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Duckett, Crawley, Pope tons seal England’s day of dominance
Ben Duckett brought up his fifth Test hundred and first at his home ground at exactly a run ball. Zak Crawley got a first Test century since July 2023, 28 innings ago. Between them, they shared in England’s highest-opening stand at home since 1960. Ollie Pope added the trimmings with his third hundred in as many Tests at Trent Bridge and eighth against as many different oppositions and England scored the most runs on the first day of a Test in England. If that reads like all-out dominance, it was.
It was also a rude welcome for Zimbabwe’s XI, none of whom had played a Test in England before, and many of whom will not remember the last time their team were in the country 22 years ago. The warning signs were there after Zimbabwe lost to a Professional County Club Select XI last week but the true magnitude of the gulf between them and those who play Tests more regularly was laid bare on a bruising first day.
After Craig Ervine chose to bowl first under cloudy skies, Zimbabwe’s four-seam, single-spinner attack struggled for consistency and were hurt by the loss of one of their cogs for most of the day. Opening bowler Richard Ngaraya left the field ten minutes into the second session with what was later confirmed to be a back spasm. He returned an hour and five minutes into the third, with a ginger step. He fielded for a few minutes but was soon back in the dressing room, which limited his day’s work to nine overs in the morning.
Premier seamer Blessing Muzarabani, who was also the most threatening of the quicks, bowled 20 overs while Sikandar Raza delivered 24 overs but little Zimbabwe tried hurt England. The hosts’ top-order batted with exactly the right mix of caution and aggression, though the scoring rate of 5.66 would suggest only the latter.
Duckett and Crawley started with some circumspection and the first six overs brought just 19 runs. But that was as good as it got for Zimbabwe as boundaries came soon after, and regularly. Crawley announced himself with a cracking drive through the covers, which was followed by Duckett taking on Muzarabani off the front and back foot. After 10 overs, Ervine made his first change and introduced Tanaka Chivanga, whose opening over cost 12.
Chivanga was the only one to find some swing and Duckett had a nervy moment when he miscued a drive into the off side but there was no fielder close enough to attempt a catch. Duckett lashed the next ball over the slips and to the boundary to bring up fifty off 47 balls. Crawley’s fifty came in Victor Nyauchi’s first over, when he whipped the ball through square leg and ran a comfortable two, and England went to lunch on 130 for 0.
Zimbabwe thought they had some luck in the over after the break when Nyauchi, from around the wicket, believed he had found Duckett’s edge. It turned out to be a flick of his jumper. At the end of that over, Duckett edged Nyauchi between wide slip and gully and moved into the 80s. He reverse-swept and cut Raza to enter the 90s and then worked him square for a single to bring up his century.
Still, Zimbabwe’s hopes of seeing the back of Duckett were kept alive. On 104, he popped Nyauchi a return chance but the ball fell short. And then Duckett went full throttle. He cut Chivanga over cover point and pulled him over deep backward square for the first six of the match, and seemed unstoppable. With Duckett on 130 and Zimbabwe all but out of options, Wessly Madhevere was brought on and immediately hit for four through the covers and then launched over midwicket for six. Against the run of play, Duckett hit Madhevere’s next ball straight to Ben Curran at cover and could not believe what he had done. He trudged off as Zimbabwe enjoyed their first smiles of the day, only to look up and see Pope.
In the first 18 balls he faced, Pope hit six fours, a sign of what was to come. By tea, Pope was on 49 off 46 balls. Crawley, content with the supporting act, had worked his way to 93.
Pope’s fifty came two balls into the third session and he had reached 61 when Crawley got a leading edge off Nyauchi and ran the single that took him to three figures. His sedate celebration seemed to spell relief, not jubilation, and could quieten criticism ahead of sterner challenges to follow. He added 24 more runs before missing a sweep against Raza, to be given out lbw. Crawley reviewed but replays showed it was hitting leg stump.
Pope’s charge continued undeterred with an array of strokes all around the ground and his hundred came up with a cut. It marked the eighth different opponent he had scored a century against. The milestones kept coming as Joe Root became the fifth player to score 13,000 Test runs and the numbers may have made Zimbabwe giddy.
They took the second new-ball as soon as it became available and it only gave England more scoring opportunities. Root hit the first delivery for four, then Pope took two more fours off a tiring Muzarabani’s 17th over (and ensured he conceded 100) to reach 150. To add insult to injury he followed an Nyauchi inswinger and helped it over fine leg, which meant England had scored 22 runs off seven deliveries. It did not all go their way, however. Muzarabani finally had some reward when he sent down a surprise bouncer and Root top-edged to Sean Williams at fine leg.
That was as much reward as Zimbabwe got as Pope and Harry Brook batted out the rest of the day to finish two short of 500. Pope was unbeaten on 169 off 163 balls.
Brief scores:
England 498 for 3 in 88 overs (Ollie Pope 169*, Ben Duckett 140, Zak Crawley 124, Joe Root 34; Wessley Madhevere 1-34) vs Zimbabwe
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Heat Index at ‘Caution Level’ in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Eastern, North-western, Northern and North-central provinces and in Monaragala district
Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 30 March 2026, valid for 31 March 2026.
The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Eastern, North-western, Northern and North-central provinces and in Monaragala district.
The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.
Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.
ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.
Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.
The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has granted approval to increase electricity tariffs with effect from 1st April .
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) requested a 13.56% electricity tariff revision for the second quarter of this year.
