BERLIN: Bayern Munich are eyeing the treble this season after Robert Lewandowski claimed the record for the most goals scored by a foreigner in the Bundesliga as the champions swept past Freiburg 3-1 on Saturday, while Werder Bremen look set to be relegated after losing at Mainz.

Borussia Dortmund wrapped up second place with a 2-0 win at RB Leipzig.

At a spectator-free Allianz Arena, Joshua Kimmich gave Bayern the lead before Lewandowski scored twice before half-time to give him 33 league goals this season and 48 times in all competitions.

The Poland striker’s tally beats the previous record of 31 goals set by Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2016/17 for Borussia Dortmund before he moved to present club Arsenal.

The pressure was off Bayern as they were crowned Bundesliga champions for the eighth consecutive season in midweek.

They are hunting the treble as they face Leverkusen in the German Cup final on July 4 and are among the favourites for the Champions League, which resumes in August.

“If you have confidence, that’s a plus point you can underpin with victories,” said head coach Hansi Flick after Bayern’s 15th straight win. “I hope we can keep it that way for a long time to come.

“We still have a lot to do. The interim goal is to be successful in the cup.

“And then there’s another goal (the Champions League), where we will try to get as far as possible.” Flick rotated his squad with New Zealand midfielder Sarpreet Singh given his first start after becoming the first player of Indian origin to appear in the Bundesliga last December.

At the foot of the table, Bremen are set to be relegated for the first time in 40 years after they slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Mainz.

Forwards Robin Quaison and Jean-Paul Boetius handed the hosts a comfortable lead, before Japan striker Yuya Osako gave Bremen hope by making it 2-1 with half an hour left.

Swiss substitute Edimilson Fernandes settled the matter when he got in behind the Bremen defence and made it 3-1 on 85 minutes for Mainz, who will now stay up.

The result leaves Bremen second from bottom and two points from 16th place which triggers a relegation play-off.

To have any chance of staying up, Bremen must beat Cologne at home next weekend and hope 16th-placed Fortuna Duesseldorf, who drew 1-1 with Augsburg on Saturday, lose at mid-table Union Berlin.

Erling Braut Haaland scored twice to seal Dortmund’s win against third-placed Leipzig and secure the Bundesliga runners-up spot. Dortmund and Bayern have both qualified for next season’s Champions League, but two out of Leipzig, Gladbach and Leverkusen can still join them.

Haaland now has 13 goals in 14 league games since joining from Red Bull Salzburg after he showed more lethal finishing from crosses by 17-year-old US midfielder Giovanni Reyna and then Julian Brandt. Haaland has 44 goals in 39 games for Dortmund and Salzburg this season.

Germany striker Timo Werner, who joins Chelsea next month, failed to add to his 26 league goals, second only to Lewandowski. “It’s a shame he couldn’t sign off with a goal after so much success here,” said Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann.

Moenchengladbach boosted their Champions League chances with a 3-1 win at bottom side Paderborn, who had defender Uwe Huenemeier sent off.

Germany midfielder Lars Stindl scored a penalty, then grabbed a goal after winger Patrick Herrmann gave Gladbach an early lead. Leverkusen dropped to fifth, two points behind Gladbach and three adrift of third-placed Leipzig, after their 2-0 defeat at Hertha Berlin, whose Brazilian striker Matheus Cunha and former Watford forward Dodi Lukebakio both scored.

Schalke are now 15 games without a victory as David Wagner’s side was hammered 4-1 at home by Wolfsburg, who stay sixth in the Europa League places.

Schalke’s Welsh striker Rabbi Matondo scored his first league goal since September, but Wolfsburg striker Wout Weghorst led the charge by scoring twice to leave him with 16 goals this season.

Union Berlin, who were fined by the German league for breaking social-distancing rules for an impromptu party with their fans in the stadium car park after their survival was confirmed on Tuesday, crashed 4-0 at Hoffenheim. - AFP

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) are set to appoint former all-rounder Mahesh Weerasinghe as the new Women’s National Head Coach for a period of six months on interim basis.

Weerasinghe, who is the current Emerging Coach of the Women’s Team is likely to receive the official letter of appointment this week, according to reliable sources from SLC.

Mahesh Weerasinghe

This was after SLC decided not to extend the contact of Harsha de Silva who was in charge of the Women’s National Team for the past two years.

“Mahesh Weerasinghe has performed well as the Assistant Coach of the Women’s Team and we believe he has the potential to revive the game,” a top official of SLC revealed yesterday.

