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Attacking Dhananjaya leads Sri Lanka recovery after Naseem’s strikes
For the third time in the series, Sri Lanka have lost their top order cheaply, and Dhananjaya de Silva has had to perform his rescue act. Sri Lanka were left floundering on 79 for 4 at lunch on the opening day of the second Test at SSC. Dhananjaya, unbeaten on 33, has Dinesh Chandimal, on 9, for company.
After a wet outfield courtesy overnight rain had delayed the start of play by 30 minutes, Karunaratne had been confident in his decision to bat first. While there was some moisture expected to be in the surface early on, that had been anticipated to dry up soon – and so it has – to make it easier for the batters, though only Dhananjaya has seen fit to follow script thus far.
Naseem Shah was the pick of the bowlers in the morning session, grabbing the key scalps of Dimuth Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews, while Shaheen Shah Afridi accounted for Kusal Mendis.
The mini collapse was catalysed courtesy another spectacular bit of fielding from the visitors, as Shan Masood effected a one-hand pick-up-and-release from short extra cover to throw down the stumps and find Nishan Madushka well short. The attempted single itself was indicative of the muddled thinking behind Sri Lanka’s process, as Karunaratne ushered his partner for a push-and-run single that was never on. Why such a tight run was being attempted in the third over of the first innings, on what for all purposes looked a pretty good batting surface, is anyone’s guess.
If that wicket was borne out of part Sri Lankan brain-fade and part Pakistani excellence, the next one was wholesale the former, with Mendis slashing one that was full and wide straight to point.
Pakistan up to that point had been prone to the odd loose delivery, but Naseem produced a searing spell and Mathews in particular was finding proceedings uncomfortable. Eventually, having poked and prodded at several deliveries in the channel outside off from Naseem, he nicked one through. Naseem then got one to just seam in a fraction to catch the inside edge of Karunaratne’s bat, as the Sri Lanka captain looked to drive one on the up
.At 36 for 4 this was Sri Lanka’s worst start this series – a considerable feat seeing as their previous two innings had seen them at 99 for 4 and 58 for 4. But if the other Sri Lankan batters were making mountains out of molehills, Dhananjaya was building highways; in their 43-run stand, Dhananjaya accounted for 33 off just 40 deliveries, while Chandimal’s 9 came off 36.
At times it did indeed seem like Dhananjaya was batting on an altogether different surface, frequently skipping down the track and lofting the spinners down the ground or over the covers. Even as lunch approached, and his rate of scoring slowed, the bad balls were put away. But with conditions quite comfortable for batting, Sri Lanka can scarcely afford any more slip-ups.
Brief scores: (at lunch)
People living on the northern Pacific coast of Mexico are bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Polo, which is forecast to make landfall later on Monday or early on Tuesday.
The category three storm, with maximum sustained winds near 115 mph (185 km/h), is expected to move over the state of Baja California Sur, a region popular with tourists and home to the resort destination of Los Cabos.
Meteorologists at the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) have warned of heavy rainfall which could lead to life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain.
Residents on Sunday stocked up on essentials such as drinking water and food as the storm approached.
The NHC warned of the storm surge Hurricane Polo could unleash, which it said could be accompanied by large and destructive waves.
In Cabo San Lucas, famous for its natural rock arch, the authorities restricted access to the beaches. Some restaurants also closed in the town, which acts as a base for sport fishers and whale watchers.
The regional government of Baja California Sur has ordered schools to remain closed on Monday as a preventive measure.
Governor Víctor Manuel Castro Cosío said temporary shelters had been opened should residents need to be evacuated.
The federal authorities have also deployed thousands of members of the navy and the army along with specialised machinery.
Polo has been slowly moving towards Mexico’s coast line.
Meteorologists said it was being fuelled by extremely warm waters caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon.
(BBC)
Like every year, Pushpraj Rimal, a tour planner and taxi driver in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, was looking forward to September for his business to boom.
But what he got instead was a series of cancellations by tourists after catastrophic floods last month killed more than 1,450 people and destroyed key highways, deeply impacting the Himalayan nation heavily dependent on tourism.
“It is still a lockdown kind of situation,” the 42-year-old told Al Jazeera nearly a month after the disaster.
Pushpraj, who speaks Nepali and Hindi, works on commission for several hotels and trekking companies in Kathmandu and the scenic town of Pokhara, known for its lake nestled in the Annapurna mountain range. Pokhara also serves as a base for Himalayan trekkers.
Nepal’s tourist season peaks after the monsoon ends in August and the skies are clearer. Tourism attracts thousands of international travellers, accounting for nearly 8 percent of Nepal’s gross domestic product and employs more than 1 million people.
Last year, Nepal saw more than 1.15 million tourists visiting the country, nearly a third of them during the September-November season.
But the floods this year, triggered by a glacial mountain collapse along the Nepal-Tibet border in the north, have pushed tourists away from the unaffected areas as well.
“I had rented two cars for two months, but I have done one fourth of the business I usually do in a season. Tourists generally start pouring in from September, but most of them have cancelled this year,” he said.
“I will get no commissions from the hotels or trek organisers, nor has the taxi business worked well. … I am now waiting for the season to end.”
Rimal has two children, Hema, 14, and Rahul, 12, whom he had promised a tablet this Dussain, a prominent Hindu festival that usually falls in October. “But it seems impossible now. I will have to break their hearts and my promise to them for the very first time.”
(Aljazeera)
World javelin leader Rumesh Tharanga lived up to his reputation to win Sri Lanka a highly anticipated gold medal, beating wet weather and track conditions at the Asia Games in Nagoya Japan a little while ago.
He took the lead with a massive 88.33 metres effort in his penultimate throw before sealing the contest with 88.55 metres throw.
He beat a strong field inclusive of reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan. (Reemus Fernando)
Mexico’s Pacific coast braces for Hurricane Polo
Washout against Afghanistan sends India into semi-finals
‘Still a lockdown’: Deadly floods hit Nepal tourism as peak season begins
Tharanga wins highly anticipated Asian Games gold
Tharanga on cusp of Asian Games Gold
Rain threat looms over lopsided India vs Afghanistan quarter-final
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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