Sri Lankan medal hopes Nimali Liyanarachchi and Gayanthika Abeyratne have qualified for the women’s 800m final of the Asian Athletics Championship which is being held in Doha Qatar. Nimali clocked 2m:05.10s and Gayanthika 2m:05.20s in the preliminary round to book their final berths at the Doha Kalifa grounds yesterday.

From 15 top Asian athletes who competed in two preliminaries, Nimali and Gayanthika were placed fourth and fifth respectively.

Nimali and Gayanthika won gold and silver medals respectively in the 22nd Asian Athletics Championship in India and are among the top favourites for this year’s title.

Last year’s gold medalist China’s Chun Yu Chang and silver medalist, Kazakastan’s Magarita Mukashiva will pose a great challenge to the two Lankans. India’s Gothami Marimuttu who recorded the third best timing at preliminaries will also be among the top runners for medals.

According to Nimali’s coach Sujith Abeysekara, she has undergone a doping test before the preliminaries, under the directions of World Athletics Federation. She was tested for about two hours and three urine samples and a blood sample was taken.

“Nimali is mentally disturbed about the test and it seems some wrong tip was given to the World Athletics Federation. It is not good to have such stressful tests before the event as the norm is having the test after the event,” Abeysekara explained.

Rusiru Chathuranga took 1m:50.55s to finish the men’s 800m preliminary round and has qualified for today’s final. Rusiru was placed third among 28 preliminary round contestants.

Lankan men’s triple jumper Gratian Dhananjaya cleared a distance of 15.87m to qualify for the final round. He has performed at his best in local qualifying events at the Sugathadasa Stadium recently, creating a new Sri Lanka record of 16.71m.

Ajith Premakumara and Nadisha Ramanayaka have also qualified for the 400m final round. Nadeesha recorded 53.66secs and Ajith took 47.31secs to finish their qualifying rounds. The 400m final and Himasha Eshan’s 100m preliminary were due to take place yesterday night.

Gayanthika Abeyratne (800m) and Himasha Eshan (100m) will compete in new events after arriving in Doha. Accordingly Himasha will compete in the men’s 200m and Gayanthika in the 1500m event.

The cricketing world came together to express their anguish over the attack on Easter Day where bomb blasts at three Sri Lankan churches and three luxury hotels killed over 200 people, including several foreigners, and wounded more than 500 yesterday.

“We as a county need to put away differences and get together at this crucial time to look after one another or we will not have this beautiful country for us or for our children.please don’t spread rumors on social media.We surely don’t need another war.#nototerrorism” wrote Sri Lanka cricketer Angelo Mathews.

“Terrible news of bombing in Sri Lanka. Such a wonderful and peaceful country, I honestly can’t believe it.

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone local and foreign affected by these despicable barbaric acts,” wrote Dale Steyn, the South African pace bowler.

“Such a sad & dreadful day for our Mother Lankan. My Thoughts & heartfelt prayers to all affected victims. Let’s stay strong and stand against terrorism during this tragic time. Pray for Lanka.” tweeted Chaminda Vaas, former Sri Lanka pace bowler.

“Saddened to hear about the terror attacks in various parts of Sri Lanka. Strongly condemn these acts of terror. Hatred and violence will never overpower love, kindness and compassion. #SriLanka” wrote Sachin Tendulkar, the former Indian captain.

“Horrible news to come out of Sri Lanka. Our deepest sympathies and thoughts with all,” wrote Brendon McCullum, former New Zealand captain.

“Minutes after my Easter wishes, horrific news comes from Sri Lanka. Over 700 dead & injured. Shocked, angered, hurt. It’s a time of bereavement for us all. A time of pain, introspection. A time to rise above such targeted hate. Many many prayers for families uprooted, souls departed,” wrote Mithali Raj, Indian women’s cricketer. 

Kingswood College completed a smashing 58-18 victory over home town school Sri Sumangala (St. Paul’s) College in their first inter school “Plate” encounter match worked off at Nittawela grounds.

At half time the winners led 22-13. Kingswood’s points came off four goals, six tries to Sri Sumangala’s one goal, a try, a penalty and a drop goal.

Playing under super conditions Kingswood lived upto expectations scoring tries in both halves. They got into business from the kick off and virtually dominated play. Their play revolved around their forwards who pressurized the opposition with every move. Their forwards and threes combined very well, which helped them to score the tries.

On a few occasions Sri Sumangala managed to secure good ball, through their hardworking forwards, who were good at rucking. Their backs failed to make use of the good ball and repeatedly set up half gap breaks without any gain.

Scorers for Kingswood were Mohamad Shazan, Hashan Sandeepa, Hirusha Sampath (2), Tuwan Fareed, Dinal Ekanayake and Nipun Dharmaratne. The goal kicking was done by Hirusha Sampath. For Sri Sumangala Tharusha Dassanayake and Amesh Jayasinghe scored the tries. The conversion, penalty and drop goal was scored by Umesh Weerakoon.

