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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.

Cricket

Team Green Clinch Women’s NSL T20 Title with Commanding Final Victory

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Team Green were crowned champions of the Women’s National Super League T20 tournament after producing a dominant six-wicket victory over Team Blue in the final played at the P. Sara Oval on Saturday.

The championship triumph was built on a disciplined and clinical bowling performance, as Team Green dismissed Team Blue for a modest total of 95 in 18.1 overs. Oshadi Ranasinghe led the attack with an outstanding four-wicket haul, applying sustained pressure through the middle overs and preventing any meaningful recovery. She received strong support from Malsha Shehani, Kawya Kavindi, Nimasha Madushani, and Udeshika Prabodani, as Team Blue struggled to establish partnerships.

Team Blue found resistance through Chamari Athapaththu, who played a determined innings of 51 from 41 deliveries. Her knock helped stabilise the innings after early setbacks, but regular wickets at the other end stalled momentum. Once Athapaththu was dismissed, the remainder of the batting lineup was unable to provide support, leading to a rapid collapse.

In response, Team Green approached the chase with calm assurance. Despite losing a few early wickets, they remained firmly in control throughout the pursuit of the modest target. Nilakshika Silva anchored the innings with a composed unbeaten 36, rotating the strike effectively and keeping the scoreboard ticking. Oshadi Ranasinghe completed a memorable all-round performance by contributing an unbeaten 16, ensuring there were no late complications.

Team Green reached the target at 98 for 4 in 18.1 overs, sealing the title with 11 balls to spare. Team Blue’s bowlers attempted to apply pressure, but the total proved insufficient to trouble a well-organised batting unit.

The victory capped a successful campaign for Team Green, underlining their consistency and balance throughout the tournament, while Oshadi Ranasinghe’s all-round brilliance stood out on the biggest stage.

Brief Scores

Team Blue – 95 all out in 18.1 overs
Chamari Athapaththu 51; Oshadi Ranasinghe 4/17, Udeshika Prabodani 1/17

Team Green – 98/4 in 18.1 overs
Nilakshika Silva 36*, Oshadi Ranasinghe 16*; Devmi Vihanga 1/22

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Milan, Dunith Likely to Return for ODIs as Sri Lanka Prepare for England Series

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England Tour of Sri Lanka 2026

All-rounders Milan Rathnayake and Dunith Wellalage are set to make their return to Sri Lanka’s One-Day International squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against England, which is scheduled to begin in the coming days.

Sri Lanka selectors have opted for a well-balanced squad that blends experienced campaigners with emerging talent as the hosts prepare for a demanding home series against a strong England side.

Charith Asalanka will continue to lead the ODI team as captain, with his role in the middle order expected to be pivotal. Asalanka’s ability to absorb pressure and accelerate when required will be key against England’s varied bowling attack.

At the top of the order, Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara are expected to open the batting. Nissanka’s consistency and sound technique remain central to Sri Lanka’s ODI plans, while Mishara will be eager to convert starts into meaningful contributions. Their partnership will be crucial in providing solid foundations.

Wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis adds experience and aggression to the middle order, offering Sri Lanka flexibility in both tempo and shot selection. Sadeera Samarawickrama and Janith Liyanage further strengthen the batting unit, with both players capable of anchoring the innings or playing decisive roles when momentum is needed.

The squad features strong all-round depth, with Kamindu Mendis offering versatility with both bat and ball. The return of Wanindu Hasaranga significantly enhances Sri Lanka’s all-round options, with his leg-spin expected to play a decisive role on home pitches. Dunith Wellalage’s inclusion adds another spin-bowling all-rounder capable of controlling the middle overs.

Milan Rathnayake’s likely return boosts the seam-bowling all-round resources, while the pace attack will be led by Asitha Fernando, supported by Eshan Malinga and Pramod Madushan. The spin department is further reinforced by Maheesh Theekshana and Jeffrey Vandersay, both expected to be influential under Sri Lankan conditions.

The first ODI of the series is scheduled to be played on Thursday (22) at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.

Probable Sri Lanka ODI Squad vs England

Charith Asalanka (Captain), Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Pavan Rathnayake, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Milan Rathnayake, Asitha Fernando, Eshan Malinga, Pramod Madushan, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay.

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Peiris, Norbert, Usgodaarachchi and De Silva Lead Women’s Charge at Yeti SSC Open

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The Women’s Singles quarterfinals at the Yeti SSC Open Tennis Championship delivered a high standard of competition, with Yuhansa Peiris, Annaya Norbert, Sandithi Usgodaarachchi, and Dinara De Silva producing impressive performances to book their places in the semifinals.

Yuhansa Peiris produced one of the most commanding displays of the tournament, overwhelming Dulkini Ranasinghe in straight sets, 6/0, 6/0. Peiris controlled the match from the outset, combining solid baseline dominance with precise shot placement and relentless pressure that gave her opponent little opportunity to find rhythm.

Dinara De Silva was equally dominant in her quarterfinal encounter, cruising past Aroshi Thomas 6/1, 6/0. De Silva’s confident shot selection, consistent aggression, and sharp court movement allowed her to dictate play throughout the match, underlining her strong form in the championship.

One of the most competitive matches of the women’s quarterfinals saw Annaya Norbert edge past Biyanka Acquistapace in a tightly contested contest. Norbert held her nerve in crucial moments to secure a 6/4, 7/6 victory, clinching the match in a tense second-set tiebreak after sustained pressure from both players.

Sandithi Usgodaarachchi showcased impressive resilience and mental strength in her quarterfinal clash against Vinethya Dharmarathne. After dropping the opening set 2/6, Usgodaarachchi regrouped and raised her intensity, dominating the next two sets 6/3, 6/1 to complete a hard-fought comeback and advance to the semifinals.

The Men’s Singles quarterfinals were equally compelling, with several strong performances shaping an exciting semifinal lineup. Ganuka Fernando advanced with a composed 6/3, 6/4 victory over Ashen Silva, using disciplined baseline play and timely winners to maintain control during key phases of the match.

Thehan Wijemanne delivered one of the most dominant performances in the men’s draw, dismantling Neven Kannangara 6/1, 6/2. Wijemanne’s aggressive approach and constant pressure from the opening game left little room for his opponent to recover.

Harishva Parameshwaran demonstrated experience and tactical awareness in a solid 6/2, 6/4 win against Rehan Gunawardhana, maintaining steady momentum and dictating play with well-constructed points. Rounding off the quarterfinal stage, Methvan Vijemanne advanced in emphatic fashion, defeating Aahil Kallel 6/1, 6/1 with excellent court coverage and sharp finishing.

With the semifinals now set, the Yeti SSC Open Tennis Championship continues to highlight the growing depth, competitiveness, and quality of Sri Lanka’s tennis talent across both the women’s and men’s categories.

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