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Pat Cummins rises to the occasion to seal two-wicket Edgbaston epic

Published

2 years ago

2023/06/21

Priyan

Pat Cummins and James Anderson have a lighthearted post-match word

Australia won an epic first Test by two wickets, to take a 1-0 lead over England at Edgbaston, an hour and six minutes after they seemed to have lost it.

Pat Cummins their captain, back-cut Ollie Robinson’s short ball down towards the boundary directly in front of the travelling Australian supporters in their canary caps in Block 31 of Edgbaston’s South Stand. Harry Brook sprawled to his right in a bid to cut it off at deep third, but the ball squirmed out of his grasp and into the boundary to clinch a two-wicket victory.

When Joe Root held an outrageous caught-and-bowled off Alex Carey, Australia still needed 54 more runs to win with Nathan Lyon described by Robinson as the first of their “three No. 11s” – walking out to join Cummins. England were two wickets away from victory, and had a second new ball available.

But 12 overs later, Cummins and Lyon were still there. Cummins flogged Root for two sixes in the first over of the final hour to make a dent in the target and after surviving a spectacular effort by Ben Stokes at square leg when miscuing a hook, Lyon chipped Stuart Broad over mid-on to take the target down to single figures.

The Eric Hollies Stand roared England’s depleted attack on. Cummins dug out a yorker from Robinson and both batters wore short balls on the body. With three to win and 28 balls left, Cummins guided Robinson away to the rope, tossed his bat and helmet away, punched the air and lifted Lyon off his feet. It had echoes of the 2005 Test here – but this time, it was Australia who won by two.

In the dressing room, Usman Khawaja was “absolutely s***ing myself for the last five minutes” – and Australia’s win would not have been possible without his contribution. He faced 518 balls in the match and batted on each of the five days, top-scoring in both innings with 141 and then 65.

After rain wiped out the first session, he batted through an afternoon in which Australia added 76 runs for the loss of only two wickets – one of them nightwatcher Scott Boland, who edged Broad through to Jonny Bairstow. Travis Head poked Moeen Ali to slip as England kept a lid on the scoring rate, but with 98 to win after tea, Australia were clear favourites.

Khawaja added 49 with Cameron Green in a sixth-wicket stand that spanned the interval, but when Green inside-edged Robinson’s in-ducker on to his stumps, Stokes sensed an opportunity.

He brought himself on for his only spell of the second innings, battling his chronic left-knee injury, and smiled wryly when Khawaja chopped his short, slow legcutter on to off stump. The Edgbaston crowd paused for a moment, deceived by Stokes’ non-celebration, before erupting into life. England had the most important wicket, and needed only three more.

Root, bowling an extended spell from the Birmingham End with Moeen’s blistered spinning finger rendering him unable to grip the ball, dropped two difficult half-chances off his own bowling, giving Carey and Cummins a life each. Stokes opted not to take the new ball when it became available; three deliveries later, Root held a stunning reaction catch.

With Carey gone, Cummins became the protagonist. He has been criticised throughout these five days for a perceived negativity in his tactics, but took control of the game in its decisive passage. Root went full, so he cleared his front leg and swung him down the ground for six – then repeated the trick two balls later.

Broad returned, still with the old ball, and Lyon hooked the second ball of his spell out to Stokes at square leg, 25 yards in from the boundary. He flung himself back, sticking his right hand over his shoulder; the ball looped towards him but escaped his grasp, then squirmed away from his desperate second attempt.

When Cummins slapped a cut for four two balls later, the target was down to 30. Stokes opted to take the new ball, but it offered little for Broad and Robinson. They charged in with spread fields but had almost nothing left in the tank; as if to mark the changing of a guard, James Anderson ambled stiffly around the outfield.

Despite the jibes, Lyon batted more like a No. 3, lacing an off drive for four down the ground to the rope – and beating Robinson at mid-off to his right. After Cummins’ off-side slap snuck under Crawley at the cover boundary, Lyon flogged Broad over the top towards the Australian supporters.

They had been barracked relentlessly by the neighbouring Hollies Stand over the course of the Test match but jumped to their feet to celebrate an imminent Australian victory. Three overs later, they did so once more to mark the clinching moment of an enthralling run chase.

