Sri Lanka left with a mountain to climb in Rawalpindi
Lahiru creates history with Youth Olympic silver
Wesley stun Nalanda to reach Under 19 Division I final
Sri Lanka U-19s eliminated from Asia Cup with one win
CDB, Hayleys Group A, HNB and Fairfirst Insurance meet in semifinals today
Sri Lanka have a mountain to climb in Rawalpindi, with victory already a distant prospect after just two days of the first Test against Pakistan. A draw remains within reach, but saving this game will demand considerably more discipline than they have shown so far.
Seduced by the green surface, Sri Lanka picked four seamers and left out a specialist spinner, only to discover that grass alone does not take wickets. Their attack lacked control as Pakistan piled up 434-9 declared before reducing the tourists to 12-2.
Sri Lanka steadied themselves to reach 114-3 at stumps, still trailing by 320 runs, with Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva carrying their hopes of digging out of trouble.
Kamindu looked assured, driving fluently during his unbeaten 40, while Dhananjaya raced to 22 off 28 balls. The former captain is also fighting a personal battle after a prolonged lean spell left his place under scrutiny.
Dhananjaya relinquished the captaincy before the Pakistan series, leaving the selectors a less complicated decision should they opt for a replacement for the 35-year-old at number five. A substantial contribution here would serve both his cause and his team’s.
Lahiru Udara had earlier provided some impetus with 42 off 52 balls, but his positive approach came with too many loose flashes outside off stump. A late replacement for the injured Pathum Nissanka after initially being overlooked for the squad, Udara showed enterprise without the judgement needed to turn a promising start into something substantial.
Pakistan had resumed on 281-5, and with the second new ball available during the morning, Sri Lanka had an opportunity to prise open the lower order. Instead, their quicks allowed the game to drift further from their grasp.
There was enough movement and bounce to keep the batters honest, but Sri Lanka rarely sustained the lengths required to exploit it. Too often, a testing delivery was followed by a release ball, allowing Pakistan to keep the scoreboard moving.
Saud Shakeel and Ghazi Ghori added 96 for the sixth wicket before left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka broke through. Pasindu Sooriyabandara held a sharp catch at gully to send the wicketkeeper back two short of his half-century.
Shakeel, too, fell within sight of a milestone, throwing away a deserved hundred on 93 and giving Asitha Fernando his 100th Test wicket.
It was a moment to cherish for Asitha, although the innings offered little else to celebrate. He finished with three wickets but conceded more than 100 runs, a costly distinction shared by Madushanka and Lahiru Kumara.
Milan Rathnayake was the only seamer to offer sustained discipline. Sri Lanka now need their batters to show the patience and application their bowlers so conspicuously lacked.
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Rising middle-distance runner Lahiru Achintha produced yet another remarkable international performance to win the silver medal in the men’s 1500 metres at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal on Monday.
Achintha clocked 3:59.08 in a closely contested final, finishing just 0.35 seconds behind Ethiopia’s Wabi Seblega, who won the gold medal in 3:58.73. Spain’s Alex Sangil took the bronze in 3:59.70.
After setting the pace of the race leading the first two laps, the former St. Aloysius’ College, Ratnapura runner had to fight hard in the last lap to settle for silver.
Achintha’s performance is the best by a Sri Lankan in the history at these games and he is only the second Sri Lankan to win a medal at the Youth Olympics. The country’s previous medal came when Parami Wasanthi Maristell won bronze in the women’s 2000m steeplechase at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.
Achintha who is now representing Prince College Ratnapura went to these Games as Sri Lanka’s brightest medal prospect after having excelled at several regional international events including the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain where he won country’s first ever gold at those Games.
At the Asian Youth Games he produced a Games-record 3:57.42 to win the title at just 16 years of age.
Achintha carried a personal best of 3:53.05 to Youth Olympics while his 2026 season best was 3:56.63. He could not reach his best after being ‘boxed’ during a better part of the third lap.
His latest success highlight his ability to become a medal prospect for Sri Lanka at senior level.
Wesley College stunned favourites Nalanda College with a six wickets victory to book a place in the final of the Under-19 Division I Tier ‘A’ Limited Overs Cricket Tournament at Ananda Mawatha on Tuesday.
