Latest News
Ruthless South Africa add to England’s woes
South Africa put their World Cup campaign back on track with a devastating 229-run win over England in Mumbai on Saturday (October 21). It was a performance reminiscent of England’s own revolutionary batting approach as South Africa went out all guns blazing to first post a humongous total of 399 and the defending champions then meekly capitulated to the scoreboard pressure to crash land in the chase.
While the target of 400 meant chasing history, Wankhede was easily among the grounds where it could have been done. However, the new ball did nip around a fair bit under lights and England’s haste meant that the game was done in the first Powerplay itself. Marco Jansen in particular got the ball to talk but it was always going to be a passing phase after which the runs would inevitably come. Unfortunately for England, they only had their tail left by that time. The Jonny Bairstow dismissal was a reflection of England’s nerves as he looked fidgety at the crease before holing out to a strategically placed deep backward square leg.
Strategy worked once again for South Africa as an unusual leg slip for Joe Root paid off with the England no.3 glancing it straight to the man stationed there. The procession of wickets continued and in a chase where England couldn’t have afforded to lose more than three wickets inside the first 30 overs, they ended up losing four in the first ten. Dawid Malan fell to the down-the-legside strangle while Ben Stokes’ handed the simplest of return catches for Kagiso Rabada. All the early carnage meant that the game was effectively over barring something unthinkable from Jos Buttler and Harry Brook
As gifted as both batters are, some challenges are simply not within the realms of probability and this task was one such. It was only a matter of time before they too fell prey to the scoreboard pressure. Both eventually departed in the same over, which was Gerald Coetzee’s second and the tearaway pacer celebrated in jubilation after being taken apart in his first over by Buttler. If it wasn’t over earlier, it certainly was at 68/6 and although the tail added more than 100 runs, it was obviously only going to limit the damage. The hitting from Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson showed how the pitch had returned to being true after the new ball spell.
England would regret their implosion upfront with the bat. As they would when they think about their bowling performance in the last ten overs of the innings. As many as 143 runs were leaked with Heinrich Klaasen and Jansen going full throttle against the English bowling. Some of the plans and field settings were also bizarre, although the conditions at Wankhede can do that to teams when the batting side is in overdrive. The Klaasen-Jansen partnership virtually put a huge question mark on England’s chances after the reigning champions had staged a fightback of sorts with the wickets of Aiden Markram and David Miller.
The carnage at the end ensured that South Africa made optimal use of the platform that was provided early on by Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen. Both batters overcame a cautious start before going through the gears and they made full use of the batting friendly conditions at the venue. Adil Rashid, England’s only impressive bowler in the innings, did get both batters in succession but Markram and Klaasen continued to up the momentum for the Proteas. Twice in the innings South Africa lost wickets in clumps and with the Markram-Miller dismissal, they would have been worried about a timid finish to the innings.
However, Klaasen put all that to rest with a blistering innings that was typical of the man’s reputation these days. He fought the heat, humidity and cramps to decimate England’s bowling and found an able ally to Jansen who also exploded after a slow start. Buttler’s men would have fancied to keep South Africa to a score of 350 or under when Miller fell but the slog overs masterclass dashed the English hopes.
Brief scores:
South Africa399/8 in 50 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 109, Reeza Hendricks 85, Marco Jansen 75*, Rassie van der Dussen 60, Aiden Markram 42; Reece Topley 3-88, Gus Atkinson 2-60, Adil Rashid 2-61) beat England 170 in 22 overs (Mark Wood 43*, Gus Atkinson 35; Gerald Coetzee 3-35, Lungi Ngidi 2-26, Marco Jansen 2-35) by 229 runs
Latest News
It is our collective responsibility to build a nation grounded in unity and strength – President
President Anura Kumara Disanayake in his Maha Shiva rathri message said that it is our collective responsibility to build a nation grounded in unity and strength.
The full text of the message issued by the President’s media division:
Maha Shiva Rathri is a sacred and joyous occasion celebrated by Hindu devotees across the world in reverence of Lord Shiva. This divine night marks the celestial union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, as well as the powerful Tandava, Shiva’s cosmic dance of creation and destruction. It symbolises the triumph of wisdom over ignorance, dispelling the darkness of illusion and lighting the path to enlightenment.
