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Pacers, Labuschagne give Australia opening day honours
Australia bagged the honours on the opening day of the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch after their pacers bowled out the hosts for just 162 in their first innings. In reply, Australia were jittery with the bat but a fighting unbeaten 45 from Marnus Labuschagne has ensured that they are now only 38 runs adrift.
New Zealand made a positive start to the Test match when Tom Latham picked up two boundaries off the very first over bowled by Mitchell Starc. Josh Hazlewood posed some early questions but Latham continued to pick boundaries regularly to keep New Zealand going. Will Young finally fetched his first boundary after the first drinks break but Starc eventually broke through in his second spell as the batter got a leading edge to third slip to give Australia their first wicket.
Latham continued being positive and appeared to be the key batter but his dismissal triggered a collapse that put the visitors in complete control. The left-hander edged one behind to get caught by the keeper and from 61/1, New Zealand were left reeling at 84/5. Rachin Ravindra chased a wide delivery to get caught at first slip just before the lunch break and post resumption, Hazlewood dismissed Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson in successive overs.
Starc then struck twice in two deliveries to pin New Zealand further down and if not for some handy runs from Matt Henry and Tim Southee, New Zealand wouldn’t have gotten anywhere closer to 150. Hazlewood, who had an excellent outing, picked up the final wicket to finish with a five-fer.
Australia in reply made a watchful start with Matt Henry bowling a testing opening spell. However, it was the debutant Ben Sears who gave the hosts the first breakthrough as he got the big fish Steve Smith in his first over. Smith misjudged the delivery completely and offered no shot to get trapped lbw. Usman Khawaja, who was slowly getting into his groove, was the next to depart as Henry found some reward finally by castling him.
Labuschagne then joined forces with Cameron Green to keep Australia steady for a while. The pair hit three boundaries off the first three overs of their partnership before Green took on Sears and Southee. Having already made a match-winning hundred in the opening Test, Green looked set for another big score before Henry came to knock over the No.4 batter. Travis Head threatened briefly by racing to 21 off just 18 balls to eat into the deficit but Henry removed him as well, much to New Zealand’s relief. However, with just 38 runs behind, Australia will fancy their chances of pressing home the advantage on the second day.
Brief scores:
Australia 124/4 in 36 overs (Marnus Labuschagne 45*, Cameron Green 25, Travis Head 21; Matt Henry 3-39) trail New Zealand 162 in 45.2 overs (Tom Latham 38, Tom Blundell 22, Matt Henry 29, TimSouthee 26; Josh Hazlewood 5-31, Mitchell Starc 3/59) by 38 runs
Jos Buttler has been ruled out of England’s ODI series decider against Sri Lanka at The Oval on Sunday, with Jordan Cox likely to replace him and keep wicket. Don Lawrence who is yet to win an international cap in either white-ball format, has been called up to the squad as cover.
Buttler pulled up with a left hamstring injury while running between the wickets in Thursday’s second ODI at Headingley and received treatment from England physio Steve Haw, a recent recruit from rugby union club Exeter Chiefs. He faced two more balls before retiring hurt, and briefly hobbled back to the middle before holing out as England slipped to a 16-run defeat.
Buttler’s eventual 69 was his highest score in ODIs in three years, but his injury will be something of a concern. He is now 36, and has been affected by various soft-tissue injuries in recent years. These have mainly been calf injuries, but he also suffered a similar left-hamstring issue during the 2024 IPL season.
England do not yet know the extent of Buttler’s injury but expect to have more information early next week once he has been for an MRI scan.
In Buttler’s absence, Cox is likely to win only his fourth ODI cap on Sunday and is expected to take the gloves ahead of Tom Banton. Kevin Pietersen, England’s new white-ball mentor, said on Thursday night that opportunities available through injuries would help build depth ahead of next year’s World Cup.
“[We need to] have certain players in certain positions, in order for us to know that if something like this happens to Jos in, say, the final round of whatever game in South Africa, and you’ve got to go and play a quarter-final, that somebody can step up into Jos’s boots – like we’re going to need to have on Sunday,” Pietersen said.