“The overall results at international level has dropped during the past two years and we think Mahesh Weerasinghe has the credentials to change that,” the source added further.

Initially, the 49-year-old veteran coach will have the tough task of guiding the Sri Lanka Women’s Team for the ICC 2021 World Cup in New Zealand.

In fact, Sri Lanka will need to finish among the top three when the Qualifying Tournament is held in Colombo later this year if they are to make it to World Cup which is scheduled for February.

Sri Lanka were set to compete along with Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands,

Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, United States, West Indies and Zimbabwe before the event was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Weerasinghe was the Assistant Coach when the Sri Lanka Emerging Team lost to India Emerging Team by 13 runs in the Emerging Women’s Cricket Tournament final worked off in Colombo last year.

In addition, he was also the Assistant Coach of the Sri Lanka Under-21 Team which lost to the Bangladesh National Team in the South Asian Games (SAG) Women’s Cricket Tournament final in Nepal last year.

Weerasinghe has a huge amount of experience at domestic level as well having coached the champion Chilaw Marians Men’s and Women’s Team and several other school teams.

Earlier, he represented Antonians SC, BRC and Chilaw Marians CC as a left-hand batsman and right-arm medium paceman. 

WELLINGTON: Super Rugby champions Canterbury Crusaders returned to action with their trademark efficiency Sunday when they put away the Wellington Hurricanes 39-25 in New Zealand’s domestic version of the competition.

It was five tries to one for the visiting Crusaders, whose performance was blighted only by a high penalty count.

The Crusaders are the dominant side in the southern hemisphere club championship, winning it for the past three seasons, and were again looking the side to beat before Super Rugby was halted by the coronavirus pandemic in mid-March. They had a bye when the five New Zealand sides launched their own tournament called “Super Rugby Aotearoa” last week, in front of unrestricted crowds.

But despite being sidelined for more than three months they were immediately into their stride and scored inside two minutes against a Hurricanes side desperate to bounce back from their loss last week to the Auckland Blues.

All Blacks wing Sevu Reece dived over in the corner after a brilliant handling move that started from a stolen lineout and swept more than 70 metres downfield with backs and forwards involved. Thanks to a succession of penalties, the Hurricanes stayed in touch for much of the game and were level at 25-25 with 10 minutes to play, before the Crusaders found another gear and sealed the match with two late tries.

“Our discipline was pretty poor in the first half,” Crusaders captain Codie Taylor said.

“We gave away countless penalties and a yellow card and that’s something we have to look at. Against New Zealand teams you can’t afford to do that.” Hurricanes skipper TJ Perenara said the Crusaders’ precision could not be faulted.

“They pounced on opportunities in the first half ... and scored off all of them which is a sign of a quality team,” he said.

“In the second half we got ourselves in the hunt, it was 25-all at one point, but we gave away a couple of penalties and ended up at the other end.” At half-time, the Crusaders led 19-15 from three tries, two of them converted, to four penalties and a drop goal by Jackson Garden-Bachop for the Hurricanes.

After Garden-Bachop landed another penalty soon after half-time when Jack Goodhue was sent to the sin bin, the Crusaders tightened their discipline and restricted the Hurricanes to a sole try while scoring two more of their own.

For the Crusaders, Reece, Braydon Ennor, Goodhue, Richie Mo’unga and David Havili all scored tries. Mo’unga landed four conversions and two penalties.

The Hurricanes points came from a try to Asafo Aumua while Garden-Bachop kicked five penalties, a drop goal and a conversion. - AFP

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) are optimistic that they could host the Lankan Premier League (LPL) Twenty20 Tournament in August despite the postponement of their home series against India and Bangladesh due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

SLC believe that they have a real chance of safely hosting the T20 League this year with a great amount of foreign involvement as the country has negotiated with the health crisis well.

In fact, SLC Chief Executive Officer Ashley de Silva has already written to other boards about the prospect of a T20 League while foreign players have also been approached.

The SLC is working on the theory that the LPL may feature five teams and could last a little over three weeks.

SLC is also hopeful of hosting the Asia Cup in September while efforts are on to get India over for three ODIs and as many T20Is and Bangladesh for three Tests.

An SLC official said that government approval had been granted not just for a potential LPL but also for the India, Bangladesh and Asia Cup tours.

Sri Lanka has also offered to host the high profile Indian Premier League (IPL) that has been postponed indefinitely. (CF)

SYDNEY: Interim Cricket Australia chief Nick Hockley says he intends to repair broken relationships and ensure everyone is “pointing in the right direction” again after accepting the top job at the troubled organisation.

