Sri Lankan coach dies after altercation with players during match

A 62-year-old coach who once mentored former Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis during his school days has died following an altercation with players during a cricket match in Colombo. Police said on Thursday that a 17-year-old school cricketer was arrested on Monday on suspicion of assaulting Sumith Fernando and was remanded to child probation custody until August 17 after being produced before a Colombo court on Tuesday.

A dispute over drinking water led to the altercation involving two players on August 8, following which Fernando was taken to hospital. He died on Tuesday while receiving treatment. Fernando was a former coach of Prince of Wales College in the Colombo suburb of Moratuwa and later served as the curator of Bloomfield Cricket & Athletic Club.