Referee: S.Sandaruwan.

On Sunday, at Nittawela, Vidyartha College were to host Zahira College but this game was postponed. According to the Secretary of the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Associations all upcoming matches have been postponed until further notice.

The Olympic Day Run 2019 organised and conducted by the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka will be held on a grand note in Matara says, its Secretary General Maxwell de Silva.

This year there will be a string of other activity bound together and the activities related to the run will be held on June 24 and 25 in Matara, and not the customary one-day event which they had on earlier occasions.

Speaking of the event de Silva said, “This year we are going to concentrate on environment protection keeping in line with the IOC line of thinking. We have chosen a coral preservation program attached to the Olympic Day Program and that part of it will be conducted with the help of the Sri Lanka Navy and NARA and other experts on the subject. The program will be held at the Polhena Beach in Matara. Besides, there will be a beach cleaning program and an art contest which the participating schoolchildren will be part of.”

De Silva also said that he is hoping to invite Sri Lanka’s only living Olympic medalist Susanthika Jayasinghe and request her to exhibit the “Olympic Silver” which the IOC upgraded for the first time; after her ‘Bronze effort’ which she won at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney Australia.

The Olympic Day Run proper will be held on the 25 June with the participation of over 2000 schoolchildren and the 3.5km run will be held from the Polhena Beach to Uyanwatte Ground in Matara.

The organisers are also hoping to hold work stalls where the participating children could familiarize themselves with sports like rock climbing, esport, golf etc.

Police SC won on first innings against Air Force SC their SLC Major League Tier ‘B’ Inter-Club cricket match played at Katunayake.

The match between Lankan CC and Galle CC at Army ground Domabagoda ended in a draw.

RESULTS:

* At Katunayake: Police SC won on first innings.

Police SC: 398 in 115.5 overs (Gitansh Khera 164, Ajantha Mendis 61, Nishan Madushka 46, Amit Kumar 36, Supun Madushanka 31, Umega Chathuranga 6/100, Suminda Lakshan 2/62)

Air Force SC: 210 (115/2 o/n) in 77.3 overs (Dulash Udayanga 56, Suminda Lakshan 50 n.o., Dilip Tharaka 29, Chamikara Hewage 23, Milan Rathnayake 20, Manjula Jayawardene 6/38, Dinuka Hettiarachchi 3/87) and 138/6 in 45 overs (Dulash Udayanga 55 n.o., Dilip Tharaka 25, Roscoe Thattil 24, Manjula Jayawardene 3/29, Dinuka Hettiarachchi 2/58)

* At Dombagoda: Match drawn.

Lankan CC: 334 in 100.1 overs (Maduranga Zoysa 117, Geeth Kumara 106, Savan Prabash 21, Gayan Sirisoma 4/108, Akalanka Ganegama 2/64)

Galle CC: 272/6 (72/0 o/n) in 66.5 overs (Lakshan Rodrigo 104, Sameen Kandanearachchi 78, Damitha Hunukumbura 36, Harsha Vithana 28 n.o., Chanaka Devinda 2/61, Chanaka Ruwansiri 2/64) - YK

NEW YORK, Sunday: American Terence Crawford retained his WBO welterweight title Saturday, stopping Amir Khan in the sixth round when the Englishman was unable to continue because of an accidental low blow.

Crawford, who was making the second defense of his title, had little trouble controlling the fight and winning by a technical knockout against the overmatched Khan.

Crawford has now won nine of his last 11 fights by stoppage and Saturday’s surprise ending happened after he hit Khan with a hard left to the groin 47 seconds into the sixth round at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Khan buckled and was in obvious pain as he went over to his corner. During the injury stoppage, Khan’s trainer Virgil Hunter asked his boxer if he wanted to continue and Khan said no. Khan could have taken a five-minute break to regain his composure but chose not to.

Crawford denied it was a low blow but the referee saw it differently.

“It wasn’t a low blow,” Crawford said. “I was rushing a little. Trying to box more and catch him in the trenches.”

Three division world champion Crawford improved to 35 wins and no losses.

Crawford, who is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, sent Khan to the canvas in the first round with an overhand right followed by a left to the temple.

He delivered a similar overhand punch in the last 10 seconds of the round which wobbled Khan’s legs again. The next couple of rounds saw the 146-pound Crawford throwing almost all his punches at Khan’s head. By the fourth round, Crawford was in complete control and Khan’s swollen face was showing the marks of getting hit with clean punches.

Crawford started going to the body in the fourth and in the fifth he got his jab working again, popping Khan’s head back with a series of quick shots.

Khan wasn’t Crawford’s first choice. He wanted to fight International Boxing Federation champ Errol Spence and reiterated that on Saturday.

