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Sri Lanka topped Group B with a commanding win against Scotland

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Sri Lanka completed their group stage on a high when they defeated spirited Scotland by 82 runs to continue their unbeaten run with four victories out of four matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers on June 27, Tuesday.

The win also helped Sri Lanka to end their group stage on top of the points table.

Half-centuries from Nissanka and Charith Asalanka set Scotland a target of 246 runs. Still, some brilliant bowling across the Sri Lankan attack saw Scotland collapse, despite a valiant unbeaten 56 from Chris Greaves.

Invited to bat first in a difficult and tired wicket at the Queens Sports Club in Harare, Scotland did well to restrict Sri Lanka to just 245 runs at the break.

The Scottish team got early inroads picking up two wickets in the first powerplay. Sri Lanka however got back into the game, courtesy of three middle-order partnerships, which helped them put something respectable on board.

Opener Pathum Nissanka top scored with 75 runs off 85 balls, while Charith Asalanka hit 63 off 65.

Scotland slid to 73-5 in reply and was eventually dismissed for just 163 after two runouts in the same over sealed their fate despite an enterprising 56 not out from Greaves.

Mahesh Theekshana was the pick of the bowlers claiming 3-41, while Wanindu Hasaranag ended with figures of 2-42.

Theekshana was awarded the Player of the Match award after picking three wickets for 41 runs in 10 overs. Earlier in the game, Theekshana had contributed with the bat as well scoring 16 runs from 21 balls.

“When I batted, the wicket was a bit sloppy. We wanted to bowl stump to stump, and with our variation, we knew we could get them out. For the first two or three balls, I kept it wider, but then I kept it wicket to wicket. I think my strength is bowling with the new ball, my team is using that well. We knew we had 10 overs to bat when I walked out, so I wanted to play till the end and get that extra 20-30 runs”, said Mahesh Theekshana at the post-match presentation.

Commenting on the day’s performance Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka went on to say,

“All the boys are excited for the next round. These two points were very crucial. The wicket was not easy to bat on compared to the other wickets. Credit to Nissanka and Asalanka. Collapses happen. We play positive cricket. Playing positively and getting out is not a problem for us. Theekshana and Hasaranga always do the job for us. DDS and I are there to bowl for the fifth bowling option. Chameera is also injured”.

Meanwhile in the other encounter between Ireland and the UAE, Ireland batter Paul Stirling played a monstrous 162-run knockoff 134 balls to power his side to 349/4 in 50 overs against UAE in the ICC World Cup 2023 qualifiers. The bowlers then put on a clinical show to fold UAE for just 210 runs.

ස්කොට්ලන්තයට එරෙහිව විශිෂ්ට ජයග්‍රහණයක් ලබා ගනිමින් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව B කාණ්ඩයේ පෙරමුණ ගැනීමට සමත් විය

ජූනි 27 වෙනි අඟහරුවාදා පැවති ICC ක්‍රිකට් ලෝක කුසලාන සුදුසුකම් ලැබීමේ තරඟාවලියේ තරඟ හතරකින් ජයග්‍රහණ හතරක් සමඟින් ඔවුන්ගේ අපරාජිත බව අඛණ්ඩව පවත්වා ගෙන යාම සඳහා ස්කොට්ලන්තය ලකුණු 82 කින් පරාජය කරමින් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව සිය කණ්ඩායම් අදියර ඉහළ මට්ටමක අවසන් කළේය.

මෙම ජයග්‍රහණය ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට ප්‍රසාද ලකුණු සටහනේ ඉහළින්ම සිය කාණ්ඩ වටය අවසන් කිරීමට ද ඉවහල් විය.

නිශ්ශංක සහ චරිත් අසලංකගේ අර්ධ ශතක හේතුවෙන් ස්කොට්ලන්තයට ලකුණු 246ක ඉලක්කයක් හිමිවිය. කෙසේ වෙතත්, ක්‍රිස් ග්‍රීව්ස් නොදැවී ලකුණු 56ක් ලබා සිටියද, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ප්‍රහාරය හරහා සමහර දක්ෂ පන්දු යැවීම් නිසා ස්කොට්ලන්තය බිඳ වැටුණි.

හරාරේ හි ක්වීන්ස් ක්‍රීඩා සමාජයේ දුෂ්කර හා වෙහෙසකර කඩුල්ලක් තුළ පළමුව පන්දුවට පහර දීමට ආරාධනය කළ ස්කොට්ලන්තය, විවේකය වන විට ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ලකුණු 245 කට සීමා කිරීමට හොඳින් ක්‍රියා කළේය.

ස්කොට්ලන්ත කණ්ඩායම පළමු පවර්ප්ලේ කඩුලු 2ක් දවා ගනිමින් වේලාසනින්ම පිවිසිණ. කෙසේ වෙතත්, ශ්‍රී ලංකාව නැවතත් ක්‍රීඩාවට පිවිසියේ, මැදපෙළ හවුල්කාරිත්ව තුනක අනුග්‍රහයෙනි, එය ඔවුන්ට ගෞරවනීය දෙයක් නැව්ගත කිරීමට උපකාරී විය.

