Connect with us

News

Chameera ruled out of match against Netherlands

Published

on

Dushmantha Chameera has been ruled out of Sri Lanka’s final Group A match against Netherlands, a match they will almost certainly need to win in order to qualify for the Super 12s stage of the World Cup.
Chameera claimed 3 for 15 in a thumping win over UAE that has increased Sri Lanka’s chances of progression, but was unable to finish his spell after pulling up with a calf injury. It was later confirmed to ESPNcricinfo by Professor Arjuna de Silva, who oversees Sri Lanka’s medical operations, that Chameera would miss the Netherlands game, with his participation in the rest of the tournament in doubt.

There are also concerns over Danushka Gunathilaka, who missed the UAE game, and Pramod Madushan, with both due to go for scans on hamstring injuries, although Sri Lanka’s medical team are hopeful the latter’s is not too serious.

The loss of Chameera and, potentially, Madushan is a blow after Sri Lanka’s bowlers dominated the match against UAE, dismissing the opposition for 73 inside 18 overs. There remains concerns over the side’s batting, after they collapsed from 117 for 3 in the 15th over to only post 152 for 8.

Having also put up a poor batting performance against Namibia, Sri Lanka’s middle order go into the last match of the qualifying stage significantly short of runs. For coach Chris Silverwood, this may have something to do with the weather, as temperatures have frequently dipped into the low teens in Geelong over the past two weeks.

“The temperatures we’re experiencing, the boys are not used to,” Silverwood said. “It’s certainly not Colombo. Even I’m cold, a little bit. You can’t help it. The preparation and facilities we were given having arrived early, were superb. The boys have prepped the best we possibly can. We had a good camp in Kandy before we got on an airplane and came here. We’ve made the best of what we’ve had really.”

The bowlers, at least, put in a complete performance on Tuesday. Seamers Chameera and Madushan decked the top order, before the spinners ripped out UAE’s middle- and lower-order batters.

“I think we adjusted pretty well today,” Silverwood said. “In the first game we didn’t read the conditions particularly well, and we certainly didn’t grasp them. We’re not hiding from that. That’s something that we spoke about in the debrief quite honestly.

“They’ve faced facts and and come out today, and applied themselves much better. The track was a little bit slow. We saw that if the bowlers bang it in hard, it’s very difficult to get them away. So we have to be patient, we have to build innings, and for the majority of today we did that.”

Sri Lanka’s top three also provided a good platform at the start of the match. Opener Pathum Nissanka was Sri Lanka’s best performer on the batting front, scoring one more run (74 off 60) than UAE’s entire team did. He progressed in a measured fashion through the early overs, before striking boundaries towards the death to raise his strike rate, on a difficult surface.

“Pathum at the top of the order played a real match-winning innings. He should be very proud of himself for what he’s done, helping the team get across the line.”
(espncricinfo.com)
(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by espncricinfo.com has not been edited by SLM staff)

Continue Reading

News

The National War Heroes Commemoration tomorrow at Kotte Cenotaph

Published

on

By

The 16th National War Heroes Commemoration Ceremony will be held on Monday (19 May) at the National War Hero Cenotaph in Sri Jayawardenepura, Kotte, from 4.00pm to 6.00pm.

A series of island-wide community welfare programmes will also be carried out by armed forces, Police and Civil Security Department in view of the War Hero Commemorations.

Deputy Minister of Defence Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd) is expected to represent President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the event. Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda and Marshal of the Sri Lanka Air Force Roshan Gunathilleke are also scheduled to attend the ceremony.

The Ministry of Defence on Friday convened a press conference to announce the preparations for the ceremony. Commanders of the Navy and Air Force, Army Chief of Staff, senior military officials and Ministry representatives were present at the press briefing.

Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd) underscored the national significance of the annual commemoration, paying tribute to the brave men and women of the armed forces, Sri Lanka Police and Civil Security Department who laid down their lives in the defence of the nation.

He reiterated the Ministry’s and the Tri-forces’ commitment to preserving the memory of fallen heroes, ensuring that their legacy of patriotism, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment to duty continues to inspire future generations.

