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Karunaratne and Chandimal give Sri Lanka solid start
Defying expectations so far, the dry surface in Galle has not gone wild and Sri Lanka’s top-order capitalised with opener Dimuth Karunaratne kick-starting his farewell by batting through the first session of the second Test.
After receiving a long guard of honour on his way to the crease, including from the Australians, Karunaratne combined well with Dinesh Chandimal in an unbroken 64-run stand as Sri Lanka reached lunch well placed at 87 for 1.
After Sri Lanka suffered their worst defeat in Test cricket on a slow surface, there had been much speculation that this new surface would produce significant bite and turn. There was occasional sharp turn, notably from Nathan Lyon, but Chandimal and Karunaratne were mostly unbothered. Lyon took Australia’s only wicket after dismissing Pathum Nissanka for 11.
Left-arm spinning allrounder Cooper Connolly bowled two overs just before lunch in his Test debut having replaced offspinner Todd Murphy in Australia’s only change.
Australia are effectively playing with just three specialist bowlers, but allrounder Beau Webster did bowl three overs of seam having not been required to bowl in the first Test.
Sri Lanka made three changes with Nissanka replacing Oshada Fernando at the top of the order, while offspinnser Ramesh Mendis and quick Lahiru Kumara were included at the expense of Jeffrey Vandersay and Asitha Fernando.
Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva had no hesitation to bat when the coin fell in his favour amid stifling humidity.
After being feted on his way to the crease, Karunaratne was tasked with trying to help restore Sri Lanka’s battered confidence. He also had to confront tormentor Mitchell Starc having fallen to him nine times previously, including in the first innings of the series-opener.
But having overcome a groin injury to take his place, Nissanka mostly faced Starc and had mixed results. He stroked a beautiful boundary through the covers to open the scoring but was also beaten on several occasions by Starc, touching speeds of 145kph as he focused on pitching the ball up.
Fresh from his nine-wicket haul in his Test return, left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann was also handed the new ball but started with a full toss in an errant delivery that was a rare sight last week. He settled quickly and soon had a loud shout for lbw on Nissanka turned down with the decision upheld on umpire’s call after Australia reviewed.
Sri Lanka’s openers steadily built despite some nervous moments as stand-in skipper Steven Smith reverted to Lyon in the eighth over. Aiming at the footworks from Starc, Lyon produced significant turn and bounce on his second delivery that flew down the legside for four byes.
But Lyon wasn’t made to wait long for a wicket after hitting the top of leg stump when Nissanka moved too far across his stumps looking to paddle sweep. Australia were buoyed, but inroads proved difficult against the type of disciplined batting from Sri Lanka that was lacking in the first Test.
The batters were surrounded by fielders around the bat initially against Lyon, but got through the challenge. Chandimal was clearly Sri Lanka’s best batter in the first Test and continued his strong form.
He did have some luck when he brought up Sri Lanka’s fifty with a streaky boundary over point after skipping down the track to Kuhnemann. But he connected better shortly later with a dismissive blow over mid-off that sailed over the rope.
Chandimal hit an aerial stroke past cover to raise the half-century partnership as Sri Lanka enjoyed their best session so far in this series.
Connolly was given the ball just before lunch having never taken a wicket from the 96 balls he had bowled in his four previous first-class matches. Connolly did develop a knack of taking key wickets in the recent BBL season, but he could not strike against the determined Sri Lankan batters.
Brief scores: [Day 1 Lunch]
Sri Lanka 87 for 1 in 30 overs [Dinesh Chandimal 35*, Dimuth Karunaratne 34*; Nathan Lyon 19] vs Australia
[Cricinfo]
Unrelenting accuracy from Australia’s versatile attack and superb tactics from stand-in captain Steven Smith had Sri Lanka in trouble on day one of the second Test as the dry surface in Galle started to produce significant turn.
Sri Lanka built a strong platform at 93 for 1 before losing 4 for 34 to reach tea in a precarious position at 144 for 5 in their first innings. Dinesh Chandimal was again playing a lone hand with 70 not out.
After Sri Lanka suffered their worst defeat in Test cricket on a slow surface, there had been much speculation that this new surface would produce significant bite and turn. There was sharper turn in the second session, but it has been the consistency and variations of Australia’s bowlers that led to several cheap dismissals.
Offspinner Nathan Lyon was outstanding as he mixed up his speeds and lengths to bamboozle Sri Lanka as he moved to 549 Test wickets, while left-arm quick Mitchell Starc found reverse swing during a sensational spell late in the second session.
Left-arm spinning allrounder Cooper Connolly has only bowled two overs after replacing offspinner Todd Murphy in Australia’s only change.
Australia were effectively playing with just three specialist bowlers, but allrounder Beau Webster has bowled three overs of seam having not been required to bowl in the first Test. Smith worked his resources to good effect with Travis Head proving that he might just have a golden arm after taking the wicket of Kamindu Mendis.