The Englishman assumed the hot seat last week after Kevin Roberts resigned barely halfway through his tenure over simmering anger at his handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Roberts laid off most of Cricket Australia’s staff and tried to slash budgets to state bodies and players, arguing revenues would be hit hard by the virus.

But there was widespread pushback after it became clear that most of Australia’s home season, including a lucrative Test series against India, was likely to go ahead.

Hockley has his hands full working to appease players and staff. “I feel like I want to sit down with every single person,” he said.

“I’m just really keen to find out how everyone’s feeling, in the first instance, and I’m starting to understand that,” he added in a Q&A on the Cricket Australia website.

“Everyone wants a solution and every bit of clarity we can get really helps. The challenge is that time is of the essence to sort all that out. And we owe it to the game to sort it out.”

A day after Roberts quit, Cricket Australia axed 40 jobs, or some 15 percent of staff, aimed at saving Aus$40 million (US$27.6 million).

The governing body said it was concerned about further financial shocks this year, with smaller crowds expected and extra spending on safety measures to keep COVID-19 at bay.

All planned Sheffield Shield and Twenty20 Big Bash League matches will continue but Australia A tours and Cricket Australia XI games have been put on hold.

There is also uncertainty over whether Australia can host the T20 World Cup this year in the midst of the global pandemic.

Hockley, who was the T20 World Cup chief, said it was important to “get everyone pointing in the same direction”.

“And I’m pretty clear on the priorities, which are getting the teams back to work, reaching out to all our stakeholders and coming together, and focusing on delivering this summer.”

An international search is underway for a permanent appointment, with a range of candidates touted in the local press from former England captain Andrew Strauss to ex-Australian football chief David Gallop.

Hockley, who worked on the 2015 Cricket World Cup organising committee and before that with the 2012 London Olympics team, was circumspect when asked if he wanted the job full-time.

“My approach throughout my entire career has been to focus on doing the best job I can with what I’ve been tasked with, and the future will look after itself. And I’ll continue the same approach,” he said. - AFP

BAGHDAD: Iraqi football legend Ahmed Radhi died Sunday from complications linked to COVID-19, the health ministry said, just hours before he was to be flown for treatment in Jordan.

Radhi, 56, scored what remains Iraq’s only World Cup finals goal in 1986 against Belgium.

He had been hospitalised last week in Baghdad after testing positive for coronavirus but had checked out on Thursday after his condition improved.

But he relapsed a few hours later and was readmitted but passed away early Sunday.

In a video reportedly from his hospital bed on Saturday, Radhi could be seen struggling to breathe as medics in full protective gear try to treat him.

“Sometimes it’s hard to breathe but that’s normal,” he could be heard telling the medical team, his voice strained.

Radhi, a striker, led Iraq to victory in the Gulf Cups of 1984 and 1988, when he was voted Asian footballer of the year.

In the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, he scored against Belgium but Iraq went on to lose the match 2-1 and exited the tournament in the group stage without a point. He fled Iraq in 2006 after its Olympic Committee head was kidnapped during the height of the sectarian violence that followed the US-led invasion of 2003. Radhi moved with his family to the Jordanian capital Amman but returned to Iraq in 2007 for a career in politics, replacing a member of parliament who defected to join the bloody insurgency raging across the country.

He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2014 and 2018 elections with the National Alliance, a coalition of Sunni and Shiite figures.

When news of his death broke, football fans in Iraq exploded in grief.

“With great sadness and sorrow, we mourn our lifelong companion, our fans’ ardent star, the unrivalled athlete and son of Iraq, Ahmed Radhi,” said Iraq’s new sports minister Adnan Darjal, himself a former football star.

“Farewell, Abu Faisal, goodbye to my brother Ahmed Radhi,” wrote former star and Iraqi League President Hussein Saeed.

The director of Jordan’s Football Association Ali Al-Hussein said the world had lost “a sports star whom we cherish and are proud of”.

Iraq has registered nearly 30,000 cases of the coronavirus and deaths topped 1,000 earlier this week.

The country’s health system -- worn down by years of conflict and insufficient maintenance -- has been overwhelmed by the spiking numbers. AFP

Former Bangladesh cricket captain Mashrafe Mortaza and two other players said they have tested positive for the coronavirus as infections in the South Asian nation rise.

Left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam and former opener Nafees Iqbal were the other two who revealed their positive test results.

