Coming into the Mount Maunganui Test, Rachin Ravindra had never batted in the top six in Test cricket and had all of 73 runs in six innings at 14.60. In just one innings here, the left-hander has more than tripled his numbers on both counts. Given the all-important No. 4 slot, Ravindra cashed in scoring a sparkling 240 to help New Zealand extend their dominance over South Africa on day two of the first Test.
South Africa captain and debutant Neil Brand finished with figures of 6 for 119, but Ravindra’s double on the back of Kane Williamson’s 118 helped New Zealand amass 511 in their first innings. Kyle Jamieson struck twice as South Africa ended the second day 80 for 4 still trailing the hosts by a massive 431 runs.
Resuming their day on 258 for 2, New Zealand lost Williamson early, but Ravindra continued from where he left on day one. With the second new ball just six overs old, South Africa surprisingly did not go with Tshepo Moreki first up on the second day, instead starting with allrounder Ruan de Swardt and Dane Paterson.
Paterson got the wobble seam going his way and induced an edge off Ravindra’s blade with just his second ball but there was no third slip in place to take the catch. Williamson got his first boundary of the day with a thick edge past gully but failed to carry on. Looking to unsettle de Swardt’s consistent wicket-to-wicket lines, he eyed an uncharacteristic cross-batted hoick, but all he could manage was a top edge that ballooned straight up with Moreki taking the catch at mid-on. That ended a 232-run association between Williamson and Ravindra off 472 balls.
Having been padded up for ages, Mitchell immediately got going with a full-blooded lofted drive past mid-on. Moreki didn’t have the same kind of nip that he found on day one and was pulled stylishly by Ravindra through midwicket. Duanne Olivier was handed similar treatment before two delicious straight drives helped Ravindra breach the 150 mark in Tests for the first time.
Having played circumspect cricket for about four sessions, New Zealand notched up a gear after lunch. Ravindra got his second session underway with a delightful drive past mid-off off de Swardt while Mitchell pulled Dane Paterson with disdain through square leg.
Mitchell lofted de Swardt for a straight six but fell soon after courtesy of a stunning caught and bowled by Neil Brand. Mitchell pummeled a tossed-up length ball back but Brand stuck out both hands to his left and plucked out a quite spectacular take much to the shock of Mitchell.
Tom Blundell came in and struck a four but soon mistimed a heave to short midwicket who took a low catch. Meanwhile, it was a nervous wait for Ravindra on 199. With Blundell falling and Glenn Phillips not able to hand him back the strike, the youngster had to endure close to 20 minutes on the score and go through a drinks break as well.
Ravindra finally reached the milestone by cutting a short-of-a-length ball towards cover as he removed his helmet to soak up the applause. With the double-hundred checked, Ravindra and Phillips decided to go into overdrive adding a 82-run stand off just 71 balls for the sixth wicket.
Ravindra notched up the highest score by a New Zealand batter for his maiden Test century when he went past Matthew Sinclair’s 214 but fell minutes before tea cleaned up by Brand for 240. South Africa struck four times in the session, but New Zealand had added 145 runs in 27 overs going at over five an over.
New Zealand came looking for some quick runs in the final session and Matt Henry provided that by smashing one four and three sixes in his nine-ball 27. Brand, however, picked the last three wickets first going through Mitchell Santner’s defences and then taking out Henry and Tim Southee in one over to become the first South African spinner to bag a six-for on Test debut.
In reply, the South African openers, Brand and Edward Moore, both on debut, held their own for nine overs and a bit. Moore got going with a fierce cut off Southee through point before repeating the shot for a similar result. Brand was more solid in defense getting right behind the line of the ball.
Jamieson, however, came on and changed the face of the match. He first sent back Brand with a fuller delivery that threatened to come back in but held its line. Brand, unsure whether to play or leave the delivery fathered a tiny edge to the wicketkeeper. Two balls later debutant Raymond van Tonder was trapped right in front of the stumps by a Jamieson inswinger. Henry then got rid of Moore with a snorter that he could only glove to Conway who rushed in from cover-point to dive and complete a stunning catch as South Africa slipped to 30 for 3 after 15 overs.
David Bedingham and Zubayr Hamza, however, took the attack to the opposition. Hamza first struck Henry for two successive fours before Bedingham cracked Southee for three fours in the next over. Bedingham was dropped by Henry at deep backward square leg but barring that looked largely untroubled. The duo added 44 off 53 balls for the fourth wicket before Hamza was castled by Santner.
At the end of play on the second day, Bedingham had reached 29 off 39 balls with five fours to his name and had Keegan Peterson for company on 2.
Brief scores: South Africa 80 for 4 in 28 overs (David Bedingham 29*, Edward Moore 23, Zubayr Hamza 22; Kyle Jamieson 2-21) trailNew Zealand 511 in 144 overs (Tom Latham 20, Rachin Ravindra 240, Kane Williamson 118, Daryl Mitchell 34, Glenn Phullips 39, Matt Henry 27; Neil Brand 6-119, Ruan de Swardt 2-61) by 431 runs
Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasooriya in her Environment Day message said that the environment is the foundation of our livelihood and called upon all Sri Lankans to come forward with the responsibility in mind to bequeath a secure a secure, prosperous and green planet to future generations.The PM’s Environment Day message:
“The environment is the foundation of our livelihood. It is the responsibility of the government to bequeath a secure, prosperous, and green planet to future generations.
