Latest news with #Ratnayake
5 hours ago
- Sport
Ratnayake takes 2 wickets on debut for Sri Lanka as Bangladesh struggles in first test
GALLE, Sri Lanka -- Offspinner Tharindu Ratnayake took two wickets in his test debut for Sri Lanka on Tuesday as Bangladesh struggled to 90 for three in the first session of the series. Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat in the first match of the new World Test Championship cycle but the morning session belonged to 29-year-old Ratnayake, who got his test cap after churning out wickets in the domestic circuit. It was right-arm seamer Asitha Fernando who set the tone early. Still riding the bounce from a productive county stint with Glamorgan, he had Anamul Haque caught behind for a duck. Then came Ratnayake, the ambidextrous bowler who can turn the ball both ways, and he made his mark in just his fourth over. Shadman Islam, with rigid feet and hands hard, poked at a delivery that spun away and only succeeded in feathering it to Dhananjaya de Silva at slip. Ratnayake wasn't done yet. Mominul Haque, who had been settling in nicely, edged a ball that bounced a shade more than expected. De Silva flew to his left and took a brilliant catch. Just when Bangladesh appeared to be teetering, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim dug in. Their 45-run fourth-wicket stand helped steady the innings somewhat, but their work is far from done. Mushfiqur, unbeaten on 20 at the lunch interval, has gone 13 innings without passing 50, a lean patch by his standards. Shanto looked composed at the other end, stroking three boundaries and a six in his 25. Sri Lanka also handed a first test cap to Lahiru Udara, the seasoned runscorer from the domestic arena, in what will be Angelo Mathews' 119th and last test match for his country. The match at Galle is the first in the 2025-2027 cycle of the World Test Championship, starting just days after South Africa won the title for the first time with a victory over defending champion Australia at Lord's on the weekend.
Fox Sports
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Ratnayake takes 2 wickets on debut for Sri Lanka as Bangladesh struggles in first test
Associated Press GALLE, Sri Lanka (AP) — Offspinner Tharindu Ratnayake took two wickets in his test debut for Sri Lanka on Tuesday as Bangladesh struggled to 90 for three in the first session of the series. Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat in the first match of the new World Test Championship cycle but the morning session belonged to 29-year-old Ratnayake, who got his test cap after churning out wickets in the domestic circuit. It was right-arm seamer Asitha Fernando who set the tone early. Still riding the bounce from a productive county stint with Glamorgan, he had Anamul Haque caught behind for a duck. Then came Ratnayake, the ambidextrous bowler who can turn the ball both ways, and he made his mark in just his fourth over. Shadman Islam, with rigid feet and hands hard, poked at a delivery that spun away and only succeeded in feathering it to Dhananjaya de Silva at slip. Ratnayake wasn't done yet. Mominul Haque, who had been settling in nicely, edged a ball that bounced a shade more than expected. De Silva flew to his left and took a brilliant catch. Just when Bangladesh appeared to be teetering, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim dug in. Their 45-run fourth-wicket stand helped steady the innings somewhat, but their work is far from done. Mushfiqur, unbeaten on 20 at the lunch interval, has gone 13 innings without passing 50, a lean patch by his standards. Shanto looked composed at the other end, stroking three boundaries and a six in his 25. Sri Lanka also handed a first test cap to Lahiru Udara, the seasoned runscorer from the domestic arena, in what will be Angelo Mathews' 119th and last test match for his country. The match at Galle is the first in the 2025-2027 cycle of the World Test Championship, starting just days after South Africa won the title for the first time with a victory over defending champion Australia at Lord's on the weekend. ___ AP cricket: recommended in this topic
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man with links to Glastonbury wanted for failing to appear in court
POLICE are looking for a wanted man after he failed to appear in court. Denu Ratnayake, 57, who has links to Bath and Glastonbury, is wanted on warrant by Avon and Somerset Police. Ratnayake is Black, approximately 5ft 6ins tall, of medium build, with short brown and grey hair and brown eyes. Police are asking for the public's help locating him and have urged anyone with infomration as to his whereabouts to come forward. A spokesperson from Avon and Somerset Police said: 'We are appealing for the public's help to find wanted 57-year-old Denu Ratnayake. 'He is wanted on warrant for failing to appear in court and has links to the Bath and Glastonbury areas.' If you see him, do not approach them, instead call 999. If you have any information, call 101 and quote the reference number 5225072811.