“The only one fight they are talking about is Spence. Whenever he is ready, I am here,” said Crawford. – AFP

BERLIN, Sunday: World number one Naomi Osaka hopes to bounce back from her recent defeats and conquer a new surface as she launches her clay court season in Stuttgart.

The reigning Australian and US Open champion has enjoyed a dazzling rise to the top of women’s tennis in the last 12 months, becoming the first Japanese woman to win a Grand Slam and the first Asian player to top the WTA singles rankings.

Having suffered early round defeats in Dubai, Indian Wells and Miami, Osaka is hoping to return to her best form in Stuttgart and chalk up a first major success on clay.

After winning her first professional title at the Indian Wells Open in March 2018, the 21-year-old shot to worldwide fame when she shocked Serena Williams in the final of the US Open last September.

She then held her nerve in a gruelling Australian Open final against Petra Kvitova to win her second major in January. At just 21, she is already one of the most recognisable names in the women’s game. Since signing a sponsorship deal with Nike earlier this month, her face has adorned an enormous billboard overlooking Tokyo’s iconic Shibuya crossing.

Osaka, who represents Japan but was raised in the USA by her Japanese mother and Haitian father, has also been heralded as a multicultural star for the global age.

Just last week, she was included in TIME magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of 2019.

“No one represents our more globalized, multicultural future better than (Osaka),” wrote 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert on the TIME list, adding that Osaka would be a “champion for years to come”.

Thus far, Osaka has proven herself a champion on only one surface, with all three of her career titles coming on hard court. – AFP

NEW DELHI, Tuesday - The high-octane Twenty20 Indian Premier League has lived up to its reputation for rip-roaring action in 2019.

Entering the second half of the seven-week extravaganza, AFP Sport picks the eye-grabbing moments so far from this year's IPL:

Ashwin's Mankad kicks it off

Controversy exploded on just the third day of the season after Ravichandran Ashwin's "Mankad" run-out of England batsman Jos Buttler triggered a worldwide debate on the spirit of cricket. Ashwin, captain of Kings XI Punjab, stopped in his delivery stride to whip off the bails while Buttler, for Rajasthan Royals, was backing up at the non-striker's end. While pundits and former players were busy squaring up on the rights and wrongs of Ashwin's actions, Sunil Gavaskar took strong offence to former Test bowler Vinoo Mankad's name being associated with the controversial mode of dismissal. "Lack of respect shown to an Indian legend is indeed sad," Gavaskar said of Mankad, who had warned Australia's Bill Brown before sending him packing in the 1940s.

‘Captain Cool’ Dhoni boils over

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is known as "Captain Cool" but he suffered a meltdown and stormed from his dugout to confront the umpires after a no-ball call for a high full toss was reversed against Rajasthan Royals. Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings skipper, was docked 50 per cent of his match fee but many thought the wicketkeeper was treated with kid gloves. "Dhoni should have been banned for at least two to three games," said former India batsman Virender Sehwag on website Cricbuzz. "...tomorrow another captain can do the same, then what is the value of an umpire?"

Club level umpires panned

India captain Virat Kohli also questioned the standard of umpiring in the star-studded Twenty20 league after his Royal Challengers Bangalore were denied a win when Mumbai Indians' Lasith Malinga clearly overstepped on the final delivery. "We are not playing club cricket," Kohli fumed after the blatant no ball was not spotted. Following on from Dhoni's one-man pitch invasion and Buttler's Mankad, which many thought should have been called a dead ball, the umpires will be under the microscope as the season heads for its climax.

King Kohli’s unwanted record

Kohli could not blame the umpires, however, when Bangalore suffered their sixth straight defeat to equal the worst start to an IPL campaign. They did finally stop the rot with a first win on Saturday. While India top the Test rankings and "King Kohli" is the world's leading batsman, the worry is he seems unable to lead Bangalore to a maiden IPL title despite two half-centuries and a place in the league's top 10 batsmen. With a playoff place looking remote, former England captain Michael Vaughan reckons India should instead rest him ahead of the World Cup next month.

Chart-topping Warner has the hits

With four fifties and a century, David Warner has taken the IPL by storm in his comeback from a one-year ban for his part in Australia's ball-tampering scandal.

The opener tops the batting chart with 400 runs for Sunrisers Hyderabad and insists he is "refreshed" after his enforced absence. Warner's disgraced former captain Steve Smith has been quieter, but has displayed occasional flashes of brilliance for Rajasthan Royals such as an unbeaten 73 against Kolkata. Both are back in the Australia squad for the World Cup with a big incentive to keep up their return to form by finishing the IPL with a flourish.

Sixes galore for rampant Russell

West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell has almost single-handedly fuelled Kolkata's IPL drive with his powerhouse batting which has seen him smash 30 sixes so far.

