Sports
India take control after day of batting dominance
India produced a classic Test match batting performance on the second day of the one-off Test against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday (December 22) to move into complete control. At Stumps, half-centuries from four batters and two century stands either side of a second-session stutter propelled them to 376/6, leading by 157 runs.
When India began proceedings on Thursday, little would they have envisioned that they’d go on to have an even better day of Test cricket than they did on Wednesday after losing the toss, against the best team on the circuit. They’d wiped out 98 runs off Australia’s total but further success depended on how they navigated the opening session today.
To that regard they enjoyed the perfect hour, or 55 minutes with Smriti Mandhana moving serenely to her third half-century in Test cricket. Even though Ashleigh Gardner, Australia’s best by a distance, routinely troubled both Mandhana and Sneh Rana, a breakthrough proved elusive. India also caught the visitors at their benevolent best and Tahlia McGrath’s twin misfields off successive deliveries both went for boundaries and allowed the hosts to take large chunks out of the deficit.
Fittingly, it was Gardner that struck the first blow for Australia when she had Rana play inside the line to a delivery and had her stumps rattled. India then opened a door for Australia to fight back courtesy a miscommunication between Richa Ghosh and Mandhana, which resulted in the latter’s run-out for 74.
Played up the order on her debut, Ghosh then forged an alliance with Jemimah Rodrigues and the pair set about rebuilding India’s innings. India went to Lunch without any further casualty having come to within 57 runs off their opposition’s first-innings total of 219.
The partnership flourished post the lunch interval with the pair’s astute running between the wickets and their decision to sweep the spinners off the stumps being notable highlights. Both batters got to their half-centuries and India had comfortably moved into the lead when Australia brought forth their famed bounce-back-ability.
Kim Garth ended the 113-run stand when her short-ball ploy bore fruit and elicited a miscued pull from Ghosh. Three balls later captain Harmanpreet Kaur was trapped LBW by a Gardner grubber. The offspinner also trapped Yastika Bhatia LBW and had the well-set Rodrigues hit a floaty delivery to the hands of cover to fall for 73. India lost 4 for 14 inside nine overs with the lead barely over 50.
If that period post drinks interval and before Tea was reason for Australian optimism that India could be rolled over for a lead under 100 and then put pressure on in the fourth innings, that was dispelled rather spectacularly by Deepti Sharma and Pooja Vastrakar. The pair batted cautiously in the first part of the final session and as the bowlers tired and the ball got softer, the shots began to flow.
Deepti, with a half-century to her name in each of her last three Tests, made it four from four and moved to 70 while Vastrakar was resolute in defence and ensured a wicketless final session for the hosts. The pair added 102 runs going into Stumps and on a pitch expected to deteriorate over the next two days, left Australia buried under a mountain of runs.
Brief scores:
India Women 376/7 (Smriti Mandhana 74, Jemimah Rodrigues 73, Deepti Sharma 70*; Ashleigh Gardner 4-100) lead Australia Women 219 by 157 runs.
Under 19 Cricket
Left-arm spinners Vishwa Peiris and Demion de Silva took five wickets each as St. Joseph’s cruised to an innings and 51 runs victory over St. Benedict’s in the Traditional Mack – Croner trophy cricket encounter at Darley Road on Tuesday.
St. Benedict’s came to the match having done well in the Tier B tournament matches but the spin might of the Joes was too hot for them to handle as they collapsed for 62 runs in the second innings.
The result somewhat exposed the gap between the Tier A and Tier B teams of the Under 19 Division I category as the team from Kotahena were bowled out within 25 overs. They were following on after being dismissed for 197 runs in the first innings, where Nushan Perera grabbed five wickets bowling the bulk of the overs for the Joes. He was adjudged the Best Bowler.
While Vishwa was the Man of the Match, Rishma Amarasinghe (Best Fielder) and Senuja Wakunugoda (Best Batsman) won the other individual awards.
The Joes made 313 in their innings with Senuja top scoring with 106 runs.
In the Division I Tier ‘A’ matches Gurukula (against St. Sebastian’s) and St. Anthony’s Katugastota (against Royal) registered first innings victories.
Maliyadeva took first innings points against De Mazenod in a tier B match.
(RF)
Organisers of the ICC T20 World Cup are sweating over after Pakistan refused to play nuclear-armed neighbours India in Colombo, a decision that has left administrators scratching their heads and staring at a potential financial googly.
The India–Pakistan contest, the jewel in the tournament’s crown, is the game that oils cricket’s economic engine. If the marquee clash is bowled out, the loss of revenue will have every stakeholder feeling the pinch from boardroom to boundary rope. Islamabad’s call to withdraw, taken at government level, has sparked fears the verdict will not be overturned.
Anticipation for the grudge match had reached fever pitch. Tickets vanished on day one of sales, while Colombo’s hotels were snapped up quickly. Five-star rooms that normally fetch 150 US dollars were hiked to 600 USD, some even soaring to 800 USD as the city braced for a carnival.
With the capital full to the rafters, tour operators shuttled visitors to nearby Negombo, an hour’s drive from the stadium, while others opted for apartments as accommodation ran dry. Flights, too, were booked well in advance, but uncertainty over the epic duel has now cast a long shadow.
“We haven’t had many cancellations yet, but we fear the worst. Everyone will take a hit if the game doesn’t take place,” aviation industry official Thusitha Perera told Telecom Asia Sport.
Gihan Wickramasinghe, representing Colombo’s hoteliers, echoed the concern. “Our hope is the match goes ahead. If not, we’ll have to refund bookings and the tour operators will be hit even harder.”
Tour operator Lisa Fernando said the anxiety was mounting. “Two groups from Dubai alone, 75 people, were coming. Corporate clients had planned trips down south as well. There’s a lot of money at stake and so much unnecessary stress.”
Indian fan Varun Kumar from Bangalore has already paid for flights and hotels but intends to travel regardless. “Sri Lanka has been on my bucket list. Whether the match happens or not, we’ll come to experience the country,” he said.
Sri Lanka Cricket remains optimistic the contest will be rescued before the final over is called. But if the showpiece is scratched, it would be a hammer blow to an economy only just finding its feet after years of setbacks, leaving the tournament badly caught behind.
SSC Open Tennis Championship 2026
Zacharia Akbar and Thishya Banagala were crowned champions in the Under 12 boys’ and girls’ singles respectively of the SSC Open Tennis Championships in Colombo.
In the boys final, Zacharia Akbar beat Kashya Seneviratne 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. The S.Thomas’ College player reached the finals with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Satheesh Appathuri in the semi-finals.
The Under 12 girls’ final saw Thishya Banagala beat Thiyansa de Silva 7-5, 6-2.
The Visakha Vidyalaya player reached the final after a 6-4, 6-4 win over Manuli Seneviratne in the semis.
Zacharia Akbar (Pix by Kamal Wanniarachchi)
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