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Mooney, Sutherland and King star as Australia seal series emphatically

Published

9 months ago

2025/03/23

Priyan

Annabel Sutherland ripped through New Zealand's top order '[Cricinfo]

Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland and Alana King starred in another dominant Australia performance to crush New Zealand by 82 runs in Mount Maunganui and close out their first women’s T20I series win in New Zealand with one game remaining.

Mooney scored 70 off 42, her fourth 70-plus score in her last five T20Is, to earn Player-of-the-Match honours again and underpin Australia’s mammoth total of 204 for 3, where all five of Australia’s batters on show reached 23 or more. Only Phoebe Litchfield struck at under 153. Georgia Voll’s blistering 36 off 20 set the tone for Mooney to follow before Litchfield, Ellyse Perry and Sutherland all produced valuable cameos.

Sutherland then ripped through New Zealand’s top order, taking three wickets in her first seven deliveries after King had knocked over Suzie Bates, to extinguish any hopes of a record chase as they folded for just 122. Sutherland finished with extraordinary career-best T20I figures of 4 for 8 from 2.1 overs. King, who was oddly left out of Australia’s XI in the first game of the series despite starring in the Ashes, took 3 for 27 having come in for the injured Ash Gardner.

Amelia Kerr took 1 for 27 from four overs and made 40 off 36, but no other New Zealand player conceded fewer than eight runs per over with the ball or scored more than 22 with the bat.

Mooney and Voll once again took the wind out of New Zealand’s sails, this time blasting a 57-run opening stand in 5.1 overs after Australia won the toss and chose to bat on a pristine surface.

Picking up from where the two had left off following their 123-run stand in Auckland, Voll was vicious in her assault on the new ball. She smashed seven boundaries in the first five overs and could have done more damage had she not picked out fielders in the ring with several powerful strikes. She clubbed Eden Carson for three fours in the second over on the innings and then produced back-to-back boundaries off Rosemary Mair in the fourth to reach 33 from 17 before Mooney had got to double-figures.

She fell in unusual fashion, bounced out by Sophie Devine with keeper Polly Inglis up to the stumps. Both Voll and Inglis thought she had missed a pull shot. But Devine thought she heard something, and a review showed a spike on real-time snicko as ball passed bat.

Mooney enjoyed a slice of luck when Devine misjudged an aerial square drive on the deep point rope. She came in too far and it sailed over her head but landed inside the rope.

The left-hand batter then continued her form, accumulating with ease. She shared a 69-run stand with Litchfield, who made a scratchy 32 from 29. When she holed to long-on, Australia upped the tempo with Perry pumping her first delivery over cover for four.

It sparked an electric finish to the innings. Mooney holed out to Amelia Kerr, who very nearly pinned Sutherland lbw first ball with a superb wrong’un. Sutherland needed a review to overturn a decision with ball tracking showing it was just going over middle. Sutherland and Perry proceeded to take 40 from the last 18 balls of the innings. Sutherland smashed an enormous six in her 23 not out from 15. Perry showed her class off the last two balls of the innings, lofting inside out over cover and then reverse lapping fine of third to finish unbeaten on 29 from 15.

New Zealand’s pursuit of the record chase never got going. King bowled Bates in the second over before Sutherland removed Georgia Plimmer and Devine in consecutive balls in the fifth. When Brooke Halliday miscued to mid-on off Sutherland’s first ball of the seventh over, New Zealand were 45 for 4 and Sutherland had 3 for 3.

Amelia Kerr fought hard alongside Maddy Green but the game was well and truly gone. Georgia Wareham trapped Green lbw for 22 before King and Darcie Brown tore through the tail. King removed both Kerr sisters within three balls before Brown picked up two in four balls in the next over.

Sutherland flattened Carson’s off stump to seal the win with New Zealand losing 5 for 13 to be bowled out for 122.

Brief scores:
Australia Women 204 for 3 in 20 overs (Beth Mooney 70, Georgia Voll 36, Phoebe Litchfield 32, Ellyse Perry 29*, Annabel Sutherland 23*; JessKerr 1-39, Sophie Devine 1-38, Amelia Kerr 1-27) beat New Zealand Women 122 in 16.1 overs (Suzie Bates 12, Amelia Kerr 40, Maddy Green 22, Jess Kerr 14; Annabel Sutherland 4-08, Alana King 3-27, Darcie Brown 2-23, Georgia Wareham 1-15) by 82 runs

[Cricinfo]

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58,454 International aircraft movements in Sri Lanka in first 11months of 2025 – Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation

Published

5 hours ago

2025/12/31

Priyan

According to figures released by the Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation there have been 58,454 international aircraft movements in the first 11 months of 2025 in Sri Lanka. [An aircraft movement refers to the count of take offs and landings at an airport]

The figures also confirm that tourist arrivals via air stands at 2.1 million.

