Sports
Capsey the mainstay as England close out ‘scrappy’ 37-run win
Alice Capsey set the foundations by finding her 50-over form with the bat before England’s spin twins, Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean sealed a “scrappy” victory for the hosts in their opening ODI against Pakistan in Derby.
Pakistan’s search for an ODI win over England continues after this, their 13th match, which England won by 37 runs with two more games to come, at Taunton on Sunday and Chelmsford on Wednesday.
Capsey top-scored with 44, her ODI career-best, as England set a victory target of 244 for Pakistan, who had never scored more than 209 in the format against England, although they gave that a nudge, finishing on 206 for 9 as England failed to finish the game off when they had their opponents on the ropes.
Capsey’s innings broke a run of six in ODIs where she had failed to pass 6 and followed scores of 5, 31 and 1 during the T20I series with Pakistan, which England swept 3-0.
Pakistan were well in the contest through the first powerplay but struggled against the spin of Ecclestone and Dean – who claimed five wickets between them – in a win Heather Knight, England’s captain, described at the presentation as “scrappy”. Seamers Lauren Bell and Kate Cross finished with two wickets apiece.
After being put in to bat, England had a number of moderate contributors, as they did through the first two T20Is, with Amy Jones, Tammy Beaumont and Nat Sciver-Brunt making it into the 30s but failing to kick on. Capsey – the player of the match in Northampton with 31 and two wickets – threatened to do just that here after overturning an lbw decision off Dar when she was on 35. But she hung her head in disappointment after spooning a return catch to Nashra Sandhu with six overs of England’s innings left.
Capsey faced 18 deliveries for her first boundary, picking the gap between extra cover and mid-off beautifully with a well-timed drive off Aliya Riaz and she followed that two balls later with a sumptuous drive for four.
Capsey and Jones combined for a 67-run partnership after Knight fell for a laboured 29 from 49 deliveries, which included two chances, before Jones swept Dar and sent a top edge to Ayesha Zafar at square leg for 37.
Openers Maia Bouchier and Beaumont had fallen lbw to Nashra and Umm-e-Hani respectively to leave England 61 for 2 in the 14th over.
Knight was dropped on nought off Nashra when she skied one towards mid-on where Hani made a meal of the opportunity and Hani was again the culprit when Knight, on 18, struck Dar straight to midwicket only to see the chance spilled.
It was Aliya who finally removed Knight, slashing at a wide delivery and producing a thick edge to Najiha Alvi behind the stumps. Sciver-Brunt fell in similar fashion, attempting to drive another wide one from Aliya but managing only to edge behind as England slipped to 118 for 4 just after the halfway point of their innings.
After Capsey’s dismissal, the wickets fell steadily for an England side missing Danni Wyatt, who had scored a 48-ball 87 in the third and final T20I at Headingley but woke up feeling unwell on Thursday. Dean offered a neat cameo worth 20 before she was bowled, giving Dar her third wicket for the match, and Sarah Glenn remained unbeaten on 16 off 13 balls as England reached 243 for 9 in 50 their overs.
In pursuit, Sidra Amin was dropped on 2 by wicketkeeper Jones off Bell but Jones made amends a while later by holding on as Sidra drove at a lovely Bell delivery which nipped away off the pitch outside off stump and brushed the outside edge on its way to the keeper without adding to her score.
After 15 overs, Pakistan were 66 for 1 but, immediately after the drinks break, Ecclestone had Sadaf Shamas out chopping onto her stumps for 28.
Muneeba Ali survived when Jones failed to hold an edge as the batter attempted a cut shot against Dean. But then Ecclestone pushed a gem through the gap between bat and pad to remove Ayesha Zafar in single figures and, although Muneeba reached 34, she fell driving at another excellent Bell delivery, full and jagging away to catch the edge for caught behind.
Pakistan needed to score at around a run-a-ball going into the last 20 Umm-e-overs with four wickets down but when their captain, Dar, slog-swept Dean to Beaumont at deep midwicket it was the breakthrough England needed.
