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Litton, Shamim lead Bangladesh’s rout of Sri Lanka

Published

10 months ago

2025/07/13

Priyan

Litton Das struck five sixes during his 76 off 50 balls [Cricinfo]

Bangladesh snapped their six-game losing streak in dominant fashion as they handed Sri Lanka a 83-run defeat in front of a packed house in Dambulla and with it levelled the three match series 1-1.

Litton Das’ 76 off 50 – he put to rest a 13-match run without a fifty – headlined Bangladesh’s innings, but it was Shamim Hossain’s destructive 48 off 27 that shifted the winds in Bangladesh’s favour.

Chasing 178, Sri Lanka’s top order failed to fire – unlike in Kandy – and an excellent Bangladesh effort with the ball and in the field ensured the Sri Lanka middle and lower order were not able to bail them out either.

To the crowd’s credit they hung around as wicket after wicket fell, but as early as the 12th over the droves began to filter out, as the last recognised batter – Dasun Shanaka – fell with just 73 runs on the board. Sri Lanka’s innings lasted just 15.2 overs.

It was the 12th over of the Bangladesh innings that shifted the game in the visitors’ favour, as it brought Shamim to the crease earlier than might have initially been planned. At the time though, the innings looked anything but redeemable.

The openers had thrown their wickets away in what might be described as cosplay efforts of aggression on a good batting surface, while Litton and Towhid Hridoy’s efforts at consolidation had helped their side avert a collapse.

However, when Towhid sliced one to short third and Mehidy Hasan Miraz scooped another to short fine leg, it looked as if all that consolidation had gone to waste. But Shamim’s entry changed the dynamics of the innings, and indeed the game.

Off just second ball he faced he cut one away from close to the stumps. A couple of deliveries later the pace was taken off, but Shamim responded with a bat swing that was even more rapid. Shamim’s next boundaries came against Sri Lanka’s death-bowling specialists – three off Nuwan Thushara, and one each off Maheesh Theekshana and Binura Fernando.

But the expert ball-striking and placement was only a small part of Shamim’s innings. Across his 27 deliveries faced, only five were dots. Shamim was then at the heart of disrupting Sri Lanka’s chase, effecting the run out of Kusal Mendis and holding on to running catch in the deep to remove Avishka Fernando.

His energy was infectious, and even if his eagerness for singles might have eventually led to his – and Jaker Ali’s – downfall in the final over as they sought to steal runs to the keeper, the momentum he had created would create the conditions for Bangladesh’s ultimate victory.

Litton hadn’t come into this game in any great form. He’d scored a pair of 40s this year, but his last 50-plus score in T20Is had come all the way back in June 2024. Even his coach had to acknowledge prior to the game that his skipper wasn’t in the best of form.

So, when Litton sauntered down the track and missed a wide one from Jeffrey Vandersay, it seemed inevitable that lean run was destined to continue. Kusal Mendis, however, was unable to gather this wide legbreak that spun even wider, and Litton survived. He was on 30 at the time.

Had he fallen then, perhaps Sri Lanka might have pressed home their advantage further. But in reality, the more painful missed chance came some six overs later, with Litton shanking an attempted sweep on 56, only to be dropped by Theekshana at mid-off in the 16th over.

By the time Theekshana had dismissed Litton three overs later, he had added a further 20 runs to his total and the momentum had decidedly shifted in Bangladesh’s favour.

Brief scores:
Bangladesh 177/7 in 20 overs [Litton Das 76, Towhid Hridoy 31, Shamim Hossain 48; Nuwan Thushara 1-30, Binura Fernando 3-31, Maheesh Theekshana 1-30] beat Sri Lanka 94 in 15.2 overs (Pathum Nissanka 32, Dasun Shanaka 20; Rishad Hossain 3-18, Shoriful Islam 2-12, Mohamad Saiffudin 2-21, Mustafizur Rahman 1-14, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 1-26) by 83 runs

[Cricinfo]

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Heat Index at Caution Level in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, and Eastern provinces and in Monaragala district during the day time

Published

2 hours ago

2026/04/26

Priyan

Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 25 April 2026, valid for 26 April 2026.

The Heat index, the temperature felt on the human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, and Eastern provinces and in Monaragala district during the day time.

The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.

Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.

ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.

Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-744649

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Advisory for Severe Lightning issued For Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western province

Published

16 hours ago

2026/04/25

Priyan

Advisory for Severe Lightning
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 12.00 noon 25 April 2026 valid for the period until 11.30 p.m. 25 April 2026

Thundershowers accompanied with severe lightning are likely to occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya
districts after 1.00 p.m.

There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning
activity.

ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that
people should:
• Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.

