Dating back to the early twentieth century, Netball has garnered a devoted following thanks to passionate players and enthusiasts. The Sri Lankan netball team has made its mark in various netball competitions across South Asia, Asia, and the world.
Sri Lanka has been a dominant force in the Asian netball circuit, regularly challenging and defeating some of the best teams in the region. Last year Sri Lanka defeated hosts Singapore 63-53 in the championship final. Gayanjali Amarawansa's squad went undefeated throughout the competition to reach the final for the tenth time in history. Sri Lanka has finished among the top three teams in each edition of the event since it began in 1985. Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong are the other teams that have won the championship. While Sri Lanka is the most successful team in the history of the Asian Netball Championship, having won the title 6 times including 2001,2009,2018,2022 years.
The key players who enabled this victory are Gayanjali Amarawansa(C/WA) and Dulangi Wannithilleka(GA/WA) the captain and vice-captain, with Gayani Dissanayake, Chathurangi Jayasuriya, Semini Alwis, and six-footer Thisala Algama the goal shooter. Promising players like Malmi Hettiarachchi, Bhashini Yoshitha, Rashmi Perera, Gayathri Kaushalya, and Shanika Perera are also included in the team. Asia’s best goal shooter Tharjini Shiwalingam was also named in the squad. Thilaka Jinadasa, head coach, and Deepi Prasadi, assistant coach, led the team.
The prestigious Netball World Cup began on July 28 in Cape Town, South Africa, and was completed on August 6 with the final match. One of the most significant netball events in the world, this thrilling competition showcased teams from various nations vying for glory. The previous Netball World Cup took place in 2019 and was held in Liverpool bringing the 15th place to Sri Lanka. So, with that title and as the champions of Asia, Sri Lanka faced the international giants at Pool C including Jamaica, South Africa, and Wales for the opening round of the competition.
Sri Lanka finished fourth in the three-match round as the team dealt with an 80-point setback to Jamaican players making their debut. However, in front of the Jamaicans rated fourth in the world, Thisala Algama, Dulangi Vannithilake, Semini Alvis, and Tharjani Sivalingam turned their opportunities into points. In the next encounter, Sri Lanka found themselves up against a formidable opponent in the hosts, South Africa. The home team showcased their strength and managed to secure a convincing 55-run victory over Sri Lanka. In the last match of pool C, Sri Lanka fell short and suffered a defeat against their resilient opponents Wales.
Based on the results of the previous round, the Sri Lankan players who made it to the preliminary round, faced Singapore who also joined Pool D in the World Cup and finished fourth in that group. The Singapore players gained control of the match till the conclusion, and the Sri Lankans were defeated by three points. In the game against Zimbabwe, they followed a strong aggressive style and did not allow the Sri Lankan players to come forward in front of them at any point in time and defeated the Sri Lankans by a margin of 35 runs. Sri Lanka's sole victorious opponent in this year's World Cup netball event was Barbados. Sri Lanka won the match against them by a score of four points.
Sri Lanka and Singapore clashed again in a crucial match to determine the 15th place in the tournament. After losing the game by a margin of three points, The Sri Lankans had to move one place from where they were at the time of the World Cup.
Sri Lanka's commitment to nurturing young talents and investing in grassroots development has paid dividends. The junior netball teams of Sri Lanka have regularly clinched titles at the regional and international levels, signaling a promising future for the sport. Sri Lanka qualified for the Asian Youth Championships in 2017 and 2019, thereby demonstrating their resilience and talent and winning fourth and third places accordingly. This year Sri Lanka's Youth Netball team came home after finishing third in the Asian Youth Netball Championship in South Korea. The team led by Sajini Rathnayaka qualified for the World Netball Championship by finishing third in the regional event, behind Malaysia and Singapore.
Sri Lanka's netball team boasts an extraordinary trophy cabinet filled with well-deserved accolades and accomplishments. There have been some impressive accomplishments from Sri Lankan netball teams over recent years despite being relatively unknown before. These successes are likely to inspire further growth within domestic leagues while helping promote the visibility of female athletes competing at international levels such as world cups or Asian Netball Championship. If this momentum continues, then there should be plenty more exciting times ahead for fans of Sri Lankan netball.
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