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Why is the Ashes tournament called ‘Ashes’?
The Ashes 2021/22 is one of the most anticipated series in the cricket calendar. The tournament includes two teams, England and Australia. Many cricket fans may know that this is the oldest tournament in the history of the game. The England cricket team and the Australian cricket team will play a Test series against each other almost every two years.
The host of the tournament is held alternately. For example, the 2019 Ashes tournament took place in England and now the 2021/22 Ashes tournament will be held in Australia. The host team usually dominated the tournament. However, in the previous Ashes tournament, the England team won 2 matches and the Australian team also managed to win 2 matches. One match ended in a draw. As a result, the tournament was a co-championship for both teams.
Australia recorded their first Test victory on English soil in 1882 at the Oval. The Sporting Times newspaper mentioned that England cricket is dead and the body will be cremated and the ashes will be taken to Australia. Then, before the 1882-83 series in Australia, then England captain Ivo Bligh announced that he would regain the Ashes. This is how the word ash became popular.
After England won two of the three Tests in Melbourne, a group of women presented the England team with a small vase. It is now known as an ashtray and is made of terracotta and is approximately 10.5 cm high. The vase, reputed to be made of burnt bail, is in the MCC Museum at Lord’s but has been moved to Australia twice. Thus, this is a small part of the history of the oldest cricket rivalry.
අළු බදුන තරගාවලියට ‘අළු (Ashes)’ ලෙස හඳුන්වන්නේ ඇයි?
අළු බඳුන 2021/22 යනු ක්රිකට් දින දර්ශනයේ වඩාත්ම අපේක්ෂිත තරග මාලාවකි. මෙම තරඟාවලියට එංගලන්තය සහ ඕස්ට්රේලියාව යන කණ්ඩායම් දෙකක් ඇතුළත් වේ. මෙය ක්රීඩා ඉතිහාසයේ පැරණිතම තරගාවලිය බව බොහෝ ක්රිකට් ලෝලීන් දන්නවා ඇති. එංගලන්ත ක්රිකට් කණ්ඩායම සහ ඕස්ට්රේලියානු ක්රිකට් කණ්ඩායම සෑම වසර දෙකකට වරක්ම පාහේ එකිනෙකාට එරෙහිව ටෙස්ට් තරඟාවලියක් ක්රීඩා කරනු ඇත.
තරගාවලියේ සත්කාරකත්වය මරුවෙන් මාරුවට දරයි. උදාහරණයක් ලෙස, 2019 අළු බඳුන තරඟාවලිය එංගලන්තයේ සිදු වූ අතර දැන් 2021/22 අළු බඳුන තරඟාවලිය ඕස්ට්රේලියාවේදී පැවැත්වේ. සාමාන්යයෙන් තරගාවලියේ ආධිපත්යය දැරුවේ සත්කාරක කණ්ඩායමයි. කෙසේ වෙතත්, මීට පෙර පැවති අළු බඳුන තරගාවලියේදී එංගලන්ත කණ්ඩායම තරග 2ක් ජයග්රහණය කළ අතර ඕස්ට්රේලියානු කණ්ඩායමද තරග 2ක් ජයග්රහණය කිරීමට සමත් විය. එක් තරගයක් ජය පැරදුමකින් තොරව අවසන් විය. ඒ අනුව ඒ තරගාවලිය සම ශූරතාව දෙපිළටම හිමි විය.
ඕස්ට්රේලියාව සිය පළමු ටෙස්ට් ජයග්රහණය එංගලන්ත භූමියේදී වාර්තා කළේ 1882 දී ඕවල් හිදීය. එංගලන්ත ක්රිකට් ක්රීඩාව මිය ගොස් ඇති බවත්, දේහය ආදාහනය කර අළු ඔස්ට්රේලියාවට ගෙන යන බවත් ස්පෝර්ටින් ටයිම්ස් පුවත්පත සඳහන් කළා. ඉන්පසුව, 1882-83 ඕස්ට්රේලියාවේ පැවති තරඟාවලියට පෙර, එවකට එංගලන්ත නායක Ivo Bligh ප්රකාශ කළේ ඔහු අළු නැවත ලබා ගන්නා බවයි. අළු යන වචනය ජනප්රිය වූයේ එලෙසිනි.
එංගලන්තය ටෙස්ට් තරග තුනෙන් දෙකකම ජයග්රහණයක් වාර්තා කිරීමෙන් පසු මෙල්බර්න් නුවරදී කාන්තාවන් පිරිසක් එංගලන්ත කණ්ඩායමට කුඩා බඳුනක් තෑගි කළහ. එය දැන් අළු බඳුන ලෙස හඳුන්වන අතර එය ටෙරාකොටා වලින් සාදා ඇති අතර එය ආසන්න වශයෙන් සෙන්ටිමීටර 10.5 ක් උසයි. පිළිස්සුණු ඇපවලින් සෑදූ බවට ප්රසිද්ධියක් උසුලන මෙම බඳුන ලෝඩ්ස් හි MCC කෞතුකාගාරයේ පවතින නමුත් එය දෙවරක් ඕස්ට්රේලියාවට ගෙන ගොස් ඇත. මේ අනුව, මෙය පැරණිතම ක්රිකට් ප්රතිවාදියාගේ ඉතිහාසයේ කුඩා කොටසකි.
