Sports
Australia give Healy fitting farewell with ten-wicket demolition of India
Retiring skipper Alyssa Healy did not get a chance to bat one last time, but she ended her legendary international career on a winning note after Australia crushed India inside three days in the one-off, day-night Test at the WACA ground in Perth. The one-sided result meant Australia recorded a decisive 12-4 triumph on points in the multi-format series.
Seam bowling had dominated the opening two days on a grassy surface, but spinners Alana King and Ash Gardner claimed the final four wickets as India’s second innings came to a close just over an hour into the day’s play.
No. 3 Pratika Rawal played a lone hand on debut with 63 off 137 balls and she was the last wicket to fall with India leading by only 24 runs. Having led her team off the field to a thunderous ovation, Healy resisted the temptation to put the pads on as regular openers Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield walked out for the chase.
Voll was adjudged lbw by debutant Sayali Satghare, who claimed four wickets in Australia’s first innings, in the second over but was successful on review as she and Litchfield made light work of the chase.
In the aftermath, Healy was swamped by her team-mates with Gardner and Ellyse Perry lifting her on their shoulders in heartwarming scenes.
It capped a terrific bounceback for Australia after a 2-1 defeat in the T20I leg in an underwhelming start to Sophie Molineux’s captaincy reign. Healy’s return ignited Australia as they thumped World Cup champions India 3-0 in the ODI series before they claimed their first Test victory over India since 2006.
Annabel Sutherland was the standout after an astounding all-round performance, where she made an imperious 129 and returned match figures of 6 for 61 off 23 overs.
It was a disappointment for an India side returning to Test cricket after mid-2024, although they had solid contributions from debutants Rawal, Satghare, Kranti Gaud and Kashvee Gautam. The defeat was India’s first in Test cricket since February 2006 when they lost to Australia in Adelaide, ending an unblemished run of nine straight matches.
India resumed their second innings in a forlorn position at 105 for 6 and still needing 20 runs to make Australia bat again. India’s slim hopes rested on Rawal and Sneh Rana, who had defied Australia’s charge under lights on day two to prolong the match.
Having only bowled three overs in the match, King was handed the ball much to the delight of the local fans and she spun the ball sharply to beat the bat on several occasions.
Unlike several of her more experienced team-mates, Rawal was unruffled and calmly defended while putting away the rare loose delivery to reach a deserved half-century off 105 balls.
Darcie Brown created Australia’s first chance when she had Rana edging to second slip, where Sutherland could not complete a blinder of a one-handed catch high to her right. Rana remained unconvincing and was lucky when she edged between the wicketkeeper and first slip before being clean bowled on the next delivery by Gardner.
Gautam had made a well-compiled 34 not out to bump up India’s first-innings total, but she had no answer for King to fall for a duck before Rawal’s resistance came to an end.
The truncated match was also the long-awaited official launch of the revamped WACA ground with plenty of patrons enjoying the new outdoor pool and waterslides in the terraces amid sweltering heat. Crowds of around 3500 attended each of the opening two days at a ground with a 10,000 capacity
Brief scores:
Australia Women 323 in 90.4 overs (Annabel Sutherland 129, Ellyse Perry 76; Sayali Satghare 4-50, Kranti Gaud 2-72. Deepti Sharma 2-67) and 28 in 4.3 over [Georgia Litchfield 11*)Voll 16*, beat India Women 198 in 62.4 overs (Jemmimah Rodrigues 52. Kashvee Gautam 34*; Darcie Brown 2-41, Lucy Hamilton 3-31, Annabel Sutherland 4-46) and 149 in 48.2 overs (Pratika Rawal 63, Sneh Rana 30; Lucy Hamilton 3-32, Annabel Sutherland 2-15. Alana King 2-23, Ashleigh Gardner 2-08) by 10 wickets
[Cricinfo]
Central College produced a remarkable final day comeback to win the Battle of the North Big Match, defeating St. John’s College by three wickets after an outstanding eighth-wicket partnership between Murali Thison and Jesuthasan Nitharsan.
Central had been playing second fiddle to their arch-rivals for most of the match until the morning of the third day, when Thison and Nitharsan turned the game around with a match-winning unbeaten stand of 93 runs.
