Sports

The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday refused to urgently list a plea seeking cancellation of the cricket match between India and Pakistan in the upcoming Asia Cup.

The match is scheduled for September 14 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

A Bench comprising Justices J K Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi questioned the urgency of the petition. “What is the urgency? It's a match, let it be. Match is this Sunday, what can be done?” the Bench observed.

The counsel for the petitioners requested that the plea be heard on Friday, warning that it would become infructuous if not taken up before the game. The Bench, however, maintained, “Match is this Sunday? What can we do about that? Let it be. Match should go on.”

Petition highlights national concerns

The plea was filed by one Urvashi Jain and three other law students, who argued that holding a cricket match with Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor sends a message contrary to national dignity and public sentiment.

"Cricket between nations is meant to show harmony and friendship. But after the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, when our people died and our soldiers risked everything, playing with Pakistan sent the opposite message that while our soldiers are sacrificing their lives, we are celebrating sports with the same country sheltering terrorists," the plea said.

It added that the match could hurt the sentiments of families of victims who lost their lives to Pakistani terrorists and added, “The dignity of the nation and security of citizens come before entertainment.”

'Match can be detrimental to national interests'

The petition also claimed that playing the match would be “detrimental to the national interests” and morale of the armed forces and the country.

The plea further noted that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) operates like “a nation within a nation” and is insensitive to national problems, calamities, and public sorrow. It highlighted that under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, BCCI does not qualify as a National Sports Federation (NSF) and should be under the jurisdiction of the National Sports Board (NSB).

The petitioners emphasised that ongoing operations against terror bases in Pakistan and continuous infiltration in Kashmir make holding the match inappropriate. "Our armed forces have been carrying out day & night search operations fighting the infiltrators from Pakistan, our soldiers are sacrificing their lives and citizens too falling prey to the bullets of Pakistan-sponsored terrorists," it said.

Despite these concerns, the SC refused to entertain the request for an urgent hearing, allowing the India-Pakistan Asia Cup clash to go ahead as planned.

(lankaleader.lk)

The first T20 International cricket match between the touring Sri Lanka team and the visiting Zimbabwe team is scheduled to take place today at 5:00 PM at Harare Sports Club.

The Sri Lankan team will be led by captain Charith Asalanka, while Sikandar Raza will captain the Zimbabwean side.

Sri Lanka had previously won both One Day International (ODI) matches played against Zimbabwe.

The Sri Lanka squad for the ICC Women’s One Day International Cricket World Cup was officially announced this afternoon (10).

The 15-member squad will be led by Chamari Athapaththu, with Anushka Sanjeewani named as vice-captain.

This year’s Women’s World Cup will be held from the 30th of this month to the 2nd of November, co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India.

Sri Lanka is scheduled to play its opening match against India on the 30th in Guwahati.

Sri Lanka Squad:

1. Chamari Athapaththu (Captain)
2. Hasini Perera
3. Vishmi Gunaratne
4. Harshitha Samarawickrama
5. Kavisha Dilhari
6. Nilakshi de Silva
7. Anushka Sanjeewani (Vice-Captain)
8. Imesha Dulani
9. Dewmi Vihanga
10. Piumi Wasala
11. Inoka Ranaweera
12. Sugandika Kumari
13. Udeshika Prabodhani
14. Malshi Madara
15. Achini Kulasuriya

Yevan David has become the first driver to be confirmed for the 2026 FIA Formula 3 season, with AIX Racing announcing his signing for next season.

David is currently competing in the Euroformula Open Championship where he has taken four race victories so far this season and a further five podium results. He also achieved a top 10 finish in GB3 at the beginning of August.

Prior to that, David competed in the Eurocup-3, Spanish F4 and UAE F4 Championships in 2024 in what was his first full season of single-seater racing after graduating from karts.

He is now set to become the first driver from Sri Lanka to compete in FIA F3. Speaking about his signing with AIX, the 18-year-old said he was proud to become the first driver from his country to compete in the Championship and was grateful for the opportunity.

“Very thankful to have this opportunity to be racing as the first Sri Lankan driver in Formula 3, and with AIX racing. They’ve proved themselves and I’m excited to achieve great milestones with them for the season ahead.”

