Sports
Hayley Matthews dominates with bat and ball as West Indies go 2-0 up
Another dominant all-round performance from Hayley Mathews helped West Indies women take a 2-0 series lead against Pakistan in Karachi. Muneeba Ali had scored a half-century earlier in the evening, but Matthews registered figures of 3 for 25 to stall Pakistan’s innings and keep them to a below-par total. She then doubled as match-winner with the bat, too, her 58 off 43 all but ensuring the visitors’ chase would be a straightforward one, and that Pakistan would continue to remain winless.
Having missed out on chasing a near-identical score in the first T20I, Pakistan opted to bat first this time, only to see their innings fall into early peril. Gull Feroza struggled to get the ball off the square in a tortuous 29-ball 14 with Chinelle Henry in particular causing her considerable trouble. She struck to remove Sidra Ameen early, with the pressure of run-scoring falling onto Muneeba, and as a result, Pakistan limped to a mere 33 in the powerplay.
Muneeba injected some impetus into the innings, but her 47-ball 55 was the only Pakistan effort that went at better than a run a ball. An encouraging third-wicket partnership with Nida Dar was felled at a crucial moment in the 16th over, just as Pakistan may have felt they had the platform to launch at the death. A masterful final over by Matthews saw three wickets fall and just five runs scored as Pakistan’s effort ended tamely, the home side hobbling to 121 on a pitch that looked like it offered significantly more.
Matthews aside, though, West Indies never really managed to get on top of the Pakistan bowlers either. The visitors did get off to a fast start, flying to 38 in the first five, but it was something of a one-woman show, with Matthews striking all five of West Indies’ boundaries in this time. When the spin trio of Nashra Sandhu, Tuba Hassan and Nida Dar came on, Pakistan briefly regained some control, with West Indies reduced to scoring at just over six an over for the next six overs.
But it was wickets Pakistan needed, and West Indies were never required to take the risks that gave them a glimpse. By the time Sadia Iqbal prised Matthews out, West Indies needed just 34 to win, and had more than seven overs to do it in. When Shemaine Campbelle was cleaned up by Tuba, there may have been the faintest glimmer of hope for the home side, but the visitors were much too clinical, and had run Pakistan out of road by then. When Chedean Nation sealed the win with a boundary, both sides were going through the motions, and there was a sense of a formality being completed.
The third of five T20Is is on 30 April in Karachi, with a win for West Indies guaranteeing a series victory.
Brief scores:
West Indies Women 124 for 3 in 18.2 overs( Hayley Matthews 58, Shemaine Campbelle 21; Sadia Iqbal 1-24, Diana Baig 1-22, Tuba Hassan 1-26) beat Pakistan Women 121 for 7 in 20 overs (Muneeba Ali 55; Chinell Henry 1-15, Hayley Matthews 3-26, Afy Fletcher 1-23, Karishma Ramharak 1-21) by seven wickets
(Cricinfo)
91st Battle of the Saints
Senuja Wakunugoda and experienced campaigner Yenula Dewthusa put on an unbroken 79 runs stand for the fourth wicket as St. Joseph’s reached 150 for three wickets at stumps in reply to St. Peter’s 243 runs on day two of the 91st Battle of the Saints big match at the SSC ground on Friday.
St. Joseph’s openers Abishek Jayaweera and Aveesha Samash got them off to a strong start as they added 59 runs for the first wicket. But Lashmika Perera had other ideas and took two quick wickets to trigger a mini collapse. The Joes were 71 for three wickets at one stage before Wakunugoda and Dewthusa combination guided them to safety.
Wakunugoda was unbeaten on 38 runs while Dewthusa was not out on 44 runs.
Earlier, Lashmika Perera made the Petes’ total look respectable by accelerating the run rate after his overnight partner Thareen Sanketh was beautifully bowled by Manasa Madubashana. Batting at number nine, Perera hit Nushan Perera for two consecutive fours and a six in one over and ended up as the highest scorer in the Petes’ first innings.
His knock of 58 runs included nine fours and a six.