Voice of America
22-02-2025
- General
- Voice of America
Sri Lanka's first elephant orphanage marks golden jubilee
Sri Lanka's main elephant orphanage marked its 50th anniversary Sunday with a feast of fruit for the 68 jumbos at the showpiece center, reputedly the world's first care home for destitute pachyderms. The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage lavished pineapples, bananas, melons and cucumbers on its residents to celebrate the anniversary of their home, which is a major tourist attraction. A few officials and tourists invited to the low-key celebration were served milk rice and traditional sweets while four generations of elephants born in captivity frolicked in the nearby Maha Oya river. "The first birth at this orphanage was in 1984, and since then there have been a total of 76," said chief curator Sanjaya Ratnayake, as the elephants returned from their daily river bath. "This has been a successful breeding program, and today we have four generations of elephants here, with the youngest 18 months old and the oldest 70 years," he told AFP. The orphanage recorded its first twin birth in August 2021 — a rarity among Asian elephants — and both calves are doing well. Two years before the orphanage was formally established as a government institution in February 1975, five orphaned elephants were cared for at a smaller facility in the southern resort town of Bentota. "Since the orphanage was set up at Pinnawala in 1975, in a coconut grove, the animals have had more space to roam, with good weather and plenty of food available in the surrounding area," Ratnayake said. The home requires 14,500 kilos of coconut and palm tree leaves, along with other foliage, to satisfy the elephants' voracious appetites. It also buys tons of fruit and milk for the younger calves, who are adored by the foreign and local visitors to the orphanage, located about 90 kilometers (56 miles) east of the capital Colombo. It is also a major revenue generator for the state, earning millions of dollars a year in entrance fees. Visitors can watch the elephants from a distance or get up close and help scrub them during bath times. Tragic toll The facility lacked running water and electricity at its inception but things improved as it gained international fame in subsequent years, said retired senior mahout K.G. Sumanabanda, 65. "I was also fortunate to be present when we had the first birth in captivity," Sumanabanda told AFP, visiting the home for the jubilee celebrations. During his career spanning over three decades as a traditional elephant keeper, he trained more than 60 other mahouts and is still consulted by temples and individuals who own domesticated elephants. Twenty years ago, Sri Lankan authorities opened another elephant home in the south of the island to care for orphaned, abandoned or injured elephants and later return them back to the wild. While Pinnawala is seen by many as a success, Sri Lanka is also facing a major human-elephant conflict in areas bordering traditional wildlife sanctuaries. Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody told AFP on Sunday that 450 elephants and 150 people were killed in clashes in 2023, continuing an alarming trend of fatalities in the human-elephant conflict. The previous year saw 433 elephants and 145 people killed. Killing or harming elephants is a criminal offence in Sri Lanka, which has an estimated 7,000 wild elephants and where jumbos are considered a national treasure, partly due to their significance in Buddhist culture. But the massacre continues as desperate farmers face the brunt of elephants raiding their crops and destroying livelihoods. The minister was confident the new government could tackle the problem by preventing elephants from crossing into villages. "We are planning to introduce multiple barriers — these may include electric fences, trenches, or other deterrents — to make it more difficult for wild elephants to stray into villages," Jayakody told AFP.
Khaleej Times
16-02-2025
- General
- Khaleej Times
Fruit feast as Sri Lanka's first jumbo orphanage marks golden jubilee
Sri Lanka's main elephant orphanage marked its 50th anniversary on Sunday with a fruit feast for the 68 jumbos at the showpiece centre, reputedly the world's first care home for destitute pachyderms. The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage lavished pineapples, bananas, melons and cucumbers on its residents to celebrate the anniversary of their home, which is a major tourist attraction. A few officials and tourists invited to the low-key celebration were served milk rice and traditional sweets while four generations of elephants born in captivity frolicked in the nearby Maha Oya river. "The first birth at this orphanage was in 1984, and since then, there have been a total of 76," said chief curator Sanjaya Ratnayake, as the elephants returned from their daily river bath. "This has been a successful breeding programme, and today we have four generations of elephants here, with the youngest 18 months old and the oldest 70 years," he told AFP. The orphanage recorded its first twin birth in August 2021 — a rarity among Asian elephants — and both calves are doing well. Two years before the orphanage was formally established as a government institution in February 1975, five orphaned elephants were cared for at a smaller facility in the southern resort town of Bentota. "Since the orphanage was set up at Pinnawala in 1975, in a coconut grove, the animals have had more space to roam, with good weather and plenty of food available in the surrounding area," Ratnayake said. The home requires 14,500 kilos of coconut and palm tree leaves, along with other foliage, to satisfy the elephants' voracious appetites. It also buys tonnes of fruit and milk for the younger calves, who are adored by the foreign and local visitors to the orphanage, located about 90 kilometres east of the capital Colombo. It is also a major revenue generator for the state, earning millions of dollars a year in entrance fees. Visitors can watch the elephants from a distance or get up close and help scrub them during bath times. Tragic toll The facility lacked running water and electricity at its inception but things improved as it gained international fame in subsequent years, said retired senior mahout K.G. Sumanabanda, 65. "I was also fortunate to be present when we had the first birth in captivity," Sumanabanda told AFP, visiting the home for the jubilee celebrations. During his career spanning over three decades as a traditional elephant keeper, he trained more than 60 other mahouts and is still consulted by temples and individuals who own domesticated elephants. Twenty years ago, Sri Lankan authorities opened another elephant home south of the island to care for orphaned, abandoned or injured elephants and later return them back to the wild. While Pinnawala is seen by many as a success, Sri Lanka is also facing a major human-elephant conflict in areas bordering traditional wildlife sanctuaries. Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody told AFP on Sunday that 450 elephants and 150 people were killed in clashes in 2023, continuing an alarming trend of fatalities in the human-elephant conflict. The previous year saw 433 elephants and 145 people were killed. Killing or harming elephants is a criminal offence in Sri Lanka, which has an estimated 7,000 wild elephants and where jumbos are considered a national treasure, partly due to their significance in Buddhist culture. But the massacre continues as desperate farmers face the brunt of elephants raiding their crops and destroying livelihoods. The minister was confident the new government could tackle the problem by preventing elephants from crossing into villages. "We are planning to introduce multiple barriers—these may include electric fences, trenches, or other deterrents—to make it more difficult for wild elephants to stray into villages," Jayakody told AFP.
