Ruchira Wijesundara of Bandarawela Central College made third century in this season of the ‘Singer Trophy’ Under 19 inter Schools Cricket tournament yesterday.

Theldeniya National School beat Nugawela Central College by innings and 57 runs.

Ruchira Wijesundara of Bandarawela Central College scored unbeaten 118 runs against Gankanda Central College at Badulla.

* At Nugawela. Theldeniya National School won by innings and 57 runs.

Nugawela Central: 234 in 51.3 overs (Viraj Ekanayake 112, Pramod Dodanthanna 31, Induwara Polkotuwa 21, Bandara Udalagama 21, Chamil Dissanayake 4/9, Thushara Bandara 3/36, Mindika Ekanayake 2/55) and 72 in 18.3 overs (Gihan Jayathunge 23, Nindika Ekanayake 5/24, Thushara Bandara 2/12, Tharindu Bandara 2/16)

Theldeniya National School: 363 in 70.4 overs (Thishara Bandara 174, Sureth Kumara 46, Indika Ekanayake 37, Samith Dissanayake 32, Ravindu Aththanayake 22, Viraj Ekanayake 3/104, Jayathissa Hapugoda 2/19, Akila Nimsara 2/78)

On Day One

* At Galle. Dharmasoka Ambalangoda: 219 in 78.2 overs (Dinuka Dilshan 55, Kavindu Nadeeshan 42, Senal Deshai 33, Aroshana de Zoysa 26, Subhanu Rajapaksha 4/39, Asehen Kandambi 3/25)

Mahinda Galle: 5/1 in 4 overs

* At Badulla. Gankanda Central: 120 in 41 overs (Dulshan Sandeepa 40, Lakshan Chalinda 4/38, Nandun Kaushalya 2/19)

Bandarawela Central: 193/7 in 46 overs (Ruchira Wijesundara 118 n.o., Lahiru Dilshan 3/44, Pubudu Shashilal 3/86). YK

Johannesburg, Monday: Veteran leg-spinner Imran Tahir said on Monday he would retire from one-day international cricket after the World Cup in England and Wales, which ends on July 14.

But he said he would like to continue playing for South Africa in Twenty20 internationals.

Tahir, who will turn 40 later this month, played a starring role for South Africa, taking three for 26, in their eight-wicket win in the first one-day international against Sri Lanka at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.

His performance drew attention to the fact that he was not on the list of contracted players for the 2019/20 year released by Cricket South Africa last week.

But he revealed on Monday that he had reached an agreement with CSA for his contract to expire at the end of July, extending his 2018/19 contract by three months.

In a statement released by CSA, Tahir said he would re-assess his freelance future after the World Cup.

“I have always wanted to play in the World Cup,” he said. “I have a mutual understanding with Cricket South Africa and going forward I decided that I would finish at the World Cup, that is why I am contracted until then. After that, Cricket South Africa has allowed me to go and play around the world in various leagues but I would also love to play T20 cricket for South Africa.”

Tahir said retiring from one-day internationals was a difficult decision. “I would love to play for as long as I can,” he said, “but there is a stage in your life where you have to make big decisions.” AFP

Moratu Vidyalaya booked a berth in the fourth round of the ongoing under 13 inter schools division three cricket tournament when they beat Bomiriya Central by 78 runs and played at Moratuwa.
Batting first Vidyalians scored 182 runs with Vinod Kavinda making the top score of 53 runs and Naveen Jayasinghe bagged 4 for 35 and in reply visitors were all out for 134 runs.
Chief Scores

Moratu Vidyalaya - 182 in 28.5 overs - Vinod Kavinda 53, Hirusha Nimsara 25, Yohan Saminda 22, Dineth Sankalana 19, Vihanga Nimsara 16, Naveen Priyadarshana 18, Naveen Jayasinghe 4 for 35, Chamindu COoray 2 for 32

Bomiriya Central - 134 in 48 overs - Chethiya Amarasinghe 21, Chanidu Cooray 23, Thalindu Wijerathne 26, Dineth Sankalana 2/13, Vihanga Nimsara 2/12, Akalanka Shamala 2/38

After 2000 participants in the Jaffna, Polonnaruwa and Batticaloa trials, Airtel’s fastest has captured the imagination of Sri Lanka. Already some exciting under 19 prospects a large female turnout and a 22-year-old who bowls at close to 140kmph, among the selected. The talent hunt now turns its eyes towards Matara and Badulla trials, which will be held on the 7th and 9th of March.

