World record 53 red cards shown in Brazilian youth game
Vadodara and Mumbai to host WPL 2027
Mendis and Udara steady ship with warm-up fifties
Mahinda meet formidable Mahanama in semi-final
Wins for Dialog Axiata and Green Miracle Grand on Wednesday
Seven years on from their last away ODI victory against England. – also at Headingley – Sri Lanka repeated the trick, and kept the series alive, ahead of the decider at The Oval on Sunday with a hard fought 16-run win.
On a true surface that offered plenty of runs, Sri Lanka executed their plan A with the kind of gusto that has been sorely lacking across this tour. Kusal Mendis’ seventh ODI ton led the way, and he was sufficiently backed up by the likes of Pathum Nissanka (25), Kamindu Mendis (54), Pavan Rathnayake (48) and Janith Liyanage (32).
Then with the ball, Sri Lanka survived a potentially game-breaking opening stand, a Jos Buttler onslaught, and a Will Jacks rearguard salvo to snag what seemed at times a rather improbable win. Dunith Wellalage took many of the plaudits, with his 3 for 49 paving the way for Sri Lanka’s fightback with the ball, as did Asitha Fernando for a spell of exemplary death bowling.
Arguably the defining moment of the chase, however, came when Buttler had to retire hurt on 67 from 45 balls with what the ECB described as a hamstring “twinge”. Though he later limped back out to resume his innings, he was visibly hampered as he lasted just four more balls. In between whiles, a chase that had been cruising at 253 for 4 skidded off course. England had needed 68 off 75 at the moment of Buttler’s injury. They managed just 52 for 5 in the remainder of their innings.
The common consensus at the halfway point was that Sri Lanka’s 321 for 6 was par for the course, but considering it was their highest first-innings total against England in ODIs since 2018 – and just their third score of 320 or more since the start of 2024 – it was still cause for minor celebration.
Jos Buttler had to retire hurt with a hamstring twinge [Cricinfo]
The broadcaster’s win predictor at the start of the England chase – 70-30 in favour of the hosts – highlighted just what they thought of this type of surface, and the type of batting England possessed. That England had never actually chased a total this high against Sri Lanka mattered less so.
And once Ben Duckett and Tom Banton had blitzed 82 runs inside the opening powerplay – two fewer, incidentally, than Sri Lanka managed in their final 10 – on the way to a substantial opening stand of 143 off 119, the result all but seemed a formality.
The breakthrough came utterly against the run of play too, as Wellalage found a foothole outside the left-hander’s off stump and ripped one through bat and pad, as Duckett reached out in vain for the flashy drive.
Then, at the end of Wellalage’s next over, Banton waltzed right past another one that gripped on the surface as Kusal swiftly dislodged the bails. And just like that both openers were back in the pavilion.
Even so, Sri Lanka might not have dared believe, given how far ahead of the game England were at this point. But when Wellalage struck a third time in three overs, this time trapping their serial tormentor, Harry Brook, leg before – a decision upheld on review – the old muscle memory of spin-strangled chases under lights at the Khettarama in Colombo perhaps began to stir. Particularly with the pitch also beginning to exude some hallmarks of those dry Colombo pitches.
But, just as swiftly as Sri Lanka had thought about clawing their way back in, England reclaimed control of the chase. And they were led unerringly by Buttler. Across partnerships of 46 from 28 with Joe Root, and 51 from 56 with Will Jacks, Buttler was in utter command of the contest. But then, in the 38th over, his hamstring went, and after battling on for two more balls, he limped off.
At that point, the required rate was less than a run-a-ball with six wickets in hand. By the time he was forced to return to the middle, the equation had flipped to 27 needed off 14. In between whiles, Sri Lanka throttled like they’ve never throttled before, giving up just one boundary in the 60 deliveries between Buttler walking off and walking back on.
With England seven-down by this point, the odds had firmly shifted in favour of Sri Lanka, but with Jacks and Buttler both capable of knocking off the required runs with just a few swings, the game was still in the balance. A six to the end the 48th over proved as much. But that would be the last boundary of the game as Eshan Malinga and Dilshan Madushanka squeezed through the final two overs to complete a famous victory.
