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Sri Lanka aims to bounce back and level series

Published

3 years ago

March 16, 2023

Editor

The touring Sri Lankan side will need nothing less than a monumental effort to bounce back in the second Test and level the series when they meet high-riding New Zealand on Friday (17) at Basin Reserve, Wellington.

Sri Lanka’s hopes of reaching the finals of the World Test Championship have already been done and dusted after a heart-breaking defeat in the first Test. The visitors will, however, look to end the series on a high, especially considering their performance in the first Test.

The visiting side showed plenty of character in the first Test and very nearly came out on top. With a slightly better performance, they could well pose a challenge again in this game.

From a batting perspective, if Sri Lanka gets to bat on day one, the conditions will be ideal for the likes of Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mednis and Angelo Mathews to pile on the runs.

Dimuth has been brilliant with his foot movement. Mendis too has looked assured in the middle and a brilliant century from Angelo Mathews must have made him more confident going into the second Test.

Sri Lanka will also be hoping for another strong showing from their pacers Kasun Rajitha, Asitha Fernando and Lahiru Kumara to do the talking with the ball.

There are still some areas of concern. The Lankans have been unable to fix their middle order problem for one. Though their batters Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva have been getting the starts and going into the 30s, they have not been able to translate them into a big knock. However, the middle order will depend more on veteran Angelo Mathews who has a brilliant record against New Zealand.

Sri Lanka will likely make one change to their playing XI with Niroshan Dickwella, who had a bad day at the office in the previous outing, probably losing his spot to Nishan Madushka/ Chamika Karunaratne.

Time is running out for Dickwella as youngsters like Nishan Madushka and Milan Rathnayake are waiting in the wings, despite his being in prime form.

Having wasted so many opportunities in his 54-Test career with a below-par average of 30.97 it will be interesting to see what call is taken by the Sri Lankan team management.

New Zealand, on the other hand, is coming into this match after winning a cliffhanger in the first Test in Wellington last week. The hosts are a superior side in the head-to-head competition in the red ball format between the two teams.

New Zealand is also likely to make a change to their playing XI with Doug Bracewell coming in for the injured Neil Wagner.

Probable squad:

New Zealand: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee (captain), Matt Henry, Blair Tickner.

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (captain), Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Nishan Madushka, Kasun Rajitha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando.

ශ්‍රී ලංකා පිලේ අරමුණ වී ඇත්තේ නැවතත් ඉදිරියට පැමිණ තරගාවලි සම කිරීමය

සංචාරක ශ්‍රී ලංකා පිලට සිකුරාදා (17) වෙලින්ටන්හි බේසින් රිසර්ව්හි දී හයි රයිඩින් නවසීලන්තය මුණගැසෙන විට දෙවැනි ටෙස්ට් තරගයෙන් ආපසු පැමිණ තරගාවලිය සම කිරීමට දැවැන්ත උත්සාහයක් අවශ්‍ය වනු ඇත.

ලෝක ටෙස්ට් ශූරතාවලියේ අවසන් මහා තරගයට පැමිණීමේ ශ්‍රී ලංකා කණ්ඩායමේ බලාපොරොත්තුව පළමු ටෙස්ට් තරගයේ දී හද කම්පා කරවන සුළු පරාජයකින් පසුව දැනටමත් සිදු කර දූවිලි ගසා දමා ඇත. කෙසේ වෙතත්, නරඹන්නන්, විශේෂයෙන්ම පළමු ටෙස්ට් තරගයේ ඔවුන්ගේ දක්‍ෂතා සැලකිල්ලට ගනිමින්, තරගාවලිය ඉහළ මට්ටමකින් අවසන් කිරීමට බලාපොරොත්තු වේ.

ආගන්තුක කණ්ඩායම පළමු ටෙස්ට් තරගයේ දී බොහෝ චරිත පෙන්නුම් කළ අතර ඉතා ආසන්නව ඉහළට පැමිණියේය. තරමක් හොඳ කාර්ය සාධනයක් සමඟ, ඔවුන්ට මෙම ක්‍රීඩාවේදී නැවත අභියෝගයක් එල්ල කළ හැකිය.

පිතිකරණ දෘෂ්ටිකෝණයෙන්, ශ්‍රී ලංකාව පළමු දිනයේ පන්දුවට පහර දීමට ගියහොත්, දිමුත් කරුණාරත්න, කුසල් මෙඩ්නිස් සහ ඇන්ජලෝ මැතිව්ස් වැනි ක්‍රීඩකයින්ට ලකුණු රැස් කිරීමට සුදුසු කොන්දේසි වනු ඇත.

