Sri Lanka Baseball (SLB) is looking at the possibility of conducting a tournament similar to the recently concluded Lanka Premier League (LPL) no sooner the Pandemic is brought under control. The intention is to attract foreign players to represent the local franchise teams, which will benefit the local players while raising the sport to the next level in the country.
Sri Lanka has the talent and ability to take the game to the next level, and possibly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the region. Baseball is the number one sport in the US, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and South America respectively. By initiating such tournaments, the doors will open to seek assistance from these superpowers in our quest to reach the pinnacle.
At a recent committee meeting incumbent President Major (Rtd.) Nissanka Senadhipathi said he has big plans to develop the sport locally. He believes that this game can be one of the top sports in the country, given the fact that it is similar to Cricket and Elle.
Sri Lanka came to be recognised by the International Baseball fraternity by winning the West Asia Tournament. They overcame the strongest team in the region, Pakistan, in two consecutive tournaments. Incidentally, Pakistan in ranked 27th in the world. The Sports Ministry should look at Baseball as another sport that can bring international recognition to the country such as cricket.
Baseball was started in the mid 1980’s, and since then it has come a long way. Winning the West Asia Baseball Cup at consecutive tournaments held in 2017 and 2019 is a testament for this rise. Sri Lanka also took part in the Asian Games and Asian Championships, and continues to improve at Asian level. The National Under-12 and Under-18 teams have performed creditably at the international level.
The current Sri Lanka National team is ranked 8th in Asia and 37th in the world after their recent triumphs. This year alone, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka Baseball conducted two district tournaments in Matale and Kandy, followed by three introductory programs, including introduction of Baseball to the ladies of the Sri Jayawardenapura University, three teacher training programs in Kandy, Laggala and Matale, and were also able to introduce our very own coach for the Jaffna peninsula. (AN)
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