Sports
Nilani resolute despite heartbreak
Nilani Ratnayake would have been the only homegrown talent to have reached qualifying standards for Olympics had she received the necessary backing at the right time. Here she is seen stumbling at the final barrier at the 2019 Asian Championship in Doha. Despite stumbling, she could finish fourth.
Missing an Olympic berth: Does anyone care?
by Reemus Fernando
Steeplechase is not for the faint-hearted. The unique track event combines endurance, speed, and agility into a terrific athletic competition. When veteran coach Sajith Jayalal first saw Nilani Ratnayake, he found that she possessed those qualities and the strength, courage and determination that are required to be a champion steeplechaser. They worked hard for years and it paid dividends. She became the country’s highest ranked athlete (35th in world rankings) in any track and field event with just six months before the Tokyo Olympics. Athletics enthusiasts were almost certain that she would become the first steeplechaser competing for Sri Lanka at an Olympics this year. But lack of quality competitions and a technical faux pass at one of the local competitions meant that she would be ranked 46th in the ‘Road to Olympic Rankings,” when the deadline closed for qualification. Sri Lanka Athletics were hoping that a top ranked athlete would pull out and the World Athletics would grant her a place. But that was not to be as the world governing body offered a wildcard to 800 metres runner Nimali Liyanarachchi ending Ratnayake’s hopes.
Despite the huge upset Nilani has been resolute and has shown what she is made of. As soon as she came to know that she had not qualified for the quadrennial event she took to social media and congratulated the athletes who have qualified for Olympics and apologised to her supporters for failing to qualify.
However we reckon that it should be the other way around as the Sports Ministry, National Olympic Committee and the Sri Lanka Athletics have all failed to support her cause. The country’s Olympic team of nine sportsmen and women have only two who have reached qualifying standards. They are the Italy based sprinter Yupun Abeykoon and German based Swedish equestrian athlete Mathilda Karlsson. Ratnayake would have been the only homegrown talent to have qualified if she made the cut. All three above said institutions have done things to help Ratnayake in one way or the other but have they done what is required to maintain her ranking is a question that they should give serious thought to.
Hungarian steeplechaser Lili Anna Toth who is ranked 45th in ‘Road to Olympics Rankings and qualified and 46th ranked Nilani Ratnayake both have equal ranking points (1190).
Country’s sports authorities are taking things for granted. There was hardly anything done when Ratnayake complained that the barriers during the Selection Trial in April were higher than the usual height. She cleared (35) barriers which were higher than the usual height for the women’s discipline. Due to the technical faux pas she got injured (trying to clear higher barriers) and had to take two weeks off to recover.
When the track and field athletes were struggling to improve world rankings and when Sri Lanka Athletics were desperately looking for help to get international competitions for local athletes during the pandemic did National Olympic Committee and the Sports Ministry come to their rescue? Did sports authorities who see millions of rupees being spent to keep cricket aloft during the pandemic take even the least interest to help track and field athletes continue their training in a bio secure bubble?
Neither Nilani nor the fellow track and field athletes would complain. Despite the setback Nilani’s coach Jayalal believes that the South Asian Games double gold medallist would come stronger to compete for Sri Lanka at future events.
There had been other heart breaks for Nilani during the last couple of years. She was about to clinch a medal at the 2019 Asian Athletics Championships in Doha when she unfortunately stumbled at the last barrier and conceded the fourth place. But within months she overcame the disappointments and won gold medals at the South Asian Games. This time too, she would be determined to come back stronger ahead of a year full of international competitions. Her fighting spirits have inspired many who would have otherwise given up athletics.
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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