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The cricketing fraternity is mourning the death of former Sri Lanka Cricket President Upali Dharmadasa, one of the game’s longest-serving administrators, who passed away at the age of 74.
Dharmadasa’s association with cricket administration stretched back to 1989. A towering figure in local cricket, he headed Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club for several years and played a pivotal role in transforming the club into one of the country’s leading domestic forces.
He entered the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka in 1989 and went on to serve as vice-president under P.I. Peiris, Tyrone Fernando, Gamini Dissanayake and Ana Punchihewa before being elected President in 1996.
It was during his tenure that Sri Lanka rewrote the record books by amassing a world record 952 for six declared against India at RPS.
Dharmadasa also represented Sri Lanka with distinction at the international level, serving on multiple occasions as a Director of the International Cricket Council. Affable, approachable and blessed with a sharp sense of humour, he often relied on his easy going nature to navigate some of the sport’s most testing moments.
One such episode came in 2011 after Kumar Sangakkara delivered the prestigious Cowdrey Lecture at Lord’s. While the speech was widely hailed as one of the finest in cricket history, then Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage demanded that Sri Lanka Cricket launch an inquiry and impose a fine on Sangakkara.
As SLC President, Dharmadasa came under intense political pressure. Ever the pragmatist, he invited Sangakkara to dinner instead. After the meal, he smiled and said, “I’m going to fine you. Your punishment is that you pay the bill.”
Although he stepped away from Sri Lanka Cricket over the last decade, Dharmadasa remained deeply involved in club cricket. He continued to mentor young cricketers, providing employment and support to many aspiring players as they sought to establish themselves in the game.
Away from cricket, he ventured into the hospitality industry, opening Upali’s, a restaurant in Colombo 7 that became renowned for its authentic Sri Lankan cuisine and a favourite among locals and tourists alike.
Dharmadasa’s remains lie at his residence in Rajagiriya. The cremation will take place on Wednesday afternoon at Kanatte Cemetery.
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Defending champion Elena Rybakina has pulled out of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals, saying she was not physically ready to compete, allowing Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk to take her place in the eight-player field at Indian Wells.
Organisers on Saturday cited a viral illness as the official reason for the world number one’s “disappointing” withdrawal, but said the world number one needs time to recover from the physical toll of a demanding year.
Tournament director Garbine Muguruza, a former world number one and two-time Grand Slam champion, said she had spoken with Rybakina and that the Kazakh had been unable to recover in time after struggling with physical problems late in the season.
This Test series may not ultimately end up being relevant to the machinations of the pointy end of the World Test Championship (WTC), but could be an important clue about Pakistan and Sri Lanka’s direction of Test travel. Neither side has, to the extent they have played Test cricket, had much to celebrate of late, but these games promise to be an absorbing strategic battle at the beginning of Pakistan’s Test season.
For Pakistan, the only way, truly, is up; they just don’t know how to get there. They are rooted to the bottom of the table more than halfway into this WTC cycle with a points percentage of just over 4%. They have won two games in nine, most recently coming off a humbling tour of England, who might have endured struggles on their own, but were good enough to thrash Pakistan 3-0.
They removed captain Shan Masood at the start of the summer; now they have removed him from the squad altogether. They appointed Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul as head coach and bowling coach earlier this year; both were gone in months, now replaced by Mike Hesson, who becomes all format coach, and Shaun Tait. There are few signs yet, though, that any of this has injected fresh impetus into a waning Pakistan Test side. For the second Test in a row, Pakistan have made lastminute changes, announcing less than 48 hours before the game the removal of two men from the squad, and the arrival of four more.
There is some confusion about the nature of the pitches for this series, and that largely has to do with their opponents, Sri Lanka. Wary of the visitors’ perceived ability on turning tracks, Pakistan’s squad selection indicates they will pivot hard in the other direction. There is not a single specialist spinner in Pakistan’s squad; they never selected Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, and let go of Ali Usman on Saturday. Whether, in the early summer, this translates to flat, batting tracks or grassy, seam-friendly strips, this series does promise to be nothing like any home Test series for at least two years.
