Pallekele, July 26 (IANS) Ahead of the first T20I against India on Saturday, newly appointed Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka said he wants his players to give their 100 percent on the field and win matches in the series. India and Sri Lanka will play a three-match T20I series followed by as many ODIs. Asalanka acknowledged the fact that they have talented players in the squad and as a captain of the side, he has given them freedom to express themselves freely on the field.

“What I really want is to get 100% out of my players, and to create a positive environment for them. We have a lot of talented cricketers, but what’s important is to get the most out of them and have them win matches. I’ve told them to play freely and when we’ve given them plans, to go out there and execute them without fear. That’s what you can expect from me as a captain,” Asalanka said on the eve of the series opener.

After guiding his Lanka Premier League (LPL) franchise Jaffna Kings to the title in the recently concluded season, the all-rounder feels that it is the premier T20 tournament of the country and top performers should be rewarded with a chance to represent the country.

“If you look at the LPL, it’s the No. 1 tournament we have to make decisions like this. More than domestic T20s, the LPL is at a much higher level. As a captain, I think if you perform at the LPL you should get a good chance at playing in the national team,” Asalanka said.

Avishka Fernando has been amazing, Pathum Nissanka has had great performances, Kusal Mendis is in excellent form, and Kusal Perera has made a significant return.

Furthermore, Kamindu Mendis appears to be in terrific touch. The quartet has given a headache to the Sri Lanka camp for the top-order batting positions with Asalanka confirming that one has to miss out. “There are four openers in the squad, and the way I’m thinking three of them will make up the top three. One of them will have to miss out,” he said.

Whether it was for his school Richmond College, Sri Lanka Under-19, or most recently winning the LPL, Asalanka has been a captain since the age-group level. He claimed that the foundation of his leadership approach is man-management.

“From under-15 level I’ve captained teams, and there’ s been a lot of change since then. That’s what I tell my team members too – we can’t be in the same place we’ve always been at. From day to day, you have to improve and that’s how you become a good player or a good captain. I’ve played under many captains, and I’ve tried to absorb as many of their good traits into my captaincy and into my life as possible,” Asalanka said.

–IANS

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Paris, July 26 (IANS) Despite stories of Michelin-starred chefs helping prepare the menus in Paris, Andy Anson, the British Olympic Association’s chief executive, has complained that the food in the Olympic Village “is not adequate,” with complaints over small portions and a lack of high-protein foods.

“There are not enough of certain foods: eggs, chicken, certain carbohydrates,” Anson told ‘The Times’ newspaper.

He also complained about “the quality of the food, with raw meat being served to athletes. They have got to improve it over the next couple of days dramatically,” he said.

In an attempt to resolve the issue, Team GB will fly in a chef to prepare meals at their performance lodge in the Clichy district of Paris, reports Xinhua.

“Our athletes have decided they would rather go and eat in our performance lodge in Clichy, so we are having to get another chef to come over as the demand is far exceeding what we thought it would be,” Anson explained, adding that athletes were also taking “packed meals” for their dinners.

“We are trying to make sure our athletes have an advantage by having more food. It is the biggest issue at the moment,” he commented.

Around 40,000 meals are prepared in the Athletes village every day for a restaurant that can seat 3,300 people, with a spokesman saying organizers are working to “increase supplies.”

–IANS

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Paris, July 26 (IANS) Rain is playing hide and seek here in the French capital as the Opening Ceremony is just a few minutes away, dampening the mood of the crowd present. The French Met Department has predicted the risk of rain showers during the ceremony on Friday evening owing to disturbances approaching the Paris region.

Though the weather was pleasant in the afternoon, now the rain continued to disrupt the proceedings.

Earlier, Mateo-France had stated, “In the morning, light rain occurs under a cloudy sky. An improvement is seen in the afternoon, with the rain fading away.

“The risk of showers during the opening ceremony cannot be ruled out.”

