Sports
IBA President Umar Kremlev inspires Sri Lanka Boxing during historic visit
Sri Lanka’s boxing community experienced a day of celebration and renewed hope with the arrival of International Boxing Association (IBA) President Umar Kremlev and his wife accompanied by the former world heavyweight champion, Roy Jones Jr. This historic visit also included the presence of IBA Brand Ambassador Zeina Nassar, Germany’s bantamweight champion, adding to the significance of the tour.
President Umar Kremlev, known for his commitment to the sport, generously donated boxing equipment, setting off a series of events that could potentially establish Sri Lanka as an international boxing hub in the near future.
Dian Gomes, Sri Lanka’s boxing chief, expressed his gratitude for President Kremlev’s support, stating, “It is a historical time for Sri Lanka. When Sri Lanka needs support, I can always count on Umar Kremlev and his team for his support for me and Sri Lanka boxing.” He further added, “We can be proud because there are 200 countries in boxing, and for a country like Sri Lanka to be recognized and accepted by him and IBA is an exceptional recognition for Sri Lanka boxing.”
Addressing the conflict between the International Olympic Committee and IBA, Gomes clarified, “We will participate in IBA tournaments, Asian Games and also in the trials for the Olympic games. There is no conflict. The conflict lies in politics. As sportsmen, we want to bring the whole world together. I know Umar will bring about a significant change where the money earned from all IBA professional boxing will go to amateur boxing athletes as prize money. For the first time in the history of Sri Lankan boxing, athletes are being taken care of. We can be very proud of that. Next year, a million dollars will be offered for a gold medal at the world championship. Each country that starves of funding, he (Umar) has promised that he will support, by providing $50,000 annually.”
Gomes emphasized President Kremlev’s efforts to revolutionize boxing by ensuring transparency, equity, and women’s empowerment. He stated, “Umar is trying to change the world of boxing and has shown confidence in our leadership in the international boxing arena. With IBA’s assistance, we have implemented new reforms and created a new constitution to propel our country forward.”
The day’s events commenced with President Kremlev’s meeting with Sri Lanka’s Minister of Sports, Hon. Roshan Ranasinghe, where he pledged his commitment to developing boxing in the country, starting with a $50,000 grant to the Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) next year.
Following the meeting, discussions were held on establishing an international training base in Sri Lanka, leveraging the country’s favourable conditions and politically neutral status to provide athletes from around the world with opportunities for training.
President Kremlev expressed the IBA’s intention to host international tournaments in Sri Lanka, including continental championships and the Asian Cup, and expressed readiness to begin working immediately by inspecting available arenas, hotels, and other venues.
Minister Roshan Ranasinghe requested support for the development of the ‘boxing in the schools’ program, where 100 schools are involved at present. President Kremlev promised to assist with the necessary sports equipment and training for the young contestants.
During his visit, President Kremlev met with national athletes, including school boxers, elite boxers from tri forces (Army, Air Forces, and Navy) and Police, before donating gloves. Addressing the boxers, he stated, “IBA is here to create conditions and opportunities for you to participate in high-level events. Our main ambition is to foster the development of boxers and provide them with opportunities to compete both locally and abroad.”
Zeina Nassar, Germany’s national bantamweight champion and IBA Brand Ambassador, shared her excitement about the progress in boxing, saying, “Boxing is a sport open for all and is not meant to discriminate. Together, we can make a change.” She was excited about the Sri Lankan Women’s Commission and had great admiration for the empowerment of women achieved by Dian in both Boxing and in the apparel sector.
Gomes expressed his gratitude to President Kremlev for sponsoring Sri Lankan boxers’ participation in the World Championships. He said, “When Sri Lanka needed to send boxers for the Women’s World Championship in India and the Men’s World Championship in Uzbekistan, I spoke to Umar, and he personally supported Sri Lanka despite our limitations. The boxers received training, which was a great step forward.”
The visit concluded with President Kremlev’s meeting with Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena. They discussed the development of national sports, particularly boxing, including the organization of international competitions and support for the National Federation.
“As IBA President, I am certain that crucial changes await us in the world of sports in Sri Lanka, and I am looking forward to the growth of the number of national team boxers in the international boxing arena,” President Kremlev stated.
A reception was hosted by Dian and Dehara Gomes at the Mount Lavinia Hotel where the Hon. Ministers, the diplomatic community, the heads of the armed forces, and distinguished sports officials attended to felicitate Kremliv’s, former heavyweight champion Roy Jones’s (Jr) and other IBA official’s.
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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