Week in Sports
This segment gives our readers brief updates on all the sporting action that happened during the course of the week.
Cricket
Sri Lanka Cricket imposes heavy
fine on Dimuth Karunaratne
Home cricket fans woke up to an early Sunday morning shock when Sri Lanka Test skipper Dimuth Karunaratne was arrested causing an accident under the influence of liquor. The gentleman he is, Dimuth made an official apology for his conduct ‘unbecoming of a national cricketer’ and had volunteered to help the injured. While court is yet to give a final verdict on the case, the Sri Lanka Cricket slapped him with a hefty fine of US$ 7000–a penalty equivalent to the fee he would receive for one Test match Test. The board also decides to conduct breathalyzer Test on cricketers.
Super Provincial Tournament begins
The Super Provincial 50-over Tournament commenced on Thursday (4) Galle and Colombo registered wins against Kandy and Dambulla.
Lasith Malinga took seven wickets for 49 runs and that enabled Galle to defeat Kandy by 156 runs and Dambulla was beaten by 82 runs in the tournament curtain raiser.
Farveez Maharoof appointed Sri Lanka U19 team Manager
Sri Lanka Cricket appointed former Lankan fast bowler Farveez Maharoof as the team manager of the Under-19 National team in addition to his current role as a junior selector. The decision is taken as they start preparations for the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa.
More trouble for Dilhara Lokuhettige
The former Sri Lankan all-rounder Dilhara Lokuhettige has been charged with new anti-corruption charges by the International Cricket Council (ICC). This was months after the Emirates Cricket board charged him of three counts of violating the Code of Conduct.
Black Caps announce World Cup Squad
New Zealand became the first out of the ten countries that vying for the priced World Cup trophy to announce their squad of 15 players for the mega event in England. The six week tournament will begin on May 30 and all participants should named their squads before April 23. The New Zealand team led by Kane Williamson includes rookie Tom Blundell–a wicket keeper batsman.
New Zealand Squad : Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor
Basketball
Sri Lanka Basketball League 2019
Sri Lanka Basketball Federation is set to inaugurate the first ever professional Basketball League with the support of Mobitel in a month’s time. The governing body of basketball announced on Tuesday that it was the first time that a professional league is played after over hundred years of the game’s existence in the country.