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Freddie McCann’s magnificent 174 seals high-scoring win for England Under-19s

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Freddie McCann made a fine 174 in the second Youth ODI [Cricinfo]

A superb innings of 174 by Nottinghamshire’s Freddie McCann put England Men U19s on course for a stirring 30-run victory against Sri Lanka at Hove to level the three-match ODI series at 1-1. In the first match, at Chelmsford on Friday, Sri Lanka won by 65 runs.

After a measured start, the left-handed McCann cut loose in the second half of his innings to present Sri Lanka with a formidable total. And when Pulindu Perera and Gayana Weerasinghe put Sri Lanka well ahead of the asking rate, with a second wicket partnership worth 110 in just 14 overs, it was McCann who ended the alliance with a diving outfield catch to dismiss Weerasinghe (57) off the impressive bowling of Farhaq Ahmed – younger brother of England’s leg-spinning prodigy Rehan Ahmed.

Sri Lanka made a much more positive start to their innings – they were 53 runs ahead of England’s score at the halfway stage of their innings – but their scoring rate declined as they lost wickets regularly as they attempted to take on England’s disciplined attack. Four overs after the dismissal of Weerasinghe, Perera was lbw to Warwickshire’s Tazeem Ali for 64 off 59 balls, with eight fours and a six, and Sri Lanka were unable to find another batsmen capable of dominating the England bowlers. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 330 in 49.2 overs, with Luc Bankenstein, son of South Africa’s Dale, taking four wickets.

The England innings had been based around a partnership of 127 in 24 overs between McCann and Noah Thain in which the Sri Lankan fielders were driven to distraction – quite literally. In the course of the partnership, with the fielders becoming increasingly vociferous, the umpires Jack Shantry and Nigel Llong spoke with the captain, Dinura Kalupahana and told him that they had awarded England five penalty runs for distracting behaviour.

England had made a steady start and had scored 36 when Keshana Fonseka was caught in the slips off the last ball of the 6th over, the first bowled by Kalupahana. The 50 came up in the eighth and at the halfway stage England were 120 for one – they would score 240 from the second 25 overs.

While they were together, Essex’s Thain was even more impressively commanding than McCann. He swept Paveen Maneesha to long leg for four to reach his fifty from 60 deliveries and when he was out, pulling Kalupahana to backwared square-leg, he had scored 66 from 76 balls, with eight fours and a six.

McCann, who had reached his century from 97 balls, with 15 fours, now accelerated away, so his final figures were 174 off 139, with 22 fours and three sixes. There were cameos from Charlie Allison (46 off 43) and Dom Kelly, who hit four fours and two sixes in an 11-ball 32 not out. But Rocky Flintoff – the son of former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff – who came in near the end, was bowled leg stump for just three off five. Kalupahana was the most successful Sri Lankan bowler with five for 81 from his ten overs.

Brief sores:
England Under 19s  360 for 7 in 50 overs (Freddie McCann 174, Noah Thain 66, Charlie Allison 46, Dominic Kelly 32; Dumindu Sewmina 2-91, Dinura  Kalupahana 5-81) beat  Sri Lanka Under 19s  330 in 49.2 overs  (Pulindu Perera 64, Gayana Weerasinghe 57, Sharujan Shanmuganathan 25, Diniru Abeywickremasinghe 22, Praveen Maneesha 38, Hivin Kenula 30, Vihas Thewmika 24*; Dominic Kelly 2-52, Tazeem Chaudri Ali 2-41, Luc Benkenstein 4-77) by 30 runs

[Cricinfo]



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Trump announces three-day ceasefire in Russia-Ukraine war

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left), US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin [Aljazeera]

United States ⁠President Donald Trump ⁠says ‌there will be a three-day ceasefire in ⁠the war between ⁠Russia and ⁠Ukraine.

Posting on Truth Social on Friday, the US leader said the truce would last from ⁠Saturday to Monday.

“I am pleased to announce that there will be a THREE DAY CEASEFIRE (May 9th, 10th, and 11th) in the War between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump posted.

Soon after, Ukrainian ⁠President ⁠Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on X that ⁠a three-day truce ⁠had been arranged as part of ‌US efforts to negotiate an end to the more than ⁠four-year-old war.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov later said “an agreement on this matter was reached during our telephone contacts with the US administration. In turn, US representatives were in contact with Kyiv.” He said the agreement followed a recent telephone conversation between President Vladimir Putin and Trump, in which the two presidents “emphasised that our countries were allies during World War II and also discussed the possibility of a ceasefire during the Victory Day celebrations.”

