DUNEDIN // Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said it is time to stop talking of former batting greats Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara after a 122-run defeat in the first Test against New Zealand.
Since Jayawardene stepped down from Test cricket in 2014 and Sangakkara followed him into retirement earlier this year, the Sri Lankans have struggled.
On Monday, they lost the opening Test against New Zealand after winning the toss and bowling first on a green wicket.
It was a harsh lesson for the new-look line-up with Kithuruwan Vithanage playing his ninth Test, and Udara Jayasundera, Milinda Siriwardana, Kusal Mendis and Dushmantha Chameera having only nine Tests between them.
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Jayawardene retired after 149 Tests in which he averaged 49.84 with the bat, and the mercurial Sangakkara retired after scoring 12,400 runs at 57.40 in 134 Tests.
Mathews said that was a lot of experience to lose but that the new brigade will develop into a quality side.
“They showed a lot of guts, they didn’t want to give up even though one played his debut and others were playing their second or third game,” he said. “The quality is there in the dressing room. It’s just the mindset that needs to shift around.
“We’ve always talked about not having Sangakkara and Mahela in the team. It’s history and we’ve just to move on with it, take responsibility and try and score runs.”
Both Mathews and his New Zealand counterpart Brendon McCullum agreed Sri Lanka had the upper hand when they won the toss and bowled first on a wicket ripe for seamers.
Mathews lamented that his bowlers were unable to make the most of the favourable conditions. “After winning the toss on a green wicket, I expected a lot more from the bowlers,” he said.
“We bowled a lot of loose stuff. We lost our way in the first couple of sessions and we let them off the hook. We were also way too cautious in our first innings batting.”
In reply to New Zealand’s first innings of 431, Sri Lanka were all out for 294.
New Zealand declared their second innings at 267 for three and Sri Lanka found the 405-run target too much as they folded for 282.
“As a batting unit, we need to score runs to give our bowlers a chance. Scoring 290-300 is not enough on these tracks,” Mathews said. “Once the seam movement goes off in the first couple of sessions it gets really good for batting.”
Mathews said he envisaged improvement, but it would take time. “It’s not easy for a batter to straight away come in and start performing,” he said. “It’s just a matter of time, hopefully they’ll learn pretty quickly.”
Brendon McCullum puts team ahead of record
DUNEDIN // New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum said he put his team ahead of his own ambitions to claim the world record for Test sixes during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Dunedin.
He declared his side’s second innings once their lead had passed 400 rather than attempting to claim outright the record for Test sixes after equalling the mark of 100 by Australia’s Adam Gilchrist.
New Zealand set Sri Lanka a 405-run target and comfortably won the Test by 122 runs yesterday when the tourists were dismissed in their second innings for 282. McCullum smacked the ball over the rope twice during his whirlwind 17 not out in six deliveries.
He knew one more would take him past Gilchrist but had made a promise to his team to declare.
The captain said he had agreed a lead of 400 “with the boys, so it would have looked pretty selfish if I’d stayed out there for one more crack at it”.
He added: “It’s the only record I actually care about. It’s the only record that Kane [Williamson] or Ross [Taylor] aren’t going to break as well, so I should be able to hold on to that one. I’ve been aware of it for a while, as you can probably tell by the way I’ve batted all through my career.”
McCullum will get the chance to move ahead of Gilchrist in the three remaining home Tests for New Zealand this summer against Sri Lanka and Australia.
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First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
SPECS
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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Company%20Profile
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
Company%20Profile
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Chinese Grand Prix schedule (in UAE time)
Friday: First practice - 6am; Second practice - 10am
Saturday: Final practice - 7am; Qualifying - 10am
Sunday: Chinese Grand Prix - 10.10am
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
