Reigning World T20 champions Sri Lanka coped with the absence of injured Lasith Malinga as Tillakaratne Dilshan inspired the side to a six-wicket win over qualifiers Afghanistan in Kolkata. Rangana Herath (2-24) took up the mantle with the ball after Malinga, afflicted by a knee strain in recent months, missed out on selection, with Afghanistan posting 153-7 thanks largely to captain Asghar Stanikzais career-best 62 off 47 balls.Dilshan (83no from 56) then collected his 13th fifty in T20I cricket - a record he shares with Chris Gayle (West Indies), Brendon McCullum (New Zealand) and Virat Kohli (India) - and mowed three sixes as Sri Lanka eased home with seven balls to spare following the openers pull for four.Afghanistans innings hinged on Stanikzai after beefy opener Mohammad Shahzad, fresh from totals of 61, 41, and 40 in the qualification stage, holed out for eight and Mohammad Nabi, who hit 52 last time out against Zimbabwe, went lbw for three to leave the score on 51-4.Stanikzai clobbered back-to-back sixes off slow left-armer Milinda Siriwardana in the 13th over and four maximums in total, the 29-year-old sharing a stand of 61 from 31 balls with Samiullah Shenwari (31 from 14) for the fifth wicket while amassing his highest score in T20I cricket. Asghar Stanikzai hit four sixes in his career-best 62 Stanikzai perished attempting a ramp shot - becoming one of Thisara Pereras (3-33) scalps - but helped his side biff 104 runs from the final 10 overs, with Najibullah Zadran (12no from three) adding gloss at the death with a monstrous six over cover and a meaty four through the same region. Dilshan and Dinesh Chandimal (18) , though, unleashed some lavish strokes of their own - the former nailing a six over fine leg with his famed Dil-scoop - as Sri Lanka put on 41 for the first wicket before Nabi had Chandimal pouched at midwicket from his second delivery.Sri Lanka teased a wobble when Lahiru Thirimanne (six) dragged teenage spinner Rashid Khan on, wicketkeeper Shahzad ran out Perera (12) and Nabi ousted Chamara Kapugedera (10) off his own bowling by flicking Dilshans straight drive onto the non-strikers wicket.But skipper Mathews backed up his economical work with the ball (1-17) by supporting Dilshan with an enterprising late cameo with the blade (21no from 10), although Afghanistan - in the Super 10s for the first time in their history - were left to rue some sloppy ground fielding during an otherwise valiant display. Sri Lanka celebrate the wicket of Mohammad Shahzad Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews: It was a much-needed victory for us as we havent played well in the recent past. Our bowlers did well except for two big overs and we were positive from the word go with the bat. We are not looking too far ahead but if we click we can do wonders as a team. Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai: I thought we were 10 or 15 runs short with our total, although Dilshan played very well for Sri Lanka and showed a lot of responsibility. We also made mistakes with our fielding, so hopefully we can improve that in our next game.Sky pundit and England seamer James Anderson: I thought Afghanistan got a lesson in how to chase down a total from Dilshan - he showed all his experience and skill by taking on low risk shots all the way through a chanceless innings. It was great to watch.Sri Lanka and Afghanistan return to World T20 action on Sunday, with the former tackling Englands conqerors West Indies in Bangalore (1.30pm, Sky Sports 2) after Afghanistan battle South Africa in Mumbai (9am, Sky Sports 2). You can watch both games for £6.99 with a NOW TV Day Pass. Fake Hockey Jerseys . According to the CFL Scouting Bureaus January rankings, four of the top five Canadian prospects line-up on the offensive side of the trenches, which is good news for Bombers general manager Kyle Walters. With only one selection in the first two rounds — Walters sent his second-round pick to Saskatchewan in the days ahead of the 2013 trade deadline — the No. Custom Hockey Jerseys . The Tournament of Champions, which starts Friday, is his first event since a freak accident in Shanghai two months ago. Snedeker was on a Segway scooter during a corporate outing at Sheshan International when he took a tumble and injured his left knee. https://www.fakehockeyjerseys.com/. That time around, the cage is as much a part of baseballs daily routine as a beer and a hotdog is to a fan in the stands. Coaches, scouts, broadcasters and other media hover, tossing verbal barbs, telling stories and sharing laughs. Occasionally, especially in spring when the atmosphere is relatively laid back, the list of invited guests expands and on this day, Gibbons welcomed two men strongly influential in his life. Wholesale Hockey Jerseys . The defeat leaves the 41-year-old Nestor to concentrate on the mixed-doubles event after winning 12 straight matches and winning Australian titles in Brisbane and Sydney with two different partners. "This was a little bit of a let down, but all credit to them," said Nestor. Cheap Hockey Jerseys China .C. - Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says Danny Granger, Chris Andersen and Udonis Haslem are still not ready to play and will miss Wednesday nights game against the Charlotte Hornets.