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The Men’s 100: Jacks, Cox lead romp as Oval Invincibles close in on final berth

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ordan Cox continued his good form with a 27-ball 47 [Cricinfo]

Oval Invincibles all but booked their place in The Hundred Final at Lord’s next Sunday, with a crushing victory over London Spirit in a one-side Bank Holiday clash at the Kia Oval.

Sam Billings’ team will be there, barring a run-rate miracle later this week, without the agonies of going through Saturday’s Eliminator, having won the toss and chosen to field against their London rivals.

Their day started on the back foot, as Jamie Smith launched into a habitual powerplay onslaught. He sent the first two balls of the match from Jason Berhrendorff to the boundary, but he was then out for 28 from the 20th ball of the innings, having faced 15 of them. The game never looked quite so easy after that, the highlights being a stunning one-handed catch from Will Jacks to get rid of Surrey teammate Ollie Pope from a Sam Curran slower ball, and rapid cameos from Jamie Overton and Ryan Higgins, who exactly matched Smith’s stats despite a slow start. The two put on a tournament-high sixth wicket stand of 54.

A total of 152 for 7 seemed a little below-par on a decent surface, but a first-baller for Tawanda Muyeye gave the Spirit hope. Then Jacks and Jordan Cox put on 64 in 35 balls, Jacks taking the lead with some clean striking, a 92-metre maximum over extra cover off Overton the standout moment of his 27-ball 45.

Sam Curran joined Cox, so often a profitable partnership this year, and they eased their way towards their target before the Spirit’s most successful bowler, Liam Dawson, tempted Curran with a wide one that he skied to point. Cox (47 from 27), the competition’s leading run-scorer, hit Overton for six and four before he was castled trying to ramp the same bowler.

But that merely brought in Donovan Ferreira who again showcased his muscular hitting, ending with 24 off 9 as the Invincibles booked their passage to the final (barring an almost impossible 200+ swing) by six wickets with 22 balls to spare.

Of his catch, Meerkat Match Hero Jacks said: “We were struggling to see the ball today, so I picked it up late, pure luck!”

And of the batting effort: “It felt brilliant with the bat, the wicket only got better as the lights came on and Coxy made it easy for me. We’ve been looking for that top spot, we know how important it is to get straight to the final and to be able to watch the two teams play the night before. We’ve still got things to improve on… but we’re looking forward to Sunday.”

Brief scores:
Oval Invincibles [Men]  153 for 4 in 78 balls (Jordan Cox 47, Will Jacks 45, Sam Curran 27, Donovan Fereira 24; Richard Gleeson 1-21, Jamie Overton 1-35, Liam Dawson 2-30) beat London Spirit [Men]  152 for 7 in 100 balls (Jamie Smith 28, David Warner 10, Kane Williamson 21, Ashton turner 19, Jamie Overton 31, Ryan Higgins 28; Jason Behrendorff 1-30, Tom Curran 2-27, Sam Curran 1-30,  Nathan Sowter 2-23) by six wickets

[Cricinfo]



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UAE keep semi-final hopes alive after convincing win over Indonesia

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Five different UAE bowlers took wickets on Friday evening (Asian Cricket Council)

A complete performance from UAE’s bowling unit kept their semi-final hopes alive at the 2026 Women’s T20 Asia Cup,  skittling Indonesia  for 73 and then completing the chase with six wickets to spare. They now have to beat Bangladesh on September 8 and also hope other results go their way.

UAE were on top right from the first ball courtesy offspinner Suraksha Kotte,  who starred with 3 for 16. Kotte struck with the first two balls of the innings, dismissing Indonesia opener Maria Corazon and No. 3 Ni Luh Dewi for first-ball ducks. UAE captain Esha Oza (2 for 11) then dismissed the other opener Rahmawati Pangestuti in the fourth over.

Indonesia captainN8 Puu Ayu Nanda Sakarini  top-scored with a lone hand of 39 off 52 balls, with four fours and a six, accounting for 53.4% of Indonesia’s runs. But with little support, they could not find a way back in and were bowled out for 73.

