Latest News
Liam Livingstone trumps Shai Hope to square series in battle of captain’s hundreds
In the battle of captain’s centuries, there was one clear winner. Liam Livingstone’s devastating 124 not out from 85 balls trumped Shai Hope’s far more sedate 117 as England sealed victory in the second ODI by five wickets.
That it was Livingstone’s maiden 50-over century is one thing. But leading an inexperienced group, the responsibility he assumed to see England home in a chase of 329 – and thus square the series at 1-1 – in such jaw-dropping fashion is worthy of the highest praise.
The tourists looked up against it after Phil Salt’s 59 and Jacob Bethell’s 55 – his maiden international half-century – had been the only scores of note in the top four. But a watchful stand between Livingstone and Sam Curran (52) evolved into a match-twisting epic of 140 from just 107 balls.
The acceleration at the end that brought victory with 15 balls to spare is showcased best in the breakdown of Livingstone’s approach into the final 10 overs, with 100 still to get. He headed into this period on 46 from 57, before striking 78 off his final 28 deliveries.
Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie – 4 for 41 in the first ODI – was taken down for 14 and 16 at the start of the back straight to nurse his worst figures of 0 for 71. Jayden Seales was carted for 26 in an over, before debutant Shamar Joseph was thumped for 24. No one was safe. All in all, Livingstone thumped nine sixes among his 14 boundaries.
Aside from a hacked edge from Livingstone on four that flew between Hope and a wide first slip, there was little Hope could do to turn back the tide. Earlier in the day, his 17th century had seemingly done the main graft to put West Indies at a commanding position at the halfway stage with 328 for 6, meaning England needed to complete the second highest ODI run-chase in the Caribbean.
Hope arrived at the start of the fourth over and batted through to the end of the 47th. There was vital support from Keacy Carty – whose 71 came in a third-wicket stand of 143 – and Sherfane Rutherford – his punchy 54 providing the majority of 79 for the fourth. Cameos from Shimron Hetmyer and Matthew Forde helped ransack 93 from the final 10 overs, even if Livingstone’s final flourish make that look well below par.
Livingstone’s decision to bowl after winning the toss was immediately vindicated by the removal of both West Indies openers in the first 19 deliveries. John Turner was responsible for both initial strikes for his first wickets in international cricket, the second of which was the prized wicket of Evin Lewis. The hero of the first ODI was snared down the leg side for just four following Thursday’s match-winning 94.
But things unravelled, characterised by England’s use of nine bowlers for only the second time in ODIs. That they could have dismissed Hope on 60 also cut them deep.
From 12 for 2, consolidation was the initial aim for Hope and Carty, who could have been removed on eight. An English squeeze involved three fielders at backward point, but Bethell – the middle of them – could only palm a skewed drive from Carty which would have given Turner a third dismissal.
The pair made it out of the Powerplay on 41 for 2, a figure bumped up in the 10th over by Hope’s first boundary – a stunning back-foot launch over extra cover for six off Turner. A brace of straight drives off Saqib Mahmood – the only change to the XI from the first ODI, with Jamie Overton sitting out – and a second six, lofting Adil Rashid over cover, was then followed by some quiet rotation.
Once satisfied the early losses had been offset, risks were taken to lift the run-rate. However, having cleared midwicket after Bethell dropped short to bring up his 42nd fifty-plus score, from 66 deliveries, it was a botched defensive push that should have brought his innings to an end on 60. A edge of Bethell bounced out of the hands of Salt behind the stumps.
Carty was soon moving to his fourth ODI fifty from 62 deliveries. He was then given two lives when a top-edge took Turner over the boundary at deep fine leg, then the fielder dropped a far simpler chance off the very next ball. Both came as Archer nailed his short-ball plans.
That miss would only cost three runs, as Rashid returned to bowl Carty through the gate at the start of the 31st. But that brought Rutherford to the crease, who ended up striking seven boundaries – three of them sixes – for a fifth half-century from just 35 deliveries.
