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Siraj, Bumrah bowl India to victory in record time

Jasprit Bumrah’s 6 for 61 paved the way for India’s seven-wicket win on the second day of the second Test in Cape Town, helping them level the two-match series 1-1.
After South Africa were bowled out for 176 in their second innings, India chased down the required 79 runs an hour before tea. Lasting just 107 overs, this was the shortest Test ever to produce a result. It was also India’s first Test win at Newlands in seven attempts.
But before all that, Aiden Markram scored a stunning hundred – 106 off 103 balls. It was the first time in Test history that a batter scored a hundred where none of his team-mates reached 20 in either innings; Kyle Verreynne’s 15 in the first innings was the next best for South Africa. Unfortunately for Markram and stand-in captain Dean Elgar, who retires after this Test, it ended in a losing cause.
South Africa didn’t have a great start to the day. Resuming on 62 for 3, they lost a wicket in the first over itself. David Bedingham was looking to be positive and went for an on-the-up drive against Bumrah only to edge it to the wicketkeeper.
Verreynne didn’t last long either. Trying to pull Bumrah, he skied one towards mid-on where Mohammed Siraj took the catch. Bumrah completed his five-for when he had Keshav Maharaj caught at gully, leaving South Africa 111 for 7.
Markram, though, seemed to be in a different zone altogether and played some stunning shots on this treacherous pitch. Of his 106 runs, 47 came in the arc between backward point and extra cover. Whenever the India seamers pitched the ball slightly full, he brought out the cover drive. When it was on the shorter side, he got on the top of the bounce and punched it through cover-point, forcing India to put a sweeper cover in place.
Markram reached his fifty off 68 balls, and took just 31 more to reach his seventh Test hundred. En route, he smashed Prasidh Krishna for two sixes and two fours in a 20-run over. He and Kagiso Rabada added 51 for the eighth wicket; Rabada’s contribution was 2.
He also enjoyed a slice of luck when KL Rahul dropped him off Bumrah on 73. Eventually, it was Siraj who sent Markram back when, going for yet another big hit, the batter holed out to long-off.
Rabada fell in the next over, and 14 runs later, the innings came to an end.
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal knew they needed to attack straightaway to deny South Africa a sniff. Not many shots came from the middle of the bat, but they had added 44 in 5.4 overs when Nandre Burger removed Jaiswal. Trying to pull a short ball, Jaiswal slipped and his pad brushed the stumps. While the bails didn’t come off, he was caught at deep-backward square leg.
Shubman Gill became a victim of low bounce, and Virat Kohli was caught down the leg side, before Shreyas Iyer hit the winning four.
Brief scores:
India 153 (Virat Kohli 46, Rohit Sharma 39; Lungi Ngidi 3-30, Kagasio Rabada 3-38, Nandre Burger 3-42) and 80 for 3 (Yashavi Jaiswal 28, Marco Jansen 1-15) beat South Africa 55 (Kyle Verreynne 15, Mohammed Siraj 6-15) and 176 (Aiden Markram 106, Jasprit Bumrah 6-61) by seven wickets
(Cricinfo)
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PM pays condolence to pope Francis at the Embassy of the Vatican in Colombo

The Prime Minister, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, paid a solemn visit to the Embassy of the Vatican in Colombo today (25) to offer condolences on behalf of the Government and the people of Sri Lanka on the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis.
During the visit, Dr. Amarasuriya signed the book of condolence, expressing deep sorrow over the demise of the beloved spiritual leader and extending heartfelt sympathies to the Catholic community both in Sri Lanka and around the world:
The Prime Minister was received by the Archbishop Brian N. Udaigwe, Apostolic Nuncio of the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican Embassy in Colombo and other officials.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
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President calls on chief prelates of the Malwathu and Asgiri Chapters

President Anura Kumara Disanayake visited the Chief Prelates of the Malwathu and Asgiri Chapters of the Siyam Nikaya today (25) and received their blessings.
The President first visited the Malwathu Maha Viharaya and held discussions with the Most Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera, Chief Prelate of the Malwathu Chapter, regarding the “Siri Dalada Wandanawa” and related matters.
Thereafter, President Disanayake proceeded to the Asgiri Maha Viharaya and engaged in a brief discussion with the Most Venerable Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Nayaka Thera, Chief Prelate of the Asgiri Chapter.
The President also met with the Venerable Urulewatte Dhammarakkhitha Thera, Asgiri Vihara Senior Karaka Sangha Sabhika, in charge of Theva (Daily Services) of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.
Diyawadana Nilame of the Sri Dalada Maligawa Nilanga Dela and Acting Inspector General of Police, Priyantha Weerasooriya, were also present during these visits.
[PMD]
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IPL 2025: Kohli and Hazlewood break Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s home duck as Rajahstan Royals botch another chase