ஆஷஸ் போட்டி ஏன் ‘ஆஷஸ்’ என்று அழைக்கப்படுகிறது?
ஆஷஸ் 2021/22 கிரிக்கெட் காலண்டரில் மிகவும் எதிர்பார்க்கப்பட்ட தொடர்களில் ஒன்றாகும். இந்தப் போட்டியில் இங்கிலாந்து மற்றும் ஆஸ்திரேலியா ஆகிய இரு அணிகள் உள்ளன. விளையாட்டு வரலாற்றில் இது மிகவும் பழமையான போட்டி என்பதை பல கிரிக்கெட் ரசிகர்கள் அறிந்திருக்கலாம். இங்கிலாந்து கிரிக்கெட் அணியும் ஆஸ்திரேலிய கிரிக்கெட் அணியும் கிட்டத்தட்ட இரண்டு ஆண்டுகளுக்கு ஒருமுறை டெஸ்ட் தொடரில் விளையாடும்.
போட்டியின் புரவலன் மாறி மாறி நடத்தப்படுகிறது. உதாரணமாக, 2019 ஆஷஸ் போட்டி இங்கிலாந்தில் நடந்தது, இப்போது 2021/22 ஆஷஸ் போட்டி ஆஸ்திரேலியாவில் நடைபெறும். பொதுவாக போட்டியை நடத்தும் அணியே ஆதிக்கம் செலுத்தியது. எனினும், இதற்கு முன்னர் நடைபெற்ற ஆஷஸ் போட்டியில் இங்கிலாந்து அணி 2 போட்டிகளில் வெற்றி பெற்றதோடு, அவுஸ்திரேலிய அணியும் 2 போட்டிகளில் வெற்றி பெற்றுள்ளது. ஒரு போட்டி டிராவில் முடிந்தது. இதன் விளைவாக, போட்டி இரு தரப்புக்கும் இணை சாம்பியன்ஷிப் ஆனது.
ஆஸ்திரேலியா தனது முதல் டெஸ்ட் வெற்றியை இங்கிலாந்து மண்ணில் 1882 ஆம் ஆண்டு ஓவல் மைதானத்தில் பதிவு செய்தது. ஸ்போர்ட்டிங் டைம்ஸ் நாளிதழ் இங்கிலாந்து கிரிக்கெட் இறந்துவிட்டதாகவும், உடல் தகனம் செய்யப்பட்டு சாம்பல் ஆஸ்திரேலியாவுக்கு கொண்டு செல்லப்படும் என்றும் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளது. பின்னர், 1882-83 ஆஸ்திரேலியாவில் நடந்த தொடருக்கு முன்பு, அப்போதைய இங்கிலாந்து கேப்டன் இவோ ப்ளிக் ஆஷஸை மீண்டும் பெறுவதாக அறிவித்தார். இப்படித்தான் சாம்பல் என்ற சொல் பிரபலமடைந்தது.
மெல்போர்னில் நடந்த மூன்று டெஸ்டுகளில் இரண்டில் இங்கிலாந்து வெற்றி பெற்ற பிறகு, பெண்கள் குழு இங்கிலாந்து அணிக்கு சிறிய குவளை ஒன்றை பரிசளித்தது. இது இப்போது ஒரு சாம்பல் தட்டு என்று அறியப்படுகிறது மற்றும் டெரகோட்டாவால் ஆனது மற்றும் தோராயமாக 10.5 செமீ உயரம் கொண்டது. எரிக்கப்பட்ட ஜாமீனில் செய்யப்பட்ட குவளை, லார்ட்ஸில் உள்ள MCC அருங்காட்சியகத்தில் உள்ளது, ஆனால் இரண்டு முறை ஆஸ்திரேலியாவிற்கு மாற்றப்பட்டது. எனவே, இது பழமையான கிரிக்கெட் போட்டியின் வரலாற்றின் ஒரு சிறிய பகுதியாகும்.
Football
Uzbekistan Dominate Sri Lanka 10-0 in AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers
Colombo, June 29 – The Sri Lanka Women’s National Football Team suffered a crushing 10-0 defeat at the hands of Uzbekistan in their opening fixture of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers, exposing not only the performance gap on the field but also the deep-rooted structural failures off it.

From kickoff, Uzbekistan showcased their superiority with relentless attacking football, scoring five goals in each half. The match statistics tell a story of complete dominance:
- Shots on Target: 14 (Uzbekistan) vs 0 (Sri Lanka)
- Possession: 70% (Uzbekistan) vs 30% (Sri Lanka)
- Dangerous Attacks: 137 (Uzbekistan) vs 28 (Sri Lanka)
Sri Lanka managed only two shots in the entire match—none of which tested the opposition goalkeeper—while spending most of the game pinned back in defense.

