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Peiris, Jayasuriya ravage New Zealand on 13-wicket day

Published

1 year ago

2024/09/28

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Nishan Peiris took 3 for 33 in his maiden Test innings (Cricinfo)

It was a tale of two bowlers, and thankfully for New Zealand, at least two partnerships on a day dominated by the home spinners in Galle. Prabath Jayasuriya bagged 6 for 42, and debutant offspinner Nishan Peiris took 3 for 33, as Sri Lanka spun the visitors out for 88, their lowest all-out total against Sri Lanka in the first innings. After securing a mammoth 514-run lead, Dhananjaya de Silva made New Zealand follow on.

The visitors lost a wicket in the first over in their second innings, but Devon Conway came out all guns blazing after lunch, and along with an enterprising Kane Williamson, added an entertaining 97 off 108 balls. Jayasuriya, Peiris and Dhananjaya then fashioned a collapse – New Zealand’s second on the day – in a period where Sri Lanka bagged 4 for 24. But on the other side of that slide, Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips chose to counterattack, before bad light and drizzle combined to bring an early end to the third day’s play.

Blundell (47*) and Phillips (32*) added an undefeated 78 off just 84 balls, pumping four boundaries and two sixes each on the way. They had joined hands just before tea – Peiris had cleaned up Rachin Ravindra up with a beautiful delivery turning away – and took the attacking route three overs into the final session. Blundell launched Peiris for two big sixes in the 33rd over, both times by stepping out and going down the ground.

Phillips, meanwhile, ticked along at the other end with regular singles and twos, looking pretty assured at the crease against both left-arm spin and offspin. He belted Peiris for a six over long-on in the 37th over and Blundell decided to keep counterpunching with successive fours over Jayasuriya’s head in the 38th. That brought up the fifty stand in 62 balls.

Blundell reverse swept Peiris for four, and Phillips launched another six down the ground in what turned out to be the final over of the day. Eventually, New Zealand still ended another 315 runs behind Sri Lanka.

Earlier, Conway had hit back at Sri Lanka with plenty of attacking shots in the afternoon session. He smashed 61 at just short of a run a ball, in what his first Test half-century in 11 innings since March 2023. He hit ten boundaries and a six during his knock, and employed both sweeps – the conventional and the reverse – plentifully against the spinners, and earned the rewards too. Of those 19 shots, he smashed 33 runs, including six boundaries.

But Conway’s innings ended when he looked to loft Dhananjaya over extra cover, as Dinesh Chandimal, who was stationed there, turned around and ran forward to grab the ball dropping over his shoulders. By then, Williamson had chugged along steadily too, keeping himself busy running between the wickets, and by hitting the occasional boundary.

Peiris removed Williamson on 46 in the 23rd over, courtesy of another well-judged catch. Ramesh Mendis, the substitute fielder, whom Peiris replaced in this Test, was placed at long-on, and moved calmly to his right to take the ball with a reverse cup, even as he had to keep his eyes on it for a long time.

Soon after, New Zealand also lost Daryl Mitchell, who chipped one off Jayasuriya to an alert Pathum Nissanka at short leg, and Ravindra. But Blundell and Phillips took the game into the fourth day, which seemed unlikely when Jayasuriya and Peiris ran through New Zealand’s line-up in the morning.

The two spinners combined to rattle New Zealand, who had started the day at 22 for 2 in their first innings. Dhananjaya finished with five catches – all of them off the spinners – as the hosts had a bash on a bright, sunny morning. A bit of rough was visible outside the batters’ stumps even on the second evening, with the ball turning and assisting the spinners already; and whatever New Zealand’s batters did on the third morning didn’t work out.

Williamson and Ajaz Patel were out defending, Ravindra was bowled trying to play the lap sweep. Blundell punched hard off the back foot and Dhananjaya took a sharp catch at slip. Phillips flayed, Mitchell slogged, and Tim Southee pushed at the ball; but no matter what they did, all of them lost their wickets. New Zealand lost 7 for 47 after being 41 for 3 at one stage, with some resistance provided by Mitchell Santner, who scored 29. As a result, Williamson even ended up batting twice in the morning session.

But it was Williamson and Conway in the afternoon, and then Blundell and Phillips in the evening, who ensured Sri Lanka didn’t have it as easy in the second outing.

