Sports
Rugby’s rich history has power to entice sponsors
by a Special Sports Correspondent
Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) did well to strike a deal with Nippon Paint Company (NPC) early this month to boost its domestic rugby tournaments. NPC threw its weight behind rugby at a time when a leading communication giant didn’t come through as the sponsor for domestic rugby in Sri Lanka; this was despite much communication between the two parties.
Rugby in Sri Lanka has such a rich history it doesn’t have to be a loser when it comes to finding a sponsor. What’s needed is for SLR to have a good marketing team which is able to entice sponsors. The word ‘entice’ perfectly suits a description of rugby because the game has ideal attributes like speed, power, glamour and color to paint a picture full of energy where ever rugby is played. These are qualities that attract players, spectators and sponsors.
The sponsor is basically on board to sponsor the inter-club league rugby tournament, the Clifford Cup knock-outs and the inter-club rugby sevens. The sponsor came in at a time when the world of sports was slowly opening up after the worse phase of the Covid 19 pandemic. We passed a time when wearing masks, maintaining distances and isolating ourselves had damaged human relationships to a great extent. The worse was we never trusted anyone during the most challenging times of the pandemic. The fact that NPC accepted to come on board following an invitation by SLR should be hailed. Sport builds trust and rugby has the credentials to go beyond trust and look at lasting relationships. There again we read in the print media that one party in the sponsoring company was a past rugby player and that was one factor that helped the two parties to come together and form a partnership within a short period of negotiating.
Rugby at the senior level has eight clubs and all these are established institutes. Apart from the main title sponsor some of the clubs might have their private sponsors. This was the norm for many years during the past. The same can be said about the school rugby scene. Just a few years ago a well-known rugby playing school in Maradana-despite playing in Division 11 tournament- had three sponsors during a single season. The company logos were sported all over the players’ jerseys and shorts. The major rugby playing schools that year-playing in the division 1 tournament-had plenty to carry during that season. Rugby is a money spinning den and sports clubs and schools only have to find the right man to go hunting for potential sponsors.
Many years ago rugby attracted sponsors in the likes of John Player Gold Leaf and Carlsberg. But the Sri Lankan Government’s policy of moving sport away from liquor and tobacco made rugby suffer at that stage. But slowly the game rose to earn finances through other sponsorships and after a few years of struggle most teams had their private sponsors. Apart from that the rugby controlling body in the country gave away chunks from the title sponsor to clubs to strengthen their chances in the tournament and meet expenses. We are living in an era where even the society of rugby referees has its own sponsor.
It would be a miss if this writer doesn’t mention that there was a time in Sri Lanka rugby where local clubs fielded professional foreign players and these clubs needed huge finances to employ them. But at present the tournament committee running the domestic tournament doesn’t allow clubs to field foreigners hence their budgets are exhausted in maintain the local players and the coaching staff.
Rugby is an expensive sport and receives the patronage of a rich community. Even now we see that members of the Prime Minister’s family are involved in the game. At one time all the three sons of the lawmaker Mahinda Rajapaksa (at that time he was the head of state) were involved in Division 1 club rugby.
Unlike others sports rugby gets its fare share of media attention. So no sponsor can complain about not getting mileage out of being involved in rugby. Now the SLR must try to rope in NPC to sponsor national rugby. There are huge prospects for a sponsor in getting involved in national rugby because Sri Lanka contests the Asian Sevens Series and the Asian Rugby Tournament. Apart from that Sri Lanka is a popular rugby team in any version of rugby in the international scene. SLR President Rizly Illyas was quoted in newspapers saying that NPC was keen on sponsoring rugby’s assets like the International Rugby Sevens (Men’s and women’s and Men’s 15-a-side, Women’s rugby and provincial under 21 and 24 tournaments. For all that to come up in the future the first assignment-which is the league rugby tournament- has to see an end without any hiccups.
The first truly heavyweight clash of this expanded T20 World Cup format comes freighted with both history and subplots. A rematch of the 2010 World T20 final at Kensington Oval, the match pits Jos Buttler’s defending champions – who are aiming to become the first team to retain the trophy – against the Australian winning machine, victors at the 2021 edition and current world title-holders in Test and ODI cricket. And that’s before you throw in the Ashes for afters.
Already there is added pressure on England, after the rain in Bridgetown led to a share of the points in their opener against Scotland (and that having conceded 90 runs from 10 overs without taking a wicket in a tepid bowling display). Lose to their oldest rivals and it will leave their Super 8 prospects open to being waylaid by the perils of net run-rate calculations, or worse.
The Scotland match was the third abandonment in five suffered by England, after a rain-affected home series against Pakistan, which has clearly hampered their readiness for this campaign after almost six months without playing T20 together. It does not take much for a side to click in this format – and England looked in decent shape when they did get on the field against Pakistan – but Buttler will be anxious for things to go their way on Saturday, if only to avoid further questions referencing the team’s disastrous ODI World Cup defence last year.
Australia, under the laidback leadership of Mitchell Marsh would love nothing more than to add to the English sense of jeopardy – having helped bundle them out of the tournament in India on the way to taking the crown. Their head to head record is less impressive in T20 however, with England having won six of the last seven completed encounters, as well as that 2010 final.
