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Former Sri Lanka captain Ranjan Madugalle urged the next generation of cricketers to wear the national colours with passion and pride, reminding youngsters that there is no greater honour in the game than representing their country.
The ICC’s Chief Match Referee was speaking at a ceremony at the P. Sara Oval where Tamil Union’s players and coaching staff were felicitated following their triumph in the domestic T-20 competition a fortnight ago.
“I hear that four players from this team will be travelling to Japan tomorrow to represent Sri Lanka at the Asian Games. That’s a very good achievement for any club and I urge you to play with passion and be committed. There is no bigger honour than representing your country,” Madugalle said.
Madugalle, who charmed cricket lovers with his elegant stroke play during his playing days, held the gathering spellbound with an eloquent address that also took him on a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
“I have many fond memories of P. Sara Oval. I walked into this ground as an 11-year-old to watch the Royal-Thomian. I played our inaugural Test here, but above all, my most memorable moment at this ground was when we won our maiden Test against India in 1985.”
The P. Sara Oval occupies a special place in Sri Lankan cricket history. It hosted the country’s inaugural Test against England in 1982 and, three years later, the island’s maiden Test victory when Sri Lanka stunned India.
Madugalle also paid tribute to several Tamil Union stalwarts who had played an influential role in his cricketing journey.
“This club has several stalwarts of the game and there are three people I looked up to. One was Sathi Coomaraswamy, who invited me into the dressing room when I was a kid and ignited the passion in me for the game. Then, of course, there are other gentlemen like Chandra Schaffter and T. Murugaser, who were managers when I was representing the Sri Lankan team.”
Madugalle, a former Head Prefect of Royal College, received a prolonged ovation at the conclusion of his address. Also present was another former Royal Head Prefect, Eran Wickramaratne, who represented Tamil Union in First Class cricket and currently heads Sri Lanka Cricket.
Tamil Union’s championship winning players and coaching staff were felicitated during the ceremony, while club patron Chandra Schaffter made a personal donation of Rs. 1.5 million to the players.
SLC officials, Tamil Union members and several former presidents of the club, including S. Skandakumar, Dinal Philips, A.R. Rasiah, Selva Perumal, Kandos Kandasamy and N. Vasanthakumar, were among those present.
Tamil Union enjoyed a remarkable run in this season’s T-20 competition, winning nine matches on the trot before overcoming SSC in the final. The side was captained by wicketkeeper batter Minod Bhanuka.
The club had further reason to celebrate with four of its playersl Tharindu Rathnayake, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Binura Fernando and Sineth Jayawardene selected to represent Sri Lanka at the Asian Games in Japan.
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India have been scrambling to get their Test players some Test-like preparation but Test cricket came to right where they were with Matt Henry returning to action and immediately finding the magical length that traps batters on the crease and hits the top of the stumps. In what has to be among a handful of the greatest first overs ever bowled in an ODI innings, he consigned to ducks Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, all but ending India’s chase of 334, a target they would have been pretty happy with after Will Young’s personal best of 125 off 108 had taken New Zealand to 256 for 4 in the 37th over.
While India will be pleased with their constant strikes in the middle overs, an area they have struggled in in the past, they will also reflect on the 85-run opening stand in these conditions. Auqib Nabi had Young dropped twice on 5, but after that India didn’t look as threatening with the new ball.
You might think India were reverting to type in good batting conditions in Mount Maunganui, but this was a surprisingly good start for New Zealand. Tim Seifert was the first New Zealand batter since Martin Guptill in 2015 to complete a fifty in the first 10 overs, also his maiden one in the format. This was also New Zealand’s first opening stand of 50 or more in the last eight ODIs.
Just when it was looking ominous for India, Gurnoor Brar struck with his typical mode of attack: short and at high pace even if the cost of that was a high economy rate. Axar Patel then tightened the screws, resulting in the wickets of Nick Kelly and Dean Foxcroft, both in for New Zealand players away at the Test camp.
Will Young made a career-best 125 off 108 balls (Cricinfo)
A third replacement, Finn Allen provided New Zealand a possible alternative for the future. By now Young had got over his initial stumbles. He and Allen took down Kuldeep Yadav, playing his first match of the tour, and then just carried attacking other bowlers in a fourth-wicket partnership of 90 runs in a little over 10 overs.
Having dropped a much easier catch in the slips earlier, Rohit took a diving low catch to his right at short cover to send Allen back and drag the marauding New Zealand back.
Young stayed quiet only for two overs before consigning Kuldeep to overs of nine and 12 runs. He had gone from 50 off 49 to 124 off 106, forcing Iyer to go to his sixth bowler, Naman Dhir. Young was not satisfied with nine runs off the first balls of Dhir’s over, and ended up too close to the pitch of one, thus unable to clear deep midwicket. Moments later, Dhir took a special catch running in from deep midwicket and diving low to get the wicket of Michael Bracewell off another Brar short ball.
Now Mitchell Santner had to manage batting with the bowlers, which he did for a while, hitting two sixes off Axar in between, but Arshdeep Singh returned to take the wicket of Santner. India took 6 for 77 in the last 13.1 overs, reason to feel they carried momentum into the chase.
Henry made a mockery of any such notion. Having missed most of the T20Is with a leg injury and then the ODIs with fears of concussion after a collision with Devon Conway on the eve of the series, Henry stayed back for the fourth ODI to just prove his fitness and get some in-competition overs in his legs. And like a well-oiled machine, he landed the first ball on the money: the back half of good length, on off, kicking at Rohit and seaming away, squaring him up and taking the edge to first slip. A sight reminiscent of the twilight of Rohit’s Test career.
Virat Kohli was bowled for 0 off 4 (Cricinfo)
The next ball would have reminded Kohli of the travails of Test cricket. Fuller side of good length, drawing him forward, seaming away, missing the outside edge by inches. Three balls later, Henry again wobbled the seam and an almost identically pitched delivery seamed in and stayed low to rattle Kohli’s furniture.
Iyer became the first Indian to score a golden duck on captaincy debut when Henry again trapped him on the crease and nipped one past his inside edge. It took New Zealand a DRS review to secure this wicket, but Henry was never uncertain, going up in celebration even before turning to appeal.
New Zealand 333 in 50 overs (Will Young 125, Tim Seifert 58; Axar Patel 2-39, Aquib Nabi 2-59, Gurnoor Brar 2-69 ) beat India 89 in 26.4 overs (Ishan Kishan 27; Matt Henry 6-27, Matthew Fisher 3-31 ) by 244 runs
Diyansa de Silva of Bishop’s College and Lihini Jayakody of Gateway College Colombo advanced to the final of the Girls’ Under-18 singles at the SLTA YETI Hard Courts National 2026, currently being held at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association hard courts.
Diyansa produced a commanding performance in her semi-final, defeating Risindi Hewawasam 6-2, 6-0 to book her place in the final.
Lihini also secured her place in the title decider after her semi-final against Gehansa Methnad ended with Gehansa retiring while trailing 4-3.
The two young players will now meet in the final for the Under-18 girls’ singles crown.
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