SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS (MARCH 2025) Compiled by Victor Melder Sri Lankan cricketer Ashen Bandara was arrested on Saturday after it was alleged that he had assaulted his neighbour following a parking-related issue. He has since been granted bail, and is expected to appear in court on March 12. According to the Sri Lanka police, the incident occurred on Saturday evening in Kolamunna, Piliyandala, where Bandara resides. Following an argument over a parked vehicle blocking the road, Bandara is alleged to have entered his neighbour’s house and assaulted the individual. “On Saturday evening one of the neighbours had complained of Bandara causing trouble, and that he had trespassed into someone’s house,” the Sri Lanka police said. “The verbal confrontation had then escalated into a physical one. He was arrested on suspicion of assault on Saturday night and bailed out on the same day.” When contacted for comment, Sri Lanka Cricket CEO ...
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Warne-Murali Trophy unveiled at Galle with a display of Sri Lankan culture Source : newswire Sri Lankan Captain Dhananjaya De Silva and Australian Captain Steve Smith unveiled the Warne-Murali Test Series trophy today at the picturesque Galle International Cricket Stadium, which is located next to the iconic Galle Fort, a UNESCO Heritage site. The event was a blend of cricket and culture, celebrating the legacy of two legendary spinners—Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan—while showcasing Sri Lanka’s rich heritage. The ceremony featured a vibrant display of traditional Sri Lankan masks, including the Naaga Raaksha, Gurulu Raaksha, Suraba Valliya, and Naarilatha, among many others, each carrying unique cultural and artistic significance. These masks, emblematic of Sri Lanka’s folklore and traditions, added a colorful and authentic touch to the event. The display, conducted in collaboration with Sri Lanka Tourism, also included traditional drum beating, along with a display of Dummala resin fire, which ...
Flat footed Sri Lanka crumble in Port Elizabeth giving South Africa clean sweep.– -BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE. (eLanka Sports Editor) Sri Lanka batted themselves out of contention to play in the Test Championship final after a customary batting debacle in Port Elizabeth. After their bowlers gave them an fighting chance to level the two Test series, Sri Lanka’s batters were incapable of scoring 143 with five wickets intact required on the last day, as the turning track saw them crash to a 109- run defeat giving the home team a 2-0 sweep and a solid seat at number two in the rankings. Keshav Maharaj exposed Sri Lanka’s weakness against top quality spin with a match winning five-wicket haul. So the questions that arise from the tour is that Sri Lanka’s batters are ill equipped to handle genuine pace, swing and spin. It certainly puts the onus back on the ...
Down, but not out, Sri Lanka look to bounce back against South Africa. Scramble for Test Championship final should make this encounter a titanic battle. -BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE. (eLanka Sports Editor). Sri Lanka can bounce back and keep their aspirations to play in the Test Championship final alive in the crucial second game in Port Elizabeth’s St. George Park, Gqeberha, if they can overcome an injury ridden South Africa. Injuries to Wiaan Mulder and Gerald Coetzee has forced South Africa to reshuffle their line-up giving the tourists a glimpse of what could be if they are up to it. Although beaten soundly in the first Test in Durban, Sri Lanka posess a squad capable of beating anyone when they hit their straps. Their problem clearly lies in their batting which has historic representation to a rollercoaster ride. The uncharacteristic debacle at Kingsmead underlines a worrying trend that has ...
SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS (NOVEMBER 2024) Compiled by Victor Melder The Australia Men’s National Cricket Team will tour Sri Lanka from January to February 2025 to participate in a two-match Test series and one ODI. The Test series is part of the ICC World Test Championship Cycle for 2023-25. Sri Lanka Cricket said that the Australians will arrive in Sri Lanka on January 20, 2025. The first Test is scheduled to be played from January 29 to February 2, 2025, at the Galle International Cricket Stadium, followed by the second Test from February 6 to 10, 2025. (Daily Mirror, 1.11.2024) The legendary Galle International Cricket Stadium is set to be the battleground for the two-match Test series between Australia and Sri Lanka this coming January. With both games counting toward the World Test Championship (WTC), the stakes couldn’t be higher – this series might well be the stepping stone to ...
