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Seifert’s blitz helped New Zealand clinch the series 2-1
Tim Seifert’s brilliant 88 helped New Zealand edge Sri Lanka by four wickets in their thrilling third and final Twenty20 international in Queenstown on Saturday to complete a 2-1 series victory.
Put into bat first Sri Lanka posted 182 runs and in reply, New Zealand took 19.5 overs to achieve the target.
Openers Pathum Nissanka (25) and Kusal Mendis (73) laid a solid platform for their innings with a 76-run partnership until Pathum Nissanka bit the dust when he was caught at the boundary line off Ish Sodhi’s bowling.
His partner Mendis who was dropped on 10 by Mitchell at slip, punished New Zealand with 48-ball 73 runs that contained six fours and five sixes as the 28-year-old reached his 12th half-century in the company of Kusal Perera (33).
Dhananjaya de Silva and skipper Dasun Shanaka both made good starts after the pair departed but the tourists could not lay the final touches as they could score just 3 runs in the 19th and fell short of a match-winning total.
In reply Seifert led the run chase with outstanding innings, scoring 88 off just 48 deliveries,
which propelled the Black Caps to 183-6 in 19.5 overs.
The opener struck 10 fours and three sixes in an inning that bore many of the hallmarks of his unbeaten 79 when New Zealand levelled the series at Dunedin on Wednesday.
Captain Tom Latham provided the only meaningful support with 31 off 23 and New Zealand’s middle order nearly conspired to lose the game after Seifert departed with four overs remaining.
Needing to score at little more than a run-a-ball at that stage, the Black Caps stuttered.
Needing 10 runs to win off the final over bowled by Lahiru Kumara (3-38), Mark Chapman struck a six off the first ball before he was the first of three New Zealand wickets to fall.
With two still needed off the last two deliveries, Rachin Ravindra held his nerve to find a gap in the outfield and secure the 2-1 series win.
Brief scores: Sri Lanka 182/6 in 20 overs (Kusal Mendis 73, Kusal Perera 33; Ben Lister 2-37) lost to New Zealand 183/6 in 19.5 overs (Tim Seifert 88, Tom Latham 31; Lahiru Kumara 3-38) by 4 wickets
Seifert ගේ Blitz නවසීලන්තයට තරඟාවලිය 2-1 ක් ලෙස ජය ගැනීමට උපකාරී විය
ටිම් සෙයිෆර්ට්ගේ විශිෂ්ට ලකුණු 88 හේතුවෙන් නවසීලන්තය සෙනසුරාදා ක්වීන්ස්ටවුන් හි පැවති තෙවැනි සහ අවසන් විස්සයි20 ජාත්යන්තර තරගයෙන් කඩුලු 4 ක ජයක් අත්කර ගනිමින් ශ්රී ලංකාව 2-1 ක් ලෙස තරගාවලියේ ජයග්රහණය සම්පූර්ණ කළේය.
පළමුවෙන් පන්දුවට පහරදුන් ශ්රී ලංකාව ලකුණු 182ක් රැස්කළ අතර පිළිතුරු ලෙස නවසීලන්තයට එම ඉලක්කය සපුරා ගැනීමට පන්දුවාර 19.5ක් වැය විය.
ආරම්භක පිතිකරුවන් වන පැතුම් නිශ්ශංක (25) සහ කුසල් මෙන්ඩිස් (73) ලකුණු 76 ක සම්බන්ධතාවක් පවත්වමින් ඔවුන්ගේ ඉනිමට ශක්තිමත් වේදිකාවක් සකසා දුන් අතර, පැතුම් නිශ්ශංක ඉෂ් සෝදිගේ පන්දුවක් හමුවේ හතරේ සීමාවේ දී දැවී ගියේය.
