News

The Sri Lanka youth team has the upper hand in the practice match.

Published

4 years ago

August 19, 2022

Editor

The Sri Lanka team managed to gain more advantages in the three-day training match held between the Sri Lanka under-19 youth team and the England youth invitational team, who have gone to England to participate in 3 one-day matches and 2 four-day test matches.

The Sri Lankan team, which had started batting first, was declared for 248 runs in the first innings after losing 7 wickets. On the first day which was limited to 56 overs, the Sri Lanka youth team scored 182 runs for 4 wickets and the second day had to be completely abandoned due to rain.

Asitha Vanninayak, who was successful in batting for the Sri Lankan team, faced 200 balls and managed to score 100 runs. The innings included 13 fours, and he stopped midway through his innings to allow other batsmen to bat.

The England youth invited team, who entered the field to play the reply innings of Sri Lanka’s first innings, could score only 104 runs. Vanuja Sahan bowled 11.1 overs and took 4 wickets for 13 runs while Dududu Ranatunga and Dulaj Samudita managed to take 2 wickets each.

The Sri Lanka youth team, who started their second innings with 144 runs leading, at the end of the day scored 132 runs for 2 wickets and managed to come forward in the second innings with a total of 276 runs. Avshek Liyanarachchi scored 51 runs and Sadisha Rajapaksa scored 32 runs in the second innings. By the end of the day, vice-captain Shehan Daniel had scored 25 points and Lahiru Davatage had scored 21 points.

Sri Lanka Youth 248 for 7 in 80 first innings – (Asitha Vanninayake 100, Sadisha Rajapaksa 23, Pawan Pathiraja 23, Ranuda Somaratne 29, Ravin de Silva (33 not out), Lahiru Davatag 12, RL Ewitts 53/3, E. Jacques 43/2)

England Youth Invitational 104 all out in 42.1 overs – (MD Wagstaff 53, KK Patel 11, M Hurst 10, Vanuja Sahan 14/4, Dulaj Samuditha 27/2, Duvindu Ranatunga 34 /2)

Sri Lanka Youth second innings 132 for 2 in 26 overs – (Abhishek Liyanarachchi 51, Sadisha Rajapaksa 32, Shehan Daniel (not out) 25, Lahiru Dawatage (not out) 21)

පුහුණු තරගයේ වැඩි වාසිය ශ්‍රී ලංකා යොවුන් පිලට.

එක්දින තරග 3කට හා සිව්දින ටෙස් තරග 2කට සහභාගීවීම සදහා එංගලන්තයට ගොස් සිටින ශ්‍රී ලංකා වයස අවුරුදු 19 පහළ යොවුන් කණ්ඩායම හා එංගලන්ත තරුණ ආරාධිත කණ්ඩායම අතර පැවති තුන් දින පුහුණු තරගයේ වැඩි වාසි ලබා ගැනීමට ශ්‍රී ලංකා පිළ සමත් විය.

පන්දුවට මුලින් පහර දීමේ අවස්ථාව හිමි වූ ශ්‍රී ලංකා පිල පළමු ඉනිමට ලකුණු 248කට කඩුලු 7ක් දැවී තිබියදී ඉනිම අත්හිටුවන ලදී. පන්දුවාර 56කට සීමා වූ පළමු දින ශ්‍රී ලංකා යොවුන් පිළ කඩුළු 4කට ලකුණු 182 ක් ලබා ගත් අතර දෙවැනි දිනය වර්ශාව හේතුවෙන් සම්පූර්ණයෙන්ම අතහැර දැමීමට සිදු විය.

ශ්‍රී ලංකා පිළ වෙනුවෙන් සාර්ථක පිතිහරභයක නිරත වූ අසිත වන්නිනායක පන්දු 200කට මුහුණ දී ලකුණු 100ක් ලබා ගැනීමට සමත් විය. එම ඉනිමට හතරේ පහරවල් 13ක් ඇතුළත් වූ අතර, ඔහු අනෙකුත් පිතිකරුවන්ට පන්දුවට පහරදීමට ඉඩ සලසමින් සිය ඉනිම අතරමග නවතා දැමීය.

