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Akash Deep ten-for seals statement win for India

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Akash Deep and Mohammad Siraj took 17 of the 20 England wickets [Cricinfo]

After leaving out Jasprit Bumrah, losing the toss and waiting out a storm on the morning of day five, India beat England by 336 runs in this second Test, squaring the series 1-1 and winning their first Test at Edgbaston.

Fittingly, it was Akash Deep, Bumrah’s “replacement”, who capped off India’s dominance. A maiden five-wicket haul of 6 for 99, dismissed England for 271 in their second innings. He took 10 in the match, becoming only the second Indian bowler since Chethan Sharma in 1986, to use English conditions to such devastating effect.

The glory of a record-breaking Test for Shubman Gill has been enhanced ten-fold. His remarkable batting exploits – centuries in both innings, the first a double, 430 runs all in – have come in his first win as Test captain. Fittingly, Gill would take the catch for the final wicket, off Akash, both celebrating wildly themselves before meeting for a hug before both were engulfed by gleeful team-mates.

The scale of defeat made a mockery of the notion England might have fancied chasing a target of 608. At no point were they in with a shout.

Akash’s 21.1 overs were an exhibition of unerring accuracy, use of the crease and some devastating seam movement, stating his case for a starting berth of his own come Lord’s. Arriving into Sunday with Ben Duckett and Joe Root already in his back pocket, both bowled from the Pavilion End, he skittled a third from the City End when Ollie Pope defended onto his stumps 19 balls into a delayed morning session.

A handful of storms pushed the start time to 12:40pm, losing 10 of Sunday’s allotted 90 overs. By 1:04pm, India had the second of the seven wickets they arrived needing, when Harry Brook was pinned on the inside left knee, plumb in front.

The nip off an amenable final-day surface was vicious enough to have the England No. 5 limping out of his crease having been given out lbw by umpire Chris Gaffaney. Encouraged by Ben Stokes, Brook reviewed, which only served to offer a few slow-motion close-ups on the big screen of just how far Akash had decked the ball in. Five days of cricket had created enough wear and tear on a pitch that had produced 1692 runs and Akash kept hitting the cracks ruthlessly to gain the kind of movement that left the batter looking terribly unprepared. Brook was case in point.

It was then that Jamie Smith arrived, with the score 83 for 5, one run shy of the score when he walked in on day three on his way to a staggering 184 not out. Yet again, he put his team-mates in the shade, top-scoring with an 88 that was controlled, even with its pockets of assault, right until an attempt to strike Akash for three consecutive sixes on the leg side fell into the hands of Washington Sundar at deep backward square leg.

That was Washington’s second involvement on the fourth innings scorecard. His first came at the back end of a settling partnership between Smith and Stokes. A sixth-wicket stand had made it to 70, and almost to a very late lunch, before the tall offspinner struck. Around the wicket to the England captain, on 33, gorgeous drift was followed by enough turn to clip the edge of the left-hander’s pad as he pressed forward to defend. Stokes’ review of umpire Sharfuddoula’s on-field decision was more out of hope than expectation.

England did at least successfully overturn one decision, with Smith given out to Prasidh Krishna on 71, only for the projected path to show the ball was expected to clear the top of the stumps by a distance. Krishna, nevertheless, had a first wicket of the innings when Chris Woakes failed to keep a pull shot down.

Smith would fall three overs later, having already pulled the chord on some retaliatory boundaries. With 272 in the match, he now has the record for the most runs in a Test by an English wicketkeeper.

The real glory, however, was with those donned in Indian creams, and the majority of the 18,000 strong crowd, who by now were partying in the stands knowing the end was nigh.
It might have come sooner had KL Rahul hung onto a chance at slip off Brydon Carse, or Mohammed Siraj hung on to a skier from the same batter, even if Siraj had taken a spectacular catch at midwicket to see off Josh Tongue six balls earlier. Shoaib Bashir then successfully reviewed a catch to slip off Jadeja, who, like Akash earlier in the day, was making use of the uncertain bounce from the City End. But that only allowed the ideal finale of ‘caught Gill, bowled Akash’ as Carse holed out to cover.
India were smarting after they had done the running for the first four days in Leeds, only to lose on the day that mattered most. Here in Birmingham, they nailed every single one.
Brief scores:  
India 587 in 151 overs (Shubman Gill 269, Ravindra Jadeja 89, Yashasvi Jaiswal 87; Shoaib Bashir 3-167, Chris Woakes 2-81, Josh Tongue 2-119) and 427 for 6 dec in 83 overs  (Shubman Gill 161, Ravindra Jadeja 69, Rishabh Pant 65, KL Rahul 55;  Josh Tongue 2-93, Shoaib Bashir 2-119) beat England 407 in 89.3 overs (Jamie Smith 184, Harry Brook 158;  Akash Deep 4-88, Mohammed Siraj 6-70) and  271 in 68.1 overs  (Jamie Smith 88, Brydon Carse 38; Akash Deep 6-99, Mohammed Siraj 1-57) by 336 runs
[Cricinfo]


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Level III landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala and Matale extended

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The Level III landslide early warnings issued to the districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala and Matale by the landslide early warning center of the National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] have been extended until 1600 hrs on Friday [12th December 2025]