We all saw what bringing youth into the national Test team could do when in the recently concluded two-Test series in South Africa, Sri Lanka defied all odds to win 2-0. What that selection showed was the talent we have in this country and by giving them the opportunity to showcase their talent on the international stage how it transformed the complexion of the side.

Whether the present selection committee will be given the free hand to continue their good work remains to be seen with the recently elected office-bearers to Sri Lanka Cricket.

One thing is for sure for they are never going to do the right thing. Unless you clean up the environment our talent is not going to flourish. That has been the bane of Sri Lanka cricket. If you don’t back your youth and take bold decisions one simply cannot see Ashantha de Mel’s team succeeding in their mission.

This government has dropped the ball twice and missed out on two occasions where they had the opportunity to clean up the Augean stables. First they allowed the Sports Minister’s portfolio to go to the opposition when Navin Dissanayake after all the good work that he had done was replaced by Dayasiri Jayasekera. The other was allowing the Sumathipala faction to creep back into Sri Lanka Cricket when they should never have been allowed to. It is an indictment on this government to allow Sumathipala’s cronies to sneak in after he had engineered a coup to unseat the government from parliament not so long ago.

With all the corruption and the misdeeds that have been reported on a daily basis in the media, the government should have taken more affirmative action to ensure that those guilty were penalized and held accountable for all the financial violations that had taken place during their tenure.

They have called for a forensic audit that should have been completed before the elections and all those responsible for the financial violations kept out.

Changing of the Sri Lanka Cricket constitution is one thing, but it won’t be easy. The best thing was to bring in legislation and making match fixing a criminal offence. That is something that Sri Lanka Cricket promised the ICC but had not gone ahead with.

Then they are still pussyfooting without taking the action that needs to be taken when it is very clear that the head coach has lost confidence of the team. How can you continue to coach a team where the players have lost confidence in you? A former captain is not even in talking terms with the head coach. There are unconfirmed reports to say that when the Sports Minister Harin Fernando went to Australia one of the requests that the head coach had made to him was that the boys were not talking to him and for the Minister to intervene and resolve it.

With only a few months before the World Cup we are still struggling to get our batting and bowling combinations right. How Upul Tharanga made his way into the slot as opener is simply baffling.

We must get Kusal Perera to open with Niroshan Dickwella. They along with Kusal Mendis, Oshada Fernando who is showing a lot of promise and Dhananjaya de Silva should be the nucleus of our batting. We are not getting the batting line up right and we are very timid in ideas when it comes to doing so.

Kusal Perera first broke into the Test arena three years ago and on his debut scored two fifties but after that he was simply overlooked until now which goes to show the lack of knowledge in identifying talent.

Another rare talent that seems to have simply disappeared is Jeffrey Vandersay the right-arm leg-spinner. We all saw the value of a wrist spinner and the difference he can make when Imran Thahir broke the back of our batting to set up a comfortable win for South Africa in the first ODI at Johannesburg. Every country who plays a wrist spinner is winning matches on a regular basis. We got this boy Vandersay who is absolute talent, but we keep on picking bowlers like Lakshan Sandaken. One wonders what has happened to Vandersay whether like so many others before him he has also fallen by the wayside.

The previous selection committee got it all wrong. Just because a player performed in one format they went and included them in the other format and ruined them.

Sri Lanka are currently experiencing a series of injuries to their fast bowlers which is also contributing to their constant losses in ODI cricket. For the boys to be breaking down so often their workloads are not being managed properly. Today the workload of a cricketer is tremendous with little time for recovery once they get injured.

One has to only take a leaf out of South Africa’s notebook how they are managing their bowlers. They didn’t bring Imran Thahir who is 39 years old to Sri Lanka on their last tour here and in the current ODI series once they have taken a winning lead they are certain to rest him again until the World Cup. This is the type of bold decisions the management should adopt.

One cannot have any hope with the present administrators because the last thing they want to damage is the cricket although they will damage everything else.

Don’t be surprised if the Sumathipala faction tries to get the ODI captain changed before the World Cup. They don’t like Lasith Malinga and even the coach doesn’t like him because he cannot be pushed around. Depending on the outcome of the next four ODI games there might be pressure brought on the national selectors to change Malinga which is not a healthy situation to be in whereas by this time we should be having a settled team for the World Cup.

Eshan Pieris once again did Sri Lanka proud winning the final race in the inaugural Asian Winter Series

(AWS) held this weekend at the Sepang International Circuit Malaysia. The win was even more impressive given that this was Eshan’s first season in the F3 category.

