Latest News
Jacks and Kohli ace Royal Challengers Bangaluru’s 201-run chase in 16 overs against Titans
RCB took 124 off the 11 overs of spin bowled by Rashid Khan (0 for 51), Noor Ahmad (0 for 43) and R Sai Kishore (1 for 30) as GT were hiding for cover on a surface that became conducive to strokeplay as the game progressed.
Jacks’ late assault – he hit four fours and nine sixes in his last 17 balls – helped RCB ransack 58 off two overs when they needed 53 off 36 balls, and in the process he brought up a 41-ball 100. It was an innings that changed speeds in a blink of an eye, and had Kohli gesturing that he missed only a bucket of popcorn and a cold drink from the best seat in the house to witness the Will-storm.
This was all after Gujarat Titans posted 200 for 3 on the back of an unbeaten 84 fromB Sai Sudrshan and a 30-ball 58 from Shahrukh Khan. With the track assisting spin at the start of the game, it looked as if GT had enough on the board. Until it wasn’t.
RCB’s powerplay squeeze
Before the start of Sunday’s fixtures, RCB had the second-worst economy rate in the powerplay, their 10.53 being only marginally better than Kolkata Knight Riders’ 10.68. But against GT, the RCB bowlers were on the money, and it all started in the first over. Swapnil Singh, playing only his second game in IPL 2024, deceived Wriddhiman Saha by flight, having him caught at short third in an attempt to go inside out.
Thereon, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan merely consolidated. Their attempts to free the shackles did not bear fruit as they could manage only one four in the last three overs of the powerplay to finish on 42 for 1. Glenn Maxwell, back in the XI for RCB, then preyed on Gill’s quiet start to have him caught brilliantly at long-on in a diving effort by Cameron Green.
Sai Sudharsan and Shahrukh inject momentum
At 45 for 2 in the seventh over, GT decided to send in Shahrukh at No. 4 and the move paid rich dividends. He got going straightaway, sweeping Maxwell over long-on for six before pulling a not-so-short one between long-on and deep midwicket for four. Shahrukh was asked to be the disruptor and he essayed that role to perfection. He was severe on Karn Sharma, hitting him for two sixes in two overs, which put him out of the attack. He then hit Green for 4, 4, 6 to bring up a 24-ball fifty, his first in the IPL.
Shahrukh’s carnage allowed Sai Sudharsan to change gears. He was on 18 off 16 when the powerplay ended, and on 32 off 23 at the 10-over mark. He attacked Karn’s legspin before putting away an-almost-perfect yorker from Mohammed Siraj to bring up his half-century off 34 balls. Titans managed to score 106 in the middle overs (7 to 16), the most they have in the phase this season. In fact, GT scored 86 off just 45 balls through the time Shahrukh was in the middle.
Even after Shahrukh’s dismissal – castled by a reverse-swinging full delivery from Siraj – Sai Sudharsan did not relent. In his next 15 balls, he scored 34 and was particularly severe on spin – a strike rate of 205 (41 off 20) as opposed to 153.57 (43 off 28) against the quicks. However, the 51 GT managed at the death did seem a tad underwhelming.
Kohli spins it the RCB way
Faf du Plessis targeted Azmatullah Omarzai in the third over of the chase, hitting him for 6, 6, 4 – a sequence that ended with a scoop over the wicketkeeper. But R Sai Kishore, introduced in the fourth over, managed to have him hole out to deep midwicket to break the opening stand. That did not deter Kohli, who lofted Rashid Khan over his head before hitting two sixes in two balls off Sai Kishore’s next.
It looked like Sai Kishore had managed to deceive him in the flight but Kohli’s loft over wide long-off just evaded a leaping David Miller, before he firmly flicked the next one cleanly over wide long-on. He used the sweep to good effect, taking 22 off the shot in six attempts. That Jacks was still only coming to grips with the surface and GT’s spinners at the other end seemed to have little effect on Kohli, who slashed one through backward point to race away to a 32-ball fifty.
Jacks cuts loose in the end
The only four Jacks had to his credit before the tenth over was a flashy outside edge after not picking Noor Ahmad’s wrong’un. Mohit Sharma’s introduction only helped him unleash his full range. He thwacked one over deep midwicket before smacking a slower one over extra cover. He then muscled Sai Kishore and Noor over long-on and deep square leg respectively in successive overs as he moved from a run-a-ball 16 to 44 off 29 inside four overs.
He just upped the destruction a level in Mohit’s second over, which went for three sixes – including one off a no-ball – and two fours as RCB came within touching distance. Jacks then went 6, 6, 4, 6, 6 to complete his century as well as RCB’s third win in ten outings and a net-run-rate boost.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 200/3 in 20 overs (Sai Sudharsan 84*, Shahrukh Khan 58, David Miller 26*; Swapnil Singh 1/23, Mohammed Siraj 1-34, Glenn Maxwell 1-28) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 206/1 in 16 overs (Will Jacks 100*, Virat Kohli 70*, Faf du Plesis 24; Sai Kishore 1-30) by 9 wickets
(Cricinfo)
An overnight explosion at the US embassy in Oslo may have been an act of terrorism, Norway’s police have said.
The embassy in the Norwegian capital sustained minor damage after the blast in the early hours of Sunday – but no-one was injured.
