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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
Athletics
Island Nation Sets Sail for Glory at Asian Beach Games 2026
Sri Lanka has officially set its sights on the shores of Sanya as the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka unveiled its national contingent for the Asian Beach Games at a vibrant media briefing in Colombo. The announcement signals the country’s formal entry into one of Asia’s most dynamic multi-sport events, where sand and sea form the arena for elite competition.
Scheduled to unfold from 22 to 30 April 2026 in Sanya, the Games will gather athletes from across the continent in a celebration of coastal sport and culture. With its tropical setting and growing reputation as a global beach sports destination, Sanya is expected to provide a fitting stage for both competition and camaraderie, beginning with the Opening Ceremony on 22 April and concluding on 30 April.
Sri Lanka’s presence at the Games will be marked by a 109-member delegation, featuring 77 athletes 40 men and 37 women competing across eight disciplines. Beyond the athletes, a dedicated support system of coaches, officials, and medical staff will ensure the team is equipped to perform at its best throughout the event.
The nation will compete in a diverse mix of sports that reflect both endurance and agility, including beach athletics, beach kabaddi, beach handball, beach volleyball, 3×3 basketball, open water swimming, beach wrestling, and sailing. This broad representation highlights Sri Lanka’s growing versatility in beach and water-based sports on the continental stage.
In a message shared in conjunction with the unveiling, Suresh Subramaniam, President of the National Olympic Committee, expressed strong confidence in the squad. He emphasized that the journey to Sanya represents more than just participation, describing it as a moment defined by unity, preparation, and national pride. He praised the athletes’ commitment and reaffirmed the country’s support as they prepare to compete with determination.
The event also introduced the team’s Chef de Mission, Samith Thilina, whose multifaceted background spans sports management, disaster risk reduction, and creative design. His role carries an additional layer of distinction, having personally designed the official team attire for the Games. Drawing inspiration from the Black Ruby Barb, the designs incorporate fluid oceanic elements that reflect Sri Lanka’s island identity, blending symbolism with a modern athletic aesthetic.

The unveiling of the official attire and Opening Ceremony outfits added a visual highlight to the occasion, reinforcing the team’s identity as they prepare to step onto an international stage.
Carrying the national flag at the Opening Ceremony will be Lakshika Sugandhi and Haren Dineth Wickramatillake. Sugandhi is set to compete in the women’s 60m and 4x60m events in beach athletics, while Wickramatillake will represent Sri Lanka in sailing under the Optimist Boys category, symbolizing both experience and emerging talent within the squad.
Cricket
IPL a Dream Stage for Sri Lankan Cricketers, Says Pathum Nissanka
Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka has hailed the Indian Premier League (IPL) as a coveted platform for players from his country, stressing the importance of making the most of every opportunity at the elite level. Representing Delhi Capitals, Nissanka noted that while injuries have sidelined some Sri Lankan players this season, those selected must step up and perform.
Speaking after a closely contested match, Nissanka highlighted the pride associated with competing in the IPL. He emphasized that every Sri Lankan cricketer aspires to play in the tournament and that seizing such opportunities is crucial for both personal and national progress.
Nissanka played a key role in Delhi’s chase, scoring a brisk 41 off 24 deliveries, including six boundaries and a six. Earlier, Gujarat Titans posted a formidable 210 for 4 after being sent in to bat. Their innings was powered by captain Shubman Gill (70 off 45), Washington Sundar (55 off 32), and Jos Buttler (52 off 27).
In response, Delhi Capitals got off to a strong start with Nissanka and KL Rahul putting together a 76-run opening stand in just eight overs. Despite the solid foundation, Delhi fell agonizingly short, losing the match by a single run.
Reflecting on the partnership, Nissanka credited Rahul’s experience and guidance, particularly in navigating challenging conditions. He explained that their strategy was to capitalize on the powerplay and build early momentum, adding that self-belief remains central to his approach at the crease.
Following the narrow defeat, Delhi Capitals sit fourth on the IPL points table with two wins from three matches, while Gujarat Titans occupy sixth place with one victory in as many games.
Cricket
Sri Lanka Cricket to Challenge Nuwan Thushara’s IPL NOC Petition
Sri Lanka Cricket has notified the Colombo District Court of its intention to challenge a petition filed by fast bowler Nuwan Thushara, who is seeking clearance to compete in overseas franchise tournaments, including the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL).
During recent court proceedings, the governing body stated that formal objections to the application will be submitted. The court has scheduled the matter to be taken up again on April 23, allowing Sri Lanka Cricket time to present its response.
Thushara’s petition requests an interim order compelling the board to grant him a No Objection Certificate (NOC), a requirement for players մասնակցating in foreign leagues. He argues that the certificate is essential for him to honor commitments with international franchises.
In his filing, Thushara has named several top officials of Sri Lanka Cricket as respondents, citing their roles in the decision-making process. He claims he was selected by an IPL franchise for the 2026 season, having previously taken part in earlier editions of the tournament with the board’s approval.
However, Sri Lanka Cricket has declined to issue the NOC this year, reportedly citing newly introduced fitness requirements. Thushara disputes this reasoning, noting that his contract with the board ended in March 2026 and that he has already stepped away from international cricket.
He further maintains that denying the NOC could result in financial losses and missed professional opportunities, as franchises may be forced to replace him.
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