During the briefing, officials of Ranaviru Seva Authority and armed forces provided an overview of the ceremonial proceedings, which will include wreath-laying, special tributes, and military honours, with the participation of distinguished guests, military personnel, and the families of war heroes.

The event seeks to serve as a solemn occasion for the nation to express its gratitude and respect for those who selflessly served the country’s sovereignty and national security.

The Ministry of Defence calls upon all citizens to stand in solidarity in remembering the nation’s war heroes, reaffirming collective appreciation for their dedication to protecting the country and its people.

Continue Reading

News

NMRA chief resigns, citing threats to life

Published

on

By

Saveen Semage, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA), resigned with immediate effect yesterday, citing threats to his life.

On May 9, CCTV in his home captured two men breaking in and walking around the residence for around half an hour from 11.30pm to midnight. They were observed peeping into the bedroom where Dr. Semage slept. His wife and children were also asleep in the house.

Dr. Semage, a public health specialist, was appointed to the position in January 2024. He was also previously CEO from November 2021 to May 2022, when he resigned over differences with former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella. He was brought back last year by Ramesh Pathirana—who replaced Minister Rambukwella after he was forced to resign over irregularities in drug procurement—to clean up the drugs regulatory mechanism.

However, he faced stiff resistance from the pharma industry, particularly in his efforts to break drug monopolies and oligopolies that were blamed for rigging tenders (typically agreements among competitors to fix prices, allocate markets, or engage in other anticompetitive activity). He was also a victim of social media attacks largely blaming him for being politically motivated.

“There was a lot of tension within the NMRA and the pharmaceutical industry during the last two to three weeks because of my efforts in pricing and in breaking monopolies and oligopolies to save public funds,” Dr. Semage told the Sunday Times. “I think the break-in was a threat in an effort to remove me.”

“During the past 15 months, the NMRA has cleared the backlog of registrations and streamlined re-registration for drugs. He was also able to trace fake documents and to kick-start a digitalisation process that abruptly came to an end in 2021 when the NMRA database was mysteriously erased. During his term, the Authority also doubled its staff, taking in 30 new pharmacists, among others. The National Advisory Committee and Appeals Committee were also put in place, and a pricing mechanism, along with guidelines, was published.

(sundaytimes.lk)
(This story, originally published by sundaytimes.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

Continue Reading

News

Dual citizenship backlog: 1000 to be issued soon

Published

on

By

The Department of Immigration and Emigration is struggling with a backlog of more than 3,000 dual citizenship applications piled up over the past few months, with some papers submitted more than seven months ago remaining unattended.

At least 1,000 of these applications have got the all clear from the relevant authorities, including clearance from the Police and the State Intelligence Service (SIS), but the applications have stalled at the department level, the Sunday Times learns.

The main dual citizenship applicant is required to pay US$ 2000 (around Rs 600,000), with the spouse and unmarried children below the age of 22 paying US$ 500 each. It is this category of applicants who contribute substantially to the income of the department.

Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala, when contacted by the Sunday Times, admitted the clearance of dual citizenship certificates had slowed down and said that he had instructed the department to immediately begin the issue of certificates to around 1,000 applicants whose background checks had been completed. They will receive the certificates within a week.

“There has been a delay, but I have instructed the department officials to ensure that the work is expedited,” he said. The department’s citizenship division, which handles the applications, comes under a deputy or assistant controller.

Many dual citizenship applications are submitted through Sri Lanka’s overseas missions. “Applicants are inconvenienced by the delay in the issuing of the certificates, as those who have taken foreign citizenships need the dual citizenship from here for their land/property transactions, financial activities, etc.,” an applicant told the Sunday Times.
According to the performance report of the department for 2023, more than 7,300 dual citizenships were issued, but the latest statistics are not yet available.
Meanwhile, the Department of Motor Traffic has run out of new number plates.

(sundaytimes.lk)
(This story, originally published by sundaytimes.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 Sri Lanka Mirror. All Rights Reserved