28 හැවිරිදි කුසල් පෙරේරා (33) සමගින් සිය 12 වැනි අර්ධ ශතකය වාර්තා කරද්දී ඔහුගේ සහකරු මෙන්ඩිස් ලකුණු 10කට මිචෙල් අතට උඩ පන්දුවක් දෙමින් නවසීලන්තයට දඬුවම් කළේ පන්දු 48කදී හතරේ පහර 6ක් සහ හයේ පහර 5ක් සමඟින් ලකුණු 73ක් රැස්කරමිනි. )
ධනංජය ද සිල්වා සහ නායක දසුන් ශානක දෙදෙනාම දෙදෙනාම ඉවත්වීමෙන් පසු හොඳ ආරම්භයක් ලබා ගත් නමුත් 19 වැනි තරගයේදී ලකුණු 3ක් පමණක් ලබාගෙන තරගයේ ජයග්රාහී ලකුණු සංඛ්යාවට වඩා අඩුවෙන් දැවී ගිය නිසා සංචාරකයන්ට අවසන් කටයුතු සිදු කිරීමට නොහැකි විය.
පිළිතුරු ඉනිම ක්රීඩා කළ සීෆර්ට් ලකුණු 88ක් ලබා ගත්තේ පන්දු 48කදී ලකුණු 88ක් ලබා ගනිමින්.
එය ඕවර 19.5කදී බ්ලැක් කැප්ස් පිල ලකුණු 183-6කට තල්ලු කළේය.
බදාදා නවසීලන්තය ඩුනෙඩින් හිදී තරඟාවලිය සම කරන විට ආරම්භක පිතිකරු ඉනිමක හතරේ පහර 10 ක් සහ හයේ පහර 3 ක් එල්ල කළ අතර එය ඔහුගේ නොදැවී ලකුණු 79 හි බොහෝ සලකුණු දරයි.
නායක ටොම් ලේතම් ලකුණු 23කින් ලකුණු 31ක් ලබා ගනිමින් එකම අර්ථාන්විත සහය ලබා දුන් අතර නවසීලන්ත මැදපෙළ ඕවර 4ක් ඉතිරිව තිබියදී සීෆර්ට් පිටත්ව ගිය පසු තරගය පරාජයට පත්වීමට බොහෝ දුරට කුමන්ත්රණය කළේය.
එම අදියරේ දී පන්දුවට ලකුණකට වඩා මඳක් වැඩි ලකුණු ප්රමාණයක් ලබා ගැනීමට අවශ්ය වූ අතර, කළු කැප්ස් ගොත ගැසීය.
ලහිරු කුමාර යැවූ අවසන් ඕවරයේදී ජයග්රහණය සඳහා ලකුණු 10ක් අවශ්යව තිබියදී (3-38) පළමු පන්දුවේදීම හයේ පහරක් එල්ල කළ මාර්ක් චැප්මන් නවසීලන්ත කඩුලු තුනෙන් පළමුවැන්නා විය.
අවසන් පන්දු දෙකේදී තවත් දෙකක් අවශ්යව තිබියදී, රචින් රවීන්ද්ර පිටියේ හිඩැසක් සොයා ගැනීමට සහ 2-1 තරගාවලියේ ජයග්රහණය තහවුරු කර ගැනීමට ඔහුගේ ශක්තිය රඳවා ගත්තේය.
සංක්ෂිප්ත ලකුණු: ශ්රී ලංකාව ඕවර 20 කදී 182/6 (කුසල් මෙන්ඩිස් 73, කුසල් පෙරේරා 33; බෙන් ලිස්ටර් 2-37) නවසීලන්තයට ඕවර 19.5 කදී 183/6 පරාජය (tim Seifert 88, Tom Latham 31; Lahiru Kumara 3-38 ) විකට් 4 කින්
Seifert அதிரடி ஆட்டத்தால் நியூசிலாந்து தொடரை 2-1 என கைப்பற்றியது
Tim Seifert இன் அற்புதமான 88 ரன்களுக்கு நியூசிலாந்து குயின்ஸ்டவுனில் சனிக்கிழமையன்று நடந்த மூன்றாவது மற்றும் கடைசி இருபதுக்கு 20 சர்வதேச போட்டியில் 4 விக்கெட்டுகள் வித்தியாசத்தில் இலங்கையை வீழ்த்தி தொடரை 2-1 என்ற கணக்கில் கைப்பற்றியது.
முதலில் துடுப்பெடுத்தாடிய இலங்கை அணி 182 ஓட்டங்களை பெற்று பதிலுக்கு துடுப்பெடுத்தாடிய நியூசிலாந்து அணி 19.5 ஓவர்களில் வெற்றி இலக்கை எட்டியது.