Mashrafe, who stepped down as the one-day international captain in March but remains available for selection, announced the news on social media late Saturday.

“Today my Covid-19 results came as positive. Everyone please pray for my quick recovery,” Mashrafe wrote on Facebook.

“The number of infected people has now crossed one lakh (100,000). We all have to become more careful. Let’s all stay at home, and not get out unless it is necessary. I am abiding by the protocol at home.” Mashrafe -- also a member of parliament -- had been active in helping people during the pandemic, particularly in his hometown and constituency Narail west of the capital Dhaka.

His mother-in-law and another relative tested positive last week, a Narail health official said.

Nafees, the elder brother of Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal, played 11 Tests and 16 one-day internationals for his country and is currently a domestic cricket coach.

“Ten days ago I was feeling feverish. For two days my body temperature was high. I lost my appetite, felt very weak,” Nafees said in an audio message emailed to reporters on Saturday.

“Then I gave sample for the test and the result came that I am COVID-19 positive.” Left arm spinner Nazmul, who took part in virus aid work in his hometown of Narayanganj, said he received his results on Saturday.

“I don’t know how I got it. My parents also tested positive along with me,” the 28-year-old, who played one Test, five ODIs and 13 Twenty20 internationals for Bangladesh, told AFP Sunday.

Bangladesh has confirmed over 108,000 infections and more than 1,400 deaths from the coronavirus so far.

The impoverished country has restarted economic activities after lifting a months-long virus lockdown at the end of May even as cases continue to rise. AFP

Haider Ali, Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf have tested positive for Covid-19, the PCB have announced.

The three players, who, according to the board, are all asymptomatic, will now undergo a period of isolation. Imad Wasim and Usman Shinwari were the other players tested in Rawalpindi alongside the trio, with their results coming back as negative. Bowling coach Waqar Younis, Shoaib Malik and Cliffe Deacon all underwent tests, with their results expected back on Tuesday.

(Source: ESPN)

The latest edition of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) online series Interviews Inside Out released, takes a look at the diversity of the game, challenges players face and what the cricket family can do to commit fully to anti-racism.

Moderated by former West Indies fast bowler and broadcaster Ian Bishop, Interviews Inside Out featured a full and frank discussion on diversity and racism in cricket with two-time ICC Men’s T20 World Cup winning captain of the West Indies team - Daren Sammy, former ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup and T20 World Cup winner from England and broadcaster - Isa Guha, former South Africa all-rounder - JP Duminy, two-time ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup winner with Australia and leading coach -Tom Moody, and former Pakistan player and broadcaster - Bazid Khan.

Each of the panelists shared their personal experiences on the subject and spoke of solutions that could help create a more inclusive space within the sport. They unanimously agreed on the fact that there is a need for more conversations at multiple levels and more ownership to make a difference in the sport.

Daren Sammy said,“There is a need for education at a systematic level. Just as there is an emphasis on education around anti-doping or anti-corruption, the same emphasis must be given to educating the youth on anti-racism in order to help young cricketers understand diversity in cricket and adapt early on.”

Isa Guha said, “We have a real opportunity with cricket because it does cross different races, backgrounds, and religions, and does bring all of these different people together. It is really a sport that unites everyone. I mean, look at the current England (men’s) team, we stumbled upon this team that is so diverse. But the most important thing for me is representation. This team represents the UK, so people from Muslim communities, black communities can look at these guys and say, they’ve managed to do it, so can I. The other thing I am proud of, about this team is their intention to learn a lot about each other’s cultures. That for me undoubtedly has led to their success. It was similar for us, Ebony (Ebony Rainford-Brent) and I in the 2009 ICC World Cup.”

Tom Moody said, “Leaders in our cricket community whether it is a captain, senior player, a coach or an administrator, we have an enormous responsibility as an educator along may different platforms. One of those platforms I think that has been neglected and not given the attention that is required and that is the understanding of the different levels of racism that exists within the game.

If there is anything positive that has come out of this, is that it is highlighting that we need to be a lot more understanding of how we can make this better as individuals.

From my personal experiences have always enjoyed the challenges of working in different cultures and environments. To learn from these as against resisting the challenges of those different environments.”

Whilst making his closing remarks Ian Bishop added, “There is no one here who is demanding a free gift, we all work very diligently and very hard and what we want to see is equality across the globe and an equal chance for everyone.” (www.icc-cricket.com/)

The aspirations of three of Sri Lanka’s internationally-ranked wheelchair tennis players received a further boost with a donation of custom-made wheelchairs by Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT), a longstanding benefactor of the sport, and its parent company, China Merchants Group (CMG).

