Sports
St. Aloysius’ fight back to win as Kalana takes seven wickets
Under 19 Cricket
by Reemus Fernando
In a rare piece of new-ball bowling left-arm paceman Kalana Pathum picked up seven wickets to rattle St. Benedict’s for 47 runs as St. Aloysius’ fought back to record five wickets victory in the Under 19 cricket encounter at Kotahena on Tuesday.
St. Aloysius’ had a first innings deficit of 45 runs but after Pathum dismissed the home team for scanty 47 runs they had a target of just 93 runs to chase. He was on a hat trick twice.
Visitors were troubled early in their run chase by Mewan Dissanayake. They lost wickets at regular intervals but the sixth wicket pair of Vidura Lakshan and Induwara Udena posted an unbroken stand of 56 runs to seal the victory with more than a session to spare. Udena was aggressive as he hammered four sixes in his unbeaten 40 which came in 36 balls.
At Colts ground, Randul Samarahewa top scored with 85 runs for Dharmasoka to record a fist innings win over Lumbini.
Despite a six wicket haul by Sajitha Vithanage, Richmond managed to take first innings honours against Nalanda at Dombagoda as they posted 165 runs in 67 overs against Nalanda’s 158 runs for which they consumed 99 overs.
At Uyanwatta, Devapathiraja forced St. Thomas’ to follow on as they restricted the home team to 97 runs in the first innings.
At Kandana, put to bat, De Mazenod were rocked by Venusha Akash who took early wickets to place them wobbling at three wickets down for nine runs. Later they slumped further to be placed five wickets down for 47 runs before Sithum Fernando (55), Thareen Sanketh (41) and Maleesha Mihishan (31n.o.) made useful contributions for them to recover.
Match Details
St. Aloysius’ beat St. Benedict’s by
five wickets at Kotahena
Scores:
St. Benedict’s
151 all out in 46.2 overs (Sheron Kannangara 43, Arshan Joseph 23, Kojitha Himsara 24; Kalana Pathum 2/19, Dumindu Naveen 2/31, Induwara Udena 2/23, Kavindu Kesara 3/24) and 47 all out in 19.2 overs (Kalana Pathum 7/21, Dumindu Naveen 2/12)
St. Aloysius’
106 all out in 47 overs (Charya Paranavithana 20, Oshanda Devinda 30; Chamath Chathurya 2/22, Vihara Aththanayake 2/26, Mewan Dissanayake 2/23) and 94 for 5 in 23.2 overs (Vidura Lakshan 31n.o., Induwara Udena 40n.o.; Mewan Dissanayake 4/49)
Samarahewa shines for Dharmasoka
at Colts ground
Scores:
Lumbini
171 all out in 61.2 overs (Dhanitha Sandeth 26, Yasiru Yugath 47, Pasindu Mahisha 15, Malith Kawindu 18; Pathum Malitha 5/35, Chanaka Jananga 3/49, Senitha Halambage 2/26) and 117 for 7 decl. in 47.4 overs (Pasindu Mahisha 52; Pathum Malitha 3/19, Senitha Halambage 2/31)
Dharmasoka
28 for no loss overnight 195 all out in 56.3 overs (Randul Samarahewa 85, Chanuka de Silva 39; Dumindu Sewmina 2/38, Malith Kawindu 4/15) and 25 for no loss in 3 overs (Randul Samarahewa 21n.o.)
Richmond take first innings honours against Nalanda at Dombagoda
Scores:
Nalanda
158 all out in 99 overs (Rusiru Vilochana 29, Eranga Jayakody 33; Malsha Tharupathi 6/45) and 121 for 3 in 43 overs (Rusiru Vilochana 66n.o., Sadew Samarasinghe 29; Yuri Koththigoda 2/39)
Richmond
165 all out in 66.4 overs (Tharinda Nirmal 31, Kavindu Nirmana 21, Sharon Abhishek 39, Maheesha de Silva 33; Sajitha Vithanage 6/61)
Devapathiraja take major honours at
drawn encounter at Matara
Scores:
Devapathiraja
230 for 3 overnight 277 for 9 decl. in 75.3 overs (Sandaru Theekshana 97, Pawan Sandesh 25, Dinitha Prabanka 30, Jeewaka Shashen 89; Bhanuka Insamal 3/64, Navija de Seram 4/80)
St. Thomas’
97 all out in 38.4 overs (Shashindu Jayasekara 18; Pathum Shaminda 3/29, Irushka Thimira 5/21) and 126 for 2 in 34 overs (Dumindu Sakshara 31, Abdul Maajid 34, Pesandu Sanjan 39n.o.;
Middle order fight back after Akash trouble De Mazenod at Kandana
Scores:
De Mazenod
175 for 7 in 66 overs (Neshan Dias 23, Sithum Fernando 55, Thareen Sanketh 41, Maleesha Mihishan 31n.o.; Venusha Akash 3/28)
Royal
St. Anthony’s take upper hand against Thurstan at Katugastota
Scores:
St. Anthony’s
234 all out in 64.1 overs (Thisara Ekanayake 63, Lahiru Abeysinghe 26, Ravindu Kapukotuwa 65, Janith Rathnasiri 26; Gagana Perera 3/27, Thanuga Palihawadana 3/49)
Thurstan
65 for 5 in 31 overs (Charuka Ekanayake 2/07)
Sports
England face Australia in the battle of champions
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]
Sports
South Africa up against their bogey team in batter-unfriendly New York
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]
Latest News
Mustafizur, Rishad, Hridoy dazzle in Bangladesh’s tight two-wicket win over Sri Lanka
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]