England started the final phase of their World Cup preparations with a convincing seven-wicket win in the first T20I against New Zealand as Alice Capsey embraced her role at the top of the order with a fine half-century.

Batting in unfamiliar territory as an opener, Capsey took control in England’s pursuit of a modest target of 137 with a 51-ball 74 not out in which she cut, drove and at times muscled her way to three sixes and seven fours, seeing her side home with 16 balls to spare.

Playing their first T20I for 10 months and missing captain Nat Sciver-Brunt to a calf injury, England were sharper in the field and their bowlers were on top from the start, from Lauren Bell’s wicket with the first ball of the match to Linsey Smith’s excellent figures of 1 for 10 from four overs including 15 dot balls.

Freya Kemp bowled for the first time in nearly 16 months as she increases her workloads following a back injury ahead of the T20 World Cup, with two wicketless overs conceding 16 runs, and she later supported Capsey with an unbeaten 31 off 20 balls. Charlie Dean, standing in for Sciver-Brunt as captain, as she did during the drawn ODI series, also took two wickets.

Collectively they tied down the reigning T20 world champions, who apart from Sophie Devine’s 22-ball 45 and a late 36-run stand off 33 balls for the sixth wicket between Maddy Green and Izzy Sharp, couldn’t get going. Suzie Bates dropped to No. 9 as the White Ferns continue to plan for life beyond her retirement after the T20 World Cup. But she didn’t get a chance to bat as Jess Kerr was run out off the last ball of the innings with her side 136 for 7.

With Danni Wyatt-Hodge on leave for the birth of her first child, Capsey was promoted from No. 3 and it was regular opener Sophia Dunkley who fell first, looping a Jess Kerr delivery to Sharp at point. Capsey settled nicely, bookending a thumping six over long-on with fours off Jess Kerr’s third over.

Bree Illing flattened Maia Bouchier’s middle stump to put England at 39 for 2 at the end of the powerplay but Capsey was in fine touch. She picked the gaps perfectly and even when she didn’t her shots had enough on them to beat the fielders. She brought up England’s fifty with a backward cut through short third, where Illing was stationed but couldn’t stop it. She moved to 49 with an authoritative cut for four off Illing and brought up her half-century off 43 deliveries two balls later with a single smacked past the bowler. Fittingly, Capsey raised the winning runs with back-to-back fours.

Bell, the sole specialist seamer in England’s XI, struck first ball, nailing her length just outside off as Georgia Plimmer chopped onto middle stump. Left-arm spinner Smith had a typically strong start to the powerplay, with a maiden first up. Then, with the first ball of the next over, she picked up the big wicket of Melie Kerr, who tried to clear mid-off only to find the towering Bell stretching to take a sharp overhead catch.

Izzy Gaze had come in at the top of the order instead of Bates, as was the case during New Zealand’s home series with South Africa in March. But Dean put an end to that piece of future-proofing when she bowled Gaze for 12 off 19 trying to break the shackles by advancing down the pitch, the ball turning just enough to slide under the swing and clip the top of middle and leg.

<h2 Devine started her final tour of England in vintage style, reminding onlookers of what they will be missing when she retires after next month’s T20 World Cup. She spent the final over of the powerplay, Sophie Ecclestone’s first, smoking the ball for three sixes over the leg-side boundary, which had been brought in considerably but needn’t have been, such was Devine’s power and timing.</h2

Devine hit back-to-back fours off Kemp, bowling for the first time since the Ashes in January 2025. Devine was lucky to get away with the second, smashed down the ground, but while Dani Gibson did well to get a hand to it running round from deep midwicket, she couldn’t hold on. Another maximum for Devine, off Dean this time, had her on 40 off just 18 but Gibson bowled her soon after with one that stayed low and clipped the bails.