Ecclestone claimed her third wicket in the next over when she pinned Fatima Sana on the front pad in line with leg stump as she strode forward and Dean then had Aliya out lbw as Pakistan lost three wickets for seven runs in the space of 15 balls.
From there, the task proved too steep for Pakistan, despite Nashra and Najiha proving stubborn with an unbroken 28-run stand for the 10th wicket, underlining England’s inability to fully kill off the match. The hosts faced 157 dot balls compared to Pakistan’s 203, although England gifted them 40 extras, including 31 wides, and so they leave Derby with a good amount of work still to do.
Brief scores:
England Women 243 for 9 in 50 overs (Tammy Beaumont 33, Heather Knight 29, Nat Sciver Brunt 31, Alice Capsey 44, Amy Jones 37, Charlie Dean 20; Nashra Sandhu 2-41, Umm-e-Hani 2-43, Nida Dar3-56, Aliya Riaz 2-24) beat Pakistan Women 206 for 9 in 50 overs (Sadaf Shamas 28, Muneeba Ali 34, Nidar Dar 26, Aliya Riaz 21, Najiha Alvi 26*; Kate Cross 2-46, Lauren Bell 2-42, Sophie Ecclestone 3-26, Charlie Dean 2-39) by 37 runs
(Cricinfo)
by Rex Clementine
A match saving hundred by Sonal Dinusha helped Sri Lanka salvage a draw in the second Test against India at the SSC yesterday. India won the series 1-0, having claimed the opening Test in Galle by 165 runs.
Sri Lanka were 429 for nine in their second innings, with Dinusha unbeaten on 133, when the teams shook hands and called off the game with the 15 mandatory overs about to begin.
Sri Lanka, who were forced to follow on after conceding a first innings deficit of 213 runs, began the final day staring down the barrel at 229 for six, leading by just 16 runs with three sessions to survive.
In young Sonal Dinusha, however, the hosts seem to have unearthed a gem. He batted superbly under pressure to ensure Sri Lanka earned a draw and picked up some valuable points in the World Test Championship.
Dinusha had been Sri Lanka’s standout performer throughout the series, having made 100 and 84 in the first Test in Galle before following it up with 103 in the first innings at the SSC and an unbeaten 133 in the second essay to finish the series with 420 runs.
It was only the fifth Test for the 25-year-old, but he batted with authority and showed remarkable composure in a back to the wall effort.
India threw everything at him, including the second new ball, but Dinusha remained unmoved as he became only the eighth Sri Lankan to score hundreds in both innings of a Test, joining an exclusive list comprising Duleep Mendis, Asanka Gurusinha, Aravinda de Silva, T.M. Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva.
The match saving hundred was Dinusha’s third in Test cricket and also his career-best score.
Dinusha could not have done it all by himself, however, as he received excellent support from Sri Lanka’s lower order.
He added 112 runs from 246 deliveries for the seventh wicket with Keshara Nuwantha as Sri Lanka batted through the entire morning session without losing a wicket.
India finally found the breakthrough in the first over after lunch when Nuwantha departed for a well compiled 46.
Dinusha then added 25 runs for the eighth wicket from 74 balls with Prabath Jayasuriya to keep Sri Lanka afloat. After Jayasuriya’s dismissal, Lahiru Kumara joined Dinusha and the pair added 47 runs for the ninth wicket from 170 deliveries, keeping India in the field for even longer and eating further into the time available for the tourists to force a victory.
Questions will be asked of India’s bowling attack after they were unable to run through Sri Lanka’s lower order on a fifth day pitch despite having the hosts six wickets down at the start of play.
Six-a-side school cricket is set to make a high-profile return to Moratuwa when the Old Boys’ Association of Prince of Wales’ College stages the Prince of Wales’ College 150th Anniversary Inter-School Sixes Cricket Tournament on August 29 and 30 at the De Soysa Stadium.
