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Was a little nervous- Sadeera Samarawickrama

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Ireland tour of Sri Lanka 2023

Sadeera Samarawickrama stressed that he was a bit nervous in the middle when he went out to bat in Sri Lanka’s first Test against Ireland in Galle.

The right-handed batter who was dropped by the selectors due to his poor performance in the past 2-3 however earned a recall to the squad considering his performance in the domestic arena and replied with a blistering Test hundred off 112 balls which also registered as his maiden century.

Samarawickrama smashed 11 fours in his knock and played at a strike rate of 91.22. He was also involved in a partnership of 183 runs with Dinesh Chandimal, who also stayed not out on 102 off 155.
“I’m really happy with my batting, I worked really hard to make my way back into the team. I was just trying to be positive throughout the innings. In the first day and this morning, we didn’t see much danger in the wicket,” Samarawickrama told reporters during the post-match conference.

The wicketkeeper batter commenting on the conditions said that the hosts declared at the right time since the pitch had started offering a lot of turns.

“I think we declared at the perfect time as the wicket is turning more now. This is the first time I’ve batted at number 7, it’s a new experience, I was a little nervous, but once I was out in the middle my mindset was clear,” he added.

Sri Lanka is on the verge of a test victory after Prabath Jayasuriya capped off another dominating day for Sri Lanka as Ireland kept struggling in the opening Test at the Galle International Stadium.

The left-arm spinner picked up his fifth five-wicket haul in only his sixth Test.

Jayasuriya finished Day 2 with figures of 19-9-42-5 as Ireland are trailing by 474 runs with only three wickets left in their first innings. James McCollum and Harry Tector scored 35 and 34 respectively but were unable to carry on and make their starts count.

Jayasuriya got enough support from left-arm pacer Vishwa Fernando, who picked up two crucial wickets for Murray Commins and Andy McBrine. Asitha Fernando was also tough to get away with. Ireland ended the day with their score at 117 for the loss of seven wickets.

Earlier, Sri Lanka racked up a huge score of 591 for six (declared) in their first innings. Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis made merry on the first day, after which it was the turn of Dinesh Chandimal and Sadeera Samarawickrama on the second.

Samarawickrama scored 104 runs off 114 balls with 11 fours and played at a strike rate of 91.22. Chandimal also looked at his very best, having scored 102 off 155 with 12 fours.

Jayasuriya, who came in as a night-watchman after Karunaratne’s dismissal, scored 16 off 23 before Curtis Campher trapped him plumb in front. Dhananjaya de Silva started his knock with three fours before Andy McBrine dismissed him LBW.

McBrine, who came into the game after a six-wicket haul against Bangladesh, had to work hard. The off-spinner finished with figures of 40-2-162-1. Ben White dismissed Angelo Mathews for a duck but leaked runs at an economy rate of 5.40. George Dockrell, one of Ireland’s experienced campaigners, also went for 112 in 21.3 overs.

ටිකක් කලබල වුණා – සධීර සමරවික්‍රම

ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ අයර්ලන්ත සංචාරය 2023

ශ්‍රී ලංකාව සහ අයර්ලන්තය අතර ගාල්ලේ පැවැති පළමු ටෙස්ට් තරගයේදී පන්දුවට පහරදීමට පිටත්ව යන විට මැද භාගයේදී තමා තරමක් කලබල වූ බව සධීර සමරවික්‍රම අවධාරණය කළේය.

පසුගිය 2-3 තුළ ඔහුගේ දුර්වල දස්කම් හේතුවෙන් තේරීම් කමිටුව විසින් ඉවත් කරන ලද දකුණත් පිතිකරුවා කෙසේ වෙතත් දේශීය පිටියේ ඔහුගේ දස්කම් සැලකිල්ලට ගනිමින් සංචිතයට නැවත කැඳවීමක් ලබා ගත් අතර පන්දු 112 කදී පිපිරෙන ටෙස්ට් ශතකයක් සමඟින් පිළිතුරු ලබා දුන්නේය. ඔහුගේ මංගල ශතකය.