Though he was dismissed a ball later – caught at deep cover attempting to replicate the six over the same region that took him to fifty – Hetmyer’s breezy 24 off 11 kept the pressure on. He was also dropped on 2 by Will Jacks down at long-on.
Once Hetmyer was dismissed, caught by Archer at gully off a Rashid googly, Hope pressed down on the accelerator. After leaning into a drive off his 118th delivery to move to 100, he smeared Rashid for a four and six to wide long-on as 13 was taken off the 36-year-old’s final over.
Hell-bent on throwing his bat at everything sent his way, Hope misread a slower delivery from Archer that was well-taken by Livingstone charging in from long-off. Forde then picked up the baton for the final straight, striking three successive sixes off Mahmood in the final over to lift the hosts to 328 for 6.
Though England shot themselves in the foot with four drops, they were also guilty of spurning opportunities to make immediate amends with the bat. Salt looked on his way to redemption, carrying the start of the innings on his back, shrugging off the loss of Jacks in the fifth over to contribute 36 of England’s first fifty runs.
When Shamar Joseph, making his ODI debut with his namesake Alzarri rested, bounced out Jordan Cox for an agonising 4 off 19 deliveries, Bethell arrived to take England to 107 for 3 by the 20-over mark.
Both were culpable for relinquishing control. Salt skied the first ball of Forde’s new spell at the start of the 21st for 59, then Bethell dumped Roston Chase into the hands of long-off after reaching a maiden international fifty.
But the duo of Livingstone and Curran, players still with much to prove despite their experience, refused to panic. Curran initially took the reins as the aggressor, starting smartly with a six off Motie having noticed an extra fielder in the outfield meant the umpires would call it a no-ball. He contributed 31 of the initial 50 for the fifth wicket before Livingstone, after five overs without a boundary heading into the final 10, decided it was going to be all on him.
The starter pistol was set with a charge off Motie down the ground to bring up Livingstone’s fifty from 60 deliveries, before he signed off the 41st over with a slog-sweep over deep midwicket off the very next delivery. Back-to-back sixes in Motie’s next over – the second bringing up the century stand from 92 – also found the grass banks.
Pace was then put back on the ball, which played further into Livingstone’s favour. When Curran was dismissed a ball after the skipper had nudged his 77th ball down the ground to move to 100, Dan Mousley played his part to a tee – simply dabbing singles. The most important came at the start of the 48th over, giving Livingstone the strike for the honour of hitting the winning run.
Brief scores:
England 329 for 5 in 47.3 overs (Liam Livingstone 124*, Phil Salt 59, Jacob Bethell 55, Sam Curran 52; Mathew Forde 3-48) beat West Indies 328 for 6 in 50 overs (Shai Hope 117, Keacy Carty 71, Sherfane Rutherford 54; John Turner 2-42, Adil Rashid 2-62) by five wickets
[Cricinfo]
Latest News
Our government has reaffirmed its commitment to breaking barriers that limit women’s full participation in the economy, recognizing their vital role in national development. – Dr. Harini Amarasuriya
The Prime Minister made this statement while addressing the launching the She Trades Sri Lanka Hub funded by the UK’s She Trades Commonwealth+ Program held at Galle face Hotel in Colombo on March 14 organized by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) and the International Trade Centre (ITC).
While addressing the audience, the Prime minister stated, the government has reaffirmed its commitment to breaking barriers that limit women’s full participation in the economy, recognizing their vital role in national development. Emphasizing gender-inclusive policies, financial inclusion, and access to global markets, authorities are prioritizing support for women-led businesses in key sectors such as ICT, agribusiness, and engineering.
A new initiative will establish 200 women-led cooperatives, fostering supportive environments for female entrepreneurs. Additionally, efforts to strengthen childcare, elderly care, and disability services aim to reduce the burdens that limit women’s economic participation.