Accordingly,
The LEVEL III RED warnings issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Kundasale, Pasbage Korale, Medadumbara, Ganga Ihala Korale, Hatharaliyadda, Pathadumbara, Doluwa, Panvila, Gangawata Korale, Ududumbara, Akurana, Yatinuwara, Harispattuwa, Deltota, Thumpane, Poojapitiya, Udapalatha, Udunuwara, Minipe and Pathahewaheta in the Kandy district, Yatiyanthota in the Kegalle district, Rideegama, Mawathagama and Mallawapitiya in the Kurunegala district, and Yatawatta, Ambanganga Korale, Wilgamuwa, Laggala Pallegama, Rattota, Pallepola, Naula, Matale and Ukuwela in the Matale district have been extended.

LEVEL II AMBER landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Uva Paranagama, Hali_Ela, Meegahakivula, Badulla, Kandeketiya, Bandarawela, Soranathota, Ella, Haputhale, Lunugala, Welimada, Haldummulla and Passara in the Badulla district, Warakapola, Kegalle, Mawanella,  Rambukkana,  Bulathkohupitiya, Dehiowita, Ruwanwella,  Aranayaka, Galigamuwa and Deraniyagala in the Kegalle district, Alawwa and Polgahawela in the Kurunegala district, Kothmale East, Thalawakele, Walapane, Kothmale West, Nuwara Eliya, Mathurata, Nildandahinna, Hanguranketha, Ambagamuwa Korale and Norwood in the Nuwara Eliya district, and Kolonna, Kahawaththa and Godakawela in the Ratnapura district.

LEVEL I YELLOW landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Divulapitiya, Attanagalla and Mirigama in the Gampaha district, Narammala in the Kurunegala district, and Balangoda, Kalawana, Ratnapura, Kuruwita, Imbulpe, Ayagama, Openayake, Nivithigala, Kaltota, Eheliyagoda, Elapatha, Kiriella and Pelmadulla in the Ratnapura district.

 

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Bulgarian PM and government resign after mass protests

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The centre of Sofia filled with tens of thousands of protesters on Wednesday night calling for the government to go [BBC]

The government of Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov has resigned after protesters took to the streets in cities across the country and filled the centre of the capital Sofia on Wednesday night.

Zhelyazkov’s dramatic move came ahead of a vote of no confidence in parliament, and 20 days before Bulgaria joins the euro.

Protesters had accused his minority centre-right government, in power since January, of widespread corruption. The government had already scrapped a controversial budget plan for next year in response to the demonstrations last week.

“We hear the voice of citizens protesting against the government,” Zhelyazkov said in a TV address.

“Both young and old have raised their voices for our resignation,” he added. “This civic energy must be supported and encouraged.” A statement on the government website said ministers would continue in their roles until a new cabinet was elected.

Between 50,000 and 100,000 people turned out in Sofia’s central Triangle of Power and Independence Square on Wednesday evening calling for the government to go. The words “Resignation” and “Mafia Out” were projected onto the parliament building.

They were backed last week by President Rumen Radev who had also called on the government to stand down.

Reuters Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov speaks to the media before announcing the resignation of his government
Rosen Zhelyazkov has been in office for less than a year [BBC]

[BBC]

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Sri Lanka grateful for the support extended by the United States and other friendly nations following the recent disaster – President

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During a meeting at the Presidential Secretariat today (11), Ms. Allison Hooker, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, expressed her confidence in President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s leadership in steering Sri Lanka’s recovery and rebuilding efforts. She affirmed that the United States stands ready to provide any necessary support to assist Sri Lanka’s recovery.

Ms. Hooker also conveyed her condolences to the families of the victims of the disaster and expressed satisfaction at being able to extend assistance during this challenging period.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake conveyed his appreciation for the assistance provided by the President of the United States and the government in dispatching various relief teams to the country during this challenging period. The President also acknowledged the sincere support offered to Sri Lanka by all friendly nations globally, including the United States.

President Dissanayake highlighted that Sri Lanka encountered this disaster while the nation’s economy was on the path to stabilization and economic indicators were showing improvement. He emphasized the need for future focus on enhancing the livelihoods of those affected and on the long-term development of infrastructure facilities.

The President stated that restoring infrastructure, including highways and railways, as well as key income sources such as agriculture, livestock and small to medium-sized enterprises, which have been devastated by floods and landslides, will require time. He also expressed the expectation of support from all friendly nations in this effort.

The Under Secretary of State emphasized that the United States has drawn its attention to restarting discussions regarding US tariffs. Additionally, she expressed support for enhancing tourism between the United States and Sri Lanka, as well as for the growth of trade and maritime operations between the two nations. Furthermore, she highlighted U.S. support for Sri Lanka’s initiatives to combat drug-related issues.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake noted that a significant number of American tourists have visited the country recently and that Sri Lanka anticipates a continued increase in such arrivals. He acknowledged the support of the U.S. government in assisting the Sri Lankan people to overcome the ongoing disaster and improve their quality of life.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma and members of the U.S. diplomatic mission, including U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Ms. Julie Chang.

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