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Rocky Flintoff becomes youngest England Under-19s centurion
Rocky Flintoff staged a record-breaking performance as England continued to call the shots on day three of the second Youth Men’s Test against Sri Lanka at Cheltenham.
Watched by his father, former England all-rounder Andrew, the 16-year-old became the youngest player to score a hundred for England Under-19s, raising an impressive 106 to help the Young Lions post 477 and establish a first-innings lead of 324.
Flintoff junior, who signed his first professional contract with Lancashire only last month, faced 181 balls, struck nine fours and two sixes, and added 78 for the sixth wicket in partnership with Jack Carney, ensuring England went way past Sri Lanka’s first-innings 153.
Although the tourists made a better fist of batting in their second innings, they still face an uphill battle to save the game after reaching the close on 246 for 7, still 78 runs in arrears. Mahith Perera made 61 and Dinuru Kalupahana 40 in adding 88 for the fifth wicket, but Harry Moore and Farhan Ahmed both took 2 for 41 as the home side reasserted their superiority.
If England’s intention at the start of the day was to raise the rate of scoring and increase the pressure on Sri Lanka, then they met those twin requirements in a morning session which yielded a further 76 runs in 22 overs.
Looking to push the score along, Carney fell prey to misjudgment, pushing a ball from Vihas Thewmika into the off side and setting off for a single, only to be run out by the lightning-quick reactions of Thisara Ekanayake. England’s wicketkeeper had contributed 29 runs in a valuable stand of 78 in 24 overs for the sixth wicket with Flintoff, helping to see off the threat of the new ball.
Flintoff went to his hundred from 178 deliveries when pushing a ball from Chanthuka to mid-off and completing a hurried single, raising his bat in mid-leap, punching the air in celebration and bringing an appreciative Festival audience to their feet.
Although he showed glimpses of his prodigious talent, Flintoff’s innings was characterised by watchfulness as he put the interests of his team first. His languid style might give the impression of a laidback approach, but his stoical innings was forged upon determination and concentration.
Attempting to accelerate, Flintoff holed out to long-on off the bowling of Praveen Maneesha for 106, at which point England’s lead was already in excess of 300.
Moore raised a useful 24 off 42 balls, including a four and two sixes, before being caught in the deep off the bowling of Praveen Maneesha, while Thewmika accounted for tailenders Ahmed and Charlie Barnard in quick succession to wrap up the innings. Sri Lanka’s bowlers stuck to their task in challenging circumstances, spinners Thewmika and Maneesha returning figures of 3 for 82 and 3 for 112 respectively to limit the damage.
Finding conditions less to their liking in the second innings, England’s bowlers were made to graft hard on a surface that had flattened out considerably since the first day. But they still managed to make important in-roads with pace spearhead Moore playing a key role.
Building up a head of steam from the College Lawn end, the 17-year-old Derbyshire prospect had Pulindu Perera held at first slip with the score on 48 and then used his 6ft5in to good effect, plucking a superb catch from out of the sky at mid-off to dismiss Sharujan Shanmuganathan off the bowling of Noah Thain.
Fellow quick Naavya Sharma then struck an important blow shortly before tea, having first-innings hero Gayana Weerasinghe caught at slip as Sri Lanka slipped to 104 for 3. England turned to spin in the final session and Ekanayake nicked a delivery from Charlie Barnard to slip and departed for a 127-ball 39 with the score on 128.
Just when it was most needed, Perera and Kalupahana summoned defiance, the fifth-wicket pair adding 88 to put a temporary dampener on English ambition. Playing fluently under pressure, Perera raised an eye-catching 50 from 57 balls with nine fours and a six, but Kalupahana was 10 runs short of the same landmark when spinner Farhan Ahmed located an edge and Thain took a fine catch at slip to send back the Sri Lanka captain.
Moore induced Perera to pull straight to mid-wicket in the next over and, when Diniru Abeywickramasinghe was caught behind off the bowling of Ahmed shortly before the close, the tourists were 236 for 7 and in deep trouble.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka Under-19s 153 and 246 for 7 in 74 overs (Thisara Ekanayake 39, Mahith Perera 61, Dinura Kalupahana 40; Harry Moore 2-41, Farhan Ahmed 2-41) trail England Under-19s 477 in 138.1 overs (Jaydn Denly 91, Hamza Shaikh 107, Rocky Flintoff 106, Keshana Fonseka 76, Jack Carney 29, Harry Moore 24; Vihas Thewmika 3-82, Manuja Chanthuka 2-75, Praveen Maneesha 3-112) by 78 runs
[Cricinfo]
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was killed using a poison developed from a dart frog toxin, the Foreign Office has said.
