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Neser five-for trumps England’s belated resistance as Australia take 2-0 lead
England batted against type and belatedly produced a rearguard, but it was in vain as seamer Michael Neser justified his contentious selection with a five-wicket haul to lead Australia to a crushing second Test victory.
Just six days in, Australia have a stranglehold of an Ashes series that is quickly becoming decidedly one-sided. But they were made to work on day four with England skipper Ben Stokesand Will Jacks stonewalling for almost half a day in a 96-run seventh-wicket partnership lasting almost 37 overs.
But Neser, surprisingly selected ahead of offspinner Nathan Lyon, dismissed both batters as England quickly fell away much like they have done numerous times in this series. Neser was sensational on the back of a deadly spell with the pink ball under lights on day three.
He was aided by outstanding fielding, a notable contrast between the teams after England dropped five catches in Australia’s first innings.
Skipper Steven Smith snatched a stunning one-hander low to his left to end Jacks’ 92-ball grind, while wicketkeeper Alex Carey completed a stellar effort with the gloves by holding on to a nick up at the stumps to dismiss Stokes.
Any hope of a miracle ended with the sight of a forlorn Stokes trudging off the Gabba having given his all with 50 off 152 balls.
Needing just 65 runs for victory, Travis Head came out blazing as Australia raced to 33 for 0 after five overs but dinner was still taken despite fears of stormy weather closing in on the Brisbane area.
Head could not carry over the momentum on resumption, chopping on to Gus Atkinson who also nicked off Marnus Labuschagne. There were unexpected late fireworks when Smith and Jofra Archer had a war of words.
But Smith, fittingly, came out on top with a hooked six off a 150 kph Archer bumper before sealing the victory in style with a huge blow over deep square off Atkinson. Smith finished 23 not out off just nine balls to ensure England left the field in need of plenty of soul searching ahead of the third Test in Adelaide.
England will rue several passages of brainless play earlier in the match as their hopes of regaining the Ashes appear shot. Had they batted with the application and grit that Stokes and Jacks exhibited earlier than the match might have taken a different course.
But Australia thoroughly deserved their victory after such an even team performance. They outclassed and outsmarted England in another impressive effort without quicks Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.
Smith continues to provide an excellent stand-in for Cummins as Australia’s mastery and experience of day-night cricket overwhelmed a ragged England.
The main question at the start of the day was how long would play last with the result basically a formality. England resumed their second innings in dire trouble at 134 for 6 and still 43 runs from making Australia bat again. With the knives out, a beleaguered England’s only hope seemingly rested on Stokes replicating his Headingley-esque heroics.
Going against type, a backs-to-the-wall approach was needed. Unlike a slew of his team-mates, Stokes had been very watchful late on day three to survive Australia’s onslaught and finish unbeaten on 4 from 24 balls. Under the baking sun, Stokes encountered far easier conditions with minimal swing on offer in a sedate start to the day’s play.
He crawled to 12 off 50 balls before cracking a superb cover drive off Brendan Doggett in the highlight of a dour 28-run opening hour. There wasn’t much out of the ordinary apart from when Stokes backed away anticipating a bouncer and proceeded to forehand smash the ball, forcing Doggett to do his own fielding to the boundary at long-off.
Australia’s quicks bowled excellently without reward and they tried different tactics in search of a breakthrough. In what had seemed unlikely at the start of the day, England hauled in the deficit prompting a standing ovation from the Barmy Army.
The 50-run partnership between Stokes and Jacks was brought up a run later to a ripple of mostly ironic cheers from the terraces. They scored at 2.45 – the slowest scoring rate of the 164 partnerships of 50-plus in the Bazball era.
Stokes had a nervous moment just before the elongated tea break when a short delivery from Scott Boland hit the shoulder of his bat and flew over a leaping Cameron Green in the gully.
With a wicket proving elusive for the quicks, Smith might have wished he could throw the ball to Lyon but, instead, he gave Head’s part-time spin a go. Labuschagne also unfurled his seam bowling in the last over before tea as Stokes and Jacks defied the odds in the first wicketless session of the series.
It was much the same early in the second session with Stokes digging in while Jacks, playing just his third Test, looked composed and balanced at the crease. Jacks brought up his first boundary of the day when he clipped beautifully through midwicket as he passed his previous Test high score of 31.
Smith had started to look frustrated in the field, but his mood brightened considerably when he took it upon himself to produce a moment of magic to end Jacks’ resistance.
Stokes had barely acknowledged his hard-fought half-century, knowing there was so much work still to do. But he soon walked off disappointed after falling to Neser, throwing his head back in agony with the bitter realisation that the match was effectively over.
England lost their last 4 for 17 in their latest collapse as Neser claimed his first five-wicket innings haul of his brief Test career when he dismissed Brydon Carse.
Smith equalled Rahul Dravid to sit second all time in outfield catches and he celebrated with gusto knowing Australia were on the brink of another big win over their hapless opponent.
Brief scores:
Australia 511 (Mitchell Starc 77, Jake Weatherald 72, Marnus Labuschagne 65, Steven Smith 61, Alex Carey 63; Brydon Carse 4-152, Ben Stokes 3-113) and 69 for 2 beat England 334 (Joe Root 138*, Zak Crawley 76 Mitchell Starc 6-75) and 241 (Ben Stokes 50, Michael Neser 5-42) by eight wickets
[Cricinfo]
The United States declared independence from the British crown 250 years ago – but this week, it could not get enough of it.
From the minute King Charles and Queen Camilla stepped onto the White House South Lawn, US networks dumped their standard diet of political warfare and breaking news for something rare: pure pageantry.
In a country that seems to agree on almost nothing, the British royals managed something close to a clean sweep – drawing warm receptions from both sides of a political spectrum where neutral ground is rare.