It was a historic moment for Wesley who are continuing their resurgence under coach Dilshan Mendis.
”This is the first time the school reached an Under 19 Division I limited overs cricket tournament final,” an official of Wesley told ‘The Island’ after the team reached a target of 144 runs with many overs to spare.
Senura Lakshan with a four wicket haul and Binoth Sandil with a top score of 77 runs hogged limelight for Wesley as they ended an otherwise remarkable campaign by Nalanda. Nalanda had remained unbeaten to reach the semis as the tournament favourite.
Batting first Nalanda were bowled out for 143 (38.2 overs) , with Lithum Wijekumara top-scoring with a patient 59 off 76 balls, including nine boundaries. Nemindu Akmeemana contributed 22, while Osanda Pamuditha made 18 and Mihin Zoysa scored 17.
Wesley’s bowlers maintained a tight grip on the Nalanda innings, with Senura Lakshan producing the outstanding figures of four wickets for 22 runs from six overs. Adhyaan Zain and Savindu Attanayake claimed two wickets each.
In reply Wesley reached the target in 29.4 overs
. Binoth Sandil played the key role, scoring a well-made 77 off 88 balls with eight fours and two sixes.
Lithum Senuja remained unbeaten on 24 off 30 balls, while Kavindu Hettiarachchi added an unbeaten seven off six balls to complete the victory.
Wesley will now meet Mahinda College Galle in the final.
Sri Lanka Under-19 team were eliminated from the 2026 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup after going down to Afghanistan by 106 runs in their final Group B match at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman on Monday.
Sri Lanka, a five time finalist, needed a victory over Afghanistan to keep their semi-final hopes alive. However, Afghanistan proved too strong as they posted 275 runs before dismissing Sri Lanka for 169 in 34.1 overs.
Kithma Withanapathirana provided resistance in Sri Lanka’s chase, scoring a brisk 58 from 48 balls with eight fours and two sixes. Sethmika Seneviratne (23), and skipper Viran Chamuditha (17) were the only others to make contributions of note. Earlier, Subhan Ali top scored with 107 runs for Afghanistan. Noor Ali Niazai then led Afghanistan’s attack with four wickets for 35 runs.
With the defeat Sri Lanka finished third in Group B with two points, behind unbeaten Afghanistan and Bangladesh, and failed to qualify for the knockout stage.
Sri Lanka’s campaign began on an encouraging note when they defeated Malaysia by nine wickets. Kaushika Kumarasinghe produced the outstanding bowling performance of the tournament for Sri Lanka in that match, taking five wickets for 30 runs in six overs as Malaysia were dismissed for 88. Spinner Vigneshwaran Akash also impressed taking three wickets for seven from 4.1 overs.
Sri Lanka then completed the chase in just 13.5 overs, with Rehan Peiris making an unbeaten 54 from 45 balls, including seven fours and a six. Senuja Wekunagoda supported him with an unbeaten 30 from 35 deliveries.
Sri Lanka faced a much tougher challenge against Bangladesh in their second match and eventually lost by 45 runs. Bangladesh scored 245, before Sri Lanka were dismissed for 200.
Senuja Wekunagoda produced Sri Lanka’s best batting performance of the tournament, scoring an impressive 85 from 95 balls with 10 fours and two sixes. Rehan Peiris also made a useful 19, while Lithma Perera contributed 19.
Across the three matches, several Sri Lankan players showed encouraging individual form. Wekunagoda was particularly consistent, following his unbeaten 30 against Malaysia with the team’s highest score of 85 against Bangladesh. Peiris made a rapid unbeaten 54 in the opening victory, while Withanapathirana’s 58 against Afghanistan was another notable batting effort.
With the ball, Kumarasinghe’s five-wicket haul against Malaysia was the standout performance, while Vigneshwaran Akash’s three wickets for just seven runs in the same match demonstrated the strength of Sri Lanka’s spin options.
Although Sri Lanka were unable to progress beyond the group stage, the performances of players such as Wekunagoda, Peiris, Kumarasinghe, Akash and Withanapathirana provided several positives from a campaign in which the team showed considerable potential but lacked the consistency required against the leading sides.
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