Tough Asian championship ahead, warns Sri Lanka netball coach

By Susil Premalal

Sri Lanka’s head coach Somitha de Alwis has warned that the national team will face a tough challenge from the opening match of the 14th Asian Women’s Netball Championship, with all of Asia’s leading teams competing in the Cup Division of the tournament.

The championship, organised by Asian Netball in collaboration with the Hong Kong Netball Association, will be held from August 8 to 15 at the Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong. The tournament will also serve as the Asian qualifying event for the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney, with the top two teams securing qualification.

Defending champions Singapore, runners-up Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Hong Kong, India and Maldives will compete in the Cup Division. Sri Lanka will open their campaign against Hong Kong on August 8 before facing Singapore, Malaysia, India and Maldives.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, de Alwis said Sri Lanka’s primary objective is to win the Cup Division title and regain the number one ranking in Asia. She noted that seven players from the squad that finished runners-up at the 2024 Asian Championship have been retained, providing valuable experience to the team.

However, she highlighted the lack of international exposure since the 2024 championship as a major concern, adding that other competing nations have enjoyed greater international match experience during that period.

Experienced players in the Sri Lankan squad include Thisala Algama, Dulangi Wannithilaka, Rashmi Divyanjali Perera, Gayanjali Amarawansa, Thilini Wattegedara, Nisha Rajaguru, Gayani Dissanayake and Malmi Hettiarachchi.

De Alwis also said preparation time had been limited but expressed confidence in the balance of the squad, which combines experienced campaigners with several promising young players.

Meanwhile, plans to bring a Jamaican specialist coach to Sri Lanka for short-term training were cancelled due to high costs. Instead, a leading New Zealand university team is expected to tour Sri Lanka in early July for a series of training matches against the national squad.