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Six players who will face T20 World Cup for the first time
The World Cup – is a dream stage for every player in the world. Always the ultimate goal of the athletes is to wear the jersey of their country and thus every year several young talents will come to their country hoping to win the prestigious trophy.
- Tristan Stubbs
At the age of 22, Tristan Stubbs is being touted by many as the future of South African cricket. He is yet to make a name for himself in the international arena but when it comes to domestic cricket (T20), Stubbs has already proved his mettle. In 34 domestic T20 matches, Stubbs has scored 784 runs at an average rate of 160.65.
- Harry Brook
Another young talent who could make a name for himself in the cricket world in the coming years is England batsman Harry Brook. Although he hasn’t done anything extraordinary in his short international career, his domestic record speaks volumes about his potential. The 23-year-old has played just four T20Is and has scored 65 runs. On the other hand, he has scored 2125 runs in 83 domestic T20 matches, at an impressive strike rate of 149.33.
- Arshdeep Singh
23-year-old Arshdeep Singh is known as a bowling specialist in death overs. He has proved himself several times in the Indian Premier League tournament, due to which the selection committee has selected him for the Indian squad. Arshdeep has taken 14 wickets in 11 international T20 matches he has played so far. He was unfortunately subjected to massive inconsiderate trolls on social media due to his lost catch in the Super 4 match against Pakistan in the Asia Cup. It was a strong reason for the T20 World Cup selection based on his pace and ability to swing the ball.
- Mosaddek Hossain
Although Mossadegh hasn’t played many T20Is, the 26-year-old showed his mettle in the Asia Cup. In the 23 T20 international matches he has played, Mossadegh has scored 310 runs at a strike rate of 120.62. The additional spinner has taken 14 wickets at an economy rate of 6.69 in the same number of matches. Thus, he can surely be a valuable asset for Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup.
- Naseem Shah
Naseem Shah has shown excellent performances in the limited opportunities he has had in T20Is. He played his debut T20I in the Asia Cup and took 7 wickets in five matches. He hit back-to-back sixes against Afghanistan in the last over of the Super 4 clash which helped Pakistan qualify for the final of the competition. In Australia, pitches are traditionally suited to fast bowlers. So Nazim can be a big threat. His numbers in domestic T20 leagues do not do justice to his abilities. In the 50 matches he has played, Naseem has taken only 51 wickets and that too at an economy rate of 8.12.
- Philip Salt
Philip Salt, known as the Tonker of the cricket ball, is a popular figure in several global T20 leagues. As an opener, he likes to be aggressive right from the first ball but he is yet to perform at the international level. Salt has scored only 68 runs in the four Twenty20 internationals he has played. In domestic cricket, he has accumulated 3640 runs in 158 matches so far. Despite hitting a good 150.22, his average is 25.45 which is a pity.
ප්රථම වරට විස්සයි 20 ලෝක කුසලානයට මුහුණ දෙන ක්රීඩකයන් හය දෙනෙක්
ලෝක කුසලානය – ලෝකයේ සෑම ක්රීඩකයෙකුගේම සිහින වේදිකාවක්. සෑම විටම ක්රීඩක ක්රීඩිකාවන්ගේ පරම පරමාර්ථය වන්නේ තම රටේ ජර්සිය පැළඳීම වන අතර ඒ අනුව සෑම වසරකම නවක දක්ෂයින් කිහිප දෙනෙකු තම රටට කීර්තිමත් කුසලානය දිනා ගැනීමේ බලාපොරොත්තුවෙන් පැමිණෙනු ඇත.
- Tristan Stubbs
වයස අවුරුදු 22 දී, ට්රිස්ටන් ස්ටබ්ස් දකුණු අප්රිකානු ක්රිකට් වල අනාගතය ලෙස බොහෝ දෙනා හදුන්වනු ලැබේ. ඔහු තවමත් ජාත්යන්තර තරග පිටියේ නමක් ලබාගෙන නැති නමුත් දේශීය ක්රිකට් (විස්සයි20) සම්බන්ධයෙන් ගත් කල, ස්ටබ්ස් දැනටමත් ඔහුගේ දක්ෂතා ඔප්පු කර ඇත. දේශීය විස්සයි20 තරග 34කදී, ස්ටබ්ස් ලකුණු 784ක් රැස්කර ඇත්තේ 160.65ක දළ ලකුණු වේගයක් ලබා ගනිමිනි.