Driving for Absolute Racing, Eshan got off to a great start qualifying second for the first race of the weekend. He kept up this great run by posting the fifth best time in the second qualifying session.

Saturday morning’s opening race, unfortunately, saw Eshan taken out of the race after an aggressive overtaking attempt by an opponent while running in sixth. Later in the day Race 8 saw him starting from sixth on the grid, he went on to avoid all kinds of hazards to finish fifth overall, equaling his best result in the series and being the best-placed Asian based driver in this race.

The last race of the season, saw Eshan make a good start from fifth on the grid to move up to second, but lost this position to team mate Ye Yifei in the second lap. Ye Yifei and Australian Jack Doohan then battled for supremacy when in lap 11 the two cars collided and Ye was forced to retire.

Following the leaders closely all the way, Eshan capitalized from their collision to take his maiden win in

the series. He crossed the line more than two seconds clear of second place.

Speaking after the event Eshan said “it feels amazing to win on a grid with such competitive drivers. I couldn’t be happier with this result as well as all the progress made during the weekend including my best qualifying performance ever in this series. The car was amazing all thanks to Absolute Racing – a team I am proud and privileged to be a part of! Many thanks also to my manager Aaron Lim as well as my parents for always supporting me. This win also goes out to all my supporters, particularly those back home in Sri Lanka who have been backing me all the way.”

Fabien Fior, Team Director Absolute Racing added, “Eshan’s improvement over the AWS season has been hugely impressive and today’s win shows all his potential”

The new season of the F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA kicks off on April 6/7 at Sepang, Malaysia. In its second season, the five-event Asian championship will also visit FIA Grade 1 race tracks in Thailand, Japan and China, with three races at each round between April and September next year.

A very fine match bag of 10 for 46 (4/19 and 6/17) by all rounder Maheesha Theekshana guided St. Benedict’s College, Kotahena to beat De Mazenod College, Kandana by innings and 66 runs in their inter school first eleven cricket match

worked off at Kotahena. Incidentally in addition to Singer Trophy Tournament match this was played for the ‘Lasallian Trophy’ too and Bens were home for lunch on day two.

Batting first Bens were all out for 241 runs with Kaveesha Jayathilake and Pasan Suwahas scoring 59 and 50 runs respectively. In reply De Mazenod were all out for 104 runs and following on they were dismissed for a paltry 88 runs with Malinda Perera having a match bag of 8 for 61 (4/29 and 4/32) runs.

Chief Scores

St. Benedicts’s - 241 in 61 overs - Kaveesh Jayathilake 59, Pasan Suwahas 50, Ashen de Soysa 34 n/o, Thenuka Nandalal 33, Maheesha Theekshana 22, Malith Fernando 2/36, Sihina Sithumina 2/39, Romal Fernando 2/60

De Mazenod - 104 in 31.3 overs - Pasindu Rajamunindra 23, Maheesha Theekshana 4/29, Malinda Perera 4/29 and 88 - Pasindu Rajamunindra 21, Maheesha Theekshana 6/17, Malinda Perera 4/32

The 8th Big Match (50 overs game) between Tholangamuwa Central and Galahitiyawa Central was played on 1st of March 2019 at Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium, witnessed by over six thousand spectators who traveled all the way from Gampaha and Kegalle.

Tholangamuwa taking the 1st lease of wicket scored 207 runs which is a record score for this Big Match series, thanks to their captain Sithum Wickramarachchi who played a captain’s innings of 71 runs with six 45 and one six supported by his vice captain Kavishka Krishan who scored 48 runs unbeaten with 5 x 45 and 2 x 65 in 58 minutes. Their batting was revolting round the above two batsmen as Galahitiyawa fielders couldn’t capitalize on the chances given by the batsmen.

Galahitiyawa chasing this record target set by Tholangamuwa met with unexpected tragedy as their inform top opening batsman were ruled out LBW for no score. Captain Isuru Tharaka and Manujith Ravishan repair the damage with a 48 runs partnership, soon Isuru was run out at score reading 2 for 48 runs. The other top order batsmen Sandaruwan Chinthake, Manujith Ravishan and Thisara Randika were all out for LBW decisions.

At One stage score reading 85 runs for six wickets in over 28. The Match was expected to windup early but a determined, cautious contribution was made for the seventh wicket between Minsara Sadupa 48 and Buddhika Kamesh 21, converted to a record partnership of 78 runs for any wicket in this series, induce some hopes of challenging thistarget. The later order batsmen too contributed some valuable scores but eventually surrendered 4 runs short of this 207 target in 50 overs. Tholangamuwa register their 3rd victory by four runs.

