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Sri Lanka secured a world cup spot thanks to Nissanka’s ton

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Pathum Nissanka’s century and Maheesh Theekshana’s four-for helped Sri Lanka thump Zimbabwe in their second super six games of the ongoing world cup qualifiers worked off at Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on Sunday.

The win saw Dasun Shanaka and co confirmed their tickets to India for the World Cup in October.

Put into bat first the host didn’t have the best of the starts as they were reduced to 30-3 inside the first powerplay.

With Zimbabwe at a spot of bother
In-form Sean Williams (56) and Sikandar Raza (31) however revived their innings with a 68-run fourth-wicket stand.

With Zimbabwe slowly recovering from their shaky start, skipper Dasun Shanaka delivered the all-important breakthrough when he claimed the wicket of his mate Sikandar Raza when he was caught at the boundary line.

After the breakthrough, the Zimbabwe middle and lower-middle-order never recovered as wickets tumbled like nine pins.

Mahesh Theekshana was the architect of Zimbabwe’s collapse as he ended with figures of 4-25.

He claimed the all-important wickets of Sean Williams (56), Ryan Burl (16), L Jonwe (10) and B. Muzarabani (00) to set up an easy win for Sri Lanka. The last seven wickets fell for just 67 runs.

In response to 165, Sri Lanka was led by Pathum Nissanka who made a run-a-ball fifty to seal the match.

He was involved in a 100-run partnership with Dimuth Karunaratne for the first wicket.

Dimuth playing an anchor role went on to score 30 runs before being caught at fine leg in the 19th over.

With the damage already done Nissanka continued to hammer the opposition bowlers all over the park steering Sri Lanka to their total, ably supported by Kusal Mendis who chipped in with unbeaten 25 runs.

Interestingly throughout the qualifying process, no team has scored over 200 runs against Sri Lanka which proves how quality a bowling attack they’ve got.

The islanders who are already booked their tickets to India will meet West Indies in their last outing on Friday (7).

Following the victory Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said it was crucial for the 1996 winners to be at the sport’s quadrennial showpiece.

“It was a much-needed thing for Sri Lanka to play on that big stage,” said Shanaka. “It’s always tough coming to the qualifiers, but still, if you go through the process and we knew with the team we’ve got, we were going to qualify for the World Cup.”

Zimbabwe skipper Craig Ervine said despite the heavy defeat they would stick to their game plan for Tuesday’s match against Scotland.

“I don’t think we need to prepare any differently from what we have been doing in this tournament [against Scotland],” said Ervine. “We have been playing some very good cricket. Sri Lanka was much better than us today.”

Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 165 in 32.5 overs (San Williams 56, Sikandar Raza 31, Maheesh Theekshana 4/25, Dilshan Madushanka 3/15).

Sri Lanka 169/1 in 33.1 overs (Pathum Nissanka 101 not out).

නිශ්ශංකගේ ශතකය නිසා ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ලෝක කුසලානයේ ස්ථානයක් තහවුරු කරගනී.

පැතුම් නිශ්ශංකගේ ශතකය සහ මහේෂ් තීක්ෂණගේ අනර්ඝ ක්‍රිඩා විලාශය හේතුවෙන් සිම්බාබ්වේ හි බුලවායෝ හිදී පැවැත්වෙන ලෝක කුසලාන සුදුසුකම් ලැබීමේ දෙවන සුපිරි හය තරඟවලදී ශ්‍රී ලංකාව සිම්බාබ්වේ පරාජය කළේය.

ප්‍රථමයෙන් පන්දුවට පහර දුන් සත්කාරක කණ්ඩායමට පළමු පවර් ප්ලේය තුළදී ඔවුන් ලකුණු 30-3ක් දක්වා අඩු වූ බැවින් හොඳම ආරම්භය නොතිබුණි.

සිම්බාබ්වේ සමඟ කරදරකාරී ස්ථානයක කෙසේ වෙතත් සිවුවැනි කඩුල්ලට ලකුණු 68ක සබඳතාවක් ගොඩනැගූ ෂෝන් විලියම්ස් (56) සහ සිකන්දර් රාසා (31) ඔවුන්ගේ ඉනිම යළි පණ ගැන්වූහ.

සිම්බාබ්වේ පිලේ බිඳවැටුණු ආරම්භයෙන් සෙමෙන් යථා තත්ත්වයට පත්වීමත් සමඟ නායක දසුන් ශානක සිය සගයා වූ සිකන්දර් රාසා හතරේ සීමාවේදී දැවී යන විට ඔහුගේ කඩුල්ල දවාගැනීමත් සමඟින් වැදගත් පෙරළියක් සිදු කළේය.

පෙරළියෙන් පසුව, සිම්බාබ්වේ මැද සහ පහළ මැදපෙළ කිසි විටෙකත් යථා තත්ත්වයට පත් නොවූයේ කඩුලු 9ක් මෙන් කඩා වැටුණු බැවිනි.