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca! Hi Kerry, Its another day and here we are looking at another dubious hit to the head. In this case Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky elbowed Saku Koivu in the head about a second after he dished off the puck to a teammate, knocking him unconscious. This week we learned that there will be no supplementary discipline handed out to Dubinsky. This seems strange to me given that we are trying to get head shots out of the game, and John Scott has just been suspended indefinitely for a very similar type of play. Can you provide any insight on the thinking that goes on in deciding not to suspend Dubinsky in this case? It makes absolutely no sense to me. Thanks! Kevin Head Kevin: There was vast discrepancy in the reporting and analysis from one team broadcast feed to the other following Brandon Dubinskys hit on Saku Koivu. The Blue Jackets viewing audience would have believed that no penalty was warranted to Dubinsky on the play as their broadcasters analyzed multiple replays with comments such as, "Is the head targeted?; Thats a good hit; all Dubinsky did was brace before the hit because Koivu was going to him with (as) the aggressor; There was no elbow up - no targeting the head; That was a good hockey play; No targeting of the head whatsoever!" Analysis from the Anaheim broadcast team offered a totally different description and perception of the play. Duck fans probably anticipated a suspension would result to Brandon Dubinsky once they heard, "Oh boy that is a brutal elbow from Brandon Dubinsky, thats right on the jaw of Saku Koivu. You see the head of Saku Koivu snap back. Im sure the people in Toronto will be taking a look at that." While the vantage point the two broadcast teams shared in the press box is relatively close in proximity to one another, their respective analysis of this play could not be farther apart. Is this just a result of team loyalty and bias that we might expect in some measure or are we really this far apart on the subject of judging and eliminating contact to the head? Have we become too desensitized to violent hits or those where the head is the main point of contact hoping against all hope that the "physicality" of the game is not lost due to player suspensions? This illustration moves beyond the broadcast booth to all elements of the hockey world with varying opinions on determining illegal hits to the head; including those shared by the Player Safety Committee. The Hockey Operations Department and the Player Safety Committeee review every play that has the potential for player suspension.ddddddddddddI am the first to admit they have a very tough and thankless job. Kevin, part of the criteria used to determine an illegal check to the head is published in Rule 48 which the Player Safety Committee must adhere to when judging a potential suspension. In this case they would reference the following from rRule 48 to make their determination: i) Whether the player attempted to hit squarely through the opponents body and the head was not "picked (Brandon Dubinsky is square to Saku Koivu and therefore this is not a "head pick" by definition of the rule.) ii) Whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position by assuming a posture that made head contact on an otherwise full body check unavoidable. (Saku exposed himself somewhat for a square hit after making the pass but did attempt to bring his stick up to defend just prior to frontal impact from Dubinsky) The timing of the hit would be another element that the Player Safety Committee would examine. I have to say that although interference was ultimately assessed by the Refs on the ice the contact was not unusually late or even out of the ordinary for the finish of a check in terms of the standard we have seen for supplemental discipline. We may not like the end result, but that is the most probable answer to your question why Brandon Dubinsky was not suspended for his hit to Saku Koivu. The Player Safety Committee stayed within the language of the rule and the current guidelines that have been established. I understand the current parameters being utilized by the PSC but I am jumping into the broadcast booth down the hall to voice my differing opinion. For the sake of "player safety" the criteria must change in an effort to alter current and dangerous player tendencies that are causing the train to run off the rails. I for one want to see a player suspended every time he elevates his posture upward and makes the head of his opponent the main point of contact no matter if the attack angle is squarely through an opponents body or even if that player put himself in a vulnerable position. Brandon Dubinsky, as we see on most dangerous contact, elevated through the hit and continued to elevate with an upward extension of his elbow after contact was made to the head of Saku Koivu. Further evidence of this elevation is often seen when a players skate(s) leave the ice after contact which is often deemed a "good hockey play." My criteria would be "upward to the head" and "outward" for two games minimum! That of course, would depend on which side of the broadcast booth you are sitting in. ' ' '