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Brits, Kapp, Sekhukhune give South Africa 1-0 lead
Eighteen-year-old Seshnie Naidu enjoyed a dream T20I debut in Multan, taking a blinder of a catch at short fine leg and a wicket with her second ball as South Africa beat Pakistan by ten runs in the first match of a three-game series.
In the first ever T20I, men’s or women’s, played at this venue, South Africa did not get the “ten or 15 runs over 150” that captain Laura Wolvaardt hoped they would, and with Pakistan 47 for 5, it did not look like they needed it. But a strong effort from Aliya Riaz and new Pakistan captain Fatima Sana made a fist of things with an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 75 off 45 balls. That meant South Africa were made to work hard to defend their score and it did not help that they put down three catches, another area Wolvaardt earmarked for improvement.
Wolvaardt herself was guilty of the first blunder in the fifth over, with Pakistan already struggling on 14 for 2. Nida Dar was on 4 when she skied Tumi Sekhukhune to mid-off. Wolvaardt got to the ball but could not hold on. Later,Chloe Tryon put down Sana on 10 off Sune Luus and then Luus dropped Sana in the deep on 22, off Ayabonga Khaka .
Happily for South Africa, none of that could keep them from a win, albeit a much closer one than they would have liked.
South Africa’s experienced players produced the goods: Tazmin Brits scored her third T20I half-century in four innings to rescue South Africa from 20 for 2 in the third over, Luus hit a run-a-ball 27 (only her first score over 20 this year) and Tryon finished with 15 not out off 7. The 63-run stand off 61 balls between Brits and Luus anchored the innings.
Pakistan made early incisions with spin when Sadia Iqbal dismissed Laura Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch off successive deliveries, but they might need to rethink their reliance on slower bowlers. Overall, Pakistan bowled 16 overs of spin, and played only one seamer – Sana – with Diana Baig benched on what was expected to be a turning track.
While Pakistan restricted South Africa to a mere 132 for 4, the value of variety in attack was evident when South Africa bowled. Their two senior seamers – Marizanne Kapp and Khaka – bowled their full quota of four overs each and five other bowlers rolled their arm over. Kapp started with a maiden and took a wicket with her second ball when Gull Feroza hit her in the air. From the other end, Khaka gave away only one in her first over before Kapp struck again, castling Sidra Amin to make it 6 for 2. Muneeba Ali broke the pressure with a boundary off the eighth ball she faced and Nida followed it up with another four and then came the moment of magic.
Muneeba tried to flick Sekhukhune fine, Naidu dived, reached almost behind her shoulder, plucked the ball and held on as her elbow hit t ground. It took multiple replays to confirm what she knew: she had taken a wundercatch. She was brought on to bowl in the eighth over and had Sadaf Shamas caught off her second ball to leave Pakistan on 21 for 4.
South Africa seemed to ease off after that and Pakistan found runs more easily, which would only make Aliya and Sana, especially, more upset with the way they started the chase. The pair hit cleanly into the night sky, with five fours each, and Aliya struck their only six, to take Pakistan close, but not close enough.
Brief scores:
South Africa Women 132 for 4 in 20 overs (Tazmin Brits 56*, Sune Luus 27; Sadia Iqbal 3-34, Nida Dar1-11) beat Pakistan Women 122 for 5 in 20 overs (Aliya Riaz 52*, Fatima Sana 37*; Tuni Sekhukhune 2-15, Marizanne Kapp 2-22, Seshnie Naidu 1-25) by ten runs
The Commissioner General of Essential Services, Prabath Chandrakeerthi has announced that, after taking into consideration the current fuel situation in Sri Lanka, the Government has decided to declare Wednesdays of every week as a holiday for government sector employees, all government schools, universities, and courts with effect from March 18, 2026, until further notice
The holiday will not apply to essential service sectors including Healthcare, Ports, Water Supply and Customs.
The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) biggest port and oil storage facility, Fujairah, and Dubai’s international airport have come under further drone attacks as Iran continues to target Gulf transport and oil infrastructure.
Flights were temporarily suspended on Monday after a fire broke out near the airport after a “drone-related incident”.
A fire also raged after a drone attack on the strategically important port and industrial zone at Fujairah, one of the largest oil storage facilities in the region.
And a rocket attack on a car killed a Palestinian national on the outskirts of the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, the city’s Media Office reported.
The attack occurred in the Al Bahia area, it said.
UAE air defence systems intercepted six ballistic missiles and 21 drones on Monday, the Defence Ministry said. Iran has launched over 1,900 missiles and drones at the UAE since the war between the US and Israel, and Iran, began.
Monday’s drone strike was the third incident since the start of the war near Dubai’s airport, which is the world’s busiest for international passengers.
Some flights were delayed, while others were cancelled altogether, in another hit to the UAE’s image of safety and stability.