The burly Jamaican leads the slogging charts ahead of fellow West Indian Chris Gayle who has cleared the ropes 23 times for Kings XI Punjab. The blond mohawk-adorned Russell's highlight was a 13-ball 48 against Bangalore as Kolkata chased down an improbable 54 runs to win in the last three overs. Batting great Brian Lara listed the all-rounder as his top pick for West Indies' World Cup team on Twitter, saying the selectors should pick Russell and "any other 10". – AFP

MS Dhoni produced one of the most impactful batting performances ever seen in Indian Premier League (IPL) history, single-handedly taking his team to the brink of victory in the RCB vs CSK IPL 2019 clash at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday night. While it wasn’t enough to get CSK over the line as RCB stuttered to a one-run win, MS Dhoni’s knock left a lasting impression on the cricketing fraternity. Not only did Dhoni register his highest-ever IPL score, but the CSK captain also became the first Indian to hit 200 sixes in the tournament.

Dhoni almost pulled off Chennai’s chase of 161 as he smashed five fours and seven sixes in his 48-ball blitz only to see his team lose by one run in IPL 2019 encounter in Bengaluru. Dhoni became only the third player in IPL history to reach the landmark of 200 sixes. Chris Gayle occupies the top spot in the list with a whopping 323 hits over the boundary while RCB star AB de Villiers is second with 204 sixes.

Dhoni’s seven maximums in the RCB vs CSK IPL clash took his overall tally to 203 sixes in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina are next best Indians, with both batsman boasting of 190 sixes each in the T20 tournament. RCB skipper Virat Kohli is not too far behind with 186 maximums to his name.

On Sunday night, with the defending IPL champions CSK needing 26 off the last over, Dhoni hit a four and three sixes but missed the final ball from paceman Umesh Yadav and ran to get runs through byes.

RCB wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel, who top-scored with 53 in his team’s 161-7, hit the stumps to run out Shardul Thakur as Virat Kohli’s side managed to win their third game.

Dishal Nimsara Weerasekera, a nine year old student of Sri Chandananda Buddhist School, Kandy secured 8th place (Under Rapid Category) in the Under 10 Age Group at the Asian Youth Chess Championship held at Citrus Hotel, Waskaduwa recently.

Over 550 Competitors from 24 Countries participated in this International Contest which was organized by the Sri Lanka Chess Federation. Dishal secured the 7th place at the Blitz Chess Category and became one of the Best 10 Players of the Tournament.

With these outstanding performances, Dishal was selected to represent Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth Chess Championship to be held in Sri Lanka in June as well as the World Youth Chess Championship to be held in China in August.

Dishal is coached by C.N. Galappaththi, the Chess Coach attached to the School and a Private Coach, R. Kalugampitiya.

I met Palitha Fernando at his office on Independence Avenue, Colombo 7. In spite of having a busy schedule, he was gracious enough to give time for this interview.

Palitha attended Sri Sumangala College Panadura and started his athletics career at the age of 15. Athletics was his passion from his younger days. He was only 15 years old when his talent was spotted by an alert PTI in his school and he took part in a cross country race. His parents were never informed about this race (his father was in the clerical service in the Army and his mother was a teacher at Wadduwa Central). He was surprised to realise that by the time he reached his house which was along the route of the race that he was the leader of the race and he won that event which gave him the inspiration to take part in several meets at the school level. He progressed steadily and came second in the Junior AAA (Amateur Athletics Association) meet, that was in 1969.

He joined the Army in 1971 during the first insurrection of the JVP as an officer cadet and did a full days training programme for 13 months. Palitha represented Sri Lanka Army in 1974, he was also a member of the record-breaking team (4 by 800m) at the Relay Carnival.

He got the opportunity to follow a technical course abroad and on his return, he decided to quit competitive athletics due to normal duties. In 1988 he was selected to go to staff college and on his return he got promoted as Lieutenant Colonel. In 1986 after the LTTE riots took place he was posted to Polonnaruwa. When the 2nd JVP insurrection occurred he was involved with the thick of things guided by late General Kobbekaduwa. In 1994 he was appointed as the Director of Sports at Army Headquarters, thereafter he got into sports administration and with the help of Ranjith Weerasena he joined the AAA. Palitha then went up the ladder from committee member to president and held that post several times thereafter. He was the only person who held the positions of secretary and president of the AAA at different periods. This was after the tenure of Sunil Gunawardene and Derwin Perera.

Palitha stated that he was only involved in administrative matters of the AAA, which in itself was a tall order. He stated that athletics was the mother of all sports in the country. There are over 10,000 schools in the country and in at least 8000 they conduct their annual inter-house meets. They have circuit meets, zonal meets, district meets which are conducted by the Ministry of Education. At the national schools’ games, there are at least 200,000 athletes taking part and in addition there are meets conducted by the AAA, etc.