At some point, you’d think the toss gods would show Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) a little mercy at home. But once again, the coin turned its back on Rajat Patidar. This time, though, the bad luck ended right there as they posted 205 for 5, their highest total at home this season. For all that, another heartbreak loomed, but RCB turned it around sensationally to clinch their first home win – and perhaps their most dramatic win at any venue – of IPL 2025.
The losing side were Rajasthan Royals (RR), who came into this contest having let back-to-back games slip out of their control in the final over. Their tension seemed to have defused when Dhruv Jurel , having scratched his way to 18 off 23, found his hitting range, and when he and Shubnam Dubey ransacked 22 off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 18th over, the equation came down to 18 off 12.
Then came Josh Hazelwood. He was ice-cold in the moment, producing a masterful 19th over of unhittably steep bounce – conceding just one run and taking two wickets, of Jurel and Jofra Archer in successive balls.
It was left to Yash Dayal, the same man who had held his nerve in a now-legendary last over to deliver their previous home win, against Chennai Super Kings last season. And he delivered as RR lost by 11 runs after having the chase in their grasp for so long.
The M Chinnaswamy Stadium erupted. RCB had finally found their voice at home and, with it, a long-overdue win that put them in the top three. For RR, this was a fifth straight loss that left them on the brink.
With 17 needed off ten, Hazlewood conjured a moment of magic – a pinpoint wide yorker that Dhruv Jurel shaped to scythe but appeared to miss. With little conviction, Patidar opted for a caught-behind review. Technology confirmed what only Jurel might have known – a faint under edge that carried low to Jitesh Sharma. A seemingly innocuous dot turned into a game-changing strike.
Jurel, who had weathered a slow start and was just beginning to ignite, walked back, and with him went RR’s best hope. But Hazlewood wasn’t done. He cranked up a hard-length ball next that cramped Archer for room. It was as if Archer had been served a dish of his own, cold. The ball ballooned to cover, where Patidar pouched it gleefully.
If Hazlewood’s final over, the 19th, was theatre, his penultimate over was no less telling. Having seen balls angled across the left-handers disappear, he went around the wicket to Shimron Hetmyer and pounded the surface with venom. Hetmyer tried to nudge him away but only managed a feather of an inside edge through to Jitesh. Only six runs came off that over, the 17th, and RCB’s grip got firm.
Long before the chaos of the death overs, RR were cruising. Yzshaswi Jaiswal had lit the Chinnaswamy up with a power-packed 49 off 19, and Nitish Rana was stroking it with finesse. At 110 for 2 in nine overs, the chase seemed to be on autopilot.
It’s here that Krunal Pandya was summoned and he delivered a breakthrough first ball when Riyan Parag, looking to muscle a slog sweep, only managed a top edge that settled into Jitesh’s gloves.
At the other end, Suryash Sharma was equally impressive. Mixing up quick, skiddy legbreaks with the odd wrong’un, he kept the pressure on. RR managed just one boundary from the tenth to the 13th overs. Under rising pressure, Rana went for a release shot in the 14th, only for Bhuvneshwar to pluck a catch on the second attempt at short fine leg. Krunal now had figures of 3-0-19-2. The strangle was on.
Half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal laid a strong foundation after Phil Salt’s scratchy 26 off 23, while a late dash from Tim David and Jitesh lifted RCB to 205 for 5. Kohli overcame a streaky start to get to a composed fifty in 32 balls. His early duel with a fiery Archer was, in particular, thrilling. Meanwhile, Padikkal made the most of two dropped chances to notch up a second straight half-century.
Just as the platform was set for a lift-off, RR struck back, removing Kohli, Padikkal, and Patidar in quick succession. But David and Jitesh picked up 42 runs in just 19 balls to cap the innings with a flourish. In a match that swung wildly from one side to the other, those closing overs turned out to be the difference between a defendable total and yet another heartbreak.
Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 205 for 5 in 20 overs (Phil Salt 26, Virat Kohli 70, Devudutt Padikkal 50, Tim David 23, Jitesh Sharma 20*; Jofra Archer 1-33, Sandeep Sharma 2-45, Wanidu Hasaranga 1-30) beat Rajasthan Royals 194 for 9 in 20 overs (Yashaswi Jaiswal 49, Vaibhav Suriyavanshi 16, Nitish Rana 28, Riyan Parag 22, Dhruv Jurel 47, Shimron Hetmyer 11, Shubham Dubey 12; Josh Hazlewood 4-33, Bhuveneshwar Kumar 1-50, Yash Dayal 1-33, Krunal Pandya 2-31) by 11 runs
[Cricinfo]
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