Sports
Sri Lanka reaps rewards for banking on homegrown rugby coaches
By A Special Sports Correspondent
Sri Lanka finished its participation at the Asia Rugby Men’s Division 1 tournament with flying colours, but there are concerns whether the islanders can hold on to this momentum they created in this four-nation tournament.
The concerns are whether the island’s players chosen to perform national duty can think of a national level commitment in the months and weeks to come. All these players are owned by clubs and whether they’ll be released for a national level training programme is a dicey question to be answered from an administrator’s point of view. Also Sri Lanka cannot conveniently return to club rugby and forget national rugby when there is a ready-made invitation for them to join the best four Asian nations in the world and contest the Asia Men’s Rugby Championship next season.
Anyway, the three coaches Sanath Martis, Nilfer Ibrahim and Dushanth Lewke are full time rugby coaches and are working closely with the players from both schools and clubs. They eat, drink and sleep rugby; hence there is no surprise if Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) continues with this three-man combination when the time comes again to prepare the national team for future international assignments. The fact that this writer wishes to underscore is that Sri Lanka proved to the ‘Asia rugby world’ that the islanders have enough home-grown talent when it comes to selecting a coaching panel and also players for international tournaments and don’t have to rely on ‘foreigners’.
But going alone is difficult. Outside influence is essential. If Sri Lanka doesn’t want to capitalize on the ‘foreigners’ eligibility to represent another nation facility’ then the SLR must think of giving our players more exposure at international rugby events. Just a few days ago in Singapore-just after the conclusion of the HSBC ‘Singapore Sevens’- the rugby unions of Singapore, Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Philippines signed a Memorandum of Understanding to be engaged in a 15-a-side rugby tournament (For the Unions Cup) to promote the long version of rugby union. Sri Lanka must also think of doing the same with teams like Pakistan, India and also by roping in any other Asian nation team which might want to complete the line-up and gain some mileage in the sport. As for all the Asian rugby teams, exposure is one key factor which will aid in their future journeys in rugby.
If we just take a peep into the Asia Rugby Men’s Championship (featuring the best four teams of Asia like Hong Kong China, Malaysia, South Korea and United Arab Emirates) Hong Kong China is the hot favourite to win this year’s series set to be held in Hong Kong from June 1-24. For the record Hong Kong China Rugby (HKCR)-the governing body for rugby in Hong Kong China-has drawn up a ten-year strategic plan to develop its rugby and be counted in the rugby world. HKCR has also earmarked a South American tour for its players which will feature a match against Chile and another opponent. This is food for thought for Sri Lanka Rugby.
The three coaches who formed the coaching panel for Sri Lanka comprised (from
left) Dushanth Lewke, Sanath Martis and Nilfer Ibrahim (Picture courtesy SLR)
Sri Lankans are cock-a-hoop now having won the Asia Rugby Division 1. And even before the Sports Minister of the country could promise any reward, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has come forward to boost rugby at home with a ‘gift’ of US$ 30,000 in appreciation of the recent accomplishment in rugby. All these happenings also bring along hope for some change in the way of thinking in the higher echelons of rugby in Sri Lanka. Now the SLR must keep Sri Lanka’s national rugby in the news and not brag about getting sponsors and running a club rugby tournament. Sri Lanka moved three places up to a World ranking of 41 in 15a-side rugby. And Sri Lanka must hold on to this place in international rugby at any cost. There are critics who have already aired the view that the three coaches must be looked after and honoured for their contributions made towards this recent national rugby achievement. If someone asks Martis whether he is ‘Sri Lanka coach’ or ‘National coach’ I am sure the great man would be lost for an answer. In reality he is Sri Lanka coach; a one-off appointment as the person in charge of the national team for this single tournament and he is technically released of his responsibilities now. But if the SLR signs a long-term agreement with him to be in charge of the national team then he would be tied down with the players and forced to draw up plans to keep the players’ focus on the international rugby scene and overseas tournaments. What would happen to his present role as a school cum club coach then and all the earning opportunities he enjoys? The same can be said about Lewke and Ibrahim.
No rugby picture is complete if proper homework is not done. In terms of looking at the entire Asian segment and where it places itself in the world rugby scene, we must check the movements of Japan. The ‘Cherry Blossoms’ is the big brother when it comes to rugby in Asia, but this nation has now moved to a different segment of the game; which is the World Cup ‘Pacific Challenge’. Japan won this tournament recently which featured teams like Manuma Samoa, Tonga ‘A’ and Fiji ‘Warriors’. This tournament featured predominantly under 23 players in keeping with WR regulations.
Coming back to the tournament held in Colombo at the Race Course, the rugby event attracted 20,000 spectators. The grandstand was packed to capacity and rugby fans at home saw a display of rugby by the national team which pulled at their heartstrings. As for rugby in Sri Lanka the crowds are back. There is interest again in national rugby. And it’s the responsibility of the entire rugby fraternity to keep the ‘Lion flag’ flying in the sport of rugby union. To top it all up- like putting a cherry on a cake- the Asian Rugby Tournament that Sri Lanka hosted was termed a ‘Green Event’ with a tree planted for each try that was scored in the tournament. Suddenly all eyes are on the Sri Lanka rugby team and it’s a nice feeling to wait till this applause fades away before the ‘players’ can think of work again.
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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