Sports

Williamson, Nicholls tour de force leaves Sri Lanka gasping

Published

3 years ago

2023/03/18

Priyan

Kane Williamson hit his 6th Test double ton while Nicholls got his maiden one (pic Cricbuzz)

Kane Williamson (215) scored his sixth Test match double hundred while Henry Nicholls (200*) got his first as the pair put on a mammoth 363 run stand to leave Sri Lanka staring from the base of a mountain of runs at the Basin Reserve. After a truncated opening day to start the Wellington Test, Day 2 saw the hosts rack up 425 runs in 75 overs at a rate of 5.67 to the over before declaring their innings at 580/4 late in the final session. After chasing leather for a good portion of two days, Sri Lanka slipped further behind in the game when they lost Oshada Fernando and Kusal Mendis in the 17 overs before Stumps.

The stories of the day were undoubtedly the twin double tons, the fifth-highest partnership in New Zealand’s Test history as well as the ease and speed with which the aforementioned feats were achieved. However, there was also contrast in the backdrop to the two double centuries. Williamson arrived here having reeled off Test Ton Nos. 26 and 27 in his last two games, the more recent one coming in New Zealand’s thrilling victory in Christchurch. On the other hand, Nicholls’ last 50+ score in the New Zealand whites had come 16 innings ago.

And so it showed in a partnership between the two that Williamson dominated allowing his under-fire batter to build slowly. The Basin Reserve pitch was a willing ally to their cause, it’s greenish tinge serving mostly as deception to its mostly true nature. It had quickened up after a truncated opening day too, rendering hitting through the line an easy proposition. The signs were ominous for the visitors at the start of an extended morning session with 29 runs coming off the first five overs.

Lead fast bowlers Kasun Rajitha and Asith Fernando didn’t help Sri Lanka’s cause by bowling too short and then overcompensating for it with half-volleys that Williamson and Nicholls put away in style. The plan changed when Lahiru Kumara came into the attack. But Sri Lanka’s short-ball ploy didn’t serve them too well either. Williamson pulled Kumara for back-to-back sixes although the first of the two had come in slightly fortuitous fashion, off a top-edge. The second though was dispatched outside the stadium.

At the other end, Nicholls dealt with the 6-3 leg-side field by backing away and punching balls through the vacant spaces in the offside. With the pacers bleeding runs on either side of the wicket, captain Dimuth Karunaratne turned towards his spinners Dhananjaya de Silva and Prabath Jayasuriya for control. By now though the fielders were well spread out and singles were readily available for the taking.

Williamson completed 8000 Test runs and subsequently got to his century with his 10th four, a drive through extra cover off de Silva. He then proceeded to hit the off-spinner for two more boundaries. The closest Sri Lanka came to a wicket in the first session was right at the stroke of the Lunch break when the returning Rajitha managed to cut one back into Williamson, but the ball bounced just over the Stumps.

If the wicketless first session saw New Zealand score their 149 runs at 4.38, the second saw the pair plunder 139 runs at 5.39. In the post-Lunch period Williamson raced away from 113 to 189 almost unnoticed while Nicholls got to his drought-ending century. The left-hander offered a big chance when on 92, a second after being reprieved on 6 yesterday, when he punched a de Silva delivery tamely back to the bowler. The of-fspinner, however, couldn’t hold on and duly conceded a boundary off the very next delivery. Nicholls got to his ninth Test century soon after and kicked into overdrive thereafter.

Williamson completed his double century straight after the Tea interval and was dismissed for 215 after an attempted lofted hit off Prabath Jayasuriya found the fielder at long-on. It brought an end to a 363-run stand for the third wicket but Sri Lanka’s travails continued. Daryl Mitchell walked out and put on 49 off just 30 balls for the fourth wicket. At the other end, Nicholls passed 150 and marked his feat by swinging Rajitha over deep mid-wicket for a six. The left-hander now began to walk across his crease and club deliveries all around the ground. He hit two sixes and four fours and scored his final 50 runs off just 28 deliveries before getting to his maiden Test double with a gentle push towards square leg for a single. Tim Southee called his team in right at the end of that 123rd over.

At that point, Sri Lanka would have been happy to call time on the day’s play. But the timing of the New Zealand skipper’s declaration had them survive 17 overs before Stumps. It went about as well as one would have hoped from a team that had been run ragged. Matt Henry bowled a probing spell and had Oshada Fernando feeling for a delivery outside off stump and nick off to the wicket-keeper. Doug Bracewell then dismissed Kusal Mendis for a duck with what was a loosener that Mendis cut fiercely only to see Devon Conway complete a leaping catch at backward point. Sri Lanka ended the day 554 behind and needing a miracle to come back into this game.

