Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka continue to thrive as Nayeem fights back taking 4
Sri Lanka continued to thrive in Chattogram Test against Bangladesh. At lunch of day 2, they were batting at 327 for six on Monday at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
Nayeem Hasan, who had taken two wickets in the first session of the match, came up again and scalped two more wickets in the first session of day two.
Also read:Mathews stands tall as Sri Lanka end day 1 at 258/4
Nayeem was not a part of the initial squad for this series. A finger injury to Mehidy Hasan Miraz paved the way for him, and Nayeem seems to enjoy this chance on the middle.
Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal started day two where they left off on day one. Chandimal completed his 21st Test fifty before departing while Mathews was unbeaten at 147 before the umpires called for lunch.
After Chandimal’s dismissal, wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella came in and went out for three in the same over of Nayeem.
Also read: Nayeem takes two as Sri Lanka post 73/2 at day 1 lunch
Bangladesh could have taken another wicket had they not missed to hear a nick from Mathews in the 94th over bowled by Khaled Ahmed. No bowler, wicketkeeper or any other fielder heard the nick and thus Mathews got a life.
Earlier, Sri Lanka ended up on day one at 258 for four. Along the way, Mathews got his 12 Test century— after a gap of 11 innings, and it was his maiden Test ton against Bangladesh.
Mathews stands tall as Sri Lanka end day 1 at 258/4
Angelo Mathews hit an unbeaten century on Sunday to guide Sri Lanka to comfortably finish at 258-4 the first day of the first Test against Bangladesh in Chattogram.
Bangladesh bagged two wickets in the opening session at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, but in the post-lunch session, Sri Lanka held firm without losing any more wicket despite some good bowling from Bangladesh.
After losing two wickets for 66 runs, Kusal Mendis and Mathews added 92 runs to the board which eventually helped Sri Lanka to put up a good total.
Also read: Nayeem takes two as Sri Lanka post 73/2 at day 1 lunch
Mendis fell after hitting a fifty, but Mathews showed his grit on way to his 11th Test tome on a wicket that looked good to bat on. He ended the day on an unbeaten 114 off 213 with 14 fours and one six.
It was his first century in 12 innings. His last ton came up against England in Galle in 2021.
“It was a very good wicket, so somebody had to go big and bat for long,” Mathews told the broadcaster.
“On a placid wicket like this, first innings total is important. Bangladesh bowled well, it wasn't easy for us to go big. I hope it will turn on day 3 and day 4.”
Also read: Sri Lanka opt to bat first in Chattogram Test
Along with Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal also remained not out for 34.
For Bangladesh, Nayeem Hasan bagged two wickets while Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam scalped one wicket each.
Nayeem takes two as Sri Lanka post 73/2 at day 1 lunch
At lunch break of day one of the Chattogram Test, Sri Lanka posted 73 for two in 24 overs after they opted to bat first winning the toss.
Nayeem Hasan, the off-spinner, bagged two wickets for the hosts including the Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne (8) in the eighth over of the innings.
After Karunaratne, Nayeem removed Oshada Fernando (36) who was set well in the wicket.
Nayeem was not in the squad for this series. But a finger injury to Mehidy Hasan Miraz paved the way for Nayeem. He managed to justify his place at the first chance.
After the openers were sent back, Kusal Mendis and veteran Angelo Mathews paired up in the third wicket stand. Mendis scored 27 while Mathews is yet to score a run.
READ: Sri Lanka opt to bat first in Chattogram Test
Both teams enjoyed an even session at the start of the Chattogram Test where the wicket looks good to bat on.
Bangladesh secured the service of Shakib Al Hasan in this Test who was doubtful of his fitness. The allrounder just recovered from Covid-19.
This series is a part of the ICC World Test Championship. Bangladesh played six matches in this event and won only a match against New Zealand.
Sri Lankan power family falls from grace as economy tanks
With one brother president, another prime minister and three more family members cabinet ministers, it appeared that the Rajapaksa clan had consolidated its grip on power in Sri Lanka after decades in and out of government.
But as a national debt crisis spirals out of control, with pandemic woes and rising food and fuel costs due to the war in Ukraine compounding problems from years of dubious economic decisions, their dynasty is crumbling.