දිමුත් ඔහුගේ පාද චලනයෙන් විශිෂ්ටයි. මෙන්ඩිස් ද මැද භාගයේදී සහතික වී ඇති අතර ඇන්ජලෝ මැතිව්ස්ගේ විශිෂ්ඨ ශතකයක් දෙවන ටෙස්ට් තරගයට යාමට ඔහුට වඩාත් විශ්වාසදායක විය.

කසුන් රාජිත, අසිත ප්‍රනාන්දු සහ ළහිරු කුමාර යන වේග පන්දු යවන්නන්ගෙන් පන්දුවෙන් කතා කිරීම සඳහා තවත් ප්‍රබල දස්කම් දැක්වීමක් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව බලාපොරොත්තු වනු ඇත.

තවමත් සැලකිලිමත් විය යුතු අංශ කිහිපයක් තිබේ. ශ්‍රී ලංකා ක්‍රීඩකයින්ට ඔවුන්ගේ මැදපෙළ ගැටලුව එකකට විසඳා ගැනීමට නොහැකි වී තිබේ. ඔවුන්ගේ පිතිකරුවන් වන දිනේෂ් චන්දිමාල් සහ ධනංජය ද සිල්වා ආරම්භය ලබා ගනිමින් 30 දශකය දක්වා පැමිණියද එය විශාල පහරක් බවට පරිවර්තනය කිරීමට ඔවුන්ට නොහැකි වී තිබේ. කෙසේ වෙතත්, නවසීලන්තයට එරෙහිව විශිෂ්ට වාර්තාවක් තබා ඇති ප්‍රවීණ ක්‍රීඩක ඇන්ජලෝ මැතිව්ස් මත මැද පෙළ වැඩි වශයෙන් රඳා පවතිනු ඇත.

නිශාන් මධුෂ්ක/ චාමික කරුණාරත්න හමුවේ ඔහුගේ ස්ථානය අහිමි වීමට බොහෝ දුරට ඉඩ ඇති අතර, පෙර තරගයේදී කාර්යාලයේ නරක දවසක් ගත කළ නිරෝෂන් දික්වැල්ල සමඟින් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ඔවුන්ගේ ක්‍රීඩා කරන XI හි එක් වෙනසක් සිදු කරනු ඇත.

නිශාන් මධුෂ්ක, මිලාන් රත්නායක වැනි යොවුන් ක්‍රීඩකයින් ප්‍රමුඛ පෙළේ සිටියත් දික්වැල්ලට කාලය ගෙවෙමින් තිබේ.

30.97 ට වඩා අඩු සාමාන්‍යයක් සහිතව ඔහුගේ 54-ටෙස්ට් ක්‍රිකට් දිවියේ බොහෝ අවස්ථා අපතේ හරින ලද ශ්‍රී ලංකා කණ්ඩායම් කළමනාකාරීත්වය කුමන ඇමතුමක් ගන්නේද යන්න සිත්ගන්නාසුළු වනු ඇත.

අනෙක් අතට, නවසීලන්තය මෙම තරගයට පැමිණෙන්නේ පසුගිය සතියේ වෙලින්ටන්හිදී පැවැති පළමු ටෙස්ට් තරගයෙන් ක්ලිෆ්හැන්ගර් ජය ගැනීමෙන් පසුවය. කණ්ඩායම් දෙක අතර රතු පන්දු ආකෘතියේ හිසට හිස තරගයේ දී සත්කාරක කණ්ඩායම සුපිරි කණ්ඩායමකි.

ආබාධයකට ලක් වූ නීල් වැග්නර් වෙනුවෙන් ඩග් බ්‍රේස්වෙල් පැමිණීමත් සමඟ නවසීලන්තය ඔවුන්ගේ ක්‍රීඩා කරන XI හි වෙනසක් කිරීමට ද ඉඩ තිබේ.

විය හැකි සංචිතය:

නවසීලන්තය: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Doug Bracewell, Tim Southe (නායක), Matt Henry, Blair Tickner.

ශ්‍රී ලංකාව: දිමුත් කරුණාරත්න (නායක), ඕෂද ප්‍රනාන්දු, කුසල් මෙන්ඩිස්, ඇන්ජලෝ මැතිව්ස්, දිනේෂ් චන්දිමාල්, ධනංජය ද සිල්වා, නිශාන් මධුෂ්ක, කසුන් රාජිත, ප්‍රභාත් ජයසූරිය, ලහිරු කුමාර, අසිත ප්‍රනාන්දු.