සමරවික‍්‍රම හතරේ පහර 11කින් සිය පහර එල්ල කළ අතර 91.22ක පහර වේගයකින් ක්‍රීඩා කළේය. ඔහු දිනේෂ් චන්දිමාල් සමඟින් ලකුණු 183ක සබඳතාවයකටද සම්බන්ධ වූ අතර ඔහු නොදැවී ලකුණු 155කින් ලකුණු 102ක් ලබා සිටියේය.
“මම ඇත්තටම මගේ පිතිකරණය ගැන සතුටු වෙනවා, මම නැවත කණ්ඩායමට එන්න ගොඩක් මහන්සි වුණා. මම ඉනිම පුරාවටම ධනාත්මකව ඉන්න උත්සාහ කළා. පළමු දිනයේ සහ අද උදෑසන අපි ලොකු අනතුරක් දැක්කේ නැහැ. කඩුල්ල ද, ”සමරවික්‍රම තරගයෙන් පසු පැවති සම්මන්ත්‍රණයේදී වාර්තාකරුවන්ට පැවසීය.

කොන්දේසි පිළිබඳව අදහස් දක්වමින් කඩුලු රකින පිතිකරු පැවසුවේ තණතීරුව බොහෝ හැරීම් ලබා දීමට පටන් ගත් බැවින් සත්කාරකයින් නියම වේලාවට ප්‍රකාශ කළ බවයි.

“දැන් කඩුල්ල වැඩිපුර හැරෙමින් තිබෙන නිසා අපි නියම වේලාවට ප්‍රකාශ කළා කියලා මම හිතනවා. මම අංක 7 ස්ථානයේ පන්දුවට පහර දුන් පළමු අවස්ථාව මෙයයි, එය අලුත් අත්දැකීමක්, මම ටිකක් කලබල වුණා, නමුත් මම මැදට ගිය පසු මගේ මානසිකත්වය පැහැදිලි වුණා, ”ඔහු වැඩිදුරටත් පැවසීය.

ගාලු ජාත්‍යන්තර ක්‍රීඩාංගණයේ පැවැත්වෙන පළමු ටෙස්ට් තරගයේදී අයර්ලන්තය දිගින් දිගටම අරගල කරමින් සිටියදී ප්‍රභාත් ජයසූරිය ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට තවත් ආධිපත්‍ය දිනයක් ලබා දීමෙන් පසු ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ටෙස්ට් ජයග්‍රහණයක් අබියස සිටී.

වමත් දඟ පන්දු යවන්නා සිය පස්වැනි කඩුලු 5 දවා ගැනීම ලබා ගත්තේ ඔහුගේ හයවැනි ටෙස්ට් තරගයේදී පමණි.

ජයසූරිය දෙවන දිනය නිමා කළේ ලකුණු 19-9-42-5ක් ලෙසිනි. අයර්ලන්තය සිය පළමු ඉනිමට කඩුලු 3ක් පමණක් ඉතිරිව තිබියදී ලකුණු 474ක් පසුපසින් සිටියි. ජේම්ස් මැකොලම් සහ හැරී ටෙක්ටර් පිළිවෙළින් ලකුණු 35ක් සහ 34ක් ලබා ගත් නමුත් ඉදිරියට ගෙන යාමට සහ ඔවුන්ගේ ආරම්භය ගණන් කිරීමට නොහැකි විය.

ජයසූරියට වමත් වේග පන්දු යවන ක්‍රීඩක විශ්ව ප්‍රනාන්දුගෙන් ප්‍රමාණවත් සහයක් ලැබුණි. ඔහු මරේ කොමින්ස් සහ ඇන්ඩි මැක්බ්‍රයින් වෙනුවෙන් තීරණාත්මක කඩුලු දෙකක් දවා ගත්තේය. අසිත ප්‍රනාන්දුටද ගැලවීමට අපහසු විය. අද දිනය නිමා වන විට අයර්ලන්තය කඩුලු 7ක් දැවී ලකුණු 117ක් ලබා සිටියේය.

