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Athapaththu, Priyadharshani set up Sri Lanka’s first T20I win over West Indies since 2015
A career-best bowling performance from Chamari Athapaththu and an incisive spell from offspinner Inoshi Priyadarshani set up Sri Lanka’s first win over West Indies in women’s T20Is since 2015.
Athapaththu and Priyadharshani shared seven wickets, with the former finishing with 4 for 29, to restrict West Indies to 134 for 8. In reply, Sri Lanka romped home with four wickets and eight balls to spare to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
Hayley Matthews managed to see the early back of Athapaththu in the third over. However, Vishmi Guneratne and Harshita Samarawickrama did not let Sri Lanka feel the nerve. They batted positively in stitching a 46-run stand for the second wicket with Gunaratne being the aggressor. She hit six fours in her 35-run knock, that included the reverse sweep as well.
In a bid to attack legspinner Afy Fletcher, Gunaratne holed out to long-on, giving the tourists a slight opening. Samarawickrama then took charge even as Kavisha Dilhari was trapped in front by Karishma Ramharack. She used her feet to put the spinners off their lines and lengths and scored 35. But after she was cleaned up by Aaliyah Alleyne, Sri Lanka lost 3 for 20 to raise hopes for West Indies, who lost the ODI series 3-0. The experienced Nilakshika Silva then took the hosts home, staying unbeaten on 17.
Earlier, West Indies received an injury scare for Stafanie Taylor after being asked to bat. She injured her leg while returning to her crease in the third over and had to be stretchered off, but then returned after the fall of the first wicket in the seventh over – when Athapaththu bowled Qiana Joseph.
The Sri Lankan spinners, led by Priyadharshani, kept a lid on West Indies’ scoring throughout, highlighted by Matthews’ run-a-ball 30 being the top-score for them. Thanks to an enterprising 33-run partnership between Alleyne (26 off 22) and Fletcher (14 not out off 11) in just 23 balls, West Indies were able to score 35 runs off the last four overs to finish with a decent score.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka Women 137 for 6 in 18.4 overs (Vishmi Gunaratne 35, Harshitha Samarawickrama 35, Hasini Perera 20, Nilakshika Silva 17*; Shamilia Connell 1-15, Hayley Mathews 1-19, Karishma Ramharak 1-30, Afy Fletcher 2-29, Aaliyah Alleyne 1-14) beat West Indies Women 134 for 8 in 20 overs (Hayley Matthews 30, Qiana Joseph 20, Aaliyah Alleyne 26; Chamari Athapaththu 4-29, Inoshi Priyadharshani 3-28, Ama Kanchana 1-19) by four wickets
[Cricinfo]
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Heavy rainfall of about 100 mm are likely at some places in Central, Sabaragamuwa, Western, Southern and Uva provinces and in Kurunegala and Polonnaruwa districts
WEATHER FORECAST FOR 01 APRIL 2025
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 01 April 2025 by the Department of Meteorology
The atmospheric conditions are getting favorable for afternoon thundershowers in the most parts of the island for next few days from today (01).
Misty conditions can be expected at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-central and Uva provinces and in Galle, Matara and Kurunegala districts during the morning.
Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in the most parts of the island during the afternoon or night. Heavy rainfall of about 100 mm are likely at some places in Central, Sabaragamuwa, Western, Southern and Uva provinces and in Kurunegala and Polonnaruwa districts.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershower
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has nominated a former Navy commander to head the country’s domestic security services, despite the courts having blocked his bid to fire the previous head of Shin Bet.
Netanyahu’s office announced on Monday that he had nominated Vice Admiral Eli Sharvit to lead the agency, which surveils attacks from abroad and at home, including by armed groups based in Palestine and Lebanon. However, a halt to the sacking of Ronen Bar as head of Shin Bet, ordered by the Supreme Court, remains in place.
[Aljazeera]
The Trump administration has deported 17 more alleged gang members to El Salvador, the US state department has said, despite legal battles over removing people to the Central American country’s supermax prison.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the group included members of the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs.
Salvadoran government officials told the BBC they included a mix of Venezuelans and Salvadorans.
Earlier this month a court ordered a halt to deportations carried out under the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law previously used only in wartime. However, US media, citing administration sources, reported that the recent deportations were made under general immigration laws.
In a statement, Rubio said the group included “murderers and rapists”, but did not provide names or details of the alleged crimes or of any convictions.
In a post on X, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele shared a dramatically edited video showing shackled men being loaded off a plane and their heads being shaved before they were put into prison cells.
“All individuals are confirmed murderers and high-profile offenders, including six child rapists,” he wrote. “This operation is another step in the fight against terrorism and organized crime.”
President Trump reposted the message, blamed the administration of his predecessor Joe Biden for allowing the deportees into the US and thanked Bukele for “giving them such a wonderful place to live”.
El Salvador has agreed to take in deportees in exchange for $6m (£4.6m).
Family members of some of those who were previously sent to the maximum security prison have denied they have any gang ties.
After Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act to remove more than 100 Venezuelans from the US earlier this month, groups including the American Civil Liberties Union filed a legal challenge alleging the administration had illegally denied the immigrants due process.
In a hearing on 15 March, James Boasberg, the top federal judge in Washington DC, imposed a temporary restraining order on the use of the law and ordered deportation flights that were in the air to be turned around.
But the deportations proceeded. The next hearing in the case will be held on Thursday.
[BBC]
Heavy rainfall of about 100 mm are likely at some places in Central, Sabaragamuwa, Western, Southern and Uva provinces and in Kurunegala and Polonnaruwa districts
Netanyahu nominates new Israeli spy chief despite court order
Underworld leader threatens police over arrest of his father and brother
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