Scores
St. Peter’s 176 for seven overnight 243 all out in 93.3 overs
(Dilana Damsara 44, Nathan David 29, Asadisa de Silva 38, Joshua Sebastian 27, Tharin Sanketh 21, Lashmika Perera 58; Manasa Madubashana 3/77, Yenula Dewthusa 2/58, Nusha Perera 2/50, Demion de Silva 2/48)
St. Joseph’s 150 for 3 wickets in 57 overs
(Abishek Jayaweera 23, Aveesha Samash 32, Senuja Wakunugoda 38n.o., Yenula Dewthusa 44n.o.; Lashmika Perera 2/31) (RF)
While Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) regained the dazzling batting form they had lost somewhere on their trip to Mumbai, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batting continued to be lackluster as they slumped to their third loss in a row after starting IPL 2025 with a mammoth 286. Four days after being skittled for 116 by Mumbai Indians, KKR posted a stiff 200 for 6, led by a 29-ball 60 from vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer and an unbeaten 17-ball 32 from Rinku Singh. Venkatesh and Rinku enabled KKR to finish with a bang – they scored 78 runs in their last five overs – after Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi set things up with a third-wicket stand of 81.
SRH were punished for being sloppy in the field more than a few times, and managed just 120 in reply after the KKR quicks took their mighty top three down in just 13 balls. Last year’s runners-up slumped to the bottom of the table while the defending champions jumped five places from last to fifth.
Travis Head fell cheaply for the second time in a row against Vaibhay Arora as in the IPL final last year, while Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan managed just 2 each. The eight runs scored by SRH’s top three was their second worst start in the IPL. In last year’s final, their top three – though Kishan wasn’t part of it – had managed just 11.
SRH barely recovered from 9 for 3 and slipped to 66 for 5 and eventually suffered their biggest defeat by a runs margin in the IPL.
There was no venom in the pitch, no unplayable bounce or movement either, but the SRH top order had no answers for the KKR pace attack, even though Mitchell Starc is no longer part of it. Head skied the second ball to mid-off, Abhishek edged a slower one from Harshit Rana in the second over to slip, and Kishan smashed one to cover where Rahane pouched a sharp catch on the tumble to delight the home fans. Nine for 3 could have become 9 for 4 had Andre Russell held on to an on-drive from Kamindu Mendis at mid-on and made it a double-wicket maiden for Arora. Russell, however, redeemed himself when he got the next wicket as soon as the powerplay ended, having Nitish Reddy caught at long-on. Arora picked up his third eventually, getting the big scalp of Henrich Klaasen for 33 when he returned for his second spell.
In between, Reddy showed glimpses of his ball-striking talent, Mendis heaved a couple of sixes on the leg side off Russell, and Klaasen tried to take the game deep even as the asking rate climbed past 15 an over. Rahane stifled SRH with five overs in a row from Sunil Narine and Varun Chakarvarthy, from the eighth to the 12th, which went for just 33 and brought two more wickets, before Arora removed Klaasen and Varun nearly scalped a hat-trick in the 16th over. SRH were eventually bowled out for 120, again raising question marks over their batting approach.
Even though the Eden pitch didn’t have the spice that was offered by the Wankhede’s in KKR’s last game, they lost their openers cheaply again. Narine fell to another yorker, edging one behind this time, for 7, and Quinton de Kock pulled a short ball to deep square leg for 1 off 6 as KKR crawled their way to 17 for 2 after three overs. They got a lift thanks to the Mumbai duo of Rahane and Raghuvanshi, who between them struck four sixes in 14 balls to help KKR end the powerplay on 53 for 2. Rahane smashed three of them, even before hitting his first four, peppering the leg-side boundary with two pulls and a majestic flick behind square.
Cummins brought on spin as soon as the field spread out and rookie legspinner Zeeshan Ansari rewarded his captain by stifling the set batters with turn, flight and different lengths to concede just 25 runs in three overs on the trot while the quicks continued to leak boundaries from the other end. Ansari conceded just one boundary off his first 14 deliveries, that too off a misfield from Reddy, before Raghuvanshi carted him for a six and four when he erred too full. Ansari, however, fought back with Rahane’s wicket for 38.