Russia had previously announced a two-day unilateral ceasefire to mark its May 9 World War II Victory Day on Saturday. Ukraine previously stated that it too had offered a truce but that this had been ignored by Moscow.

“This request was made directly by me,” Trump said on Friday, thanking his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts for agreeing to it.

“The Celebration in Russia is for Victory Day but, likewise, in Ukraine, because they were also a big part and factor of World War II. This Ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic activity, and also a prison swap of 1,000 prisoners from each Country,” Trump said. Zelenskyy also confirmed the prisoner swap would take place.

[Aljazeera]

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Heat Index is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the North-central and Eastern provinces and in Mannar, Vavuniya and Monaragala districts during the daytime

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Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 08 May 2026, valid for 09 May 2026

The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the North-central and Eastern provinces and in Mannar, Vavuniya and Monaragala districts during the daytime

The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.

Effect of the heat index on the human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.

ACTION REQUIRED

Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.

Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.

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Finn Allen’s 47-ball ton powers Kolkata Knight Riders to huge win over Delhi Capitals

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Pathum Nissanka carried Delhi Capitals in the first half of the innings [Cricinfo]

Kolkata Knight Riders picked up their fourth win on the trot, their spin bowlers (12-0-76-3) capturing Delhi Capitals in a vice-like grip and never letting go Finn Allen made sure that wouldn’t repeat in the second innings. He pulverised DC’s spinners (9-0-102-1) to score his first IPL century even though he only had 143 to chase.

Pathum Nissanka scored a good half-century. He made 50 of DC’s first 85 runs at a strike rate of 172. The other end could only contribute 33 at a strike rate of 103. It was symbolic of how hard it was for a new batter to settle in and how much pressure comes on the set batter on a pitch like this. Even though he was going at a good clip, and had hit the previous ball for four, he still left his crease looking for more and was stumped off Anukul Roy.  The left-arm spinner took another wicket, four balls later.

DC were 74 for 2 after eight overs. But only four of those overs were from spin bowlers and three of them were inside the powerplay. Given the comfort of five fielders on the boundary, and a pitch that was slow and turning, Roy, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy started to dictate proceedings. At one point, DC scored just 11 runs in 30 balls. This was between overs 12 to 16. No IPL team in nearly two decades has ever been this sluggish in this period of play.

Roy set this choke up, stumping Nissanka out with a slower and wider delivery and bowling Tristan Stubbs out with the exact opposite of that. That was solid range for a bowler with no mystery about him.

With DC at 89 for 5, Axar Patel in wretched form (his 44 runs, with only three boundaries, are the fewest by any batter this season having faced at least 50 balls) and the conditions not helping run-scoring, all Narine and Varun had to do was what they do so well. Amp up the mystery. Aim at the stumps. Narine finished with 4-0-17-1. Varun, badly limping when he bowled his final over which cost 16 runs, finished with 4-0-28-0.

Ashutosh Sharma broke a boundary drought that last 38 balls in the 17th over. He reverse swept Vaibhav Arora, coming around the wicket, for six in the 19th over. His cameo – 39 off 28 balls – carried KKR to 142 for 8.

For the first time in his IPL career, Allen played through the powerplay. This was his eighth innings. He might have felt bad for running out his captain Ajinkya Rahane when his straight drive flicked Mitchell Starc’s outstretched finger and deflected onto the stumps but he quickly got over it. DC played a part in that a well with Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam bowling balls right in the slot. Allen is superb down the ground and needed no second invitation. From 20 off 17, he launched 10 sixes, the last of them when KKR needed two to win and he needed six to bring up 100.

Allen had a strike rate of 235 against spin (73 off 31). The next best, from both teams, was Rahane with 167, benefiting from playing just three balls and scoring five runs.

In a match where his former team’s spinners held so much sway (economy rate 6.33), Kuldeep suffered, going at 13.66 an over even though he was spared the trouble of bowling in the powerplay. Axar bowled three with the field up and still finished with figures of 4-0-27-1.

Brief scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 147 for 2 in 14.2 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 13, Finn Allen 100*, Cameron Green 33*; Axar Patel 1-27  ) beat Delhi Capitals 142 for 8 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 50, KL Rahul 23, Axar Patel 11, Ashutosh Sharma 39; Kartik Tyagi 2-25, Anukul Roy 2-31, Vaibhav Arora 1–29, Sunil Narine 1-17, Cameron Green 1-12) by eight wickets

[Cricinfo]

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