On this auspicious night, Hindu devotees observe fasting and engage in spiritual practices, praying for the darkness of ignorance to be replaced by the radiance of wisdom. It is also a time to seek divine blessings for prosperity, peace and fulfilment in life.
The union of Shiva and Parvati is a profound representation of knowledge and power coming together. It reminds us that breaking free from the illusions of division allows us to embrace the truth with open eyes. Today, as we stand at the dawn of a new era, this message is more relevant than ever. Let us tear down the barriers that have kept us apart for generations and unite as one, casting aside discord and embracing togetherness. This is a moment to nurture interfaith harmony, celebrate our diversity and move forward with love and mutual respect, dedicating ourselves to the progress of our beloved motherland.
As we journey towards a brighter future, it is our collective responsibility to build a nation grounded in unity and strength. We are stepping into a time of transformation, embracing political, economic and social renewal, shaping a future that holds promise and hope for all.
On this sacred night, as the glowing lamps of Maha Shiva Rathri illuminate our surroundings, let them also illuminate our hearts, guiding us with unwavering faith along the path we have chosen. Let us walk forward together, hand in hand, in the spirit of peace, unity and shared prosperity.
Millions of people are thought to be without electricity across Chile after a large nationwide power outage.
According to the national service for disaster prevention and response (SENAPRED), an area spanning most of the country is impacted, including the capital city, Santiago.
The exact scale of the outage, which began earlier on Tuesday, is not yet known but SENAPRED has said it covers the regions of Arica and Parinacota in the north to Los Lagos in the south.
Reuters news agency has also reported that the world’s largest copper mine, Escondida, is without power, citing a source close to the matter.
LATAM Airlines said that some of its flights may also be disrupted while power supplies were down, and urged passengers to check their journey status.
In a post on X, the Santiago Metro operator said its service had been temporarily suspended due to the ongoing power outage, with stations being evacuated and closed.
Footage from the city showed passengers evacuating stations by walking up switched-off escalators, while traffic signals were also shown not working.
There were also long queues for buses which were still running on the city’s roads.
Maria Angelica Roman, 45, told AFP news agency: “They let us leave work because of the power cut, but now I don’t know how we will get home because all the buses are full.”
Chile’s interior minister, Carolina Toha, also posted on X to say that a meeting would be called to discuss ongoing measures to restore services.
SENAPRED added that electricity companies across the impacted area were investigating the fault and attempting to restart services, and no emergency situations had been reported.
[BBC]
President Anura Kumara Disanayake met with Ms. Severine Chappaz, the newly appointed Head of Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), on Tuesday (25) at the Presidential Secretariat.
Discussions focused on the ICRC’s support for the new government’s policy framework. As part of this collaboration, the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society has agreed to provide technical assistance and capacity-building support to strengthen the Office on Missing Persons (OMP).
President Disanayake highlighted that the budget 2025 has allocated funds for on-going programs related to searching for missing persons.
Additionally, the President announced plans to celebrate “Sri Lankan Day” as a national initiative aimed at fostering unity and strengthening the country’s collective identity, transcending ethnic and religious differences.
The President expressed his gratitude to the ICRC for its humanitarian operations in Sri Lanka since 1989 and acknowledged its continued commitment to the country.
The meeting was also attended by Roshan Gamage, Senior Additional Secretary to the President, and Ruwanthi Jayasundara, Communications Manager of the ICRC.
It is our collective responsibility to build a nation grounded in unity and strength – President
Fairly heavy showers above 75mm can be expected at some places in Eastern and Uva provinces and in Matale, Nuwara-Eliya, Polonnaruwa, Galle, Matara, Kalutara and Rathnapura districts.
USD 900,000 paid monthly for three unused SriLankan aircraft– Dy. Finance Minister
-
Business3 days agoSri Lanka’s 1st Culinary Studio opened by The Hungryislander
-
Sports4 days agoHow Sri Lanka fumbled their Champions Trophy spot
-
Sports7 days agoSri Lanka face Australia in Masters World Cup semi-final today
-
News7 days agoCourtroom shooting: Police admit serious security lapses
-
News7 days agoUnderworld figure ‘Middeniye Kajja’ and daughter shot dead in contract killing
-
News6 days agoKiller made three overseas calls while fleeing
-
News5 days agoSC notices Power Minister and several others over FR petition alleging govt. set to incur loss exceeding Rs 3bn due to irregular tender
-
Features4 days agoThe Murder of a Journalist