Part of CICT’s continuing support to the Wheelchair Tennis Programme of the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA), the three professional grade, titanium wheelchairs were presented to Lance-Bombardier D. S. R. Dharmasena (ITF Rank 62), Corporal Dissanayake Gamini (ITF Rank 82) and Corporal Suresh Ranaweera (ITF Rank 101) who have brought recognition to Sri Lanka at the international level. All veterans of the Sri Lanka Army, these sportsmen are amputees and differently-abled due to injuries sustained in the conflict in the North.

The donation of these wheelchairs, costing US$ 9000 (approximately Rs 1.6 million at current rates) took place recently at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association.

The funds for the donation were channelled through the China Merchants Charitable Foundation (CMCF), China Merchants Group’s CSR arm.

Commenting on the donation, CICT CEO Jack Huang said: “At CICT we have always believed in contributing generously to worthy causes in Sri Lanka, and the development of wheelchair tennis is one of our on-going commitments. Our support to the SLTA has not only enriched the lives of differently-abled sportsmen and women, it has enabled them to bring glory to themselves and the country at international tournaments.” CMCF and CICT have together donated Rs 30 million to the SLTA’s Wheelchair Tennis Programme between 2015 and 2019, becoming the main sponsor for wheelchair tennis in the country. This support has enabled Sri Lankan players to participate in many international tournaments, elevating the country to be ranked among the top 40 countries that play wheelchair tennis.

In 2016, CICT also funded the refurbishment of two international standard hard surface courts at the SLTA to bolster the sport in the country.

The Wheelchair Tennis Programme was initiated in Sri Lanka in 2003 as a rehabilitation programme for disabled soldiers. Currently, Sri Lanka has 13 wheelchair tennis players who have secured international rankings.

The Sri Lanka National Football Pool went into training from yesterday at the Beddagana Sports Complex having got the greenlight from the Ministry of Health to resume training after the Coronavirus.

The 18 member national pool will go into a residential training camp under the watchful eyes of new National Coach Amir Alagic in accordance with health regulations which will stand them in good sted when they confront Korea (North and South) and Lebanon in their Asia Cup qualifying matches. The National poolists have undergone a PCR Test along with technical staff.

The Sri Lanka National Pool consists of Prabath Ruwan Arunasiri, Mahendran Dinesh, Chalana Chameera, Sivakumaran Rubanraj, Niran Kanishka, Y. Duckson, Jude Supan, Charith Rathnayake, Ashfiqur Rahuman, Afil Mohamed, Mohammed Fazal, Mohamed Sabeer, Rizkan Faizer, Sajith Kumara, Abdul Bashith, Kavindu Ishan, Rifkhan Mohamed and Dilip Suraj Peiris.

Vice Captain of the team, fifth year coloursman, left hand opening bat, left arm leg spinner Devapakshalage Nishitha Abilash has contributed immensely through out his cricket career for his Alma Mater St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa.

Abilash represented his school in all sixteen inter school first eleven cricket matches this season and is very unlucky to miss his third successive Big match and the Limited over

Nishitha Abilash

Game against their arch rivals Prince of Wales’ College this year. Sebs were the hosts in both these encounters and his Rector Rev. Fr. Anton Ranjith with the school officials and their OBA have made all arrangements with the assistance of the Cambrian OBA to work off these two events but unluckily at the eleventh hour that these two social events of Moratuwa City were postponed due to the prevailing situation in the country. All the cricket crazy Moratuwites are in the hope of playing this match at their earliest.

He notched up 715 runs this season with five fifties and he got out twice in the nervous nineties with the top score being 93 versus Vazians. Also he held 22 catches and last year he collected 715 runs with a century and four half centuries. In the previous year due to injury he played only in the inter schools T20 tournament match against Thurstan College and he got the top score of 42 runs and he was the Baby of the Team.

In 2015 he was in the pool and played in two matches. He played for the Colombo South Cricket Team in the District Tournament in 2018 and Captained the District Team in 2019 and played for the Provincial Team. In 2017/18 season he scored 643 runs with a century and five fifties. This season he was involved in four hundred run partnerships two with Sanel Fernando and one each with Lahiru Fernando and Dimuth Jayathunga. During his three year stint in the first eleven team he has collected 2066 runs.

