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Sri Lanka try to make a play after Greaves 180, Hope 112

Published

4 months ago

2026/07/7

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Justin Greaves brings up his century [Cricinfo]

Sri Lanka rolled the momentum they had built in the latter half of the second session to roll over the final two West Indies wickets, to take a 50-run first innings lead. By stumps, they had extended that to 142 for the loss of two wickets after Shai Hope and Justin Greaves had earlier taken their fifth-wicket stand to 242, the latter making 180, to keep the hosts in the contests.

At the crease by the close were Kamindu Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal, on a fairly brisk third wicket stand of 60 off 72. Kamindu’s entrance at 32 for 2 proved the catalyst for Sri Lanka’s improved rate of scoring, as he wasted little time in looking to take on the bowling.

Having watched from the other end for a couple of overs, he belatedly faced his fourth delivery of the innings, which he promptly got a thick edge over a slow-to-react Greaves at first slip. Two balls later he produced a more convincing boundary through extra cover, and then saved the best for last with a screaming drive square past cover.

At the start of the next over he flicked a loose one from Alzarri Joseph over deep square leg safely with the wind, and just like that he had raced to 23 off ten. Chandimal at the other end wasn’t as convincing, but he seemed to have fortune on his side.

Of his three boundaries, two came via edges, though an uppercut six off Alzarri signalled his intent as well to push the scoring along. By the close of play he had moved to 40 off 66, with Kamindu on 30 off 35. Sri Lanka moving at a healthy scoring rate of 4.18.

Prior to their intervention, a fiery opening burst from Shamar Joseph, allied with that trademark precision probing from Jayden Seales, accounted for the early removal of first innings centurion Lahiru Udara.

The opener was unable to add anything to his match tally, after failing to navigate a length ball that seamed back sharply to rap him just above the knee roll. Sri Lanka wasted a review as well, as replays showed this to be hitting the top of leg stump.

Chandimal and Nishan Madushka then came together to prevent any further inroads and they managed to scratch together a 51-ball stand of 30. But with the pitch now showing more variable bounce and the West Indian seamers utilising the lateral movement on offer with the new ball effectively, there were some nervy moments.

Both Madushka and Chandimal were beaten on the outside edge by the excellent Seales, as he continued to probe that channel outside off, while the introduction of Alzarri forced the Lankan batters to deal with some uncomfortable bounce.

And it was just this that brought about Madushka’s dismissal, as one rose up from a good length to take the edge off the shoulder of the bat. There was still work to do though, as this seemed to be clearing first slip, only for John Campbell to jump fully extended with both hands and claim the catch.

But despite those early wicket, as Sri Lanka seek an unlikely victory, they will hope that in Chandimal and Kamindu they have two batters capable of getting some fast runs on the fifth morning before presumably putting the hosts back into bat.

If that were to be the case, it will be quick return to the middle for a batting unit that had occupied roughly six sessions of play across this Test. Much of that owed to Hope and Greaves, who began the fourth day as they had carried on for much of the previous day.

For most of the morning it was essentially the Hope and Greaves show, with both batters taking on whatever the Sri Lankans through at them with consummate ease. The only areas of concern were some increasingly frequent deliveries keeping low off a length, but it wasn’t persistent enough to cause any undue concern – at least not at this juncture.

The pair moved along in lockstep, like they had done for most of the previous day. With West Indies unbothered about the scoring rate, the pair were more than content batting time and playing each ball on merit. There were just five boundaries in the session, three coming off the bat of Greaves – who showcased his serious batting chops with pair of picture book drives and a whip through midwicket.

Their centuries too came around four overs apart, with Hope the first to get there off 198 deliveries, and shortly after Greaves reached his of 201 balls. They were significant milestones as well, with this Hope’s fifth Test century but the first in the Caribbean, and for Greaves it was his second ton at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and third overall in Tests. It also showcased his growing ability to convert his starts, with his Test centuries now outnumbering his Test fifties three to one.

However, with less than 15 minutes to lunch, Hope fell in an unusual manner as he aimed to pad away an innocuous leg-stump delivery from Sonal Dinusha. As the ball passed and went through to keeper Kusal Mendis, Hope had reflexively dragged his back foot out of the crease. And just as that happened, the ball had bounced off Kusal’s gloves and hit the stumps.

It stopped the Hope-Greaves marathon stand at 242 off 459 deliveries, after which Sri Lanka’s attack finally began to be rewarded for their tireless efforts across the innings. Much of this owed to the tenacity of Asitha Fernando, who dug deep into his reserves to find the energy to produce an exemplary spell of short-pitched bowling.

He battered and bruised Roston Chase – a period that resulted in a finger injury which kept him off the field once West Indies began bowling – before eventually wrangling an edge through to the keeper. A pair of bouncers also accounted for Anderson Phillip and Shamar, the latter giving him is third Test five-wicket haul.