Those days they had good coaches like Derwin Perera, Sunil Gunawardene, late Laxman de Alwis, late Colonel Parry Liyanage, S.M.G. Bandara, etc. they were trained abroad and when they came back they made certain that they gave their knowledge without any reservation to their charges.

Now the PTI’S were taken in and its highly competitive, they want their school to win at any cost and there is no harm in that, however they should know their limits and how to guide their athletes forward, one should not force athletes who are 15 years old to do a program designed for 21-year-olds. Then naturally the child gets burnt out when he reaches 21 and as a result, his potential is wasted stated Palitha.

The year 2018 was one of the best for athletics; the following list gives some details of the Gold medal winners:

Asian Junior Athletics Championships-Gifu, Japan-7th-10th June 2018

S. Aruna Dharshana (400m, 45.79s) Gold Medal (Asian Junior Championships record which is unbroken)

P.M.P.L. Kodikara (400 m, 46.96s) Silver Medal

S.Aruna Dharshana P.M.L. Kodikara, Raviska Indrajith and Pabsara Niku (4 x 400m, 3:08.70s) Gold Medal

Parami Wanthi (Maris Stella Negombo) 3000m steeplechase 10.21.54 Gold Medal

Apart from the Gold Medal winners, there were 3 Silvers and 2 Bronze medal winners.

The largest contingent was selected and sent to the World Junior Championships, Palitha being the president.

He was also the president when Susanthika Jayasinghe won a medal at the World Athletics Championships in 2006. In Sunil Gunawardene’s time, Susanthika won the Olympic Silver Medal.

In conclusion, Palitha mentioned that we have a bright future when it comes to junior sports. Aruna Dharshana won the 400m with an Asian Junior Championships record but lamented that he was injured.

This pathetic situation even the coaches or the athlete himself could not explain. Palitha’s view was that he was overloaded. He hoped and prayed that this boy will recover soon since he is a top prospect.

LONDON, Sunday - Liverpool moved back top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win at Cardiff, but Manchester United and Arsenal did little for their chances of Champions League qualification for next season in shock defeats to Everton and Crystal Palace respectively on Sunday.

United were thrashed 4-0 at Everton to continue a miserable run of six defeats from their last eight games.

Arsenal remain fourth, but failed to open up a five-point lead over United as Crystal Palace became the first visiting side to win at the Emirates in the Premier League since Manchester City on the opening weekend of the campaign with an impressive 3-2 victory.

Liverpool suffered no such slip ups to move two points ahead of Manchester City, who still have a game in hand, at the top.

Jurgen Klopp's men have now won their last nine games in all competitions, to also set up a Champions League semi-final against Barcelona.

"It's really massive. We spoke a lot about this game, how special it is, how special the situation is for the opponent," said Klopp, who bemoaned the dry state of Cardiff's pitch under baking temperatures.

"It was not a game for playing around. It was a battle of will, who wants it more."

But in keeping with recent weeks, Klopp could not relax until late on as Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah missed big chances to give the visitors a first-half lead.

Georginio Wijnaldum finally broke the deadlock in emphatic fashion with a thumping finish from Trent Alexander-Arnold's corner just before the hour mark.

Liverpool had to survive one major scare when Cardiff captain Sean Morrison failed to connect with his head when it seemed harder to miss with the goal at his mercy 26 minutes from time.

Morrison then compounded his error at the other end when he grappled with Salah inside the area and referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot, even though the Egyptian threw himself dramatically to the floor.

James Milner stepped up to bury the resulting penalty and ensure Liverpool are poised to strike if City stumble.

MAN UTD HUMILIATED

Unfortunately, for Klopp's side, United look in no fit state to inflict the blow on the champions they need come the Manchester derby on Wednesday.

Everton celebrated their biggest win over a shambolic Red Devils since 1984 to move up to seventh.

Richarlison's acrobatic effort and a long range effort from Gylfi Sigurdsson inside the first 28 minutes gave Everton the perfect start. And they struck twice again early in the second-half through Lucas Digne and Theo Walcott.

"From the first whistle everything went wrong," said Solskjaer.

"I just want to apologise to the fans. They're the only people with the badge on today who can hold their heads high, because we can't."

And the Norwegian hinted that major changes are to come in the summer whether they reach the Champions League or not.

"We can't change the whole squad, it has to be one step at a time but I said all along, I'm going to be successful here and there are players who won't be part of that successful team."

Arsenal wasted a glorious opportunity to move above north London rivals Tottenham into third as after 10 straight home league wins, Palace shocked the Emirates with the three points that guarantees their survival.

Christian Benteke's first goal for a year put the Eagles in front before Mesut Ozil equalised early in the second half.

