Sports

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."

Sri Lanka secured their first Women’s Asia Cup title win on Sunday, beating India with a clinical run-chase in front of home fans. This was also just the second time in their nine final appearances that India failed to win the Women’s Asia Cup.

The previous such instance was in 2018, when Bangladesh beat India by three wickets.

Samarawickrama was the Player of the Match in the Final, while Chamari Athapaththu was the Player of the Tournament for her 304 runs and three wickets in the event.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announces the postponement of the remaining eight matches of the HBL PSL X.

The last 24 hours have seen a worsening of the situation on the LOC, increased incursion of 78 drones, and the firing of surface to surface missiles from India.

The decision to postpone has been taken pursuant to advice received from the Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif who has kept in view the reckless aggression from India that has escalated to a point where national attention and sentiments are rightly focused on the courageous efforts of the Armed Forces of Pakistan who are vociferously upholding the sovereignty of our beloved Pakistan.

The PCB and its players stand resolutely in solidarity with the families of the martyrs and our security personnel defending the nation.

The PCB recognizes the efforts and support of its partners, franchises, participating players, broadcasters, sponsors, and organizers in having ensured the smooth conduct of the tournament thus far, however; cricket while being a unifying force and a source of joy, must take a respectful pause when the country is facing such callous opposition.

We, at the PCB, also have sincere regard for the mental well-being of participating players and the sentiments of our foreign players, and we respect the concerns of their families who want to see them back home.

Sri Lankan sprinter Aruna Dharshana won gold in the Men’s 400m event at the Taiwan Athletics Open 2024.

Dharshana claimed first place in the final on Saturday (01) with a timing of 45.82 seconds.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s Tharushi Karunarathne also won gold in the Women’s 400m event with a timing of 52.48 seconds at the Taiwan Athletics Open – 2024.

Taiwan Athletics Open is a bronze-level tournament on the World Athletics Continental Tour with crucial ranking points.

Sri Lanka, India, and South Africa will play a One-Day Tri-Nation series during the months of April-May.

All games will be played at the RPICS, Colombo, and the tournament will be kicked off with Sri Lanka and India facing each other.

Each team will play four games, and the top two teams will qualify to play the finals on the 1lth of May, 2025.

The matches will be played as Day Games.

Sri Lanka's Samitha Dulan set a new WORLD RECORD in the Men's Javelin Throw F44 category at the Kobe 2024 Para Athletics World Championships.

He also won SILVER in the F64 category.

In the F64 category he recorded a distance of 66.49 meters.

The GOLD medal was won by Indian athlete Sumit with a final distance of 69.50 meters.

Australia’s 174-run defeat marked their biggest ODI defeat by runs against Sri Lanka on Friday, eclipsing an 82-run loss at the same venue in 2016.

Hosts Sri Lanka dampened Australia’s preparations for the Champions Trophy as they recorded a thumping 174-run victory in the second ODI to seal the series 2-0 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday.

With their Champions Trophy preparations already staggered by the absence of their star pacers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood and all-rounders Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis (retired), the series defeat serves as a huge blow to the ODI World Cup champions.

After opting to bat first, Charith Asalanka’s men put on a hefty 281/5 on the board on the back of wicket-keeper Kusal Mendis’ stroke-filled century.

Captain Asalanka and Janith Liyanage then provided a strong finish with their 35-ball 66-run partnership for the fifth wicket. While Asalanka remained unbeaten on 78 off 66 balls, Liyanage struck 32 in 21 balls.

Source: The Indian Express

--Agencies

Sri Lanka Women’s Cricket Team Captain Chamari Athapaththu says now is not the right time to talk about whether or not she will retire from international cricket.

In response to recent reports regarding her plans to retire from the game, Athapaththu expressed that she has not reached a final decision on the matter as of yet.

“.. Maybe or maybe not. I haven’t decided on that yet..,” she said.

Athapaththu made these remarks while speaking to reporters after the Sri Lanka Women’s team returned to Sri Lanka this morning (09), following the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier final held in Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, the star all-rounder expressed that the national team aims to perform well in the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup.

During the final qualifier match against Scotland, a sensational century from Athapaththu helped Sri Lanka join Australia, India, New Zealand and Pakistan in Group A of the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup 2024 as Qualifier 1.

Scotland will feature in Group B alongside hosts Bangladesh, England, South Africa and the West Indies as Qualifier 2.

This year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup which will be played in Bangladesh from 03 to 20 October.

