Lankan Lions

Lankan Lions Let's break the mould and chat cricket with a fresh twist, where facts reign supreme over fleeting feelings.
(520)

It was the second match of the Sahara Friendship Trophy between India and Pakistan in Toronto. India had already bagged ...
17/09/2025

It was the second match of the Sahara Friendship Trophy between India and Pakistan in Toronto. India had already bagged the first game the day before, and this time they batted first, putting up a solid 264/6. Big props to Rahul Dravid for his classy 90 and Azharuddin for a slick 88.

Pakistan’s chase wasn’t smooth sailing though—they kept losing wickets regularly. But Saeed Anwar wasn’t having any of it. He smashed 80 off 78 balls and kept the scoreboard ticking. Still, things got tense when Pakistan were 221/8, staring down a likely defeat with 44 runs still needed.

Enter Saqlain Mushtaq and Saleem Malik. Saqlain played the anchor, letting Malik go for the shots. And boy, did it work! Pakistan pulled off the win with just one ball left. Malik stayed unbeaten on 70, Saqlain on 11, and the match turned into an absolute nail-biter.

Sri Lanka’s got one last group game coming up—so the big question is, are they gonna stick with the same XI or shake thi...
17/09/2025

Sri Lanka’s got one last group game coming up—so the big question is, are they gonna stick with the same XI or shake things up a bit? Just sharing my two cents here.

Personally, I’d love to see a proper fifth bowling option in the mix. If we can’t go with five full-time bowlers, then at least throw in a bowling all-rounder. We’ve got Dunith and Chamika in the squad, so the real question is—how do we squeeze one of them in?

Now look, say what you want about KJP, but let’s be real—his good days are way fewer than his off days lately. So do we keep backing him or try something different? If they’re thinking of making a change and also want to add a bowling option, swapping KJP out for Dunith or Chamika could work. Then Kamindu can slide into the No. 4 spot. That way, we get that extra bowler without messing up the batting too much. Between the two, I’d go with Dunith, especially considering the conditions.

Another route is dropping Shanaka, who hasn’t really been firing. In that case, Wella or Chamika could come in. I’d lean towards Wella here.

And hey, there’s a third option too—drop both KJP and Shanaka. Not totally sure about Janith Liyanage in this format, but since he’s in the squad, we could bring him in along with one of the bowling all-rounders. Janith could bat at 4, or Kamindu could stay at 4 and Janith takes Shanaka’s spot. Plus, Wella or Chamika gets a look-in.

Anyway, just tossing out ideas. Happy to hear what others think too!

After his first 3 Tests he already had 22 wickets & a century. He finished off his career with 537 Test wickets & 6 cent...
17/09/2025

After his first 3 Tests he already had 22 wickets & a century. He finished off his career with 537 Test wickets & 6 centuries. Happy 39th birthday to former Indian all rounder Ravi Ashwin who had claimed 765 international wickets while scoring 4394 international runs across all formats.

Bangladesh to the Lankan lads before tomorrow’s game against Afghanistan:“Guys, just win it, okay? Don’t mess it up. And...
17/09/2025

Bangladesh to the Lankan lads before tomorrow’s game against Afghanistan:
“Guys, just win it, okay? Don’t mess it up. And if you’re gonna lose… at least make it a total disaster so it’s worth the drama!”

Two years back, on this very day, hope didn’t just fade—it vanished like mist under a scorching sun. Not just the dream ...
17/09/2025

Two years back, on this very day, hope didn’t just fade—it vanished like mist under a scorching sun. Not just the dream of a championship, but even the faint flicker of a fight from Sri Lanka was snuffed out within the first thirty minutes. The stadium, a sea of blue and gold, brimmed with roaring fans whose cheers soon curdled into stunned silence.

What followed wasn’t just defeat—it was a collective heartbreak. Humiliation hung heavy in the air, mingling with sadness and a simmering anger. And yet, in true Sri Lankan fashion, some fans wrapped their grief in delusion, coining the term “වික්කා” like a badge of ironic defiance.

The twist? Amid the chaos, it emerged that a few among us didn’t even know ODI cricket uses two balls—one from each end. A detail so basic, yet so telling.

Painful? Absolutely. But unforgettable? Without question. That day etched itself into memory—not as a tale of glory, but as a cautionary fable of hope undone.

There are certain childhood memories that stick with you for a long time. Some are joyful, and some are the total opposi...
17/09/2025

There are certain childhood memories that stick with you for a long time. Some are joyful, and some are the total opposite. Nevertheless, they are part of your life. On a day like this in 1994, a tournament came to an end, which has given me both joyful and sad memories personally. The important thing was that this tournament was the first in my memory where a multi-nation tournament was played in Sri Lanka, which also featured day and night games and coloured clothes. The tournament featured India, Pakistan, Australia, and host Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, much like the ongoing Asia Cup, it also featured constant rain interruptions.

The first game of the tournament, which was between Sri Lanka and India, was called off after 4 overs due to rain. It was supposed to be restarted the next day. However, bad weather restricted it to a 25-over per side game, which was won by Sri Lanka when they beat India by 7 wickets. The next game was between Pakistan and Australia. Despite defending a low score of 180, Australia went on to win the game by 28 runs. The game that followed was won by India, beating Australia by 31 runs, mainly due to the maiden ODI century of Sachin Tendulkar.