Abilash commenced his cricket career in the under 13 team in 2011 and his uncle Nishantha Fernando encouraged him from the beginning and up to now he is helping him in numerous ways and always behind him. In his second year in under thirteen he was the Vice Captain and got three fifties. In his first year in the under fifteen he scored four half centuries and in the following year he scored five fifties and Sebs were the Champions in both years. He played for the Prima Cup for Colombo South and got a fifty and played for the District and Provincial Teams.

In the year 2016/17 they were the under 17 champions and he scored 420 runs with four fifties and in the following year he captained the team and scored 382 runs with six fifties and reached upto Quarter Finals and also he captained the District Team.

In addition he is a good athlete in field events and took part at the school Sports Meet in all ages and was selected for the Provincial Meet. But did not go further due to the involvement in cricket.

Kandy remembers Charlie Joseph, the famous cricketer from St. Anthony's College, Kandy who died in 1998 in Sydney Australia at the age of 55. He was twice the Daily News School boy Cricketer 1959 and 1960. Charlie as he was popularly known was a technically correct batsman who strode the local cricket scene like a colossus and often reeled off big scores off any school attack. He played for the Antonians from 1958 to 1961, in every season he knocked a minimum of three centuries and managed over 800 runs per season.

Those were the days when schools played only their traditional fixtures , where they had less than ten games. Charlie,after the usual grooming in the junior teams, played for the senior side in 1958 and soon blossomed into an accomplished batsman, the likes of which the Antonians had never seen since the days of late Jack Anderson. He was coached by a famous cricketer T. M. A. Cooray who chiseled his rough edges to make him a top class batsman. Capable of a pleasing array of strokes, remarkable for his technical excellence, and Charlie's greatness lay in his inherent capacity to mould his innings to the requirements of the situation.

His achievements in the 1959 season include 123 vs St Benedict’s, 101 vs Kingswood, 101 vsDharmaraja, 115 vs St Peter’s, 80 vs Ananda and 95 n.o vs Trinity. In the following year, the run machine continued with scores of 115 vs St Benedict’s,50 vs Kingswood, 74 vs St Joseph’s, 70 vs Dharmaraja, 55 vs Ananda, 123 vs Nalanda and 127 vs Trinity. In 1961, Charlie was on track for another stellar season, reeling off centuries against St Benedict’s and Dharmaraja, before the season was curtailed to only three matches due to the prevailing situation arising out of the schools take over.

Charlie was the second of the famous Joseph brothers of St. Anthony's. The other two being Stephen and Michael.Charlie was a run getting prodigy. One match the Antonians should never forget was the match against Dharmaraja College at Katugastota in 1962.

The Lake View boys attack was spearheaded by that demon bowlerT. B. Kehelgamuwa who routed the Antonians for a paltry 72. The Antonians who were asked to follow on with a big deficit were helped through some aggressive batting by the Joseph brothers - Charlie who scored 120 and his younger brother Michael a belligerent 140 and this pair put on 240 runs for the fifth wicket which rocked the Rajans to such an extent that they were reeling in the second essay.

Charlie's consistent batting saw him being selected as the Daily News Schoolboy Cricketer of the year in 1960 and he repeated this the following year. Thus becoming the only schoolboy to win this prestigious award for two years. Among some of his team mates were H. M. Muthalib, his brothers Stephen and Michael,C. Pamunuwa, Michael Raj, P. Fernandopulle and Bunny Steven.

He also played for the Central province schools team and, combined schools. He had all the chance of playing for the national team but a planting career took him away to the distant Uva where he played Daily News trophy cricket for Badulla CC till he migrated to Australia some years ago. He leaves behind his wife Deanna and children Samantha and Ananda.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has commended Sri Lanka’s efforts in introducing tough laws to combat the match-fixing menace from the island nation.

This was revealed by the ICC Coordinator for Investigations Steve Richardson during an online symposium organised by the Sports Law and Policy Centre of India.

Richardson cited the example of Sri Lanka which became the first country in the sub-continent to criminalise match-fixing last year.

Richardson said there was no way out of this situation without declaring fixing a punishable offence.

Steve Richardson

“Sri Lanka was the first nation that brought a match-fixing law. For that reason, Sri Lanka cricket is better protected now,” he said.

“In Australia’s case, we are very proactive. At the moment with no legislation in place in India they are operating with one hand tied up,” added Richardson.

He also hoped that India would emulate it soon considering the fact that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will be hosting next year’s T20 World Cup as well as the 2023 ICC World Cup.