Eshan Malinga removed Gus Atkinson as Sri Lanka tightened their grip [Cricinfo]
What the result showed more than anything else is that, while Sri Lanka might be quite a way off the pinnacle of T20 cricket, in ODIs – as they have shown over recent years – they certainly have the capacity to kick it with the best, albeit not on as consistent a basis as they would like. Most of their best performances however have come at home, and on that front Thursday’s performance might be particularly heartening.
Sri Lanka’s best white-ball batting efforts in recent times have invariably coincided with significant input from either Nissanka or Kusal, and that trend wasn’t about to change here. Nissanka had looked promising during 33-ball 25, but his time in the middle was cut short by a fuller one from Atkinson that nipped back and trapped him lbw – a tight call that was held up upon review after replays showed umpire’s call on wickets hitting.
This brought Kusal to the crease, and he along with his namesake, Kamindu, proceeded to put on a 137-run stand from 120 deliveries, an innings-defining partnership that set the platform for Sri Lanka’s highest first-innings total against England in ODIs since 2018.
But it was one that might have been snuffed out before it had ever found its legs had Atkinson held on to a skier off Kusal when the Lankan skipper was on 18. Sri Lanka ensured they would exact the full toll for that drop, as Kusal proceeded to dine on a much more welcoming surface than the one at Chester-le-Street in the first ODI.
In the 20 overs between the 10th over – when Kusal entered – and the start of the 30th over – when Kamindu was caught at long-on – 11 of them saw Sri Lanka manage at least one boundary. And it meant that Sri Lanka’s 200 came up in the 32nd over, at which point a score in the region of 340 was on the cards.
The near seven-an-over scoring between the two Mendises owed much to one particularly expensive over taken off Josh Tongue, in which Kusal banished him for three fours and a six. Nineteen came off it – it was Sri Lanka’s most fruitful of the entire tour, such has been the dour nature of their batting efforts.
It was also a boundary that brought up Kusal’s century, a sumptuous drive through the covers off a luckless Jamie Overton, off whose bowling it was that Kusal had been dropped.
Following Kamindu’s dismissal there was a run-a-ball stand of 40 between Kusal and Pavan Rathnayake, but the former was unable to see the game through to the death overs, finding deep midwicket instead with an attempted slog sweep off Rehan. This brought about Sri Lanka’s first real lull in scoring, as they trudged to 237 for 4 by the end of the 40th over.
The innings seemed at a crossroads at this point, but Rathnayake and then Liyanage ensured that Sri Lanka would not completely squander the platform their skipper had helped set. Better sides might have managed to push for maybe 20-30 runs more, but that is a problem for another day; for now, Sri Lanka will savour a rare perfect evening.
Scores: Sri Lanka 321 for 6 in 50 overs (Kamindu Mendis 54, Kusal Mendis 121, Pavan Rathnayake 48; Gus Atkinson 2-55, Rehan Ahmed 2-48 ) beat England 305 for 9 in 50 overs (Tom Banton 73, Ben Duckett 67, Jos Buttler 69, Will Jacks 52; Dilshan Madushanka 2-54, Eshan Malinga 2-50, Dunith Wellalage 3-49) by 16 runs
Mosvold Martinus Foundation Challenge Trophy on October 4
Muhammad Shahzad smashes fastest first-class hundred by a Pakistani batter
Students of Kegalu Balika Vidyalaya Participate in ‘Vision’ Programme at Presidential Secretariat
No electricity tariff revision for fourth quarter of 2026
‘This is a disaster’: Angry Republicans blame Trump for midterms defeat
Showers above 75 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva, North-western, and Southern provinces and in Polonnaruwa and Mannar districts.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
A world record of 53 red cards were shown during a chaotic under-20s game in Brazil.
The semi-final first leg of the Minas Gerais Under-20 Championship tie between Uberlandia and Mamore was marred by scenes that led to 43 players and eight members of coaching staff being sent off.