මහේෂ් තීක්ෂණ සිම්බාබ්වේ බිඳවැටීමේ නිර්මාපකයා වූ අතර ඔහු ලකුණු 4-25 කින් අවසන් විය.

ඔහු ෂෝන් විලියම්ස් (56), රයන් බර්ල් (16), එල් ජොන්වේ (10) සහ බී. මුසරබානි (00) යන සියලු වැදගත් කඩුලු දවා ගනිමින් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට පහසු ජයග්‍රහණයක් ලබා දීමට සමත් විය. අවසන් කඩුලු 7 බිඳ වැටුණේ ලකුණු 67කට පමණි.

ලකුණු 165ට පිළිතුරු ලෙස පැතුම් නිශ්ශංක විසින් තරගයේ ජයග්‍රහණය සඳහා ලකුණු 50ක් රැස්කරමින් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ඉදිරියෙන් සිටියේය.

ඔහු පළමු කඩුල්ලට දිමුත් කරුණාරත්න සමගින් ලකුණු 100ක සබඳතාවයකට සම්බන්ධ විය.

19 වැනි ඕවරයේදී ෆයින් ලෙග්හිදී දැවී යාමට පෙර දිමුත් නැංගුරමේ භූමිකාවක් ඉටු කරමින් ලකුණු 30ක් ලබා සිටියේය.

මේ වන විටත් සිදුවී ඇති හානියත් සමඟ නිශ්ශංක දිගින් දිගටම උද්‍යානය පුරා සිටින ප්‍රතිවාදී පන්දු යවන්නන්ට පහර දෙමින් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ඔවුන්ගේ මුළු ලකුණු සංඛ්‍යාව කරා මෙහෙයවමින් නොදැවී ලකුණු 25ක් ලබා ගත් කුසල් මෙන්ඩිස්ගේ මනා සහයෙනි.

සුදුසුකම් ලැබීමේ ක්‍රියාවලිය පුරාවටම ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට එරෙහිව කිසිදු කණ්ඩායමක් ලකුණු 200කට වඩා රැස් කර නොතිබීම සිත්ගන්නා කරුණක් වන්නේ ඔවුන් කෙතරම් ගුණාත්මක පන්දු යැවීමක නිරත වූවාද යන්නයි.

දැනටමත් ඉන්දියාවට යාමට ප්‍රවේශපත්‍ර වෙන්කරගෙන සිටින දූපත්වාසීන් සිකුරාදා (7) බටහිර ඉන්දීය කොදෙව් කණ්ඩායම හමුවනු ඇත.

ජයග්‍රහණයෙන් පසුව ශ්‍රී ලංකා නායක දසුන් ශානක ප්‍රකාශ කළේ 1996 ජයග්‍රාහකයින් ක්‍රීඩාවේ සිව්වසර ප්‍රදර්ශන භූමියට පැමිණීම ඉතා වැදගත් බවයි.

“එම විශාල වේදිකාවේ ක්‍රීඩා කිරීම ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට ඉතා අවශ්‍ය දෙයක්,” ශානක පැවසීය. “සුදුසුකම් වටයට පැමිණීම සැමවිටම දුෂ්කර ය, නමුත් තවමත්, ඔබ ක්‍රියාවලිය හරහා ගියහොත් සහ අප සතුව ඇති කණ්ඩායම සමඟ අපි දැන සිටියහොත්, අපි ලෝක කුසලානයට සුදුසුකම් ලබන්නෙමු.”

සිම්බාබ්වේ නායක ක්‍රේග් අර්වින් පැවසුවේ දරුණු පරාජයක් ලැබුවද ස්කොට්ලන්තයට එරෙහිව අඟහරුවාදා පැවැත්වෙන තරගය සඳහා ඔවුන්ගේ ක්‍රීඩා සැලැස්මට ඇලී සිටින බවයි.

“මෙම තරඟාවලියේ [ස්කොට්ලන්තයට එරෙහිව] අප කරමින් සිටි දෙයට වඩා වෙනස් ලෙස සූදානම් විය යුතු යැයි මම නොසිතමි,” අර්වින් පැවසීය. “අපි ඉතා හොඳ ක්‍රිකට් ක්‍රීඩා කරනවා. ශ්‍රී ලංකාව අද අපට වඩා බොහෝ දියුණු විය.

සංක්ෂිප්ත ලකුණු: සිම්බාබ්වේ ඕවර 32.5 කදී 165 (සැන් විලියම්ස් 56, සිකන්දර් රාසා 31, මහේෂ් තීක්ෂණ 4/25, ඩිල්ෂාන් මධුශංක 3/15).

ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ඕවර 33.1කදී 169/1 (පැතුම් නිශ්ශංක නොදැවී 101).