The three Rajapaksas resigned their cabinet posts in April, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa stepped down on Monday, angry protesters attacked the family’s home this week and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has not been seen outside his heavily guarded compound.
But the family is not going down without a fight, ordering troops to shoot protesters causing injury to people or property, instituting a nationwide curfew and allegedly encouraging mobs of their supporters to fight in the streets with anti-government demonstrators.
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In his first speech to the nation in some two months, Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday said he would return more power to Parliament — by rolling back an amendment he implemented to buttress the all-powerful executive presidential system. On Thursday he appointed a new prime minister — of no relation.
But it might be too little, too late to put an end to the nationwide protests calling for the ouster of the president, the last Rajapaksa still clinging to national office.
“This is a crisis very much of his making. He did not create the crisis from the beginning, but the Rajapaksas have come to epitomize the failings in our structure of government with their nepotism, their corruption and their human rights violations,” said Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, executive director of the Center for Policy Alternatives think tank in Colombo.
With soaring prices, fuel and food shortages and lengthy power cuts, Sri Lankans have been protesting for weeks, calling for both the Rajapaksas to step down. Violence erupted Monday after Rajapaksa supporters clashed with protesters in a dramatic turn that saw Mahinda resign. Nine people were killed and more than 200 injured.
Angry protesters attacked the family’s ancestral home in the Hambantota area, and Mahinda has been forced to take refuge on a heavily fortified naval base.
With his atypically conciliatory speech Wednesday, it is clear Gotabaya has been “badly shaken by the protests,” said Dayan Jayatilleka, a former diplomat who served as Sri Lanka’s representative to the United Nations during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidency.
Still, it may be too early to count him out, Jayatilleka said, noting that Gotabaya had changed tack to sound “flexible and pragmatic.”
“Gotabaya has a dualistic personality — one side of that personality that the country has seen is this unilateralist, quite insensitive ex-military man,” Jayatilleka said. “But there’s another side — somewhat more rational. But the more rational side was on a very long vacation.”
The Rajapaksa family has been involved in Sri Lankan politics for decades, with the focus most recently on Mahinda, the president’s older brother.
While Gotabaya pursued a military career and rose through the ranks, Mahinda focused on politics and was elected president in 2005. Gotabaya, who by then had retired from the military and immigrated to the United States, returned to become defense secretary.
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The two won enormous support among their fellow Sinhalese Buddhists for ending the country’s 26-year civil war with ethnic Tamil rebels in 2009 and Mahinda was re-elected to a second term in 2010.
About 70% of Sri Lanka’s 22 million people are Buddhists, mainly ethnic Sinhalese. Hindus, mainly ethnic Tamils, make up 12.6% of the population, while another 9.7% are Muslim and 7.6% are Christian.
Minority groups and international observers accused the military of targeting civilians in the war and killing rebels and civilians who surrendered in the final days. According to a U.N. report, about 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed in the final months of fighting alone.
Mahinda pushed through a constitutional change to allow him to run for a third presidential term and called elections early in 2015 to press what he saw as an advantage, but was defeated in an upset by Maithripala Sirisena, who garnered support from minorities with his reformist platform and push for reconciliation.
Mahinda Rajapaksa then unsuccessfully sought to become prime minister, and it appeared that the luster of the Rajapaksa name had worn off.
But with Sirisena’s coalition government already plagued with infighting and dysfunction, on Easter Sunday in 2019 Islamic extremists targeted Christian churches and luxury hotels in coordinated suicide attacks, killing hundreds of people.
Amid allegations the Sirisena government had not acted on intelligence information, and a wave of Buddhist nationalism, Gotabaya Rajapaksa swept to power in a landslide later that year.
“The bombs catapulted him to victory in the 2019 election,” Jayatilleka said. “The feeling was we need Gotabaya, we need his military experience.”
He appointed Mahinda as prime minister and added two other brothers and a nephew to his cabinet. In 2020 he pushed through a constitutional amendment strengthening the power of his office at the expense of Parliament.
By the time Gotabaya took office, Sri Lanka was already in an economic slump triggered by a drop in tourism after the bombings and a slew of foreign debt from infrastructure projects, many bankrolled by Chinese money and commissioned by Mahinda.
In one notorious case, Mahinda borrowed deeply from China to build a port in Hambantota, the family’s home region.
