Sports
Historic 100 metres feat and country’s relay chances
by Reemus Fernando
With Italy based sprinter Yupun Abeykoon claiming the national record in the 100 metres on Tuesday, Sri Lanka now has three current athletes who have run the glamour event of the track and field sport under 10.30 seconds, a strong position not many countries of this region can boast of. The recent performances of these three sprinters and the other emerging athletes are indicate a bright prospect in the 4×100 metres relay. Leading athletic analyst and Sri Lanka Athletics statistician Saman Kumara says that a strong team inclusive of these sprinters can strive for sub 39 seconds in the 4×100 metres relay. Sub 39 seconds will help the country strive for Olympic qualifying rankings for the postponed Tokyo event.
Incidentally, the former national record holders of the 100 metres Himasha Eshan and Vinoj Suranjaya were part of the team that established the current National men’s 4×100 metres record in 2018. Shehan Ambepitiya who was part of that team has retired. You need only simple mathematics to understand what four inform sprinters, inclusive of the incumbent record holder of the 100 metres and two former record holders, could do to the 39.08 seconds 4×100 metres national record established during the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018.
Sri Lanka won the 4×100 metres relay at the regional South Asian Games ousting India in December. But that doesn’t get Sri Lanka anywhere closer to an Olympics spot in the 4×100 metres. You need to be ranked within the first two dozen teams in the World Athletics rankings to be eligible for an Olympic spot in the 4×100 metres relay.
It will be too early to predict the country’s prospects, with the locally trained athletes still waiting to flex their muscles in the aftermath of the covid 19 pandemic but authorities can be optimistic about chances at Asian events. It is incumbent upon authorities to look after these promising athletes as the country’s current pool of men’s 100 metres sprinters are in a historic position.
The country’s 100 metres had experienced somewhat similar position in the early 50’s when the likes of Sumanthiran Nawaratnam (Summa Nawaratnam), Oscar Wijesinghe and B.C. Henricus, all who had held the record, used to form formidable relay teams in the illustrious company of Duncan White.
The men’s 100 metres record had remained stranded for more than one and half decades when Himasha Eshan broke it in Guwahati in 2016. After the exploits of Sriyantha Dissanayake, country’s only 100 metres medalist at an Asian Games (1990 Beijing) and Chinthaka Soyza in the 90s, no Sri Lankan had run an Olympics 100 metres. But since Himasha’s feat the record has changed hands three times a promising sign for better days ahead.
After the world moved to 100 metres from the 100 yards Sri Lanka had only 11 record holders from 1949 to 2020. The record had improved 17 times within that period.
The coveted record had been under the belt of some outstanding individuals who were household names. Osmand de Silva (10.2 secs, hand timing) who held the record for three years from 1931 later became country’s Inspector General of Police. Double international Summa Nawaratnam who improved the record more than once was once called the fastest in Asia. Olympian Sunil Gunawardena who held the record for two decades since 1970 later became national coach and was an influential head of the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka. K.L.F. Wijedasa who took the record in 1955 was the national coach in 70s and 80s. Upali S. Gunaratne who held the record when the event was conducted as 100 yards in 1938 later became a Vice President of the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka.
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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