However, Shkodran Mustafi's blunder allowed Wilfried Zaha to put Palace back in front before James McArthur took advantage of more woeful Arsenal defending to make it 3-1.

"It's a big frustration because it was a big opportunity.

At the set pieces, we didn't work and weren't as strong as we have been," said Arsenal boss Unai Emery.

"Their second goal was very bad for us and took away our confidence."

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang reduced the deficit, but it was too late to stop Palace's first league win at Arsenal since October 1994.

– AFP

Sunrisers Hyderabad cricketer David Warner gestures as he walks back to the pavilion during the 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad on Sunday. - AFP

HYDERABAD, Sunday - Australia’s David Warner hit a blistering half-century for Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday to consolidate his top position in the Indian Premier League batting charts with over 500 runs.

Warner made 67 off 38 balls during his 131-run opening stand with England’s Jonny Bairstow, who scored an unbeaten 80, to help Hyderabad thrash Kolkata Knight Riders by nine wickets.

The left-handed opener has amassed 517 runs on his comeback to the Twenty20 tournament after missing the previous edition along with compatriot Steve Smith over a ball-tampering row.

Warner registered his sixth fifty in this IPL as he went past 500 runs for the fifth successive time in the world’s most popular T20 league.

His season best has been an unbeaten 100.

“The two at the top have been doing it all season, hopefully they can continue, they were outstanding,” skipper Kane Williamson said of the opening duo after the win.

Both Warner and Bairstow, who also took apart the bowling during his 43-ball knock, combined to make short work of their team’s target of 160 as they completed the win with five overs to spare.

Warner was cleaned up by debutant paceman Prithvi Raj in the 13th over. Bairstow finished off the chase in style with a boundary and two sixes.

“He’s (Warner) a great bloke to bat with, we run well between wickets, which helps,” Bairstow, who stands behind Warner in the batting list with 445 runs in nine games, said of his partner.

“Loving every bit of my first IPL,” added the wicketkeeper-batsman, who was picked by Hyderabad for $311,982 in the December auctions.

But the prolific run-scorers will be among a host of foreign players to leave IPL at the business end and join their national teams ahead of the World Cup in England and Wales.

Williamson admitted the departure of the two openers would amount to “big losses” for Hyderabad who are in line to make the play-offs.

“Without a doubt Warner and Bairstow will be big losses, they are world class players,” said Williamson, who will captain New Zealand in the 50-over showpiece event starting May 30.

“We knew at the start of the tournament that we will lose them at the back end of the tournament and new guys will come in then,” he added.

Hyderabad bowlers set up the win with paceman Khaleel Ahmed claiming three wickets to keep down Kolkata to 159 for eight in their 20 overs.

Indian seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar chipped in with two wickets including the prized scalp of West Indian big-hitter Andre Russell for 15.

– AFP

BANGALORE, Sunday - Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s swashbuckling 84 went in vain as Royal Challengers Bangalore edged past Chennai Super Kings in a last-ball thriller on Sunday to keep their play-off hopes alive in the Indian Premier League.

Dhoni almost pulled off Chennai’s chase of 161 as he smashed five fours and seven sixes in his 48-ball blitz only to see his team lose by one run in Bangalore in the Twenty20 tournament.

With defending champions Chennai needing 26 off the last over, Dhoni hit a four and three sixes but missed the final ball from paceman Umesh Yadav and ran to get runs through byes.

Bangalore wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel, who top-scored with 53 in his team’s 161-7, hit the stumps to run out Shardul Thakur as Virat Kohli’s side managed to win their third game.

“A whole lot of emotions. We thought we were outstanding with the ball till the 19th over mark. To be very honest, that was the last thing I would have expected,” said a relieved Kohli.

“But anything can happen in the game of cricket. MS (Dhoni) did what he does well and gave us a scare.”

The 37-year-old Dhoni, known for his finishing skills, lifted his side from a precarious 28-4 in the sixth over to bring them within touching distance of victory. He built crucial partnerships including a 55-run fifth-wicket stand with Ambati Rayudu, who made 29, to try and calculate the chase.

“We did really well to restrict RCB below par. I think it was more of a calculation mistake that we lost wickets early on,” said the skipper.

“T20 is all about taking risks, but you can still calculate. A lot of boundaries were needed, right now you can calculate, one run there, and two runs there and we just lost by one run. But you can also say we missed some boundaries.” South African paceman Dale Steyn did the early damage with his twin strikes to be on a hat-trick in the very first over of the Chennai innings.

Steyn got Australia’s Shane Watson caught at slip for five, on the fifth delivery and then bowled Indian batsman Suresh Raina for nought. He returned figures of 2-29.

– AFP

MONTE CARLO, Sunday - Flamboyant Italian Fabio Fognini followed up his shock victory over Rafael Nadal with a 6-3 6-4 final win over Serbian Dusan Lajovic to claim his maiden Masters title in Monte Carlo on Sunday.