At the start of the final day Central were in a difficult position, trailing by more than 120 runs with only four wickets in hand. Overnight batsman Iyathure Kabishek, who had scored 21, was dismissed after adding 37 runs for the seventh wicket with Thison. From that point onwards, Thison and Nitharsan combined to frustrate the St. John’s bowlers, batting together for 12 overs to guide their team to a memorable victory.
Emmanouil Karalis in action in Rouen
Thison had already been a thorn in the flesh of the St. John’s batting line-up from the opening day, capturing 12 wickets in the match, including seven in the second innings. However, his superb bowling effort initially appeared likely to go in vain due to Central’s poor batting performance.
Central beat St. John’s by three wickets at the Battle of the North Big Match.
Central had struggled in their first innings, being bowled out for just 95 runs, with the highest individual score coming from Antanareshan Abishek who made 23. Only three other batsmen reached double figures, while Thison was dismissed for just one run.
In contrast, Thison rose to the occasion in the second innings, producing a magnificent unbeaten 81 that proved to be the cornerstone of Central’s successful chase. His innings came off 126 balls and included eight boundaries and a six.
Nitharsan played the perfect supporting role with a brisk unbeaten 44 off just 33 deliveries, striking five fours and two sixes to accelerate the scoring during the decisive stand.
Earlier in the innings, openers Jayaseelan Jenoshan (20) and Kabilan Amalan (45) had given Central a solid start, putting on 44 runs for the first wicket.
St. John’s had earlier gained the advantage with a first-innings lead, and in their second innings a brilliant century from Uthayanan Abijoyshanth — 121 off 105 balls with 15 fours and four sixes — helped them post a challenging total of 247.
Despite the odds being heavily stacked against them heading into the final day, Central’s determined batting display, led by Thison and Nitharsan, ensured a memorable turnaround and a thrilling victory in the historic Battle of the North.
The traditional Big Match between St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa and Prince of Wales’ College Moratuwa ended in a draw after an absorbing contest at De Soysa Stadium Moratuwa on Sunday.
St. Sebastian’s produced a strong second innings batting display with five top-order batsmen scoring half centuries to finish on 279 for five wickets declared, setting their arch rivals a target of 230 runs for victory.
Prince of Wales struggled in their run chase and were reeling at 54 for five wickets at stumps after 28 overs when play concluded.
Batting first, St. Sebastian’s were bowled out for 214 runs with Chamath Wellalage providing the main resistance with a half century. Nethul Anuhas and Rusandu Silva shared the bowling honours for the Cambrians, claiming three wickets each.
Prince of Wales responded with 263 runs in their first innings to take a slender lead. Suwahas Fernando anchored the innings with a well-compiled 77 off 145 deliveries, holding the top order together. Opening batsman Palingu Perera also made a valuable contribution with 42 runs.
Milantha Silva was the standout bowler for the Sebastianites, delivering a marathon spell of 36.2 overs to capture five wickets for 100 runs. Koshendra Fernando provided good support, claiming three wickets while bowling 31 overs.
In their second innings, St. Sebastian’s mounted an impressive batting effort. Thivanka Fernando (50), Kaveesha Perera (52), Lashen Fernando (54), Koshendra Fernando (66 not out off 68 balls) and Chamath Wellalage (50 not out off 49 balls) all struck half centuries as the Sebastianites declared at 279 for five, setting up an intriguing finish.
However, the Cambrians lost wickets at regular intervals during their chase before the match eventually ended in a draw.
Iran names Khamenei’s son as new supreme leader after father’s killing
Oil prices jump above $100 for first time in four years
Dry weather will prevail over the island
FSP warns of possible coal shortage
Repatriation of Iranian naval personnel Sri Lanka’s call: Washington
Indian Ocean must remain peace zone: Sajith
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
News3 days agoUniversity of Wolverhampton confirms Ranil was officially invited
-
News4 days agoLegal experts decry move to demolish STC dining hall
-
News3 days agoFemale lawyer given 12 years RI for preparing forged deeds for Borella land
-
News2 days agoPeradeniya Uni issues alert over leopards in its premises
-
Business5 days agoCabinet nod for the removal of Cess tax imposed on imported good
-
News3 days agoLibrary crisis hits Pera university
-
News2 days agoWife raises alarm over Sallay’s detention under PTA
-
Business5 days agoWar in Middle East sends shockwaves through Sri Lanka’s export sector