தொடக்க ஆட்டக்காரர்களான பாத்தும் நிசாங்க (25) மற்றும் குசல் மெண்டிஸ் (73) ஆகியோர் இஷ் சோதியின் பந்துவீச்சில் பவுண்டரி லைனில் கேட்ச் ஆகி 76 ரன்கள் பார்ட்னர்ஷிப்பில் தங்கள் இன்னிங்ஸுக்கு உறுதியான தளத்தை அமைத்தனர்.
28 வயதான குசல் பெரேரா (33) ஜோடியில் தனது 12வது அரைசதத்தை எட்டியபோது, 28 வயதான அவர், 48 பந்துகளில் 6 பவுண்டரிகள் மற்றும் 5 சிக்ஸர்களுடன் 73 ரன்கள் எடுத்து நியூசிலாந்தை 10 ரன்களில் மிட்செல் வீழ்த்தினார். )
தனஞ்சய டி சில்வா மற்றும் அணித்தலைவர் தசுன் ஷனக இருவரும் இந்த ஜோடி வெளியேறிய பின்னர் நல்ல தொடக்கத்தை வழங்கினர், ஆனால் சுற்றுலாப் பயணிகளால் 19வது ரன்னில் வெறும் 3 ரன்கள் மட்டுமே எடுக்க முடிந்தது மற்றும் போட்டியில் வெற்றிபெறும் ஸ்கோரை விட குறைவாக வீழ்ந்தது.
பதிலுக்கு சீஃபர்ட் 48 பந்துகளில் 88 ரன்கள் எடுத்து சிறப்பான இன்னிங்ஸ் மூலம் ரன் வேட்டைக்கு தலைமை தாங்கினார்.
இது பிளாக் கேப்ஸை 19.5 ஓவர்களில் 183-6 ரன்களுக்குத் தள்ளியது.
தொடக்க ஆட்டக்காரர் ஒரு இன்னிங்ஸில் 10 பவுண்டரிகள் மற்றும் மூன்று சிக்ஸர்களை அடித்தார், இது புதன்கிழமை டுனெடினில் நியூசிலாந்து தொடரை சமன் செய்தபோது அவர் ஆட்டமிழக்காமல் 79 ரன்கள் எடுத்ததன் பல அடையாளங்களைத் தாங்கினார்.
கேப்டன் டாம் லாதம் 23 பந்தில் 31 ரன்களுடன் ஒரே அர்த்தமுள்ள ஆதரவை வழங்கினார் மற்றும் நியூசிலாந்தின் மிடில் ஆர்டர் நான்கு ஓவர்கள் மீதமுள்ள நிலையில் சீஃபர்ட் வெளியேறிய பிறகு ஆட்டத்தை இழக்க சதி செய்தார்.
அந்த கட்டத்தில் ஒரு ரன்-எ-பந்தை விட சற்று அதிகமாக ஸ்கோர் செய்ய வேண்டியிருந்தது, பிளாக் கேப்ஸ் தடுமாறியது.
லஹிரு குமார (3-38) வீசிய இறுதி ஓவரில் வெற்றிக்கு 10 ரன்கள் தேவை என்ற நிலையில், மார்க் சாப்மேன் முதல் பந்தில் சிக்ஸர் அடித்து நியூசிலாந்து 3 விக்கெட்டுகளை வீழ்த்தினார்.
கடைசி இரண்டு பந்துகளில் இன்னும் இரண்டு ரன்கள் தேவைப்பட்ட நிலையில், ரச்சின் ரவீந்திரன் அவுட்ஃபீல்டில் ஒரு இடைவெளியைக் கண்டுபிடித்து 2-1 என்ற கணக்கில் தொடரைக் கைப்பற்றினார்.