Slow left-arm spinner Heena Hotchandani (2 for 6) and seamer Samaira Dharnidharka (1 for 12) also got among the wickets. Legspinner Vaishnave Mahesh struck twice in the 20th over to clean up the tail.

UAE openers Theertha Satish and Oza put on 17 for the first wicket. After losing Theertha in the fifth over, Oza hit two boundaries in each of the sixth and eighth overs. No. 3 Rinitha Rajith then hit three fours off Sofia Velic in the ninth over.

A brief wobble followed for UAE as they slid from 62 for 1 to 68 for 4. Oza fell for a 29-ball 30 at the start of the 11th over to Ni Ariani and Velic grabbed two wickets in the 12th. However, with only six runs needed, UAE wrapped up the chase at the start of the 14th over, the tournament hosts securing two points with 41 balls to spare. This was also Indonesia’s final match of the campaign, bowing out with losses in all three games.

Scores:

UAE Women 75 for 4 8n 13.1 overs  (Esha Oza 30, Rinitha Rajith 22; Ni Riani 1-10, Sang Maypriani 1-17,  Sofia Velic 2-25) beat IndonesiaWomen  73 in 19.4 overs (N8 Putu Ayu  Nanda Sakarini 39, Desi Wulandari 12; Suraksha  Kotte 3-16, Heena  Hotchandani 2-06, Esha  Oza 2-11, Samira Dharnidarkha 1-12 ) by six wickets

(Cricinfo)

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Sun directly overhead Moratuwa, Kesbewa, Handapangoda, Idalgashinna, Yudhaganawa, Kotiyagala and Panama about 12.08 noon today (05)

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The sun is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from 28th of August to 07th of September due to its apparent southward relative motion.

The nearest places of Sri Lanka over which the sun is
overhead today (05) are Moratuwa, Kesbewa, Handapangoda, Idalgashinna, Yudhaganawa, Kotiyagala and Panama about 12.08 noon

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Kusal Mendis, Binura Fernando ruled out of T20I series in England

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Kusal Mendis hasn't played competitively since July 19 (Cricinfo)

Kusal Mendis and Binura Fernando have been ruled out of Sri Lanka’s upcoming T20I series against England,  with the SLC saying that the two were “still undergoing rehabilitation” after injuries picked up at the 2026 Lanka Premier League.

The update came just over a day after the two were named in the 16-member squad, with Kusal retained as captain of both the T20I and the ODI sides.Charith Asalanka, who had returned to the vice-captain’s position for the series, will now lead the side in the T20Is. Though Kusal hasn’t been ruled out of the ODIs just yet, were he to miss out, Asalanka, as the designated vice-captain, might step in there too.

Kusal has been out of action since July 19 with a right hamstring injury, while Binura hasn’t played since August 5, SLC putting his absence down to a back injury.

Pavan Rathnayake, the 24-year-old top-order batter, has replaced Kusal in the T20I touring party, while Dilshan Madushanka, the fast bowler who was in the squad for the Tests against India recently but didn’t get to play, has come in for Binura.

Asalanka returned to the leadership group three months after being deposed as ODI captain and six months after being sidelined from the T20I unit. He last played a T20I in February this year, but is currently part of St Lucia Kings’ line-up at CPL 2026. His returns have been mediocre, though: 93 runs at a strike rate of 124 from six innings.
The T20Is will be played on September 15 (Southampton), September 17 (Cardiff) and September 19 (Manchester), while the ODIs will take place on September 22 (Chester-le-Street), September 24 (Leeds) and September 27 (The Oval).
Sri Lanka T20I squad for the tour of England
Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara (wk), Lahiru Udara (wk), Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka (capt), Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Dasun Shanaka, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Tharindu Rathnayake, Dushmantha Chameera, Eshan Malinga, Nuwan Thushara, Dilshan Madushanka

(Cricinfo)

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