The crowd was on their toes during the last four overs cheering and shouting for their respective sides as the match poising for any one’s game. Afantastic atmosphere was present as both sides did very well to create this rare close finish.

Both sides suffered due to some poor umpiring decisions. Out of the 15 wickets fallen on that day seven were LBW decisions other than that it was a great match.

Chief Scores

Tholangamuwa - 207 for 6 at close? (Sithuma Sanjana ?- 71, Kavishka Krishan ?- 48)

Galahitiyawa - 203 for 9 at close (Manujith Ravishan ?- 25, Isuru Tharaka ?- 19, Minsara Sadupa ?- 48, Osara Sadeepa ?- 18, Yasitha Rashmika ?- 16)

Both Sri Lanka National Football teams Men’s and Women’s are set to play in International tournaments this month. Football Federation of Sri Lanka is set to send their Men’s U 23 and Women’s National Team for the international tours to Bahrain and Nepal respectively.

The women’s national football team will depart to Nepal on 10th March 2019 to participate in the 5th SAFF Women’s Championship to be held from 12th to 22nd March 2019 in Nepal. Sri Lanka will have to compete along with defending champions India and Maldives in Group “B” while the Group “A” consists of Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Women’s team was involved in their residential training under the Head Coach . Thilak Alponso

Before this tournament, Sri Lanka National Women’s Team toured Bahrain, December last year and played three friendly matches with Bahrain National team as a preparation for the SAFF Women’s Championship.

The team will be captained by Erandi Kumudumala Liyanage while Rushani Gunawardhana is the vice captain.

“I’m satisfied with the team because we had many training sessions and played few International friendly matches as well. Our main target is to enter the Semi Finals ” stated . Thilak Alponso the Head Coach of Women’s National Team

U23 Men’s National team will also tour Bahrain on 20th March to take part in the AFC U23 Championship 2020 – Qualifiers which will be held from 22nd to 26th of March 2019. A total of 44 countries across Asia have been drawn into eleven groups consisting of four teams. Sri Lanka will play along with Bahrain, Palestine & Bangladesh in qualifying round under Group “B”.

FFSL conducted trials in January to select players for U23 National Team and pool of 32 players continued their residential practices at Beddagana National Football Training Centre.

FFSL hopes to announce the squad who leave for AFC U23 Championship next week.

“The boys are not much experienced locally or internationally. But we have a talented and physically strong team. Though we conduct practices in a short period of time, we hope to give a good competition in this qualifying round and this international experience will be very useful for the upcoming South Asian Games (SAG) to be held in September this year” said . Nizam Packeer Ali The Head Coach of Men’s National Team.

Sri Rahula College Katugastota did it in style, pulled off a 45 points (five goals and two tries) to 19 (two goals and a try) victory against St. John’s College in their inter school rugger played at Pallekelle on Sunday. The winners dominated the game; they won plenty of balls on the loose, played well in the three quarter moves, ran the ball at every given opportunity and tackled the Johns side well

Win or lose is part of the game, in terms of physique, both teams were equally strong and were engaged in a hard fought battle, they showed how the oval shape ball should be handled as both three-quarters of either side were superior and the forwards of the two teams were also in good shape playing a good game driving into rucks and mauls.

Both teams surprised everybody with their excellent display of run and pass rugby, they were fast and furious and the ball handling exceptional. They used their rugby skills to good effect. St. Johns had god chances of scoring, but the Rahula guys were more with the ball. The losers made a big impact, although they lost, they were good in their forward play.

In the 5th annual mini battle between the 2nd XI teams of Trinity College and St. Anthony’s College took place on 3rd and 4th at the Asgiriya Stadium, and Trinity college ‘A’ team came out as winners. Where the best batsman and Man of the Match Agbo Amarasinghe of Trinity College helped his school to beat their arch rivals St. Anthony’s College in their annual mini battle played by the two 2nd XI teams. The best bowler’s award went to Kavidu Dias, Fielder Ranuda Somarathne Best all Rounder Nagitha Wijesooriya all from Trinity College.

Trinity won the toss and invited St .Anthony’s College to take the first turn of the wicket they made 174 all out in 56 overs

Lasith Werellegama 49, Ranmal Narampanawa and Kavindu Dias took three wickets each and in the second innings 112 all out in 31.5 overs Mohamed Rukshan 31, Kavindu Dias and Nagitha Wijesundara took four wickets each.

