2024 domestic cricket season kicks-off today with NSL 4-day

Thursday, 18 January 2024 00:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

First two weekend of matches vital for one-off Test against Afghanistan

Sri Lanka’s 2024 domestic cricket season kicks off with the National Super League 4-day tournament today where five districts – champions Dambulla, Galle, Colombo, Jaffna and Kandy will compete over a period of 11 weekends playing a total of 21 matches.

The tournament will run till the first week of May when the final will be played at Pallekele.

The cream of Sri Lanka’s cricketing talent will be on display during this period where the more conventional form of cricket will be played with the red ball. The matches will be of importance to the longer format players who are due to play a total of 10 Test matches during the year, 9 of them as part of the ICC World Test Championships.

The first two weekends of matches will be of vital importance to Sri Lanka’s Test players who will be using it to prepare for the one-off Test against Afghanistan starting 2 February at the SSC grounds. This match is not part of the ICC World Test Championship. Following this match Sri Lanka will leave for Bangladesh to play a two-Test series in February-March which is a World Test Championship series.

The five teams are led by Ramesh Mendis (Galle), Pathum Nissanka (Kandy), Kamindu Mendis (Dambulla), Kusal Mendis (Colombo) and Dhananjaya de Silva (Jaffna), the newly appointed Sri Lanka Test captain.

The squads have been selected based on the performances of the recently concluded SLC Major Clubs 3-day tournament. Galle squad comprises players from Army SC, Colts, Galle CC, Moors SC and Panadura SC, Kandy (from Ace Capital CC, Chilaw Marians CC, Kandy Customs CC and NCC), Dambulla (from Badureliya SC, BRC, CCC, Colts, Kurunegala YCC and Nugegoda SWC), Jaffna (from Bloomfield, Ragama CC and Tamil Union), and Colombo (from Army SC, Negombo CC, Police SC, Sebastianites and SSC).

The opening day finds defending champions Dambulla having a free weekend. The matches starting today are: Galle v Kandy at Hambantota and, Jaffna v Colombo at SSC grounds. Last year Dambulla beat Galle by 75 runs in the final to lift the title. – (ST)