்.

இரு அணிகளும் வியாழக்கிழமை (8) அதே மைதானத்தில் மூன்றாவது மற்றும் கடைசி ஆட்டத்தில் விளையாடுகின்றன.

தென்னாப்பிரிக்கா ஏ: 175 ஆல் அவுட் (43.2) (ஜெரால்ட் கோட்ஸி 77, டிரிஸ்டன் ஸ்டப்ஸ் 59, தில்ஷன் மதுஷங்க 4/33)
இலங்கை ஏ: 178-3 (29) (நிஷான் மதுஷ்கா 107, சஹான் ஆராச்சிகே 50, லிசார்ட் வில்லியம்ஸ் 1/25, ஷெப்போ மோரேகி 1/25)

Football

Sri Lanka Women Finish Qualifiers with 0 Goals, 20 Conceded – Who Will Take Responsibility?

Published

6 hours ago

July 5, 2025

Editor

Colombo, July 3 – Sri Lanka Women’s National Football Team wrapped up their AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers campaign with a third straight defeat — a 2-0 loss to Laos — confirming their position at the bottom of Group F, with 0 wins, 0 goals scored, and 18 conceded in just three games.

But beyond the scorelines lies a far more serious issue: a complete collapse of women’s football development in Sri Lanka. And this time, the blame does not lie on one individual — but on a system that has failed the sport, from top to bottom.

Match-by-Match Recap

Match 1: Sri Lanka 0 – 10 Uzbekistan

Possession: 30%
Shots on Target: 0
xG: 0.0 vs Uzbekistan’s 3.60
A game that exposed a lack of preparation, structure, and fitness from the very start.

Match 2: Sri Lanka 0 – 8 Nepal

Possession: 50%
Defensive errors gifted goals, including a hat-trick by Sabitra Bhandari.
xG: Nepal 3.76 vs Sri Lanka 0.60
Tactical breakdown: Midfield collapsed under pressure, backline failed to close space.

Match 3: Sri Lanka 0 – 2 Laos

Possession: 50%
Shots on Target: 5
xG: 2.56 (Laos) vs 1.08 (Sri Lanka)
A more balanced performance, but defensive lapses in the 73rd and 90+2 minutes led to defeat. Sri Lanka couldn’t convert chances despite their best game statistically.

Final Group Standings – Group F

Team	MP	GF	GA	GD	Points
🇳🇵 Nepal	2	17	0	+17	6
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	2	17	0	+17	6
🇱🇦 Laos	2	2	16	-14	0
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	3	0	20	-20	0

Tactical Issues Across All Matches

No clear formation or transition play.
Lack of defensive coordination — players failed to track runners, especially on the flanks.
No attacking identity — only 1.08 xG across three games.
In-game management absent — few substitutions or tactical shifts despite being outplayed.

While public criticism often targets the President of the Football Federation, this decline in women’s football runs deeper:

Who Is Accountable? Not Just the President

Women’s Football Committee:

Failed to organize any domestic tournament in recent years.
Selected the squad via open trials, with no league performance data to back selections.
No consistent training camps or fitness programs.

Executive Committee:

Remains silent on the recurring failures.
No inquiries, reviews, or structural reforms have followed Sri Lanka’s repeated humiliations — including the U20 Women’s SAFF defeat earlier this year.

Technical & Development Staff:

No tactical framework or youth development.
No modern coaching methods or international exposure for players.

The Bigger Problem: Silence and Stagnation

Sri Lanka is not just losing matches — it’s losing direction. The current state of women’s football is not the result of one bad campaign. It’s the product of years of neglect, political appointments, and a failure to treat women’s football with equal priority.

Even now, there is no explanation from the Executive Committee on how the women’s team was prepared or what plans exist for recovery.

Time for a Reset, Not Excuses

If Sri Lanka is serious about competing in international football, the following must be addressed:

✅ A national women’s league
✅ Provincial and school-level competitions
✅ Professional coaching staff and structured fitness programs
✅ Regular international friendlies and camps
✅ Transparent selection processes based on performance, not politics

🔚 Conclusion

Sri Lanka’s 2026 AFC campaign should not just be remembered for the scorelines — but as a call for change. It is time for every stakeholder — from the Women’s Committee to the Executive — to reflect, respond, and rebuild.