However, beyond the scoreboard, this defeat highlights a more alarming truth: the lack of commitment to women’s football by local authorities. The Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) has failed to organize a single women’s tournament domestically in recent years, and the squad selected for this major continental qualifier was chosen solely through a limited trial. There was no competitive platform or league for players to develop or prove themselves ahead of international duty.
This performance is not just a reflection of the players’ inexperience—it’s a direct consequence of administrative negligence. FFSL must take full responsibility for this embarrassing result, as it continues to send underprepared teams to international tournaments merely to safeguard its position, rather than genuinely investing in the development of Sri Lankan football.
Even more concerning is the silence from the Ministry of Sports. Despite the humiliating performances of the Under-20 team in the recent SAFF Championship and now the senior women’s team in the AFC qualifiers, no action has been taken, and no accountability has been demanded. The ministry’s indifference to these repeated failures raises serious questions about its role in ensuring sports governance and development in Sri Lanka.
As Sri Lankan football continues to struggle, it is clear that without structural change, genuine investment, and accountability, results like these will only continue.
News
Dialog Schools Rugby League Week 4: Powerhouses Dominate as Rivalries Intensify
The fourth week of the 2025 Dialog Schools Rugby League brought high-octane action across Colombo and Kandy, as traditional rugby giants asserted dominance while title ambitions sharpened. Here’s a round-up of the top matches that defined the week:
Trinity Outmuscles St. Joseph’s at CR & FC
Trinity College, Kandy, continued their unbeaten streak with a commanding 29-07 win over St. Joseph’s College, Maradana at the CR & FC grounds in Colombo. Trinity crossed the whitewash five times with 5 tries and 2 conversions, displaying explosive forward play and well-structured phases.
St. Joseph’s struggled to match Trinity’s physicality but managed a consolation try and conversion. At halftime, Trinity led 22-0, setting the tone early and maintaining control throughout.
Wesley Tames St. Peter’s in Tight Clash
At Havelock Park, Wesley College recorded a gritty 23-05 victory over St. Peter’s College. The Wesleyites scored 3 tries, 1 conversion, and added 2 penalties, proving their clinical edge under pressure.
St. Peter’s could only respond with a single try and failed to find rhythm. Wesley led 8-0 at the break and controlled territory effectively in the second half.
Isipathana Outguns Zahira in a High-Scoring Thriller
In one of the most entertaining matches of the weekend, Isipathana College edged out Zahira College 38-27 at Zahira Grounds. Isipathana scored 6 tries and 4 conversions, showcasing pace and creativity in attack.
Zahira fought back gallantly with 4 tries, 2 conversions, and a penalty, pushing the defending champions to the limit. At halftime, Isipathana led 26-8, and though Zahira launched a strong second-half rally, the Green Machine held on.
Royal Routs Vidyartha in Dominant Display
Royal College, Colombo, was at their clinical best as they overcame Vidyartha College, Kandy, 29-07 at the Royal Complex. The home side dotted down 5 tries and 2 conversions, demonstrating power rugby and slick handling.
Vidyartha managed a single converted try but struggled to contain Royal’s powerful forwards and rolling mauls. Royal led 12-7 at halftime before pulling away in the second half.
Looking Ahead
With teams like Trinity, Isipathana, and Royal continuing to impress, the Dialog Schools Rugby League 2025 is shaping up for a thrilling finish. Fans can expect tighter games and fierce battles as title dreams grow stronger.
Stay tuned with Sri Lankan Sports TV for full match reports, results, and exclusive school rugby coverage!
Athletics
Sri Lanka Shines at Thailand Open 2025 with 11-Medal Haul
The Sri Lankan athletics team wrapped up a remarkable campaign at the Thailand Open Athletics Championship 2025, securing an impressive 11 medals, including 6 golds, during the competition held from June 21 to 25 in Bangkok.
The Sri Lankan squad, made up of eight athletes—four men and four women—delivered standout performances across track and field events, making the nation proud on the international stage.
Leading the charge was Rusiru Chathuranga, who clinched double gold in the Men’s 800m and 1500m events. Vicknaraj Vakshan added to the tally with a gold in the 5000m and a silver in the 1500m, while W.K.L.A. Nimali matched that feat by claiming gold in the Women’s 800m and silver in the 1500m.
Madushani Herath showed her dominance in the field events, capturing gold in both the long jump and triple jump. Ayomal Akalanka earned silver in the Men’s 400m hurdles, and Wathsala Hapuarachchi took silver in the Women’s 100m hurdles. Safreen Ahmed contributed a bronze medal in the Men’s triple jump.
While seven out of eight athletes reached the podium, Amasha de Silva narrowly missed out, finishing fourth in the Women’s 100m final, showcasing a commendable performance.
The full team is expected to return to Sri Lanka today after a tour that highlights the depth of talent in local athletics and signals strong potential ahead of upcoming regional events
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