Latest News

Kamindu Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal turn tables for Sri Lanka in unbroken stand

Published

8 months ago

2024/08/24

Priyan

Kamindu Mendis celebrates his third Test hundred

Kamindu Mendis brought up a brilliant third Test century as he and Dinesh Chandimal turned Sri Lanka’s daunting match situation on its head in an unbroken stand of 101 runs in 26.2 overs on the fourth morning at Emirates Old Trafford.

By lnch, Kamindu was unbeaten on 101 with Chandimal on 62, after a session that included a 30-minute rain delay plus a brief sighting of the second new ball that looks set to be crucial to England’s hopes of curtailing Sri Lanka’s lead. But, with five minutes remaining of the session, Kamindu cut Chris Woakes for the 13th boundary of his innings to march through to three figures from 167 balls, with no sign that his appetite is likely to be sated in a hurry.

Having let a promising position slip with the ball on the third morning, Sri Lanka’s focus with the bat was unwavering as they resumed on 204 for 6, with a slender lead of 82. By lunch, they had extended that advantage to a very handy 169, by which stage England’s problems had been compounded by the absence of their fastest bowler, Mark Wood. He left the field after feeling a twinge in his right thigh on Friday evening, and may now be a doubt for the rest of the series.

There had been some controversy overnight about the advantageous nature of a ball-change after the 41st over that allowed England’s seamers to obtain significant swing on the third evening. However, after 20 further overs of wear and tear, there was little lateral movement on show as Kamindu seized on a hint of width in Woakes’ first over to flash his first boundary of the day through point.

That set the tone for a proactive half-hour, with Chandimal following his partner’s lead as he built on his overnight 20 not out. He soon picked off two boundaries in a 13-run over off Gus Atkinson, neither of them quite timed, though the intent was plain as he focused on seizing his scoring opportunities while the ball was offering little.

The fact that Chandimal was there at all was remarkable, given the gruesome blow to the thumb that Wood had inflicted on the third afternoon. He had retired hurt on 10, but after an X-ray had given him the all-clear, returned with no ill-effects as he marched on through to a 73-ball half-century with a nudged single into the covers off Shoaib Bashir.

Ollie Pope rang the changes for England, but none of them had any answer to a burgeoning stand. Kamindu came into this contest with an average in excess of 100 after two centuries and an unbeaten 92 in his three previous Tests, and the range of his strokeplay was apparent in back-to-back boundaries off Atkinson, driven and pulled respectively, plus a ruthless eye for anything loose from the spin of Bashir.

By the time of a heavy cloud burst, he had moved along to 90 not out, and when play resumed with an over of spin apiece from Dan Lawrence and Joe Root to hasten the arrival of the new ball, Kamindu was waiting to cash in, with a nudge for two off his pads and the decisive slash through deep third, to send England into lunch with a real battle on their hands.

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka 236 and 291 for 6 (Kamindu Mendis 101*, Dinesh Chandimal 62*) lead England 358 (Jamie Smith 111, Harry Brook 56, Asitha Fernando 4-102) by 169 runs

All News Advertisement

Latest News

INS Sahyadri sets sail from Colombo

Published

4 hours ago

2025/04/7

Priyan

The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri which arrived at the Port of Colombo on a formal visit on 04 Apr 25, departed the island today (07 Apr). The Sri Lanka Navy bade customary farewell to the departing ship at the Port of Colombo, following naval traditions.

During the ship’s stay in Colombo, crew members of INS Sahyadri took part in several programmes organized by the Sri Lanka Navy, aimed at enhancing mutual cooperation. In addition, they also explored some tourist attractions in the country. Further, personnel of Sri Lanka Navy had the opportunity to visit INS Sahyadri, gaining insights into her operational capabilities.

Latest News

Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district

Published

8 hours ago

2025/04/7

Priyan

Color: -Red Warning (Take action) Color: -Amber Advisory (Be prepared) Color: -Green Threat is over

The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.

The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025

The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.

ACTION REQUIRED:

The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:

Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.

Latest News

“Census of Population and Housing 2024” Report Presented to the President

Published

9 hours ago

2025/04/7

Priyan

The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.

This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.

The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.

The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.

The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.