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Landslide Early Warnings issued to Galle, Hambantota, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalle, Matale, Matara and Ratnapura Districts

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Automated Landslide Early Warning Map issued by the Landslide Early Warning Center of the NBRO

The Landslide Early Warning Center of the National Building Research Organisation has extended the land slide early warnings issued to the Districts of Galle, Hambantota, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalle, Matara and Ratnapura and issued a new warning to the District of Matale.

Accordingly, Level II land slide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Neluwa in the Galle district, Ingiriya in the Kalutara District, Pasbage Korale in the Kandy district, Pitabeddara and Kotapola in the Matara district and Kalawana, Ayagama, Ratnapura, Eheliyagoda, Kuruwita, Pelmadulla, Nivithigala, Kiriella and Elapatha in the Ratnapura district.

Level I landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Elpitiya in the Galle district, Walasmulla in the Hambanthota district, Aggalawaththa, Bulathsinhala, Mathugama and Walallawita in the Kalutara district, Yatiyanthota, Deraniyagala,Ruwanwella, Kegalle and Dehiowita in the Kegalle district, Yatawatta in the Matale district and Imbulpe and Kolonna in the Ratnapura district



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Hard-hitter Jacobs gets maiden New Zealand call-up for Sri Lanka T20Is

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Bevon Jacobs was picked up by Mumbai Indians for IPL 2025 [NZC]

Hard-hitting middle-order batter Bevon Jacobs has been handed his maiden New Zealand call-up by being picked for the upcoming three-match home T20I series against Sri Lanka.

Jacobs was part of the New Zealand XI side that took on Sri Lanka in a 10-overs-a-side tour match in Lincoln on Monday, although he did not get a chance to bat.

Jacobs’ call-up comes barely a month after he was picked up by Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2025 auction, joining New Zealand internationals Trent Boult and the new white-ball captain Mitchell Santner. Jacobs’ maiden IPL contract came after an impressive Super Smash campaign last season, where he hit 134 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 188.73 while batting as a finisher.

“It’s obviously an exciting time for Bevon and his family,” NZC selector Sam Wells said. “He’s a promising player with a lot of talent and we’re looking forward to exposing him to international cricket. “He’s clearly got a lot of power with the bat, but he’s also shown in the longer formats that he has a decent technique and temperament.”

Having come through the system at Auckland, Jacobs had made a switch to Canterbury for whom he made his List A and T20 debuts just over a year ago. But he returned to Auckland ahead of the ongoing home summer, and made his first class debut for Auckland last month, with scores of 75 and 79.

After narrowly missing out on another half-century in his second before, he racked up 80 against his old team, Canterbury.

Fast bowler Zakary Foulkes, wicketkeeper Mitchell Hay and top-order batter Tim Robinson are also part of the T20I squad, and could play their first international home games, having made their debuts abroad earlier in the year.

Foulkes and Robinson debuted in the T20Is in Pakistan in April, while Hay’s debut came in Sri Lanka in November. Hay is set to keep wickets in the T20Is, and will be cover for Tom Latham in the ODIs that follow.

While Jacobs, Foulkes and Robinson have only been called up for the T20Is, Latham, Will Young and Will O’Rourke will join the squad for the one-dayers. O’Rourke has been rested for the T20Is after a heavy Test workload, having featured in all eight Tests against Sri Lanka, India and England.

The series against Sri Lanka will also see Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell and Matt Henry make a return to the white-ball squads, having been rested during their tour of Sri Lanka to prepare for the home Tests against England.

New Zealand will miss many big names, due to their commitments to various franchise T20 leagues. Lockie Ferguson, Finn Allen, Adam Milne and Tim Seifert are away at the BBL, while Kane Williamson and Devon Conway are part of the SA20 which is scheduled to begin on January 9.

Ben Sears and Kyle Jamieson remain unavailable as they are still recuperating from knee and back injuries respectively.

The team will be coached by Luke Ronchi, with regular head coach Gary Stead taking a break. Ronchi will have Jacob Oram for support as the bowling coach, while Craig McMillan will look after the batting and fielding.

This will be New Zealand’s final ODI bilateral series before the Champions Trophy, where they will take on hosts Pakistan in the tournament opener.

New Zealand also will play a tri-series in Pakistan, also featuring South Africa, before the Champions Trophy begins.

“As with the squads that recently toured Sri Lanka, we’re keen to keep exposing new talent to the big stage and it’s nice to have an experienced core of players around them,” Wells said. “The Champions Trophy, like all ICC pinnacle events, is an obvious incentive for players and I know many will be keen to put their best foot forward in the ODI series to be in the frame for selection.”

The T20Is will be played on December 28, 30 and January 2 before the ODIs on January 5, 8 and 11.

New Zealand T20I squad vs Sri Lanka

Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Mitchell Hay, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Nathan Smith

New Zealand ODI squad vs Sri Lanka

Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Mitchell Hay, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Will Young

[Cricinfo]

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Renuka, Mandhana consign West Indies to record loss

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Renuka Singh's 5 for 29 were her best figures in ODIs [BCCI]

After a T20I series that went to the decider, the first of three ODIs between India and West Indies was a thoroughly one-sided fare. The hosts dominated from start to finish despite not batting to full potential, while still scoring an imposing 314 for 9, and then hardly flexed their bowling muscle to run past a West Indies line-up that folded like nine pins.

