Dassanayake back as US head coach
Dassanayake, who succeeds former Australia batsman Stuart Law in the role, previously coached the side between 2016-2019 when they earned their One Day International (ODI) status.
"I'm proud of what we accomplished during my previous time here, and I see tremendous potential in this group to reach even greater heights," the former Nepal and Canada coach said in a USA Cricket statement.
"I look forward to working closely with the players and staff to continue building something meaningful for USA Cricket."
The U.S. co-hosted the Twenty20 World Cup with West Indies last year, stunning heavyweights Pakistan and making the Super Eight stage of the tournament.
"Pubudu is joining the organization at a pivotal time," USA Cricket Chief Executive Johnathan Atkeison said.
"Following the momentum of 2024, we are now focused on strong performances at the 2026 T20 World Cup and qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup."
"With his experience and vision, we believe Pubudu can help us achieve these goals."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Fire still burns as Venus Williams becomes oldest WTA match-winner since 2004
Venus Williams said she still has fire in her belly after the 45-year-old became the oldest player to win a WTA singles match since 2004 with her 6-3 6-4 victory over Peyton Stearns at the Washington Open on Tuesday. Having returned to competitive action on Monday in the women's doubles following a 16-month absence from the game, Williams defeated world number 35 Stearns to claim her first singles win since 2023 in Cincinnati. The seven-times Grand Slam singles champion is the oldest WTA singles match-winner since a 47-year-old Martina Navratilova won at Wimbledon in 2001. "I think I just attacked the whole time. It's just trying to find the right balance between going to hard and not enough," Williams said after the opening-round win. "It's the same because this is what I do, but at the same time, at the time it was imperative for me to do it. Now I don't have to do this, but I have the same fire and the same want to win. "In some ways, I'm still getting back into that. When you do it everyday, everything is natural. Not as natural feeling now, but I hope I can get back to that." Williams will next face Polish fifth seed Magdalena Frech. "I think it was a big win for me today. Like I said, it's not easy. It won't be easy. It's not easy for anyone out here," Williams said.
CNA
15 hours ago
- CNA
England's Stokes calls for change in over rate regulations
The over rate regulations must be modified according to the playing conditions in different continents, England test captain Ben Stokes said on Tuesday, arguing that current rules unfairly penalise pace-heavy attacks. England were docked two World Test Championship (WTC) points and fined 10 per cent of their match fees last week for their slow over rate in the third test against India at Lord's. Stokes accepted the sanction but, ahead of the fourth test in Manchester starting on Wednesday, he said the rules should be different for seam-friendly conditions. "You can't have the same rules in Asia, where a spinner is bowling 70 per cent of the overs, to have the same laws in New Zealand, Australia, England, where it's going to be 70-80 per cent seam," Stokes told reporters. "The spinner's over takes less time than the seamer's over. So common sense would think that you should look at maybe changing how the overrates are timed in different continents." This is not the first time Stokes has raised concerns around over rate rules. Last year, he called on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to revisit the regulations after England and New Zealand were penalised following their first test in Christchurch. England lost 22 points during the previous WTC cycle due to over rate violations. "Over rate isn't something that I worry about, but that's not saying that I purposely slow things down. I do understand the frustration around it, but I honestly think there needs to be a real hard look at how it's structured," Stokes said. The skipper said spinner Shoaib Bashir's injury during the Lord's test forced England to rely more on pace bowlers. "We played five days, that was our 15th day of cricket. We obviously had an injury to Bash (Bashir), a spinner, so we couldn't turn to our spinner as much as we would have liked to on day five," the 34-year-old said. "I wonder if scoring rates have got anything to do with that as well. The ball's getting hit to the boundary more often, so it's going to take a lot longer." England lead the five-match test series 2-1.
Independent Singapore
16 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
Venus Williams returns to tennis, hopes her sister Serena will end retirement and join her
INTERNATIONAL: American tennis player Venus Williams is back on the tennis scene and preparing for her first match in more than a year. She will make her comeback at the DC Open. She admitted she would be even happier if her younger sister, Serena Williams, also played with her. The athlete's most recent tournament was the Miami Open in March 2024, where she was unfortunately knocked out in the first round. As she has not competed since then, the official WTA Tour marks her as 'inactive' on their website. Her sister, Serena Williams, has not played tennis since the 2022 US Open. During her athletic journey, Serena won 23 major singles titles and 14 more in the doubles category with Venus. Venus admitted: 'I keep saying to my team: The only thing that would make this better is if she was here. Like, we always did everything together, so of course I miss her… But if she comes back, I'm sure she'll let y'all know.' See also Singaporean graduate referee Taqi goes to Qatar World Cup 'I don't know what she's going to do. I don't ask those questions… I think we always hit the ball, because that's who we are. We're always hitting,' the athlete added. She stated that Serena came by and played with her during her recent practice session, which took about 15 to 20 minutes. 'She can take six months off and she clocks it clean,' Venus said. 'You can't teach that kind of talent. She's just so good,' the athlete also shared. About her comeback, Venus remarked: 'This is very special for me to come back and play tennis… I think it's a surprise for the fans — and a surprise in general, as I hold my cards tight.' 'I'm just here for now, and who knows?… Maybe there's more. … But at the moment, I'm focused just on this. I haven't played in a year. There is no doubt I can play tennis, but obviously, coming back to play matches, it takes time to get in the swing of things. I definitely feel I'll play well. I'm still the same player. I'm a big hitter. I hit big. This is my brand,' she added. See also Canadian Vasek Pospisil ends Davis Cup career DC Open chairman Mark Ein admitted that he was shocked that Venus agreed to play in Washington through a wildcard entry. Ein declared: 'She's such an icon of the sport — and, importantly, both on and off the court… So anytime you can have her engaged and have the spotlight on her and everything she's done and continues to do, it's hugely positive.' On social media, netizens showed their support to Venus by stating: 'Fans want to see Venus and she is an amazing ambassador for the sport and for female athletes. I'm thrilled she is still competing. ❤️,' and 'I will say it again, champions get to retire when they are ready. She has earned every wild card she gets for what she has given to the game.' However, some netizens were not thrilled by her comeback and commented that she should now retire and offer the wildcard spot to a younger player. One netizen declared: 'It's time. Let someone else play that needs the ranking points, the money, and the experience. We love you, Venus, but it's time. Join the Legends bracket.' Another netizen remarked: 'Taking a wildcard spot from people who have been working their tail off for the opportunity is wild work. Just stay retired and enjoy being one of the greats!'
