Gayani Dissanayake named Sri Lanka Netball Captain

As expected Gayani Dissanayake has been named Captain for the Asian Netball Championships with Darshika Abeywickrama as her deputy. Both players have represented the country over the past couple of years and their experience will definitely be a plus for the Lankans.

Dissanayake was also the skipper of the Youth Netball team that won the Asian Youth Netball Championships a few months ago.

The tournament will feature the top 9 teams in Asia, who will compete in 2 groups in the 1st round of competition.

Defending Champions Singapore is in Group A, alongside Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Maldives while Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Brunei, Japan and Afghanistan will compete in Group B.

Sri Lanka will play its 1st game against Afghanistan on the 1^st of August while their toughest challenge of the 1st round will be when they lock horns with Malaysia on the 3rd of August.

The Lankans were initially scheduled to play the UAE in their opening fixture on the 1^st day of competition, however the UAE, which had been invited to play in the tournament has pulled out.

Former Captain Semini Alwis, daughter of Coach Deepti Alwis has been left out of the squad and been named as a standby player.

No Lankan Women umpires at Asian Championships

Reports are just surfacing that the Umpiring Panel of the Asian Netball Federation has not selected any female candidates from Sri Lanka to officiate at the Asian Netball Championships that are scheduled to be held between the 31^st of July and the 7^th of August.

The Sri Lanka Netball Federation had forwarded 7 names to the Umpiring Panel but according to reports, none of the 5 female officials whose names had been forwarded by the SLNF had been able to pass the physical test candidates were required to take at the selection session held in Singapore. The 2 male candidates whose names had been forwarded, Deeptha Senarath Bandara and Buddhika Suriyabandara, had passed the test and are thus eligible to be called up to officiate at the Asian Championships. It is still unclear if both of them will be called up or not.