Unable to make its debt payments on the project, Sri Lanka was forced to hand the facility and thousands of acres of land around it to Beijing for 99 years — giving China a key foothold directly opposite regional rival India’s coastline.
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With the economy already teetering, Gotabaya pushed through the largest tax cuts in Sri Lankan history, which sparked a quick backlash, with creditors downgrading the country’s ratings, blocking it from borrowing more money as foreign exchange reserves nosedived.
The pandemic hit soon after, again battering tourism, a prime source of foreign currency. A poorly executed ban on importing chemical fertilizers in April 2021 made things worse by driving prices up before Gotabaya was forced to repeal it.
Compounding the problems this year, the Ukraine war has increased food and oil prices globally. The central bank said inflation was at 30% in April, with food prices up nearly 50%.
With the economy today in tatters, protests have come from all sectors of society, with even Sinhalese Buddhists joining in.
“There is public vilification of the Rajapaksa now and that’s a notable change to what we were seeing previously,” said Bhavani Fonseka, a senior researcher at the Colombo-based Center for Policy Alternatives.
There is a “real genuine anger among the people that it’s the Rajapaksas who have led to this crisis.”
Still, Jayatilleka suggested if Gotabaya can appoint a new cabinet that enjoys popular support, he may be able to cling to office.
“If he stitches together a government that looks somewhat new — not as top heavy with the Rajapaksas as it was stuffed full of them — that may have more success,” he said.
But Saravanamuttu said it was too late for a comeback.
“His constituency has turned against him and therefore he has no real power base left in the country,” he said.
“The monks are turning against him and also sections of the military because ordinary soldiers and their families are also suffering. Word from the street is that he has to go.”
Covid-negative Shakib 'available for first Test vs Sri Lanka'
Bangladesh star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has tested negative for Covid, three days after he was diagnosed with the disease, Minhajul Abedin, the chief selector of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), said on Friday.
The all-rounder is expected to join the team soon, and he is available for the first of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. However, it's not clear if Shakib will play the first Test.
“It's not easy to recover from Covid-19 quickly,” Nazmul Hasan, the BCB president, told the media in Chattogram on his way to Cox's Bazar. “It's up to Shakib if he can play the first Test. It would have been easy for him if it was an ODI or a T20 match."
READ: Shakib tests positive for Covid-19
The first Test will commence on May 15 in Chattogram while the second and final Test of the series will take place in Dhaka from May 23.
This series is part of the ICC World Test Championship. Bangladesh played six matches in this event and won only one against New Zealand earlier this year.
Wickremesinghe to be appointed Sri Lankan PM: Party official
Five-time former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will be reappointed on Thursday in an effort to bring stability to the island nation, engulfed in a political and economic crisis, a party official said.
“He is being sworn in as prime minister this evening because a number of members of Parliament have asked him to take over and solve the country's problems,” said Vajira Abeywardena, an official of the United National Party, which Wickremesinghe heads.
Also read: Sri Lanka leader vows to shed powers, appoint prime minister
Abeywardena said more than 160 lawmakers in the 225-member Parliament support Wickremesinghe’s selection, but this could not be verified independently. There was no immediate comment from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who has the power to appoint the prime minister.
If Rajapaksa selects Wickremesinghe, it would be seen an attempt to end violence triggered by the crisis and restore international credibility as his government negotiates a bailout package with the International Monetary Fund and debt restructuring plans.
The president’s brother, Mahinda Rajakapsa, resigned as prime minister on Monday following violent attacks by their supporters on peaceful anti-government protesters. His resignation automatically dissolved the Cabinet, leaving an administrative vacuum.
Authorities deployed armored vehicles and troops in the streets of the capital on Wednesday after the attacks on the protesters triggered a wave of violence across the country. Nine people died and more than 200 have been injured.
Security forces have been ordered to shoot people deemed to be participating in the violence, as sporadic acts of arson and vandalism continue despite a strict nationwide curfew that began Monday evening.
The protesters have been demanding the resignations of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother over the economic crisis.
Sri Lanka is nearly bankrupt and has suspended repayments of $7 billion in foreign loans due this year. The IMF has said any short or long-term assistance depends on the outcome of talks with creditors on loan restructuring. Sri Lanka must repay about $25 billion in foreign loans by 2026 out of a current total foreign debt of $51 billion.
