After a close-fought win against Sri Lanka A, India A continued their tri-series campaign with a defeat to Afghanistan A in a rain hit match in Dambulla. Prabhsimran Singh, Rutraj Gaikwad and Captain Tilak Varma all hit half-centuries to take India A to a big total, but Afghanistan A’s batters did enough to help them edge the game on DLS. Here are the key talking points from the game.

After showing glimpses of his talent in the tri-series opener against Sri Lanka A, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi put on a more impactful display against Afghanistan A. He lay down the marker early, cutting the first two balls he faced through cover point for fours.

He predominantly targeted the off side, driving or slashing anything offering width, finding the cover and point boundaries with ease, helping India A reach 50 in 4.5 overs.

He didn’t hit a six, but hit nine fours before a nick to the keeper off Abdollah Ahmadzai sent him back for 44 off 22 balls.

At the other end, Prabhsimran also started well, even if he wasn’t quite as explosive as his 15-year-old opening partner. He drove fuller balls through the covers and when the bowlers pulled their lengths back, he was happy to walk down the track and put away some punchy square drives.

He brought up a 39-ball half-century in the 14th over, driving left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan straight of mid-off to get to the milestone. He finished that over with a deft touch to beat short third.

Prabhsimran picked up three more boundaries through and over the mid-off region across the next two overs, taking India A to 140 for 2 at the first drinks break, and also bringing up a half-century stand with Gaikwad off just 38 balls.

His first 12 boundaries all came through the off side, before he drove two Zahir full-tosses past mid-on to take India A to 150 in the 18th over. He eventually got out on 84 while trying to paddle-scoop Afghanistan A captain Imran Mir, and only managed a feather touch to the keeper.

Gaikwad, fresh off a century against Sri Lanka A, started off from where he left off, meeting his first ball with a glorious back-foot cover drive. That was his only boundary during his partnership with Prabhsimran, and he was happy to go at around a run a ball while Prabhsimran did the heavy lifting.

Once Prabhsimran fell, Gaikwad was joined by Tilak, and the two kept the scoreboard ticking mainly through singles and doubles, in the effort to ensure India A had the platform for a big finish. They shared a 78-run stand, during which Gaikwad brought up his half-century.

Gaikwad eventually got out trying to up the tempo, lobbing a top-edged slog off medium-pacer Farmanullah to midwicket.

Tilak also brought up a second consecutive half-century, before Suryansh Shedge and Anukul Roy applied the finish to take India A to 349 for 9 in their allotted 49 overs.

After a short delay during the first innings, more rain followed during the innings break, delaying the restart. Afghanistan A began their chase needing 294 from 38 overs. With the light likely to start fading, and with floodlights not in action, the match was most probably going to be decided by DLS.

Afghanistan A openers Hassan Eisakhil and Imran started off quickly, with Eisakhil the initial aggressor. India A’s new-ball bowlers Anshul Kamboj and Arshad Khan failed to threaten, until Arshad drew a top edge from Eisakhil with a bouncer in the eighth over, and later in the same over had the Afghanistan opener pulling another short ball to deep square leg.

Among the spinners, Roy looked the most dangerous, trapping Khalid Taniwal lbw with an arm ball, but Vipraj Nigam and Ayush Badoni were mostly ineffectual.

This allowed Imran and Bahir Shah to keep the scoring rate ahead of the DLS par score without losing wickets. Imran made 75 not out off 70 deliveries while Shah was on 51 off 52 after Eisakhil’s 29-ball 34.

Rain and bad light eventually stopped play at 5.28pm, with Afghanistan A four runs ahead on DLS.

SCORES:
Afghanistan A 177 for 2 in 25.5 overs  (Imran 75*, Bahir Shah 51*; Anbukul Roy 1-24) beat India A 349 for 9 in  49 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 84, Vaibhav Sooriyavanshi 44, Rutraj  Gaikwad 66, Tilak Varma 66, Suryansh Shedge 40; Abdollah Ahmadzai 5-68, Farmanullah 3-85)by 4 runs (DLS method)

[Cricinfo]

The conclusion of the Humanitarian Priorities Plan (HPP) implemented by the United Nations for those affected by Cyclone Ditwah was marked at a ceremony held in Colombo this morning (11), under the patronage of Commissioner General of Essential Services and Chief of Staff to the President, Prabath Chandrakeerthi, and United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Marc-André Franche.

Speaking at the event, UN Resident Coordinator Marc-André Franche noted that the humanitarian relief programme launched for those affected by Cyclone Ditwah had been successfully implemented owing to the strong political leadership and the swift response demonstrated in managing the disaster situation.

Commissioner General of Essential Services and Chief of Staff to the President Prabath Chandrakeerthi emphasized that Sri Lanka had demonstrated how strong national leadership and effective partnerships could ensure the delivery of relief to affected communities in a fair and efficient manner during times of crisis. He further stated that the timely and accurate data and assessments provided by the United Nations had played a crucial role in facilitating rapid relief efforts. He also noted that the Government is continuing its efforts to strengthen multi-hazard early warning systems to enhance resilience against future natural disasters of a similar nature and to further expand institutional coordination at national, provincial and local levels.

Expressing appreciation and gratitude for the generous and prompt assistance extended by various countries and partners, the Commissioner General also commended the contribution of all state institutions that helped ensure the uninterrupted provision of essential services and facilitated the swift delivery of relief assistance.

Under the United Nations’ Humanitarian Priorities Plan for Cyclone Ditwah, a fundraising initiative was launched to mobilise US$35.4 million for those affected by the disaster. Of this amount, 75 per cent has already been disbursed as assistance to affected communities across the country. Through the programme, each affected family received an allowance of Rs. 27,000 through Divisional Secretariats, while a range of additional relief measures, including the construction of temporary housing, were also implemented.

The Humanitarian Priorities Plan covered 25 districts and delivered assistance through nine key sectors. Official reports indicate that 87 per cent of the targeted population of more than 650,000 people, equivalent to approximately 575,000 individuals, directly benefited from the programme. This achievement clearly reflects the confidence and support extended by foreign governments and organisations towards the Cyclone Ditwah response programme being implemented by the present Government.

Among those who attended the event were Additional Secretary (Disaster Management) to the Ministry of Defence K. G. Dharmatilake, ambassadors and high commissioners from several countries, representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), representatives of international humanitarian organisations, and a number of local and international dignitaries.

(PMD)