The architects of the win were Smriti Mandhana who top scored with 91, and Renuka Singh who had an unchanged opening spell of 8-1-19-4 en route a maiden ODI five-for. Two of those strikes happened to be of Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin inside the first five overs of the chase. The game was decided right there.

India will look back at their batting performance with mixed emotions despite the massive victory margin. For the first half of their innings, they appeared to be stuck in second gear, with that safety-first approach that has troubled them in ODIs lately yet again taking precedence despite Mandhana looking in sparkling form, like she has in the format all through the year.

The caution at the start was largely down to a nervous debutant – Pratika Rawal – auditioning to be Mandhana’s batting partner at the top of the order after a number of experiments earlier in the month in Australia – most notably Richa Ghosh opening – fell flat.

Rawal made 40 in a 110-run opening stand but was aided by plenty of luck along the way. On 1, she gloved a tickle to the wicketkeeper, but West Indies didn’t review. On 3, Afy Fletcher dropped a sitter at mid-off as she attempted her first aggressive shot. In between the two, she survived a tight run-out opportunity. To Rawal’s credit, she overcame all of these to slowly build her innings, before falling to an unreal return catch to Mathews, as she threw herself full-stretch to pluck a one-handed stunner.

Mandhana brought up her half-century off 62 balls, her 28th in ODIs, and shifted gears to sweep and drive imperiously, but Harleen Deol’s struggles forced her into attempting cheeky strokes, one of which had her lbw. Harleen’s cautious approach at No. 3 despite a solid start made you wonder if India miscalculated by not promoting Jemimah Rodrigues or Harampreet Kaur.

This became evident almost immediately when Harmanpreet changed the tempo of the innings upon arrival, dashing to 32 off 20 through her trademark sweeps and ferocious lofted hits, before a mix-up with Richa Ghosh, while attempting a run to short third, cut short her innings.

Ghosh and Rodrigues played fine cameos that helped provide India the finishing kick, while also allowing them to paper over the muddle in the middle overs, with the last 20 overs bringing 160. Ghosh showed off her full range of power, timing and fineness – all in one, as she made a 13-ball 26, while Rodrigues, now seen as a finisher, made 31 off 19.

India could’ve scored a lot more if not for a series of rash shots towards the end that brought Zaida James  the young left-arm spinner, a maiden five-for ODIs. That, as it turned out was one of the few positives for West Indies on a forgettable night as they had no answers to Renuka’s devious in-duckers that kept missing.

The effect of Renuka’s spell has a mesmeric effect on the others too. Titas Sadhu picked up her first ODI wicket and young legspinner Priya Mishra delivered 4.2 crafty overs for two wickets. All told, the look of horror on Shemaine Campbelle’s face when she nailed a lofted hit only for an acrobatic Harmanpreet to intercept the ball at mid-on by leaping high and pulling off a one-handed grab summed up the evening for the West Indies.

It was no less than a horror show with the bat, which they’d hope to improve on as they build towards a 50-over World Cup on these very shores in 10 months.

Brief scores:
India Women 314 for 9 in 50 overs (Smriti Mandhana 91, Pratika Rawal 40,  Harleen Deol 44, Harmanpreet Kaur 34, Jemimah Rodrigues 31; Zaida  James 5-45, Hayley Mathews 2-61) beat West Indies Women  103 in 26.2 overs (Afy Fletcher 24;  Renuka Singh 5-29, Priya Mishra 2-22) by 211 runs

[Cricinfo]

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Woman dies after being set on fire on NYC subway

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Police were called to Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station in Brooklyn after a woman on a subway car was set on fire [BBC]

A suspect has been arrested in New York over the death of a woman who was set on fire on a subway train in Brooklyn.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the incident on Sunday as “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being”.

She said the woman was on a stationary F train to Brooklyn when she was approached by a man who used a lighter to ignite her clothing.

The victim died at the scene, she said, adding that the suspect had been taken into custody after he was detained on another subway train

Police said the woman, who has not been named, was in a subway carriage at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn at about 07:30 local time (12:30 GMT) when a man approached her.  There was no interaction before the attack, police said, adding that they did not believe the two people knew each other.

The man got off the train as police officers on patrol in the station rushed to the fire. “Officers were on patrol on an upper level of that station, smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate,” Ms Tisch said.  “What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames.”

Police are still working to identify the victim and the motive for the attack.

Getty Images Police investigate at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station in Brooklyn after a woman aboard a subway car was set on fire and died. A police officer can be seen walking up a stair case with some yellow police tape flickering in the distance
Officers responded with fire extinguishers, but the victim died at the scene [BBC]

“Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car,” Ms Tisch added.

She explained responding officers were able to get a “very clear, detailed” look at the man and images were disseminated by the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Later, three high school-aged New Yorkers called 911 to report they recognised the suspect on another train, Ms Tisch told reporters. The man was then located and arrested after officers boarded the train and walked through the subway carriages.

Getty Images A white NYPD van is parked outside a Brooklyn station where a woman died after being set on fire
Police said the incident happened at 07:30 local time [BBC]

The NYPD’s Joseph Gulotta said detectives are still trying to establish whether the victim was asleep when she was set on fire. “She’s definitely there, she’s motionless,” Mr Gulotta added.

“So to say if she’s asleep or not, we’re not 100% sure, but it appears that she’s motionless at that spot.

“There is no interaction between the two. And when the incident happens, there is no interaction between them.”

[BBC]

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