මීට පෙර ශ්‍රී ලංකා කණ්ඩායම සිය පළමු ඉනිම සඳහා කඩුලු 6ක් දැවී ලකුණු 591ක දැවැන්ත ලකුණු සංඛ්‍යාවක් රැස් කළේය. පළමු දිනයේ දිමුත් කරුණාරත්න සහ කුසල් මෙන්ඩිස් ප්‍රීති ඝෝෂා පැවැත්වූ අතර ඉන් අනතුරුව දෙවැනි දිනයේ දිනේෂ් චන්දිමාල් සහ සධීර සමරවික්‍රමගේ වාරය විය.

සමරවික්‍රම පන්දු 114කදී හතරේ පහර 11ක් සමඟින් ලකුණු 104ක් රැස්කළ අතර 91.22ක ප්‍රහාරක වේගයකින් ක්‍රීඩා කළේය. චන්දිමාල් ද ඔහුගේ උපරිමය දෙස බැලූ අතර ඔහු ලකුණු 155 කදී හතරේ පහර 12 ක් සමඟ ලකුණු 102 ක් රැස් කළේය.

කරුණාරත්නගේ දැවී යාමෙන් පසු රාත්‍රී මුරකරුවෙකු ලෙස පැමිණි ජයසූරිය ලකුණු 23 කින් ලකුණු 16 ක් ලබා ගත් අතර කර්ටිස් කැම්පර් විසින් ඔහුව ඉදිරියෙන් සිර කළේය. ධනංජය ද සිල්වා හතරේ පහර 3ක් සමඟින් සිය ඉනිම ආරම්භ කළ අතර ඇන්ඩි මැක්බ්‍රයින් ඔහුව LBW ලෙසින් දැවී ගියේය.

බංග්ලාදේශයට එරෙහිව කඩුලු 6ක් දවාලීමෙන් පසු තරගයට පැමිණි මැක්බ්‍රින්ට දැඩි වෙහෙසක් දැරීමට සිදු විය. පිට දඟ පන්දු යවන්නා ලකුණු 40-2-162-1 සමඟ අවසන් විය. බෙන් වයිට් ඇන්ජලෝ මැතිව්ස් කඩුල්ලක් ලෙස දැවී ගිය නමුත් 5.40 ක ඉකොනොමි රේට් එකකදී ලකුණු කාන්දු විය. අයර්ලන්තයේ පළපුරුදු ප්‍රචාරකයෙකු වන ජෝර්ජ් ඩොක්‍රෙල් ද ඕවර 21.3කදී ලකුණු 112කට ගියේය.

கொஞ்சம் பதட்டமாக இருந்தது- சதீர சமரவிக்ரம

இலங்கைக்கான அயர்லாந்து சுற்றுப்பயணம் 2023

காலேயில் நடைபெற்ற அயர்லாந்துக்கு எதிரான இலங்கையின் முதல் டெஸ்ட் போட்டியில் பேட்டிங் செய்ய வெளியே சென்றபோது நடுவில் சற்று பதற்றமாக இருந்ததாக சதீர சமரவிக்ரம வலியுறுத்தினார்.

கடந்த 2-3ல் மோசமான செயல்பாட்டின் காரணமாக தேர்வாளர்களால் கைவிடப்பட்ட வலது கை பேட்டர், உள்நாட்டு அரங்கில் அவரது செயல்திறனைக் கருத்தில் கொண்டு அணிக்கு திரும்ப அழைக்கப்பட்டார், மேலும் 112 பந்துகளில் டெஸ்ட் சதம் விளாசினார். அவரது முதல் சதம்.