Sri Lanka made three changes with Pathum Nissanka replacing Oshada Fernando at the top of the order, while offspinnser Ramesh Mendis and quick Lahiru Kumara were included at the expense of Jeffrey Vandersay and Asitha Fernando.
Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva had no hesitation to bat when the coin fell in his favour amid stifling humidity.
After receiving a long guard of honour on his way to the crease, including from the Australians, retiring Dimuth Karunaratne was tasked with trying to help restore Sri Lanka’s battered confidence in his 100th and last match. He also had to confront tormentor Starc having fallen to him nine times previously, including in the first innings of the series-opener. But having overcome a groin injury to take his place, Nissanka mostly faced Starc and had mixed results against speeds touching 145kph.
Fresh from his nine-wicket haul in his Test return, left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann was also handed the new ball and had a loud shout for lbw on Nissanka turned down with the decision upheld on umpire’s call after Australia reviewed.
Sri Lanka’s openers steadily built despite some nervous moments as Smith reverted to Lyon in the eighth over. Aiming at the footworks from Starc, Lyon produced significant turn and bounce on his second delivery that flew down the legside for four byes.
But Lyon wasn’t made to wait long for a wicket after hitting the top of leg stump when Nissanka moved too far across his stumps looking to paddle sweep. Australia were buoyed, but inroads proved difficult against the type of disciplined batting from Sri Lanka that was lacking in the first Test.
Brief scores:[Day 1 Tea]
Sri Lanka 144 for 5 in 58 overs (Dinesh Chandimal 70*, Dimuth Karunaratne 36; Nathan Lyon 3-47) vs Australia
[Cricinfo]
Thousands of employees at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will be placed on leave from Friday night, the agency says.
A USAID statement said the order would affect all “direct-hire personnel” except those on “mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs”.
It’s unclear exactly which jobs are affected. The statement, posted on the agency’s website, said employees would be notified by Thursday afternoon.
The Trump administration has said USAID is wasting money and needs to align with the president’s policy priorities. Agency staff, backed by Democratic lawmakers, have protested over the cuts, saying they will put lives in danger and hamper national security.
President Donald Trump’s earlier decision to freeze foreign assistance has upended the global aid system, with effects already felt in multiple countries.
The agency, which provides humanitarian aid to more than 100 countries, employs 10,000 people worldwide. Two-thirds of those people work overseas, according to the Congressional Research Service.
USAID, founded in 1961, has a budget of around $40bn (£32.25bn) per year, amounting to roughly 0.6% of federal spending, according to official figures.
In a statement on its website on Tuesday, USAID said it would work with the US Department of State to arrange and pay for return travel for personnel posted outside the US within 30 days.
Those employees who are part of the exceptions will be told by 15:00 EDT (20:00 GMT) on Thursday, it said.
The statement concluded with the message: “Thank you for your service.”
Given that some USAID staff work in active conflict zones, it was not immediately clear how they would be withdrawn.
The measures are part of a string of cuts that Trump has enacted since returning to office last month through co-ordination with Elon Musk’s unofficial Department of Government Efficiency.
Among the countries affected by the aid freeze is Haiti. The United Nations said Tuesday that it had been notified by the US that it was freezing $13.3m in aid destined for the country.
But on Wednesday the US state department issued a waiver exempting $40.7m of foreign assistance for Haiti’s national police and the UN-backed international security support mission.
Earlier this week, the White House put out a statement listing a number of projects that it called evidence of “waste and abuse”, including a grant of $1.5m to an LGBTQ group in Serbia and $2.5m for electric vehicles in Vietnam.
However critics have called the moves to close the agency an illegitimate power grab spearheaded by Musk, an unelected billionaire.
Earlier this week, Trump’s top diplomat, Marco Rubio, became the acting head of USAID as part of its reported merger into the state department.
Closing USAID altogether would require an act of Congress.
[BBC]
More than 100 female prisoners were raped and then burned alive during a jailbreak in the Congolese city of Goma, according to the UN.
Hundreds of prisoners broke out of Munzenze prison last Monday, after fighters from the M23 rebel group began to take over the city.
Between 165 and 167 women were assaulted by male inmates during the jailbreak, an internal UN document seen by the BBC says.
The report states that most of the women were killed after the inmates set fire to the prison.
The BBC has not been able to verify the reports.
Goma, a major city of more than a million people, was captured after the Rwanda-backed M23 executed a rapid advance through eastern DR Congo.
The city was plunged into chaos, with bodies lying in the streets and missiles reportedly flying over residential homes.
Footage from last week’s jailbreak showed people fleeing from the building as smoke rose in the background. Heavy gunfire could also be heard.
[BBC]
Golden-arm Head and Lyon strike as Sri Lanka collapse
Karunaratne and Chandimal give Sri Lanka solid start
USAID staff will be put on leave starting on Friday
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