A dedicated platform has been launched to provide women entrepreneurs with knowledge, networking, and international trade opportunities. Strengthening public-private partnerships and expanding global market access are key strategies to create an inclusive and sustainable trade ecosystem.
By equipping women with the necessary skills, financial resources, and digital trade access, the government aims to ensure that women entrepreneurs become key drivers of economic growth, aligning with broader policies for inclusive and sustainable development.
The event was attended by Ms. Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of the International Trade Center, His Excellency Andrew Patrick, British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Officials from the International Trade Center and the British High Commission in Sri Lanka, Chairman of the Export Development Board Mr. Mangala Wijesinghe and Officials from Export Development Board and International Trade Centre and woman Entrepreneurs.
(Prime Minister’s Media Division)
Is it 2023 again ? Mumbai Indians [MI] and Delhi Capitals [DC], two consistently good teams with all-star line-ups, meet again in the WPL final. While DC have breezed into the final this season, MI are coming in battle-hardened, having had to take the circuitous route by playing three matches in four days to get there.
DC have been strong in most departments, and have got their selection calls right throughout the season. Their captain Meg Lanning hit form late in the tournament, Shafali Verma has continued to churn out the runs at the top of the other, and the move to promote Jess Jonassen to No. 3 has paid off. But for DC to look more threatening, they’d want their middle order to step up further. Their middle order (Nos. 4 to 7) collectively averages 17.50, the lowest this season, and have struck at 116.66, which is the second-lowest among all teams.
MI’s line-up also drips with power and strength. Powerplay bowling has been one of DC’s strongest suits, but only MI have bettered that. DC’s bowlers have taken 50 wickets at 23.84 in this phase, while MI have 61 wickets at 22.68.
For MI,Nat Sciver-Brunt has been at her brutal best, Hayley Matthews has delivered with both bat and ball, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur has hit high tempo. The rest of the line-up, though, has blown hot and cold.
But MI will be playing at their home ground – a venue where they’ve lost just once in seven games – and that tilts the scales in their favour. DC, though, have had a good seven days break, and will be coming in without the pressure of having had to scramble for a place in the final. Two heartbreaking finals later, will third time be the charm for them?
MI had promoted Amelia Kerr to the opening slot, and pushed Yastika Bhatia down the order for a couple of games. While Yastika was able to make quick runs from her new position, Kerr, who hasn’t been in the best of form with the bat, wasn’t able to capitalise on her starts. The order went back to what it was in the Eliminator against Gujarat Giants (GG), but neither player made an impact. Will MI switch their positions again to get the best out of Yastika?
MI had also brought in left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque in place of Parunika Sisodia for the Eliminator. Will they pick Ishaque again for the final after she bowled just one over against GG?
DC, who were last in action on March 7, are unlikely to make any changes to their line-up.
Mumbai Indians (probable): Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Amanjot Kaur, Yastika Bhatia (wk), S Sajana, G Kamalini, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque
Delhi Capitals (probable): Meg Lanning (capt), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen, Sarah Bryce (wk), Niki Prasad, Minnu Mani, Shikha Pandey, Titas Sadhu
[Cricinfo]
US President Donald Trump has praised talks held with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the US-proposed ceasefire deal in Ukraine as “good and productive”.
This comes after Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff met in Moscow on Thursday evening, after which the Kremlin said it shared the US’s “cautious optimism” over a peace process.
Trump said in a Truth Social post that the talks provided “a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, accused Putin of trying to drag out talks to continue the war, while Sir Keir Starmer said the Russian president could not be allowed to “play games” with ceasefire proposals.
Earlier this week, Ukraine accepted the US-proposed ceasefire deal, which Russia is yet to agree to.
On Thursday, Putin had said the idea of a ceasefire was “right and we support it… but there are nuances” and he set out a number of tough conditions for peace, a response branded “manipulative” by Zelensky.
