Sri Lanka A captain Sahan Arachchige has rejected the idea that his team is ‘targeting’ Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the ongoing tri-series, involving India A and Afghanistan A in the island nation. 

He said the controversial spat involving Sri Lanka A player Vishen Halambage and  15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the last match between the teams was a ‘normal’ burst of emotions for a tense match.

India A and Sri Lanka A will meet in the final of the series on Sunday (June 21). The game in the group stage of the tri-series went down to the Super Over. 

Tasked with scoring 14 runs off the last three balls in the decider, Sooryavanshi failed to complete the chase and was met with sledges from Sri Lankan players.

Sooryavanshi initially walked away, but tensions flared when batting partner Suryansh Shedge confronted the hosts, and the teenager ended up pushing Halambage. 

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) fined Halambage for the incident, and there were reports of the team considering apologising to Sooryavanshi, though it didn’t happen. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided against sanctioning the Bihar batter. 

“The boys are not targeting anyone or anything. They are just enjoying themselves,” he said. “In a close game like a Super Over, emotions come out. That’s normal,” Arachchige told Sportstar. 

Arachchige also expressed confidence in his side’s preparation.

“With the batting, there is no issue. And with the bowling, every fast bowler and spinner is doing very well. I think we are in good shape,” he said.

India A and Sri Lanka A met once before in this series before the Super-Over clash. In that game, the Men in Blue secured a narrow eight-run win.

While it’s hard to say if Sooryavanshi would be feeling any pressure at all, considering what he has achieved at a much bigger stage of the IPL, the 15-year-old would want to end the series well, having managed only 117 runs in four matches. (News18)

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Sri Lanka will host India ‘A’ and Afghanistan ‘A’ for a Tri-Nation Series in June 2026.  

According to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the tournament will feature a series of 50-over matches to be played at the RDICS, Dambulla. 

Following the completion of the Tri-Nation Series, India ‘A’ will remain in Sri Lanka to play two Four-Day matches against Sri Lanka ‘A’ in GICS, Galle. (Newswire)

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Sri Lanka A will play three one-dayers and two first-class matches against Australia A in the Northern Territory of Darwin, Australia, in July. 

According to Australia Cricket, first-class cricket will end a 19-year absence to make its return to the Top End next month, with Australia A confirmed to play a series of matches against Sri Lanka A.

It will be the first time that a senior Australian squad has played first-class cricket in the Northern Territory since 2006, when an Australia A side captained by Brad Haddin and featuring senior stars Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson played against a Pakistan side captained by Misbah-ul-Haq.

The Australia A squad – which is yet to be named – will play three one-day games against the Sri Lankans, before donning whites to play two four-day first-class matches. 

All five matches will be streamed live on cricket.com.au and Kayo Sports.

The first of those four-day games will be played on a drop-in pitch at the Marrara Stadium, the city’s largest venue that can hold about 12,000 spectators.

The ‘A’ series will take on extra significance this year with an Ashes series to be played this summer. While the Darwin matches will coincide with Australia’s second and third Tests against the West Indies in Grenada and Jamaica, an Ashes summer brings heightened selection speculation.

CA’s Head of Cricket Operations and Scheduling, Peter Roach, welcomed the opportunity to play Australia A matches at home in the colder months.

“It’s fantastic to confirm a multi-format series which gives the next crop of emerging cricketers excellent development opportunities throughout the Australian winter,” Roach said in a statement.

“Darwin’s dry season weather between May and September offers both the Northern Territory and Australian Cricket an incredible winter opportunity which allows cricket to be played in Australia all year round.

“Hosting these matches, and especially a match at Marrara Stadium, gives significant status to the series ahead of the 2025-26 international season.”

• Australia A v Sri Lanka A Series Schedule

First one-day match: July 4, Marrara Cricket Ground, 2:30pm AEST (D/N)

Second one-day match: July 6, Marrara Cricket Ground, 10:30am AEST

Third one-day match: July 9, Marrara Cricket Ground, 10:30am AEST

First first-class match: July 13-16, Marrara Stadium, 10:30am AEST

Second-class match: July 20-23, Marrara Cricket Ground, 10:30am AEST (Cricket Australia)

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Sri Lanka Cricket has announced the Sri Lanka ‘A’ squad named for the upcoming tri-nation series in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Issuing a statement, the SLC said its Selectors have selected a 16-member Sri Lanka ‘A’ squad to participate in the Tri-Nation One Day Series. 

The series organized by the Afghanistan Cricket Board will commence on 13 April 2025, with Sri Lanka ‘A’ facing Ireland ‘A.’ 

The Sri Lanka team will leave the country for the tri-series tomorrow evening. The Sri Lanka A squad and schedule of the tri-nation series are as follows;

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The Sri Lanka ‘A’ team will tour Pakistan in November 2024, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced today.

Accordingly, the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team will participate in two four-day games and three one-day games. 

Sri Lanka ‘A’ team will leave for Pakistan on 07 November 2024. (Newswire)

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Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced the schedule for the Sri Lanka ‘A’ Tour of South Africa.

Accordingly, the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team will tour South Africa during the August – September 2024 period.

During the tour, Sri Lanka ‘A’ will play three one-day games and two four-day games against South Africa ‘A’. (Newswire)

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