Trinity in their turn made 206 all out in 47 overs Agbo Amarasinghe top scored with 108 in 134 balls. Tharindu Hewage and Chamindu Samarasinghe took threE wickets each. And in the 2nd innings 81/ 4

St Anthony’s College ‘A’ -174 all out in 56 overs Lasith Werellegama 49, Mohomed Rukshan 31, Ranmal Narampanawa 3/31 Kavindu Dias 3/33 and112 all out in 31.5 overs Mohamed Rukshan 31, Kavindu Dias 4/23, Nagitha Wijesundara 4/27

Trinity College ‘A’ - 206 all out in 47 overs Agbo Amarasinghe 108, Tharindu Hewage 3/34, Chamindu Samarasinghe 3/48, Dinesh Ramaiyha 2/47, Gayan Samarasinghe2/26 and 81/ 4 in 28.4 overs Agbo Amarasinghe 26, Ranuda Somarathne 26,Deemantha Bandara 20 n.o

The issuing of the first tickets for the “Turf Club”, a joint tent by the Classes of 2004 and 2005 of S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia for the 140th Battle of the Blues took place at College on the 4th of March 2019. The inaugural tickets were handed over to two distinguished Old Boys from both the batches, namely, Sub Warden Asanka Perera from the Class of 2004 and MP Namal Rajapakse from the Class of 2005. This took place in the presence of the Warden of S. Thomas’ College, Father Marc Billimoria.

S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia will have the edge over Royal College and will be pressing for a win when they meet their traditional rivals in the 140th Battle of the Blues three-day cricket encounter which will take place at SSC grounds from March 7-9. This match is played for the prestigious D. S. Senanayake Memorial Shield.

The Mount Lavinia boys are famous for their fighting qualities and they last proved what the Thomian grit is all about at the centenary year’s encounter in 1979 when hero of the game Mahinda Halangoda (former SSC captain) with a spectacular unbeaten innings of 70 teamed up with fast bowler C.P. Richards 20 not out (playing only his second match for the season) figured in a match saving unbroken 91-run partnership for the ninth wicket to earn a honourable draw after they were reealing at 161 for 8 at the tea break and needing another seven runs to make Royal bat again.

The Thomians have been shaping well with six wins against St.Aloysius College Galle, St.Mary’s College Kegalle, Prince of Wales College Moratuwa, Ananda College Colombo, Mahanama College Colombo and St.Benedict’s College Kotahena this season.

Burly Sithara Hapuhinna is the captain of the side. He is the highest run getter for the Mount Lavinia who has scored nearly 850 runs with two hundreds and four fifties. Besides his useful contributions as a Left handed opening batsman this season, he has shown great success as the wicket keeper of the side as well where he has claimed 52 victims behind the stumps. Another left hander Shalin De Mel has also shown great form scoring over 650 runs with two hundreds and two fifties. Batsman Ravindu De Silva has also aggregated nearly 500 runs with a top score of 122.

Among the others who are capable of keeping the scoreboard moving are Sri Lanka national under 19 player cum left hander Kalana Perera (close to 450 runs) together with Umayanga Swaris (over 400 runs) along with batsman Deon Frnando ( The younger brother of Shanon Fernando) who has nearly 400 runs under his belt.

They have the services of Kalana Perera, who has turned out to be a vital cog in the Sri Lanka youth team playing in the ICC Under 19 World Cup. He is the highest Thomian wicket taker this season with 76 wickets with the best bowling of 8 for 01 against St.Mary’s College.

But the deadliest weapons in the Thomian bowling armoury will be the left arm leg breaks of last years skipper Dellon Peiris, who has a total of nearly 74 wickets.

He has produced a season’s best innings analysis of 7 for 26 against Wesley College.

Although S. Thomas’ will be over dependent on Kalana and Dellon there are few others who could pose a serious threat to the Royal batting line up like Dilmin Rathnayake 39 wickets along with left arm leg spinner Shannon Fernando who has 36 wickets to his credit.

D. S. Senanayake, who became the first Prime Minister of independent Ceylon, donned the Thomian cap in 1901 and 1902.

Other notable S. Thomas’ players who have played in the Royal-Thomian cricket match are Dudley Senanayake, Vernon Prins, Michael Tissera, Anura Tennekoon, Buddy Reid, Mano Ponniah, Bradman Weerakoon, Duleep Mendis, Guy de Alwis, Mahinda Halangoda, Aruna Gunawardene, Saliya Ahangama, Kaushik Amalean, Kapila Wijegunawardene, Johanne Samarasekera, Nisal Fernando, Manoj Mendis, Jeevan Mendis, Kaushal Silva, S. Saravanamuttu, P. Saravanamuttu, M. Saravanamuttu, Mevan Pieris, Ranil Abeynaike, Shantha Kottegoda and Michael Jayasekera to name a few.

