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Rajitha five-fer completes Bangladesh demolition
Kasun Rajitha’s five-fer got the job done for Sri Lanka on the fourth day as the visitors took a 1-0 lead in the two-match series following a 328 run win. Chasing an almost improbable 511, Bangladesh were already reeling at 47/5 by stumps on the third day. They only managed to add 135 runs on the fourth day before folding for 182.
Rajitha struck after just two overs into the day’s play by trapping Taijul Islam leg-before-wicket and thought he had Mehidy Hasan as well in the same over but only managed to burn a review. Mehidy and Mominul Haque hit a flurry of boundaries to keep the scorecard moving. With the boundaries coming thick and fast, Sri Lanka managed to waste another review in desperation.
The boundary-laden period finally came to an end when Rajitha managed to eke out an edge off Mehidy who found the fielder at second slip. Mominul was then left to wage a lone battle alongside the tail. While he helped himself to a half-century, Sri Lanka made inroads at the other end.
Rajitha, who came back into the attack, struck twice in succession. After dismissing Shoriful Islam for 12, he found the outside edge of Khaled Ahmed off the very next delivery to complete his five-fer. In a desperate bid to get to his century, Mominul opened up and smashed Prabath Jayasuriya for 6,4,4 to round off an over but Lahiru Kumara denied him the landmark by striking at the other end to complete the win and open Sri Lanka’s account in the WTC standings.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka280 (Kamindu Mendis 102, Dhananjaya de Silva 102; Khaled Ahmed 3/72) and 418 (Kamindu Mendis 164, Dhananjaya de Silva 108; Mehidy Hasan 4/74) beat Bangladesh 188 (Taijul Islam 47; Vishwa Fernando 4/48) and 182 (Mominul Haque 87*; Kasun Rajitha 5/56) by 328 runs
The Rose Bowl, which has been awarded to the winner of ODI series between the women’s teams of Australia and New Zealand since 1985, has now been expanded to include T20Is as well.
New Zealand’s three match T20I tour of Australia, which begins on Sunday at the North Sydney Oval, will be the first T20I edition of the Rose Bowl. The teams will get to face off again for the trophy in March 2027 when they meet again for three ODIs, also in Australia.
For Rose Bowl series that include matches in both white-ball formats, the trophy will go to the team with the most wins overall. In case of a drawn series, the current holder will retain the trophy.
“The Rose Bowl is a prestigious trophy that holds a lot of meaning to current and past players, and it’s a series we’ve always taken a lot of pride in competing in,”Catherine Campbell, NZC’s chief cricket operations officer and a former New Zealand player, said. “With so much T20I cricket now being played, this is a brilliant opportunity to keep the Rose Bowl relevant and to build on the history between us and our Australian rivals.”
New Zealand captain Melie Kerr was excited by the broadening of opportunities to compete for the Rose Bowl.
“We’re all aware of what the Rose Bowl represents and the importance it holds in the White Ferns whakapapa [genealogy],” said Kerr. “Great players and teams have fought for it over the years and we’d love the opportunity to claim our own piece of that history.”
Australia have held the Rose Bowl continuously since wresting it back from New Zealand in 2000. Since that 3-0 win, Australia have won 18 times with one series – in 2008-09 – shared 2-2. Overall, Australia have won 26 of the 31 ODI series played for the Rose Bowl, with New Zealand winning three times and three series drawn.
North Sydney will host all three T20Is of the upcoming Rose Bowl series, on October 18, 20 and 22.
[Cricinfo]
US President Donald Trump claims the US Navy’s “effective” blockade has stopped all Iranian ships from crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy says a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil has struck a sea mine while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz through an “unauthorised” route.
The collision caused a huge explosion and a major fire on board the vessel, the IRGC said in a statement reported by semi-official Tasnim news agency.
It alleged that the tanker had turned off all tracking and radar systems, attempting to pass through the strait using deception and with US military support.
‘The Strait of Hormuz is closed’, the IRGC navy warned, adding that vessels violating Iranian regulations would face severe consequences for relying on US backing.
[Aljazeera]
Squad for the first three ODIs: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer [VC], KL Rahul [WK], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna*, Kuldeep Yadav
Squad for fourth and fifth ODIs: Shreyas Iyer [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan [WK, VC], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav
[Cricbuzz]
Rose Bowl expanded to include Australia vs New Zealand T20Is
Trump claims US Navy blockade stops Iranian ships in Hormuz
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Lanka Air Force joins multinational exercise in India
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