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Kohli, Padikkal hit fifties as Royal Challengers Bengaluru ace the chase against Gujarat Titans

Published

22 hours ago

2026/04/25

Priyan

Virat Kohli hit eight fours, to go with four sixes [Cricinfo]

An exhibition of clean hitting by Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal ensured Sai Sudarshan’s measured 100 off 58 balls ended in a losing cause as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) beat Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

After winning the toss, RCB captain Rajat Patidar had no hesitation in putting GT in. Sudharsan laid a strong foundation on a pitch he described as “two-paced and sticky to start with”. But even when the surface became easier to bat on, GT could not get into overdrive. They scored only 35 in the last four overs and finished on 205 for 3.

In response, Kohli, who was dropped on zero, smashed 81 off 44 balls and Padikkal blasted 55 off just 27. They put on 115 in 9.5 overs for the second wicket, and despite a bit of wobble towards the end, RCB romped home with seven balls to spare.

The GT openers prefer to take as few risks as possible and it was no different on Friday. Sudharsan was circumspect at the start and was on 17 off 16 after three overs. But he found his timing after that and moved to 41 off 27 by the end of the fifth. Gill had faced just three balls till then. GT finished the powerplay on 57 for no loss.

Sudharsan went inventive after the powerplay, scooping Romario Shepherd for a six. When Krunal Pandya bowled a bouncer, he uppercut him over deep third. Later in the over, he slog-swept the spinner for another six, reaching 2000 runs in the IPL. Taking 47 innings, he was the fastest to get there, bettering Chris Gayle’s record by one.

He and Gill added 128 in 12.4 overs, with Gill contributing 32 off 24 balls. The GT captain was starved of strike throughout his stay and holed out to long-on off Suyash Sharma. Sudharsan brought up his hundred off 57 balls, the slowest of the six so far this season. There was no cutting loose after reaching the milestone either. He was out on the very next ball he faced.

GT were 170 for 2 after 16 overs but Suyash, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hazlewood gave away only 17 in the next three. At 187 for 3, Rasikh Salam ran in to bowl the final over but he stopped even before he could bowl a delivery. It looked like cramps and despite the physio working on him, he had to walk off the field. Krunal replaced him and was hit for a six by Jason Holder off the first ball. After another ball, Krunal too pulled out of his delivery stride holding his groin. But after a bit of medical attention, he completed the over, but ended up leaking 18 runs.

With Phil Salt injured, Jacob Bethell finally got a chance to play this season. Opening the innings after coming in as Impact Player, he had a close shave in the second over. He got an inside edge to a length ball from Kagiso Rabada but it missed the stumps and beat Buttler for four. In the next over, he shuffled across and hit Mohammed Siraj for a four on either side of the wicket. But when he tried the same trick later in the over, he hit it straight to the backward point. He made 14 off ten.

Kohli was dropped off the first ball he faced. It was a length delivery from Siraj that he flicked uppishly towards short midwicket but Washington Sundar grassed a regulation chance. Kohli made his intentions clear in the following over when he hit Rabada over mid-on for a four.

Padikkal was even more ruthless. He opened his account with a first-ball six, picking up a 153.6kph length ball from Rabada over square leg. The GT bowlers didn’t help themselves by bowling onto his pads, and he kept flicking them fine for boundaries.

Rashid Khan wasn’t spared either. He dropped one short to Kohli and the batter duly pulled it over deep midwicket for a six before cutting the following delivery for four. In the spinner’s second over, Padikkal hit him for two sixes, the second one taking him to his fifty off just 20 balls. It made Kohli’s 30-ball fifty look pedestrian.

Rashid bowled Padikkal with a googly from around the wicket, and Kohli played Holder on but not before hitting the allrounder for back-to-back sixes.

Rajat Patidar and Jitesh Sharma kept the attack going. They hit a six each off Rashid but fell in quick succession. Suddenly, RCB were five down with 31 required from four overs. Krunal, though, bashed Manav Suthar for two fours and a six in the 18th over, bringing the equation down to seven needed from 12. In the penultimate over, he swatted Holder through midwicket for four before wrapping up the game with a gentle pull to fine leg.

Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 206 for 5 in 18.5 overs (Jacob Bethell 14, Virat Kohli 81, Devdutt Padikkal 55, Jitesh Sharma 10, Tim David 10*, Krunal Pandya 23*; Mohammed Siraj 1-25, Jason Holder 1-35, Rashid Khan 2-49, Manav Suther 1-19) beat Gujarat Titans 205 for 3 in 20 overs (Sai Sudharsan 100, Shubman Gill 32, Jos Buttler 25, Washington Sundar 19*,Jason Holder 23*; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1-31, Josh Hazelwood 40, Suyash Sharma 1-36) by five wickets

[Cricinfo]