- Harry Brook
ඉදිරි වසරවලදී ක්රිකට් ලෝකය නමක් දිනා ගත හැකි තවත් තරුණ දක්ෂයෙක් වන්නේ එංගලන්ත පිතිකරු හැරී බෘක් ය. ඔහුගේ කෙටි ජාත්යන්තර ජීවිතය තුළ ඔහු අසාමාන්ය දෙයක් කර නැතත්, ඔහුගේ දේශීය වාර්තාව ඔහුගේ හැකියාවන් ගැන කතා කරයි. 23 හැවිරිදි ඔහු විස්සයි20 තරග හතරකට පමණක් ක්රීඩා කර ඇති අතර ලකුණු 65ක් ලබාගෙන ඇත. අනෙක් අතට, ඔහු දේශීය T20 තරඟ 83 කදී, 149.33 ක ආකර්ෂණීය පහර වේගයකින් ලකුණු 2125 ක් ලබා ඇත.
- Arshdeep Singh
23 හැවිරිදි අර්ෂ්දීප් සිං ඩෙත් ඕවර් වල පන්දු යැවීමේ විශේෂඥයෙකු ලෙස හැඳින්වේ. ඔහු ඉන්දීය ප්රිමියර් ලීග් තරඟාවලියේදී කිහිප වතාවක්ම තමා බව ඔප්පු කර ඇති අතර, ඒ හේතුවෙන් තේරීම් කමිටුව ඔහුව ඉන්දීය සංචිතය සදහා තෝරාගෙන ඇත. අර්ෂ්දීප් මෙතෙක් ක්රීඩා කර ඇති ජාත්යන්තර විස්සයි20 ජාත්යන්තර තරග 11 කදී කඩුලු 14 ක් දවාගෙන තිබේ. ආසියානු කුසලානයේ පකිස්ථානයට එරෙහි සුපිරි 4 තරඟයේදී ඔහුට අහිමි වූ උඩ පන්දුව හේතුවෙන් ඔහු අවාසනාවන්ත ලෙස සමාජ මාධ්යවල දැවැන්ත නොසැලකිලිමත් ට්රෝල් වලට ලක් විය. ඔහුගේ පන්දු යැවීමේ වේගය හා පන්දුව දෝලනය කිරීමට ඇති හැකියාව මත T20 ලෝක කුසලාන තේරීම සඳහා එය ප්රබල හේතුවක් විය.
- Mosaddek Hossain
මොසැඩෙක් විශාල විස්සයි 20 තරග සංඛ්යාවක් ක්රීඩා කර නොතිබුණද, 26 හැවිරිදි ඔහු ආසියානු කුසලානයේදී ඔහුගේ දක්ෂතා පෙන්වීය. ඔහු ක්රීඩා කර ඇති විස්සයි20 ජාත්යන්තර තරග 23කදී මොසැඩෙක් ලකුණු 310ක් ලබාගෙන ඇත්තේ 120.62ක පහර වේගයකිනි. අතිරේක දඟ පන්දු යවන්නා වන ඔහු එම තරග සංඛ්යාවේදීම 6.69ක ආර්ථික වේගයකින් කඩුලු 14ක් දවාගෙන ඇත. මේ අනුව, ඔහු නිසැකවම T20 ලෝක කුසලානයේදී බංග්ලාදේශයට වටිනා සම්පතක් විය හැකිය.
- Naseem Shah
විස්සයි20 තරඟවලදී ඔහුට ලැබී ඇති සීමිත අවස්ථා වලදී නසීම් ෂා විශිෂ්ට දක්ෂතා පෙන්වා ඇත. ඔහු සිය මංගල T20I ආසියානු කුසලානයේදීම ක්රීඩා කළ අතර තරඟ පහකදී කඩුලු 7ක් දවා ගත්තේය. සුපර් 4 ගැටුමේ අවසන් ඕවරයේදී ඇෆ්ගනිස්තානයට එරෙහිව ඔහු පිට පිට හයේ පහරවල් එල්ල කළේ පාකිස්තානයට තරගයේ අවසන් මහා තරගයට සුදුසුකම් ලැබීමට හේතු විය. ඕස්ට්රේලියාවේ, තණතීරු සම්ප්රදායිකව වේග පන්දු යවන්නන්ට උචිත වේ. එම නිසා නසීම් විශාල තර්ජනයක් විය හැකිය. දේශීය T20 ලීගවල ඔහුගේ සංඛ්යාව ඔහුගේ හැකියාවන්ට සාධාරණයක් ඉටු නොකරයි. ඔහු සහභාගි වූ තරග 50 තුළදී, නසීම් දවාගෙන ඇත්තේ කඩුලු 51ක් පමණක් වන අතර, එයද 8.12ක ආර්ථික වේගයකින් දවාගෙන ඇත.
