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Shanaka, Mendis star in 12-over run-fest to square series for Sri Lanka

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Kusal Mendis plays a sweep during his 30 from 16 balls (Cricinfo)

Dasun Shanaka  clobbered 34 off 9 balls, Kusal Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka and Janith Liyanage all chipped in with quick runs, and Sri Lanka raced to 160 for 6 in 12 overs, but Pakistan still made them sweat.

The match had been shortened to 12-overs-a-side after rain forced a delay of two hours and 20 minutes. A wet outfield also made bowling significantly more difficult, with both spinners and seamers struggling to grip the ball.

But in any conditions, this was a run-fest, Sri Lanka traveling at 13.3 an over across their innings, while Pakistan’s run rate was 12.25. In the end, Sri Lanka’s bowlers made frequent-enough incisions to slow the opposition. Wanindu Hasaranga  was chief among the destroyers, taking 4 for 35 in his three overs.

Salman Agha layed the most daring innings in the chase, thumping 45 off 12 balls. Had he survived for two further overs, Pakistan might have had the momentum to get over the line. In the end, they fell 14 short.

Sri Lanka’s captain was under a little pressure to impose himself after recently reclaiming the leadership. To this match he brought his best big-hitting self, and transformed a good total into a daunting one. Shanaka came in with only 19 balls left in the innings, then smoked his second and third balls for six. Then, in the final over bowled by Mohammad Wasim, Shanaka thumped three sixes off the first three balls, depositing two of those over the deep cover boundary. He holed out off the third-to-last ball of the innings, but he had produced a gem.

The stage had been set for him by a top order that had already prospered, however. By he time Shanaka arrived, Sri Lanka were already 100 for 5 after 8.5 overs.

Although the ball was difficult to grip, this Dambulla surface still took decent turn. And Hasaranga can be devastating on such tracks, particularly when the opposition has no choice but to target him. Although often Hasaranga gets plenty of bowled and lbw dismissals with his googly, all four of his victims on Sunday were caught attempting big shots. His speed through the air and degree of turn created most of those dismissals.

Of the 12 he faced, the only ball Agha didn’t score off was the one he got out to. Agha hit three sixes, five fours, one three, and two twos in his innings. He took a particular liking to the bowling of Maheesh Theekshana, who went for 22 runs in the third over. His most spectacular shot was an over-the-shoulder scoop against Matheesha Pathirana in the fourth over, which sailed over the boundary. But then Pathirana wised up, bowled fuller, and Agha sent a catch to short fine leg to end his innings.

Brief  scores:

Sri Lanka 160 for 6 in 12 overs  (Kamil Mishara 20, Dasun Shanaka 34, Kusal Mendis 30, Dhananjaya de Silva 22, Charith Asalanka 21, Janith Liyanage 22*; Naseem Shah  1-35, Mohammad  Wasim 3-54, Mohammad Nawaz 1-08, Faheem Ashraf  1-09) beat Pakistan 146 for 8 in 12 overs (Salman Agha 45, Mohammed Nawaz 28, Khawaja Nafay 26; Eshan Malinga 127,  Matheesha Pathirana 2-34, Wanidu Hasaranga 4-35) by 14 runs

(Cricinfo)



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Trump announces three-day ceasefire in Russia-Ukraine war

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left), US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin [Aljazeera]

United States ⁠President Donald Trump ⁠says ‌there will be a three-day ceasefire in ⁠the war between ⁠Russia and ⁠Ukraine.

Posting on Truth Social on Friday, the US leader said the truce would last from ⁠Saturday to Monday.

“I am pleased to announce that there will be a THREE DAY CEASEFIRE (May 9th, 10th, and 11th) in the War between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump posted.

Soon after, Ukrainian ⁠President ⁠Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on X that ⁠a three-day truce ⁠had been arranged as part of ‌US efforts to negotiate an end to the more than ⁠four-year-old war.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov later said “an agreement on this matter was reached during our telephone contacts with the US administration. In turn, US representatives were in contact with Kyiv.” He said the agreement followed a recent telephone conversation between President Vladimir Putin and Trump, in which the two presidents “emphasised that our countries were allies during World War II and also discussed the possibility of a ceasefire during the Victory Day celebrations.”