ආරම්භක පිතිකරු පැතුම් නිශ්ශංක පන්දු 85කදී ලකුණු 75ක් ලබා ගත් අතර චරිත් අසලංක ලකුණු 65ක් ලබා ගත්තේ ය.

පිළිතුරු ලෙස ස්කොට්ලන්තය ලකුණු 73-5 දක්වා පහත වැටුණු අතර අවසානයේ ග්‍රීව්ස් නොදැවී ලකුණු 56ක් ලබා සිටියදී එකම ඕවරයේදී දුවද්දී දැවී යෑම් දෙකක් ඔවුන්ගේ ඉරණම මුද්‍රා තැබීමෙන් පසුව ලකුණු 163කට දැවී ගියේය.

පන්දු යවන්නන් අතරින් මහේෂ් තීක්ෂණ ලකුණු 3-41කට හිමිකම් කියූ අතර වනිඳු හසරනාග් ලකුණු 2-42කින් අවසන් විය.

ඕවර 10කදී ලකුණු 41කට කඩුලු 3ක් දවාගත් තීක්ෂණ තරගයේ වීරයා සම්මානයෙන් පිදුම් ලැබීය. මීට පෙර තරගයට පිත්තෙන් ද දායකත්වය ලබාදුන් තීක්ෂණ පන්දු 21කින් ලකුණු 16ක් රැස් කළේය.

මේ අතර අයර්ලන්තය සහ එක්සත් අරාබි එමීර් රාජ්‍යය අතර පැවති අනෙක් තරගයේදී අයර්ලන්ත පිතිකරු පෝල් ස්ටර්ලින් පන්දු 134 කදී ලකුණු 162 ක් රැස්කරමින් තම කණ්ඩායම 2023 අයිසීසී ලෝක කුසලාන සුදුසුකම් ලැබීමේ තරගාවලියේදී එක්සත් අරාබි එමීර් රාජ්‍යයට එරෙහිව ඕවර 50 කදී ලකුණු 349/4 ක් ලබා ගැනීමට සමත් විය. පසුව පන්දු යවන්නන් සායනික දර්ශනයක් පෙන්වූයේ එක්සත් අරාබි එමීර් රාජ්‍යය ලකුණු 210කට නවතා දැමීමටයි.

Football

Sri Lanka Women Finish Qualifiers with 0 Goals, 20 Conceded – Who Will Take Responsibility?

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Colombo, July 3 – Sri Lanka Women’s National Football Team wrapped up their AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers campaign with a third straight defeat — a 2-0 loss to Laos — confirming their position at the bottom of Group F, with 0 wins, 0 goals scored, and 18 conceded in just three games.

But beyond the scorelines lies a far more serious issue: a complete collapse of women’s football development in Sri Lanka. And this time, the blame does not lie on one individual — but on a system that has failed the sport, from top to bottom.

Match-by-Match Recap

Match 1: Sri Lanka 0 – 10 Uzbekistan

  • Possession: 30%
  • Shots on Target: 0
  • xG: 0.0 vs Uzbekistan’s 3.60
  • A game that exposed a lack of preparation, structure, and fitness from the very start.

Match 2: Sri Lanka 0 – 8 Nepal

  • Possession: 50%
  • Defensive errors gifted goals, including a hat-trick by Sabitra Bhandari.
  • xG: Nepal 3.76 vs Sri Lanka 0.60
  • Tactical breakdown: Midfield collapsed under pressure, backline failed to close space.

Match 3: Sri Lanka 0 – 2 Laos

  • Possession: 50%
  • Shots on Target: 5
  • xG: 2.56 (Laos) vs 1.08 (Sri Lanka)
  • A more balanced performance, but defensive lapses in the 73rd and 90+2 minutes led to defeat. Sri Lanka couldn’t convert chances despite their best game statistically.

Final Group Standings – Group F

TeamMPGFGAGDPoints
🇳🇵 Nepal2170+176
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan2170+176
🇱🇦 Laos2216-140
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka3020-200

Tactical Issues Across All Matches

  • No clear formation or transition play.
  • Lack of defensive coordination — players failed to track runners, especially on the flanks.
  • No attacking identity — only 1.08 xG across three games.
  • In-game management absent — few substitutions or tactical shifts despite being outplayed.

While public criticism often targets the President of the Football Federation, this decline in women’s football runs deeper:

Who Is Accountable? Not Just the President

Women’s Football Committee:

  • Failed to organize any domestic tournament in recent years.
  • Selected the squad via open trials, with no league performance data to back selections.
  • No consistent training camps or fitness programs.

Executive Committee:

  • Remains silent on the recurring failures.
  • No inquiries, reviews, or structural reforms have followed Sri Lanka’s repeated humiliations — including the U20 Women’s SAFF defeat earlier this year.

Technical & Development Staff:

  • No tactical framework or youth development.
  • No modern coaching methods or international exposure for players.

The Bigger Problem: Silence and Stagnation

Sri Lanka is not just losing matches — it’s losing direction. The current state of women’s football is not the result of one bad campaign. It’s the product of years of neglect, political appointments, and a failure to treat women’s football with equal priority.