- Philip Salt
ක්රිකට් පන්දුවේ ටෝන්කර් ලෙස හැඳින්වෙන පිලිප් සෝල්ට් ගෝලීය T20 ලීග කිහිපයකම ජනප්රිය චරිතයකි. ආරම්භක පිතිකරුවෙකු ලෙස, ඔහු පළමු පන්දුවේ සිටම ආක්රමණශීලී වීමට කැමති නමුත් ඔහු තවමත් ජාත්යන්තර මට්ටමින් ක්රියාත්මක වෙමින් පවතී. ඔහු ක්රීඩා කළ විස්සයි20 ජාත්යන්තර තරග හතරේදී සෝල්ට් ලබාගෙන ඇත්තේ ලකුණු 68ක් පමණි. දේශීය ක්රිකට් ක්රීඩාවේදී ඔහු මේ දක්වා තරග 158කදී ලකුණු 3640ක් රැස්කරගෙන ඇත. 150.22ක හොඳ පහරක් එල්ල කළත් ඔහුගේ සාමාන්යය 25.45ක් වීම කණගාටුවට කරුණක්.
முதல் முறையாக டி20 உலகக் கோப்பையை எதிர்கொள்ளும் ஆறு வீரர்கள்
உலகக் கோப்பை – உலகில் உள்ள ஒவ்வொரு வீரருக்கும் ஒரு கனவு மேடை. விளையாட்டு வீரர்களின் இறுதி இலக்கு எப்போதும் தங்கள் நாட்டின் ஜெர்சியை அணிவதாகும், இதனால் ஒவ்வொரு ஆண்டும் பல இளம் திறமைகள் மதிப்புமிக்க கோப்பையை வெல்லும் நம்பிக்கையில் தங்கள் நாட்டிற்கு வருவார்கள்.
- டிரிஸ்டன் ஸ்டப்ஸ்
22 வயதில், டிரிஸ்டன் ஸ்டப்ஸ் தென்னாப்பிரிக்க கிரிக்கெட்டின் எதிர்காலம் என்று பலராலும் பேசப்படுகிறார். அவர் இன்னும் சர்வதேச அரங்கில் தனக்கென ஒரு பெயரை உருவாக்கவில்லை, ஆனால் உள்நாட்டு கிரிக்கெட் (டி20) என்று வரும்போது, ஸ்டப்ஸ் ஏற்கனவே தனது திறமையை நிரூபித்துள்ளார். 34 உள்நாட்டு டி20 போட்டிகளில், ஸ்டப்ஸ் சராசரியாக 160.65 என்ற விகிதத்தில் 784 ரன்கள் எடுத்துள்ளார்.
- ஹாரி புரூக்
வரும் ஆண்டுகளில் கிரிக்கெட் உலகில் தனக்கென ஒரு பெயரை உருவாக்கக்கூடிய மற்றொரு இளம் திறமையாளர் இங்கிலாந்து பேட்ஸ்மேன் ஹாரி புரூக். அவர் தனது குறுகிய சர்வதேச வாழ்க்கையில் அசாதாரணமான எதையும் செய்யவில்லை என்றாலும், அவரது உள்நாட்டு சாதனை அவரது திறனைப் பேசுகிறது. 23 வயதான அவர் நான்கு டி20 போட்டிகளில் விளையாடி 65 ரன்கள் எடுத்துள்ளார். மறுபுறம், அவர் 83 உள்நாட்டு டி20 போட்டிகளில் 149.33 ஸ்ட்ரைக் ரேட்டில் 2125 ரன்கள் எடுத்துள்ளார்.
- அர்ஷ்தீப் சிங்
23 வயதான அர்ஷ்தீப் சிங் டெத் ஓவர்களில் பந்துவீச்சு நிபுணராக அறியப்படுகிறார். இந்தியன் பிரீமியர் லீக் போட்டியில் அவர் பலமுறை தன்னை நிரூபித்துள்ளார், இதன் காரணமாக தேர்வுக்குழு அவரை இந்திய அணிக்கு தேர்வு செய்துள்ளது. அர்ஷ்தீப் இதுவரை 11 சர்வதேச டி20 போட்டிகளில் விளையாடி 14 விக்கெட்டுகளை வீழ்த்தியுள்ளார். ஆசியக் கோப்பையில் பாகிஸ்தானுக்கு எதிரான சூப்பர் 4 போட்டியில் அவர் இழந்த கேட்ச் காரணமாக அவர் துரதிர்ஷ்டவசமாக சமூக ஊடகங்களில் பெரும் கவனக்குறைவான ட்ரோல்களுக்கு ஆளானார். அவரது வேகம் மற்றும் பந்தை ஸ்விங் செய்யும் திறன் ஆகியவற்றின் அடிப்படையில் டி20 உலகக் கோப்பை தேர்வுக்கு இது ஒரு வலுவான காரணம்.