In line with the global theme, “Urgent Climate Action,” and guided by the vision of “A Sustainable Biosphere – An Evergreen Life,” Sri Lanka commemorates World Environment Day this year at a critical moment. Drawing lessons from the climate-related challenges we have recently experienced, special attention has been directed toward protecting the water catchment areas of the central highlands and restoring ecosystems.
Under the theme “Dalulanna Idadenna” ( Let it Bloom), the Ministry of Environment has organized a series of programmes across the island to mark World Environment Day. These initiatives include environmental conservation inspired by religious values, awareness programmes on climate change, the protection of the Diyawanna Oya, the development of infrastructure in the wildlife sector, the conservation of water resources, and the promotion of medicinal plant cultivation, and through these efforts, it is evident that environmental conservation has evolved beyond a mere concept and become a practical and active commitment.
At this significant moment in our nation’s history, as more than 63,000 hectares of forest land have been gazetted as protected reserves through the “Wanaspathi” National Programme, which was launched last year, every citizen must resolve to live in harmony with the environment.
Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) were ordered to shelter in an attached spacecraft after the structure suddenly started leaking more air.
Five of the seven crew were directed to go into the docked SpaceX shuttle Dragon “Freedom” on Friday afternoon and were braced for a potential evacuation.
Meanwhile, two remaining personnel – a pair of Russian cosmonauts – attempted to repair a part of the Russian segment of the ISS, where the leaks had started increasing on Monday.
The repairs were paused and the crew ordered back onto the ISS by Nasa on Friday afternoon.
Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot and Andrey Fedyaev, who arrived on the ISS in February, had been sheltering on the docked ship, along with another astronaut Chris Williams.
They had been told to put on their spacesuits so they were ready to undock and return to Earth at short notice.
The Dragon effectively functions as a lifeboat – attached to the station but ready to detach the moment the order is given.
The trigger for the order was a worsening air leak in the transfer tunnel, known as PrK, leading to a section of the Russian segment of the station called the Zvezda service module.
Russian cosmonauts, station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Sergei Mikaev, attempted to fix the problem. Their escape route was the separately docked Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft.
It is not the first time the station has had to deal with this problem – the cracks responsible have persisted on and off for around six years.
However, following the arrival of a Russian cargo ship last month, the Russian space agency Roscosmos noticed a fresh slow pressure drop in the tunnel, prompting the decision to move beyond patchwork fixes and attempt a more extensive repair operation on Friday.
(Left to right) Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, Nasa astronauts Jack Hathaway, Jessica Meir and ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot [BBC]
But it was the method they were planning to use that prompted the order to take shelter, according to news agency Reuters.
Kud-Sverchkov and Mikayev were said to be using a saw to try and get into an area to access the crack that was leaking air.
Nasa disagreed with the method they were using and mission control in Houston ordered five crew to take “safe-haven” procedures on the Dragon ship.
When Roscosmos told their crew to pause repairs, Nasa instructed the astronauts to return to the station.
Nasa spokeswoman Bethany Stevens said on X: “Given this development, Nasa has instructed the crew members inside the Dragon spacecraft to end the safe haven procedures and return to planned operations aboard the International Space Station.”
Russian news agency Tass, citing Roscosmos, reported that nothing had been threatening the safety of the crew or the ISS’s onboard systems.
The ISS, which spans the length of a football field, is the largest human-made object in space.
It has been continuously operated by a US-Russian-led consortium that includes Canada, Japan and 11 European countries since 1998.
Maja Chwalinska lost in the Wimbledon second round (2022) and Australian Open first round (2025) in her only two previous Grand Slam appearances (BBC)
Qualifier Maja Chwalinska is one win away from a fairytale French Open triumph after setting up a final showdown with Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva.
The Polish world number 114, who had only ever won one match at a Grand Slam before this tournament, continued her astonishing run at Roland Garros by beating 25th seed Diana Shnaider 7-6 (7-4) 6-4.
Three weeks and nine matches after her French Open campaign began, Chwalinska dropped to the ground after firing in the 32nd and final winner of another scintillating display.
With that, she became the first qualifier in history to reach the women’s singles final at Roland Garros, and the crowd chanted her name as she spoke in her post-match interview.
On Saturday, she will attempt to become only the second qualifier in the Open era to win a Grand Slam after Britain’s Emma Raducannu at the 2021 US Open.
It would be a fitting conclusion to a French Open filled with spectacular shocks from the outset.
But, on the evidence of her dominant victory over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, the in-form Andreeva will provide the sternest test of her credentials to date.
A beaten semi-finalist in 2024, the 19-year-old was hugely impressive in a 6-1 6-3 victory that made her the third-youngest woman to reach the Roland Garros showpiece this century, after Coco Gauff and Kim Clijsters.
Should she prevail in her first major final, eighth seed Andreeva would become the third-youngest first-time Grand Slam champion this century, after Maria Sharapova and Raducanu.