ශ්‍රී ලංකා පළමු ඉනිමේ පිළිතුරු ඉනිම ක්‍රීඩා කිරීමට පිටියට පිවිසි එංගලන්ත තරුණ ආරාධිත කණ්ඩායමට සියළු දෙනා දැවී ලබාගත හැකි වූයේ ලකුණු 104ක් පමණි. පන්දු යැවීමේදී කැපී පෙනෙන දක්ෂ්තා දැක්වූ වනුජ සහන් පන්දුවාර 11.1 ක් යවමින් ලකුණු 13කට කඩුළු 4ක් දවා ගනිද්දී දුවිදු රණතුංග හා දුලාජ් සමුදිත කඩුලු 2ක බැගින් දවා ගැනීමට සමත් විය.

ලකුණු 144ක් ඉද්‍රියෙන් නැවතත් තම දෙවැනි ඉනිම ආරම්භ කළ ශ්‍රී ලංකා යොවුන් පිළ දිනය අවසානයේදී කඩුළු 2කට ලකුණු 132ක් ලබා සමස්ථ දෙවැනි ඉනිමේ 276ක ඉදිරියට පැමිණීමට සමත් විය. දෙවැනි ඉනිම වෙනුවෙන් අභ්ෂේක් ලියනාරච්චි ලකුණු 51, සදීෂ රාජපක්ෂ ලකුණු 32 ලබා ගථ. දිනය නිමා වන විට උප නායක ෂෙහාන් ඩැනියෙල් ලකුණු 25ක් හා ලහිරු දවටගේ ලකුණු 21 ක ලබා සිටියහ.

ශ්‍රී ලංකා යොවුන් පිල පළමු ඉනිම පන්දුවාර 80 කදී කඩුලු 7 ට ලකුණු 248 යි – (අසිත වන්නිනායක 100, සදීෂ රාජපක්ෂ 23, පවන් පතිරාජ 23, රනුද සෝමරත්න 29, රවීන් ද සිල්වා (නොදැවී 33), ළහිරු දවටග් 12, ආර්. එල්. එවිට්ස් 53/3, ඊ. ජැක් 43/2)

එංගලන්ත තරුණ ආරාධිත පිල පළමු ඉනිම පන්දුවාර 42.1 කදී සියලු දෙනා දැවී ලකුණු 104 යි – (එම්.ඩී. වැග්ස්ටෆ් 53, කේ. කේ පටෙල් 11, එම්. හර්ස්ට් 10, වනුජ සහන් 14/4, දුලාජ් සමුදිත 27/2, දුවිඳු රණතුංග 34/2)

ශ්‍රී ලංකා යොවුන් පිල දෙවැනි ඉනිම පන්දුවාර 26 කදී කඩුලු 2 ට ලකුණු 132 යි – (අභි‌ෂේක් ලියනාරච්චි 51, සදීෂ රාජපක්ෂ 32, ෂෙහාන් ඩැනියල් (නොදැවී) 25, ළහිරු දවටගේ (නොදැවී) 21)

பயிற்சி ஆட்டத்தில் இலங்கை இளையோர் அணி முன்னிலை பெற்றுள்ளது.

3 ஒரு நாள் போட்டிகள் மற்றும் 2 நான்கு-போட்டிகளில் பங்குபற்றுவதற்காக இங்கிலாந்து சென்றுள்ள இலங்கை 19 வயதுக்குட்பட்ட இளைஞர் அணிக்கும் இங்கிலாந்து இளையோர் அழைப்பிதழ் அணிக்கும் இடையில் நடைபெற்ற மூன்று நாள் பயிற்சிப் போட்டியில் இலங்கை அணி அதிக அனுகூலங்களைப் பெற முடிந்தது. நாள் டெஸ்ட் போட்டிகள்.