“One of the hypotheses is that it is an act of terrorism, but we are not completely locked into it,” Frode Larsen, the head of police joint investigation and intelligence unit, told Norway’s public broadcaster NRK.
Norwegian authorities say they are in contact with US diplomats, and an investigation into the incident is now under way. US diplomats have not commented.
Speaking to NRK later on Sunday, Larsen stressed that “we have to be open to the possibility that there may be other causes behind what has happened”.
In an earlier statement, Norway’s police said that “large resources” were sent to the area around the US embassy at about 01:00 local time on Sunday (00:00 GMT).
“The police are in dialogue with the embassy and no injuries have been reported,” the statement added.
Michael Dellemyr, who is leading the police response, told NRK that the explosion was at the public entrance to the building.
He said police officers had conducted searches in the area around the embassy in the Morgedalsvegen district of Oslo, about 7km (4 miles) outside the city centre.
He said the police had also issued an appeal for information from anyone who may have seen or heard anything about the incident.
Photos posted on social media later showed shattered glass in the snow outside the entrance to the consular section of the building, cracks in a glass door as well as dark marks on a tiled floor.
Norwegian authorities described the incident as “unacceptable”, with Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide stressing that “the security of diplomatic missions is very important to us”.
He added that he had contacted US embassy chargé d’affaires Eric Meyer regarding Sunday’s incident.
[BBC]
Latest News
Five in five! Brett Randell ‘blown away’ after blowing Northern Districts away in landmark spell
Central Districts fast bowler Brett Randell has created history by becoming the first bowler in the history of first-class cricket to pick up five wickets in five balls. He recorded the feat on day two of a Plunkett Shield game against Northern Districts in Napier on Sunday.
In a spell from hell, Randell ran through the Northern Districts top-order, as they slipped from 4 for no loss to 9 for 5 in the space of five Randell deliveries.
Randell started the slide with the last ball of his second over when he removed opener Henry Cooper with a peach of an in-dipper that swung in late and crashed into Cooper’s off pole, the batter having shouldered arms.
With the first ball of his next over, Randell went around the wicket to Jeet Raval, and left his stumps in a mess. Randell then claimed a hat-trick with Joe Carter caught behind, though the batter looked displeased with the decision. There was no doubt with his fourth wicket when Robert O’Donnell edged Randell’s outswinger to Curtis Heaphy in the slips.
Randell then added a fifth wicket in five balls to his tally when Kristian Clarke flirted at a delivery well outside off, got a thin inside-edge with the ball bouncing back onto his stumps and disturbing his leg bail. Randell’s bowling figures at this stage read a barely believable 2.4-1-2-5. Ben Pomare denied Randell a sixth wicket in six, but history had already been made by then.
Soon after, Randell also became the first to take six wickets in eight balls in first-class cricket
“I’m pretty blown away. The high was pretty crazy, it was like a pinch-me moment,” Randell said after his feat. “I was trying to stay level-headed and keep putting the ball in the same area and then after the actual hat-trick, just the same things — trying to put the ball in the same area.
“It gets drummed into us a lot that we don’t want to go searching for wickets, so I was trying to just keep bowling the same ball, and our ‘Plan A’ that we’d talked about, and it came off.
“I had no idea that it was the first time it [five wickets in five balls in first-class cricket] had happened in the world, it’s seriously cool. I mean, I don’t really have any words at the moment, to be honest. I’ll take it.”
Randell needed just 3.5 overs to complete his seven-wicket haul, adding the wickets of Pomare and Scott Kuggeleijn. He finished with career-best figures of 7 for 25 in 11 overs. Northern Districts were skittled for just 82 and were asked to follow-on after Central Districts had scored 373 in their first innings.
While Randell is the first bowler in first-class cricket to pick five in five, the feat has been achieved in T20 cricket before by Curtis Campher, who took five in five while playing for Munster Reds against North-West Warriors in the Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy in Dublin.
Zimbabwe Women allrounder Kelis Ndhlovu had also picked up five wickets in five balls for Zimbabwe U-19 against Eagles Women in the domestic T20 tournament in 2024.
As it turns out, Randell may not have played had the seniors been available. Central Districts’ New Zealand bowlers Ajaz Patel (calf) and Blair Tickner (ankle) were unavailable for selection because of injuries. Two other contracted players, Tyler Annand and Joey Field, were also unavailable for selection.
[Cricinfo]
FSP warns of possible coal shortage
Repatriation of Iranian naval personnel Sri Lanka’s call: Washington
Indian Ocean must remain peace zone: Sajith
Islamic organisations: PSTA more draconian than PTA
Pay attention or pay the price: Sri Lanka’s maritime imperative in a fractured ocean
A ‘messiah’ in the dock
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
News3 days agoUniversity of Wolverhampton confirms Ranil was officially invited
-
News4 days agoLegal experts decry move to demolish STC dining hall
-
News3 days agoFemale lawyer given 12 years RI for preparing forged deeds for Borella land
-
News2 days agoPeradeniya Uni issues alert over leopards in its premises
-
Business4 days agoCabinet nod for the removal of Cess tax imposed on imported good
-
News2 days agoWife raises alarm over Sallay’s detention under PTA
-
News3 days agoLibrary crisis hits Pera university
-
Business5 days agoWar in Middle East sends shockwaves through Sri Lanka’s export sector