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Stokes, bowlers keep England’s Champions Trophy qualification hopes alive
A clinical bowling performance following Ben Stokes’ maiden World Cup century gave England an emphatic 160-run win against Netherlands in Pune on Wednesday (November 8). Chasing a daunting target of 340, the Dutch never got going as they were derailed in the first Powerplay itself. Chris Woakes and David Willey bowled immaculate new-ball spells to virtually seal the deal in the first ten overs. Wesley Barresi, Scott Edwards and Teja Nidanamuru provided resistance but the task had gotten out of hand very early in the chase. Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali ensured that the end was hastened with over 12 overs left. The result ensured that England were on track for qualification to the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Facing the new ball under lights has been a task for chasing sides and the Dutch openers were at sea against the Woakes-Willey duo who probed away relentlessly and managed to extract some help off the surface. Max O’Dowd and Colin Ackermann were unable to cope with it as Netherlands slipped to 13/2 in the sixth over. The first Powerplay produced a mere 23 runs and this in the context of a run chase of 340 all but buried Netherlands’ chances of making a game out of it. Barresi and Engelbrecht did stitch a 55-run partnership to steady things but the rate of scoring was too slow and it only made the task harder for Netherlands.
On expected lines, both batters succumbed to the mounting pressure and Bas de Leede also continued his woeful form with the bat as the innings started to fall apart. The only time in the innings when it seemed like the intent and execution were on point was when Edwards and Nidanamuru got together. Their 59-run stand came off just 50 balls as they managed to put some sort of pressure on England’s bowlers. The Dutch skipper was his usual self against spin while Nidanamuru also produced some cracking strokes. However, the pressure of a big asking rate eventually undid them too, with Rashid and Moeen then slicing through the rest of the batting line-up.
Eventually, it proved to be a very comfortable win for England whose strong total was set up by a Stokes masterclass. Despite the immensely favourable batting conditions on offer, England managed to get themselves into a hole at 192/6 after Dawid Malan’s 74-ball 87 had given them the early impetus. The left-handed opener was at his classy best as he pinged the gaps with ease during the first ten overs. It set him up for a big knock even as Jonny Bairstow suffered yet another failure in the tournament. Joe Root also struggled for tempo and uncharacteristically missed a reverse ramp to be bowled. It was his dismissal that opened the floodgates for Netherlands.
The Dutch bowlers till that point were lacking in penetration and appeared to be wayward in their radar. Root’s dismissal followed by Malan’s silly run out derailed England’s momentum as the middle order collapsed yet again. Harry Brook on his comeback failed to impress while Jos Buttler’s lean patch continued. Moeen also fell without troubling the scorers much and it was all left to Stokes once again. The all-rounder found a good ally in Woakes as the pair stitched a game defining 129-run stand to turn things around. Stokes was the aggressor but he was initially defiant in his approach before going out all guns blazing in the slog overs.
Woakes also chipped in with a handy fifty as death bowling once again hurt the Dutch. A whopping 124 runs came in the last 60 balls and it meant that the chase at hand was going to be a gargantuan one.
Brief scores:
England 339/9 in 50 overs (Ben Stokes 108, Dawid Malan 87, Joe Root 28, Chris Woakes 51; Aryan Dutt 2-67, Logan va Beek 2-88, Bas de Leede 3-74) beat Netherlands 179 in 37.2 overs (Wesley Baresi 37, Sybrand Engelbrecht 33, Scott Edwards 38, Teja Nidamanuru 41; David Willey 2-19, Moeen Ali 3-42, Adil Rashid 3-54) by 160 runs
(Cricbuzz)
The Asian Youth Games gold medallist who has run sub four minutes previously returned a time of 3:55.97 seconds to become the first athlete in his age category at these championships to run the distance under four minutes.
Achintha who has a personal best of 3:53.05 from last year was representing Prince College Ratnapura today.
In another impressive 1,500 m feat Tharushi Abhisheka of Lyceum International School, Wattala established a new meet record in the Under-20 Girls’ 1,500m as she returned a time of 4:34.59 seconds to win.
By the end of the second day of the meet seven new meet records had been established.
D. V. C. de Soysa (of Galewela Central College) Under-16 Boys’ Discus Throw – 55.83m.
D. G. Lahiru Achintha (of Ratnapura Kumara Vidyalaya) Under-18 Boys’ 1,500m – 3:55.97 secs.
W. P. Nethula Induwara (Rahula College, Matara) Under-14 Boys’ 100m – 11.70 seconds
K. V. R. Gayesha (Ira Handa Kotuwa Wewa Maha Vidyalaya, Polonnaruwa) Under-16 Girls’ High Jump – 1.70m
H. M. D. S. Herath (Maris Stella College, Thimbirigaskatuwa) Under-20 Boys’ Long Jump – 7.65m
P. M. Amaya Semindi (Vijitha Central College, Dikwella) Under-14 Girls’ High Jump – 1.58m
A rare pink diamond is going on display in France for the first time since it was stolen almost 100 years ago to the day – the last time it was shown to the public.