The country’s energy sector came under attack as a drone hit an oil storage tanker on Saturday, and another drone hit the oil facilities on Monday, causing a fire.
Oil loading activities at the port were halted for a time while damage assessments were carried out.
Fujairah sits on the UAE’s eastern coast, on the Gulf of Oman – rather than the Persian Gulf – and so vessels do not need to navigate the Strait of Hormuz to reach it.
The location means the port plays a “crucial” role in “helping keep global supplies moving” when the Strait of Hormuz is blocked by Iran, Dubai-based Justin Harper, editor of CEO Middle East – who regularly speaks to Dubai’s oil industry executives – told the BBC.
“If tensions with Iran disrupt the chokepoint, the UAE can still export oil through Fujairah via pipelines from the oilfields in Abu Dhabi,” he said.
The port city is “ideally placed to bypass the Strait of Hormuz”, said Dubai-based oil analyst Matt Stanley, who works for commodities data provider Kpler.
“The UAE’s state oil company Adnoc have their oil tankers there, it is crude grade oil which is what the Asian buyers want.”
Iran hitting a storage tanker and oil facilities at Fujairah “shows the vulnerability of Gulf infrastructure”, Stanley told the BBC.
“Iran wants to disrupt the flow of energy”.
The port city is close to India and the “first stop out of the Middle East on the way to Singapore and China”, Stanley said.
“Fujairah is on the old Silk Road, the maritime route, and it picked up a lot of business bunkering – that is providing fuel, food, water – for container ships that have been at sea for 25 or 30 days.”
Fujairah is like a “huge vending machine” for ships, Stanley added.
Despite the attacks on Dubai, Harper says the business community there is “resilient”. Restaurants have been offering deals to get people back into restaurants and “the malls still seem to be busy”. People “underestimate Dubai and its ability to survive a downturn”, he added.
Last week the UAE’s Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh vowed in a BBC interview that her country would bounce back from the conflict, insisting that its economy was “resilient”.
(BBC)
As a key frontline stakeholder in the national mission, ‘A Nation United,’ the Navy continues to conduct maritime operations in the waters surrounding the island, in coordination with other law enforcement agencies.
During a recent successful operation on the high seas south of Sri Lanka, the Navy intercepted a local multi-day fishing trawler and apprehended five suspects (05) in connection with the smuggling of a stock of suspected drugs.
During a special inspection at the Dickowita fisheries harbour today (16 Mar26), the Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) confirmed the presence of over one hundred and thirty-three (133)
kilograms of heroin.
The Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd), accompanied by the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, was present in Dickowita to inspect the seized items.
Addressing the media, the Deputy Minister stated that the tri-forces, particularly the Navy, along with the Coast Guard, Police, and other law enforcement agencies, are executing the
government’s vision for national security. He noted that the recent naval operation in the southern seas, which seized a large consignment of narcotics and weapons, demonstrates the government’s success in combating criminal networks involved in narcotics, arms and human trafficking.
He added that such successful outcomes result from the Navy’s meticulous planning, surveillance, intelligence analysis, and inter-agency coordination. He affirmed that no leniency will be shown to drug trafficking networks, and conveyed admiration, on behalf of the President, for the distinctive contribution made by the Sri Lanka Navy, in collaboration with other stakeholders,
towards ensuring public safety and protecting the younger generation from the menace of drugs.
Highlighting the scale of the Navy’s impact, he revealed that naval operations in 2025 seized narcotics valued over Rs. 75 billion, and operations so far in 2026 have seized over Rs. 20 billion worth of drugs.
The Deputy Minister warned that traffickers are increasingly using the guise of legitimate fishing activities to smuggle narcotics. Besides, he emphasized that the responsibility lies not only with law enforcement agencies but with all sectors of society to eradicate the networks associated with drug trafficking. He issued a firm directive to traffickers, dealers, and distributors to “quit,” asserting that there is no loophole, whether by sea or air, that the security forces cannot close. He
further urged drug users to abandon this destructive habit.
He announced plans for legal amendments to impose stricter penalties for drug offenses. Noting that law enforcement agencies have operational autonomy, he appealed to the public to report information on drug trafficking to hotlines 1818 and 1997.
He also commended the media for their responsible reporting in educating the public on the drug menace.
The trawler, the suspects, the communication equipment and the stock of narcotics held in this operation were handed over to the PNB for onward investigation and legal proceedings.
Wednesdays declared a government holiday with effect from 18th March
Iran hits key UAE oil port and Dubai airport
PM declares open Angunukolapelessa Leisure Island
Navy’s successful high-seas bust nets over 133kg haul of heroin
Chinnaswamy stadium receives government clearance to host IPL 2026 final
Tanzid 107, Taskin four-for trump Agha 106 to give Bangladesh series
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