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SLC threatens players with ‘formal review’ if they leave Pakistan; remaining matches postponed by a day
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has threatened players of the men’s national team and support staff with “a formal review” if they leave the ongoing Pakistan tour over security concerns. Several Sri Lanka players and support staff had asked to return to Sri Lanka, following the suicide bombing in Islamabad – the city they are staying in – on Tuesday.
Deliberations went late into the night on Wednesday regarding the future of the tour, with players, team management, SLC officials, and Pakistan security officials, all involved in the discussion. With these talks concluding late, and other logistics being thrown off by uncertainty, the two remaining ODIs in the series have now been pushed back a day. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced that the matches will be played on November 14 and 16, when they had been scheduled for November 13 and 15.
SLC said the board had assured players of their safety, and instructed the team to continue playing matches as scheduled. The board also laid out consequences for any member of the touring party who defies their instruction.
“If any player, players, or member of the support staff return despite SLC’s directives, a formal review will be conducted to assess their actions, and an appropriate decision will be made upon the conclusion of the review,” the board statement said.
Through the course of the day, SLC is understood to have stood firm against player requests to return home. Sri Lanka have only played one of the three ODIs that are scheduled, and also have a T20I tri-series (Zimbabwe being the other team) to play in Pakistan immediately after. Nevertheless, pressure from players had forced another meeting.
SLC’s statement said the board had worked quickly to allay fears.
“Following this development, SLC immediately engaged with the players and assured them that all such concerns are being duly addressed in close coordination with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the relevant authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of every member of the touring party.”
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the country’s interior minister, is understood to have decided to meet Sri Lanka’s players to reassure them regarding their safety and encourage them to continue the tour. Earlier today, he met with the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Pakistan Fred Siriweera. The PCB released a statement saying a detailed briefing on the security provided to the Sri Lankan team was provided, and that Siriweera expressed his satisfaction over the arrangements.
A Sri Lankan team had suffered a terrorist attack in Pakistan in 2009, in Lahore. Sri Lanka had been among the first teams to resume tours to Pakistan after the long exile, however.
(Cricinfo)
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Everest record holder warns of Nepal danger as two Indian mountaineers die
Two Indian climbers have died on Mount Everest during a record-breaking period of ascents via Nepal’s southern route, as experts warn of overcrowding on the world’s highest peak.
Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 10 highest peaks and welcomes hundreds of adventurers each spring.
At least five climbers have died during this Everest season, including the two Indians and three Nepalis. A United States and a Czech climber died on Mount Makalu earlier this month.
Nivesh Karki, director at Pioneer Adventures, named the latest victims as Sandeep Are, who he said summited on May 20, and Arun Kumar Tiwari, who reached the peak on May 21.
“They fell ill while descending at high altitude. We are working out how to retrieve the bodies,” Karki told the AFP news agency.
Nepali climber Kami Rita Sherpa, who scaled Everest for a record 32nd time earlier this month, returned to the capital, Kathmandu, on Friday, where he expressed concern about the experience of some climbers.
Pictures posted by climbers show a long line of people climbing up fixed ropes, queueing in the icy, low-oxygen high-altitude zones.
“The expedition this time felt a bit crowded,” said Kami Rita Sherpa, dubbed the “Everest Man”.
“The government should regulate this a bit … They should let in only climbers of quality – there should be a limit,” he told AFP.
On Thursday, a record number of climbers reached the 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) Himalayan peak from the Nepali side, according to tourism officials, who gave a preliminary total of 275 pending final confirmation.
The peak can be tackled from both Nepal and the northern face in Tibet, but Chinese authorities have closed the latter route this year.
The Guinness Book of World Records lists the highest number to climb Everest in a single day as 354, in May 2019.
Nepali tourism officials said the final number will be tallied after the climbs are verified, which require photographs and statements from the climber’s expedition company and guides.
Among the successful climbers on Friday was British guide Kenton Cool, who reached the top for the 20th time – extending his own record for the most ascents of the world’s highest peak by a non-Nepali.
The high number of climbers has rekindled concerns about overcrowding on the mountain – especially if poor weather shortens the climbing window.
The country has issued a record 492 Everest permits for foreigners this season, with a city of tents set up at the foot of the mountain for climbers and support staff.
Approximately 600 people – including guides – have summited Everest since the start of this year’s spring climbing season in April.
[Aljazeera]
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Sunrisers Hyderabad win big but Royal Challengers Bengaaluru, Gujarat Titans seal top two spots
Sunrisers Hyderabad [SRH] won, and yet it didn’t feel like a win. Royal Challengers Bengaluru [RCB] lost, but it didn’t feel like that either. In a nutshell, that’s how Friday night went in Hyderabad as RCB secured a top-two finish – they finished No 1 – despite a 55-run defeat, while SRH remained third.
