Category: Sports

DUBAI (AFP) – Sri Lankan captain Dinesh Chandimal vowed his team would come back hard at Pakistan in the second Twenty20 international in Dubai on Friday to keep their world number one ranking intact.Pakistan edged out Sri Lanka by three wickets in a thrilling last-over finish in the first match on Wednesday. If Pakistan, currently […]

DUBAI, December 11, 2013 (AFP) – Dashing allrounder Shahid Afridi starred in Pakistan’s exciting three-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the first Twenty20 international at Dubai stadium on Wednesday. Afridi scored an unbeaten 20-ball 39, hitting the winning six off the last ball of the final over by paceman Nuwan Kulasekara to give Pakistan a […]

SHARJAH, December 9, 2013 (AFP) – Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez applauded minnows Afghanistan for their fighting performance in the first-ever Twenty20 international between the two nations, saying they are improving fast. Pakistan clinched a last-ball thriller by six wickets in Sharjah on Sunday night after chasing a challenging 138-run target. They needed six runs off […]

PALLEKELE, November 21, 2013 (AFP) – Kusal Perera and Tillakaratne Dilshan hit aggressive half-centuries as hosts Sri Lanka romped to an emphatic eight-wicket win over New Zealand in the second Twenty20 international in Pallekele on Thursday.McCullum smashed 26 off 16 balls with three boundaries, while Ronchi hit three fours and a six. Perera smashed 57 […]

DHAKA, November 21, 2013 (AFP) – Sri Lanka will play two Tests, three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches on their tour of Bangladesh starting in January, the Bangladesh cricket board announced on Thursday.The two teams last met in Sri Lanka in March this year when the hosts won the two-Test series 1-0 and also […]

HAMBANTOTA, November 12, 2013 (AFP) – Nathan McCullum smashed 22 runs off the final four balls to lift New Zealand to a thrilling four-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the rain-hit second one-day international in Hambantota on Tuesday. Both batsmen fell to catches behind the stumps by wicket-keeper Sangakkara, who also stumped Grant Elliott off […]

HAMBANTOTA, November 10, 2013 (AFP) – Bad weather forced the first one-day international between New Zealand and Sri Lanka to be abandoned in Hambantota on Sunday, cutting short an impressive display by the hosts.The second of the three one-dayers is scheduled to be played at the same venue on Tuesday. New Zealand were 13-1 from […]

WELLINGTON, October 25, 2013 (AFP) – Senior New Zealand cricketers Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor will sit out next month’s tour of Sri Lanka so they can prepare for the upcoming home Test series against the West Indies, chief selector Bruce Edgar said Saturday.The pair will return home after the current tour of Bangladesh with […]

ABU DHABI, October 12, 2013 (AFP) – Cricket’s governing body launched the World Test Championship 2017 on Saturday aimed at preserving the primacy of the longer format of the game.The International Cricket Council (ICC) said the inaugural championship will be hosted by England and will feature the top four teams in the ICC Test rankings, […]

COLOMBO, October 10, 2013 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s former football chief Manilal Fernando will challenge an “unfair and harsh” life ban imposed on him by FIFA for corruption, lawyers said Thursday.Fernando, a former member of the FIFA executive board, will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after seeing an earlier ban for eight […]

COLOMBO, October 9, 2013 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s former skipper and opening batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan is to retire from Test cricket but will remain available for shorter versions of the game, the country’s cricket board said Wednesday.Dilshan, who will be 37 on Monday, is due to hold a make a formal announcement at a press […]

SHARJAH, October 4, 2013 (AFP) – Afghanistan booked their place in the World Cup for the first time on Friday when they swept past Kenya by seven wickets in their final qualifying match.Set a modest 94 to win, Afghanistan, who were playing in the fifth tier of international cricket just five years ago, reached their […]