According to the ICC, India is involved in most of the match-fixing cases in cricket.

“We have 50 investigations that we are undertaking and the majority of those cases have links to corruptors in India,” he emphasised.

However, not all players are involved. On the contrary, most of the fixes are Indians said Richardson. He also stated it is very dangerous to the game. “The players are the final link in this chain. But the problem is with the individuals who organise corruption, who pay the cricketers and who sit outside the sport.” “I can deliver eight names to the Indian governing agencies who are series offenders and constantly approach the players,” Richardson added.

Meanwhile, the high profile Indian Premier League (IPL) has also been a hot topic since the beginning of the tournament.

There are various allegations every year that most of the matches of the tournament are fixed. these allegations were also proved in 2013.

At that time, the ICC thought the violence of those involved in match-fixing in India would decrease. But the real picture is different.

(CF)

 Sri Lanka batting legend Aravinda de Silva has refuted the claims made by minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage that the 2011 World Cup final was fixed and urged the ICC, the BCCI, and the SLC to investigate the “lies”. In an interview with local TV channel ‘Sirasa’, Aluthgamage, who was Sri Lanka sports minister at the time, said that the 2011 World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka was fixed. “Today I am telling you that we sold the 2011 world cup, I said this when I was the sports minister,” Aluthgamage had said.

Addressing the allegations, de Silva, who was the Chairman of Selectors of SLC, told Sri Lankan newspaper Sunday Times: “We cannot let people get away all the time with lies. I request everyone, ICC, BCCI, and SLC to investigate this immediately.”

De Silva said legends like Sachin Tendulkar, who won his maiden World Cup after toiling for so long deserve the respect earned after the triumph.

“Just like we cherished our World Cup victory, players like Sachin Tendulkar cherish these moments for the rest of their lives. I think in the interest of Sachin and the millions of cricket fans across India, it’s the duty of the Indian government and their cricket board to initiate an impartial inquiry to see whether they have won a fixed World Cup,” he said.

“When serious allegations like these are being made, it affects a lot of people. In this case not only us, the selectors, the players, and the team management but Indian cricketers who deservingly won the world title. We need to clear this once and for all for the greater good of the game we love,” he added.

Former Sri Lanka players Kumar Sangakkara who was the captain in 2011 World Cup and Mahela Jayawaradena had also denied the claims.

The 2011 World Cup final saw Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara electing to bat after winning the toss. Mahela Jayawardena scored a brilliant century and India were asked to chase down a target of 275. With the brilliance of Gautam Gambhir (97) and then skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (91), India achieved the target with six wickets in hand to win the trophy for the second time after 1983. - ht

New Delhi, Monday: Australia’s David Warner has warned against sledging Virat Kohli when India tour Australia this year, saying “trying to poke the bear” will only make the star batsman play better.

As cricket slowly gets back into action after coronavirus suspensions, India are slated to tour Australia for four Test matches in December-January in what is set to be a highlight of the year.

Warner, a lynchpin of Australia’s batting attack, said he is looking forward to the confrontation but that he will steer clear of taunting India’s captain.

“I thrive on the crowd, I thrive on people sort of going at me in the field. And getting into that battle,” Warner told India Today television.

“I think Virat is quite similar, if you go a little bit at Virat he comes out harder with the bat and he plays amazing. We have seen that time and time again.

“There is no point in actually trying to poke the bear because at the end of the day if you do that it just fires up the person a bit more.”

Last year India claimed their first Test series win in Australia after 71 years of trying.

Warner, who along with Steve Smith missed the series while they served a ball-tampering ban, said Australia are much better prepared this time.“It’s a much-anticipated return to Australia for India. I am excited, one to be selected and to be a part of that. Last time we were not bad but were beaten by a good team and their bowling was relentless,” said Warner.

“Now, India has got the best batting line-up and our bowlers will like to target them.”

Warner said he’s also keen to play the lucrative Indian Premier League if the International Cricket Council postpones the T20 World Cup, scheduled to start October 18 in Australia.

The fate of the T20 showpiece will be decided next month and if the World Cup is sidelined, the delayed IPL could take its place. Cricket Australia has admitted the World Cup looks “unrealistic” this year as the pandemic lingers.

Warner, who is captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, said quarantine rules for foreigners entering Australia was one of many problems for the World Cup.

“The challenges around getting every single nation that participates in the World Cup into Australia, given the fact that we have the quarantine for 14 days... we have to obviously abide by those rules and obviously we await the decision from the ICC,” Warner said.