ශ්‍රී ලංකා පිලේ අරමුණ වී ඇත්තේ නැවතත් ඉදිරියට පැමිණ තරගාවලි සම කිරීමය

විය හැකි සංචිතය:

இலங்கை மீண்டும் முன்னேறி தொடரை சமன் செய்வதை நோக்கமாகக் கொண்டுள்ளது

வெலிங்டனில் உள்ள பேசின் ரிசர்வ் மைதானத்தில் வெள்ளிக்கிழமை (17) ஹை ரைடிங் நியூசிலாந்தை சந்திக்கும் போது, சுற்றுப்பயணம் மேற்கொண்டுள்ள இலங்கை அணிக்கு இரண்டாவது டெஸ்டில் மீண்டும் எழுச்சி பெற்று தொடரை சமன் செய்ய மகத்தான முயற்சியைத் தவிர வேறொன்றும் தேவையில்லை.

உலக டெஸ்ட் சாம்பியன்ஷிப்பின் இறுதிப் போட்டிக்கு செல்லும் இலங்கையின் நம்பிக்கை ஏற்கனவே முதல் டெஸ்டில் இதயத்தை உடைக்கும் தோல்விக்குப் பிறகு தூள்தூளாகிவிட்டது. இருப்பினும், பார்வையாளர்கள், குறிப்பாக முதல் டெஸ்டில் அவர்களின் செயல்திறனைக் கருத்தில் கொண்டு, தொடரை அதிக அளவில் முடிக்க விரும்புவார்கள்.

வருகை தருபவர்கள் முதல் டெஸ்டில் ஏராளமான குணங்களை வெளிப்படுத்தினர் மற்றும் கிட்டத்தட்ட முதலிடம் பிடித்தனர். சற்று சிறப்பாக செயல்பட்டால், இந்த விளையாட்டில் அவர்கள் மீண்டும் ஒரு சவாலாக இருக்க முடியும்.

பேட்டிங் கண்ணோட்டத்தில், இலங்கை முதல் நாள் பேட்டிங் செய்ய கிடைத்தால், திமுத் கருணாரத்னே, குசல் மெட்னிஸ் மற்றும் ஏஞ்சலோ மேத்யூஸ் போன்றவர்கள் ரன்களை குவிக்க சிறந்த சூழ்நிலை இருக்கும்.

திமுத் தனது கால் அசைவில் அசத்தியுள்ளார். மெண்டிஸும் நடுப்பகுதியில் உறுதியாகத் தோன்றினார் மற்றும் ஏஞ்சலோ மேத்யூஸின் அற்புதமான சதம் அவரை இரண்டாவது டெஸ்டில் அதிக நம்பிக்கையடையச் செய்திருக்க வேண்டும்.

பந்து வீச்சாளர்களான கசுன் ராஜித, அசித்த பெர்னாண்டோ மற்றும் லஹிரு குமார ஆகியோரிடமிருந்து மற்றொரு வலுவான ஆட்டத்தை இலங்கை எதிர்பார்க்கிறது.

கவலைக்குரிய சில பகுதிகள் இன்னும் உள்ளன. இலங்கை வீரர்களால் மிடில் ஆர்டர் பிரச்சனையை சரி செய்ய முடியவில்லை. அவர்களது துடுப்பாட்ட வீரர்களான தினேஷ் சந்திமால் மற்றும் தனஞ்சய டி சில்வா ஆகியோர் தொடக்கங்களைப் பெற்று 30 களுக்குள் சென்று கொண்டிருந்தாலும், அவர்களால் அவற்றை பெரிய ஆட்டமாக மாற்ற முடியவில்லை. இருப்பினும், மிடில் ஆர்டர் நியூசிலாந்திற்கு எதிராக சிறந்த சாதனை படைத்த அனுபவமிக்க ஏஞ்சலோ மேத்யூஸையே அதிகம் சார்ந்திருக்கும்.

நிஷான் மதுஷ்கா/ சாமிக கருணாரத்னவிடம் தனது இடத்தை இழக்க நேரிடும்.

நிஷான் மதுஷ்கா மற்றும் மிலன் ரத்நாயக்க போன்ற இளம் வீரர்கள் டிக்வெல்ல சிறந்த ஃபார்மில் இருந்த போதிலும், அவர் களமிறங்கக் காத்திருப்பதால், டிக்வெல்லவுக்கு நேரம் ஓடிக்கொண்டிருக்கிறது.