The first century in the series came in the 38th encounter in 1917, when Thomian batsman B.T Janz scored 103. David Ponniah (100 not out in 1967) and Manoj Mendis (124 in 1992) remain as the only Thomians to score centuries on debut.

The rare occasion of scoring more than one century during their Royal-Thomian careers is shared by Thomians Duleep Mendis (1971 & 1972), his nephew Manoj Mendis (1992 & 1993) and Ashan Pieris (2005 & 2007). Only three Thomians have achieved a rare batting double (a century and a fifty) in the same game. They are Willie Jayetileke (62 & 110 not out) in 1937, former Colts CC opener Dhammika Bulankulame (108 & 72) in 1984 and present Sri Lanka all rounder Jeevan Mendis (111 & 54) in 2001. Ex-Thomian and Sri Lanka Test skipper Duleep Mendis, who steamrolled the opposition with 184 in 1972 is still S. Thomas’ College highest individual scorer.

S. Thomas’ is coached by experienced Dinesh Kumarasinghe, who has nearly 30 years of experience in cricket coaching. So far out of the 139 encounters that have been played, the Thomians have won on 34 occasions with their last win coming in 2007 under Ashan Peiris.

CENTURION, Tuesday - After their shock loss in the Test series, South Africa will be desperate to become a formidable home unit again with another win over Sri Lanka in the second ODI at SuperSport Park, Centurion on Wednesday.

One match into the ODI series, the euphoria of the Test triumph is over. South Africa are back in business, dominating at home. Imran Tahir snuffed out batsmen with googlies and drifters. Faf du Plessis made a flawless century. And Quinton de Kock was belligerent at the top. These are trademark signs when things are going well for the home team.

Tahir has since announced that he will retire from ODIs after the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019. What does that do to his psyche? We’ve already seen what it has done for Chris Gayle and the West Indies. Will Tahir similarly haunt Sri Lanka for the rest of this series, as Gayle did England?

Sri Lanka’s top order failed in the first ODI. Well begun is half done, and now, more than ever, ahead of a World Cup, the top orders of teams across the world will be under scrutiny. Sri Lanka’s has got the experience – in Upul Tharanga – and the belligerence – in Niroshan Dickwella – but can they bring it together?

Their middle order batsmen made runs without converting them into anything substantial, and the result was a middling total of 231 and 18 unused balls in Johannesburg. It gave the bowlers very little to defend. Even so, they underwhelmed, as South Africa wheeled away in the chase, completing it with 67 balls remaining. The downside of that, from South Africa’s perspective, is that their middle order went untested. Barring du Plessis and David Miller, it lacks experience, and now is the time, before the World Cup begins, for those players to be thrown into the deep end. Can Sri Lanka give them that sort of competition?

South Africa managed quite brilliantly without Dale Steyn in their attack in the first ODI, with debutant Anrich Nortje able to rein in Sri Lanka. Steyn’s return, if and when it happens, will only add more teeth to an already potent attack. Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Tahir already pose enough problems for Sri Lanka to deal with.

NAGPUR Tuesday - India pulled off an eight-run victory in a low-scoring thriller after all-rounder Vijay Shankar picked two wickets in the final over of the second one-day international against Australia on Tuesday.

The Australians needed 11 runs from the last over with two wickets in hand but Shankar, playing only his sixth ODI, kept his nerves to pick a wicket off his first and third balls in the day-night game in Nagpur.

Skipper Virat Kohli, who struck 116 in India’s modest total of 250, asked Shankar to bowl the final over ahead of the regular Kuldeep Yadav, and he was rewarded amply for his move.

The Aussies were bowled out for 242 off 40.3 overs with Marcus Stoinis top-scoring with 52.

It was the 500th win in one-day internationals for India.

The visitors were off to a steady start with openers Aaron Finch (37) and Usman Khawaja (38) putting on 83 runs before being dismissed in successive overs.

Glenn Maxwell (18) saw his stumps being uprooted after a ball from Kuldeep Yadav sneaked from under his bat.

But it was the run-out of Peter Handscomb who looked set for a big score that hurt the visitors hard.