சமரவிக்ரம தனது நாக்கில் 11 பவுண்டரிகளை அடித்து 91.22 ஸ்ட்ரைக் ரேட்டில் விளையாடினார். அவர் தினேஷ் சண்டிமாலுடன் 183 ரன்களின் பார்ட்னர்ஷிப்பில் ஈடுபட்டார், அவர் 155 பந்தில் 102 ரன்களுடன் ஆட்டமிழக்காமல் இருந்தார்.
“எனது பேட்டிங்கில் நான் மிகவும் மகிழ்ச்சியடைகிறேன், மீண்டும் அணிக்கு திரும்புவதற்கு நான் மிகவும் கடினமாக உழைத்தேன். நான் இன்னிங்ஸ் முழுவதும் நேர்மறையாக இருக்க முயற்சித்தேன். முதல் நாள் மற்றும் இன்று காலை, நாங்கள் அதிக ஆபத்தை காணவில்லை. விக்கெட்” என்று போட்டிக்கு பிந்தைய மாநாட்டின் போது சமரவிக்ரம செய்தியாளர்களிடம் கூறினார்.

விக்கெட் கீப்பர் பேட்டர் நிலைமைகள் குறித்து கருத்து தெரிவிக்கையில், ஆடுகளம் நிறைய திருப்பங்களை வழங்கத் தொடங்கியதிலிருந்து புரவலன்கள் சரியான நேரத்தில் அறிவித்தனர்.

“விக்கெட் இப்போது அதிகமாக மாறி வருவதால் நாங்கள் சரியான நேரத்தில் அறிவித்தோம் என்று நினைக்கிறேன். நான் 7வது இடத்தில் பேட் செய்வது இதுவே முதல் முறை, இது ஒரு புதிய அனுபவம், நான் கொஞ்சம் பதட்டமாக இருந்தேன், ஆனால் நான் நடுவில் வெளியேறியதும் எனது மனநிலை தெளிவாக இருந்தது, ”என்று அவர் மேலும் கூறினார்.

காலி சர்வதேச மைதானத்தில் ஆரம்பமான டெஸ்டில் அயர்லாந்து தொடர்ந்து போராடி வரும் நிலையில், பிரபாத் ஜெயசூர்யா இலங்கைக்கு மற்றொரு ஆதிக்கம் செலுத்தியதை அடுத்து இலங்கை டெஸ்ட் வெற்றியின் விளிம்பில் உள்ளது.

இடது கை சுழற்பந்து வீச்சாளர் தனது ஆறாவது டெஸ்டில் ஐந்தாவது ஐந்து விக்கெட்டுகளை எடுத்தார்.

ஜெயசூர்யா 19-9-42-5 என்ற புள்ளிகளுடன் 2 ஆம் நாள் முடிவடைந்தது, அயர்லாந்து தனது முதல் இன்னிங்ஸில் 3 விக்கெட்டுகள் மட்டுமே மீதமுள்ள நிலையில் 474 ரன்கள் பின்தங்கியுள்ளது. ஜேம்ஸ் மெக்கோலம் மற்றும் ஹாரி டெக்டர் ஆகியோர் முறையே 35 மற்றும் 34 ரன்கள் எடுத்தனர், ஆனால் அவர்களது தொடக்கத்தை தொடர முடியவில்லை.

ஜெயசூர்யாவுக்கு இடது கை வேகப்பந்து வீச்சாளர் விஷ்வா பெர்னாண்டோ போதுமான ஆதரவைப் பெற்றார், அவர் முர்ரே கமின்ஸ் மற்றும் ஆண்டி மெக்பிரைனுக்கு இரண்டு முக்கியமான விக்கெட்டுகளை எடுத்தார். அசித பெர்னாண்டோவும் தப்பிக்க கடினமாக இருந்தார். அயர்லாந்து அணி 7 விக்கெட் இழப்புக்கு 117 ரன் எடுத்திருந்த நிலையில் இன்றைய நாள் ஆட்டம் முடிவடைந்தது.

முன்னதாக, இலங்கை தனது முதல் இன்னிங்ஸில் 6 விக்கெட்டுக்கு 591 ரன்கள் (டிக்ளேர்) எடுத்தது. முதல் நாளில் திமுத் கருணாரத்ன மற்றும் குசல் மெண்டிஸ் ஆகியோர் களமிறங்கினர், அதன் பிறகு இரண்டாவது நாளில் தினேஷ் சந்திமால் மற்றும் சதீர சமரவிக்ரம ஆகியோரின் முறை வந்தது.

