US and Israel’s bombardment of Iran and Lebanon continues, with a strike on a hotel near Beirut and the building of the Assembly of Experts in the Iranian city of Qom as the death toll surpasses 800 in both countries.

Tehran continues retaliatory attacks on Israel and US targets in the Middle East for a fourth night, with strikes reported on Washington’s embassy in Dubai and a port in the city of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.

US President Donald Trump says the US is prepared to deploy the navy to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran declared the vital waterway closed – a disruption already rippling through the region, with Iraq slowing or halting oil production at the Rumaila field and the West Qurna 2 project.

[Aljazeera]

Opener Hasini Perera’s second T20I fifty, on the back of two wickets apiece by left-arm spinners Sugandika Kumari and Inoka Ranaweera,  capped off another strong effort by Sri Lanka as they beat West Indies by nine wickets to seal the three-match T20I series 2-0.

Captain Chamari Athapaththu won the toss and elected to field in Grenada, and much like in the second T20I, the spinners strangled the West Indies batters. Sugandika was introduced into the attack in the third over and she struck with her third ball, nipping out Hayley Matthews, caught and bowled for 8.

Ranaweera then struck with her second ball, prising out Shawnisha Hector, before Sugandika picked up a third wicket in the powerplay in the form of Eboni Brathwaite. Deandra Dottin struck three fours in her first ten balls as West Indies ended the powerplay on a high but slowed down spectacularly after that, only managing 28 off 39 balls as West Indies added just 34 runs in the ten overs after the end of the powerplay.

Ranaweera finished her frugal four-over spell by trapping Dottin lbw, and four balls later, Kavisha Dilhari cleaned up the other set batter, Stafanie Taylor, for 24.

At 83 for 5 after 18 overs, West Indies were in danger of falling short of 100 but Chinelle Henry gave the innings much-needed impetus, smashing an unbeaten 32 off 15 and helping them take 36 runs off the last two overs. Despite the late onslaught, West Indies finished on a below-par 119 for 5.

In reply, Athapaththu raced away again, crashing four fours in the first three overs with Sri Lanka going at nearly ten an over. Sri Lanka added 48 runs in the powerplay without losing a wicket and while Athapaththu fell soon after for a 22-ball 32 to Afy Fletcher, she had set a solid platform.

With the required rate less than six an over, Perera and Imesha Dulani focused more on rotating the strike, putting together an unbroken 72-run stand for the second wicket off 64 balls. Perera took 58 balls to reach her fifty before Dulani finished the match and the series by striking a four off Matthews. Sri Lanka won the game with 14 balls to spare, making it a double success for them, having earlier won the ODIs 2-1.

Brief scores:
Sri Lanka Women 121 for 1 in 17.4 overs  (Hasini Perera 52*, Imesha Dulani 34*, Chamari Athapaththu 3; Afy  Fletcher 1-14) beat West Indies omen  119 for 5 in 20 overs  (Stafnie Taylor 24, Deandra Dottin 28, Chinelle Henry 32*;  Inoka Ranaweera 2-16, Sugandika Kumari 2-32, Kavisha Dilhari 1-13) by nine wickets

[Cricinfo]