Brief scores:
England Women 140 for 3 in 17.2 overs (Alice Capsey 74*, Heather Knight 19, Freya Kemp 31*; Jess Kerr 1-46, Bree Illing 2-19) beat New Zealand Women 136 for 7 in 20 overs (Isabella Gaze 12, Sophie Devine 45, Brooke Halliday 14, Maddy Green 23, Izzy Sharp 26*; Lauren  Bell 2-23, Linsey Smith 1-10, Dani Gibson 1-21, Charlie Deen 2-29) by seven wickets

[Cricinfo]

Kolkata Khnight Riders kept alive their hopes of an unlikely playoff spot with their sixth win in their last seven games after having stayed winless in the first six. Their tall seamers Cameron Green and Saurabh Dubey took out two Mumbai Indians batters each in the powerplay before their spin twins turned the screw in on a pitch with both seam movement and turn.

Chasing 148, KKR lost three wickets early, but a couple of 40s from Manish Pandey and Rovman Powell were enough to break the back of the chase. KKR still needed to win their last match against Delhi Capitals and hope two other results go their way, but the win kept their dream alive for at least one more night.

KKR have been the second-stingiest side of the tournament, but they haven’t been especially quick with their wicket-taking. Not even once had they taken more than two wickets in the powerplay coming into this match. Then they won the toss on a pitch that had stayed under covers because of rains and chose to unleash their tall quicks, but not before the almost customary first over from left-arm spinner Anukul Roy.

Immediately both drew some seam movement and some extra bounce. Stifled after first two overs went for just 10, both Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma tried big hits. Rohit launched one into the stands, but Rickelton skied one for Pandey to take his second excellent catch of the season at backward point, this time controlling the swirling ball. Green then went past the outside edge of Naman Dhir two balls in a row before kissing the edge with an outswinger to send him back for a three-ball duck.

Green was in action in the next over, running back and to his right for 33 metres to take over his shoulder a skier from Rohit. The ball was full enough, but there was some seam and some extra bounce to take the big edge. Suryakumar Yadav made perhaps his best start of this IPL, but then Dubey went round the wicket to cramp him up with some seam movement back in and had him playing on for 15 off six balls.

On either side of a one-hour rain break, Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya combined for the worst strike rate for Nos 5 and 6 in an IPL innings when both played at least 20 balls. It wasn’t for want of trying. Sunil Narine and a hobbling Varun Chakravarthy were just too good on a surface with turn available for them. Varun nearly got Tilak caught and bowled but was put off by the wicketkeeper Angkrish Raghuvanshi charging towards him. The catch went down, and Raghuvanshi ended up with a concussion.

However, it didn’t hurt KKR too much as Kartik Tyagi had Tilak caught on the pull despite only a 59-metre boundary to clear. Narine was not to be denied for long as he zipped through Hardik to get him out for the first time in T20 cricket, bowled middle stump.

Will Jacks ran himself out trying to steal a second having hit straight to Rinku Singh at deep cover, but Corbin Bosch’s 32 off 18 took MI to 147.

The new Public Library Building of the Batticaloa Municipal Council was ceremonially vested in the public  on Wednesday (20)  morning in the presence of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, with former Member of Parliament M.A. Sumanthiran officially declaring the building open.

In parallel with the opening ceremony, the official website of the library was launched by the President.

Addressing the gathering, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that he was pleased to witness the successful completion of the library project, which had previously remained stalled midway.

A notable feature of the newly opened library building is the establishment of a separate unit dedicated to providing children with scientific and technological knowledge.

The President further stated that, at a time when the culture of reading is gradually declining in the country, the continued enthusiasm shown by the Tamil community towards reading should be appreciated. He remarked that opening a library is akin to eliminating the need for a prison and expressed confidence that the opening of the new Batticaloa Public Library Building would help sustain and encourage the reading culture among the people.

The President also joined an inspection tour of the new library building and engaged in a cordial discussion with the staff of the Municipal Council. During the occasion, the Mayor of the Batticaloa Municipal Council, K. Sivam Packiyanathan, presented a commemorative memento to the President.

Marking the occasion, the President also planted a sapling within the library premises.

Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunnetti, Eastern Province Governor Professor Jayantha Lal Ratnasekera, Kandasamy Prabhu, G. Srineshan, S. Rasamanickam and M.L.A.M. Hizbullah, along with government and opposition Members of Parliament, members of the Batticaloa Municipal Council and several state officials, were present at the event.

(PMD)