Sri Lanka then went on to comfortably beat Pakistan by seven wickets, which confirmed their place in the final. Captain Arjuna led the team with an unbeaten knock of 82 off 76 balls. Once again, the Sri Lanka vs. Australia game was interrupted by rain, and Sri Lanka had to chase a revised target of 163 in 36 overs, which they did with 8 balls and 6 wickets to spare.

Unfortunately, the much-anticipated India vs. Pakistan game was called off without a single ball being bowled due to rain, which confirmed India’s place in the final. With an unbeaten run and playing in front of a home crowd, Sri Lanka seems like the favorite. Well, at least that's what the 8-year-old myself thought.

However, the fifth participant in the tournament had to make an appearance in the finals as well. Which made the game restricted to 25 overs per side, and after winning the toss, Indian captain Azharuddin put Sri Lanka in to bat. All recognised Sri Lankan batsmen, who up to that point played brilliant cricket, failed to make an impact, and due to Ruwan Kalpage’s knock of 39, Sri Lanka posted 98/9 after their 25 overs. Defending a modest total, Sri Lankan seamers Pramodya and young Vaas started off well by dismissing both Sachin and Prabhakar for 15 runs. However, Azhar and Sidhu's experienced partnership made sure India reached the target with 8 balls and 6 wickets to spare.

Personally, for me, this was the first time in my memory that Sri Lanka featured in a tournament final of this magnitude, and after playing such good cricket throughout the tournament yet failing to secure the trophy, it haunted me for quite some time. Well, if I only knew that we were going to go through four World Cup final losses, I would’ve felt a bit less disappointed. Or maybe going through such devastating losses early in life made it easier to go through those final losses in the years to come.

So interesting couple of games left.UAE vs Pakistan game’s result will decide the fate of both teams. So their fate is t...
17/09/2025

So interesting couple of games left.

UAE vs Pakistan game’s result will decide the fate of both teams. So their fate is their own hands.

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka games result will determine Afghanistan’s fate. Therefore, they also controls their own future of this tournament.

Meanwhile, based on the NRR, irrespective of their next game’s result, chances of Sri Lanka not making next round is quite slim. However, they control the fate of the Bangladesh. If they win, Bangladesh will make it to the next round. If they lose, Bangladesh are out of the tournament. If they lose by an extra large margin, Bangladesh still could make it to the next round.

On this day in 1982, the first ever Test encounter between Sri Lanka and India started off in Chennai. It was a special ...
16/09/2025

On this day in 1982, the first ever Test encounter between Sri Lanka and India started off in Chennai. It was a special game for Sri Lanka’s premier batsman at the time, Duleep Mendis, who scored 105 in the first innings and went on to score another 105 in the second innings, becoming the first Sri Lankan to hit two centuries in a Test match. Due to the centuries from Sunil Gavaskar and Sandeep Patil, India posted a mammoth 566/6 for the first innings.

However, chasing 175 to win the game India went for the target with an attacking approach, and they were on 135/7 when the match was called off. If it weren’t for the 46 from Kapil plus the innings from Sandeep Patil and Yashpal Sharma, Sri Lanka might’ve had the opportunity to beat India in a Test match in India for the first time on the very first occasion the two teams met. Unfortunately, 42 years later, it still remains one of the tasks they failed to succeed in in international cricket.

On this day in 1862, the Australian cricketer Kenneth Burn was born. When he passed away in 1956 at the age of 93 years ...
16/09/2025

On this day in 1862, the Australian cricketer Kenneth Burn was born. When he passed away in 1956 at the age of 93 years and 307 days, he was the oldest Test cricketer at the time.

He toured England in 1890 for his first and only Test series. He was selected as a reserve wicketkeeper, and no one had any idea that he had never kept wicket in his life until they were on board the ship to commence the tour. Yet he made the team as a batsman and went on to play two games, scoring in the following manner: 0, 19, 7, and 15.

He never played Test cricket again. However, he had a pretty successful career in Australian club cricket. Known as the Scotsman, he scored 41 centuries, with two of those centuries being 350 plus knocks.

David Richardson holds a unique place in South African cricket history. When he completed his first Test stumping, he ha...
16/09/2025

David Richardson holds a unique place in South African cricket history. When he completed his first Test stumping, he had already taken 120 catches—highlighting how rarely opportunities for stumpings came his way while keeping to South Africa’s fearsome pace attack. Across 42 Test appearances, Richardson finished with 160 catches and just 2 stumpings.

In One Day Internationals, he was equally reliable behind the stumps, claiming 148 catches and 17 stumpings in 122 matches. Beyond his wicketkeeping, Richardson contributed with the bat as well, scoring over 2,000 international runs, which included a Test century and nine half-centuries.

He was the man entrusted with the gloves when South Africa re-entered international cricket in 1991, and his steady presence provided both security and confidence to the side. Later, he also went on to serve the game at an administrative level as ICC’s Chief Executive.

Today, we celebrate the 66th birthday of David Richardson—a wicketkeeper who played a vital role in South Africa’s cricketing journey.

ඔයාලගේ හාට් එක කටේ. මගේ කන්න ගත්ත බත්කට ඉස්මොලේ.
16/09/2025

ඔයාලගේ හාට් එක කටේ. මගේ කන්න ගත්ත බත්කට ඉස්මොලේ.

Address

Colombo

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Lankan Lions posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Lankan Lions:

Shortcuts

Share

Category