SRH could have had two in two had Reddy not put down Raghuvanshi at the rope on 43. Raghuvanshi made them pay with a cover drive for four later in the over and brought up his second IPL fifty in the next. His luck finally ran out against the ambidextrous Sri Lanka spinner Kamindu Mendis, and when Harshal Patel held onto an excellent catch that he dived for after running in from deep point.
KKR were going at just over eight an over after 13 overs, with two new batters in the middle. Harshal and Simranjeet Singh slowed them down further by taking the pace off the ball, but the trick didn’t work for too long. Rinku and Venkatesh took off once they got their eyes in and powered KKR to their first 200 total of this campaign. Rinku started the carnage with three consecutive fours off Harshal in the 17th while Venkatesh reeled off two in the next over, which Rinku finished with a towering six over long-on. Venkatesh then turned his purr into a roar in the penultimate over. Even though Cummins tried his cutter, a slower bouncer and a yorker among other things, Venkatesh went 4, 6, 4, 4 and brought up a 25-ball fifty before blasting Harshal for a six and a four at the start of the final over. He holed out next ball, and Harshal conceded just three off the last three, but the damage had already been done.
Brief scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 200 for 6 in 20 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 60, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 50, Ajinkya Rahane 38, Rinku Singh 32*; Mohammed Shami 1-29, Pat Cummins 1-44, Zeeshan Ansari 1-25, Harshal Ptel 1-43, Kamindu Mendis 1-04) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 120 in 16.4 overs (Nitish Kumar Reddy 19, Kamindu Mendis 27, Heinrich Klaasen 33,Pat Cummins 14; Vaibhav Arora 3-29, Varun Chakravarthy 3-22, Harshit Rana 1-15,Andre Russel 2-21, Sunil Narine 1-30 ) by 80 runs
[Cricinfo]
Sri Lanka Rugby announced the historic visit of the New Zealand Under 85kg national team to Sri Lanka next month for two highly anticipated matches against the Sri Lankan team.
This landmark tour comes in response to an invitation extended by SLR early last year. The two-match series will see the sides face off on May 4, at the Nittawela Rugby Stadium in Kandy, and again on May 10, at the Race Course Grounds in Colombo.
While Sri Lanka may not boast the same storied rugby tradition as New Zealand, the island nation shares a special connection with the All Blacks through Sir Colin Meads. Widely regarded as one of the greatest rugby players of all time, Meads played his first game in the famous black jersey in then Ceylon in mid 1950s, as part of the NZ Colts side. That link adds a nostalgic touch to this exciting tour.
The matches promise to offer Sri Lankan players a rare and invaluable opportunity to challenge themselves against a technically sound and tactically astute side from New Zealand—arguably the world’s most celebrated rugby nation.
Crucially, the tour will also contribute to the continued development of the sport in Sri Lanka. Exposure to high-level competition is expected to equip local players with insights into advanced strategies, gameplay structure, and professionalism.
The Sri Lanka Tuskers will field an open-weight team, with one key restriction: all prop forwards must weigh under 105kg.
Notably, the Under 85kg rugby division is not currently played anywhere in Asia, making this event a groundbreaking initiative for the region. Despite their weight classification, the New Zealand side is expected to deliver a high standard of rugby, with their trademark skill and tactical sharpness on full display.
The Tuskers head into this series in strong form, having clinched the Asia Rugby Division 1 title in 2024. Their packed schedule continues in April 2025 with a crucial promotion-relegation match against Malaysia, which will determine whether Sri Lanka ascends to Asia’s top tier.
The New Zealand Under 85kg team, officially launched in 2024, represents a significant step in the development of weight-grade rugby globally. Initial discussions with a national union about a 2025 overseas tour have now materialized into this exciting visit to Sri Lanka.
Live coverage of both matches will be available on Dialog Television – ThePapare TV HD (Channel 126), as well as online via ThePapare.com and the Dialog ViU App.
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