The 31-year-old triumphed despite suffering from an apparent muscle problem to became the lowest seeded player, at 13, to claim the title since Gustavo Kuerten in 1999.

Five weeks before the French Open kicks off at Roland Garros, Fognini produced some brilliant tennis on Monte Carlo’s red clay to snatch his ninth ATP singles title. “I was preparing for the match as best I can because he has my ex-coach (Jose Perlas) and I knew it was going to be really tough, a lot of running,” said Fognini. “It’s an incredible achievement. I’m really, really happy.”

Lajovic, who had not lost a set this week before Sunday, did not have the weapons to counter Fognini’s tactical nous.

“It was my first time in a final, so a great experience for me,” the Serbian said. “Today was not easy to play, with a lot of wind. But Fabio is a guy who knows how to play in these conditions. He has great hands.

“He’s moving really well. So I was feeling on the court that I had to work much harder than him to win the points. I think this was the key.”

Fognini made several unforced errors early on, allowing Lajovic to break in the third game. But the Serbian failed to capitalise as he dropped serve in the next game.

Fognini won three games in a row and held off Lajovic to seal the opening set with a stunning backhand winner down the line.

It was the first set Lajovic conceded in the tournament and the Serbian appeared quite shocked, dropping serve in the first game of the second set.

After a brief fightback Lajovic, who was also looking to win his first Masters title, was overwhelmed again and Fognini again broke to move 3-2 up.

In the following game, the Italian had his right leg strapped by the trainer and Lajovic tried to make the rallies longer.

But Fognini cleverly ended some of them with dropshots as he held serve for 4-2. He ended the contest on his second match point. – Agencies

The Summer Season All Island Open Badminton Championship scheduled to be held from 25 April to 1 May at the Nuwara Eliya Municipal Council Indoor Stadium has been postponed indefinitely due to the prevailing situation in the country.

Sri Lankan Badminton president Nishantha Jayasinghe said new dates of the tournament will be notified in due course.

This tournament organised by the Central Province Badminton Association and conducted by the Sri Lanka Badminton Association is a ranking tournament.

Players from all age group categories under 11 to 19 and open men’s singles, women’s singles doubles and mixed doubles, men’s and women’s veterans, masters singles and doubles will be taking part. - (D.R)

Brian Lara, the former West Indies batsman, believes the Caribbean side are unpredictable, and that consistency will be key if they have to perform well in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019.

Lara, who is in India as a part of the expert commentary panel for the Indian Premier League, backed his home side to make it to the semi-finals, calling them the “surprise element” in the tournament.

“West Indies will have to play some consistent cricket. We’ve shown that we can beat England or India. We can beat any team on our day. But then we lose against Bangladesh or Afghanistan, and we let it all go away. So, that’s what West Indies have to avoid. I would love to see them get to the semi-finals,” he told the Times of India.

“West Indies, over the last two [T20] World Cups, have been the surprise element. They’ve always been up there in the opposing team’s mind. There have been too many elements joining the dots, gradually but it’s happening. So, I don’t think any country walks into the game against West Indies anymore thinking it’s all over before it starts.

“On the other hand, we are capable of colossal failures, too. So, the surprise element works both ways and that’s where West Indies need to keep working. It’s amazing we have players that are most sought after in the different franchise leagues around the world and can still get together as a team. We’ve got two T20 World Cup trophies to show for that. But consistency is the key,” added the left-hander.

When asked which other teams he thinks will reach the semi-finals, Lara picked England and India to comfortably sail through.

“Normally, I’d never risk backing them because they’ve never failed to lose that one important game,” he said of England. “But this team looks good. So, them and India [are] two teams I believe will definitely be in the semi-finals.”

Sri Lanka has lost their medal hopes in the men’s 100m and women’s 800m events on the second day of the Asian Athletics Championship in Doha Qatar yesterday.

The 100m national record holder (10.22s) Himasha Eshan was edged out from the semi-final round with a performance of 10.51s. In the 800m women’s finals, Gayanthika Abeyratne clocked 2m:05.8s to be placed fourth, while her team mate Nimali Liyanarachchi finished seventh with a time of 2m:08.69s. Nimali competed the last 30 metres with great difficulty and was given medical treatment soon after the race.

Triple jumper Gartian Dgananjaya competing in men’s finals took sixth place with a distance of 16.16m while Sumedha Ranasinghe was placed eighth in the men’s javelin throw with a distance of 73.50m. Both athletes have performed better in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka lost another medal hope in the women’s 400m event as Nadeesha Ramanayaka finished the finals in fifth place. The men’s 400m final contestant Ajith Premakumara too did not impress and had to opt out from the semi-finals.

Nadeesha Ramanayaka performed well in Sri Lanka with a timing of 53.23s and brought fresh hopes for a medal in the women’s 800 event.