On the back of half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klassen and Ishan Kishan, SRH posted a monster total of 255, but had to restrict RCB to 166 or below for a chance to move into the top two. Rajat Patidar’s 56, Venkatesh Iyer’s 44 and Krunal Pandya’s unbeaten 41 ensured there were no blushes for RCB even as they finished the league stage with a defeat.
That left the top three teams all on 18 points, with Gujarat Titans sandwiched between the two teams at No. 1 and No. 3. Eventually, it came down to net run-rate to decide which team would go to Qualifier 1, and which team would play the Eliminator.
Going into the game, RCB wanted to win but also wanted to ensure they didn’t slip outside the top two should they lose. After SRH pumped 255 for 4 in 20 overs, the equation became clear – RCB had to avoid losing by 90 or more runs.
The start given by their new opener, Venkatesh, calmed the nerves. He gave Pat Cummins a four-six jab in the first over, and saved his best for the fourth over delivered by left-arm wristspinner Shivang Kumar. He punished Shivang for two sixes in one over, with a boundary sandwiched in between. Venkatesh fell for a 19-ball 44 but by then RCB had already scored 60 in 4.3 overs.
Even though Virat Kohli (15) failed to leave a mark in the game with the bat, a spunky 21 from No. 3 Devdutt Padikkal ensured RCB stayed on course for 166 even if the chase looked to get out of hand. Sakib Hussain, who delivered 1 for 31 in four overs, was a major reason why RCB could not push on.
Patidar scored his fourth half-century of the season, staying in from the sixth over to the 19th. His 39-ball 56 included crisp boundaries off Eshan Malinga, Cummins and Harshal Patel, but fell to part-timer Travis Head. Krunal stayed till the end with an unbeaten 41 in 31 balls as RCB finished on a commendable 200 for 4 by the end.
Dropped in the sixth, seventh and eighth overs, Abhishek made full use of the chances RCB’s fielders offered him. On a flat surface with no grass, he did not let purple-cap holder Bhuvneshwar Kumar settle. His early boundaries over the off-side against Bhuvneshwar’s awayswingers moved into his takedown of Suyash Sharma’s googly and Romario Shepherd’s seam-up balls.
Abhishek was finally out in the ninth over, but by then his turbo-charged innings had SRH almost touching triple-digits.
Kishan had three fifties against RCB in his last three outings, and on Friday, he made it four in a row with a 46-ball 79. While Abhishek was going, Kishan took his time to score nine off his first ten balls, but then found his groove.
His best shot of the night was probably the leg-side slog towards the bigger boundary against Krunal in the 11th over, a sign that timing and form continued to be on his side. A sixth 50-plus score for Kishan this season also made IPL 2026 his most prolific as a batter. His sweeps, cuts and pulls allowed SRH to pump 73 runs across overs 11 to 15.
Klaasen’s story was similar, starting off with only five runs in nine balls, but one that was unlocked with his takedown of Josh Hazlewood in the 13th over. One six over cow corner and two more over long-on made Hazlewood leak 27. His effortless loft of Bhuvneshwar over extra cover took him close to yet another landmark, and he brought up his sixth half-century of the season in the 16th over. He fell in the 17th over to a low-arm slinger from Krunal for 52, but not before becoming the first player to cross 600 runs while batting at No. 4 or lower in a T20 tournament.
Nitish Kumar Reddy scored a blazing unbeaten 29 in 12 balls to give SRH a late push. He hit Krunal for two sixes in his first three balls in the crease and then deposited Hazlewood for another.
The late flourish took SRH past 250 while also leaving RCB’s senior seam-bowling pair of Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood ducking for cover. Hazlewood conceded 55 on the night while Bhuvneshwar leaked 51. They both finished the evening wicketless.
Brief scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad 255 for 4 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 56, Travis Head 26, Ishan Kishan 79, Heinrich Klaasen 51, Nitish Kumar Reddy 29*; Rasikh Salam 2-52, SuyashSharma 1-36, Krunal Pandya 1-24) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru 200 for 4 in 20 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 44, Virat Kohli 15, Devdutt Padikkal 21, Rajat Patidar 56, Krunal Pandya 41*, Tim David 15*; Eshan Malinga 2-33, Sakib Hussain 1-31, Travis Head 1-07) by 55 runs
[Cricinfo]
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Flood warning issued to the Aththanagalu Oya basin extended until 0600AM on Monday [25]
The warning mentioned in the flood warning message No. 01 issued for the Aththanagalu Oya basin on 22.05.2026 at about 5.30 am will be extended for the next 48 hours.
It is requested that residents in the area and vehicle drivers running through those areas pay high attention in this regard by the . Disaster Management Authorities are requested to take adequate precautions in this regard
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