Latest News
Bangladesh edge closer to series lead after Taijul four-fer
A rampant Bangladesh edged closer to a series lead in Sylhet after New Zealand suffered a collapse with the bat in the run-chase on the fourth day. Taijul Islam was the star man for the home side as he picked up four wickets to reduce New Zealand to 113/7, before stumps were called early as a result of bad light. With only three wickets in hand, the visitors still need 219 runs for an unlikely win on the final day.
Chasing 332 on a turning track was never going to be easy for New Zealand. That task became a lot harder when they allowed a pacer to strike early. Shoriful Islam found the outside edge of Tom Latham to get rid of him for a duck in the very first over. Kane Williamson, who hit a century in the first innings, began in style with two boundaries in Mehidy Hasan’s first over but Taijul got the big fish by bowling one that slid past the inside edge to trap the batter in front. That massive wicket put New Zealand under severe pressure. Henry Nicholls was the next to depart as he got a top edge while attempting to sweep Mehidy.
At 30/3, the visitors badly needed a partnership to calm the dressing room. While they went into the Tea break without losing another wicket, they were always under the pump with Bangladesh consistently creating half-chances. More often than not, a period of play like that results in a wicket as Devon Conway’s 76-ball resistance came to an end when he inside-edged one to the short-leg fielder. Bangladesh then took complete control of the Test when Tom Blundell became Taijul’s third victim of the innings.
From thereon, New Zealand needed pretty much something extraordinary to pull off an unlikely win. Even those slim chances disappeared when Glenn Phillips was trapped lbw by Nayeem Hasan. The procession continued with only Daryl Mitchell waging a lone battle at one end. Bad light then brought an early end to proceedings but the hosts will fancy their chances of completing a massive win.
Earlier in the day, New Zealand were buoyed by the wicket of overnight centurion Najmul Shanto, who was strangled down the leg side by Tim Southee. However, Mushfiqur Rahim completed his half-century and Shahadat Hossain made an aggressive start dealing in boundaries to maintain the pressure on the visitors. Ish Sodhi then got rid of Shahadat before he could cause further damage. New Zealand kept chipping away at one end from thereon but Mehidy’s fighting fifty squashed their hopes of keeping the target below 300.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 317 & 113/7 (Daryl Mitchell 44*; Taijul Islam 4/40) need another 219 runs vs Bangladesh 310 & 338 (Najmul Shanto 105, Mushfiqur Rahim 67; Ajaz Patel 4/148)
In the recent past, factors such as population growth, expansion of development activities, and deforestation in Sri Lanka have resulted in the loss of traditional migratory routes and the destruction of habitats of wild elephants.
Consequently, a continuous and rapid escalation of the human-elephant conflict has been observed over a long period, spanning 19 out of the 25 districts and 134 out of the 341 Divisional Secretariat Divisions in the country.
According to the wild elephant census conducted in 2024, the wild elephant population in the country is estimated to be approximately 7,450. It is reported that the human-elephant
conflict accounts for a significant number of human fatalities and wild elephant deaths annually.
Furthermore, over a thousand incidents of property damage caused by wild elephants are recorded each year.
Although a ‘National Action Plan to Mitigate Human-Elephant Conflict in Sri Lanka’ was formulated in 2020, the dynamics of the current human-elephant conflict have evolved substantially since then, necessitating the formulation of a new national action plan.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Environment to take the necessary steps to draft a new National Action Plan for Human-Elephant Conflict Management.
Latest News
Cabinet green light to host 21st Steering Committee Meeting of the Cooperative Aviation Security Programme – Asia Pacific and the 14th Regional Aviation Security Coordination Forum – Asia and Pacific Regions from 23 – 26 June in Sri Lanka
Hosting the 21st Steering Committee Meeting of the Cooperative Aviation Security Programme – Asia Pacific and the 14th Regional Aviation Security Coordination Forum – Asia and Pacific Regions in Sri Lanka
An invitation has been extended to Sri Lanka to host two major regional aviation security summits: the 21st Steering Committee Meeting of the Cooperative Aviation Security Programme – Asia Pacific (CASP-AP) and the 14th Regional Aviation Security Coordination Forum (RASCF).
The Steering Committee of the Cooperative Aviation Security Programme – Asia Pacific serves as the primary decision-making body for the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) cooperative aviation security program in the Asia-Pacific region.
Sri Lanka is scheduled to assume the chairmanship of the said Steering Committee for the 2026-2027 term during this summit.
The Regional Aviation Security Coordination Forum for the Asia and Pacific regions serves as a regional platform to deliberate on emerging threats, the implementation of ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs), capacity-building activities, and coordination among member states and international
organizations.
Approximately 80 delegates, including representatives from 41 member states, international organizations, and observers, are expected to participate in these two summits.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation to host the 21st Steering Committee Meeting of the Cooperative Aviation Security Programme – Asia Pacific on the 23rd and 24th of June 2026, and the 14th Regional Aviation Security Coordination Forum – Asia and Pacific Regions on the 25th and 26th of June 2026 in Sri Lanka.
Latest News
Committee to examine the feasibility of operating all functions related to the Employees’ Provident Fund and the Employees’ Trust Fund under an integrated governance framework
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Labour to appoint a Committee comprising Senior Officials to examine the feasibility and submit recommendations on bringing all operations of the Employees’
Provident Fund and the Employees’ Trust Fund under an integrated governance framework managed by a tripartite board representing the Government, employers, and employees.
This initiative aims to align with international best practices while ensuring comprehensive legal and financial security for the assets of the members
Report on the Final Budgetary Condition (Annual Report) – 2025 submited to parliament
Cabinet nod to accept increased Loan Grant provided by the Asian Development Bank under Policy Based Loan Facilities – 2026
Submission of Revenue Protection Order Prepared under the Provisions of the Revenue Protection Act No. 19 of 1962 to the Parliament for its approval.
Resettlement of unauthorized settlers affected by the Land Acquisition process for the implementation of Phase III of the Baseline Road Extension Project
Cabinet approves project to modernize school hostel facilities during the 2026–2028 period at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,008 million
New National Action Plan for Human-Elephant Conflict Management to be drafted
‘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
-
News5 days agoCIABOC summons Yoshitha over his participation in British Navy training programme
-
News7 days agoLocal firms move millions of dollars overseas for phantom imports: Govt.
-
Midweek Review7 days agoJuly 09: An inexcusable overall security failure and exceptional contingency plan
-
Sports2 days agoTharanga set for high-profile javelin clash in Ostrava
-
News4 days agoCommonwealth lawyers urge Lanka to uphold rule of law
-
News5 days agoJustice Minister responds to social media claims he represented Easter Sunday ringleader
-
Features3 days agoPolitics of protected species
-
News7 days agoAI raises concerns over arrest of Sallay and rapper under PTA