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Australia’s quicks rattle India on stop-start day in Brisbane
Only 33.1 overs were possible on what may have been the stop-startiest day in the history of Test cricket, featuring as many as eight stoppages for rain, but Australia kept alive their hopes of going 2-1 up with two days remaining at the Gabba. They stretched their first-innings total to 445 on the morning of day three before Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins ripped out India’s top order over the remainder of the day’s play, in between the many rain breaks.
India went to stumps at 51 for 4, 394 runs adrift of Australia, and their first target when the Test match resumes will be to get to 246 to avoid the follow-on. If they get there, they dramatically improve their chances of getting to Melbourne with the series still level. Rain is expected on days four and five as well, so Australia may be battling time if they’re forced to bat again.
Australia’s last three wickets added 40 runs to their overnight 405 for 7. There were brief spells of rain either side of the 17.1 overs they took to do so as well as one in between, after Jasprit Bumrah removed Pat Cummins to pick up his sixth wicket of the innings and his 50th in Tests in Australia. Alex Carey, who had raced to 45 on the evening of day two to keep Australia’s advantage intact after a three-wicket burst from Bumrah, brought up his half-century and played some resplendent strokes – including an effortless six over wide long-off off Akash Deep – before he was last out for 70. He was out to Akash Deep, who finally got a wicket with the 53rd false shot he had induced in the innings.
Australia’s fast bowlers then began to show how much more they could get out of this Gabba surface than India’s quicks had managed, thanks to both home and height advantage, with all three of Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins measuring upwards of 6’5″. They often found seam movement when they hit the pitch on a length or back of it, and occasionally awkward bounce too, with Hazlewood striking KL Rahul’s wrist with his first ball of the match.
By then, India were already one down, with Yashasvi Jaiswal having fallen second ball, flicking Starc uppishly and straight to Mitchell Marsh at square leg. Starc struck once more in his second over, slanting a full one away from Shubman Gill and inducing a drive away from the body with his head not on top of the ball. The ball flew quickly to the left of gully, and Marsh was once again in position to intercept it, this time with a spectacular dive to his left.
As much as the ball was doing off the deck, both of India’s wickets had fallen to avoidable shots, and the trend continued when Kohli – who, in the previous over, had to react quickly to fend away a Starc lifter that leapt towards his head – drove loosely at a wide one from Hazlewood and edged behind, falling early once again in series marked by uncertainty outside off stump.
Rain returned immediately after Kohli’s dismissal, prompting lunch to be taken early, and there was another interruption 11 balls after resumption. None of this was helping Australia’s victory push, but it was also keeping their fast bowlers fresh. It also meant India’s batters had to get their eye in multiple times.
All this, and superb bowling, contributed to India’s next wicket, with Cummins slanting one across Rishabh Pant from over the wicket and landing it on the perfect line and length to draw an uncertain forward-defensive push. Australia have noted Pant’s tendency to aim down the ground while defending balls angled across him, rather than going with the angle and playing later and squarer on the off side. This particular ball threatened to swing back into Pant before nipping away off the pitch, and found his edge through to Carey.
All through this, Rahul had batted with something approaching certainty, showing excellent judgment in the fourth-stump channel as well as a readiness – both in terms of intent and the timing of his weight transfer – to drive balls pitched up to him. Apart from one sliced effort that flew through the backward point region, he drove with certainty, picking up three fours through the covers on his way to 33 off 64 balls at stumps. With him was his captain Rohit Sharma, who was still to open his account.
Brief scores:
India 51 for 4 in 17 overs (KL Rahul 33*; Mithell Starc 2-25) trail Australia 445 in 117.1 overs (Travis Head 152, Steven Smith 101, Alex Carey 70; Jasprit Bumrah 6-76, Mohammed Siraj 2-97) by 394 runs
[Cricinfo]
Approval has been granted at the cabinet meeting held on 01-03-2023 for the National Curriculum Framework and the methodology for implementing the aforementioned framework, which was initiated by the National Institute of Education in 2019 under the education reform process.
However, considering the modules relevant to Grades 1, 6, and 10 that have been prepared by the National Institute of Education for the implementation of the new education reforms by the time the new government comes into power in 2024, it was planned to implement the new National Curriculum Framework only for Grades 1 and 6 in 2026, ensuring appropriate adjustments to the new government’s policies.
Further, it has also been planned to introduce vocational subjects from grade 10 onwards.
Accordingly, the concept paper required for ‘Transformational Change in Sri Lanka’s General Education’, which has been prepared to inform and make relevant parties aware of the proposed adjustments, has also been submitted to the Parliamentary Subcommittee on Education Reforms on 22-10-2025.