Handscomb, who made 48 off 59 balls, tried to take a risky single but Ravindra Jadeja made no mistake in hitting the stumps.

A double-strike by Jasprit Bumrah (2-29) turned the game around for the Indians who ensured there was no let-up in the pressure on the visitors.

Earlier Kohli smashed his 40th century on a challenging pitch that seemed to aid bowlers.

Kohli hit 10 fours in his 120-ball knock and held anchor after Australian captainFinch had elected to bat.

The Indians got off to a rocky start, losing openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan (21) early in the innings.

Sharma (0) top-edged off Adam Zampa and Dhawan (21) was given out leg before wicket after Australia’s appeal was upheld on review.

India had no such luck as Ambati Rayudu’s decision to appeal against the on-field umpire’s lbw decision was turned down, the hosts reduced to a shaky 75-3.

Kohli, the world’s top-ranked ODI batsman, went for the counter-attack, hitting two fours off the last two balls of the 18th over by Zampa to underline his top form. AFP

South Asian Games will be held in Kathmandu Nepal from December 1 to 10, 2019 .This year cricket and Paragliding has been added to the schedule.

This will be the second instant in which Cricket is added to the South Asian Games after the 2010 Dhaka edition included under 21 cricket tournament but it was not retained in the next edition which was held at Shillong and Guwahati India in 2016.

Paragliding is a recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure.This will be the first instant that paragliding is included in any major multi-sports event in, which Sri Lanka is taking part Sri Lanka won a total of 25 Gold medals in SAG 2016 with 9 in Athletics and 12 in swimming. But Sri Lanka could not even come close to India during the games where they won 188 Gold medals.

In order to ensure compete transparency, it was agreed in principle to have a panel in running the Anti Doping Unit of the games by getting doctors from each nation which is a very positive step by Nepal.

Ray de Silva former Royal College and Sri Lanka Schools cricketer and rugby star passed away yesterday at the age of 65.

De Silva played for Royal as wicket-keeper/batsman from 1971-73 and also represented Sri Lanka Schools team under the leadership of Asitha Jayaweera against the Australian Schools side led by Robert Goldin that toured Sri Lanka in 1972. He continued his cricket playing for CCC in the division one.

De Silva was also an outstanding fly half in rugby playing in the Bradby Shield match against Trinity College in 1972 pairing off with Dammika Wedande and in 1973 with CP Abeygunawardene. He played for Sri Lanka Schools against the visiting Nomads rugby team from England in 1973.

He was director of Senok Tea (Pvt) Ltd at the time of his death.

The funeral takes place on Thursday at the general cemetery Borella at 3 pm.

The traditions and rivalries of big match are legendary.

Highlights include:

The Cycle Parade

Both Royal College and S. Thomas' organize official cycle parades that snake through the streets of Colombo. "Cycle Parade" is a bit of a misnomer, since most participants take cars, flat-bed trucks and buses these days. Various school clubs and societies contribute their own segments to the parade, including the cadets who usually carry a giant school flag.

The Mini Battle

This is the face-off between the Second XIs of Royal and S. Thomas'. It traditionally takes place the week before the big match, and is played at either the Royal College ground or the S. Thomas' big club ground. It's a chance for the students to get involved in the cricket before the main event begins.

The Prepites

This is a tradition that students of the two big colleges might not be aware of. Traditionally, old boys of S. Thomas' Preparatory School would visit their old school on the first day of the match, ring the school bell and escort all the students to the match venue. Although this has been discontinued in recent years, I'm personally holding out for a revival.

The Three Days That Matter

On Thursday morning, two nervous teenagers walk out to the middle at the SSC and toss a coin, perhaps the most important coin toss in their lives ëdramatic musicí. Over the next three days, the two teams will battle it out. There will be the pitch invasions, the chants of "umpire hora", the inevitable batting collapses and the rescue missions from lower order batsmen which will be labelled "Royal Spirit/Thomian Grit", the customary removal of the letter T from the scoreboard entry reading "S. Thomas'", the drunken brawls which evaporate as suddenly as they appear, the uncles who show up without fail from all corners of the world to spend time with their brethren, the professionals who mysteriously fall ill and visit the SSC for treatment, and of course the cricket that often goes unattended until something dramatic happens.

Throughout these few days though, the main feature that one notices is the camaraderie between the two schools. Every Royalist and Thomian has close friends from across the divide, and it shows. The rivalry is built on a foundation of mutual respect, and the jabs are seldom mean-spirited.