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Lasith Malinga to work with the Sri Lanka Team in lead up to T20 World Cup

Published

7 hours ago

2025/12/31

Priyan

Lasith Malinga chats with Matheesha Pathirana [Cricinfo]

Lasith Malinga has once more been retained as consultant bowling coach for Sri Lanka’s men’s team, as they prepare for the T20 World Cup they are due to co-host from early February.

Although this is only a 40-day appointment, running from December 15 to January 25, it is essentially a continuation of Malinga’s work with key bowlers in the national set-up. Malinga has worked officially as a fast-bowling consultant at least twice before, but has also worked unofficially with top bowlers over the years, and has been advising the coaching team led by Sanath Jayasuriya, over the past two years.

With round-arm bowlers Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara both in Sri Lanka’s preliminary squad for the T20 World Cup, and likely to make the final 15, Malinga will be especially well-placed to assist.

“Sri Lanka Cricket aims to leverage Malinga’s vast international experience and renowned expertise in death bowling, particularly in the shortest format of the game to strengthen Sri Lanka’s preparations for the upcoming World Cup,” the board release said.

Sri Lanka are set to co-host their first men’s global tournament since 2012, from February 7. Three Sri Lankan venues will be used – Khettarama and SSC in Colombo, and Pallekele.

The T20 World Cup will run from February 7 to March 8. Sri Lanka are in Group B along with Australia, Ireland, Oman and Zimbabwe.

[Cricinfo]

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Highest revenue in 93-year history of Inland Revenue Department collected in 2025

Published

7 hours ago

2025/12/31

Priyan

The Inland Revenue Department has succeeded in collecting Rs. 2,203 billion in revenue in 2025, the highest amount recorded in its 93-year history. This represents a surplus of Rs. 33 billion over the revenue target for the year and a 15 per cent increase compared with the revenue collected in the previous year, stated Commissioner-General of Inland Revenue Ms Rukdevi Fernando.

She made these remarks at a discussion held on Tuesday (30) morning at the Department’s auditorium under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Marking the first occasion in the 93-year history of the Inland Revenue Department that a President has visited the Department, the President attended a meeting with the staff to review the progress achieved in 2025 and the new plans for 2026.

The President expressed his appreciation to all officers and staff of the Inland Revenue Department for surpassing the revenue expected by the Government and urged everyone to continue working towards a common objective in order to realise the economic transformation required for the country.

Emphasising that no individual is entitled to the privilege of evading taxes, the President stated that the era in which a tax culture prevailed based on personal or political affiliations has come to an end. He further stressed that the law will be enforced without hesitation, irrespective of status, against those who attempt to evade taxes.

The President also pointed out that tax collection is neither repression nor coercion but a legitimate right of the State, adding that necessary changes will be made to laws, regulations, designations and staffing in order to secure this contribution.

He further emphasised that the Government’s objective is to ensure that the benefits of these economic achievements flow to the people of the country. The Government is focusing on improving essential public services to enhance the quality of life, undertaking a new transformation of the transport system and providing adequate allocations for the development of the education and health sectors.

The President also highlighted the need for a targeted programme to properly collect the taxes due to the Government by addressing issues such as improving tax literacy, simplifying the tax system and filling staff shortages.

Ms Rukdevi Fernando stated that the professional competence and dedication of the Department’s officers were the key factors behind this success.

She further noted that a revenue target of Rs. 2,401 billion has been set for 2026 and that the Department expects to achieve this through programmes aimed at enhancing tax compliance and broadening the tax base.

In addition, she said that the Department plans to expand third-party data sharing, strengthen investigations into domestic and overseas assets, take over the RAMIS system, reinforce risk-based auditing, introduce e-invoicing, adopt modern technology for tax administration and enhance tax ethics in 2026.

Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr Anil Jayantha Fernando, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Nishantha Jayaweera, Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Commissioner-General of Inland Revenue Ms Rukdevi Fernando and senior officials and staff of the Department were present at the occasion.