Sachira

The Test Squad

Following a highly successful tour of Pakistan by the white ball cricketers, it was time for the real test with a red ball… and Test cricket. Since cricket differs from segment to segment, and we see teams being picked for games and series, the need for specialists has arisen.

Based on this and the importance of the series as it is part of the Test championship, it’s no surprise that the selectors opted for plenty of experience rather than a blend of youth, which was their strategy for shorter formats.

Creative Streak

She is the first woman in the world to design and produce a 3D printed wedding dress under her label c.h.a.r.l.e.n.e. – and her practical nature emerges from hardworking parents who sacrificed everything to educate their children and make ends meet.

Charlene grew up with four older sisters and a brother; and as the youngest in the family, she was the recipient of hand-me-downs. The young lass was rebellious, mischievous, bullied by both students and teachers, and hardly the academic type. Expelled from school and desiring never to set foot in one again, she turned to sewing.

DATELINE HOLLYWOOD

Lily James is building up quite the movie CV. In the past, she had appeared alongside Cate Blanchett in Kenneth Branagh’s version of Cinderella, wowed with Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx in Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver, and rubbed shoulders with a host of famous names in the Richard Curtis movie Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

Yet, many would agree that the 30-year-old actress is much more than a makeweight alongside others since she has earned the right to truly own the spot-light. In August, she returned to the box office with Rare Beasts, which is a so-called ‘anti-romcom’ written by former pop star Billie Piper who is making her direc-torial debut in the movie.

Stilt Fishing

Many Sri Lankan picture postcards display silhouettes of men perched on stilts in the sea against the horizon at dusk or dawn. This is an evocative image of history and tradition encapsulated in a simple photograph. It’s a picture that’s been in my head ever since I planned my trip to the island – and an activi-ty that I can’t wait to be a part of.

So as we head to Mirissa to try our luck at stilt fishing – a practice that dates back to the end of World War II – I hope not only to gain an au-thentic experience but also catch a bite for myself.

INSIDE STORY

What do you get when you mix a teaspoon of hard work, a pinch of determination, a dollop of beauty and a sprinkle of focus? Simple – you get Mrs Sri Lanka Caroline Jurie who was crowned Mrs World 2020 in Las Vegas on 6 December – a night to remember for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka born Caroline is a poster child for what dreaming big and having a supportive husband can get you. Based in Dubai these past few years, winning a crown and becoming a reigning beauty queen had always been her dream; but this dream was no easy feat and nor was it supported by everyone.