Two years on from the death of Navalny at a Siberian penal colony, Britain and its allies have blamed the Kremlin following analysis of material samples found on his body.
There is no innocent explanation for the toxin, called epibatidine, being found in samples taken from Navalny’s body, the Foreign Office said.
Speaking from the Munich Security Conference, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Only the Russian government had the means, motive and opportunity to deploy this lethal toxin against Alexei Navalny during his imprisonment in Russia.”
Cooper met with Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya at the conference this weekend.
“Russia saw Navalny as a threat,” Cooper said at the event.
“By using this form of poison the Russian state demonstrated the despicable tools it has at its disposal and the overwhelming fear it has of political opposition”, she added.
The UK has been joined by Sweden, France, the Netherlands and Germany in accusing Russia of the poisoning.
The Foreign Office said the UK has informed the Organisation on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of Russia’s alleged breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Navalny – an anti-corruption campaigner and Russia’s most vociferous opposition leader – died suddenly in jail on 16 February 2024 at the age of 47.
In 2020 he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent. He underwent treatment in Germany, and was arrested at the airport upon his return to Russia.
[BBC]
It was another nervy affair against an associate nation. But England’s Super Eight hopes remain on course after a five-wicket victory over Scotland in Eden Gardens, moving them up to second in Group C of this T20 World Cup with a game to play.
Tom Banton’s unbeaten 63 off 41 deliveries – his fourth T20I fifty – ultimately quelled a testy chase of 153, which began with openers Phil Salt and Jos Buttler falling inside the first two overs to nibbling seamers Brandon McMullen and Brad Currie.
Banton’s arrival triggered a vital 66-run stand with Jacob Bethell, and he was similarly engaging with Sam Curran for their partnership of 46 which brought the runs required below the number of balls remaining. Having managed just 4 from nine deliveries across knocks against Nepal and West Indies, Banton, who struck four fours and three sixes, watched on as Will Jacks smashed Brad Wheal for a six down the ground and then pulled the quick behind square to seal victory with 10 balls to spare.
Much like Nepal in England’s opening victory, Scotland will rue missed opportunities with the bat. They were dictating terms midway through the 13th over, with skipper Richie Berrington leading a 71-run stand with Tom Bruce. Berrington’s hard-hitting against spinners Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson which made amends for a stuttering powerplay of 42 for 3 after losing the toss. Jofra Archer was the key aggressor in those first six overs, finishing with 2 for 24 as he ticked over to 50 T20I dismissals.
When Dawson pocketed Bruce (24) and Rashid did for Berrington (49) in the space of four balls, England did not relent. Only four boundaries were scored in the remainder of the innings, with three of them to Oliver Davidson, which included a towering six over cow corner off Archer on his way to a T20I career-best 20 not out.
Having left runs out there, Scotland were always going to be up against it. Though they were gifted wickets, such as Harry Brook’s dismal flick over his shoulder to short fine leg for just 4, Banton’s brutal striking took England home in this first completed T20I between these Auld enemies.
Brief scores:
England 155 for 5 in 18.2 overs (Jacob Bethell 32, Tom Banton 63*, Sam Curran 28, Will Jacks 16*; Brandon McMullen 1-23, Brad Currie 1-21, Brad Wheal 1-23, Michael Leask 1-33, Oliver Davidson 1-12) beat Scotland 152 in 19.4 overs (Michael Jones 33, Richie Berrington 49, Tom Bruce 24, Oliver Davidson 20*; Jofra Archer 2-24, Jamie Overton 1-23, Sam Curran 1-33, Adil Rashid 3-36, Liam Dawson 2-34) by five wickets
[Cricinfo]
The landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Kandy and Nuwara Eliya by the Landslide Early Warning Center of the National Building Research Organisation have been extended till 0600 hrs on 15th February 2026.
Accordingly,
The Level II [AMBER] warnings issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Walapane and Nildandahinna in the Nuwar Eliya district and the
Level I [YELLOW] warning issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Pathadumbara in the Kandy district have been extended.
Russia killed opposition leader Alexei Navalny using dart frog toxin, UK says
Tom Banton 63* sets up nervy win for England
Landslide Early Warnings issued to the districts of Kandy and Nuwara Eliya extended
Advisory for Severe Lightning issued to the Western, Sabaragamuwa and Southern provinces and Badulla and Nuwara-Eliya districts
Tucker 94* headlines Ireland’s thrashing of Oman
High risk of rain in marquee India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup game in Colombo
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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