Sports
Biology teacher Rukshika wins tennis double
by A Special Sports Correspondent
Rukshika Wijesooriya (23) ended years of frustration by winning the coveted Singles Crown at the recently concluded 107th National Tennis Championships, held at the SLTA courts in Colombo.
The Rukshika we know had the potential to win titles, but her journey in most tournaments, till this big win, ended somewhere in the quarterfinal or semi-final stages of most tournaments; except in 2019 when she went on to win the singles title at the SSC Open. However she worked on her game and a two year stint in the US –for studies between 2020 and 2022- brought the change in her game which she was aiming at. In the US she also completed her Degree in Biology and was always a straight ‘A’ student.
She was born in Oman and resided there till she was 12 years old. By that time she had put in four years at tennis. Afterwards it was a matter of visiting Sri Lanka continuously and playing in tournaments here. “I must say that the SLTA has been very supportive of my tennis and accommodated me for trials aimed at finding the players to represent Sri Lanka and compete at overseas tournaments,” said Rukshika.
She was knocking on the door for national selections and showing potential to win since 2015. But she needed that big win and the guidance to reach that next level of playing. “I improved my tennis while pursuing my education in the US. Before that I almost gave up the sport in frustration. But what’s good in America is that you get the right people for the right job both in sport and education. I started believing in myself and now my head is in the right place. What I also liked in the US was that you play for the team and not for yourself,” she said during an interview done at an academy named ‘Tennis by Guy’ at Nawala where she comes under the guidance of her present coach Guyanga Weerasekara.
Rukshika’s life story is an interesting one given that she is a teacher at Alethea International School Dehiwala when not playing tennis. She has completed her degree in Biology and expects to do a masters and a PHD later in her pet subject. She enjoys the time spent on teaching and has decided for the time being to spend time with her parents and remain in Sri Lanka. This is a time when most academics are leaving the country for better prospects, but Rukshika thinks differently. “Deciding to stay here and find employment given the situation in the country was a difficult decision, but it’s one that I took due to personal reasons. I take it day by day and I am happy that I am able to inspire and guide the next generation to be successful in my roles as an educator and sportswoman,” she said.
Rukshika’s life story is an interesting
one given that she is a teacher at
Alethea International School Dehiwala
when not playing tennis.
(Pix by Kamal Wanniarachchi)
She beat Anjalika Kurera in a hotly contested singles final and latter teamed up with her close friend to win the women’s doubles event. She and Anjalika have been roommates during many of the foreign tours and they have had much to share in life in the form of chit chats when on tours. But according to Rukshika much of that talk is far removed from tennis. This is largely because Rukshika has a happening life outside tennis. Most individuals in her close circle of friends have no relationship with tennis. She slips into her running shoes and goes for a run or engages in cooking or baking at home when thoughts are overwhelming and takes a toll on her. She agrees that she is a very emotional person.
Her school where she teaches gave her a celebration for winning the nationals and Rukshika said that she was moved by all what they had organised for her. Asked whether she didn’t use social media to put posts of her achievements and gain some mileage she responded in the negative. “I am a very private person and keep my achievements to myself. I don’t mind someone maintaining a page for me on social media and highlighting my sporting achievements, but I wouldn’t do it. Tennis in Sri Lanka comprises a small community and everyone knows how the players are performing and who has won what. The little disadvantage in this small community is that you might end up playing the same person over and over again,” she said.
According to Rukshika tennis is an expensive sport. Playing at her level demands she spends about Rs 150,000 per month which goes basically for food, travelling and the other needs to play at that competitive level. “It’s good to have got some grips or some tennis equipment as gifts for winning the nationals. I like to be encouraged to go further in the sport,” she said.
She is aware that in Sri Lanka players, especially ladies, tend to see a drop in their game after they reach age 18; not because of ageing, but largely because they start focusing on other aspects in life. As for Rukshika she said that she still has the passion for the game and will continue playing tennis.
Interestingly she is a vegetarian and this makes her being choosy about what he eats. She said that she eats healthily and added, “My decision to go off meats was because I love animals. I have four dogs and three cats at home”.
She took this opportunity to thank her parents Mahesha (Mother) and Ruknil (father) for the support extended to her to pursue tennis and also for not pushing her too hard in this competitive world where children have to run the rat race and live up to the expectations of those around them. “My advice to parents who have children is for them to know that it’s important to be supportive and push them to a certain extent, but not to the extent that they lose joy in the sport or education they are pursuing”.
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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