Half centuries from the in-form Kusal Mendis and skipper Angelo Mathews gave Sri Lanka the edge over Australia on the opening day of the second Test Thursday despite a five-wicket haul from Mitchell Starc.
Mendis followed up his maiden century in the first Test with a top score of 86 in Galle as Sri Lanka posted a total of 281 in their first innings before then grabbing two early wickets during the tourists’ response.
Australia were 54 for two at stumps, still trailing the hosts by 227 runs in what is a must-win match for Steve Smith’s side after they lost the first Test last weekend in Pallekele.
Vice captain David Warner was out in the last ball of the day when he edged Dilruwan Perera to slip after making a quickfire 42 off just 41 balls, an innings which included seven fours.
Vishwa Fernando also celebrated his first wicket in Test cricket when he sent opener Joe Burns trudging back to the pavilion for nought in only the second ball of the innings.
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Usman Kawaja was the not-out batsman and he will resume his innings on Friday on 11.
Earlier Mendis was once again the standout batsman for Sri Lanka, sharing a 108-run stand with Kusal Perera to get the hosts’ innings back on track after losing two early wickets.
His 137-ball knock was laced with 10 fours and two sixes as he entertained a lively home crowd at the Galle International Stadium.
But he became Starc’s 100th victim in Test wicket when he was caught by the wicketkeeper Peter Nevil with the score at 184-4.
Having already accounted for the two Sri Lankan openers, the same bowler then accounted for the tailenders Rangana Herath and Lakshan Sandakan to finish with figures of 5 for 44.
Despite Starc’s heroics, Sri Lanka enjoyed the better of the day with Mathews hitting an entertaining 54 off 65 balls which included three sixes.
Mathews came to the crease with a positive mindset as he made the reverse-sweep his stock shot against the offspinner Nathan Lyon, who bagged two wickets on a track that spun from the off.
Sri Lanka won the first Test at Pallekele by 106 runs, the first triumph in a Test match over the number one-ranked Australians in 17 years.
A victory for Sri Lanka in Galle would see them secure the series with one match to spare.
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Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
MATCH INFO
Scotland 59 (Tries: Hastings (2), G Horne (3), Turner, Seymour, Barclay, Kinghorn, McInally; Cons: Hastings 8)
Russia 0
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The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
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SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Cagliari v AC Milan (6pm)
Lazio v Napoli (9pm)
Inter Milan v Atalanta (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Sassuolo (3.30pm)
Sampdoria v Brescia (6pm)
Fiorentina v SPAL (6pm)
Torino v Bologna (6pm)
Verona v Genoa (9pm)
Roma V Juventus (11.45pm)
Parma v Lecce (11.45pm)
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
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