The squads for the upcoming 2025 Men’s Asia Cup have been officially announced.

The tournament, scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates from September 9 to 28, will feature eight participating nations competing for the prestigious title.

This year’s event will be contested in the T20 International format and is expected to serve as a key preparatory platform for teams ahead of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

Eight teams will be divided in two groups in the initial stage before Super Four and the Final are played.

Group A comprises India, Oman, Pakistan, and hosts UAE, while Group B includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka. The tournament structure will see group matches followed by the Super Four stage and the Final.

Group A

India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.

Oman: Jatinder Singh (c), Hammad Mirza, Vinayak Shukla, Sufyan Yousuf, Ashish Odedera, Aamir Kaleem, Mohammed Nadeem, Sufyan Mehmood, Aryan Bisht, Karan Sonavale, Zikriya Islam, Hassnain Ali Shah, Faisal Shah, Muhammed Imran, Nadeem Khan, Shakeel Ahmad, Samay Shrivastava.

Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Moqim.

United Arab Emirates: Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D'Souza, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Matiullah Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra, Rohid Khan, Simranjeet Singh, Saghir Khan. Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Moqim.

Group B

Afghanistan: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Allah Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Farid Malik, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Bangladesh: Litton Das (c), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Tawhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali Anik, Shamim Hossain, Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Shaif Uddin

Hong Kong, China: Yasim Murtaza (c), Babar Hayat, Zeeshan Ali, Niazakat Khan Mohammad, Nasrulla Rana, Martin Coetzee, Anshuman Rath, Kalhan Marc Challu, Ayush Shukla, Mohammad Aizaz Khan, Ateeq ul Rehman Iqbal, Kinchit Shah, Ali Hassan, Shahid Wasif, Ghazanfar Mohammad, Mohammad Waheed, Ehsan Khan

Sri Lanka: Charith Asalanka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Nuwanidu Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana.

Sri Lanka’s Rasara Wijesuriya set a new national record in the women’s 5000m event.

She achieved the feat during the final at the 2025 University Games, clocking a time of 15 minutes and 52.6 seconds.

It marked her personal best performance, securing 11th place in the race.

In the T20 match held in Harare today, Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka won the toss and elected to field first.

Zimbabwe, sent in to bat, lost their first wicket at 26 runs, with Sean Williams falling for 23 as the second wicket.

Sikandar Raza contributed 28 before being dismissed by Dushan Hemantha, while Tadiwanash Marumani top-scored with 51. Dushan Hemantha finished with 3 wickets, and Dushmantha Chameera claimed 2.

Zimbabwe posted 191 for 8 in their 20 overs.

Sri Lanka’s chase was anchored by an opening partnership of 58 between Kusal Mendis (30) and Pathum Nissanka (33). The team was then guided to victory by Kusal Janith Perera and Kamil Mishara, who shared an unbeaten 117-run stand for the third wicket.

Mishara scored his maiden T20 International half-century, finishing on 73 not out, while Perera remained unbeaten on 46.

Chasing 192, Sri Lanka sealed the win in 17.4 overs for the loss of 2 wickets.

Sri Lanka’s athletes delivered impressive performances at the Taiwan Athletics Open 2025, securing two podium finishes.

Dilhani Lekamge claimed the silver medal in the women’s javelin throw with an outstanding throw of 56.62 metres, reinforcing her status as one of Sri Lanka’s top field athletes.

Meanwhile, Chamod Yodasinghe earned bronze in the highly competitive men’s 100m final, clocking a swift 10.38 seconds to finish among the top sprinters.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that during the last Presidential and General Elections, the people of the North took a step forward with the National People’s Power (NPP), not just for that single step, but with the vision of moving a thousand steps ahead.

He assured that the trust placed by the people will be safeguarded until a truly united Sri Lankan nation is built.

The President made these remarks yesterday (01) at the ceremony held to launch the commencement of construction of the Jaffna International Cricket Stadium on Mandaitivu Island.

At the event, it was also declared that under a long-term plan, Mandaitivu Island will be developed into a fully-fledged Sports City, equipped with international standard facilities.