Charith Asalanka has been named captain of the ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year for 2024, with Kusal Mendis included as the wicketkeeper.

Pathum Nissanka and Wanindu Hasaranga are also part of the squad.

The ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year 2024 not only offers quality, as expected but also a great balance of star power, consistency and versatility.

Sri Lanka’s top order batter Pathum Nissanka on Friday (Feb.09) stroked the maiden double-century hit by a Sri Lankan cricketer in ODI format.

Nissanka scored 210 off just 139 balls to register the first-ever individual double century for the Lions.

The 25-year-old will go down in the ODI history as the 12th player to hit a double-century in international cricket.

A short while ago, the star opener played a delightful knock against Afghanistan in the first ODI at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

Sri Lanka were 370/2 when Nissanka reached this historic milestone.

Meanwhile, Nissanka also broke the record 189 runs scored by Sanath Jayasuriya against India in Sharjah in 2000, which remained the highest ODI score amassed by a Sri Lankan for over 20 years.

This also re-writes the history as the highest number of runs scored by a Sri Lankan player at a home playground breaking the record.

The title to hold the highest score in the world’s ODI history is held by Rohit Sharma, who slammed 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014.

In a remarkable achievement, Kamindu Mendis has become the first-ever player to slam fifty-plus scores in eight consecutive Test matches.

The stylish southpaw attained the phenomenal batting feat during Sri Lanka’s ongoing Test match against New Zealand at Galle International Stadium.

Coming at number five, Kamindu Mendis showcased exemplary skills to notch up his fourth half-century in Test cricket.

After Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and opted to bowl, the hosts had a disastrous start to their first innings, losing Pathum Nissanka cheaply.

However, former skipper Dimuth Karunaratne and ace batter Dinesh Chandimal helped them recover from the early setback. The duo stitched a valuable stand of 122 runs for the second wicket before Karunaratne’s run out brought the Kiwis back into the game.

Although Chandimal departed soon after completing his century, Kamindu Mendis joined forces with Angelo Mathews, keeping Sri Lanka ahead of their counterparts on day 1. The in-form batter brought up a sublime half-century, with the hosts finishing on 306 for three at stumps on day 1.

Since making his Test comeback, Kamindu Mendis has been a force to reckon with the bat for Sri Lanka.

In the recently concluded England series, the left-handed batter oozed his class, playing a pivotal role in the visitors’ impressive performance.

His recent performance in the second Test match against New Zealand has made him the first player in over 147 years of Test history to score more than fifty runs in each of his first eight Test matches.

This impressive feat brings a fresh perspective to Mendis’ career and highlights his potential as a significant player in the sport.

Prior to this match, he had already set the bar high, succeeding in scoring more than fifty runs in each of his previous seven matches. Mendis surpassed the previous record held by Pakistani batsman Saud Shakeel, who managed to achieve this in seven consecutive Tests.

Mendis made his Test debut against Australia in Galle in 2022, where he impressed everyone with a solid score of 61 runs. Despite not being included in the Test squad for some time following his debut, he made a significant comeback this year during the Sylhet Test against Bangladesh, where he achieved a remarkable feat of scoring centuries in both innings.

He continued to showcase his talent by scoring 92 runs in the Chittagong Test, followed by an impressive 113 runs during the Manchester Test against England. Further solidifying his place, he scored 74 runs at Lord’s and 64 runs in the Oval Test.

--Agencies

Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets to win the only test match between the two nations, in Colombo.

Afghanistan, batting first, were bundled out for a modest 198 runs. Opening batsman Rahmat Shah top-scored with a fighting 91, but the Sri Lankan bowling attack, led by the pace of Vishwa Fernando (4 wickets) and the spin of Asitha Fernando and Prabath Jayasuriya (3 wickets each), proved too strong.

In reply, Sri Lanka piled on a mammoth 439 runs, building a commanding lead. Veteran Angelo Mathews anchored the innings with a masterful 141, while Dinesh Chandimal provided valuable support with a fluent 107. Opener Dimuth Karunaratne also chipped in with a solid 77. Despite Naveed Zadran's four-wicket haul for Afghanistan, the Sri Lankan batting line-up proved too deep and diverse.

Set an improbable target of 443, Afghanistan could only manage 296 in their second innings. While young Ibrahim Zadran impressed with a fighting 114 and Rahmat Shah continued his good form with a brisk 54, the Sri Lankan bowling attack maintained their stranglehold.

Chasing 56 runs to win, Sri Lanka reached target in less than 10 overs, winning the game by 10 wickets and a day to spare.