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Half-centuries from Smith and Green give Australia control

Published

2 weeks ago

2025/07/6

Priyan

Steven Smith and Cameron Green added 93 off 153 balls for the fourth wicket [Cricinfo]

A pristine innings from Steven Smith and Cameron Green’s first half-century at No. 3 put Australia in control of the second Test in Grenada on a day limited to 58.3 overs by three rain interruptions, a lethargic over rate and latterly bad light. However, regular breakthroughs after tea kept West Indies in touch although the surface remained a challenge for batters.

Smith, playing with the lingering effects of the compound dislocation he suffered in the World Test Championship which requires him to wear a splint on his right little finger, barely put a foot wrong during an innings studded with classy drives. There was general shock, not least from Smith himself, when he fell lbw to Justin Greaves for 71 shortly after tea – the DRS confirming ball had struck pad first – leaving the series still waiting for its first century.

Greaves became the somewhat unlikely figure to keep West Indies’ hopes alive when he then had Beau Webster edge to a lone slip. After a third shower briefly suspended play, Travis Head was cleaned up by Shamar Joseph, defeated by the angle from round the wicket, leaving Alex Carey the key figure in terms of how many more Australia could add. After the second day’s play, Roston Chase said West Indies would be confident chasing anything under 200 – they are now going to need considerably more than that.

There remained regular signs of uneven bounce – Green received a delivery early on which scuttled for four byes – but the ones that shot low were either not straight or were able to be kept out. As had been evident on the first two days, batting became more manageable as the ball got softer which added to the importance of the 93-run stand between Green and Smith in taking the sting out of the attack.

Green, who had done the hard work in the first innings but couldn’t take advantage of being given a life, brought up his first half-century as a Test No. 3 with a perfect straight drive. However, he was again left furious when he chopped on next ball, dropping his bat to the ground in anger before trudging off.

Overall, though, it was a step in the right direction. He nearly fell for West Indies’ short ball plan when he top-edged short of deep square leg, but he defended solidly and waited for anything with a hint of width to put away through the off side.

Australia had resumed on 12 for 2 after a difficult finish to the second day where Jayden Seales removed both openers. Progress from Green and nightwatcher Nathan Lyon was sedate before a 40-minute rain break. Shortly after the resumption Lyon edged to third slip where John Campbell, who has had an indifferent time in the field, clung on with a juggle.

Lyon had joked in a pre-play interview that Smith thought he should retire to let him bat straightaway. Smith, whose preparation for returning to the side included a session a New York batting cage, received a brutal first ball from Alzarri Joseph which took the glove of his injured hand but he looked in the zone from the off.

Smith did well to keep out a delivery from Anderson Phillip that kept low, from which point on he limited his trigger movements to remain stiller at the crease. He collected back-to-back boundaries off Shamar Joseph – a straight drive and one through the covers – as his game looked in top working order despite the recent lay-off.

When the ball got soft, West Indies went for a bouncer strategy with, at times, three on the leg-side rope, a deep third and a short leg but Smith was rarely bothered by it. While variable in bounce, the pitch does not have great pace which made a bouncer-barrage hard work although it may have been in part to try and get the ball changed.

Smith’s fifty came up from 79 balls with a leg glance and he greeted the introduction of Greaves by stepping out of the crease and clubbing him straight down the ground. Chase’s offspin was then sent straight for six as Australia sensed a chance to cash in on their hard work.

After Green’s dismissal, Head came out and threaded his first delivery through the covers with a rasping drive. Another crisp drive, this time off Greaves, took him into the 20s at better than a run-a-ball. He went down a gear after tea amid the loss of Smith and Webster before falling late in the day. But Carey was swiftly into his work and Australia’s bowlers will hope he can given them a cushion of another 50 runs.