சுருக்கமான ஸ்கோர்கள்: இலங்கை 20 ஓவரில் 182/6 (குசல் மெண்டிஸ் 73, குசல் பெரேரா 33; பென் லிஸ்டர் 2-37) நியூசிலாந்திடம் 19.5 ஓவரில் 183/6 (டிம் சீஃபர்ட் 88, டாம் லதம் 31; லஹிரு குமார 3-38) தோல்வியடைந்தது. ) 4 விக்கெட்டுகள்
Cricket
Pathum Nissanka set to open alongside KL Rahul for Delhi Capitals opener
Delhi Capitals are set to kick off their IPL 2026 campaign with a fresh opening combination, as Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka is likely to partner India star KL Rahul at the top of the order.
The Capitals face Lucknow Super Giants in their opening match today at the Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground in Lucknow, and all eyes will be on how the new-look batting lineup shapes up. While Rahul’s role as opener is confirmed, the team management has been weighing their options for the second slot, with Prithvi Shaw and Abhishek Porel also in contention.
However, indications suggest that Nissanka has edged ahead in the race, with the franchise keen to utilize his consistency and ability to anchor innings in the powerplay. His calm approach at the crease could complement Rahul’s experience, giving Delhi a balanced start at the top.
The Capitals have also bolstered their middle order with the inclusion of David Miller, who adds firepower alongside fellow South African Tristan Stubbs. The duo is expected to provide the late-innings acceleration that Delhi often lacked in previous seasons.
Despite missing Australian pacer Mitchell Starc for the opening fixture due to injury, Delhi still boast a formidable bowling attack. Captain Axar Patel will lead from the front with his all-round abilities, while the spin department is strengthened by the ever-reliable Kuldeep Yadav.
In the pace department, South Africa’s Lungi Ngidi brings experience and variation, having impressed with his clever change of pace in recent T20 competitions. Meanwhile, left-arm seamer T Natarajan returns fully fit after a lengthy injury layoff, adding further depth to the attack.
Cricket
Avishka Gunawardena steps down from Sri Lanka Cricket role after reassignment
Former Sri Lanka international Avishka Gunawardena has resigned from his position at Sri Lanka Cricket’s High Performance Centre, bringing an abrupt end to his latest stint within the national setup.
The decision comes shortly after a reshuffle in coaching responsibilities, which saw Gunawardena moved from his role as head coach of the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team to take charge of the Under-19 squad. While the transition was part of an internal restructuring, it is understood that the change played a key role in his decision to step away.
Gunawardena had been overseeing the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team in recent tours and development programs, earning praise for his work with emerging players. Several young cricketers are believed to have benefited from his guidance, progressing steadily through the ranks during his tenure.
Despite his contributions at the ‘A’ team level, the shift to the youth setup appears to have prompted his resignation from the High Performance Centre altogether. The move leaves a gap in Sri Lanka’s player development structure at a crucial time.
As of now, Sri Lanka Cricket has not issued an official statement regarding Gunawardena’s departure, nor have they named a successor to fill the vacancy.
Football
Sri Lanka stun Chinese Taipei with 3–1 away victory
The Sri Lanka National Football Team delivered an impressive performance to secure a 3–1 victory against the Chinese Taipei National Football Team on their home ground, marking their second consecutive away win against the same opponents in AFC Qualifiers action.
Coming into the match, Chinese Taipei held a higher FIFA ranking at 174, compared to Sri Lanka’s 194. However, rankings proved irrelevant on the day as Sri Lanka showcased resilience, discipline, and clinical finishing to dominate key moments of the game. This crucial win is expected to provide a significant boost to Sri Lanka’s FIFA standing, with projections suggesting a climb to around the 190 mark.
Sri Lanka opened the scoring in the 18th minute through Rahul Suresh, who capitalized on a well-constructed attacking move to give the visitors an early advantage. Building on that momentum, Niloshan Senthurvasan doubled the lead in the 26th minute, finishing confidently to put Sri Lanka firmly in control before halftime.
The second half saw Sri Lanka extend their lead further when Chinese Taipei defender Christoper Tiao inadvertently turned the ball into his own net in the 53rd minute, making it 3–0. Despite the setback, the hosts responded quickly, with Yao-Shing Yu finding the net in the 55th minute to pull one back and keep hopes alive.
However, Sri Lanka maintained composure for the remainder of the match, effectively managing the game and limiting further scoring opportunities for the home side. Their defensive organization and midfield control played a crucial role in preserving the lead until the final whistle.
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