Latest News
WWC 2025: Spin-heavy Bangladesh look to challenge England in rare meeting
England take on Bangladesh in an ODI World Cup match!
The sentence itself is an event. Despite qualifying for back-to-back ODI World Cups – in 2022 and now in 2025 – Bangladesh have faced England only once in the format, and that too in the previous edition.
“This is the stage where we show our capabilities so that teams like England and Australia show interest in playing against us,” Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana said on match eve.
As per the new future tours programme which will run from 2025-29, Bangladesh are scheduled to tour England for three ODIs and as many T20Is in September 2027. That is perhaps when the fixture will stop being an event.
On the field, both teams are coming on the back of comfortable wins. England’s multi-pronged attack could pose a tough challenge for Bangladesh, whose batters often struggle to force the pace. Conversely, if the track assists spin, Bangladesh’s spin-heavy attack led by Nahida Akter could be more than just a handful for England. Their batters were hardly challenged in the opening game.
She is just 21 ODIs old, but Emma Lamb is already adapting to a second role in England’s batting unit. A natural opener, she scored her only century at the top of the order and was the leading run-scorer in the ECB Women’s One-Day Cup while opening for champions Lancashire. At the start of this English summer, though, Amy Jones was promoted to open, and Lamb was moved to No. 3 when Heather Knight was recovering from a hamstring injury. Now, with Knight back for the World Cup, Lamb is set to take on an altogether different role – batting in the lower-middle order and chipping in with a few overs of offspin. She wasn’t needed with either bat or ball in England’s tournament opener, but could get her first go in this new role against Bangladesh if her team bats first.
Marufa Akter just loves to bowl. After setting the tone in Bangladesh’s win over Pakistan, she lit up their first practice session in India. With rain forcing the team indoors, Marufa was full of energy, bowling at full tilt two days out from the contest. She constantly troubled captain Sultana in the nets, eventually bowling her once. With her ability to move the new ball and generate sharp pace, Marufa could be a real handful for England’s openers – Tammy Beaumont tends to struggle against the incoming angle early on, while Jones prefers a cautious start.
Given England’s line-up was hardly tested against South Africa, expect them to go in with an unchanged XI.
England (probable XI): Tammy Beaumont, Amy Jones (wk), Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), Sophia Dunkley, Emma Lamb, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell
Against England’s right-hand heavy line-up, Bangladesh could look to play left-arm spinner Sanjida Akter Meghla for an offspinner in Nishita Akter Nishi.
Bangladesh (probable XI): Fargana Hoque, Rubya Haider, Sharmin Akhter, Nigar Sultana (capt & wk), Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Fahima Khatun, Nahida Akter, Rabeya Khan, Marufa Akter, Nishita Akter Nishi/Sanjida Akter Meghla
[Cricinfo]
The controversial trial which saw the Kookaburra ball used for some rounds of the County Championship season has been scrapped after three seasons.
The ECB first proposed the trial as part of Andrew Strauss’ high-performance review three years ago in the hope that using the Kookaburra ball – rather than the Dukes – would encourage the development of spinners and bowlers with “extreme skills”. The pilot initially lasted two rounds of games in the 2023 season, and was criticised by county coaches.
Rob Key, the ECB’s managing director of men’s cricket, was a strong advocate for the Kookaburra ball and convinced the counties to expand the trial to four rounds for the 2024 season. Surrey’s Alec Stewart described that as ‘the worst decision ever’ but Key doubled down, saying it had produced “some bloody good cricket” after 17 of the first 18 fixtures ended in draws.
The Kookaburra was used for four further rounds in 2025 but again produced a high proportion of draws, epitomised by Surrey piling on a club-record 820 for 9 declared against Durham at The Oval.
It led directors of cricket from the 18 counties to make clear their wish to scrap the trial at a meeting last month, and the decision to revert to using the Dukes ball throughout the 2026 season was confirmed at a meeting of the Cricket Advisory Group – a sub-committee of the ECB Professional Game Committee – earlier this week.