Despite a wobble with the bat, Australia avoided mishap against Oman earlier in the week, the experience of David Warner and Marcus Stoinis shining through in difficult batting conditions. Surfaces in the Caribbean – not to mention those games staged in the USA – have already had teams scratching their heads; rather than the “slug-fest” England had prepared for, following a high-scoring tour of the Caribbean in December, it looks as if boxing smart may be the way to go.
Speaking of Warner, this could be the last time he faces up against England in national colours – and another match-winning contribution would likely reduce the chances of them meeting again in the knockouts. On the other side of the card is Jofra Archer, fresh from an emotional maiden outing at Kensington Oval and ready to take on Australia for the first time in any format since 2020. Can Mark Wood fire up England’s campaign, as he did during last summer’s Ashes? Will Pat Cummins be back to harass the old enemy once again? Seconds out, it’s almost time to rumble.
Cummins is set to return after being rested for the Oman game, which saw Mitchell Starc leave the field with cramp. Starc is understood to be fine and could keep his place – which would likely see Nathan Ellis miss out. Marsh is still not fit to bowl, with Australia likely to continue with the allrounder combination of Stoinis and Maxwell to give them cover.
Australia (probable XI): David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis/Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
The one change England may consider is Reece Topley coming in for Wood, with the expectation that there will be some rotation among the seamers through the course of the tournament.
England (probable XI): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (capt & wk), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley/Mark Wood
[Cricinfo]
Once is coincidence, twice is a clue, and three times is proof.
To paraphrase Agatha Christie, that is the narrative around South Africa’s meeting with Netherlands at this T20 World Cup.
The Dutch beat South Africa at the 2022 tournament and ended their semi-final hopes in a match where South Africa appeared to be sleep walking, and then beat them again at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they exposed South Africa’s vulnerability in the chase. If they to do the treble, not only will Netherlands take the lead in Group D, but they will offer conclusive evidence of the threat they pose to Full Members, especially South Africa.
Of course, it will take some doing after South Africa’s opening performance against Sri Lanka, where they reduced their opposition to their lowest T20I total and chased it down in fairly straightforward fashion thanks to the most stable middle-order of their white-ball era. In Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, South Africa have bankers and big-hitters and, for this match, they also have the advantage of experience. They’ve already played at Eisenhower Park, and have first-hand knowledge that run-scoring doesn’t come easily;Klassen said they are prepared to use their “cricket brains” and play “smarter cricket”.
But the conditions could be good news for Netherlands, who are not naturally a line-up of big hitters and build their innings on a foundation of turning ones into twos. In other words, they tend to take a slightly more conservative approach to batting, which may work well here, but they’ll be wary of the uneven bounce of the surface and will have to come up with plans to counterattack especially against South Africa’s seamers. Their own bowlers were exemplary in Dallas and will look to build on that performance against a line-up that will likely be more proactive than Nepal’s, but who they have managed to keep quiet not once, but twice in the past. Third time’s the charm, they say.
Anrich Nortje’s stunning return to form against Sri Lanka means South Africa may not have to tinker with the bowling combination, and Gerald Coetzee and Tabraiz Shamsi may have to wait their turns to get a game. The batting line-up should be unchanged, with no space for Ryan Rickelton yet.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markam, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman, Anrich Nortje
Conditions in New York may tempt Netherlands to include an extra seamer and they have Kyle Klein in their squad. But it could come at the expense of a shortened batting line-up and they may not want to risk that.
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards (capt, wk), Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma
[Cricinfo]
Nuwan Thushara’s last over brought Sri Lanka screaming back into the match,as he first bowled Rishad Hossain, and then nailed Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps with a pinpoint swinging yorker. This left Bangladesh eight wickets down, with 12 runs still to get.
However, the experienced Mahmudullah was at the crease for Bangladesh, and despite some further nervy moments, pushed Bangladesh across the line off the last ball of the 19th over.
But this was a match chiefly decided by Bangladesh’s own outstanding bowling. Mustafizur Rahman was the best among them, using shorter lengths and his cutters efficiently, to claim figures of 3 for 17. Rishad Hossain’s three-for through the middle overs also kept Sri Lanka quiet.
Mustafizur was instrumental in Sri Lanka’s downward spiral through the middle overs, which culminated in a crash-and-burn end. Ultimately, their inability to find boundaries, or even rotate strike against good Bangladesh bowling resulted in their downfall. A score of 125 for 9 always seemed poor on a decent pitch, even if their bowlers made a match of it in the end.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 125 for 8 in 19 overs (Towhid Hridoy 40, Litton Das 36; Dhanajaya de Silva 1-11, Nuwan Thushara 4-18, Wanidu Hasaranga 2-32, Matheesha Pathirana 1-27) beat Sri Lanka124 for 9 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 47, Dhananjaya de Silva 21; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 1-24, Taskin Ahmed 2-25, Mustafizur Rahman 3-17, Rishad Hossain 3-22) by two wickets
[Cricinfo]
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