The finance ministry said earlier this month that the country's usable foreign reserves have plummeted to just $25 million.
The foreign currency shortage has forced a sharp decline in imports, leading to severe shortages of essentials such as fuel, cooking gas, food and medicine. For months, people have had to stand in long lines to buy limited supplies, with many returning empty handed.
If selected, Wickremesinghe will likely present a Cabinet list to the president for appointment, a power vested in him by the constitution. If there are any objections to the prime minister or the new Cabinet, lawmakers can submit a no-confidence motion to the house speaker when the body reconvenes on Tuesday. The motion would then be debated and voted on.
Also read: Sri Lanka deploys troops in capital after violence, protests
Wickremesinghe, 73, has been in Parliament for 45 years. He has wide international connections and is seen as a capable negotiator.
His political party split in 2019 amid a leadership crisis and most senior members left to form a new party, which is currently the country’s main opposition.
Wickremesinghe's reputation was damaged during his previous term as prime minister, when he was in a difficult power sharing arrangement with former President Maithripala Sirisena. An internal conflict and communication breakdown between him and Sirisena was blamed for intelligence lapses that led to Easter Sunday suicide bomb attacks in 2019 that killed more than 260 people.
He was also accused of shielding a friend he appointed as head of the Central Bank from allegations of insider trading.
Sri Lanka deploys troops in capital after violence, protests
Sri Lankan authorities deployed armored vehicles and troops on the streets of the capital Wednesday, two days after pro-government mobs attacked peaceful protesters, triggering a wave of violence across the country.
Security forces have been ordered to shoot those deemed to be participating in the violence, as sporadic acts of arson and vandalism continued despite a strict nationwide curfew that began Monday evening.
Armored trucks with soldiers riding atop were seen rolling into some areas of Colombo, where the government is facing its severest challenge in decades as the country plunges into economic crisis and protests.
Videos posted on social media showed lines of military trucks moving out of the capital and soldiers setting up checkpoints across the country, amid fears that a political vacuum could pave the way for a military takeover.
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The Defense Ministry’s top official, Kamal Gunaratne, denied allegations of a military takeover, at a news conference jointly held with the country’s army and navy chiefs.
“None of our officers have a desire to take over the government. It has never happened in our country and it is not easy to do it here,” said Gunaratne. President Rajapaksa is himself a former top army officer and remains the country’s official defense minister.
Gunaratne said the army will return to its barracks once the security situation normalizes.
Navy commander Nishantha Ulugetenne said the former prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, is being protected at the naval base in Trincomalee on the northeastern coast.
Nationwide protests have been calling for the resignations of Rajapaksa and his brother, who stepped down as prime minister this week, over a debt crisis that has nearly bankrupted Sri Lanka and left its people facing shortages of fuel, food and other essentials.
India vows to support Sri Lanka's stability
Making its stand on Sri Lanka clear, India Tuesday vowed to fully support the island nation's "democracy, stability and economic recovery".
"India will always be guided by the best interests of the people of Sri Lanka expressed through democratic processes," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told the media in Delhi.
"As a close neighbour of Sri Lanka, with historical ties, India is fully supportive of its democracy, stability and economic recovery," Bagchi asserted.
READ: Sri Lanka anti-government protests continue despite curfew
India's assurance comes as violence continued against the Rajapaksa regime over the neighbouring country’s worst economic turmoil in decades.
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson also recalled India's financial assistance to Sri Lanka to help the country tide over its worst economic crisis,
"In keeping with our Neighbourhood First policy, India has extended this year alone support worth over USD 3.5 billion to the people of Sri Lanka for helping them overcome their current difficulties," he said.
Rain interrupts Sri Lanka’s preparation for Bangladesh Tests
Ahead of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka got a two-day practice match at BKSP. But the most part of the first day of this match was washed away due to persistent rain.
The umpires called off the day after 8.3 overs. Sri Lanka were batting at 14 for one Asitha Fernando and Kusal Mendis were at the crease for 7 and 5 respectively.
Mukidul Islam bagged the only wicket that Sri Lanka have lost so far.
According to the Met office forecast, the rain will continue on Wednesday and it’s unlikely for Sri Lanka to have an ideal practice match.
The first Test of the series is scheduled to begin on May 15 in Chattogram. The Bangladesh team is already in the port city and they are gearing up for the series.