The visit came at a fraught time in US-British relations, with the White House and Downing Street at odds over the war in Iran, straining a relationship both governments insist remains unshakeable.
The reviews following the King’s appearances at the White House, in Congress and in New York were warm across the political divide.
A commentator in the conservative Washington Examiner wrote that the UK needed more than conventional diplomacy – and that King Charles delivered.
“His Majesty’s Government under scandal-plagued Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer needed the monarchy to do what only the king could do,” the editorial said.
The King’s comments in Congress and at the White House’s lavish banquet on Tuesday – mixing humour with history and a call for unity – also were widely praised.
Some saw them as a subtle rebuke of President Trump.
“Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to see what’s really going on,” an opinion writer wrote in the Arizona Republic. “It’s striking to have a king remind us of what democracy is all about.”
For months, Donald Trump – a committed Anglophile and avid fan of the Royals – repeatedly told reporters that he was excited for the King’s visit. That excitement was on full display throughout the King’s visit to Washington, in which the world saw a warmer version of a president not shy to make his feelings known.
Uncharacteristically, Trump largely stuck to a script, making no mention of policy disagreements with Downing Street and lauding the long ties between the US and Britain.
“Before we ever proclaimed our independence, Americans carried within us the rare gifts of moral courage,” he said. “And it came from a small but mighty kingdom from across the sea.”
On Capitol Hill, where the King became only the second British monarch to address a joint session of Congress, Charles received a standing ovation – though some in the room heard something more pointed in his words.
“As opposed to Keir Starmer, who is looked at…as a leftist weenie, we saw in King Charles – someone who is proud of Britain,” Washington Republican Representative Michael Baumgartner told the BBC. “I think that was good.”
The warm welcome on Capitol Hill was not lost on President Trump.
“He got the Democrats to stand, I’ve never been able to do that. I couldn’t believe it,” Trump said at the banquet a few hours later. “They liked him more than they’ve ever liked any Republican or Democrat, actually.”
Elizabeth Holmes, an expert on the Royal Family and author, told the BBC that many members of the American public are broadly interested in the family, even as that interest has ebbed and flowed over the years.
“I think the fascination is rooted in a combination of novelty and distance,” she said. “It’s not something we have here.”
The King and Queen traveled to New York City on Wednesday where they made a few stops, including one at the 9/11 Memorial. Jacob Knutton, who manages a British-themed restaurant and store in New York, says business has been “a lot busier” around the King’s visit.
“There’s definitely been a lot of people talking about it,” said Knutton, who grew up in London and Australia. “Americans are talking about it and trying to get our opinions on it.”
But not every American is as enthused.
While recent statistics are hard to come by, a YouGov poll conducted in 2024 found that only 42% of Americans held a favourable view of King Charles.
In comparison, his mother, Queen Elizabeth, garnered a 67% approval rating. Over three quarters of those polled – 76% – held a favourable view of the King’s ex-wife, Princess Diana, who died in 1997.
According to Holmes, in the eyes of some Americans, Charles had a “far less compelling” narrative than his mother, who became Queen at a young age.
US feelings about King Charles are further complicated by his complex relationship with son Prince Harry, Holmes added.
Data from Google Trends suggests that US-based searches for the King during the visit spiked by 20 to 25 times over normal, and by 50 times during his speech to Congress.
Others who haven’t followed the royal visit closely, still are excited. “I think it’s cool that he’s here,” said Harry James, 21, who works in a fish and chips shop in New York. “It’s cool we can keep these traditions going.”
Holmes believes the visit already has improved US perceptions of the King. “Trump is such a polarising figure, and I think people were very eager to see their interactions,” she said.
His dinner comments, in particular, have “really taken off”.
“I think people are delighted to see British wit on display,” she added.
Near the White House on Tuesday, some of those who turned out to watch the King’s motorcade pass said they felt hopeful.
“It’s natural for human beings to disagree,” said Maribeth Massie, of Maine, who watched the King’s motorcade near the White House on Monday. “Hopefully they’ll lay some common ground together and move forward.”
Knutton also hopes the visit helps – in part for his business’ sake. His store imports nearly all of its goods from the UK, and feels the pinch of Trump’s tariffs, he said.
“I’m sure it will have an effect,” he said. “But I’m not expecting magical wand-waving.”
[BBC]
Oil prices have soared following reports that the US is preparing for an “extended” blockade of Iran.
The global benchmark oil price, Brent crude, briefly hit $120 (£89) a barrel on Wednesday evening, its highest price since 2022.
The BBC understands that energy executives including Chevron chief executive Mike Wirth met US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday to discuss how to limit the fallout from the conflict on American consumers.
Oil traders appear to have taken the meeting as a sign the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz will continue for a long time.
The executives discussed topics including domestic energy production, progress in Venezuela, oil futures, natural gas, and shipping, according to a White House official.
They described the meeting as being part of the President’s regular meetings with energy executives to discuss their industry.
The meeting follows separate reports from the Wall Street Journal that US President Donald Trump has instructed aides to prepare to extend the ongoing blockade of Iran’s ports, in an effort to squeeze the country’s economy.
Iran has said it will continue to disrupt traffic travelling through the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US blockade.
[BBC]
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Heat Index at Caution Level in the North-central, Eastern, and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Kurunegala, Monaragala, Vavuniya, Mullaittivu and Kilinochchi districts during the day time
Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 29 April 2026, valid for 30 April 2026.
The Heat index, the temperature felt on the human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the North-central, Eastern, and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Kurunegala, Monaragala, Vavuniya, Mullaittivu and Kilinochchi districts during the day time.
The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.
Effect of the heat index on the human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.
ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.
Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491
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