- மொசாடெக் ஹொசைன்
மொசாடெக் பல டி20 போட்டிகளில் விளையாடவில்லை என்றாலும், 26 வயதான அவர் ஆசிய கோப்பையில் தனது திறமையை வெளிப்படுத்தினார். அவர் விளையாடிய 23 டி20 சர்வதேச போட்டிகளில், மொசாடெக் 120.62 ஸ்ட்ரைக் ரேட்டில் 310 ரன்கள் எடுத்துள்ளார். கூடுதல் சுழற்பந்து வீச்சாளர் அதே எண்ணிக்கையிலான போட்டிகளில் 6.69 என்ற பொருளாதார விகிதத்தில் 14 விக்கெட்டுகளை வீழ்த்தியுள்ளார். இதனால், டி20 உலகக் கோப்பையில் வங்கதேச அணிக்கு அவர் நிச்சயம் மதிப்புமிக்க சொத்தாக இருக்க முடியும்.
- நசீம் ஷா
நசீம் ஷா டி20 போட்டிகளில் தனக்கு கிடைத்த குறைந்த வாய்ப்புகளில் சிறப்பான ஆட்டத்தை வெளிப்படுத்தியுள்ளார். அவர் ஆசிய கோப்பையில் தனது முதல் டி20 ஐ விளையாடி ஐந்து போட்டிகளில் 7 விக்கெட்டுகளை வீழ்த்தினார். அவர் சூப்பர் 4 மோதலின் கடைசி ஓவரில் ஆப்கானிஸ்தானுக்கு எதிராக அடுத்தடுத்து சிக்ஸர்களை அடித்தார், இது போட்டியின் இறுதிப் போட்டிக்கு பாகிஸ்தான் தகுதி பெற உதவியது. ஆஸ்திரேலியாவில், ஆடுகளங்கள் பாரம்பரியமாக வேகப்பந்து வீச்சாளர்களுக்கு ஏற்றது. எனவே நாஜிம் ஒரு பெரிய அச்சுறுத்தலாக இருக்கலாம். உள்நாட்டு டி20 லீக்குகளில் அவரது எண்ணிக்கை அவரது திறமைக்கு நியாயம் அளிக்கவில்லை. அவர் விளையாடிய 50 போட்டிகளில், நசீம் 51 விக்கெட்டுகளை மட்டுமே எடுத்துள்ளார், அதுவும் 8.12 என்ற பொருளாதார விகிதத்தில்.
- பிலிப் உப்பு
கிரிக்கெட் பந்தின் டோங்கர் என்று அழைக்கப்படும் பிலிப் சால்ட், பல உலகளாவிய T20 லீக்குகளில் பிரபலமானவர். ஒரு தொடக்க ஆட்டக்காரராக, அவர் முதல் பந்திலிருந்தே ஆக்ரோஷமாக இருக்க விரும்புகிறார், ஆனால் அவர் இன்னும் சர்வதேச அளவில் செயல்படவில்லை. சால்ட் தான் விளையாடிய நான்கு இருபதுக்கு 20 சர்வதேசப் போட்டிகளில் 68 ரன்கள் மட்டுமே எடுத்துள்ளார். உள்நாட்டு கிரிக்கெட்டில் இதுவரை 158 போட்டிகளில் விளையாடி 3640 ரன்கள் குவித்துள்ளார். நல்ல 150.22 அடித்தாலும், அவரது சராசரி 25.45 என்பது பரிதாபம்.
Cricket
Sri Lanka Stunned by Zimbabwe Despite 178 as Bowling Falters in Colombo
Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup campaign suffered a major setback as they went down to Zimbabwe by six wickets at the R. Premadasa Stadium — a result few predicted before the first ball was bowled.
After winning the toss and opting to bat, Sri Lanka posted what appeared to be a competitive 178/7. But defensive bowling and a lack of control in key moments allowed Zimbabwe to chase down 179 with three balls to spare, finishing on 182/4 in 19.3 overs.
Where Sri Lanka Lost the Game
Strong Start, Poor Finish with the Bat
Sri Lanka flew out of the blocks, scoring 61 runs in the Powerplay.
- Pathum Nissanka led the charge with a fluent 62 off 41 balls.
- The opening stand raced to 54 inside five overs.
