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Lyon spins Australia to big win in Wellington
Nathan Lyon took a second-innings six-fer and registered a 10-wicket match haul for the fifth time in his illustrious career as Australia romped home to victory by 172 runs on the fourth morning of the series-opening Wellington Test.
New Zealand had shown admirable resistance on the third day after being pushed so far behind in the game and even teased the possibility of an incredible come-from-behind win but eventually the turn and bounce accorded by the pitch at the Basin Reserve was enough for Lyon to rubber-stamp his influence on the game.
Lyon’s feat was the first 10-wicket match haul by a spinner in New Zealand since 2006 and extended the hosts’ misery in Test matches against Australia, who they have beaten just once since 1993 now.
The hosts, playing in front of a near-capacity Sunday crowd, began sedately in pursuit of the 258 runs they needed at the start of the day’s play. The overnight pair of Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell were largely untroubled in the first half-hour leading to a switch in strategy from Pat Cummins. To shackle the free-flowing Ravindra, Australia stationed three fielders on the off-side and got Lyon to swap to the RA Vance bowling end. The move took only three balls to pay off as Ravindra cut a short ball straight to point and was dismissed for 59.
That was enough for the veteran offspinner, who struck two more times over the next four balls, to dismiss Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips. The former was forced to lunge forward in defence and inside-edged his attempt on to his thigh-pad and into the hands of short-leg. Phillips, in Lyon’s next over, was pushed back in his crease and defeated by an sharp turner that missed his flick and struck him in front of the stumps.
The hosts, whose hopes were snuffed in a matter of two Lyon overs, found brief resistance through Mitchell and Scott Kuggeleijn, but it was always a matter of time before Australia opened up one end. First-innings centurion Cameron Green found a delivery to misbehave off a good length and kick up onto Kuggeleijn, who could only glove it to the ‘keeper.
The end came quickly thereafter as Josh Hazlewood bagged a pair of wickets while Lyon had the home skipper miscuing a slog to long on for his sixth wicket. It capped off a thoroughly impressive show from the visitors, who completed an impressive victory despite being put into bat on a green-top on the first morning, found a way to move into the ascendancy and stayed there through the course.
Brief scores:
Australia 383 and 164 beat New Zealand 179 and 196 (Rachin Ravindra 59, Daryl Mitchell 38; Nathan Lyon 6-65) by 172 runs.
(Cricbuzz)
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PNB detect large haul of methamphetamine and heroin in local fishing trawler intercepted by Navy
Acting on credible information, the Sri Lanka Navy launched a special operation on the high seas on 11 Apr 25, resulting in the apprehension of 06 suspects along with a local multi-day fishing trawler, believed to be involved in smuggling of narcotics.
Subsequently, the intercepted trawler was brought to the Dikkowita Harbour, where a thorough inspection was carried out with the assistance of the Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) experts, leading to the detection of approximately 77kg and 484g of heroin and 42kg and 334g of methamphetamine (Ice).
The consignment, which had been meticulously hidden in the trawler, was handed over to the PNB for onward legal action on 12 Apr.
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Sun directly overhead Thunukkai, Olumadu, Oddusudan, Kumulamunei and Chemmalei at about 12:11 noon. today [13]
On the apparent northward relative motion of the sun, it is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka during 05th to 14th of April in this year.
The nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (13th) are Thunukkai, Olumadu, Oddusudan, Kumulamunei and Chemmalei at about 12:11 noon.
Despite the absence of Mitchell Marsh, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) bested Gujarat Titans (GT) in the battle of top orders and moved up to third on the IPL 2025 points table.
After Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudarshan forged a 120-run opening stand, GT managed only 60 off their last eight overs while losing six wickets. The variations of Ravi Bishnoi and Digyesh Rathi (8-0-66-3) helped LSG regain lost ground on a black-soil pitch at Ekana Stadium.