England were “devastated”, in Stokes’ words, but without their enterprising tactics this game would have been written off as a rain-ruined draw. Instead, it bubbled up to a conclusion that had Australians gripped to their television screens until well past 4am – with the promise of four more Tests to come.

Brief scores:

Australia 386 (Khawaja 141, Carey 66, Head 50) and 282 for 8 (Khawaja 65) beat England 393 for 8 declared (Root 118, Bairstow 78, Crawley 61, Lyon 4-149) and 273 (Cummins 4-63, Lyon 4-80) by two wickets

(Cricinfo)

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Former state minister arrested by CID

Published

3 hours ago

2025/04/8

Priyan

It has been reported that former State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias ‘Pilleyan’ has been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

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Maintaining public trust is a fundamental responsibility of the Police Department – President

Published

7 hours ago

2025/04/8

Priyan

Attending the passing out parade of the 82nd batch of the Special Task Force (STF) at the Katukurunda STF Training Camp in Kalutara on Monday (07), President Anura Kumara Disanayake emphasized the need for a progressive transformation within the Sri Lanka Police to ensure the rule of law, order and authority.

The President noted that the public places its trust in the Sri Lanka Police to uphold the supremacy of the law and maintaining that trust is a fundamental responsibility of the Police Department.

Addressing the newly commissioned officers, President Disanayake stated that how one serves and respects their profession is reflected in their career and urged the officers to embrace their professional duty in a way that contributes meaningfully to the transformative change the country requires.

Highlighting the current state of institutional breakdown in many sectors, the President pointed out that the people have already initiated change by altering the political authority, but reiterated that political transformation alone is insufficient. Instead, a comprehensive and positive transformation across all sectors is necessary for national progress.

The President further emphasized that new police officers carry the responsibility of meeting public expectations. He called on them to ensure public safety and security and to prevent the nation from falling prey to organized crime and drug-related issues.

He also stated that the younger generation must take responsibility for the motherland, bearing that duty on their shoulders and should strive to steer both their personal future and the future of the country in a positive direction.

President Disanayake concluded by saying that joining the regular service of the Sri Lanka Police today should be remembered by all as a significant and powerful step forward.

The President further noted that the service rendered by the Special Task Force (STF) on behalf of the public during times of emergency and disaster is highly commendable.

A total of 118 newly recruited Sub-Inspectors and 231 Probationary Police Constables who successfully completed their basic training graduated during the ceremony.

President Anura Kumara Disanayake awarded certificates and honours to officers who demonstrated exceptional performance during the training programme.

A commemorative token was also presented to President Disanayake, who attended the ceremony as the Chief Guest.

An operational demonstration by STF officers on a simulated battlefield was presented as part of the event.

Established in 1983 under the theme “Victory is Certain”, the Sri Lanka Police Special Task Force is currently recognized as a prestigious unit deployed for VIP protection, crime and organized crime suppression and narcotics control efforts aimed at building a drug-free nation.

The ceremony was attended by Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala, Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, Deputy Minister of Public Security Sunil Watagala, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security Ravi Seneviratne, Acting Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya, STF Commanding Officer Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Samantha de Silva, along with other senior police officers, the parents of graduating officers and other invitees.

[PMD]

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National minimum monthly salary for private sector employees raised to Rs. 27,000/-, minimum daily wage to Rs. 1080/-

Published

8 hours ago

2025/04/8

Priyan

Parallel to salary hike of public sector officers by the budget proposals 2025, it has been proposed to increase the salaries of private sector employees as well.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the proposal submitted by the Minister of Labour to revise the national minimum monthly salary and national minimum daily wage and follow other legal actions as follows:

• To raise the minimum national monthly salary by rupees 9,500/- from rupees 17,500/- to rupees 27,000/- with effect from 01.04.2025

• To raise the minimum national daily salary by rupees 380/- from rupees 700/- to rupees 1,080/- with effect from 01.04.2025

• To raise the minimum national monthly salary by rupees 3,000/- from rupees 27,000/- to rupees 30,000/- with effect from 01.01.2026

• To raise the minimum national daily salary by rupees 120/- from rupees 1,080 /- to rupees 1,200/- with effect from 01.01.2026