News

Sri Lanka Set to Face UAE in Crucial Rugby Clash Tomorrow in Colombo

Published

2 days ago

July 4, 2025

Editor

The Sri Lanka national rugby team will lock horns with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a much-anticipated international rugby encounter set to take place today (July 4) at the iconic Racecourse Ground, Colombo.

As part of their final preparations, the Sri Lankan team held an intensive training session today under the watchful eyes of the coaching staff. The team looked sharp, focused, and ready to bring their A-game to home soil.

This clash promises to be a key test for the Tuskers as they look to strengthen their footing in the regional rugby scene and gain momentum ahead of upcoming international competitions. UAE, a rising force in Asian rugby, will also be eyeing a big performance away from home.

Both teams are expected to field strong lineups, and the match is anticipated to draw significant interest from local fans eager to witness top-tier rugby action.

📍 Match Info
🗓️ Date: July 4, 2025
📍 Venue: Racecourse Rugby Grounds, Colombo
🕒 Kick-off: TBA

Stay tuned for live updates, photos, and post-match coverage on Sri Lankan Sports TV.

Football

Sri Lanka Women Crushed 8-0 by Nepal in AFC Qualifiers – Tactical Collapse Raises Alarm

Published

3 days ago

July 2, 2025

Editor

Colombo, July 2 – Sri Lanka Women’s National Football Team suffered another brutal defeat in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers, going down 8-0 to a confident and clinical Nepalese side. Coming just days after a 10-0 hammering by Uzbekistan, this latest loss highlights deeper tactical, technical, and structural issues within Sri Lanka’s women’s football system.

Full-Time Score: Sri Lanka 0 – 8 Nepal

Half-Time: 0 – 4
Venue: Group F – AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers

Key Match Statistics

Stat	Sri Lanka Women	Nepal Women
Possession	50%	50%
Total Shots	4	26
Shots on Target	3	18
Shots off Target	1	8
Expected Goals (xG)	0.60	3.76
Corners	0	14
Fouls	4	6
Cards	0	0
Offsides	0	3

Tactical Breakdown – Why Sri Lanka Lost 8-0

Despite the possession being even at 50%, Sri Lanka was thoroughly outplayed. This is a classic case where possession stats mislead the reality on the pitch.

1. Poor Defensive Organization

Sri Lanka conceded 14 corners and 18 shots on target, indicating that Nepal constantly penetrated both flanks and delivered into the box unchallenged.
There was no compact defensive line, and Nepal exploited space behind Sri Lanka’s fullbacks repeatedly.

2. Ineffective Midfield Structure

While Sri Lanka held possession equally, it was largely passive and in non-threatening zones.
Nepal, on the other hand, converted their possession into 3.76 xG, showing how effective and vertical their transitions were.

3. Repeated Failures in Closing Down Key Players

Sabitra Bhandari scored a hat-trick within 26 minutes (14’, 36’, 40’) and was left unmarked multiple times.
Nepal’s attackers were given space and time to shoot – evident from the 18 shots on target.

4. No Offensive Threat

Sri Lanka managed only 4 shots in the entire game, with an xG of just 0.60.
With no corners and no real pressing, the team offered nothing going forward, allowing Nepal to push numbers up comfortably.

Back-to-Back Heavy Losses: Structural Failures Exposed

This defeat comes after a 10-0 loss to Uzbekistan, meaning Sri Lanka has now conceded 18 goals in two matches without scoring once.

This isn’t just a reflection of players’ on-field performance — it’s a glaring indictment of:

FFSL’s failure to conduct any women’s football league in years
A rushed team selection based on a short trial, without competitive match practice
No structured coaching program or international exposure
Lack of scouting, fitness programs, and tactical planning

Nepal, though not an Asian powerhouse, had better coaching structure, player chemistry, and clear tactics, which led to their dominance.

What’s Next for Sri Lanka?

If the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) and the Ministry of Sports continue to ignore these warning signs, Sri Lanka risks becoming irrelevant in women’s football on the Asian stage.

What’s needed:

✅ A proper national women’s league
✅ Regular youth-level competitions and scouting
✅ Appointing qualified coaching staff with modern tactical knowledge
✅ Consistent international exposure for players

Conclusion

An 8-0 defeat to Nepal isn’t just a bad result — it’s a mirror held up to a broken system. Unless real change is implemented beyond symbolic participation, these results will become Sri Lanka’s norm in women’s football.