If she recorded the same timing she performed in Sri Lanka, she would have been among the medalists at Kalifa grounds. She could only perform 53.98s in the final. Bahrain’s Salwar Nazeer (51.34s) and Kazakhstan’s Elina Mikinwa (53.19s) won the gold and silver medals while India’s Poovamma Raju (53.21s) secured the bronze medal.

Even though Nadeesha was in front during the first 300m she was unable to maintain her lead till the end. She recorded 53.66s in the preliminary round and was too tired after arriving just two days before the competition which may be the reason for her not to perform to her full potential.

Nadeesha, 25 has shown great promise as a budding athlete. Educated at Weeraketiya Central College she had the fourth best Sri Lankan timing in the women’s 400m event. She will compete in the women’s 400m event on April 24.

Ajith Premakumara recorded 47.31s in the men’s 400m preliminary round and finished overall 11th with a timing of 47.07s in the final.

Rusiru Chathuranga competing in the men’s 800m finished in ninth place with a timing of 1m:51.02s.

The Singer Schools Rugby league matches which was scheduled to be played yesterday were postponed due to the prevailing situation in the country.

The second round Cup matches was due to commence yesterday.

In the Cup championship S Thomas’ Mt Lavinia was due to meet Isipathana at Mt Lavinia and Wesley was expected to take on St Joseph’s at the Sugathadasa Stadium.

Oman are a step closer to securing ODI status, as the only side with two wins from two following a dramatic second day of action in the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 in Windhoek.

Zeeshan Maqsood made a brilliant century to help Oman defeat Canada by 99 runs, just 24 hours after beginning the tournament with victory over the United States of America.

For their part, USA bounced back on day two as their bowlers – led by Ali Khan with a five-fer – dramatically denied hosts Namibia in the final over to win by two runs.

And Papua New Guinea also recorded a first victory of the campaign as they expertly chased down a target of 223 to beat Hong Kong by three wickets.

The top four teams at the end of the week in Namibia will earn ODI status and join the newly-formed ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 – where they will play 36 ODIs over a two-and-a-half year period – so while Oman are currently in pole position, there is plenty to play for in the next round of games on Tuesday.

Canada v Oman

After winning the toss, Canada’s decision to field at Affies Park backfired when Oman’s top order set about compiling a challenging total. Aqib Ilyas and skipper Zeeshan Maqsood put on 126 for the third wicket before Ilyas was caught and bowled for 86 by Navneet Dhaliwal. That did not slow Maqsood down however as he bludgeoned nine fours and four sixes in a brilliant knock of 109 from just 102 balls before eventually being dismissed by Romesh Eranga (3/57) with three balls left in the innings – remarkably becoming the fifth Omani batsman to be out caught and bowled. By that point, he had steered Oman to an intimidating total of 285/7 and their bowlers ensured Canada’s chase got off to the worst possible start as Ruvindu Gunasekera was caught behind off Bilal Khan from the second ball of the innings.

Number three Nitish Kumar (57) tried to hold the chase together but once Sandeep Goud (2/21) had him caught by Jatinder Singh to reduce Canada to 104 for four, the run-rate dropped considerably and the North Americans were eventually 186 all out after 43.2 overs – Fayyaz Butt (3/29) the pick of the bowlers in the 99-run triumph. Oman captain, Zeeshan Maqsood said “It is awesome, the feeling is great. I spoke with my coaches and players and today I made good runs, I am very happy. We are still looking for another 2 or 3 wins, but there is still more work to be done and we need to look ahead to the next matches.”

Scores in brief

* USA won by two runs at Wanderers Cricket Ground, Windhoek

USA 250/7 in 50 overs (Aaron Jones 103 n.o., Hayden Walsh 57, Steven Taylor 44; JJ Smit 5/63)

Namibia 248 in 49.4 overs (Gerhard Erasmus 92, Jean Bredenkamp 55; Ali Khan 5/46, Saurabh Netravalkar 3/50)

* Oman won by 99 runs at Affies Park, Windhoek

Oman 285/7 in 50 overs (Zeeshan Maqsood 109, Aqib Ilyas 86; Romesh Eranga 3/57, Nitish Kumar 2/45)

Canada 186 in 43.2 overs (Nitish Kumar 57, Bhavindu Adhihetty 28; Fayyaz Butt 3/29, Mohammad Nadeem 2/13)

* Papua New Guinea won by three wickets at United CC Ground, Windhoek

Hong Kong 222/9 in 50 overs (Anshuman Rath 85, Ahsan Abbasi 37; Damien Ravu 2/35, Charles Amini 2/36)

Papua New Guinea 223/7 in 47.4 overs (Tony Ura 87, Jason Kila 36 n.o.; Ehsan Khan 4/36, Aizaz Khan 2/39).