Brief scores: [Day 3 stumps]
Australia 286 in 66.5 overs and 221 for 7 in 64.3 overs (Steven Smith 71, Cameron Green 52; Jayden Seales 2-29, Shamar Joseph 2-54, Justin Greaves 2-22) lead West Indies 253 in 73.2 overs (Brandon King 75, John Campbell 40; Nathan Lyon 3-75, Josh Hazlewood 2-43, Pat Cummins 2-46) by 254 runs

[Cricinfo]

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Naval and fishing communities are advised not to venture into the sea areas extending from Puttalam to Pottuvil via Colombo, Galle Hambantota for next 24 hours

Published

1 hour ago

2025/07/19

Priyan

Warning for strong winds and rough seas.
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre at 10.00 a.m. on 19 July 2025 for the period until 10.00 a.m. on 20 July 2025

The sea areas extending from Puttalam to Pottuvil via Colombo, Galle Hambantota will be rough or very rough with strong gusty winds up to (60-70) kmph.

The wave height (about 2.5 – 3.0 m) may increase in the sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Pottuvil via Colombo, Galle and Hambantota. Therefore, there is a possibility that nearshore sea areas extending from Puttalam to Pottuvil via Colombo, Galle and Hambantota, may experience surges due to sea waves.

Naval and fishing communities are advised not to venture into the sea areas extending from Puttalam to Pottuvil via Colombo, Galle Hambantota for next 24 hours.

The naval and fishing communities engaged in fishing and naval activities in the sea areas extending from Puttalam to Trincomalee via Mannar and Kankasanthurai are requested to be vigilant in this regard and to be attentive to future forecasts issued by the Department of Meteorology in this regard.

Latest News

Lyles and Bol seek third successive London victories

Published

6 hours ago

2025/07/19

Priyan

Noah Lyles wins in London [World Athletics]

Having provided some of the standout moments at the past two editions of the London Athletics Meet, world champions Noah Lyles and Femke Bol return to the Wanda Diamond League meeting in the British capital today (19) looking to work their magic once more.

For the third year in a row, Lyles will take on Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, the world athlete of the year. Just 0.03 separated them when they clashed over 200m in London two years ago, Lyles winning in 19.47. When they raced in London last year, both men emerged with 100m PBs, Lyles once again winning, 9.81 to Tebogo’s 9.88.

After a slightly delayed start to his Diamond League campaign, Lyles returned to action in Monaco last week and beat Tebogo over 200m, 19.88 to 19.97. The Olympic 100m champion will be keen to keep his London streak alive, but Tebogo will be fired up after their recent Monaco showdown.

On Saturday they will line up over 100m in a race that also includes South Africa’s Akani Simbine, who finished in between Lyles and Tebogo in London last year. World indoor champion Jeremiah Azu, world 100m bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes and Jamaican duo Oblique Seville and Ackeem Blake are also part of the high-quality line-up.

Bol is another athlete who has fond memories of this meeting. The Dutch 400m hurdler broke 52 seconds for the first time when winning in London in 2023, clocking a Diamond League record of 51.45. She improved on that when winning in London last year with 51.30.

Fresh from clocking a world-leading 51.95 in Monaco, Bol will take on a field that includes USA’s Jasmine Jones and Jamaica’s Andrenette Knight.

Having broken 10.80 in her past three Diamond League races over 100m, Olympic champion Julien Alfred moves up to the 200m in London, where she’ll be hoping to improve on her world-leading mark of 21.88. She’ll face 2019 world champion Dina Asher-Smith, Olympic finalist Daryll Neita, Spanish record-holder Jael Bestue and Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke.

In the men’s 400m, world leader Zakithi Nene takes on Matthew Hudson-Smith and Muzala Samukonga, the Olympic silver and bronze medallists respectively.

In the men’s discus, world record-holder Mykolas Alekna takes on the three men who, between them, have claimed every global title on offer from 2019 onwards.

Alekna, who won in Eugene at the start of the month, will take on two-time world champion Daniel Stahl, Olympic champion Roje Stona and 2022 world champion Kristjan Ceh, who has won his past nine competitions.

The men’s long jump is of a similarly high quality as the field includes all of the medallists from the 2024 Olympics, 2023 World Championships and 2025 World Indoor Championships.