There was also two Uberlandia board members dismissed, taking the tally up to 53.
The previous record was 36, in a 2011 fifth-division game between Club Atletico Claypole and Victoriano Arenas in Argentina.
Brazilian news outlet O Tempo reported the military police were called because of extensive damage to the Parque do Sabia Stadium.
According to the referee’s report, a brawl broke out in the second half after Mamores’ Davi taunted the opposition bench during celebrations when his side went 3-1 up.
Uberlandia goalkeeping coach Paulo Sergio Dias Dos Santos ran on to the pitch to confront him, sparking clashes and the subsequent dismissals, with three players having already been sent off earlier.
The police report referenced 14 broken doors, damaged shower facilities, broken windows and that benches, tables and chairs had been destroyed.
The game was paused for approximately 40 minutes and then abandoned by referee Fernando Patrick Drosghic Modesto.
“In the 54th minute of the second half, a generalized brawl broke out, making it impossible to show the red cards and to carry out the match-closing protocol,” Modesto wrote in his report.
“Therefore, owing to all the turmoil and the lack of security, I declared the match ended.”
Uberlandia have since confirmed that they have conceded the second leg of the semi-final because Mamore only have seven players available as a result of all the red cards.
They described their move as a “gesture of fair play” as Mamore would progress through to the final, and Uberlandia will instead focus on the third-place match.
“The club has also not remained silent: the appropriate disciplinary measures regarding those involved have already been taken internally, because athletic development is, above all, a matter of personal development,” Uberlandia added.
During the stakeholder consultation held today (05) regarding the proposed electricity tariff revision for the fourth quarter of 2026, NSO Pvt Ltd emphasized that it would not request any increase in electricity tariffs for the period of October to December 2026.
Vadodara and Mumbai will host the upcoming season of the WPL that will be held from January 14 to February 7, 2027. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengalurru (RCB) will be taking on inaugural winnersMumbai Indians (MI) in the opening game of the season in Vadodara.
Both cities will host 11 games each. Vadodara’s Kotambi Stadium will host the first 11 league games from January 14 to 24 before the action moves to the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai after a day’s gap. Brabourne will see nine league games from January 26 to February 3, before the Eliminator on February 5 and the final on February 7.
All matches will be played from 7.30pm local time.
The closing stages of WPL 2027 clashes with England’s tour of Sri Lanka for three T20Is. But senior England players, including captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, will be allowed to miss the bilateral series from February 1 to 5 if their franchises qualify for the final stages of the WPL. Sciver-Brunt (MI), Lauren Bell (RCB) and Sophie Ecclestone (UP Warriorz) were retained by their respective teams.
The inaugural six-team Women’s Champions Trophy will be held at the same two grounds, starting just a week after the WPL ends, from February 14 to 28.
Last week, Australia captain Sophie Molineux became the most expensive buy at the WPL 2027 auction, going to UPW for INR 1.1 crore (US$120,000 approx.). Middle-order batter Kiran Navgire was the most expensive Indian, sold to Delhi Capitals (DC) for INR 75 lakh.
The last season of the WPL, in early 2026, was also held in two cities – Navi Mumbai and Vadodara. However, the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai is currently undergoing renovation. Vadodara will be the host city for Gujarat Giants whereas Mumbai will be the home ground for MI.
Over Rs. 8 mn worth of copper stolen from KDU Hospital lightning protection system
Private sector salaries surge ahead of public sector pay structures as National Budget looms
Protecting Sacred city of Anuradhapura
Social media backlash over Lankan cricket legend’s Ryanair ‘racist’ remark
Inaugural SAU-RCSS South Asia Dialogue: Former Foreign Secretary Palihakkara calls for trust-based connectivity and ‘Variable Geometry’ in regional cooperation
ITAK, DTNA mount joint protest against PTA
PSTB sharply deviates from expert committee’s report
Copyright © 2020 Upali Newspapers (Pvt) Ltd. Solution by LankaCom Privacy Policy
Loading comments…