The irony here is it isn’t at all clear spin is Sri Lanka’s most efficient route to success. They bring with them left-arm orthodox spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, who once bowled them to victory over Pakistan four years earlier. But if these wickets do support pace bowling, they have a balanced pace attack, with five diverse seam bowlers to choose from. Wins of late have been hard to come by, with four winless Tests this year, but a battling draw against India demonstrated the grit of their batting line-up, in contrast to Pakistan’s own fragilities in that department.
The build-up to this series has been about which side can better conceal its weaknesses.. Come tomorrow, there will be no hiding place.
Sonal Dinusha, Kamindu Mendis and Lahiru Udara in the middle of training (Cricinfo)
A honeymoon start isn’t uncommon for a Pakistan fast bowler, but the reality check that follows has tripped many fast bowlers up of late. Razaullah , the express quick bowler who lit up Edgbaston with his high pace, big hitting, and intoxicating charisma, must now back it up in Rawalpindi. The timing has been kind to him, with Pakistan potentially looking to offer the fast bowlers something with the wickets they produce. But Razaullah was fast-tracked in extraordinary circumstances into Pakistan’s Test side, with no discernible long-term plan to ease him into its rigours. The home season coming up will go a long way to determining whether Birmingham was a flash in the pan or the accidental emergence of a true talent.
As far as starts to Test careers go, they don’t come much dreamier than 25-year-old Sonal Dinusha’s Only one of his last six Test innings have produced a score under 84, with three centuries in his last four knocks. He scored two hundreds against India in his most recent Test, a heroic unbeaten 133 in the second innings keeping India at bay. In his five-Test career so far, he has never batted higher than six, but if he follows up his big home summer with his first significant contributions away, it is hard to imagine him not rising very quickly.
Arafat Minhas is the only credible spin option Pakistan’s squad is left with. The surfeit of allrounders in the squad suggests they wish to bat deep, while also retaining at least five bowling options. That could bring Aamer Jamal, belatedly called up to the squad, into the side, with three out-and-out seamers to follow.
Pakistan (probable): Azan Awais, Sameer Minhas, Tayyab Arif, Babar Azam (capt), Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha, Ghazi Ghori/Saad Baig (wk), Arafat Minhas/Aamer Jamal, Razaullah, Mohammad Abbas, Saqib Khan/Ali Shabbir.
Razaullah gets a crash course from Mohammad Abbas ( PCB)
This will be the first time Kusal Mendis takes charge of a Test side, but for the most part, there is likely to be continuity from the sides that played against India and West Indies earlier this year. Despite Dhananjaya’s reduced recent workload with the ball, they have the security of an extra spinner in their top seven, allowing them to operate with a three-man pace attack.
Sri Lanka (probable): Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Lahiru Udara (wk), Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sonal Dinusha, Kusal Mendis (capt), Prabath Jayasuriya, Keshara Nuwantha, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka
The 11th Dialog Club Vision Rotary Par 3 Golf Classic 2026, organized by the Rotary Club of Colombo Metropolitan (RCCM) in partnership with title sponsor Dialog Club Vision, brought together more than 100 golfers at the Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) on Saturday, 31 October.
Darshan Veeraragavan emerged as the Overall Gross Winner, taking home the latest iPhone 18 Pro, powered by Dialog, while Chris Benjamin claimed the Overall Net title and won an iPhone Air.
For the tournament, the Royal Colombo Golf Club’s traditional 18-hole course was transformed into a challenging par-54 layout, with every hole played as a par 3. The competition was held in two sessions, starting at 7.00 a.m. and 12.30 p.m., giving participants a different experience from the usual format.
Dialog Club Vision has been associated with the tournament for nine years and served as title sponsor for the second consecutive year.
Several other performances were rewarded with exclusive gifts from Dialog. Division B winner Arjun Fernando received a Dialog 5G Ultra MiFi, while runner-up Yeun Kook Chung was presented with Dialog AirFibre. Dhinuka Boralessa, winner of the Nearest to the Pin award, received AirPods Pro 3.
Over the past five years, RCCM has raised more than LKR 47 million through its charitable projects, supporting children’s healthcare, the provision of essential medical equipment, education, programmes for children with disabilities and other community welfare initiatives.
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