South Africa jump to number two with comprehensive thrashing of Sri Lanka. Humbled Lankans tumble from number three spot.- BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE. (eLanka Sports Editor). South Africa steamrolled Sri Lanka and jumped to number two in the world Test cricket rankings while pushing the third placed Lankans to number five as the top teams battle for a place innings the final against India or Australia. Indisciplined batting by Sri Lanka, but more importantly, terrific line and length by South Africa’s bowlers saw the inevitable happen as the home team humbled the Lankans by 233 runs at Kingsmead in Durban. South Africa were clinical in their plans to use familiar conditions with the bounce and movement to their advantage. They executed it to perfection. Sri Lanka’s batters showed signs of a fight in their second effort but it was too little too late with half the side departing for ...
South Africa tour looms as the acid test for Sri Lanka’s Test aspirations. – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE. (eLanka Sports Editor) Sri Lanka will be looking for more success in South Africa and the form they carry in Test cricket suggests that the home team will have a serious fight on their hands. Dhananjaya de Silva leads a team brimming with confidence after recent successes at home and away giving a clear indication that they have, at long last, shed the tag of easybeats. South Africa on the other hand are a team hard to conquer on their home turf. They will do all they can to establish their own identity by usurping the rising Lankans who currently sit third on the World Test rankings. Sri Lanka have sent a blend of youth and experience to South Africa and the general consensus suggests that they will harbour aspirations ...
SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS (OCTOBER 2024) Compiled by Victor Melder World Cup-winning Coach Dav Whatmore voiced concerns about the sustainability of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) multi-million dollar initiative to support Test cricket, suggesting that several countries, especially associate nations, may abandon the ‘costly’ red-ball format entirely. “Saving Test cricket is one of the challenges. The ICC is very keen to maintain some sort of status in Test match cricket. They have created a pool of money to assist countries that are struggling. A step in the right direction, but I’m not sure how sustainable that is,” Whatmore told PTI. The dedicated fund would support national boards that struggle to compete with the wages offered in global T20 competitions. The 70-year-old, who coached Sri Lanka to the World Cup in 1996, lauded India for its robust domestic calendar while adding that the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Under-19 programme contribute ...
Kamindu Mendis and Sri Lanka are streaming towards the summit of world cricket. Sri Lanka spinners have New Zealand in a dizzy tailspin. – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE. (eLanka Sports Editor) Sri Lanka’s stupendous turnaround after thrashing England in the third Test at the Oval continues to spiral them upwards, now with the series victory over New Zealand in Galle. Suddenly, a team widely categorised as ordinary, has catapulted themselves to number three in the World Championship rankings behind Australia and India making everyone sit up and take notice. Obviously former coach Chris Silverwood was sitting on a golden nestegg but was unable to notice it’s shimmer. Sanath Jayasuriya appears to have polished it to its shining brilliance and produced what was always there to be exploited but needing tinkering through a different mental approach. The blend of youth and experience has made Sri Lanka a revelation in the ...
Richmond College Skippers spearhead Sri Lankan Cricket-by Michael Roberts Source:Thuppahis After Charith Asalanka led Sri Lanka to hard-fought triumph against India recently — see … and continues to captain the side in the two shortern-form games, Dhananjaya De Silva has stepped up as skipper, batsman, bowler and slip-fielder in leading Sri Lanka to a win against New Zealand in a tight TEST MATCH contest at Galle this week. Dhananjaya …. & …. Asalanka Dhananjaya will savour this triumph in his home grounds of Galle (as I do too) and will, perhaps, emphasise the contributions of another Richmondite –namely Kamindu Mendis (an allrounder who happens to be ambidextrous and can bowl both left-arm and right-arm spin). Speaking here as a product of Galle, albeit from a rival college, I note that its about time for some cricketing aficianados from Richmond to pinpoint the services to Ceylon/Lankan cricket provided by Richmond College players from the 1940s onwards. Christie Karunaratne, Arnold ...