The two-day tournament is one of the major sporting attractions of the College’s historic 150th anniversary celebrations and
will bring together 16 leading school cricket teams for a knockout competition.
The tournament is aimed at reviving the excitement of six-a-side cricket, a format renowned for its fast pace and spectator-friendly nature, which has not featured regularly in major inter-school competitions in recent years.
The Old Boys’ Association believes the 150th anniversary provides the ideal opportunity to bring the format back to the forefront while celebrating Moratuwa’s deep-rooted passion for cricket.
Cricket has long held a special place in the hearts of Moratuwa’s residents, while Prince of Wales’ College boasts a proud cricketing tradition that has produced several outstanding players who have gone on to represent Sri Lanka at the highest level.
The organizers expect more than 5,000 cricket enthusiasts from Moratuwa and surrounding areas to witness the tournament over the two days, turning the event into a major festival of school cricket.
The opening ceremony on August 29 is scheduled to be attended by Kusal Mendis, one of the leading cricketers produced by Prince of Wales’ College and a member of the Sri Lankan national team.
The tournament will feature 16 schools, including Royal College Colombo, St. Joseph’s College Darley Road, Thurstan College Colombo, S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia, Dharmasoka College Ambalangoda, Prince of Wales’ College Moratuwa, Moratu Maha Vidyalaya, D.S. Senanayake College Colombo, Sri Sumangala College Panadura, Richmond College Galle, Mahanama College Colombo, St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa, St. Peter’s College Bambalapitiya, Wesley College Colombo, Ananda College Colombo and Mahanama College Panadura.
With the competition being played on a knockout basis, the compact format is expected to produce plenty of attacking cricket and give emerging players an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of a large crowd.
Apart from the competitive aspect, the tournament is also intended to promote sportsmanship, friendship and fellowship among the participating schools.
The tournament will conclude on August 30 with a ceremonial awards presentation, with the participation of Eran Wickramaratne, distinguished invitees, representatives of participating schools, past pupils and members of the cricketing community.
The Old Boys’ Association has also expressed its appreciation to the corporate sector and event sponsors whose support has helped make the tournament possible.
Their contribution, according to the organizers, reflects the continuing partnership between Prince of Wales’ College, its alumni and the corporate community in supporting educational, sporting and development initiatives.
The six-a-side tournament is therefore expected to provide not only two days of entertaining school cricket, but also a fitting sporting celebration of 150 years of Prince of Wales’ College.
India 503/9 decl (Devdutt Padikkal 117, Dhruv Jurel 115; Asitha Fernando 4-106, Prabath Jayasuriya 2-132) drew with Sri Lanka 290 (Sonal Dinusha 103, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 80; Prasidh Krishna 3-52, Manav Suthar 3-85) and 429/9 f/o (Sonal Dinusha 133*, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 92; Ravindra Jadeja 3-94, Manav Suthar 3-121)
Sun directly overhead Kokkuvil, Nallur, Kodikamam and Nagar Kovil at about 12.11 noon today (28)
Showers above 75 mm are likely at some places in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Kandy, Nuwara-Eliya, Galle and Matara districts
Eight politicians in drug kingpin probe
CJ first SC judge to benefit from 22A, if enacted: BASL
Over 84,000 people adversely affected by prevailing El Niño dry weather
Rooftop solar systems over 300kW to be temporarily switched off
‘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
-
Business6 days agoSriLankan Airlines makes ShakthiSAT Mission possible for talented Sri Lankan student
-
Latest News7 days agoImran Khan moved to private hospital amid deteriorating health
-
Latest News7 days agoGovernment has declared 21, 22 and 23 August 2026 as national days of mourning
-
Features5 days agoMy secondary schooling after Royal Primary
-
Features5 days agoFrom the First to the 22nd: A short history of Amendment Politics and Reform Frustrations
-
Latest News6 days agoTharanga edges out Chopra in 88m javelin battle
-
News3 days agoMissing doctor’s body found in Mahiyanganaya
-
Features5 days agoHow Shelton Kodikara became first Professor of International Relations