Aiden Markram and Rishzbh Pant, who was opening the batting for the first time in the IPL in nearly ten years, then maximised the powerplay to put LSG further ahead. Markram fell for 58 off 31 balls but Nicholas Pooran rushed LSG towards the finish line with a six-laden 61 off 34 balls. LSG completed the job with three balls to spare, snapping GT’s four-match winning streak.
After being asked to bat first, Gill and Sudharsan added 54 for 0 in the powerplay. Sudharsan had kicked off the innings with a slapped four off Shardul Thakur and then when Akash Deep pitched one too full, he drove the ball straight past him for four more.
T20 isn’t Sudharsan’s strongest format, but he keeps finding ways to score at a brisk pace with a low-risk approach. At the other end, Gill took more risks, often stepping out or manufacturing swinging room. When LSG tried to burgle an over from Markram, Gill and Sudharsan spoiled their plan by taking the part-time offspinner for 15 runs.
Sudharsan’s knock could’ve been cut short on 46 had Abdul Samad held onto a catch at cover off Rathi. He went onto bring up his fourth half-century in six innings in IPL, soon after Gill had raised his own fifty.
The dismissals of Gill and Sudharsan in successive overs, however, brought LSG back into the contest. While Avesh Khan had Gill caught at the long-on boundary with a cutter, Bishnoi had Sudharsan caught at cover with a skiddy wrong ‘un. Bishnoi also had Washington Sundar chopping on for 2 with the wrong ‘un.
Mystery spinner Rathi, who had two catches dropped off his bowling, eventually wrote his name into the wickets column when Thakur held onto a tough chance at short fine leg to dismiss Jos Buttler for 16 off 14 balls. Thakur then closed out the innings with his nifty variations, which fetched him the wickets of Sherfane Rutherford and Rahul Tewatia in the final over. From 120 for 0 after 12 overs, they finished on 180 for 6.
LSG rattled off 61 for 0 in the powerplay, with Markram claiming 38 of those. Pant, who had bumped himself up the order, got off to a more sedate start and was in discomfort after being struck on the knee by left-arm seamer Arshad Khan.
Pant was happy to ride in Markram’s slipstream before he attacked Rashid Khan in the last over of the powerplay, slog-sweeping the wristspinner for four over midwicket. In the next over, though, when he charged at Prasidh Krishna, the bowler shifted his line wide of off stump and had Pant slicing a catch to deep third for 21 off 18 balls. Markram, meanwhile, mixed orthodox strokeplay with T20 innovation to bring up a 26-ball fifty.
Pooran had already hit two sixes by the time GT introduced R Sai Kishore into the attack in the tenth over. The first delivery, which seemed like the carrom ball, was whacked over midwicket for six. He then smoked the left-arm fingerspinner for two more sixes off the next three balls he bowled to him and dumped him out of the attack. With his big hits, Pooran brought the asking rate down to a run-a-ball. He ended up with seven sixes on the day, extending his tally to 31 sixes this IPL. The next best on the list hasn’t even hit half as many.
On the day, Pooran alone hit four more sixes than the entire GT team.
By the time Rashid removed Pooran in the 16th over, LSG needed 26 off 28 balls. Ayush Badoni, LSG’s Impact Player, helped knock off those runs with an unbeaten cameo.
Brief scores:
Lucknow Super Giants 186 for 4 in 19.3 overs (Nicholas Pooran 61, Aiden Markram 58, Rishabh Pant 21, Ayush Badoni 28*; Prasidh Krishna 2-26, Rashid Khan 1-35, Washington Sundar 1-28) beat Gujarat Titans180 for 6 in 20 overs (Shubhman Gill 60, Bhardwaj Sai Sudharsan 56, Jos Buttler 16, Sherfaine Rutherford 22, Masood Shahrukh Khan 11*; Shardul Thakur 2-24, Digvesh Rathi 1-30, Avesh Khan 1-32, Ravi Bishnoi 2-36) by six wickets
[Cricinfo]
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