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Oshada Fernando back in squad for Sri Lanka’s Tests against New Zealand
Top-order batter Oshada Fernando has returned to Sri Lanka’s Test fold following an 18-month absence, but this means there is no room for opening batter Nishan Madushka in Sri Lanka’s 16-man squad for this month’s two-Test series against New Zealand at home. Of those that toured England, fast-bowling allrounder Nisala Tharaka and seamer Kasun Rajitha are the other two to be left out.
Oshada’s return follows an impressive showing with the A team, who are currently touring South Africa.The 32-year-old batter, who has played 21 Tests, struck 122 and 80 on the way to a Player-of-the-Match showing, as Sri Lanka A won the first of two unofficial Tests in Kimberley. The performances were enough for the selectors to curtail his time in South Africa and shoehorn him into a Test squad for the first time since March 2023.
Madushka was unsurprisingly the odd man out, following a difficult tour of England where he accumulated scores of 4, 0, 7 and 13 over the first two Tests before being dropped for the third. His replacement at the top of the order, Pathum Nissanka struck a match-winning century in the final Teest, which now means there is no natural spot in the playing XI for the 25-year-old wicketkeeper.
Neither Tharaka nor Rajitha played a game in England, and with the seamers that did – Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando and Milan Rathnayake – impressing, Sri Lanka’s seam contingent was already overstocked considering the spin-friendly conditions expected in Galle.
Despite his recall, though, Oshada might find it difficult to secure a spot in what is a fairly settled batting order. Dimuth Karunaratne, Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis are all likely to retain their places in the XI, while Ramesh Mendis might slot in at No. 8 to bolster both the batting and spin-bowling ranks. There is also Sadeera Samarawickrama waiting in the wings.
With the remaining three slots going to lead spinner Prabath Jayasuriya and two others – likely two seamers, or possibly even an extra spinner in Jeffrey Vandersay – it’s hard to see where Oshada fits in unless one of the senior men in Mathews or Karunaratne makes way.
Both Tests will take place in Galle with the first Test beginning on September 18.
Sri Lanka Test squad against New Zealand
Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Oshada Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milan Rathnayake
After months of threats and pressure tactics, the United States has bombed Venezuela and toppled its president, Nicolas Maduro, who was seized and taken to New York, where he will be put on trial.
Maduro arrived on Saturday evening at a military base in the US after his “capture” by US forces in Caracas.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has slammed the “kidnapping” of Maduro and said that he is “the only president of Venezuela”.
US President Donald Trump says the “,US will run Venezuela and tap its vast oil reserves, but he gave few details on how the US will do this.
The United Nations Security Council is due to meet today (Monday) on the matter, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres saying the US actions set “a dangerous precedent”.
(Aljazeera)
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President Trump says the US has ‘captured’ Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and flown them out of the country
President Donald Trump says the United States has ‘captured’ Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and flown them out of the country after “large-scale” strikes.
Earlier, Venezuela’s government accused the US of attacking civilian and military installations in multiple states, as it rejected “military aggression” by Washington. The government of President Maduro had declared a national emergency following the series of attacks.
The attacks came after months of tension with the US, which has accused Venezuelan President Maduro of being involved in drug trafficking. Maduro has denied the accusations.
On Thursday, Maduro indicated he was open to negotiating a deal with the US to combat drug trafficking. The US has carried out more than 20 air strikes in the sea near Venezuela since September, as it slapped sanctions and upped military pressure on Caracas.
(Aljazeera)
The United States Coast Guard has said it has suspended its search for survivors days after the US military said it struck two more boats in the eastern Pacific amid its ongoing military campaign in waters in and around Venezuela.
In a statement shared on its website on Friday, the Coast Guard said the three-day search had been focused on water “approximately 400 nautical miles [about 740km] southwest of the Mexico/Guatemala border” and had continued for more than 65 hours, but that no sightings of survivors had been reported.
(Aljazeera)
Venezuela’s Maduro arrives in New York after ‘capture’
Showers will occur at times in the Eastern and Uva provinces and in Polonnaruwa, Matale and Nuwara-Eliya district
Teachers’ unions ‘ready to bring govt. to its knees’
Education Ministry drops idea of extending school hours
SLRC to disburse Rs 2420 mn in relief funds to 28,000 families
Elephant deaths spiral as law enforcement fails on ground – Wildlife DG
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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