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New Zealand deliver at the death to keep England to 282
Despite going into the World Cup opener with a weakened bowling attack, New Zealand managed to keep England to 282/9 in Ahmedabad after delivering at the death. New Zealand didn’t have the services of Lockie Ferguson and Tim Southee for this contest and as a result, packed their XI with multiple players who could bat. At one stage, it did appear like England would easily breach 300 following a fruitful partnership between Jos Buttler and Joe Root. But a resilient New Zealand fought back in style on what appears to be a very good batting surface.
Jonny Bairstow started off in typical fashion by flicking just the second ball of the World Cup for a six and followed it up with a four as England managed to knock off 12 runs in the first over. That was followed by a maiden from Matt Henry who posed problems early on with the new ball. Dawid Malan found the going tough and eventually perished as he edged Henry behind to the wicketkeeper. Root stunned New Zealand by bringing out his famous reverse ramp pretty early in his innings against Trent Boult to fetch a six before Mitchell Santner snapped Bairstow, who got out in tame fashion while attempting to chip one over extra cover.
Harry Brook, getting an opportunity in place of the injured Ben Stokes, ensured England’s run rate didn’t dip. He targeted fellow World Cup debutant Rachin Ravindra and smashed him for a couple of fours before pulling one over deep midwicket for a six. But the lack of experience in the format showed up for the youngster as he played one shot too many to give Ravindra a wicket.
The plan to bring in a left-hander early by promoting Moeen Ali over Buttler didn’t work either. Glenn Phillips, bowling his first over, castled the Moeen for 11 to further dent England. The defending champions finally received a boost in the form of skipper Buttler as he combined with Root to revive England. While Root was content rotating strike and batting deep, Buttler teed off after consuming 15 deliveries initially for just 8. The skipper smashed Ravindra straight over his head for a six and dished out a similar treat to James Neesham.
At the end of 33 overs, England set themselves up for a big finish at 187/4. However, another twist was in store when Henry returned to get the big fish. In his attempt to guide one down to third man, Buttler edged behind to fall for 43. Liam Livingstone was next as he ended up chipping Boult to a fielder at the deep. England’s deep batting lineup did give them hope especially Root well settled at one end. But Phillips returned to breach his stumps to stun the men in blue.
Even though England had a long batting lineup, Sam Curran and Chris Woakes just couldn’t do enough at the death. Woakes mistimed one off Santner and Curran edged the impressive Henry behind to fall for 14. Mark Wood and Adil Rashid added 30 vital runs off the last 26 deliveries to push the total beyond 280. But with New Zealand also going into this contest with a batting heavy lineup, they will fancy their chances of kick starting another World Cup campaign with a win.
Brief scores:
England 282/9 in 50 overs (Joe Root 77, Jos Buttler 43; Matt Henry 3/48, Glenn Phillips 2/17) vs New Zealand
Building on its success in seizing major narcotic stocks in 2025, the Navy continued to support the “A Nation United” National Mission in 2026. In continuation of these efforts, during an
operation conducted on the high seas south of Sri Lanka, the Navy apprehended eleven (11) suspects aboard two local multi-day fishing trawlers suspected of drug smuggling.
Based on shared information, by the Sri Lanka Navy and Police, this special operation was conducted off the southern coast, deploying the Navy‟s Offshore Patrol Vessels. The operation
resulted in the interception of a multi-day fishing trawler suspected of smuggling narcotics, and the apprehension of five (05) suspects on board.
During further operations in the same area, naval units seized another multi-day fishing trawler (01), along with communication equipment and six (06) additional suspects, also believed to be involved in drug smuggling.
This morning (25 Jan 26), the two intercepted fishing trawlers, along with fourteen (14) sacks laden with suspected narcotics and the suspects, were brought to the Dikovita Fisheries Harbour.
An expert examination by the Police Narcotic Bureau confirmed that the fourteen (14) sacks contained more than 184 kilograms of heroin and over 112 kilograms of ‘Ice’ (crystal methamphetamine).
The Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General (Retd) Aruna Jayasekara, the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, and the Inspector General of Police, Priyantha Weerasuriya, inspected the narcotics at the Dikovita harbour.
The Deputy Minister of Defence said that the current administration has initiated several projects for national development. As a flagship initiative, under the directives and guidance of the President, and under the supervision of the
Ministry of Defence, well-coordinated anti-narcotic raids have been launched.
This effort, part of “A Nation United” National Mission, involves the tri-forces, police, and all intelligence agencies working together under a coordinated plan to ensure that drug smugglers have no opportunity to bring narcotics into the country, he opined. He further stated that despite the national disaster situation, the state machinery, including the tri-forces, the police, and the public at large, remains united in rebuilding the nation, no room will be left for drug trafficking, which poses a severe threat to national security and public safety. Those
who engage in or support drug trafficking, under the cover of fishing activities, will find no escape, he added.
The Deputy Minister also reaffirmed that the tri-forces, police, and all law enforcement agencies are fully committed to their duty of suppressing this menace.
The Deputy Minister of Defence reported that, throughout 2025, a series of highly successful operations were conducted leading to numerous arrests. This was achieved through close coordination and mutual cooperation among the tri-services, the police, the Special Task Force, Police Narcotics Bureau, local law enforcement and international agencies. He noted that this
same spirit of cooperation and commitment has continued into 2026, resulting in the seizure of a large stockpile of drugs.
On behalf of the Honourable President, he extended gratitude to all who contributed to these efforts, specifically acknowledging the Commander of the Navy, the Inspector General of Police, the Police Narcotic Bureau, and the crews of the Navy’s Offshore
Patrol Vessels.
Moreover, the Deputy Minister declared that drug smuggling has become a national crisis, fueled by youth involvement and social crime. With borders secured under the “Nation United” National Mission, he warned traffickers to cease operations and urged users to abandon the destructive habit.
The Deputy Minister urged the public to report suspected drug smugglers to law enforcement via the hotlines 1818 or 1997 and also commended the role of media institutions and journalists in raising public awareness about the dangers of narcotics through responsible reporting.
Meanwhile, the two (02) multi-day fishing trawlers, along with a haul of narcotics, eleven (11) suspects, and communication equipment, were handed over to the Police Narcotic Bureau for
further investigation and legal proceedings.
Tanzania 131 in 38.3 overs (Acrey Pascal 55; Nihar Parmar 4-30, Nikhil Pol 3-23) lost to Japan 136/1 in 28.2 overs (Nihar Parmar 53*, Taylor Waugh 47) by nine wickets
[Cricbuzz]
New Zealand 135 in 36.2 overs (RS Ambrish 4-29, Henil Patel 3-23) lost to India 130/3 in 13.3 overs (Vaibhav Suryavanshi 40, Ayush Mhatre 53) by 7 wickets [DLS Method]
[Cricbuzz]
Three arrested with narcotics valued at Rs123 million at BIA
Navy intercepts 02 narcotics-laden trawlers with 11 suspects in southern seas
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