Russia had previously announced a two-day unilateral ceasefire to mark its May 9 World War II Victory Day on Saturday. Ukraine previously stated that it too had offered a truce but that this had been ignored by Moscow.

“This request was made directly by me,” Trump said on Friday, thanking his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts for agreeing to it.

“The Celebration in Russia is for Victory Day but, likewise, in Ukraine, because they were also a big part and factor of World War II. This Ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic activity, and also a prison swap of 1,000 prisoners from each Country,” Trump said. Zelenskyy also confirmed the prisoner swap would take place.

[Aljazeera]

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Heat Index is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the North-central and Eastern provinces and in Mannar, Vavuniya and Monaragala districts during the daytime

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Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 08 May 2026, valid for 09 May 2026

The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the North-central and Eastern provinces and in Mannar, Vavuniya and Monaragala districts during the daytime

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 the 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 011-7446491.

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Finn Allen’s 47-ball ton powers Kolkata Knight Riders to huge win over Delhi Capitals

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Pathum Nissanka carried Delhi Capitals in the first half of the innings [Cricinfo]

Kolkata Knight Riders picked up their fourth win on the trot, their spin bowlers (12-0-76-3) capturing Delhi Capitals in a vice-like grip and never letting go Finn Allen made sure that wouldn’t repeat in the second innings. He pulverised DC’s spinners (9-0-102-1) to score his first IPL century even though he only had 143 to chase.

Pathum Nissanka scored a good half-century. He made 50 of DC’s first 85 runs at a strike rate of 172. The other end could only contribute 33 at a strike rate of 103. It was symbolic of how hard it was for a new batter to settle in and how much pressure comes on the set batter on a pitch like this. Even though he was going at a good clip, and had hit the previous ball for four, he still left his crease looking for more and was stumped off Anukul Roy.  The left-arm spinner took another wicket, four balls later.

DC were 74 for 2 after eight overs. But only four of those overs were from spin bowlers and three of them were inside the powerplay. Given the comfort of five fielders on the boundary, and a pitch that was slow and turning, Roy, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy started to dictate proceedings. At one point, DC scored just 11 runs in 30 balls. This was between overs 12 to 16. No IPL team in nearly two decades has ever been this sluggish in this period of play.

Roy set this choke up, stumping Nissanka out with a slower and wider delivery and bowling Tristan Stubbs out with the exact opposite of that. That was solid range for a bowler with no mystery about him.

With DC at 89 for 5, Axar Patel in wretched form (his 44 runs, with only three boundaries, are the fewest by any batter this season having faced at least 50 balls) and the conditions not helping run-scoring, all Narine and Varun had to do was what they do so well. Amp up the mystery. Aim at the stumps. Narine finished with 4-0-17-1. Varun, badly limping when he bowled his final over which cost 16 runs, finished with 4-0-28-0.

Ashutosh Sharma broke a boundary drought that last 38 balls in the 17th over. He reverse swept Vaibhav Arora, coming around the wicket, for six in the 19th over. His cameo – 39 off 28 balls – carried KKR to 142 for 8.

For the first time in his IPL career, Allen played through the powerplay. This was his eighth innings. He might have felt bad for running out his captain Ajinkya Rahane when his straight drive flicked Mitchell Starc’s outstretched finger and deflected onto the stumps but he quickly got over it. DC played a part in that a well with Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam bowling balls right in the slot. Allen is superb down the ground and needed no second invitation. From 20 off 17, he launched 10 sixes, the last of them when KKR needed two to win and he needed six to bring up 100.

Allen had a strike rate of 235 against spin (73 off 31). The next best, from both teams, was Rahane with 167, benefiting from playing just three balls and scoring five runs.

In a match where his former team’s spinners held so much sway (economy rate 6.33), Kuldeep suffered, going at 13.66 an over even though he was spared the trouble of bowling in the powerplay. Axar bowled three with the field up and still finished with figures of 4-0-27-1.

Brief scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 147 for 2 in 14.2 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 13, Finn Allen 100*, Cameron Green 33*; Axar Patel 1-27  ) beat Delhi Capitals 142 for 8 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 50, KL Rahul 23, Axar Patel 11, Ashutosh Sharma 39; Kartik Tyagi 2-25, Anukul Roy 2-31, Vaibhav Arora 1–29, Sunil Narine 1-17, Cameron Green 1-12) by eight wickets

[Cricinfo]

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