அவரது 54-டெஸ்ட் வாழ்க்கையில் 30.97 க்கும் குறைவான சராசரியுடன் பல வாய்ப்புகளை வீணடித்துள்ள நிலையில், இலங்கை அணி நிர்வாகத்தால் என்ன அழைப்பு எடுக்கப்பட்டது என்பதைப் பார்ப்பது சுவாரஸ்யமாக இருக்கும்.

மறுபுறம், நியூசிலாந்து, கடந்த வாரம் வெலிங்டனில் நடந்த முதல் டெஸ்டில் கிளிஃப்ஹேங்கரை வென்ற பிறகு இந்த போட்டிக்கு வருகிறது. இரு அணிகளுக்கும் இடையிலான சிவப்பு பந்து வடிவத்தில் தலை-தலை போட்டியில் புரவலன்கள் சிறந்த அணி.

காயம் அடைந்த நீல் வாக்னருக்குப் பதிலாக டக் பிரேஸ்வெல் வருவதால், நியூசிலாந்து அவர்களின் ஆடும் லெவன் அணியில் மாற்றம் செய்ய வாய்ப்புள்ளது.

சாத்தியமான அணி:

நியூசிலாந்து: டாம் லாதம், டெவன் கான்வே, கேன் வில்லியம்சன், ஹென்றி நிக்கோல்ஸ், டேரில் மிட்செல், டாம் ப்ளூன்டெல், மைக்கேல் பிரேஸ்வெல், டக் பிரேஸ்வெல், டிம் சவுத்தி (கேப்டன்), மாட் ஹென்றி, பிளேர் டிக்னர்.

இலங்கை: திமுத் கருணாரத்னே (கேப்டன்), ஓஷதா பெர்னாண்டோ, குசல் மெண்டிஸ், ஏஞ்சலோ மேத்யூஸ், தினேஷ் சண்டிமால், தனஞ்சய டி சில்வா, நிஷான் மதுஷ்கா, கசுன் ராஜித, பிரபாத் ஜெயசூர்யா, லஹிரு குமார, அசித பெர்னாண்டோ.

Cricket

Dulani’s sparkling century powers Sri Lanka to thrilling victory

Published

2 weeks ago

July 31, 2026

Editor

Imesha Dulani stole the spotlight with a sensational unbeaten century as Sri Lanka Women chased down a formidable target of 177 to register a convincing six-wicket victory over Pakistan Women in the first T20I worked off at Dambulla international Stadium.

Pakistan looked set for victory after posting a competitive 176 for 7 in their 20 overs. Captain Muneeba Ali gave the innings early momentum with a fluent 42 off 24 balls, while Shawaal Zulfiqar anchored the innings superbly with a brilliant 63 from 41 deliveries, striking 10 fours and a six. Eman Naseer added a valuable 21, while Ayesha Zafar and Saira Jabeen played aggressive cameos in the closing overs to push Pakistan to an above-par total.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers shared the wickets, with Kavisha Dilhari leading the way with two dismissals. Chamudi Praboda, Sugandika Kumari and Kawya Kavindi chipped in with one wicket apiece, while disciplined fielding produced two crucial run-outs.

The chase belonged entirely to Dulani, who delivered the innings of the match. Displaying confidence, composure and a wide range of attacking strokes, she remained unbeaten on 101 from just 64 balls, smashing 17 boundaries and a six. Her innings combined elegance with controlled aggression, ensuring Sri Lanka stayed ahead of the required rate throughout the chase.

Captain Chamari Athapaththu provided the ideal platform with a sparkling 39 off 22 balls, adding 78 for the opening wicket before Nashra Sandhu broke the partnership. Although Sri Lanka lost wickets at regular intervals in the middle overs, Dulani remained firmly in control, rotating the strike effectively before accelerating when it mattered most.

Kavisha Dilhari contributed 11 valuable runs, while Nilakshika Silva remained unbeaten on nine as Sri Lanka reached 177 for 4 in 19 overs, sealing victory with six balls to spare.

Pakistan spinner Nashra Sandhu finished with two wickets, but she could do little to halt Dulani’s memorable knock.

Cricket

Feroza, Sidra guide Pakistan Women to comfortable win

Published

3 weeks ago

July 23, 2026

Editor

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

Published

1 month ago

July 11, 2026

Editor

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.”