சமரவிக்ரம 114 பந்துகளில் 11 பவுண்டரிகளுடன் 104 ரன்கள் எடுத்து 91.22 ஸ்ட்ரைக் ரேட்டில் விளையாடினார். 155 பந்துகளில் 12 பவுண்டரிகளுடன் 102 ரன்கள் எடுத்திருந்த சண்டிமாலும் தனது சிறந்த ஆட்டத்தை வெளிப்படுத்தினார்.

கருணாரத்னே ஆட்டமிழந்த பிறகு இரவு காவலராக வந்த ஜெயசூர்யா, 23 பந்தில் 16 ரன்கள் எடுத்தார், கர்டிஸ் கேம்பர் அவரை முன்னால் சிக்க வைத்தார். தனஞ்சய டி சில்வா மூன்று பவுண்டரிகளுடன் தனது ஆட்டத்தைத் தொடங்கினார், அதற்குள் ஆண்டி மெக்பிரைன் அவரை எல்.பி.டபிள்யூ.

பங்களாதேஷுக்கு எதிராக ஆறு விக்கெட்டுகளை வீழ்த்திய பின்னர் ஆட்டத்திற்கு வந்த மெக்பிரைன் கடுமையாக உழைக்க வேண்டியிருந்தது. ஆஃப்-ஸ்பின்னர் 40-2-162-1 புள்ளிகளுடன் முடித்தார். பென் ஒயிட் ஏஞ்சலோ மேத்யூஸை டக் அவுட்டாக வெளியேற்றினார், ஆனால் 5.40 என்ற எகானமி ரேட்டில் ரன்களை கசியவிட்டார். அயர்லாந்தின் அனுபவமிக்க பிரச்சாரகர்களில் ஒருவரான ஜார்ஜ் டோக்ரெலும் 21.3 ஓவர்களில் 112 ரன்களுக்குச் சென்றார்.

Cricket

SL Women Set for West Indies Tour with ODI and T20I Series in Early 2026

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Sri Lanka Women are set to tour the West Indies for a white-ball series comprising One Day Internationals and T20 Internationals during February and March 2026, as part of their international calendar leading into a crucial World Cup year.

The tour will feature three ODIs and three T20Is, all of which will be played at the Grenada National Stadium, with matches scheduled from February 20 to March 3.

The ODI leg of the series will get underway on February 20, followed by the second and third matches on February 22 and February 25 respectively. The focus will then shift to the shorter format, with the T20I series commencing on February 28, before concluding with matches on March 1 and March 3.

The T20I series holds particular importance for both teams as they continue preparations for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, set to be held in the United Kingdom. Sri Lanka and West Indies have been placed in Group 2, alongside hosts England, New Zealand, and two teams yet to qualify.

Sri Lanka Women will be aiming to end a prolonged T20I series drought, having not won a bilateral T20I series since lifting the Women’s Asia Cup in 2024. The Caribbean tour presents a valuable opportunity for the side to rebuild confidence and momentum in the format ahead of the global tournament.

West Indies, meanwhile, will take confidence from recent home performances, having won their last two home T20I series against Bangladesh and South Africa. Playing all matches at a single venue is expected to test Sri Lanka’s adaptability to conditions over an extended period.

The two sides last faced each other in the Caribbean in 2024, where Sri Lanka enjoyed success in the ODI format with a 3–0 series sweep, while West Indies responded strongly to claim the T20I series 2–1.

With both teams eyeing World Cup readiness, the upcoming tour is expected to provide a competitive and revealing contest across formats.

Tour Schedule – Sri Lanka Women in West Indies 2026

20 February – 1st ODI, Grenada National Stadium

22 February – 2nd ODI, Grenada National Stadium

25 February – 3rd ODI, Grenada National Stadium

28 February – 1st T20I, Grenada National Stadium

1 March – 2nd T20I, Grenada National Stadium

3 March – 3rd T20I, Grenada National Stadium

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Cricket

Asalanka Defends Colombo Pitch After England’s Criticism

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Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka has played down criticism of the pitch used for the second One-Day International against England in Colombo, insisting that the surface was suitable for ODI cricket despite concerns raised by visiting players.