Brief scores:

New Zealand 88 (Mitchell Santner 29, Prabath 6-42, Nishan Peiris 3-33) and 199 for 5 (Devon Conway 61, Tom Blundell 47*, Nishan Peiris 3-91) trail Sri Lanka 602 for 5 dec by 315 runs

(Cricinfo)

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Agha calls for ‘sportsman spirit’ after controversial dismissal

Published

15 hours ago

2026/03/14

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Salman Agha reacted furiously after his controversial dismissal [BBC]

Salman Ali Agha said that he would have done things ‘differently”, after Mehidy Hasan Miraz ran him out in controversial circumstances in the second ODI in Dhaka.

Agha, who made 64 from 62 balls, had been backing up at the non-striker’s end when Mohammad Rizwan drove the ball back towards him. He was still out of his ground as Mehidy swooped round behind him in an attempt to gather, and Agha had appeared ready to pass the ball back to the bowler before Mehidy reached down to grab it first and throw down the stumps.

Agha reacted furiously to the dismissal, throwing his gloves and helmet down in disgust at the decision. However, he later came to the post-match press conference, ahead of captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and player of the match Maaz Sadaqat, to clear the air.

“I think sportsman spirit has to be there,” Agha said. “What he [Mehidy] has done is in the law. I think if he thinks it’s right, it’s right, but if you ask me my perspective, I would have done differently. I would have gone for sportsman spirit. We haven’t done this [type of thing] previously, we would never do that in the future as well.”

Agha explained that he had been trying to pick up the ball to give to Miraz, thinking it was likely to have been called dead. “Actually, the ball hit on my pad and then my bat,” he said. “So I thought he can’t get me run-out now, because the ball already hit on my pad and my bat.

“I was just trying to give him the ball back. I was not looking for the run or anything like that, but he already decided [to make the run-out].”

Agha however regretted his angry reaction. “It was just heat-of-the-moment kind of stuff,” he said. “If you ask me what would I have done, I would have done things differently. But it was everything, whatever happened after that, it was in the moment.”

He was also involved in a robust exchange with Bangladesh wicketkeeper Litton Das, though he didn’t divulge many of the details.

“I can’t remember what I was saying and I can’t remember what he was saying,” he said. “I’m sure I wasn’t saying nice things, and I’m sure he wasn’t saying nice stuff as well. But it was just heat of the moment, so we are fine.

Asked if he had patched things up with Mehidy, Agha said: “I haven’t yet, but don’t worry, I’ll find him.”

Pakistan won the match by 128 runs via the DLS method.

[Cricinfo]

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US embassy in Baghdad hit by strike as Trump says military targets ‘obliterated’ on Iran’s key oil island

Published

16 hours ago

2026/03/14

Priyan

The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, has been hit by a missile – video shows fire and smoke rising in the aftermath.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump says “every military target” on Iran’s key oil island has been “totally obliterated”, but there was no damage to oil infrastructure.

Kharg Island is a tiny but strategic terminal in the northern Gulf, 22 miles off the coast of Iran In response, Tehran warns oil and energy infrastructure belonging to firms that co-operate with the US will be “turned into a pile of ashes” if Iran’s energy facilities are attacked

Elsewhere in the Middle East: Israel and Iran both warn of fresh attacks, and at least 12 medical staff have been killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon

Meanwhile, more US Marines and warships are expected to be deployed to the Middle East, two officials tell BBC’s partner CBS News

[BBC]

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Bahrain & Saudi Arabia Grands Prix to be cancelled

Published

1 day ago

2026/03/14

Priyan

The grands prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were scheduled for next month (BBC)

The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix that were scheduled for next month are set to be cancelled as a result of the war in the Middle East.

A formal decision to call off the races has not yet been made but is expected before the end of the weekend.

Freight would need to start being shipped to the Middle East in the coming days. With no sign of the conflict between the US/Israel and Iran coming to a conclusion, holding the races would put personnel at too great a risk.

Neither event will be replaced, with the season being cut to 22 grands prix and F1 taking a commercial hit of more than £100m, given Bahrain and Saudi Arabia pay two of the highest hosting fees.

The race in Bahrain was scheduled to be on 12 April with Jeddah the following weekend.

Consideration was given to holding events at Portimao in Portugal, Imola in Italy or Istanbul Park in Turkey.

But it was accepted that the time to organise a race at any of those locations was too short, and there was little chance of securing a hosting fee.

The decision will mean there is a five-week break between the Japanese Grand Prix on 29 March and Miami on 3 May.

(BBC)