Lawrence, who made three half-centuries in four innings in England’s recent Test series win over Pakistan, has been withdrawn from Surrey’s ongoing Country Championship match at Somerset, having made his sixth hundred of the season on Thursday. He will train with the ODI squad at The Oval on Saturday.
Lawrence was previously called up to England’s ODI squad to face Pakistan in 2021 when their first-choice side went into Covid isolation, but did not play a game in the series. He has only played 28 List A games in his career, the most recent of them in May 2019.
(Cricinfo)
Tens of millions of people across the north-eastern US are in the path of a powerful storm bringing coastal flooding, power cuts, travel chaos and cancelled stadium events.
The so-called nor’easter is bringing “dangerous coastal flooding and beach conditions, strong winds and heavy rainfall” to areas including New York City and Boston on Saturday, the US National Weather Service (NWS) said.
States of emergency have been declared in New York and New Jersey, both of which faced a coastal deluge in some areas. Rain and strong winds are forecast from Virginia to Maine.
Ed Sheeran’s much-awaited Boston concert was among events called off due to the weather.
Residents on kayaks in a Beach Haven West, New Jersey, neighbourhood (BBC)The nor’easter caused widespread power cuts. More than 100,000 households, nearly all in the northeast US, have lost electricity, according to tracker PowerOutage.
The Federal Aviation Administration recommended air passengers check with airlines about their flight status. More than 2,400 flights have been delayed and another 1,199 grounded, according to FlightAware.
Saturday’s full moon is projected to worsen coastal flooding. Streets and homes were inundated with floodwater in the coastal New Jersey communities of Surf City and Manasquan on Saturday.
“I urge all New Jerseyans to take this storm seriously, stay alert and follow local guidance,” Governor Mikie Sherrill said.
NWS said in its alert: “Prepare immediately for significant inundation in low-lying areas near the shore, including roads underwater and impacts to homes and businesses.”
In New York, officials are warning of wind gusts of up to 55mph (86km/h) throughout the weekend, leading to downed trees and power lines
“Don’t travel if you don’t have to,” NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani told residents in a video message. “Do not drive or walk through floodwater.”
In the Boston area, the Red Sox moved the last game in their series against the Chicago Cubs to Sunday afternoon in Florida.
A professional football match between Red Bull New York and St Louis City SC was also cancelled.
(BBC)
US President Donald Trump has rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping within a week
He told reporters at the White House that Tehran “want to make a deal where they open the Strait immediately because they’re losing so badly”.
In a post on Telegram, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged Trump’s comments, but said Tehran would wait for an official response from mediators.
On Friday, Araghchi had told reporters at the UN in New York that an agreement could be reached “if the necessary conditions are met” and that these were contained in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the two countries in June.
The vital waterway through which around a fifth of the world’s gas and oil supply usually flows has been effectively closed since the outbreak of war in February.
“I’m rejecting their deal,” Trump said on Saturday, adding that the US already had “total control” of the strait, with “massive amounts of oil” passing through it.
“They want to make a deal, and I think that’s fine. I like making a deal, too. But that deal would not be acceptable,” he added.
Araghchi wrote that Trump “has made many good statements, as well as many contradictory ones, which unfortunately we hear frequently.”
He added that he would await the “definitive views” of mediators, and that Tehran “will make a decision based on that.”
On Friday the Wall Street Journal cited officials as saying Trump was sceptical that Iran would meet his demands and had told his staff that he saw a renewed bombing campaign as probable.
Iran responded to US and Israeli air strikes, beginning in late February, by attacking Israel and US bases in the Gulf and Arab Gulf allies of the US – as well as blocking the Strait of Hormuz. Its closure has caused wild fluctuations of energy prices.
The economic effects have also increased pressure on Trump to find a way of ending the conflict – particularly as the US heads towards Congressional elections in November.
(BBC)
Buttler out of Oval decider as Lawrence earns ODI call-up
Showers will occur in the Western, Eastern, Uva and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts.
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