Sri Lanka women heap more more pain on Windies in T20 opener. – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE.  (eLanka Sports Editor) Sri Lanka continued to heap more pain on the touring West Indies with a resounding four- wicket win with 8 balls remaining in the first T20 encounter in Hambantota.  Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu failed with the bat but struck telling blows with the ball to restrict the visitors to 134 for 8 after inviting them to take first lease of a wicket that seemed to have little terrors. The West Indies batters once again showed their vulnerability against spin as they put up a better showing but floundered to a below par total which Sri Lanka’s batters ran down without too much discomfort.  The sharp incline in the Women’s game has infused new interest to the cricket mad nation that has been starved of success from the men’s ...

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Sr Lanka’s pride and joy Chamari Athapaththu picked to lead the world’s best – Also named Women’s player-of -the -year – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE. (eLanka Sports editor) If there’s a lesson to be learned by anyone knocked back and written off,  Chamari Athapaththu has shown that performance and dedication is all it takes to make a mockery of expert perception.  The Sri Lanka skipper and magnificent all-rounder made consistency a sure way to prove a point and her stellar year was rewarded by being named one day and T20 skipper of the year.  She was also named player of the year after stellar performances against England  South Africa and New Zealand making her the envy of the Women’s game.  Her performances in franchise cricket here in Australia and recently in New Zealand added more credence to her CV. Athapaththu has continued to be unruffled by being overlooked by ...

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Sri Lanka cricket schedule: Full list of Test, ODI and T20I fixtures in 2024 – by Wisden Staff Source : wisden Sri Lanka have announced the men’s schedule for the 2024 season which will begin with a white-ball tour against Zimbabwe in early January. Sri Lanka, recently suspended by the ICC for political interference in the board’s functioning after the conclusion of the recent World Cup, have been permitted to compete in international cricket and will begin next year with two home series against Zimbabwe and Afghanistan. The 1996 World Cup champions finished ninth in the tournament, above only the Netherlands, and have missed out on the 2025 Champions Trophy slot. It will be one of six tours that will be held in Sri Lanka, with the highlight being India’s tour to the country for three ODIs and as many T20Is. This will be the first white-ball bilateral series between the two sides since ...

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Chamari Athapaththu sets up T20 series decider as Sri Lanka cruise past England Chamari Athapaththu scored a half-century and took a key wicket as Sri Lanka defeated England at Chelmsford. Photograph: Tony Marshall/Getty Images Source : theguardian England may come to regret treating their September series against Sri Lanka as an Ashes afterthought. Saturday’s T20 at Chelmsford was an embarrassing display of hubris, which the hosts lost by eight wickets, after being bowled out for 104 in 18 overs – their worst performance at home since Australia saw them off for 87 eight years ago. Heather Knight, though, was still bullish. The captain said: “We’ve had a bad day, we’ve lost a game of cricket. There’s not going to be a big inquiry about it. We haven’t played well and Sri Lanka have given us a bit of humble pie.” Inquiry or not, the reality is that Sri Lanka have not beaten ...

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Shanaka dazzles in a losing effort. Sri Lanka fall in first one-dayer – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE (eLanka Sports editor) Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka continues his purple patch with the bat but his unbeaten century in a losing effort underlined the inconsistency of his team. When the bowlers produce great economy the batters let them down. This time it was the opposite as the fully represented Indian batting sent them on a leather hunt after being invited to bat first.  Chasing 373 was a daunting target from the outset. But the Sri Lanka batters for once took on the challenge but fell short by 67 runs. Shanaka has been widely and unfairly criticised for his leadership in the shorter formats. But the purists fail to see or acknowledge his success rate which has been the best since the days of their great leaders of the past,  Mahela Jayawardena ...

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India complete Sri Lanka humiliation with little effort – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE India’s second string completed their humiliation of a sub standard Sri Lanka with a T20 thrashing to underlined the difference between the best and the rest. My meanderings about behind the scenes activity relating to India’s team selection for this series proved to be unfounded as the hosts drove home a point as to why they did not need stars to beat teams like Sri Lanka. India took the T20 series 2-1 with a 91 run win in the decider. It says a lot about Sri Lanka’s development, or lack of it, as they stumble and stagger like a drunken sailor valiantly striving to negotiate the path ahead of them. It was just a few months ago that this same team gloated about winning the Asia Cup. They are now scratching their heads trying to figure ...

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Pace power trio may be pared down to solo act in Sri Lanka – By Daniel Brettig Source:theage.com.au Power trio Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are braced for the possibility of becoming a solo act in Sri Lanka, for two Test matches at famously spin-friendly Galle. On Australia’s last Test visit in 2016, Sri Lanka won by 229 runs in just three days at the seaside venue, and bowled a grand total of five overs of pace in the match. While Mitchell Starc was in the middle of the most destructive series of his career, Hazlewood and the allrounder Mitchell Marsh were far from penetrative. It’s those memories – and the success of Australia in adapting to Pakistani conditions earlier this year – that have Hazlewood and company prepared for a scenario whereby captain Cummins and all-rounder Cam Green are the only fast bowling options selected. “It’s probably ...

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