Ukraine’s leader continued his criticism on Friday in a series of posts on X, writing: “Putin cannot exit this war because that would leave him with nothing. “That is why he is now doing everything he can to sabotage diplomacy by setting extremely difficult and unacceptable conditions right from the start even before a ceasefire.”
He said Putin would “drag” everyone into “endless discussions… wasting days, weeks, and months on meaningless talks while his guns continue to kill people”.
“Every condition Putin puts forward is just an attempt to block any diplomacy. This is how Russia works. And we warned about this.”
UK PM Sir Keir said the Kremlin’s “complete disregard” for Trump’s ceasefire proposal demonstrated Putin was “not serious about peace”.
“If Russia finally comes to the table, then we must be ready to monitor a ceasefire to ensure it is a serious and enduring peace,” he said. “If they don’t, then we need to strain every sinew to ramp up economic pressure on Russia to secure an end to this war.”
On Saturday, Sir Keir will host a video call with as many as 25 leaders to develop the peacekeeping mission proposed during a summit in London earlier this month.
The ‘coalition of the willing’ – as he called it – will work to deter future Russian aggression, should the US-proposed ceasefire come into effect.
In his social media posts on Friday, Zelensky “strongly” urged “everyone who can influence Russia, especially the United States, to take strong steps that can help”, because Putin would not stop the war on his own.
“Putin is lying about the real situation on the battlefield… the casualties” and “the true state of his economy”, he said, explaining that Putin was “doing everything possible to ensure that diplomacy fails”.
But the White House believes the two sides have “never been this close to peace”.
Talking to reporters, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt maintained that the talks between Putin and Witkoff in Moscow on Thursday were “productive”.
She added Trump has been “putting pressure on Putin and the Russians to do the right thing”.
Trump’s social media post also “strongly requested” Putin should spare the lives of Ukrainian troops, whom he described as surrounded by Russian forces, adding it would be a “horrible massacre” not seen since World War Two.
His comments came after Putin said on Thursday that Ukrainian troops in Kursk had been “isolated” and were trying to leave, as Russia ramps up efforts to reclaim the region invaded by Ukraine last year.
But on Friday, Ukraine’s armed forces general staff denied the encirclement of its troops, calling it “false and fabricated”.
In a statement, it said operations were continuing, with Ukrainian troops having withdrawn and “successfully regrouped” to better defensive positions.
“There is no threat of encirclement of our units,” it said.
In response to Trump’s request, Putin said Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk would be treated with “dignity in line with the norms of international law and the laws of the Russian Federation” if they gave up arms and surrendered.
Meanwhile, G7 members have been meeting in Quebec, where host Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said all the members agreed with the US proposal of a ceasefire that is supported by Ukrainians.
“And we are now studying and looking at Russian reactions, so ultimately the ball is now in Russia’s court when it comes to Ukraine.”
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who was also at the meeting, said the members were united in calling for a ceasefire with “no conditions”.
Following the meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would not make foreign policy decisions based on what leaders said on social media or at a news conference, and stressed the “only way to end this war is through a process of negotiations”.
[BBC]
Our government has reaffirmed its commitment to breaking barriers that limit women’s full participation in the economy, recognizing their vital role in national development. – Dr. Harini Amarasuriya
Delhi Capitals hope to be third time lucky as they eye first WPL title
South Asia erupts in colour for vibrant Holi celebrations
-
Editorial6 days agoRanil roasted in London
-
Latest News7 days agoS. Thomas’ beat Royal by five wickets in the 146th Battle of the Blues
-
Features6 days agoThe JVP insurrection of 1971 as I saw it as GA Ampara
-
Opinion5 days agoInsulting SL armed forces
-
Features6 days agoMr. JR Jayewardene’s passport
-
News3 days agoAlfred Duraiappa’s relative killed in Canada shooting
-
Features6 days agoAs superpower America falls into chaos, being small is beautiful for Sri Lanka
-
Opinion6 days agoBeyond Victory: sportsmanship thrives at Moratuwa Big Match