Kumar Sangakkara and Alastair Cook have made impressive gains in the latest Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen which were released on Sunday after the completion of Sri Lanka-Pakistan and England-West Indies series, and the Ireland-Australia ODI that was washed out on Saturday in Belfast.

D.P.Wannithilake and M.Y Dulanjali shone as best male and female athlete of the John Tarbet Junior Athletic championship concluded at Peopleandrsquo;s Ground Embilipitiya yesterday where four new meet records were set.

Newly formed Upcountry Lions registered their first win in the inter-club andldquo;A andrdquo; division league rugby tournament when they posted a 42-10 victory over CH and FC in a one-sided match at Maitland Crescent last evening.

Pakistan coach Dave Whatmore yesterday called for the mandatory use of the Decision Review System (DRS) with or without the hotspot technology in order to avoid bizarre on-field umpire decisions but refrained from commenting on the controversial umpiring in the match.

A late second half rally and some good forwards play by Kandy helped them to overcome a spirited Police outfit by 25 Points (1 Goal, 3 Tries, 1 Penalty) to nil win in their league rugby encounter which concluded at the Nittawela Rugby Stadium yesterday.

After seven sessions of complete dominance, first with the bat and then with some excellent seam and spin attack aided by the horrors of umpiring decisions, Sri Lanka refused to go for the kill, as they puzzlingly decided to bat a second time despite a commanding 372 first innings lead on day three of the first Test here at the Galle International stadium on Sunday.

A bubbly Sri Lankan in Britain, a crusader for under-privileged children and homes for the aged, has been picked to carry the Olympic torch on July 17, ten days before the London Games commence.

Did Sri Lanka win the ODI series against Pakistan or did the visitors lose it? Judging by the manner the two games ended I will not be surprised to find Pakistan supporters carrying the latter view. Though personally I would want to think that Sri Lanka won two remarkable victories virtually coming from behind when everything was against him.

Kumar Sangakkara was stranded a run short of claiming his ninth double century, his third against Pakistan after Saeed Ajmal curtailed Sri Lankaandrsquo;s run feast on a deteriorating Galle pitch on Saturday.

A rattled Isipathana outfit did not want to surrender to defeat that easily as they fought back with determination to force Royal into submission with a late burst in their Singer inter-school league rugby encounter at Longdon Place yesterday.

Hundreds of Trinity fanatics in the best of spirits with euphoria of a glorious win, stormed out of the Royal College Complex as the Royalists left the arena of school rugbyandrsquo;s best battle to date, this season with a superb first half.andnbsp;

Former captains TM Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara hit centuries, while skipper Mahela Jayawardane cashed in with an unfinished half century to help Sri Lanka reach a formidable 300 for 2 after electing to bat on day one of the first Test against Pakistan at the Galle International Stadium yesterday.

Former secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka, S. Skandakumar, a gentleman par excellence, delivered a masterpiece straight from his heart that captivated his audience at the Sri Lanka-UK Society Birthday Banquet for Her Majesty the Queen at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo on June 17.

Table leaders Navy will learn today if they are good enough to cast their sights on the countryandrsquo;s premier rugby crown when they scrum down against the Fijian-flavoured Army team in their A division inter-club rugby match at Police Park.

Medal winners at the Asian Junior Athletics Championships are in for a major bonanza as the Sports Ministry says it had decided to provide houses for the two gold medal winners in addition to the cash rewards that were promised.

Sri Lanka will look to arrest their dismal Test record during the last three years when they taken on inconsistent Pakistan in the first of the three match Test series starting today at the propitious Galle International Cricket Stadium.

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has been banned from the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle that starts on Friday as punishment for his team's slow over-rate in the final match of the one-day series.

In-form allrounder Thisara Perera has been drafted into the 15-man squad that would take on Pakistan in the three-Test series starting on Friday in Galle while opener Lahiru Thirimanne who played at the expense of Tharanga Paranavithana during the two match home series against England has been axed.

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has been suspended from this week's Galle Test after his side was found guilty of a serious over-rate offence during the fifth and last ODI against Sri Lanka at R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Monday.

The following squad has been approved by the Hon. Minister of Sports …

Royal skipper and fly half Arshad Jamaldeen will be out of action for the rest of the inter-school rugby season due to a ligament injury.

Angelo Mathews produced a masterpiece of batting brilliance as he single-handedly hauled Sri Lanka to victory over Pakistan out of nowhere in the fifth and deciding ODI at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo yesterday.

All-rounder Angelo Mathews struck an unbeaten 80 off 76 balls to lead Sri Lanka to a thrilling two wickets win over Pakistan with two balls to spare in the fifth and the final One-Day International played at the R Premadasa stadium in Colombo on Monday.

Defending champions Kandy secured their second victory in the ongoing andldquo;Aandrdquo; division inter club league rugby tournament beating CH and FC by 18 points to 10 in their second fixture at Maitland Crescent last evening.

Army rider Sameera Chathuranga won the140-kilo metre two-stage cycling event at the National Sports Festival 2012 held here in Anuradhapura yesterday.

Ajith Bandara clinched the menandrsquo;s Marathon title for the 11th successive year at the National Sports Festival (NSF) Marathon 2012. Shamali Anusha baged the womenandrsquo;s title for the first time.

Niluka Shymali emerged the womenandrsquo;s cycling champion at the 38th National Sports Festival cycling event held at Anuradhapura on Saturday.

Thisara Pereraandrsquo;s individual brilliance with the ball helped Sri Lankaandrsquo;s turn around and take the series lead 2-1 in the ODI against Pakistan at the end of the fourth match played at the Premadasa Stadium on Saturday.

Sri Lanka Cricket has netted TotalSportsAsia (TSA) as the new team sponsor for the ICC World T-20 for a hefty US$ 500,000, approximately Rs. 65 million which was almost double the base price.

It was a shame that the third ODI was a wash out without the game being extended beyond the seventh over. In a series which is beautifully poised where both teams have a lot to play for it is imperative that the remaining games be played to a finish without a hindrance.