Cricket

KSCA Officials Resign Over Chinnaswamy Stampede; RCB Faces FIR in Tragic Victory Celebration Fallout

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In a tragic turn of events following Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) historic IPL 2025 title win, a deadly stampede at the celebratory event held at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives and injured several others. The aftermath has sparked controversy and accountability issues, leading to major resignations and legal action.

Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam resigned on Friday, citing “moral responsibility” for the incident. Their resignations were submitted to KSCA president Raghuram Bhat, as questions mount over mismanagement and negligence at the overcrowded venue.

The Bengaluru Police have filed an FIR listing RCB, DNA Entertainment (event partner), and KSCA as accused parties. Police confirmed that the event had not been granted official permission. In a swift move, Nikhil Sosale, RCB’s head of marketing and revenue, was arrested—raising further scrutiny over organizational lapses.

KSCA has filed a writ petition calling the FIR a “knee-jerk” reaction under political pressure. They argued that crowd control and gate management were the responsibilities of RCB and the event organizers, not KSCA.

RCB has announced INR 10 lakh compensation for each victim and committed to covering all medical expenses of the injured. However, the franchise has yet to make a comprehensive public statement.

This incident raises serious concerns about sports event management and safety standards, casting a shadow over what was supposed to be a moment of celebration in Indian cricket

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Football

Asia Leads the Charge as 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Begin to Take Shape

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The road to the historic 2026 FIFA World Cup is gaining momentum, and Asia is already making its mark on football’s grandest stage. With an expanded format featuring 48 teams and co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, this edition promises to be the most inclusive and diverse yet — and Asia is stepping up early.

🇯🇵 Japan Sets the Benchmark for Asia

Japan was the first nation worldwide to book their ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, underscoring their dominance in Asian football. Unbeaten in their qualifying campaign with six wins and one draw, the Samurai Blue continue to be the standard-bearers for the continent.

🇮🇷 Iran Continues Consistent Form

Iran soon followed Japan, securing their seventh overall World Cup appearance and fourth consecutive berth. The team remained undefeated in their group, showcasing the experience and tactical depth that has made them a fixture on the world stage.

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan Makes Historic Debut

In one of the most emotional stories of the qualifiers so far, Uzbekistan qualified for their first-ever FIFA World Cup. A gritty 0-0 draw against the UAE was enough for the Central Asian side to clinch a spot, sparking nationwide celebrations. Their rise highlights the growing strength of second-tier Asian nations on the global stage.

Asia’s Presence Grows in 2026 Format

Asia is guaranteed eight slots in the 2026 World Cup — a significant jump from previous editions — allowing the region to showcase more talent, depth, and emerging football powerhouses. With teams like South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Australia still in the hunt, the continent could make a serious impact come 2026.

Global Context

The tournament’s expanded format and host countries in North America mark a new era for international football. With 104 matches, 16 host cities, and an increased number of participants, it will be a celebration of global diversity — and Asian nations are ready to shine.

Countries Qualified So Far

  • Asia: 🇯🇵 Japan, 🇮🇷 Iran, 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan
  • Oceania: 🇳🇿 New Zealand
  • South America: 🇦🇷 Argentina

(Additional qualifiers from other confederations are ongoing.)

As the countdown to 2026 begins, all eyes are on Asia’s rising stars — ready to challenge the world and redefine the future of football.

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Cricket

Sachithra Senanayake Indicted in Landmark Match-Fixing Case Under Sri Lanka’s Anti-Corruption Law

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Former Sri Lankan cricketer Sachithra Senanayake has been formally indicted before the Hambantota High Court, marking a historic first in Sri Lanka’s efforts to criminalize corruption in sports. The charges stem from an alleged match-fixing attempt during the 2020 Lanka Premier League (LPL), making Senanayake the first player to face prosecution under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Offences Related to Sports Act No. 24 of 2019.

Senanayake, currently out on bail, is accused of attempting to influence Colombo Kings player Tharindu Ratnayake to underperform during the tournament. The incident reportedly occurred via a WhatsApp message, which was later flagged by a local anti-corruption officer, prompting an official investigation in 2020.

The case falls under the landmark legislation introduced in 2019 by then Sports Minister Harin Fernando, which criminalizes match-fixing and related offenses in the country. If convicted, Senanayake could face a prison term of up to 10 years, a fine reaching Rs. 100 million, or both.

The indictment signals a serious shift in Sri Lanka’s approach to tackling corruption in sports. Authorities hope this high-profile case will serve as a strong deterrent against similar offenses in the future.

Senanayake, once a celebrated off-spinner and a member of Sri Lanka’s victorious 2014 ICC T20 World Cup squad, now faces the grim prospect of being remembered not for his achievements on the field, but for his role in one of Sri Lanka’s most significant match-fixing scandals.

As the case unfolds, it casts a spotlight on the broader issue of corruption in sports and reinforces the urgent need for integrity, vigilance, and transparent governance across all levels of competition in Sri Lanka

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