The revision announced by the PUCSL for domestic consumers:
0–30 units category, electricity tariffs will rise by 4.3%,
31–60 units category, tariffs will rise by 6.9%,
61–90 units category, tariffs will rise by 6.9%,
91–120 units category, tariffs will rise by 7.2%,
Above 180 units, electricity tariffs will rise by 25.3%
The PUCSL has decided not to increase electricity tariffs for religious and charitable institutions that consume below 180 units monthly and a 9.6% increase for institutions that consume above 180 units.
Ectricity tariffs for the general and household consumer categories has been increased by 8%, while the electricity tariff increase for the industrial sector is 8.7%, the increase in tariff for government institutions is 14.4%.
Before Sunday, Mumbai Indians had never chased down a 220-plus target in their previous seven attempts. MI had never won their opening game of the IPL since 2012. On day two of IPL 2026, MI broke two jinxes as they chased down 221 in 19.1 overs to begin their season with a comfortable six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders. Rohit Sharma wound back the clock, smashing 78 off 38 balls, while Ryan Rickelton thumped 81 off 43, the duo adding 148 runs for the opening wicket off 71 balls.
That KKR were coming into this opening game severely depleted on the bowling front was known. The extent of it was visible on Sunday night with Vaibhav Arora and Blessing Muzarabani toothless, Varun Chakravarthy ineffective and Sunil Narine a shadow of his former self.
At the halfway mark, KKR might have been happy reaching 220 for 4, their second-highest score against MI in the IPL. Ajinkya Rahane, who at the toss said that he had “never seen so much of grass at Wankhede”, scored 67 off 40 balls while Angkrish Raghuvanshi, another Mumbai lad, made 51 off 29 as KKR breached the 220 mark. But against a KKR unit missing several of their frontline seamers, MI barely had any hiccups, completing the highest-successful IPL chase at the Wankhede with five balls to spare.
It was a typical Rohit innings that Wankhede has witnessed so many times, laced with some of the most pristine shots. He was on 12 off eight at one stage, but once in, he lit up Mumbai like only he can. Coming into the game, he had a strike rate of less than 100 against Varun in T20s. So, what did he do? He lofted the spinner inside-out over covers first ball and then lifted him for six the next ball. By the time the powerplay was done, Rohit had raced to a 23-ball fifty, his fastest in the IPL and MI’s chase was on course.
They raced to 80 in the first six, past 100 in 8.1 overs and by the time Rohit fell, thanks to a lovely catch by Anukul Roy running back from mid-off, MI’s required rate had gone below nine, which at the start of the innings was above 11 an over.
There were a few raised eyebrows when Rickelton was picked over the more experienced Quinton de Kock , but the former justified his selection. Rickelton needed just the first couple of overs to get a hang of the surface and once he did, there was no stopping him. He deposited Arora for back-to-back sixes, one over extra cover and then over deep midwicket, and that kickstarted a brutal takedown of the KKR bowlers.
While he saw Rohit do his thing in the powerplay, Rickelton took on Narine after the six-over mark. He slog swept him over deep midwicket in his first over and then launched him over the ropes twice in three balls in the next to raise a 24-ball fifty.
He didn’t stop there and only fell courtesy a stunning direct hit from the deep by Anukul. Suryakumar Yadav, the Impact Sub, came and went, but Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma took MI closer. Hardik finished on an unbeaten 18 off 11 balls, while Naman Dhir hit the winning runs off Anukul as MI started their IPL 2026 in style.
Finn Allen brought his stellar form international cricket to the IPL. After facing five dot balls against Hardik, he went after MI debutant AM Ghazanfar, pumping him to the deep square fence and then spanking him for an 86-metre six over wide long-on. Another six capped off Ghazanfar’s opening over. Rahane then went after Hardik, thumping him for back-to-back sixes and Allen then got on strike and went 4, 4, 4. A monster 26-run over against Hardik helped KKR race past fifty in 3.5 overs, their fastest against MI in the IPL.
Shardul Thqkur, on MI debut, then brought his experience into play and sent back Allen who shoveled a slower length ball to long-off but Rahane carried on. He struck two fours off Thakur as KKR finished on 78 for 1 in six overs.
Two Mumbai boys on opposite ends were critical to their team’s cause. After removing Allen, Thakur sent back Cameron Green, whose innings lasted just ten balls and he then dismissed Rahane with a hard length delivery outside off that was mistimed to extra cover. At this point, KKR were still going at over ten an over but had lost steam, thanks to some terrific bowling from Bumrah, Trent Boult and Thakur.
Enter the other Mumbai boy, Raghuvanshi. He was on 17 off 14 at one stage but found a new lease of life after being dropped by Rohit at long-on. He closed out the 15th over with a four and six against Ghazanfar and then launched Thakur over long-on. Raghuvanshi added 60 off 30 balls with Rinku Singh for the fourth wicket, reaching his fifty off 28 balls as KKR raced past 200 in the 19th over.
Rinku struck unbeaten on 33 off 21 as KKR finished on 220 for 4 but it wasn’t enough.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians 221 for 4 in 19.1 overs (Ryan Rickelton 81, Rohit Sharma 78, Suryakumar Yadav 16, Tilak Varma 20, HardikPandya 18*; Vaibhav Arora 1-52, Kartik Tyagi 1-43, Sunil Narine 1-30) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 220 for 4 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 67, Finn Allen 37, Cameron Green 18, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 51, Rinku Singh 33*; Hardik Pandya 1-39, Shardul Thakur 3-39) by six wickets
[Cricinfo]
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