Key and the ECB have taken a more hands-off approach to county cricket in recent years, and made a point of leaving discussion over proposed fixture restructures to the clubs earlier this summer. The counties failed to come to an agreement over the future of the Championship, but did agree to a small cut in the number of T20 Blast fixtures for 2026.
(Cricinfo)
Dasun Shanaka has been named Sri Lanka’s vice-captain for the upcoming T20I tri-series that will also involve Pakistan and Zimbabwe. Fast bowler Eshan Malinga, meanwhile, is in line to make his debut in the same series while also being included in the ODI squad for the three matches against Pakistan before the tri-series begins.
Dilshan Madushanka has been ruled out of the ODI series as he hasn’t yet recovered from a knee injury, and was replaced by Malinga, whereas Matheesha Pathirana isn’t a part of the T20I squad as he is recovering from an upper respiratory tract infection. Pathirana was replaced by Asitha Fernando.
Top-order batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who last played a T20I at the start of the year, was back in the squad for the shortest format, having missed two bilateral series and the Asia Cup since then.
Left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage didn’t find a spot in either of the 16-member squads, but he will lead Sri Lanka A in the Rising Stars T20 Asia Cup in Doha later this month.
Sri Lanka’s ODIs against Pakistan are all scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi, on November 11, 13 and 15. Those will be followed by the tri-series from November 17 in Rawalpindi and Lahore, with the final slated for November 29.
Sri Lanka squads
ODIs: Charith Asalanka (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranaga, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Dushmantha Chameera, Asitha Fernando, Pramod Madushan, Eshan Malinga
T20I tri-series: Charith Asalanka (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Kamil Mishara, Dasun Shanaka (vice-capt), Kamindu Mendis, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranaga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Asitha Fernando, Eshan Malinga
[Cricinfo]
China’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has entered service days after a grand commissioning ceremony overseen by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, state media said.
The Fujian, the country’s third warship, is equipped with electromagnetic catapults which will allow planes to be launched at higher speeds.
Its launch marked a significant step forward for Beijing, which now has the world’s largest navy in terms of sheer number of ships.
China has been expanding its navy at breakneck speed under Xi, putting pressure on the United States and its allies to keep up.
The Fujian can launch three different types of aircraft with its electromagnetic catapult and flat flight deck, according to state media.
The domestically-built vessel can carry planes with heavier weapons and fuel loads so they can strike enemy targets from a greater distance, making it more powerful than China’s first two carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong – both built by the Russians.
State media hailed the Fujian as a “major milestone” in the development of China’s navy.
The US is the only other country in the world to have an aircraft carrier with the same electromagnetic catapult system as Fujian.
The Fujian’s commissioning ceremony was held in southern Hainan province on Wednesday, during which Xi toured the ship’s deck to hear more details about its performance at sea.
State media claimed Xi had personally made the decision to adopt electromagnetic catapult technology.
The reports also said Xi spoke to sailors who lined up along the flight deck and dock, saluting and shouting in unison: “Follow the party’s command, fight to win, and uphold fine conduct!”
[BBC]
Counties confirm decision to bin Kookaburra ball trial
Showers or thundershowers may occur in most parts of the island
Govt. corrals many more into tax net by lowering VAT threshold from Rs. 60 Mn to Rs. 36 Mn
Justice Thurairaja sworn in as Actg CJ
India leads in tourist arrivals that has topped 1.9 Mn so far
President AKD unveils reforms to anchor 7% growth target
‘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
-
Features7 days agoRolls – Royce in Ceylon
-
Features2 days agoFavourites for the title of Miss Universe 2025
-
News6 days agoTeachers threaten strike against education reforms and ‘bid to shut down more than 1,500 schools’
-
News6 days agoSri Lanka: Fewer births, rapid ageing mark a new demographic era
-
Business6 days agoRajaputhra Foundation, Nawaloka Hospitals partner for free breast cancer awareness and screening
-
News4 days agoJSC removes 20 officials including judges
-
Opinion7 days agoA Royal tribute to a true Royalist — Lorenz Pereira
-
Editorial7 days agoEstablishing courts, closing schools