However, momentum dipped sharply in the middle overs:
- Kusal Mendis struggled (14 off 20).
- The run rate slowed between overs 7–14.
- Despite a late push from Pavan Rathnayake (44 off 25), Sri Lanka managed only 28 runs in the final three overs.
From a position of dominance at 108/2, they could not push beyond the 185–190 mark — a total that, in hindsight, proved costly.
Failure to Strike Early with the Ball
Zimbabwe’s chase was built on a solid foundation:
- 55 runs in the Powerplay without losing a wicket.
- 69-run opening stand removed early pressure.
Sri Lanka never truly regained control.
The Raza–Bennett Counterattack
The turning point came when captain Sikandar Raza launched a brutal counterattack:
- 45 off 26 balls
- 4 sixes
- 50-run partnership in just 27 balls
Brian Bennett anchored the chase superbly with an unbeaten 63 off 48.
Raza’s assault in overs 15–18 shifted the momentum completely, taking the game away from Sri Lanka just when it seemed evenly poised.
Bowling Concerns Under Lights
Sri Lanka’s bowling lacked penetration:
- Maheesh Theekshana conceded 47 in 3.3 overs (13.42 economy).
- No early breakthroughs from the seamers.
- Only one Powerplay wicket across both innings combined.
On a Colombo surface that slowed slightly, Zimbabwe adapted better, rotating strike efficiently before accelerating at the death.
Key Numbers That Hurt Sri Lanka
- Zimbabwe Powerplay: 55/0
- Sri Lanka Powerplay wickets: 0
- Zimbabwe scored 150 in just 16.1 overs
- Sri Lanka conceded 9.33 runs per over in the chase
What This Means
Sri Lanka entered as favourites, especially batting first at home. But tactical lapses, middle-over stagnation, and expensive spells under pressure proved decisive.
Zimbabwe, disciplined with the ball and fearless in the chase, fully deserved their two points.
For Sri Lanka, questions now emerge:
- Is the bowling attack lacking bite?
- Are middle overs becoming a recurring concern?
- Was 178 ever going to be enough on this surface?
With tougher fixtures ahead in the T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka must regroup quickly — because performances like this could derail their campaign early.
Cricket
Sri Lanka Sweats on Pathirana Injury; Hasaranga Comeback on the Cards
Sri Lanka’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign has suffered a major setback, with fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana likely to miss the remainder of the tournament due to injury.
The 23-year-old sustained a calf injury during Sri Lanka’s Group B encounter against Australia on Monday at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. The incident occurred in his opening over when, after delivering the fourth ball, Pathirana suddenly pulled up clutching his left calf before collapsing to the ground in visible discomfort.
Team physiotherapists rushed onto the field as concerned teammates gathered around. The pacer was unable to leave the field without assistance, immediately raising concerns about the severity of the injury. Captain Dasun Shanaka completed the over in his absence.
Shortly after, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed that Pathirana would take no further part in the match. In a brief statement, SLC said the bowler had experienced discomfort in his left calf and would undergo medical scans for a full assessment.
Major Blow to Pace Attack
Initial indications suggest the injury could rule Pathirana out for the rest of the World Cup — a significant loss for Sri Lanka’s bowling unit. Known for his slingy action and deadly yorkers, especially at the death, Pathirana has been one of Sri Lanka’s most reliable T20 strike bowlers.
If ruled out, team management is expected to consider Dilshan Madushanka or Nuwan Thushara as potential replacements. While both offer pace and variety, replacing Pathirana’s unique skillset will be a challenge.
Hasaranga Return Under Discussion
In a parallel development, Sri Lanka are reportedly exploring the possibility of bringing Wanindu Hasaranga back into the squad as he continues recovery from a hamstring injury.
Although Hasaranga has not yet regained full match fitness, officials are said to be evaluating whether he could feature later in the tournament — particularly if Sri Lanka qualify for the Super Eight stage.
With their final group match effectively a dead rubber, Sri Lanka have a short window to reassess their injury situation and make strategic decisions. The team management is likely to wait for clearer medical reports before confirming any squad changes.
As the tournament enters a decisive phase, Sri Lanka’s hopes may depend as much on fitness updates as on performances on the field.
Cricket
Colombo Set for High-Voltage India–Pakistan Night Battle
ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup
Colombo is preparing for one of cricket’s biggest nights as India and Pakistan meet in a marquee clash of the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.
Beyond tactics and statistics, this is a contest built on history and pride. With both teams in form and World Cup ambitions on the line, Sunday night promises a high-quality contest under the Colombo lights.
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