Even now, there is no explanation from the Executive Committee on how the women’s team was prepared or what plans exist for recovery.

Time for a Reset, Not Excuses

If Sri Lanka is serious about competing in international football, the following must be addressed:

  • ✅ A national women’s league
  • ✅ Provincial and school-level competitions
  • ✅ Professional coaching staff and structured fitness programs
  • ✅ Regular international friendlies and camps
  • ✅ Transparent selection processes based on performance, not politics

🔚 Conclusion

Sri Lanka’s 2026 AFC campaign should not just be remembered for the scorelines — but as a call for change. It is time for every stakeholder — from the Women’s Committee to the Executive — to reflect, respond, and rebuild.

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Sri Lanka Set to Face UAE in Crucial Rugby Clash Tomorrow in Colombo

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The Sri Lanka national rugby team will lock horns with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a much-anticipated international rugby encounter set to take place today (July 4) at the iconic Racecourse Ground, Colombo.

As part of their final preparations, the Sri Lankan team held an intensive training session today under the watchful eyes of the coaching staff. The team looked sharp, focused, and ready to bring their A-game to home soil.

This clash promises to be a key test for the Tuskers as they look to strengthen their footing in the regional rugby scene and gain momentum ahead of upcoming international competitions. UAE, a rising force in Asian rugby, will also be eyeing a big performance away from home.

Both teams are expected to field strong lineups, and the match is anticipated to draw significant interest from local fans eager to witness top-tier rugby action.

📍 Match Info
🗓️ Date: July 4, 2025
📍 Venue: Racecourse Rugby Grounds, Colombo
🕒 Kick-off: TBA

Stay tuned for live updates, photos, and post-match coverage on Sri Lankan Sports TV.

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Football

Sri Lanka Women Crushed 8-0 by Nepal in AFC Qualifiers – Tactical Collapse Raises Alarm

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Colombo, July 2 – Sri Lanka Women’s National Football Team suffered another brutal defeat in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers, going down 8-0 to a confident and clinical Nepalese side. Coming just days after a 10-0 hammering by Uzbekistan, this latest loss highlights deeper tactical, technical, and structural issues within Sri Lanka’s women’s football system.

Full-Time Score: Sri Lanka 0 – 8 Nepal

Half-Time: 0 – 4
Venue: Group F – AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers

Key Match Statistics

StatSri Lanka WomenNepal Women
Possession50%50%
Total Shots426
Shots on Target318
Shots off Target18
Expected Goals (xG)0.603.76
Corners014
Fouls46
Cards00
Offsides03

Tactical Breakdown – Why Sri Lanka Lost 8-0

Despite the possession being even at 50%, Sri Lanka was thoroughly outplayed. This is a classic case where possession stats mislead the reality on the pitch.

1. Poor Defensive Organization

  • Sri Lanka conceded 14 corners and 18 shots on target, indicating that Nepal constantly penetrated both flanks and delivered into the box unchallenged.
  • There was no compact defensive line, and Nepal exploited space behind Sri Lanka’s fullbacks repeatedly.

2. Ineffective Midfield Structure

  • While Sri Lanka held possession equally, it was largely passive and in non-threatening zones.
  • Nepal, on the other hand, converted their possession into 3.76 xG, showing how effective and vertical their transitions were.

3. Repeated Failures in Closing Down Key Players

  • Sabitra Bhandari scored a hat-trick within 26 minutes (14’, 36’, 40’) and was left unmarked multiple times.
  • Nepal’s attackers were given space and time to shoot – evident from the 18 shots on target.

4. No Offensive Threat

  • Sri Lanka managed only 4 shots in the entire game, with an xG of just 0.60.
  • With no corners and no real pressing, the team offered nothing going forward, allowing Nepal to push numbers up comfortably.

Back-to-Back Heavy Losses: Structural Failures Exposed

This defeat comes after a 10-0 loss to Uzbekistan, meaning Sri Lanka has now conceded 18 goals in two matches without scoring once.

This isn’t just a reflection of players’ on-field performance — it’s a glaring indictment of:

  • FFSL’s failure to conduct any women’s football league in years
  • A rushed team selection based on a short trial, without competitive match practice
  • No structured coaching program or international exposure
  • Lack of scouting, fitness programs, and tactical planning

Nepal, though not an Asian powerhouse, had better coaching structure, player chemistry, and clear tactics, which led to their dominance.

What’s Next for Sri Lanka?

If the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) and the Ministry of Sports continue to ignore these warning signs, Sri Lanka risks becoming irrelevant in women’s football on the Asian stage.

What’s needed:

  • ✅ A proper national women’s league
  • ✅ Regular youth-level competitions and scouting
  • ✅ Appointing qualified coaching staff with modern tactical knowledge
  • ✅ Consistent international exposure for players

Conclusion

An 8-0 defeat to Nepal isn’t just a bad result — it’s a mirror held up to a broken system. Unless real change is implemented beyond symbolic participation, these results will become Sri Lanka’s norm in women’s football.

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