However, the Minister of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games Amelie Oudea-Castera, had promised on the RMC morning show, “The rain will not spoil the opening ceremony! It will not deteriorate the quality of the show.”

The opening ceremony starts at 11:00 PM IST. The scintillating evening will witness almost 100 boats carrying thousands of athletes sailing along the Seine during the parade of the nations.

Paris 2024 will mark the first time in the history of the Olympic Summer Games that the opening ceremony is held outside a stadium.

–IANS

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Surat, July 26 (IANS) Hockey Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan secured wins in the women’s category, while Madhya Pradesh registered victory in the men’s category on the fourth day of the 2nd Hockey India Sub Junior Men & Women West Zone Championship 2024 here on Friday.

Hockey Madhya Pradesh took on Maharashtra in the first match of the day in the Women’s category and won 6-0 at Veer Narmad South Gujarat University Hockey Ground. The goal-scorers for Madhya Pradesh were Shivani Barasiya (6’), Begum Sajeda (17’), Nammi Geethasri (19’), Vaishali Rathore (20’, 34’), and Keshar Bhabar (35’).

In the second match of the day, Chhattisgarh outclassed Goans Hockey 12-0. For Chhattisgarh, Damini Khusro (11’), Dubee Rawat (15’, 25’, 32’, 56’), and Pratibha Kumari (27’, 59’) netted the goals.

In the last match of the day in the women’s category, Rajasthan edged out Gujarat 1-0. Anjali Teli (52) scored the lone goal of the match in the fourth and final quarter.

In the men’s category, Madhya Pradesh outplayed Rajasthan 20-1. For Madhya Pradesh, Aashir Aadil Khan (8’, 14’, 20’, 23’, 36’, 50’), Karan Gautam (10’, 18’, 25’, 32’, 33’, 50’, 52’), Ajay Kanojiya (11’), Aditya Raikwar (16’), Ashwani Patel (27’), Rishi Morya (33’, 48’), Jitendra Kahar (48’), and Anil Shukla (55’) were the goal-scorers. For Rajasthan, captain Amit Singh (57’) netted the consolation goal.

–IANS

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Bengaluru, July 26 (IANS) Vidhatri Urs cruised ahead of the field with a bogey-free 3-under 69 in the second round of the 10th Leg of the Women’s Pro Golf Tour at Prestige Golfshire here on Friday. The newly minted pro, who already has a win in her three pro starts, indicated she was about to add to that as she took a two-shot lead over the up-and-coming professional Jasmine Shekar (74-72), who was searching for her maiden success.

Vidhatri, who shot a 3-over 75 with three bogeys and no birdies on the first day, reversed that with three birdies and no bogeys with Jasmine as her playing partner.

On a day when play was delayed because of rain, Vidhatri parred her first four holes and then found her first birdie on the fifth. She added ten pars after that to be 1-under after 15 holes. She then added birdies on the 16th and the 18th for a steady and superb round of 69. Jasmine had four birdies and four bogeys in her 72 that followed her first-round effort of 74.

Sneha Singh, last year’s Hero Order of Merit winner, had a six-shot improvement on her first-round score of 77. She carded 1-under 71, the only round other than that of Vidhatri that was under par. Sneha was tied third at 2-over 146 and four behind the leader.

Hitaashee Bakshi, the first-round leader slipped back to tied third with a second-round card of 78 with just one birdie against one double and five bogeys. Sneha and HItaashee were tied for third with Khushi (74-74) and Amandeep Drall.

The experienced Amandeep Drall, who slipped after a first-round 72, had four birdies against six bogeys and one double bogey for a second-round 76. Rhea Jha (76-73) was seventh, while Saanvi Somu (78-72) was the top amateur in the eighth spot.

Another amateur Mannat Brar (74-77) was tied for ninth with Neha Tripathi (73-78), who is coming back from an injury.

A total of 27 golfers made the cut at 161 in the Rs.13 lakh event and the prominent players to miss the cut included Durga Nittur.

–IANS

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