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka 26/2 (Doug Bracewell 1-1, Matt Henry 1-15) trail New Zealand 580/4 decl. (Kane Williamson 215, Henry Nicholls 200*; Kasun Rajitha 2-126) by 554 runs

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Sports

Dimantha anchors Trinity after Royal post 439/9

Published

2 hours ago

2026/04/10

Thilina Walpola

UNDER 19 DIVISION 1 TIER A

Trinity reached 223 for five wickets at stumps on the second day as Dimantha Mahavithana anchored the innings with an unbeaten century after Royal poated a a mammoth 493 for nine wickets declared in the Under 19 Division I Tier ‘A’ semi-final at Surrey ground on Thursday.

‎‎Scores

‎Royal 328 for 4 overnight 493 for 9 dec in 119.3 overs (Hirun Liyanarachchi 78, Dushen Udawela 105, Vimath Dinsara 68, Ramiru Perera 57, Udantha Gangewatta 98, Himaru Deshan 29; Sethmika Senevirathne 4/111)

‎Trinity 223 for 5 in 53 overs (Dimantha Mahavithana 125, Puleesha Thilakarathne 32, Chaniru Senarathne 20, Malika Vithanage 22n.o.;Himaru Deshan 2/63, Ramiru Perera 2/68) (RF)

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Mukul Choudhary stuns Kolkata Knight Riders to seal last-ball thriller for Lucknow Super Giants

Published

3 hours ago

2026/04/10

Priyan

Mukul Choudhary celebrates victory after his stunning knock [BCCI]

In the lead-up to IPL 2026, Lucknow Super Giants coach Justin Langer believed that rookie <ukul Choudhary had the potential to become the “scariest” finisher in India. The 21-year-old showcased his potential and power in only his third IPL game, bashing a 25-ball half-century, which snatched victory for LSG from Kolkata Knight Riders’ grasp.

When Choudhary came into bat, LSG were 104 for 5 in the 13th over in pursuit of 182. Choudhary watched them slump further to 125 for 6 and then 128 for 7. He was on 2 off eight balls at one point. But with LSG needing 54 off 24 balls, he single-handedly won it for them. Only one other batter – Kieron Pollard in 2013 – has scored more than 50 runs in the last four overs of a successful IPL chase.

It was anybody’s game when LSG required 14 off the final over, with three wickets in hand. After Avesh Khan got a single off the first ball, Choudhary monstered Arora over square leg for six. Arora then responded with two dots, but a barely believable six off the next ball – a near wide yorker – brought the equation to one off one.

Choudhary swung and missed the slower bouncer, but he scampered across for a leg-bye and completed a stunning turnaround for LSG. A new star was born in the IPL.

At the halfway stage of the game, Rovman Powell said this wasn’t a typical Eden Gardens pitch. As the game wore on, the deliveries dug into the surface, especially the slower ones, were difficult to put away. Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran and Rishabh Pant were all done in by steepling bounce.

Arora had bounced out Markram and Marsh with the new ball, but when he tried something similar against Choudhary with the older one, Choudhary muscled him over square leg. When Arora tried to york him next ball, Choudhary helicoptered the seamer over long-on. Of the seven sixes Choudhary hit in 27 balls, this was the pick of the lot. “MS Dhoni, eat your heart out! The helicopter shot is back,” Faf du Plessis said on commentary

But still KKR were favourites with 42 to defend off 18 balls. Until Choudhary intervened again. He tonked Kartik Tyagi for a brace of sixes and reduced the equation to 30 needed off 12 balls.

Cameron Green, who had earlier bested Pant with a slower bouncer, bowled that variation to Choudhary and drew a mis-hit, but it fell into no-man’s land. Choudhary missed another slower bouncer next ball, but struck back to hit Green for 6,4,6 in his next four balls.

Choudhary then whacked another slower short ball from Arora for six in the final over. Arora responded by switching his angle to around the wicket and nailed two wide yorkers. He marginally missed his mark the next ball, but Choudhary scythed it flat and hard over cover with his fast hands to stun KKR.

Earlier Ayush Badoni had laid the platform, from which Choudhary launched, for LSG with a contrasting 54. Coming in at No.4, Badoni helped LSG overcome an early wobble with his calculative approach. He was particularly circumspect against Sunil Narine, who had recovered from an illness that had put him out of KKR’s previous game, scoring only eight off ten balls from him. In all, Narine conceded just 13 runs in his four overs for the wicket of Mohammed Shami.