The nine-carat, pear-shaped gemstone known as the “Grand Condé” was pilfered in an overnight raid on the Château de Chantilly in October 1926 and concealed in a hollowed-out apple.
The diamond – one of few royal jewels to survive the French Revolution – was recovered a few weeks later when a hungry maid at the hotel in which the thieves were staying took a bite of the apple.
It will once again be on display in the Condé Museum at the Château de Chantilly until 3 January.
The museum’s director Mathieu Deldicque said that while the apple story may sounds far-fetched, it was widely covered by newspapers at the time.
Deldicque has faced questions about whether the exhibition may be tempting fate, especially given the string of heists on European cultural institutions in the past 12 months, including the daring daylight robbery of jewellery from the Louvre museum in Paris.
While he declined to reveal to CNN how much the diamond was insured for, he noted that extensive academic study into the properties of the diamond had taken place to make it uniquely identifiable.
The results of this analysis, as well as previously unseen archive material about the gem’s history and theft, form part of the exhibition, according to the museum.
Naturally occurring pink diamonds are exceptionally rare and often sell for tens of millions of dollars. The highest price ever fetched for one at auction was $71.2m (£53.6m) in 2017, according to Sotheby’s.
The exact origins of the Grand Condé remain a mystery.
It was first mentioned in 1740 in an inventory of Louis Henri de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, drawn up following his death, the Château de Chantilly said.
It then became part of the collection of Queen Marie-Amélie of Bourbon-Sicily, the wife of French King Louis Philippe I, and then her son, Prince Henri of Orléans, the Duke of Aumale.
He bequeathed it to the Institut de France, which now owns the Château de Chantilly, 50km (31 miles) north of Paris, along with thousands of artworks and manuscripts which became the Musée Condé collection.
(BBC)
Sri Lanka’s men begin this match having won an international in the past week. This is more significant than it sounds. Their 2026 has been abysmal, with the team losing 22 matches to the 10 they have won. New captain Kusal Mendis had carried his team to that victory with his 87 not out off 48 balls, after Sri Lanka’s seamers had also had an encouraging outing.
But the game was only a dead rubber, Pakistan having sewn up the T20I series already. Pakistan have hardly been lighting up 2026 either, but they have had substantially more success than Sri Lanka. They had won their most recent ODI series, against Australia, 2-1. In that series, Pakistan may even have discovered a bright young all-round talent, left-arm spinner and lower-order batter Arafat Minhas, who claimed the Player of the Series award for his seven wickets at an average of 12.28. He has been in penetrative form in the past 10 days as well, having claimed five wickets across the three T20Is against Sri Lanka. Against Australia, Pakistan had also had excellent performances from Shaheen Afridi and legspinner Abrar Ahmed. It had, in fact, been Pakistan’s bowlers who dominated in a low-scoring series.
The tri-series is important for all three sides because there is now officially less than 12 months before the World Cup, which is set to begin on October 2 next year. Sri Lanka still have plenty to figure out – their white-ball squads having been in serious flux this year, as a new set of selectors searches (often fruitlessly) for a winning combination. Pakistan have players and stratetgies to trial as well.
In the series against Australia, Babar Azam had top-scored for Pakistan, hitting 40, 16, and 69 to average 41.66 across the matches. No one will call it a return to his heyday, but it was an encouraging sign following a modest run in 2025, in which he averaged 34 across 17 innings. Sri Lanka has been one of his favoured opponents over the years, Babar having struck four of his 20 centuries against them, averaging 58.33. The tracks in Rawalpindi at least are expected to be good for batting. Can he build up some form in the one format he now plays?
Lahiru Udara has reason to feel miffed at the selectors, many think. Having hit 188 against West Indies three Tests ago, he was left out of the squad entirely for the forthcoming Test series. But with Pathum Nissanka having been ruled out of the ODIs through an ongoing hamstring problem, Udara has surged into ODI contention on the back of a good T20I innings last week. At age 32, he knows his chances at this level are numbered. With the World Cup on the horizon, there is perhaps no better format to impress in right now than ODIs.
With neither Sahibzada Farhan nor Maaz Sadaqat in the ODI squad, Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman may open.
Pakistan (possible): Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Babar Azam, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Ghazi Ghouri (wk), Minhas Arafat, Shaheen Afridi (capt.), Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah
Sri Lanka may bring Avishka Fernando straight into the XI, with Kamil Mishara having had a run of modest scores. Sri Lanka also have some decisions to make on the spin-bowling front, although they are likely to favour Maheesh Theekshana over legspinner Sachindu Colombage.
Sri Lanka (possible): Lahiru Udara, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (capt, wk), Kamindu Mendis, Sahan Arachchige/Pavan Rathnayake, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Eshan Malinga, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando
(Cricinfo)
Namal, Janaki further remanded
Achintha smashes 1,500 metres record at All Island Schools Games
Rare pink diamond goes on display in France 100 years after amateur heist
Nursery owner in China jailed for life after hundreds of children poisoned
Pakistan, Sri Lanka look to find the right mix as World Cup countdown begins
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