This Sports City will include a swimming complex, a modern indoor stadium for multiple sports, star-class hotels and restaurants, luxury apartments, shopping complexes and recreational centres.

The Jaffna International Cricket Stadium will be built in four phases. In the first phase, the stadium and pavilion will be constructed to a level where matches can be played.

The second phase will include the main grandstand and media centre, the third phase will cover the remaining stands and the final phase will see the installation of floodlighting.

The stadium, which is being built on land provided by the Velanai Pradeshiya Sabha to Sri Lanka Cricket, will have a seating capacity of around 40,000 spectators.

It will also be equipped to host international day-night matches. Once completed, it will become Sri Lanka’s fifth stadium capable of hosting international matches and the seventh international-standard cricket stadium in the country.

President Dissanayake highlighted that cricket is a sport that has carried Sri Lanka’s pride to the world.

He stressed that sport has the unique power to unite people beyond all boundaries and differences, adding that the Jaffna International Cricket Stadium will not merely be a venue for cricket, but a symbol of national unity.

The President further expressed his vision of one day seeing a Sri Lankan national cricket team representing Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim youth, cheered on by fans of every community seated together in one stadium. He described this as his dream and urged all to join in making it a reality.

The President expressed confidence that the first match at the stadium will take place before the end of this year and that within three years, the venue will be ready to host its first international cricket match. He commended and thanked Sri Lanka Cricket for taking this landmark initiative, calling it a turning point for the sport.

The event was attended by Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Sunil Kumara Gamage, Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala, Northern Province Governor Nagalingam Vethanayahan, Deputy Minister of Sports Sugath Thilakaratne, Members of Parliament, officials of Sri Lanka Cricket including its Chairman, as well as school cricketers from Jaffna District.

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Sri Lanka’s Kalinga Kumara delivered a stellar performance in the men’s 400m final at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships, clinching the bronze medal with a time of 45.55 seconds.

The final, held earlier today in South Korea, saw fierce competition among Asia’s top sprinters.

Qatar’s Amar Ibrahim took gold with a commanding finish in 45.33 seconds, while the silver medal went to a Japanese athlete whose time narrowly edged out Kumara’s.

Kalinga Kumara’s performance marks his best showing in this event to date.

Having won the toss, Sri Lanka opted to bowl first. Zimbabwe’s innings began steadily, but their opening partnership was broken at 55 runs. Brendan Taylor and Ben Curran then stitched together a valuable 61-run stand for the second wicket, with Curran playing a fine knock of 79. Sikandar Raza also contributed with an unbeaten 59, guiding Zimbabwe to a competitive total.

Among the Sri Lankan bowlers, Dushmantha Chameera stood out with three wickets, while Asitha Fernando claimed two. At the end of their allotted 50 overs, Zimbabwe posted 277 for the loss of seven wickets.

Sri Lanka’s reply was anchored by opener Pathum Nissanka, who combined resilience with flair to record his seventh ODI century—a splendid 122. He shared a crucial 78-run partnership with Sadeera Samarawickrama, who added 31, while skipper Charith Asalanka played a captain’s innings of 71.

Despite early setbacks, including the dismissals of Nuwanidu Fernando (14) and Kusal Mendis (5), Sri Lanka’s batting line-up held firm. The chase was ultimately completed in the 49th over with three balls to spare, as Janith Liyanage and Kamindu Mendis remained unbeaten at the crease.

With this commanding win, Sri Lanka sealed the series 2–0, demonstrating both batting depth and bowling discipline against a spirited Zimbabwean side.

Virat Kohli has announced his retirement from Test cricket, bringing the curtain down on a glorious career that spanned 14 years and included 123 Tests - 68 of them as captain - in which he scored 9230 runs at an average of 46.85.

Kohli said in social media, "As I step away from this format, it's not easy - but it feels right. I've given it everything I had, and it's given me back so much more than I could've hoped for. I'm walking away with a heart full of gratitude - for the game, for the people I shared the field with, and for every single person who made me feel seen along the way. I'll always look back at my Test career with a smile."