Liquids

If something, —anything— is passed to you in a bottle or a cup, it usually has alcohol in it. Now, most people relish this free flow of high spirits, but if you're not one of these people—do look out.

Food

Food at the venue is consistently terrible, and will always be the same old "mystery meat patties and sausages wrapped in dodgy bread". You might want to venture out for noms. We'd recommend Floor by O!, Arcade for variety, Quick Thai or Fortune Boat, all within walking distance of the SSC.

Baila

There are many colourful songs that can be heard at the match venue, sung by boys in various states of inebriation. Now, it's all well and good to sing these at a loud cricket ground, but it's best to avoid singing them in front of your parents.

Lunch, Tea and Innings Breaks

This has always been the favourite part of the day: during the lunch break, tea or after the conclusion of the day's play, the spectators are allowed onto the field to stroll around. This is the best time to meet up with friends who are at other tents, or run into old classmates who you haven't seen since the dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

Brawls

A lot of boys, booze, and bromance leads to the inevitable clash or two—most often between good friends and not the two schools. They tend to resolve themselves, so it's best to just avoid and ignore.

Support

There are designated tents for the different schools. It's usually considered bad form foolish to heckle Royal at a Royalist tent or vice-versa, but there are the brave few who manage to do this and get away with their limbs intact.

If you're an innocent bystander who's been coaxed to go to the match with your friend or significant other, you can flip a coin and decide to support a side. If your family hails from one school, and your SO from the other—well then, good luck navigating those murky waters. – yamu

LONDON, Wednesday - The Six Nations was a late adopter of bonus points but their presence has added extra intrigue to this weekend’s penultimate round with Wales, England and Ireland jockeying for position going into next week’s Super Saturday finale.

Bonus points were introduced into the Six Nations in 2017, having been in place in the southern hemisphere for years and brought into the Rugby World Cup in 2015.

Fears that a team with four victories and a potentially maximum six bonus points could top the standings ahead of one winning all five matches but with no bonus points were allayed by the addition of three bonus points for a Grand Slam which would guarantee top spot.

That of course is what Wales will be hoping to achieve when, with three wins in the bag, they head to Scotland on Saturday (1415GMT) before what could be a rip-roaring last-day showdown with Ireland in Cardiff.

Wales top the standings with 12 points but defeat in either of their last two games would almost certainly end their chances of a first title since 2013 as they have yet to register a bonus point.

Such a defeat would open the door for England and defending champions Ireland and, despite their loss in Cardiff, England look best placed to cash in.

They are on 10 points with two bonus points in the bag. They will expect to collect another for scoring four tries against Italy on Saturday (1645GMT) and would then be in the fortunate position of going into the final game of the championship against Scotland, who have not won at Twickenham since 1983, knowing exactly what they need to finish top.

Ireland have nine points, including one bonus, and almost certainly need to rack up some more, beginning at home to France on Sunday (1500GMT) to have any hope of retaining their title.

Few players or coaches this week will allow themselves to speculate on the bonus point scenario but organisers, broadcasters and many fans will be hoping the results and scorelines fall right to set up a nail-biting last day to match that of four years ago.

The pre-bonus point 2015 championship produced a thrilling, points-fest of a finale which ended with England needing to beat France by a margin of 26 at Twickenham to win the title, but falling just short as they triumphed 55-35.

Champions Ireland, England and Wales all ended with four wins, with positions decided by points difference.

Remarkably that year was the last time Italy managed a win - over Scotland - and they have lost 20 in a row since then.

They showed some signs of life for an hour against Ireland two weeks ago but, as so often, faded away and they are the longest of outsiders to end their losing streak by beating England for the first time.

Last time they came to Twickenham they did at least give Eddie Jones’s team a scare with their since-outlawed “no ruck” tactic that helped earn a 10-5 halftime lead before the home side fathomed out a solution. This time, however, England should collect the four-try bonus point win with relative ease.

Wales will know they cannot drop their guard at Murrayfield, where they lost on their last visit - albeit their only defeat to the Scots in their last 12 meetings.

Tech baton creates opportunity for blind musicians

Scotland are still hard-hit by injuries to key players while Wales are brimming with confidence after their late comeback win over England.

Ireland are really struggling to find the form that brought a Grand Slam and victory over the All Blacks last year and will be wary of a French team that clicked well at times when beating Scotland.

Jacques Brunel took the rare step - for a French coach - of naming an unchanged team and bench for the clash, giving promising young halfback pairing Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack another chance to shine. – Agencies