முதலில் துடுப்பெடுத்தாடத் தொடங்கிய இலங்கை அணி முதல் இன்னிங்சில் 7 விக்கெட்டுகளை இழந்து 248 ஓட்டங்களுக்கு டிக்ளேர் செய்யப்பட்டது. 56 ஓவர்களுக்குள் மட்டுப்படுத்தப்பட்ட முதல் நாளில் இலங்கை இளையோர் அணி 4 விக்கெட்டுக்கு 182 ஓட்டங்களைப் பெற்றிருந்த நிலையில் இரண்டாம் நாள் ஆட்டம் மழையால் முற்றாக கைவிடப்பட்டது.

இலங்கை அணி சார்பாக துடுப்பெடுத்தாடுவதில் வெற்றிபெற்ற அசித வன்னிநாயக்க 200 பந்துகளுக்கு முகங்கொடுத்து 100 ஓட்டங்களைக் குவித்தார். இந்த இன்னிங்ஸில் 13 பவுண்டரிகள் அடங்கும், மேலும் அவர் மற்ற பேட்ஸ்மேன்களை பேட்டிங் செய்ய அனுமதிக்க தனது இன்னிங்ஸின் நடுப்பகுதியில் நிறுத்தினார்.

இலங்கையின் முதல் இன்னிங்ஸின் பதில் இன்னிங்ஸை விளையாட களம் இறங்கிய இங்கிலாந்து இளைஞர் அழைப்பு அணியால் 104 ஓட்டங்களை மாத்திரமே எடுக்க முடிந்தது. வனுஜா சஹான் 11.1 ஓவர்கள் வீசி 13 ஓட்டங்களுக்கு 4 விக்கெட்டுக்களையும், துடுது ரணதுங்க மற்றும் துலாஜ் சமுதித ஆகியோர் தலா 2 விக்கெட்டுக்களையும் கைப்பற்றினர்.

144 ஓட்டங்களுடன் தமது இரண்டாவது இன்னிங்ஸை ஆரம்பித்த இலங்கை இளையோர் அணி, நாள் முடிவில் 2 விக்கெட்டுக்கு 132 ஓட்டங்களைப் பெற்று மொத்தமாக 276 ஓட்டங்களைப் பெற்று இரண்டாவது இன்னிங்சில் முன்னேறியது. இரண்டாவது இன்னிங்ஸிற்காக அவ்ஷேக் லியனாராச்சி 51 ஓட்டங்களையும் சதிஷ ராஜபக்ச 32 ஓட்டங்களையும் பெற்றனர். ஆட்டநேர முடிவில், துணைத் தலைவர் ஷெஹான் டேனியல் 25 புள்ளிகளையும், லஹிரு தவடகே 21 புள்ளிகளையும் பெற்றனர்.

இலங்கை யூத் 80 முதல் இன்னிங்ஸில் 7 விக்கெட்டுக்கு 248 – (அசித வன்னிநாயக்க 100, சதிஷா ராஜபக்ச 23, பவன் பதிராஜா 23, ரனுத சோமரத்ன 29, ரவின் டி சில்வா (33 நாட் அவுட்), லஹிரு டவடக் 12, ஆர்.எல் எவிட்ஸ் 53/3, இ.ஜாக் 43/2)

இங்கிலாந்து யூத் இன்விடேஷனல் 42.1 ஓவரில் 104 ஆல் அவுட் – (எம்.டி.வாக்ஸ்டாஃப் 53, கே.கே.படேல் 11, எம்.ஹர்ஸ்ட் 10, வனுஜா சஹான் 14/4, துலாஜ் சமுதித 27/2, துவிந்து ரணதுங்க 34/2)

இலங்கை யூத் இரண்டாவது இன்னிங்ஸ் 26 ஓவர்களில் 2 விக்கெட்டுக்கு 132 – (அபிஷேக் லியனாராச்சி 51, சதிஷா ராஜபக்ச 32, ஷெஹான் டேனியல் (நாட்அவுட்) 25, லஹிரு தவடகே (நாட்அவுட்) 21)

News

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

Published

2 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.