He added: “I am definitely sure and positive that we (Australian players) will be able to come and play in the IPL if that replaces the World Cup schedule.”

- AFP

The National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) will celebrate the Annual International Olympic Day at the Olympic House premises in Colombo today, commencing at 10.00 a.m.

However, unlike in the past, this year’s International Olympic Day will be celebrated in virtual base due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Therefore, the demonstrative celebration of the International Olympic Day will be held with the participation of maximum 25personalities.

Among the highlights of the proposed programme will be the hoisting of flags, playing the National Anthem, lighting the Olympic Flame, speech on ‘what is Olympic Day’, tree planting, and a teqball demonstration.

According to most accounts, the man solely responsible for reviving the modern Olympic Games was Baron Pierre de Coubertin.

International Olympic Day was celebrated for the first time on June 23, 1948, with a total of nine National Olympic Committees (NOCs) hosting ceremonies in their respective countries - Austria, Belgium, Canada, Great Britain, Greece, Portugal, Switzerland, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

The virtual sessions were on air from June 5 onwards in various ways using social media which touched every person in public during the lockdown period.

The virtual platform connected villages, regions, cities in SriLanka and selected global cities to display the solidarity with various special activities.

As a result, this year’s approach was a complete change of the usual celebration of International Olympic Day.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is planning to launch the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) tournament from August 15 to September 4. SLC has already called for Expressions Of Interest (EOI) from a suitable Sports Marketing/Management Agency to manage and promote Lanka Premier League 2020 in collaboration with the SLC. If this tournament incorporate foreign players, it’s going to be the first International tournament after the lockdown period as the England, India, and South Africa match series was postponed due to the coronavirus epidemic.

The LPL tournament planning, though, remains in its very preliminary stages, with no official announcement having yet come from the board. At present, SLC is working on the theory that LPL may feature five teams and could last over three weeks. According to the senior official of SLC, this LPL tournament consists of 23 matches over 26 match days under a double round robin format, plus two semi finals and a final. Each team will feature a squad of a total of 16 players, including a maximum of six international players of ICC’s full/ Associate member of countries, together with support staff in ten personal including two overseas coaches.

The LPL tournament is scheduled to play on four International venues, including R. Premadasa Colombo, Pallekela, and Rangiri Dambulla International stadium. Meanwhile, SLC already has written to other cricket boards about the prospect of a LPL while foreign players have also been approached.

Earlier, various cricket administration boards have tried repeatedly to conduct T-20 league tournament with the presence of foreign players. They only managed to conduct tournaments in 2012 Sri Lanka Premier League, and it was conducted with seven teams played single round robin tournament at two venues R. Premadasa and Pallekele and was sparsely attended and later attracted allegation of corruption. The debut edition was won by Uva Next team while Shaminda Eranga, who played for Nagenahira Nagas, team was awarded player of the series. Jacob Oram of New Zealand, who played for the Uva team has taken the highest wickets and Dilshan Munaweera has scored most runs of this inaugural tournament.

However, Sri Lanka has managed the COVID-19 crisis better than many other countries so far and SLC believes it has an opportunity to conduct this tournament successfully with safety especially under the health officials’ advice.

Meanwhile, senior officials of SLC also confirmed Government approval had been granted not just for the LPL, but also the India, Bangladesh cricket series, and Asia Cup which is the plan to conduct after the LPL. Sri Lanka all top players are available for this LPL and they already finished their first residential training seasons after the lockdown period at CCC grounds Colombo, while they started their second training camp yesterday at Pallekele with 24 players presence.

NEW DELHI: Indian cricket Monday mourned the loss of record-breaking bowler Rajinder Goel, who despite taking 750 first-class wickets -- including an unmatched 637 in the Ranji Trophy -- never played for his country.

Goel, a left-arm spinner, died aged 77 on Sunday, prompting the Board of Control for Cricket in India to pay tribute to the veteran whose career lasted 27 years.

“The Indian cricketing community has lost a giant of domestic cricket today,” BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said of Goel, who played to the age of 44. “His staggering record tells you about his craft and the control he had over it. To have a career that lasts more than 25 years and still be able to perform consistently speaks about his dedication and commitment towards the game.

“To be able to pick 750 wickets needs years and years of hard work and I salute his efforts. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family.” Goel plied his trade during India's spin era of former captain Bishan Singh Bedi, who was often said to be the reason for the celebrated bowler not making the national cut. - AFP