Subsequently, as decided at the Cabinet Meeting held on 13-01-2026, steps have been taken to postpone the implementation of education reforms for grade 6, which had been planned under the first phase of the comprehensive reform agenda for general
education, up to the year 2027, and only to implement new curriculum reforms for grade 1 in the year 2026.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education has followed these steps.
• preparing a new concept paper with policy recommendations after reviewing the concept paper prepared related to bringing about transformational change in Sri Lanka’s general education
by the National Education Commission.
• Having reviewed the revised concept paper by the National Steering Committee established as per the cabinet decision dated 23-03-2026 and subcommittees established under 5 pillars
relevant to the education reforms-namely Curriculum Reform, Human Resource Development, Education Administrative Reforms & Infrastructure Development, Evaluation & Assessment, and Public Awareness & Promotion-and obtaining further observations and recommendations.
• Based on those observations and recommendations, further revising the National Curriculum Framework prepared by the National Institute of Education in 2023 and obtaining approval
from the Academic Affairs Board of the National Institute of Education.
• Obtaining approval from the Council of the National Institute of Education for the National Curriculum Framework approved by its Academic Affairs Board.
• Obtaining concurrence from the National Steering Committee for New Education Reforms on 2026-08-13 for the National Curriculum Framework approved by the Council of the National Institute of Education.
• Printing and preparing activity books and teacher guides for all 3 terms of Grade 1 and Grade 2 for the year 2027, so as to continue carrying forward the primary education reforms
commenced in the year 2026.
• Preparing Grade 6 modules for Terms I, II, and III, as well as teacher guides for all 3 terms.
• Master trainers have been trained by the National Institute of Education for all primary and secondary subjects, and all plans related to teacher training at the provincial level have been
prepared.
• Formulating the policy guidelines on school-based evaluation and assessment—prepared for practical implementation while managing available resources within the school system by the
Evaluation and Assessment Sub-Committee and obtaining the approval of the National Steering Committee.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Hon. Prime Minister in her capacity as the Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education to further implement the education reform process for grade 1, which has been initiated in the year 2026,
and to further initiate the education reform process for grade 2 and grade 6 in the year 2027, based on the concept paper prepared by the National Education Commission, the National Curriculum Framework approved by the National Steering Committee for New Education Reforms, and the School-Based
Evaluation and Assessment Guideline.
Sri Lanka will face India in the semi-finals of Asian Games men’s tournament after their quarter-final clash against Nepal was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Nisshin, Japan. The game was called off prior to the toss, with rain having begun hours prior to the scheduled 9am local start and not looking like abating.
Sri Lanka’s progression was assured by virtue of their higher seeding in terms of the ICC T20I rankings – Sri Lanka, alongside India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are the four seeded teams in the tournament. On Monday, India had qualified over Afghanistan after another washout, again by virtue of their higher. Similarly, Pakistan’s qualification was assured following a rain abandonment in their quarter-final against Hong Kong.
In the 2022 Asian Games, Sri Lanka had been eliminated at the quarter fial stages by Afghanistan. Another washout in the semis against, India though, will see the latter qualify for the final.
A few hours later, the fourth quarter-final between Bangladesh and Malaysia was also washed out. Bangladesh will now face Pakistan in the first semi-final on October 1, followed by India vs Sri Lanka later on the same day
(Cricinfo)
The Bangladesh vs Malaysia abandonment on Tuesday completed a quartet of rained off matches in the Asian Games men’s tournament. The match was called off two hours before the toss, with the teams told not to even turn up at the venue.
Bangladesh, by virtue of higher seeding, go through to the semi-finals where they will now face Pakistan on October 1. Earlier in the morning, the Sri Lanka vs Nepal fixture was also called off due to rain, with Sri Lanka advancing into the semi-finals where they will meet India.
There is, however, some good news, as the weather forecast in Nisshin is better for the semi-final and the medal match day, on October 1 and 3, respectively.
In the last edition (2023), Bangladesh had lost to India in the semi-final but won the third-place playoff against Pakistan to take home the bronze medal. They had won the bronze in 2014 as well and Bangladesh’s best finish was winning the gold medal in 2010, when they beat Afghanistan in the final.
(Cricinfo)
Cabinet nod to increase the number of new automated passenger clearance gates at the Bandaranayake International Airport to 12
Draft Bill for amending the Trust Ordinance
Implementing further relief programme to Public sffected by the Middle East conflict situation
Establishment of a Spectrum Management and Monitoring System and a Quality of Service and Quality of Experience System for the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka
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Ten-Year National Action Plan on the Social Protection Sector (2026–2035)
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