In between Milan Rathnayake dismissed Alzarri – also with a short ball, as he looked to take on the man at fine leg – but the prize scalp of Greaves was reserved for Jayasuriya, as the tall allrounder finally faltered 325 deliveries into his innings – getting a leading edge to point off one that spun out of the rough.

Scores:
Sri Lanka 549 for 9 dec and 92 for 2 (Dineh Chandimal 40*, Kamindu Mendis 30*; Alzarri Joseph 1-17) lead West Indies 499 (John Campbell 72, Justin Greaves 180, Shai Hope 112; Asitha Fernando 5-130, Prabath Jayasuriya 3-131) by 142 runs

[Cricinfo]

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Molineux, Dunkley enter WPL 2027 auction with top base price of INR 50 lakh

Published

4 hours ago

2026/10/20

Priyan

Sophie Molineux has previously played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the WPL [BCCI]

A total of 146 players will be competing for 27 available slots in the WPL 2027 mini auction on October 28 in Kochi. Of these, England batter Sophia Dunkley and Australia captain Sophie Molineux are the only two players who have listed themselves at the maximum base price of INR 50 lakh.

The auction pool has 119 Indian players, including 22 capped and 97 uncapped players, with 20 slots available for Indian players. The overseas pool has 27 players – 14 capped and 13 uncapped – including six from Associate teams, with seven slots available.

G Kamalini (released by Mumbai Indians), Kiran Navigre (released by U P Warriorz), Heather Graham and Jess Jonassen have registered at the second-highest base price of INR 40 lakh, while a total of 30 players have registered at INR 30 lakh.

Among the notable absentees are West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin, who was released by UPW, and Australia legspinner Alana King, who was released by Delhi Capitals. Lizelle Lee, who was DC’s highest run-scorer last season, has also not listed herself after being released by the franchise.

What the teams look like going into the auction

Only two English players – Dunkley and Kira Chathli (INR 10 lakh) – have registered for the auction, with several others, including Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Alice Capsey, Dani Gibson, Lauren Filer and Linsey Smith opting to skip the WPL next year.

Cricinfo has learned that England are likely to play three T20Is in Sri Lanka in early February, which will clash with the final week of the WPL. While the ECB is likely to allow players to stay in India to complete the tournament, most players have instead chosen to prioritise their international commitments ahead of the Champions Trophy later that month.

The relatively low salaries on offer at the WPL are also understood to be a factor in many English players deciding not to register, with most internationals earning significantly more to play in the Hundred (up to £190,000 last year) than the highest permitted base price in the WPL of INR 50 lakh (£40,000 approx).

Molineux was part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru [RCB] title-winning squad in 2024, and had bagged 12 wickets in ten games at an economy rate of 7.31. She was retained by RCB for the 2025 season but a knee injury ruled her out of the season. Dunkley, meanwhile, played for Gujarat Giants [GT] in 2023 before opting not to register for the 2024 season. She went unsold in the 2025 auction.

Among the premier internationals who have listed themselves for INR 30 lakh are Australia allrounder Grace Harris (released by RCB), Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, South Africa left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba and South Africa allrounder Chloe Tryon.

UPW, who released nine players, will go into the auction with the biggest purse of INR 3.75 crore.

[Cricinfo]

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Pakistan quicks seal win after Salman Agha ton sets tone

Published

1 day ago

2026/10/19

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Salman Agha celebrates reaching his fourth ODI hundred [Cricinfo]

Pakistan withstood a middle-order counterattack from Pavan Rathnayake and Janith Liyanage to see off Sri Lanka by 37 runs. In the first match of a tri-series that also includes England, the pair appeared to have put Sri Lanka on course with a 119-run fifth wicket partnership, with the visitors well in front and requiring just 55 from the last seven overs. Liyanage’s wicket, however, saw the bottom fall out of the side, with Sri Lanka losing their last five wickets for 15 runs to allow Pakistan to breathe a sigh of relief.

The win had been set up by Salman Agha, who marked his return to the Pakistan side with his fourth ODI hundred to hold off a collapse and steer the hosts past 300. By the 22nd over, Pakistan had lost four wickets, and looked vulnerable with a relatively long tail. However, Salman’s 90-ball 107 navigated Pakistan expertly out of danger with sizeable partnerships with Hasan Nawaz and Arafat Minhas.

Sri Lanka deprived Shaheen Afridi’s side of a big finish, though, with Eshan Malinga and Asitha Fernando striking multiple blows in the death overs to ultimately bowl Pakistan out for 305. Those runs they had left on the table looked set to cost them dear at the climax of the context. The dew had set in, and Rathnayake and Liyanage were beginning to reverse Pakistan’s early dominance that had seen them skittle Sri Lanka’s top four with few dents made to the chase.

Afridi rotated his cast of bowlers, but aside from Naseem Shah, there appeared no remedy to the free flow of runs. Haris Rauf, Minhas, Saim Ayub and Afridi himself were all worked over, particularly by Rathnayake, who was especially methodical in the way he timed his innings to dance in tune to the required rate. Afridi was sensationally blown out of the attack with a pair of pulled sixes off the hips, in stark contrast to Pakistan’s own struggles against the short ball.