The second Test of the series will be played in Dhaka from May 23.
Both of these matches are parts of the ongoing cycle of the ICC World Test Championship.
Bangladesh played six matches in this event so far and won only a match against New Zealand earlier this year. However, they failed to continue on a good run in South Africa, where they suffered two big defeats to the hosts despite showing some decent cricket in the ODI series.
Critics say that Bangladesh’s win over New Zealand early this year was a fluke affair. The onus is now on the Tigers to prove them wrong in the upcoming series against a familiar opponent.
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While Bangladesh lost their last series to South Africa, Sri Lanka lost their last to India. So the upcoming series is a great chance for both teams to regain their confidence and get back to the winning streak.
Upon their arrival, Sri Lanka’s assistant coach Naveed Nawaz said that this series is going to be a tough one for them. But he also said that his team is upbeat to pose a strong challenge to the hosts as a few members of their team have recently played in Dhaka which will surely help them to perform well.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s biggest concern is the form of the batters like Mominul Haque and Mushfiuqr Rahim.
Mominul failed to reach a double-digit total in his last five Test innings while Mushfiqur, one of the mainstays of Bangladesh in all formats of the international cricket, scored only a fifty in his last eight innings with a duck and four single-digit scores.
Bangladesh will miss the service of Taskin Ahmed and Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the first Test as both of them are suffering from different injuries. To replace Taskin, BCB called up two uncapped pacers and to replace Mehidy, Nayeem Hasan got a recall.
Bangladesh qualify for Asian Games Hockey beating Sri Lanka
Bangladesh team qualified for the Asian Games Hockey, 2022 beating Sri Lanka by 3-1 goal in their 2nd Pool B match of the nine-nation Men's Asian Games Hockey Qualifier at Queen Sirkit Commemorative Stadium in Pathumthani of Thai capital Bangkok on Tuesday.
Also read: Men's Asian Games Hockey Qualifier 2022: Bangladesh's Full Fixtures, Squad
With the day's feat, Bangladesh team not only confirmed their berth in the Asian Games Hockey but also reached the semifinal of the Men's Asian Games Field Hockey qualifier with one match to spare against lowly Singapore.
By virtue of the 2nd successive victory, the men in red and green Bangladesh comfortably took a solo lead in the Pool B of the qualifying round with all-win record securing full six points from straight two matches.
Bangladesh team, which was placed in four-team Pool B of the Asian Games Qualifier with Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Singapore, will play lowly Singapore on May 12 in their remaining group match.
In the day's match, Ashraful Islam put Bangladesh ahead in the 3rd minute of the 2nd quarter by a penalty corner after goalless in first quarter (1-0).
Bangladesh sounded their margin in the 8th minute of the same quarter from a penalty stroke (2-0).
Sri Lanka pulled the margin one back in the last minute of the 3rd quarter after spoiling five consecutive penalty corners (2-1).
Roman Sarkar sealed the fate of the match scoring the 3rd goal for Bangladesh in the 8th minute of the 4th and final quarter (3-1).
Sri Lanka managed a penalty corner just 28 seconds before the match over but failed to score.
Earlier on Saturday, Bangladesh team made a good start in the nine-nation Asian Games Qualifier beating Indonesia by 3-1 goal with medio Sarwar Hossain, forward Pushkar Khisha Mimo and midfielder Fazle Hossain Rabbi scoring one field goal each for Bangladesh.
Sri Lanka also made a flying start in the Asian Games qualifier outplaying Singapore by 5-2 goal in their first match last Saturday.
On completion of the Asian Games qualifier, Bangladesh team led by new captain Khorshedur Rahman will travel to Indonesia directly from Thailand to compete in the Men's Asia Cup Hockey to be held in Jakarta from May 23 to June 1.
Also read: Asian Games hockey qualifiers: Bangladesh beat Indonesia 3-1
In the eight- nation Hero Men's Asia Cup Hockey, Bangladesh team also has been placed in Pool B with Malaysia, Korea and Oman.
Bangladesh will face Korea on May 23, Oman on May 24 and Malaysia on May 26.
Earlier, Bangladesh qualified for the Hero Men’s Asia Cup Hockey by clinching the Men's AHF Cup Hockey title for the fourth consecutive times in Jakarta last March.