News
The India tour is a good preparation for ODI World Cup – Dasun Shanaka
Dasun Shanaka, the captain of the Sri Lankan team, said that this tournament is a good rehearsal as India is the host country of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
The Sri Lankan team wants to give a good challenging series against India after a T20 World Cup where they won only two matches in the main round. They will play three T20Is and a number of ODIs on this tour, and with India being the host country for the ODI World Cup later this year, getting used to the pitches and playing well will help them immensely in the ODI World Cup.
“We haven’t had a good [T20] World Cup, so we have to move on,” Shanaka said in Mumbai ahead of the opening T20I. “We hope to do well in this series.
“India is a good team. All we have to do is play good cricket. Being in the World Cup year, these T20 and ODI tournaments are very important because many boys have not played in India. It is the first opportunity for many young players to play international cricket. , it’s an opportunity to learn about field conditions. So this tournament will be very important.”
ඉන්දීය සංචාරය අපිට එක්දින ලෝක කුසලානයට හොද පෙර හුරුවක් – දසුන් ශානක
2023 එක්දින ලෝක කුසලානයේ සත්කාරකත්වය දරන රට ඉන්දියාව වීම නිසා මෙම තරගාවලිය හොද පෙරහුරුවක් බව ශ්රී ලංකා කණ්ඩායමේ නායක දසුන් ශානක පැවසීය.
ශ්රී ලංකා කණ්ඩායමට අවශ්ය වී ඇත්තේ ප්රධාන වටයේ තරග දෙකක් පමණක් ජයග්රහණය කළ විස්සයි20 ලෝක කුසලාන තරගාවලියකින් පසුව ඉන්දියාවට එරෙහිව හොද අභියෝගාත්මක තරගාවලියක් ලබා දීමයි. ඔවුන් මෙම සංචාරයේදී T20I තරඟ තුනක් සහ ODI තරඟ ගණනාවක් ක්රීඩා කරන අතර, මෙම වසර අගදී ODI ලෝක කුසලානය සඳහා සත්කාරක රට ඉන්දියාව වීම, තණතිරු වලට හුරුපුරුදු වීම සහ හොඳින් ක්රීඩා කිරීම ඔවුන්ට විශාල වශයෙන් එක්දින ලෝක කුසලානයට උපකාරී වනු ඇත.
“අපිට හොඳ [විස්සයි20] ලෝක කුසලානයක් තිබුණේ නැහැ, ඒ නිසා අපි ඉදිරියට යා යුතුයි,” ශානක ආරම්භක විස්සයි20 තරගයට පෙර මුම්බායිහිදී පැවසීය. “අපි මේ තරගමාලාව හොඳින් කරන්න බලාපොරොත්තු වෙනවා.
“ඉන්දියාව කියන්නේ හොඳ කණ්ඩායමක්. අපි කරන්න ඕනේ හොඳ ක්රිකට් ක්රීඩා කරන එක. ලෝක කුසලාන අවුරුද්දේ පැවැත්වෙනව, මේ T20 සහ ODI තරඟාවලිය ගොඩක් වැදගත්, මොකද ගොඩක් කොල්ලෝ ඉන්දියාවේ ක්රීඩා කරලා නැහැ. බොහෝ තරුණ ක්රීඩකයින්ට ජාත්යන්තර ක්රිකට් පිටියේ ක්රීඩා කිරීමට ඇති පළමු අවස්ථාව එය වන අතර, එය ක්රීඩා පිටියේ තත්ත්වයන් පිළිබඳව ඉගෙන ගැනීමට අවස්ථාවකි. එබැවින් මෙම තරඟාවලිය ඉතා වැදගත් වනු ඇත.”
ஒருநாள் உலகக் கோப்பைக்கு இந்திய சுற்றுப்பயணம் ஒரு நல்ல பயிற்சி – தசுன் ஷனகா
2023 ஆம் ஆண்டு ஒருநாள் உலகக் கிண்ணத்தை நடத்தும் நாடாக இந்தியா இருப்பதால், இந்த போட்டி ஒரு நல்ல ஒத்திகை என இலங்கை அணியின் தலைவர் தசுன் ஷனக தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.
டி20 உலகக் கோப்பையின் பிரதான சுற்றில் இரண்டு போட்டிகளில் மட்டுமே வெற்றி பெற்ற பிறகு, இந்தியாவுக்கு எதிராக ஒரு நல்ல சவாலான தொடரை வழங்க இலங்கை அணி விரும்புகிறது. இந்த சுற்றுப்பயணத்தில் அவர்கள் மூன்று T20I மற்றும் பல ODI களில் விளையாடுவார்கள், மேலும் இந்த ஆண்டின் இறுதியில் ODI உலகக் கோப்பைக்கான ஹோஸ்ட் நாடாக இந்தியா இருப்பதால், ஆடுகளங்களுடன் பழகி நன்றாக விளையாடுவது ODI உலகக் கோப்பையில் அவர்களுக்கு பெரிதும் உதவும்.
“நாங்கள் ஒரு நல்ல [டி20] உலகக் கோப்பையைப் பெறவில்லை, எனவே நாங்கள் முன்னேற வேண்டும்” என்று ஷனகா மும்பையில் தொடக்க டி20ஐக்கு முன்னதாக கூறினார். “இந்த தொடரில் நாங்கள் சிறப்பாக செயல்படுவோம் என்று நம்புகிறோம்.