A pair of tight overs from Faheem Ashraf finally induced Rathnayake into a false stroke as he spooned one to Salman at short cover, only for Dasun Shanaka to pick up the slack. But with 53 runs to go, Liyanage chipped Rauf to long-on, and Pakistan blew the house down. Afridi prised Shanaka out the following over, and though the tail limped on briefly, it was only a matter of time.

Pakistan will look back fondly at their dominance in the first 25 overs, which closely mirrored Sri Lanka’s own success in the first innings. Sri Lanka’s top order was ineffective in keeping pace with the asking rate, and Naseem bowled a tidy spell up front, which included the wicket of Avishka Fernando. Ashraf took a sharp catch after Saad Baig dropped the skier, the allrounder showing good reflexes to scoop the ball up. It was, all told, a difficult evening behind the stumps for the debutant, and, in truth, a poor day out for Pakistan’s fielders throughout the innings.

Sri Lanka’s fortune with the toss had carried over to the ODI series, and they inserted Pakistan in Rawalpindi. There was early swing on offer, but it was the extra pace from Dilshan Madushanka that accounted for both openers. Ayub and Fakhar Zaman were both undone by the short delivery, leaving Babar Azam and Baig to rebuild.

The duo put on 74 and were beginning to get the asking rate ticking upwards. However, Babar’s frustrating recent knack of giving away auspicious starts reared its familiar head once more. Malinga was Sri Lanka’s quickest bowler through the innings, and he landed one short that rushed onto Babar, who was late on the pull just five shy of a half-century. Soon after Baig, who had shown promise as well as a willingness to pull rather than back away from bouncers, miscued one himself, holing out to deep fine leg.

It was precisely the sort of situation Salman – dropped from both the Test side and T20 captaincy in the last two months – thrives in, rebuilding during the middle overs of an ODI. He did so flawlessly, halting Sri Lanka’s momentum while staying on top of the run rate, keeping the strike ticking along, and adeptly covering for Nawaz, who had made a more sluggish start. He capitalised when Sri Lanka erred by turning prematurely to Kamindu Mendis’ spin, taking 11 off the 25th over to turn momentum around.

Sri Lanka began to look more toothless with the ball through those middle overs as Salman’s comfort grew. He dominated the stand and brought up his half-century off 48 balls. Nawaz had begun to loosen his shoulders too, illustrated by a six off legspinner Sachindu Colombage, but Asitha rooted him out the following over, ending the fifth-wicket stand ay 97. Salman played a similar shepherding role with Minhas for the sixth wicket, the pair putting on 64, with Salman once again taking on the lion’s share.

Twenty-six runs came off the 44th and 45th overs, but just as Pakistan looked for a big finish, Sri Lanka’s bowlers hit back. Minhas and Salman fell trying to hit sixes, and Pakistan’s lower order soon followed, with Malinga getting rid of Ashraf and Naseem off successive balls. A pair of lusty blows from Afridi allowed Pakistan to scratch past 300.

For long stretches of Sri Lanka’s chase, it appeared as if Pakistan’s unproductiveness in those death overs would cost them. Instead, on a dewy early autumn night in Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s pace attack – which shared nine wickets between them – ensured Salman’s efforts would not be wasted.

Brief scores:
Pakistan 305 in 49.5 overs (Babar Azam 45, Salman Agha 107; Eshan Malinga 4-46, Asitha Fernando 3-59, Dilshan Madushanka 2-67) beat Sri Lanka 268 in 48.1 overs (Kamindu Mendis 44, Pavan Rathnayake 79, Janith Liyanage 60; Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-55, Naseem Shah 2-43, Haris Rauf 2-48, Faheem Ashraf 2-49) by 37 runs

[Cricinfo]

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Half a million people join protests in France, but some turn violent

Published

2 days ago

2026/10/18

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An estimated 550,000 people took part in demonstrations across France today to protest against teaching conditions in schools, rising fuel prices and the cost of living.

Marches were largely peaceful and took place in several major French cities, including Paris, where 110,000 people attended.

“We just want to study, we just want a future” one student taking part in the protest in the capital told BBC News, while another said they were ” just trying to make things change”.

But French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said some groups “at the margins of these protests” caused the situation to “degenerate”.

According to the French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, 1200 people were arrested. Officials also reported looting in cities such as Marseille, where masked 8ntruders also entered the city hall. In Lyon, the tourist office was set on fire and shops were damaged.

French President Emmanuel Macron said any vandals and looters would be “prosecuted and punished”, while Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of left-wing party La France Insoumise, said demonstrations had been calmly mobilised.

Meanwhile, firefighters are continuing to battle a blaze at Limoges City Hall after a reported break-in and arson inside the 19th-century building during protests there.

(BBC)