World leader Miltiadis Tentoglou, winner of multiple major titles, takes on world indoor champion Mattia Furlani, Australia’s Liam Adcock, Swiss decathlete Simon Ehammer and leading Jamaican trio Tajay Gayle, Carey McLeod and Wayne Pinnock.

The women’s event, meanwhile, brings together two-time world champion Malaika Mihambo, world indoor champion Claire Bryant, European indoor champion Larissa Iapichino, 2023 European indoor champion Jazmin Sawyers and world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson.

Elsewhere in the jumps, Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh takes on 2022 world champion Eleanor Patterson in the women’s high jump, while world champion Katie Moon faces 2024 world indoor champion Molly Caudery in the women’s pole vault.

The three men who claimed the 800m medals at the 2023 World Championships will reunite over two laps in London.

Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who recently clocked a world-leading 1:41.44 in Monaco, will face world champion Marco Arop of Canada and world bronze medallist Ben Pattison. The field also includes Spanish record-holder Mohamed Attaoui and 2019 world champion Donavan Brazier.

Kenyan teenager Phanuel Koech has been one of the revelations of this season, having set a world U20 1500m record of 3:27.72 in Paris in what was just his second race over the distance, then following it with a 3:29.05 victory in Ostrava.

But the majority of the home crowd will be cheering on the likes of world champion Josh Kerr, British 3000m and 5000m record-holder George Mills and 2022 world champion Jake Wightman. Australia’s Cameron Myers and Portugal’s Isaac Nader will also fancy their chances, given their recent good form.

Two-time world champion Gudaf Tsegay returns to the scene of her 4:16.14 PB and headlines a women’s mile field that also includes Olympic silver medallist Jessica Hull and Ethiopian youngster Birke Haylom.

A closely matched women’s 800m field, meanwhile, features Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Georgia Hunter Bell, USA’s Addison Wiley, 2019 world champion Halimah Nakaayi and Olympic finalist Shafiqua Maloney.

[World Athletics]

Foreign News

Three killed in explosion at Los Angeles police training facility

Published

8 hours ago

2025/07/19

Priyan

[pic BBC]

Three officers were killed in an explosion at a law enforcement training facility in East Los Angeles, officials say.

The blast occurred at around 07:30 local time (15:30 BST) on Friday at the Biscailuz Center Academy Training facility, which houses the Sheriff’s department’s special enforcement bureau and arson explosives detail, including the bomb squad.

The exact cause of the explosion is still under investigation, but Sheriff Robert Luna of the LASD described it as “an isolated incident”. There were no additional injuries.

The three officers killed in the blast were “fantastic experts” and veterans of the department, each serving between 19 to 33 years, the sheriff said.

Authorities have not released the names of the deceased officers, citing the need to notify their families first. All three were assigned to the sheriff department’s arson explosives detail.

Friday’s incident represents the department’s largest loss of life in a single incident since its founding in 1857, Sheriff Luna said.

“We have to go back and investigate what happened from the very beginning,” he said. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting with the investigation.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi called the incident “horrific” and said federal agents had been deployed on the scene and “working to learn more”.

Authorities say the explosion took place in the parking lot of the facility’s special enforcement bureau.

According to the BBC’s US partner CBS, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s bomb squad responded to a Santa Monica garage on Thursday where at least one grenade was found.

The grenade was transported to the training facility on Friday, where officers were reportedly working to render it safe before it exploded, CBS reported citing police sources.

The area surrounding the facility was evacuated and has since been sealed off as investigators continue to work at the scene.

California Governor Gavin Newsom was briefed about the explosion and was “closely monitoring the situation”, his office said in a statement on X.

Newsom’s office added that state assistance has also been offered to help respond to the incident.

Kathryn Barger, Chief of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, wrote in a statement that she was “closely tracking the situation as we learn more about what occurred and the condition of those affected”.

“My heart is heavy, and my thoughts are with the brave men and women of the Sheriff’s Department during this difficult time,” she said.

[BBC]