Badoni found runs from elsewhere. He took 26 off 12 balls from Tyagi and Navdeep Saini, the weaker links in the KKR attack. He brought up his half-century, off 33 balls, when he carted left-arm spinner Anukul Roy over midwicket for six. Next ball, however, Roy hid the ball away from Badoni’s reach and had him holing out to wide long-off.

Prince Yadav had struck in his first over when he had Finn Allen caught at deep third by Digvesh Rathi in controversial circumstances. After a few replays, Allen was given out for 9 off 8, but later another replay suggested that Rathi’s foot was touching the boundary when he was holding the ball with both hands.

KKR captain Ajikya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvansh, who was promoted to No.3 ahead of Green, then countered the early blow with an 84-run partnership off 52 balls. Rahane manufactured swinging room and pumped both Rathi and M Siddharth for fours over cover.

Raghuvanshi was slow to start: he was on 6 off 12 balls at one point, but shifted gears when he lined up Avesh Khan for 4,6,4 in the last over of the powerplay.

LSG’s spinners Rathi and Siddharth then loosened KKR’s grip on the game by taking out Rahane and Raghuvanshi in successive overs.

Green needed 14 balls to find the boundary and in all managed only three fours and a six in the 24 balls he faced. Rovman Powell, who retained his place in KKR’s XI, was more fluent, finishing with an unbeaten 39 off 24 balls.

KKR went 31 balls without a boundary until Powell charged at Siddharth and cracked him over his head for six. Then when Prince missed his yorker, his drilled drive down the ground left both the bowler and the umpire in the firing line.

KKR were firm favourites – they had an 86% chance of beating LSG after 36 overs in the game – but Choudhary flipped the script and overpowered the hosts.

Brief scores:
Lucknow Super Giants 182 for 7 in 20 overs (Mitchell Marsh 15, Aiden Markram 22, Rishbah Pant 10, Ayush Badoni 54, Nicholas Pooran 13, Mukul Choudhary 54*; Anukul Roy 2-32, Vaibhav Arora 2-38, Sunil Narine 1-13, Kartik Tyagi 1-31, Cameron Green 1-28) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 181 for 4 in 20 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 45, Ajinkya Rahane 41, Cameron Green 32*, Rovman Powell 39*; Prince Yadav 1-47, Manimaran Siddharth 1-34, Digvesh Rathi 1-25, AveshKhan 1-44) by three wickets

[Cricinfo]

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Transgender women banned from women’s PDC darts

Published

3 hours ago

2026/04/10

Priyan

Noa-Lynn van Leuven became the first transgender woman to compete in the PDC World Championship in 2024 (BBC)

The Darts Regulation Authority has banned transgender women from competing in its women’s events with immediate effect.

The DRA, which governs the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), said “only biological females should be eligible to compete in women’s tournaments regulated by DRA Rules”.

It comes after the DRA completed a review of its Trans and Gender Diverse Policy, which began in 2025.

Noa-Lynn van Leuven, who in 2024 became the first transgender woman to compete in the PDC World Championship, said the decision had “effectively retired her”.

She remains eligible to play in open tournaments for men and women.

“I just got an email and apparently I just got retired, not by choice but because I am no longer allowed to compete,” Van Leuven said in a video posted on Instagram.

“The DRA just decided that trans women are no longer allowed in women’s events which basically means I am out.

“Everyday it is getting harder for trans people to exist, to compete. If you think this stops with me, it doesn’t. We just want to be.”

Sex-based rights charity Sex Matters said “men’s physical advantages in darts may be small but they all add up”.

“Darts is a male-dominated world, played in pubs and clubs, and the top darts players are all men. That’s why women need their own tournaments.

“The Darts Regulation Authority followed the lead of the old, unfair IOC [International Olympic Committee] policy, so it’s great to see this rapid return to fairness for women players.”

The DRA said it “seeks to be inclusive” and it encouraged “all players – irrespective of their biological sex, legal sex, and/or gender identity” to continue competing in open tournaments.

It said its decision is based on legal advice and a commissioned report by Dr Emma Hilton – an academic developmental biologist who has published several papers on sex and categories in sport.

Dr Hilton’s report concluded “that multiple, small-magnitude sex differences accumulate to generate male advantage over females in darts”.

Last year, the World Darts Federation (WDF) banned transgender women from competing in its women’s tournaments.

Last month, the president of the IOC, Kirsty Coventry, announced a blanket ban on transgender women, as well as athletes with differences in sex development (DSD) from the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

(BBC)