
Bowlers sparkle for Sri Lanka in second Test against Bangladesh
On a track that offered little for the bowlers, it was debutant Sonal Dinusha who stole the spotlight.
The 24-year-old left-arm spinner, thrust into the big league following Angelo Mathews' retirement, returned figures of two for 22 in an impressive debut.
Dinush's first scalp was Litton Das, ending a flourishing fifth-wicket partnership with Mushfiqur Rahim.
He then accounted for the prized wicket of Mushfiqur, who had scored a century in the first Test.
Pacer Vishwa Fernando provided useful support to Dinush.
The left-arm seamer, back in national colours after a successful County stint with Warwickshire, removed Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, who had scored two hundreds in the first Test.
Vishwa returned later in the innings to dismiss Mehidy Hasan Miraz with a sharp delivery that found the edge.
Bangladesh's decision to bat first backfired as their batters struggled.
Apart from Shadman Islam's patient 46, the top order failed to deliver.
"It's a slow kind of surface," Islam said. "It wasn't easy to play shots."
Sri Lanka's fielding was patchy in places, but their bowlers more than made up for it, ensuring the visitors never ran away with the game.
Asitha Fernando, drafted in after Milan Rathnayake's injury, ably supported Dinusha and Vishwa.
Sri Lanka's batting coach Thilina Kandamby praised the team's performance.
"Very good effort by the quicks," he said. "They bowled to good plans and created opportunities."
Bangladesh rang in two changes to their side: Mehidy Hasan returned after recovering from fever, replacing Jaker Ali, while Ebadot Hossain came in for the injured Hasan Mahmud.
Bangladesh: 220-8 (Shadman Islam 46, Mushfiqur Rahim 35, Sonal Dinusha 2-22, Vishwa Fernando 2-35).
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Khaleej Times
6 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Why Gill may not be able to dislodge Sharma for a spot in India's Asia Cup team
With an embarrassment of riches at their disposal, Indian selectors face a huge dilemma for the Asia Cup team selection. The Ajit Agarkar-led Indian selection committee has plenty to ponder on as they get ready to announce the team for the continental showpiece on Tuesday. The Asia Cup will be held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from September 9 to 28, with India being placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Oman and the UAE. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka will vie for the top two spots in the Super Four stage from Group B. India have made remarkable progress since Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the two heavyweights, retired following the team's 2024 Twenty20 World Cup triumph in the West Indies. Coach Gautam Gambhir has added exciting youngsters to the team, such as Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, who have delivered match-winning performances for the team over the past 12 months. Sharma's opening partnership with Sanju Samson, the hugely experienced wicketkeeper-batter, has also proved decisive in big moments. So, the Indian selectors now face a big headache with Test skipper Shubman Gill and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, both prolific scorers in the Indian Premier League (IPL), hoping to return to the T20 team. But Aakash Chopra, a former Indian Test opener, believes it's not going to be easy for Gill and Jaiswal to get into India's Asia Cup squad despite their superb form in the recent Test series against England. "The depth of talent is so immense that even if you are a Test captain (Shubman Gill) and have shattered a lot of records, you are not a certainty in a different format," Chopra told ANI, referring to Gill's 754 runs in the five-Test series against England, which ended in a 2-2 draw. While Gill was the highest scorer in the series with four hundreds, Jaiswal made 411 runs with two hundreds. Both are also proven T20 players, but one of them has played a T20 International since July 2024. During this period, India have played 12 matches, winning 10 of them with Sharma and Samson opening the innings in all these games. So it's against this backdrop that the selectors must decide if they want to bring back Gill and Jaiswal, two prolific T20 openers, into the team for the Asia Cup. "This is going to be a tough selection. We have won 17 out of the last 20 T20 matches we played," Chopra said. In such scenarios, the temptation to bring back the big stars is often irresistible for selectors. Gill and Jaiswal, after all, are two supreme young shot-makers who have proven their talent across the three formats. But the left-handed Sharma, who has scored 535 runs in 17 T20Is at an astonishing strike rate of 193.84, fits perfectly into the team's new philosophy of playing a fearless and ultra-aggressive brand of cricket. It's with this style of cricket that India won three back-to-back series against Bangladesh, South Africa and England, with Sharma launching some of the most stunning attacks ever seen in T20Is. Even Gill, arguably the most gifted Indian batter, may find it hard to dislodge his Punjab teammate at the Indian top-order for the Asia Cup.


Khaleej Times
8 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Asia Cup in UAE: Former Indian cricketer says 'India should not play' against Pakistan
As anticipation builds for the India vs Pakistan match to be held in Dubai as part of Asia Cup 2025, BJP member and former Indian cricketer Kedar Jadhav shared his opposition to the upcoming game. He shared with ANI reporters: "I do not think India should play, and I don't think they will". The two South Asian neighbours share a decade-long rivalry and tensions have sometimes affected sport too. In May, the Indian Premiere League (IPL) was suspended for one week amid clashes in the aftermath of a terror attack in India's Pahalgam. Speaking on participation in the upcoming Asia Cup, Jadhav said: "While India will always win wherever they play, I can say with confidence they will not play this match," he responded to reporters who asked about India's upcoming match with Pakistan. The tournament is slated to be held in the UAE from September 9 to 28, 2025. Earlier, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) ended months of speculation, and confirmed that the tournament would go ahead in September, with India and Pakistan grouped alongside the UAE and Oman.


