Matt Henry six-for and Will Young hundred crush India
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Approval has been granted at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers held on 08.06.2026 to prepare a draft bill for restructuring Sri Lanka Cricket.
Accordingly, the Legal Draftsman has formulated Sri Lanka draft bill providing legal provisions for the administration of Sri Lanka Cricket, control, regulation, promotion, establishment of Sri Lanka Cricket for the development and administration, through the concepts of better governance, integrity, transparency, accountability, inclusiveness and providing equal opportunities for the betterment of the cricket sport, establishment of Sri Lanka Cricket for securing the wellbeing of all participants and securing cricket from corruption and other mal practices.
Clearance of the Attorney General has been received for the said draft bill. Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has been received for the resolution furnished by the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports to publish the said draft bill in the government gazette notification and thereby forward the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.
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Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the 2027 Budget has presented the investments necessary to move the country from a situation of crisis that existed when the Government assumed office towards a transformative economy built on economic stability.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while delivering a special address in Parliament during the debate on the 2027 Budget.
The Prime Minister highlighted that, for the first time in history, a substantial capital investment of over Rs. 749 billion has been allocated to the education sector for 2027. She further pointed out that this allocation represents more than 12 per cent of total government expenditure.
Emphasising further on the measures taken to strengthen the education sector, the Prime Minister stated that smart boards have been provided to more than 4,570 schools, while internet facilities have been extended to over 6,000 schools. She also noted that the curricula of National Colleges of Education, which had remained unchanged for 17 years, are currently being updated. Further, smart classrooms have been established at five additional National Colleges of Education, including the Maharagama National College of Education, with priority being given to teacher training.
The Prime Minister also rejected allegations that foreign direct investment (FDI) had declined to a record low in 2025. Referring to data covering the decade from 2016 to 2025, she stated that Sri Lanka had attracted approximately USD 1.4 billion in FDI in 2025, marking the highest FDI inflow recorded during the past ten years. Presenting statistical evidence of the economic progress achieved by the Government over the past two years, the Prime Minister stated that the country had sustained an economic growth rate of 5 per cent in 2025.
She noted that Sri Lanka had recorded a positive primary balance in 2025. Although the projected positive primary balance for 2026, according to the Budget, was Rs. 360 billion, it had increased to Rs. 1,844 billion by the end of September. She further stated that the central government debt, which stood at 114 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at the end of 2022, had declined significantly by the end of 2025.
The Prime Minister also emphasised that the Government had succeeded in turning around 52 major State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), which had collectively recorded a net loss of Rs. 74.6 billion in 2022, and bringing them into a profitable position. She further noted that the World Economic Forum had ranked Sri Lanka 10th among countries with the fastest-growing tourism economies.
Commenting on the public service, the Prime Minister stated that recruitment to the public sector had commenced under a transparent process based on merit, ensuring that the right person is appointed to the right position, without any political interference. Under this process, which had remained stalled since 2017, nearly 40,000 employees have already been recruited.
She added that an environment has now been created in which public servants can perform their duties with dignity and confidence, free from political pressure. Concluding her address, the Prime Minister stressed that criticism should be part of an informed and constructive dialogue based on facts and data. She invited all parties to set aside political differences and join the national effort to rebuild the country.
India have been scrambling to get their Test players some Test-like preparation but Test cricket came to right where they were with Matt Henry returning to action and immediately finding the magical length that traps batters on the crease and hits the top of the stumps. In what has to be among a handful of the greatest first overs ever bowled in an ODI innings, he consigned to ducks Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, all but ending India’s chase of 334, a target they would have been pretty happy with after Will Young’s personal best of 125 off 108 had taken New Zealand to 256 for 4 in the 37th over.
While India will be pleased with their constant strikes in the middle overs, an area they have struggled in in the past, they will also reflect on the 85-run opening stand in these conditions. Auqib Nabi had Young dropped twice on 5, but after that India didn’t look as threatening with the new ball.
You might think India were reverting to type in good batting conditions in Mount Maunganui, but this was a surprisingly good start for New Zealand. Tim Seifert was the first New Zealand batter since Martin Guptill in 2015 to complete a fifty in the first 10 overs, also his maiden one in the format. This was also New Zealand’s first opening stand of 50 or more in the last eight ODIs.
Just when it was looking ominous for India, Gurnoor Brar struck with his typical mode of attack: short and at high pace even if the cost of that was a high economy rate. Axar Patel then tightened the screws, resulting in the wickets of Nick Kelly and Dean Foxcroft, both in for New Zealand players away at the Test camp.
Will Young made a career-best 125 off 108 balls (Cricinfo)
A third replacement, Finn Allen provided New Zealand a possible alternative for the future. By now Young had got over his initial stumbles. He and Allen took down Kuldeep Yadav, playing his first match of the tour, and then just carried attacking other bowlers in a fourth-wicket partnership of 90 runs in a little over 10 overs.
Having dropped a much easier catch in the slips earlier, Rohit took a diving low catch to his right at short cover to send Allen back and drag the marauding New Zealand back.
Young stayed quiet only for two overs before consigning Kuldeep to overs of nine and 12 runs. He had gone from 50 off 49 to 124 off 106, forcing Iyer to go to his sixth bowler, Naman Dhir. Young was not satisfied with nine runs off the first balls of Dhir’s over, and ended up too close to the pitch of one, thus unable to clear deep midwicket. Moments later, Dhir took a special catch running in from deep midwicket and diving low to get the wicket of Michael Bracewell off another Brar short ball.
Now Mitchell Santner had to manage batting with the bowlers, which he did for a while, hitting two sixes off Axar in between, but Arshdeep Singh returned to take the wicket of Santner. India took 6 for 77 in the last 13.1 overs, reason to feel they carried momentum into the chase.
Henry made a mockery of any such notion. Having missed most of the T20Is with a leg injury and then the ODIs with fears of concussion after a collision with Devon Conway on the eve of the series, Henry stayed back for the fourth ODI to just prove his fitness and get some in-competition overs in his legs. And like a well-oiled machine, he landed the first ball on the money: the back half of good length, on off, kicking at Rohit and seaming away, squaring him up and taking the edge to first slip. A sight reminiscent of the twilight of Rohit’s Test career.
Virat Kohli was bowled for 0 off 4 (Cricinfo)
The next ball would have reminded Kohli of the travails of Test cricket. Fuller side of good length, drawing him forward, seaming away, missing the outside edge by inches. Three balls later, Henry again wobbled the seam and an almost identically pitched delivery seamed in and stayed low to rattle Kohli’s furniture.
Iyer became the first Indian to score a golden duck on captaincy debut when Henry again trapped him on the crease and nipped one past his inside edge. It took New Zealand a DRS review to secure this wicket, but Henry was never uncertain, going up in celebration even before turning to appeal.
New Zealand 333 in 50 overs (Will Young 125, Tim Seifert 58; Axar Patel 2-39, Aquib Nabi 2-59, Gurnoor Brar 2-69 ) beat India 89 in 26.4 overs (Ishan Kishan 27; Matt Henry 6-27, Matthew Fisher 3-31 ) by 244 runs
WEATHER FORECAST FOR 12 NOVEMBER 2026 Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 12 November 2026 by the Department of Meteorology
Misty conditions can be expected at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Galle, Matara and Kurunegala districts during the early hours of the morning.
Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in the Northern and Eastern provinces and elsewhere in the island after 1.00 p.m.
Heavy showers above 100mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern and Uva provinces.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
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Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts.
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