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Karunaratne and Chandimal give Sri Lanka solid start

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Dimuth Karunaratne walked out through a guard of honour [Cricinfo]

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]



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Trump threatens to bomb a power plant for each ship strike

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The Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's seaborne oil passes, has become a focal point of escalating US-Iran tensions [Aljazeera]

Predent Trump warns the US will bomb and destroy critical Iranian infrastructure every time Tehran shoots at ships in the Strait of Hormuz

The United States attacks Iran for an 11th consecutive night as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the cost of the war has reached $37.5bn.

The Revolutionary Guard launches more retaliatory attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, with multiple drones and missiles intercepted.

Iran says it will “confront any hostility” after Trump threatens to attack a suspected Iranian nuclear site called Pickaxe Mountain “pretty soon and very heavily”.

[Aljazeera]

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Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa retires after 22-year career

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Guillermo Ochoa waves to fans in Mexico City in the World Cup round of 16 match against England at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on July 5, 2026 (Aljazeera)

Guillermo Ochoa, widely considered among the greatest Mexican goalkeepers in history, has announced his retirement from professional football, bringing an end to a distinguished 22-year professional career.

Ochoa, who turned 41 last week, had previously stated that the 2026 FIFA World Cup would be his last tournament although speculation had swirled about whether he might sign with a new club to extend his playing days.

He put those rumours to rest on Tuesday.

“I gave it my all; I left everything on the field for my clubs and the national team, and today I hang up my gloves,” Ochoa posted on social media. “Being a goalkeeper means knowing you might wait 90 minutes for a single moment when everything depends on you. And when that moment arrives, you cannot hesitate.”

Ochoa was on Mexico’s roster for six World Cups – a number shared only by icons Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He served as Mexico’s starting goalkeeper in three of them: Brazil 2014, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022.

Ochoa made his top-flight debut with Mexico City’s Club America in February 2004. He spent his first seven seasons there before transferring to French club Ajaccio in 2011, becoming the first Mexico-born goalkeeper to play in Europe. His European career also included stints with Malaga, Granada, Standard Liege, Salernitana, AVS Futebol and AEL Limassol, punctuated by a three-year return to Club America from 2019 to 2022.

“I never imagined how far a dream could take me. Today, I can only look back with pride and say: Thank you,” Ochoa wrote. “I take with me the affection of millions and the peace of mind that comes with knowing I gave everything for Mexico.”

Although he served primarily as a backup to Raul Rangel in the recent World Cup in North America, manager Javier Aguirre brought Ochoa on for the final 13 minutes against Czechia in Mexico’s last group-stage match. After the final whistle, an emotional Ochoa kissed the goalposts at Azteca Stadium – the venue where his career began – before kneeling to accept an embrace from his teammates. Long after the stands had cleared, Ochoa walked out to the centre circle one last time to take in his final farewell.

At the club level, Ochoa captured a league title with Club America during the 2005 Clausura tournament and won the Belgian Cup with Standard Liege. On the international stage, he led Mexico to six CONCACAF Gold Cup titles and earned a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Ochoa began his top-flight goalkeeping career in 2004 for the Mexico City side Club America
Ochoa began his top-flight goalkeeping career in 2004 for the Mexico City side Club America [File: Aljazeera]

(ALJAZEERA)

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Thushara four-for, Udara fifty hand Kandy Royals first points

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Lahiru Udara batted fluently [Cricinfo]

A  34 ball 51 from Lahiru Udara and a four wicket haul by Nuwan Thushara helped Kandy Royals defeat  Kandy Royals defeat Dambulla Sixers by 34 runs in the sixth match of the Lanka Premier  League 2026 played at Dambulla on Tuesday [21st]

Scores:
Kandy Royals 194/6 in 20 overs [Kusal Perera 25, Lahiru Udara 51, Moeen Ali 24, Wanidu Hasaranga 29, Angelo Mathews 29, Vijay Shankar 13*;  Fazalhaq Farooki 2-20, Mohammad Wasim 1-42, Dushmantha Chameera 1-37, Maheesh Theekshana 1-39, Vishwa Lahiru 1-40]
Dambulla Sixers 151/8 in 20 overs [Shahibzada Farhan 74, Dinesh Chandimal 12, Niroshan Dikwella 26, Reeza Hendricks 27; Shaheen Shah Afridi 1-32. Nuwan Thushara 4-29, Wanidu Hasaranga 1-19, Duushan Hemantha 2-23]

 

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