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Hazlewood takes career-best haul but Khawaja hurt in Australia’s victory
Australia wrapped up a 10-wicket victory before lunch on the third day in Adelaide as Josh Hazelwood claimed career-best match figures, but there was late drama when Shamar Joseph drew blood from Usman Khawaja with a bouncer when the scores were level, forcing him to retire hurt.
Shamar Joseph again showed his batting prowess at No. 11, which will surely mean a promotion in the near future, as he and Kemar Roach added 26 for the last wicket to follow the 55 they put on in the first innings.
It meant a brief second innings for Khawaja and Steven Smith. Oddly, Shamar Joseph, who claimed Smith with his first ball in Test cricket, was not given the new ball. He was eventually introduced in the fifth over with 14 needed and after being cut to the boundary first ball by Khawaja produced a lovely delivery beat Smith’s edge.
Then came a lifter that beat Khawaja before an awkward bouncer clattered into his helmet around the jaw area as he tried to sway out of the line. Khawaja had blood coming from his mouth and after a few moments left the field leaving Marnus Labuschagne to hit the winning runs. In more ways than one, Shamar Joseph had left an indelible mark on his debut
West Indies had resumed 22 behind with four wickets in hand after losing Justin Greaves to the final ball of the second day. They whittled the deficit down to 11 before Joshua Da Silva gave his innings away by falling for the well-telegraphed short-ball plan, top-edging a hook to deep backward square off Mitchell Starc.
Alzarri Joseph showed a solid technique and played a brace of strong cover drives against Starc but got a thin edge from around the wicket. When Gudakesh Motie became Hazlewood’s fifth wicket, shouldering arms to one that was far too tight to leave, West Indies were still a run behind.
However, that lasted just one more delivery as Shamar Joseph played a first-ball cover drive that would have pleased a top-order player, bringing huge cheers from a healthy crowd who had flocked in despite the risk of very little cricket.
Each run added by the last-wicket pair was greeted by warm applause, while it added to Australia’s recent difficulties over getting through lower-order stands. The return of Nathan Lyon, who had started the day bowling a single delivery, ended the resistance when Shamar Joseph charged and missed.
The second Test begins in Brisbane on January 25 and will be a day-night encounter.
Brief scores:
Australia 283 (Head 119, Shamar Joseph 5-94) and 26 for 0 beat West Indies 188 (Kirk McKenzie 50, Pat Cummins 4-41, Josh Hazlewood 4-44) and 120 (Josh Hazlewood 5-35) by 10 wickets
A tiny possum with one extra-long finger on each hand is one of two species thought to have been extinct that have been discovered in West Papua, in what’s been called an “exceptional” scientific discovery.
The other is a a ring-tailed glider with a tail that can grasp branches. Both have been found living in remote rainforests after they were thought to have disappeared 6,000 years ago.
Finding living examples of a lost species is rare, but discovering two is “remarkable,” say scientists who published their findings in the Records of the Australian Museum journal on Friday.
Such discoveries are known as “lazarus taxon”, a term inspired by a biblical figure who was raised from the dead.
“The discovery of one lazarus taxon… is an exceptional discovery,” said Prof Tim Flannery, a prominent Australian scientist best known for his 2005 The Weather Makers book about climate change.
“But the discovery of two species, thought to have been extinct for thousands of years, is remarkable.”
The first rediscovered species was the pygmy long-fingered possum, a striped marsupial weighing about 200g, which is understood to have vanished from Australia during the Ice Age.
A distinguishing feature is that on each hand, the possum’s fourth finger is twice the length of other digits, which scientists say help it dig out wood-boring insect larvae, it’s main source of food.
The second species is the ring-tailed glider, and just like its Australian cousin the greater glider, it lives in the hollows of tall trees.
The discoveries were made by piecing together parts of a puzzle with scientists combing through decades-old fossils, rare photos and old specimens to gather clues before making visits to remote New Guinea locations.
Flannery, along with another of the paper’s co-authors Prof Kris Helgen and researchers from the University of Papau, spoke to local elders from the Tambrauw and Maybrat clans – some of whom have only had contact with the modern world since the 1960s.
Identification of the species would not have been possible without their help, according to Rika Korain, a Maybrat woman and another co-author.
“They’re very traditional people,” Flannery added, and regard the glider as so sacred that “not only won’t they hunt it, they won’t mention its name”.
But the gliders habitat was increasingly coming under threat from logging in the area, Flannery said.
This, in part, has prompted efforts by scientists and wildlife groups to try secure native title for the forests to ensure logging cannot be carried out without consent from locals, he said.
(BBC)
The death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon this week has risen to at least 123 people, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health says, as a new wave of strikes pounded the country and Hezbollah warned Israeli residents to evacuate towns within 5km (3 miles) of their northern border, in one of the fiercest fronts in the wider United States – Israel war on Iran.
“The toll from the Israeli aggression on Monday, increased to 123 martyrs and 683 wounded,” a ministry statement said on Thursday.
Lebanese state media said early on Friday that Israel had launched air strikes on several towns in southern Lebanon.
“Enemy warplanes launched nighttime strikes on the towns of Srifa, Aita al-Shaab, Touline, as-Sawana and Majdal Selem,” the official National News Agency (NNA) reported.
Another strike hit the eastern Lebanese town of Douris at dawn, the NNA said.
The Israeli army also reported a new attack on the suburb of Dahiyeh in Beirut.
It has also continued attacks in southern Lebanon with raids on the area’s biggest city Sidon, according to sources on the ground.
NNA also reported Israeli warplanes over the southern towns of Tyre and Bint Jbeil.
(Aljazeera)
Hungary’s tax authority has said it has arrested seven Ukrainians and two cash-transport vehicles on suspicion of money-laundering after Ukraine’s foreign minister accused Budapest of taking them hostage.
“The reasons are still unknown, as well as their current well-being,” Andrii Sybiha wrote on X. “We have already sent an official note demanding an immediate release of our citizens.”
According to Ukraine’s state savings bank, Oschadbank, the seven workers were in two vans carrying $80m (£60m) worth of cash and 9kg of gold in a regular transport between Austria and Ukraine. They were “unjustifiably detained” and GPS data showed their vehicles in Budapest, it said.
Hungary’s tax authority said on Friday that it was conducting criminal proceedings and added that one of the group was a former general of Ukraine’s intelligence service.
(BBC)
Tiny possum and glider thought extinct for 6,000 years found in remote West Papua
Maldives Coast Guard Ship Huravee departs island
Cost to US for war on Iran is $3.7bn in first 100 hours, says think tank
More than 120 killed in Israel’s Lebanon attacks as Beirut, south, east hit
Hungary confirms it is holding seven Ukrainian bank workers and $80m
US and Venezuela agree to resume diplomatic ties after Maduro capture
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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