“இந்தியா ஒரு நல்ல அணி. நாம் செய்ய வேண்டியது எல்லாம் நல்ல கிரிக்கெட்டை விளையாடுவதுதான். உலகக் கோப்பை ஆண்டாக இருப்பதால், இந்த டி20 மற்றும் ஒருநாள் போட்டி மிகவும் முக்கியமானது, ஏனெனில் பல சிறுவர்கள் இந்தியாவில் விளையாடவில்லை. பல இளம் வீரர்களுக்கு இது முதல் வாய்ப்பு. சர்வதேச கிரிக்கெட்டில் விளையாட, கள நிலவரங்களை அறிய இது ஒரு வாய்ப்பு. எனவே இந்த போட்டி மிகவும் முக்கியமானதாக இருக்கும்.”
Cricket
Sri Lanka to Begin Caribbean Tour with ODI Series in June 2026
The Sri Lanka national cricket team is set to embark on a full tour of the West Indies cricket team in June and July 2026, featuring a complete schedule across all three formats of the game.
The tour will open with a three-match One Day International (ODI) series at the renowned Sabina Park. The first ODI is scheduled for June 3, followed by the second on June 6 and the final match on June 8. These opening fixtures are expected to set the tone for the remainder of the tour.
Attention will then shift to the shorter format, with three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) also taking place at Sabina Park. The matches are set for June 11, June 13, and June 14, offering fans a fast-paced contest between the two sides.
Sri Lanka will then travel to Antigua for a four-day warm-up game from June 18 to 21 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground. This match will serve as preparation for the longer format of the game.
The two-match Test series will be held at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. The first Test is scheduled from June 25 to 29, while the second Test will take place from July 3 to 7.
Schedule
- June 3 – First ODI at Sabina Park
- June 6 – Second ODI at Sabina Park
- June 8 – Third ODI at Sabina Park
- June 11 – First T20I at Sabina Park
- June 13 – Second T20I at Sabina Park
- June 14 – Third T20I at Sabina Park
- June 18–21 – Four-day warm-up match at Coolidge Cricket Ground
- June 25–29 – First Test at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium
- July 3–7 – Second Test at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium
Athletics
Hero’s Welcome for Golden Girl Wasana
Sri Lanka celebrated in style as its lone gold medalist Nipuni Wasana at the 6th Asian Beach Games returned home to a rousing welcome, marking a proud moment for the nation.
Airwoman Nipuni Wasana stole the spotlight in Sanya, China, where she clinched gold in the Women’s 50kg Beach Wrestling event. In the final, she overcame Vietnam’s Doan Thi Kim Oanh with a composed and commanding performance, securing a historic victory for Sri Lanka.
Her achievement was met with a grand at Bandaranaike International Airport, where Air Force personnel, sports officials, and supporters gathered to honor her success. Wasana was also given the distinction of carrying the national flag at the closing ceremony, highlighting her status as the country’s top performer at the Games.
Sri Lanka wrapped up its campaign with a total of seven medals one gold, two silver, and four bronze demonstrating competitive strength across multiple disciplines.
The Women’s Beach Kabaddi team delivered an impressive performance to secure silver, while the Men’s team contributed with a bronze medal finish. In Athletics, Ishara Samanmali earned silver in the women’s long jump, and Sashikala Lankathilaka claimed bronze. The Men’s 4x60m relay team also added to the tally with a bronze-winning effort.
A contingent of 77 Sri Lankan athletes competed in eight sports at the Games. Although several disciplines did not produce medals, the team achieved a respectable 10th place overall.
Host nation China dominated the medal standings with 24 gold medals, followed by Thailand and Iran.
News
Chathuranga takes charge as Tuskers seek redemption in final showdown
Sri Lanka’s Tuskers head into their final fixture against the touring New Zealand Under-85kg side this evening with a fresh leader and a renewed sense of urgency, following a narrow defeat in the opening encounter.
In a notable pre-match development, Tharindu Chathuranga has been entrusted with the captaincy for the decisive game at Nittawela Stadium, set to kick off at 4.15 p.m. The move sees original skipper Lasindu Karunathilake relegated to the bench, as selectors opt for a different approach in their bid to overturn fortunes.
The Tuskers were competitive in the first leg but ultimately fell 27–16 at the Racecourse Grounds. With the series on the line, the team management has responded with a mix of tactical reshuffling and personnel changes aimed at sharpening both attack and defense.
Among the key adjustments, Omalka Gunarathna steps into the starting role at number eight, while Kavindu de Costa replaces Harsha Maduranga at scrum-half. An injury to winger Janidu Dilshan has forced another change, with Jayathu Rajarathna promoted from the bench to the starting XV.
Further alterations in the back division see Murshid Doray move to fullback, allowing Thenuka Nanayakkara to slot into the fly-half position to steer the attack. The bench too has been reinforced with fresh options, as selectors look to add impact in the latter stages of the contest.
Chathuranga, a seasoned campaigner and former Kingswood College leader, has earned recognition for guiding Kandy SC to a strong league season, finishing as runners-up. Known for his work rate and leadership qualities, he now shoulders the responsibility of rallying the side in a high-stakes encounter.
With pride and parity in the series at stake, the Tuskers will be aiming for a more disciplined and clinical display as they attempt to turn the tables on a resilient New Zealand outfit.
Line-up for the final match
Forwards: Deshan Vimukthi, Pulasthi Dassanayake, Hansitha De Silva, Thilina Bandara, Naveen Marasinghe, Tharindu Chathuranga (captain), Lahiru Thilakarathne, Omalka Gunarathna
Backs: Kavindu de Costa, Thenuka Nanayakkara, Dilulksha Dange, Arkash Maduranga, Manika Ruberu, Jayathu Rajarathna, Murshid Doray
Bench: Venura Kodhagoda, Charith Silva, Nisal, Lasindu Karunathilake, Denuwan Wickramaarachi, Oliver Buckle, Vidhuna Amaneth, Yuwan Pathirana
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