Zawya
8 hours ago
- Zawya
Baidui Cup grows into global stage for youth football in Beijing
BEIJING, CHINA - Media OutReach Newswire - 18 August 2025 - The 42nd "Baidui Cup" Football Tournament kicked off in the rain on the August 8 th. It brought a refreshing coolness of summer to the young players and once again ignited a football fever in Beijing, the "Dual Olympic City". As 51-year-old Chinese football legend Yang Chen watched children playing joyfully at the ongoing Beijing youth football tournament, vivid memories of his own participation over four decades ago came flooding back. "I really enjoy those exciting and delightful moments, running side by side with my young teammates, trying to perform our best, and pursuing victories. This is where my dream began," noted the Beijing native, who participated in the first two editions of the tournament. The Beijing youth football tournament is also known as the Baidui Cup. In 1984, 112 teams signed up for the inaugural event, while the number has expanded to over 1,000 in recent years. This year, the 42nd edition of the Baidui Cup runs through August 8 to 17. "More kids are getting involved in this traditional tournament. They learn from each other and improve their skills through matches. Their passion shows the great football atmosphere here," Yang said. In the current tournament, young players competed on football fields across six districts in Beijing, while their parents and other family members cheered for them throughout, no matter whether it was rainy or sunny in the hot summer. "The Baidui Cup is my most anticipated event in summer vacation. It is like a football party," said the 10-year-old Li Jinglin during his fifth appearance at the tournament. "I started playing football as a left wing midfielder at the age of five. Two years ago, our goalkeeper got injured, and I replaced him and have stayed in that position since. I want to defend the victory for our team." Nine-year-old forward Wang Yibo, whose parents, grandmother and younger sister are his loyal fans, made his debut in the Baidui Cup after playing football for over two years. "At first, I just hoped that he [Wang] could have better physical strength by attending football training sessions every week. Gradually, I found he was self-motivated to make progress step by step. I believe football will always accompany him as he grows up," said Wang's mother Guo Lele. As the tournament has further expanded its influence in recent years, more talents from other cities and even the rest of the world have joined this youth football festival. Coach Ma Zhiqiang brought his players from Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province to experience the Baidui Cup in Beijing for the first time this year. Rongjiang is the birthplace of China's renowned Village Super League, also known as Cun Chao. "My kids are all from the Chemin Primary School in Rongjiang. I have only been there for 10 months, but I already feel their tenacity and strong will to play. With no doubt, Cun Chao inspired them a lot, and they wish to play in front of their home audience in the future," Ma said. Children in mountainous areas generally have good leg strength but still need to polish their skills, particularly compared with young players from professional football clubs in Beijing. However, the performance of Rongjiang players at the Baidui Cup amazed everyone. Ma remarked, "My team strictly implemented the game plan. In the first half, they concentrated on defense, while in the second half, they took advantage of their physical strength to make counter-attack. We are all excited to secure several victories here." Nine-year-old Lin Qihang, captain of the Rongjiang youth team, practices for more than three hours every day after school. He said, "Playing football made me more self-disciplined. Our trip to Beijing is an opportunity to learn from other teams and see a bigger world." Travelling from thousands of miles away, Zimbabwe's 11-year-old Christiano Konono competed in the Baidui Cup with his teammates, who are all from Jadel Football Academy, a youth football club in Beijing founded by former professional player Walter Musanhu in 2019. Jadel Football Academy dispatched five age-group teams to this summer's Baidui Cup, with about 150 players from China, Zimbabwe, Japan and other countries and regions. This winter, Musanhu will lead his Chinese players to Zimbabwe to experience African football culture. "I have so much love for the kids, and they need to be encouraged. I want these kids to achieve more than what I achieved as a football player. I want these kids to have the best memories in their lives," remarked Musanhu. Reflecting on the development of the Baidui Cup, Gao Jun, secretary of Beijing Football Association, said, "As the tournament grows in popularity, we organize it annually. There is simply no reason to stop." Indeed, the Baidui Cup has become an iconic youth football tournament pillared by the enthusiasm of young generations and the support from their families. Almost all elite Beijing native football players have showed their potential in the Baidui Cup, including former Chinese national team players Shao Jiayi and Liu Ying. "A journey of more than 40 years is never easy. I hope more young players can stand out in the Baidui Cup and contribute to Chinese football and its related industries," said Shao, currently the head coach of Qingdao West Coast in Chinese Super League. Hashtag: #BaiduiCup The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Baidui Cup