Sports
Sri Lanka exit after quite a show
Rex Clementine
in St. Lucia
The press has been ruthless demanding curators back home to give good pitches. The reason being that if you play on doctored pitches and beat strong opponents at home, when you go for ICC events you have nowhere to hide. But it was the other way around this time. It was so disappointing to see the tracks on which the World Cup of the United States leg was played on. They were two paced and not batting friendly at all.
Sri Lanka were found wanting on these dodgy tracks. By the time they came to the West Indies where the wicket was flat, their campaign was over. Their game against Netherlands on Sunday was a dead rubber.
There’s no point in blaming the pitch and all. A batting line up as experienced as this should have seen the team through. Two hours of madness in New York and Dallas has seen Sri Lanka make an early exit.
In St. Lucia, although Pathum Nissanka fell early and not many runs came in the Power Play, Kusal Mendis gave Sri Lanka a good platform. Dhananjaya de Silva at number three ensured there was no collapse during their 45-run partnership. Then Charith Asalanka provided the acceleration with 46 off 21 balls that included five sixes.
The vice-captain fell with the score on 166 and 15 deliveries remaining. Former captain Dasun Shanaka fell for a first ball duck as his wretched run in the series continued.
Sri Lanka could have got bowled out again as they were down to the tail. But Angelo Mathews (30) and Wanindu Hasaranga (20) ensured that the total went beyond 200.
There was plenty of big hitting no doubt, but more importantly, Sri Lanka ran the twos and threes well. Something that they have failed to do in the competition. Not that they put the pressure on fielders sufficiently, but Sunday’s show was far better than the sloppy cricket they have showcased so far in the tournament.
The run chase went well for the Scots as the openers added 45 runs. But soon, the scoreboard pressure took to them. Kusal Mendis was clever behind the stumps effecting two stumpings and a run out. Catching in the outfield too was superb as Sri Lanka bowled out the Dutch for 118 in 16.4 overs to complete an 83-run win.
Nuwan Thushara was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets while Wanindu Hasaranga and Matheesha Pathirana picked up two wickets apiece.
With the objective of enhancing the living conditions of the agricultural community and increasing the contribution of the agricultural sector to the GDP, ‘Smallholder Agribusiness Partnerships Programme’ is being implemented with the financial contribution form the government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation is
implementing the program in collaboration with the Regional Development Department of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. All recoveries from loans provided under the program shall be directed to a revolving fund titled the “Sustainable Agricultural Fund”, which shall be utilized exclusively for the provision of
agricultural loans. Using the said fund, it is proposed to implement an agricultural loan scheme titled the “Sustainable Agriculture Programme” for individuals and institutions engaged in agriculture and related activities.
It is expected that an amount of Rs. 800 million from the funds available in the Sustainable Agriculture Fund will be allocated for the implementation of the Sustainable Agriculture Program in the year 2026.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal made by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to implement the “Sustainable Agriculture Program” loan scheme through the Participatory Finance Institution as an annual program from the year 2026.
The BCCI has raised the match fees in women’s domestic cricket, from INR 20,000 to INR 50,000 per day, for those in the first XIs in senior competitions. The decision was taken at an Apex Council meeting on Monday in Mumbai.
Those in the reserves are entitled to half that amount (INR 25,000 per day). There has also been a revision at the age-group level, with players part of the first XIs set to earn INR 25,000 a day, and reserves earning INR 12,500.
Until now, the age-group players used to take home INR 10,000 a day if they were in the XI, while the reserves made INR 5000. This fee structure totalled to a little more than INR 2 lakh a season if they played all league fixtures, including the final. That figure will now be in the region of INR 5 lakh.
The changes are part of BCCI’s ongoing efforts to elevate the domestic game in the wake of India’s maiden ODI World Cup triumph, amid calls within the system to have a relook at match fees.
ESPNcricinfo understands that several top state coaches and players had requested such a change internally to help expand an existing talent pool that the WPL has helped amplify. The pay revision at the junior level stems from a growing interest in the game among younger women, with India emerging champions in back-to-back editions of the Under-19 World Cup.
In 2022, the BCCI had put the match fees of the women’s national team at par with that of men, meaning those playing a Test took home INR 15 lakh per match, while the corresponding amounts for an ODI and a T20I stood at INR 6 lakh and INR 3 lakh respectively.
There has, however, been no change in central contract figures, with those ranked in the highest grade taking home INR 50 lakh, which is less than the lowest pay slab for the men.
[Cricinfo]
Gede Priandana, Indonesia’s 28-year-old right-arm quick bowler, has become the first to pick up five wickets in an over in an international T20I match (where ball-by-ball data is available), achieving the feat in the first T20I against Cambodia in Bali on Tuesday. He is the first man or woman to achieve the feat.
Indonesia had the upper hand in the game, but Cambodia were not out of it yet at the end of the 15th over of the chase of 168, the scorecard reading 106 for 5. Bowling his first over, Priandana struck off the first three balls to record a hat-trick, sending back Shah Abrar Hussain, Nirmaljit Singh and Chanthoeun Rathanak. A dot ball followed, after which Priandana got rid of Mongdara Sok and Pel Vennak to finish off the match, Cambodia getting just one run in the over, a wide between the last two wickets, to end 60 runs short.
Priandana had earlier scored 6 in 11 balls opening the innings alongside Dharma Kesuma, the wicketkeeper-batter, who led the batting show for Indonesia with an unbeaten 110 in 68 balls with eight fours and six sixes.
The feat has, however, been achieved twice before in men’s T20s. Al Amin Hossain took five wickets in an over against Abahani Limited playing for UCB-BCB XI in the Victory Day T20 Cup in 2013-14. The other was when Karnataka’s Abhimanyu Mithun dismissed five Haryana batters in the semi-final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20.
While this is the first time a bowler has taken five in an over in an international game, there have been 14 instances of a bowler taking four in an over before today. The most famous of these was when Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga famously took four in four balls in the third over of a T20Is against New Zealand in 2019.
[Cricinfo]
Implementation of the loan scheme, “Sustainable Agriculture Program”
Cabinet nod to implement ‘Suraksha’ Student Insurance Programme in the year 2025 / 26
Establishment of Consultancy Boards for strengthening and promoting local production industries.
Match fees more than doubled for women’s domestic cricketers in India
National progress can be achieved only when everyone fulfills the responsibilities entrusted to them with steadfast determination, unity of purpose and resilience in the face of any challenge – President
Indonesia’s Gede Priandana becomes first to pick five wickets in an over in T20Is
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