Sports
New Zealand go 1-0 up after Conway, Mitchell heroics
Brilliant centuries from Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell meant that New Zealand carried forward the momentum from the back end of the T20I series to register a convincing eight-wicket win the opening game of the four-match ODI series against England in Cardiff on Friday (September 8). Chasing a par target of 292, New Zealand cruised home with 26 balls to spare as both batters made short work of the chase.
It was a near-perfect game for the Black Caps who got the perfect start to the chase with a rapid first PowerPlay. Will Young set the tone with an aggressive innings but he was cut short by Adil Rashid. Slotting in at no.3 was Henry Nicholls who also got a start before throwing it away. At the other end was Conway who was gradually building into his innings in his typical fashion. Runs came at a brisk pace with minimal risk as England struggled for penetration on an easing deck. The hosts bowlers were also not disciplined enough to trouble the batters.
Mitchell joined Conway for an unbroken 180-run stand that was an exhibition in strokeplay from both batters. An injury to Rashid saw the leggie limp off the field after bowling just three overs. While he did return later, the game was virtually done by then. Mitchell was the aggressor in the partnership and after a steady start to his innings, he took off as he launched seven sixes in his 91-ball innings. It also allowed Conway to play his natural game and the chase was a smooth ride for the tourists.
Earlier on, England got to a par score of 291 but it was an innings that lacked consistent momentum. If not for Liam Livingstone’s quickfire fifty at the back end, the score would have been much lesser. Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes also produced fifties with the England captain scoring at a quick clip but neither batter got a complete grip of the two-paced surface. Stokes in particular struggled for rhythm and eventually succumbed to the frustration that was built up by New Zealand’s disciplined bowlers.
Buttler and Livingstone ensured that the hosts had a competitive total on the board but the surface in Cardiff did get better as is generally the case. It was also the reason why New Zealand chose to bowl after winning the toss. Apart from the trio, Dawid Malan was the other batter to get some rhythm but he couldn’t convert his start. Rachin Ravindra was the standout New Zealand bowler with a three-fer and his spell is what stifled England’s scoring in the middle overs.
Brief scores:
England 291/6 in 50 overs (Jos Buttler 72, Liam Livingstone 52, Ben Stokes 52; Rachin Ravindra 3-48) lost to New Zealand 297/2 in 45.4 overs (Daryl Mitchell 118*, Devon Conway 111*) by eight wickets
(Cricbuzz)
A 36 ball 63 by Sahan Arachchige and three wickets each by Eshan Malinga [3-13] and Tharindu Rathnayake [3-19] helped Galle Gallants defeat Jaffna Kings by 60 runs in the 10th match of the Lanka Premier League 2026. Galle Gallants lead the points table with three wins from four outings.
Scores:
Galle Gallants 193/8 in 20 overs [Chris Lynn 46, Sahan Arachchige 63, Dasun Shanaka 12, Dinura Kalupahana 10, Mohammad Nawaz 27; Mohamed Shiraz 1-23, Dunith Wellalage 1-13, Shakib Al Hasan 1-27, Dilshan Madushanaka 2-35, Lizaad Williams 2-37]
Jaffna Kings 133 in 17.5 overs [Kamil Mishara 15, Ibrahim Zadran 11, David Weise 22, Dunith Wellalage 56; Dasun Shanaka 1-21, Tharindu Rathnayake 3-19, Akif Javed 1-22, Eshan Malinga 3-13, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth 1-32]
Half centuries by Rubin Hermann and Janith Liyanage and a three wicket haul by Mujeeb Ur Rahman helped Colombo Kaps defeat Kandy Royals by 24 runs in the 9th match of the Lanka Premier League 2026 played at Dambulla on Thursday [23rd July]’
Scores:
Colombo Kaps 192/9 in 20 overs [Rubin Hermann 53, Sharujan Shanmuganathan 14, Janith Liyanage 52*, James Neesham 24, Binura Fernando 21; Vijay Shankar 1-0, Shaheen Shah Afridi 2-34, Nuwan Thushara 1-31, Moeen Ali 2-31, Dushan Hemantha 2-20]
Kandy Royals 169/8 in 20 overs [Kusal Perera 19, Dale Phillips 38, Vijay Shankar 30, Angelo Mathews 39*, Dushan Hemantha 11*; Shahnawaz Dahani 1-35, Wanuja Sahan 1-24, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 3-34, Malsha Tharupathi 1-29, James Neesham 1-07]
Hosts Sri Lanka made a winning start to their Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group IV campaign, edging out Qatar 2-1 in a closely contested opening-day tie at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association courts in Colombo on Wednesday.
The visitors struck first when Mubarak Alharrasi defeated Sri Lanka’s Apna Perera 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in a hard-fought opening singles encounter, giving Qatar an early 1-0 lead.
Sri Lanka bounced back in the second singles as Thehan Wijemanne produced a spirited comeback to overcome Mossa Alharrasi 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. After dropping the opening set, Wijemanne showed great composure to win the next two sets and level the tie at 1-1.
The decisive doubles match proved to be a tense affair, with Apna Perera returning to partner Saha Kapilasena. The Sri Lankan duo held their nerve in two tie-breaks to defeat Jabar Al Mutawan and Mossa Alharrasi 7-6, 7-6, sealing the tie 2-1 for the hosts.
Sri Lanka’s ability to recover from the opening singles defeat highlighted the team’s resilience as Wijemanne’s comeback victory and the doubles pair’s clutch performance ensured a successful start to their campaign. The hosts will now look to build on the opening-day victory as they continue their quest for promotion in the Asia/Oceania Group IV competition.
Sheikh Hasina ally resigns as Bangladesh’s president
Oil prices hit $100 for the first time since May
US hits dozens of trading partners with new wave of tariffs
Arachchige, Rathnayake and Malinga pump Jaffna
Hermann, Liyanage and Mujeeb steer Colombo Kaps to a 23 run win
Showers expected in the Western and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts
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