England levelled the three-match series with a comfortable victory at the R. Premadasa Stadium, chasing down a target of 220 with more than three overs to spare. Following the match, several England players expressed dissatisfaction with the playing surface, suggesting it was not ideal for one-day internationals.

Speaking after the match, Asalanka acknowledged that opinions on pitch conditions can differ but pointed to the overall scoring as evidence that the surface was not excessively poor.

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion,” Asalanka said. “But when you look at the match as a whole, the two teams scored around 440 runs. That doesn’t really suggest an unplayable wicket.”

The Sri Lanka skipper also drew comparisons with previous encounters between the two sides, noting that similar scrutiny had not been applied on other occasions when conditions were challenging.

“In the World Cup game in Bengaluru, England were bowled out for around 160, and there wasn’t much discussion about the pitch then,” he added. “So I don’t fully understand why the reaction is so strong this time.”

While defending the Colombo surface against heavy criticism, Asalanka conceded that it did not play as expected, particularly when compared to the first ODI of the series, which offered better conditions for batting.

“I didn’t expect the second pitch to behave that way,” he said. “In the first match, scores of around 270 or 280 were achievable. As a batting side, you always want to give your bowlers more runs to work with. The pitch definitely played differently, but even then, I don’t think it was a 220-run wicket. I was personally aiming for something closer to 250 or 260.”

With the series now level, attention turns to the decider, where pitch conditions and adaptability are once again likely to play a significant role. Both teams will be eager to adjust quickly as they seek to claim the series in Colombo.

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Wellalage Dedicates Player of the Match Award to Late Father After Sri Lanka’s ODI Win

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Sri Lanka all-rounder Dunith Wellalage produced a match-winning performance in the opening One-Day International against England in Colombo, guiding his side to a 19-run victory and earning the Player of the Match award, which he emotionally dedicated to his late father.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Wellalage revealed that disciplined execution was the key to Sri Lanka’s success.

“The skipper’s advice was to bowl in good line and length and keep the overs tight. Our plan was to build pressure with disciplined bowling, and by sticking to that plan, we were able to finish on the winning side,” he said.

After winning the toss, Sri Lanka posted a competitive 271 for 6. Openers Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara laid a solid foundation with a 50-run stand before England struck back with early wickets. The innings was then stabilised by Kusal Mendis and Janith Liyanage, whose crucial 88-run partnership helped regain momentum.

Wellalage credited Kusal Mendis for anchoring the innings.

“Much of the credit should go to Kusal. Thanks to his knock we were able to post a competitive total. My role was to support him and stay till the end. The plan was to score between 260 and 270, and thankfully we achieved that,” he explained.

Wellalage added late impetus with an unbeaten 25 off 12 balls, pushing Sri Lanka to a challenging total. England spinner Adil Rashid was the standout bowler for the visitors, finishing with figures of 3 for 44.

In reply, England lost Zak Crawley early, but a strong 117-run partnership between Joe Root and Ben Duckett brought them firmly back into contention. As the pitch slowed in the latter stages, Sri Lanka’s bowlers adjusted smartly and tightened their grip on the game.

“The wicket became a little slow towards the end, so the plan was to reduce pace and bowl good line and lengths,” Wellalage noted.

The strategy paid off as Pramod Madushan led the attack with three wickets, while Wellalage and Jeffrey Vandersay claimed two each, bowling England out for 252.

Reflecting on the emotional significance of the performance, Wellalage paid tribute to his father.

“The last few months have been very hard for me after my father’s death. His wish was to see me represent my country, and I dedicate this Man of the Match award to him,” he said.

Sri Lanka now take early momentum into the remainder of the ODI series as they continue their preparations during England’s 2026 tour.

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