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Khawaja 147*, Smith 104* put Australia in a commanding position in Galle
Australia finished the opening day of the series in a dominant position at 330 for 2 with rain ending play after 81.1 overs. Khawaja and Smith have combined for an unbroken third-wicket 195-run partnership to capitalise on the batting-friendly conditions in the perfect start for an Australian side striving for a first series victory in Sri Lanka since 2011.
Having averaged 66 in 38 previous Tests as captain, Smith has clearly enjoyed taking the leadership reins with Pat Cummins on paternity leave. He was in sublime form after lunch and reached his half-century in 57 balls before showing patience in the final session as Sri Lanka talisman Prabath Jayasuriya resorted to a defensive leg stump line.
As gloomy skies threatened, Smith regained his momentum to notch his 35th Test century. He raised his baggy green in a reserved celebration with Smith having peeled off three tons in his last seven Test innings.
Brief scores:
Australia 330 for 2 (Usman Khawaja 147*, Steven Smith 104*, Travis Head 57, Marnus Labuschagne 20; Jeffrey Vandersay 1-93, Prabath Jayasuriya 1-102) vs Sri Lanka
They began with a scrappy last-ball win to kick off WPL 2026, but there was nothing scrappy about Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) second win, over UP Warriorz, on Monday night.
Grace Harris tore into her former franchise with a breathtaking assault, sending the ball to all parts of the DY Patil Stadium. By the time she was out for a 40-ball 85, RCB needed just seven runs to win with 50 deliveries remaining.
In an effort similar to her opening-night honours, Lauren Bell swung the new ball and troubled Warriorz’s openers in her first two overs. In trying to break the stranglehold, Harleen Deol attempted to jailbreak in her third, but could only spoon a catch to Smriti Mandhana at mid-off for a 14-ball 11. And just like that, UP Warriorz had seen two different opening pairs come and go without giving them the start they were after.
She was denied a wicket in her first over – the sixth of the innings – when Meg Lanning’s swipe landed agonisingly short of Arundhati Reddy at backward square leg, but Shreyanka Patil had Lanning hack uncharacteristically to Radha Yadav at deep midwicket off her next.
In the same over, she also had a second wicket when Phoebe Litchfield flat-batted a short ball straight to Mandhana at mid-on, shortly after having reverse-swept her for six
Coming off a four-for and an unbeaten half-century against Mumbai Indians, de Klerk began with two wickets off her first two deliveries. Kiran Navgire fell first when she heaved a length ball to cow corner, while Shweta Sehrawat was brilliantly caught at backward point by Reddy. Warriorz were in all sorts of trouble at 50 for 5.
This was the perfect fire-and-ice combination on paper. But on Monday, they were both mellower and batted risk-free for much of their unbeaten 93-run partnership. Deandra Dottin signalled a change of intent when she went after Patil in her third over – the 15th – by muscling a length ball for six over long-on. That galvanised both batters to break free; Deepti Sharma gave the perfect finish by going after Patil in a 15-run final over that helped them finish with 143.
With two rookies in their top four, RCB could’ve chosen to play safe by having Gautami Naik partner Mandhana. But they took the aggressive route, and Harris justified that decision by muscling a 22-ball half-century as RCB wiped out 78 in the powerplay alone.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has opened an investigation and warned of possible disciplinary action for “unacceptable behaviour of players and officials” as they clashed on the pitch on Saturday at the end of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarterfinal between Algeria and Nigeria.
“CAF has referred the matters to the disciplinary board for investigation and has called for appropriate action to be taken if the identified persons were to be found guilty of any wrongdoing,” said African football’s governing body in a statement on Monday.
Tensions spilled over on the pitch at the end of the January 10 game in Marrakesh, Morocco, which Nigeria won 2-0 thanks to second-half goals by Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams.
Referee Issa Sy was shielded from irate Algeria team staff and was escorted off the field. Video clips showed Sy was still being pursued in the mixed zone for media and broadcasters as he made his way to his cabin.
Any disciplinary action could have an impact on the Super Eagles as they prepare for their semifinal showdown on Wednesday against Morocco.
“CAF strongly condemns any inappropriate behaviour which occurs during matches, especially those targeting the refereeing team or match organisers,” CAF said.
Video showed accredited media fighting in the mixed zone as they waited for players to pass through for interviews after the match.
Algeria’s federation also confirmed it had filed a complaint with CAF over Sy’s performance
“The Algerian Football Federation cannot ignore the refereeing performance observed during the last match, which raised numerous questions and caused considerable confusion,” it said in a statement.
“Certain decisions have damaged the credibility of African refereeing and do nothing to enhance the value of continental football on the international stage.”
CAF said it was also investigating incidents in Friday’s last-eight tie between the hosts and Cameroon.
Morocco won that game 2-0 in Rabat, Morocco, and the Indomitable Lions were notably unhappy at the officiating in particular the refusal to award them a penalty for a challenge on Manchester United’s Bryan Mbeumo in the second half.
(BBC Sports)
The BCB’s integrity unit found “credible suspicion” during the ongoing BPL, which made them undertake “routine” operations, including questioning players and seizing mobile phones of franchise officials. According to a BCB press release on Sunday, the unit hasn’t put any player under investigation nor have they found anyone guilty thus far.
“As part of standard integrity procedures, several foreign players have been spoken to privately as witnesses in order to verify recruitment processes, contractual arrangements, and payment structures,” the BCB statement read. “Such meetings are confidential and preventive in nature, and do not imply that any player is under investigation or has already been found guilty.”
The statement follows Dhaka Capitals’ chief executive Atik Fahad accusing the integrity unit officers of barging into their batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz’z hotel room in Sylhet over the weekend. Fahad also suggested the mental toll on his players could force the franchise to rethink its participation in the future editions.
“The anti-corruption unit should have at least considered this before going to such a player, but this type of behaviour with a big player is something neither he can accept nor can we accept,” Fahad said during a press briefing. “Going into the room of a big foreign player – someone who is playing in the ILT20 and elsewhere – and creating trouble like that.
“If the management is not content mentally, if my players are not content, what better result can we expect? We are running the BPL while losing BDT 2-3 crore every year. On top of that, if we are mentally tortured like this, I don’t know how we can stay competitive or continue to operate a franchise. If this situation continues, we won’t have the courage to continue at all. I invest money, absorb losses, bring CSR funds from different companies, and then leave with humiliation. That is simply not possible.”
Players and officials of Noakhali Express were also reportedly questioned, though the franchise has said they have protested against the integrity unit officials’ behaviour.
The BCB, however, declared they have full confidence in the integrity unit’s process, as it has helped them reduce suspicious activities in the past.
“Such measures by the BCB IU [integrity unit] are part of BCB’s zero-tolerance policy and drive against corrupt cricketing activities,” a BCB statement said. “The BCB IU operates in accordance with the general processes under the prevailing anti-corruption code of the ICC. Therefore, there has been no violation of the rights of any player or franchisee personnel by the BCB IU team in any way.
“These preventive measures by the BCB IU have resulted in an approximately 80% reduction in alerts relating to suspicious activities. The BCB reiterates its zero-tolerance policy towards corruption, and remains firmly committed to protecting the credibility, transparency and reputation of the Bangladesh Premier League.”
[Cricinfo]
Grace Harris’ day out helps RCB thump Warriorz
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