News

Sri Lanka aims to bounce back and level series

Published

4 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.

News

BALL BLASTER 2026: SRI LANKA’S BIGGEST SCHOOL FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT RETURNS BIGGER THAN EVER

Published

4 days ago

September 17, 2026

Editor

24 Schools, 15 Venues and Three National Trophies as Ball Blaster Enters Its Third Year

COLOMBO — Ball Blaster, Sri Lanka’s premier school football tournament, is set to return in 2026 with its biggest edition yet, organized by Aasgard Sports (Private) Limited in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Schools Football Association and the Ministry of Education.

Now entering its third year, Ball Blaster has grown from 2023 with 20 schools into one of the country’s largest youth football events. The 2025 edition featured 16 schools competing across four groups, drawing national broadcast attention through Sri Lankan Sports TV and PEO TV. For 2026, the tournament expands significantly, with 24 schools set to compete across 15 venues nationwide, in a season spanning six weeks and 84 matches.

A NEW FORMAT: THREE TROPHIES, THREE CHAMPIONS

The standout feature of Ball Blaster 2026 is a new three-tier trophy format. Schools will be drawn into four groups of six, playing a round-robin group stage before advancing into one of three parallel championships based on their group finish: the Cup Trophy for group winners, the Bowl Trophy for runners-up, and the Plate Trophy for second runners-up. The format ensures every participating school remains in contention for a national title deep into the tournament.

All three championships will reach their conclusion on the same finals weekend, with third-place playoffs and grand finals for the Cup, Bowl and Plate trophies all being played at Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo.

“Ball Blaster has always been about giving young footballers a stage,” said a spokesperson for Aasgard Sports. “This year, we’re expanding that stage to every corner of the island, and making sure every school that takes part has something real to play for, right to the final whistle.”

BUILDING ON A STRONG 2025

Ball Blaster’s growth has been underpinned by strong sponsor support. The 2025 edition was backed by Lifebuoy as Title Sponsor, alongside Lemonade as Refreshing Partner and Sky Market Travels as Travelling Partner. Organizers say conversations are already underway with returning and new sponsors ahead of the 2026 season, as the tournament’s expanded scale — nationwide venues, a longer season and three separate finals — offers significantly greater visibility for partners.

BROADCAST AND COVERAGE

As in previous years, Ball Blaster 2026 will be broadcast live via Sri Lankan Sports TV and PEO Sports, with matches also available on YouTube and across Sri Lankan Sports TV’s digital platforms.

For sponsorship and partnership enquiries, contact: Pasindu Mihiranga Sri Lankan Sports TV | Aasgard Sports (Private) Limited 0726 85 18 18 marketing@srilankansportstv.com

www.srilankansportstv.com

Football

Jaswar Umar Hails FIFA Series as Turning Point for Sri Lankan Football

Published

1 week ago

September 10, 2026

Editor

Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) President Jaswar Umar has described the inaugural FIFA Series in Colombo as a major milestone for the country’s football development, saying the tournament has given Sri Lanka renewed confidence and a stronger connection with the international game.

Umar, who has been involved in efforts to strengthen Sri Lankan football administration and development, said hosting the tournament demonstrated that developing football nations could compete on the global stage when given meaningful opportunities.

The FIFA Series, held in Colombo in March 2024, brought Sri Lanka together with Bhutan, Papua New Guinea and the Central African Republic. The four participating nations represented three different confederations, giving Sri Lanka an unusual opportunity to face teams with different playing styles.

Sri Lanka completed its campaign unbeaten, drawing 0-0 against Papua New Guinea and defeating Bhutan 2-0. Umar said the matches provided valuable experience for the national team and helped players adapt to different forms of international competition.

DOHA, QATAR – DECEMBER 17: FIFA President Gianni Infantino with Football Federation of Sri Lanka President Jaswar Umar during a meeting on December 17, 2024 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Serhat Akin/FIFA)

He stressed that the benefits extended beyond the football field. Sri Lankan officials involved in administration, technical operations, media, medical services and event management gained practical experience in organising matches to international standards.

The Racecourse Ground also received an important upgrade through assistance from FIFA’s Forward Programme. The renovation enabled the historic Colombo venue to host international football and created improved facilities for future events.

Umar said one of the most important achievements was bringing international football closer to Sri Lankan supporters. Young fans were able to watch national players compete against foreign opposition in their own city, helping to inspire a new generation.

He thanked FIFA and its President Gianni Infantino for supporting developing football nations.

According to Umar, the FIFA Series has left Sri Lanka with more than match results. It has provided international experience, stronger administrative capabilities, improved infrastructure and, most importantly, renewed belief in the future of Sri Lankan football.

Cricket

Dulani’s sparkling century powers Sri Lanka to thrilling victory

Published

2 months 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.