Cricket grandstand collapses during first Sri Lanka-Australia test in Galle Source:abc.net.au The roof on a makeshift grandstand at Galle International Stadium has collapsed due to heavy rain and wind before the start of play between Sri Lanka and Australia. Rain began falling about 90 minutes before the scheduled first ball on day two of the first test, with big gusts blowing in off the coastline. Ground staff managed to keep the entire ground covered as the rain blew in sideways, but metal sheets secured by ropes covering the small concreted seating area on the eastern side of the ground blew off. The entire roof then buckled, with officials now considering how to secure the metal before play can begin. The weather is so intense here at Galle that a small enclosure/stand has just collapsed. #SLvAUS pic.twitter.com/uBkzKONxBP — Adam Collins (@collinsadam) June 30, 2022 Tyres are being used to keep some sections ...

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Roaring Lion’s kill off Kangaroo challenge – by Trevine Rodrigo (Melbourne – eLanka Sports editor)   For a country cash strapped and gripped in the realms of economic uncertainty, Sri Lanka’s cricketing heroes shed a little ray of sunshine and lifted the spirit of the population with a historic series victory over Australia in a tense one-day stand off at Khettarama stadium in Colombo.  Beaten 2-1 in the T20 series, both teams returned from Pallekelle with a 1-1 tied start to Colombo to finish the five game one-day contest in the Sri Lankan heartland.  And recent history suggested a bleak expectation that the home team would get up against the strong but injury ridden Australian outfit whose reserves run deep. Sri Lanka’s recent performances in Colombo has also not been great backing that expectation.  But the pall of gloom enveloping the country has ignited the gladiators on the cricket field, galvanising them ...

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Sri Lanka wins first ODI series over Australia since 2010 Image source:onlanka.com Source:dailymirror.lk Sri Lanka edged Australia by four runs in the fourth ODI to seal an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series in Colombo on Tuesday. Sri Lanka’s triumph marked its first ODI series win over Australia since 2010, when it beat the Aussies 2-1 Down Under. Batting first, the Dasun Shanaka-led side rode on Charith Asalanka’s maiden ODI century (110) to post 258 on the board. In reply, Australia lost skipper Aaron Finch for a duck before fellow opener David Warner led the chase with a half-century. However, Warner was stumped on 99 off Dhananjaya de Silva’s bowling in a decisive moment in the chase. With minimal contributions coming from the middle-order, Australia was eventually restricted to 254 after Pat Cummins (35) was trapped lbw in the penultimate over. The win also marked Sri Lanka’s first home ...

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As Sri Lanka’s economic crisis worsens, Australians are desperate to get family over for ‘a bit of relief’ – By Annika Burgess Source:abc.net.au Power outages for six to eight hours a day, waiting in queues for several hours for groceries, petrol and medicine – hoping there will be enough supply at the end of the line. This is what everyday life looks like for Rizan Rizvi’s family in Sri Lanka as the country faces its worst economic crisis in more than 70 years. Mr Rizvi told the ABC Sri Lankans in Australia had been limited in what they could do to support family due to COVID-19 border closures, but now a “recent trend” had emerged. “Given the current situation in Sri Lanka, we need some quick interim solutions,” he said. Getting permanent visas for family members is a lengthy and difficult process, so many people are trying to give loved ones “a ...

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Doctor, academic, activist, and now MP: Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah – By Khushaal Vyas The newly elected Member of Parliament with proud South Asian ancestry, talks politics, her vision for Higgins, and what this election means for multicultural Australia.     Source:indianlink.com.au As the dust settles from an extraordinary Federal election campaign, it has become clear that Australia has voted in a more diverse parliament than we have ever seen before in our history. Politics aside, this fact alone is something that we ought to celebrate and be immensely proud of. One of the most fascinating stories underpinning the changing face of Australia’s parliament at this election has been the impressive rise of the new member for Higgins, Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah of the Australian Labor Party. A seat that had been held by the Liberal Party since its creation in 1949, Ananda-Rajah’s success in Higgins was one of several history-making results that has ...

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Pace power trio may be pared down to solo act in Sri Lanka – By Daniel Brettig Source:theage.com.au Power trio Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are braced for the possibility of becoming a solo act in Sri Lanka, for two Test matches at famously spin-friendly Galle. On Australia’s last Test visit in 2016, Sri Lanka won by 229 runs in just three days at the seaside venue, and bowled a grand total of five overs of pace in the match. While Mitchell Starc was in the middle of the most destructive series of his career, Hazlewood and the allrounder Mitchell Marsh were far from penetrative. It’s those memories – and the success of Australia in adapting to Pakistani conditions earlier this year – that have Hazlewood and company prepared for a scenario whereby captain Cummins and all-rounder Cam Green are the only fast bowling options selected. “It’s probably ...

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Alumex Awarded as an Integrated Reporting Leader in Asia Sri Lanka’s largest aluminium extrusion manufacturer Alumex PLC was recently recognized for its strong commitment towards transparency and governance at the Asia Integrated Reporting Awards. Alumex was honoured with a Bronze award in the Integrated Report (SME) category for clearly and concisely communicating its value creation to stakeholders via integrated reporting. Value creation is at the heart of integrated reporting, which helps companies to embed long-term sustainability into their business model. Integrated reporting goes beyond the conventional approach to communicating value creation and encompasses other forms of value created within the organization through the change or transformation of its capital. Alumex, for example, engages in value creation beyond the purely financial, encompassing both social and natural capital. Thus, the purpose of an integrated report is to provide the kind of information that enables the reader to more accurately assess the organization’s ...

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Biloela Tamil asylum seeker family set to return to town after election result – By Tobi Loftus Source:abc.net.au Supporters of a central Queensland Tamil asylum seeker family say they are hopeful the family are just weeks away from returning home. Labor promised during the campaign that if it won the election the Nadesalingam family would be allowed to return home to Biloela. Family friend Angela Fredericks said there was “so much relief” among the Home2Bilo campaigners after Labor’s election win. “I honestly don’t think I can find the words to explain it,” Ms Fredericks said. “There is so much excitement, so much relief and exuberance. It has all been worth it. “I think at the end of the day we have shown Australia that love, and humanity can win and community can win.” Just over four years ago the Nadesalingam family, also known as the Murugappan family, were removed from their home ...

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The former Consul General in Sydney, Australia Lakshman Hulugalle passed away in Sydney (14 May 2022) Mr. Lakshman Hulugalle has been receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit for nearly two weeks due to an illness. Mr. Hulugalle also served as the Director-General of the Media Center for National Security during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidency. Sources said that steps have been taken to bring the body of Mr. Hulugalle to Sri Lanka. As Consul General of Sri Lanka for Sydney – New South Wales, in Australia, Lakshman Hulugalle had many years of experience promoting the country’s interests. As the former director-general of the Media Center for National Security, he successfully disseminated information globally and navigated swathes of media scrutiny on Sri Lanka’s war against terrorism with tact and composure. Embarking on his new role amid the pandemic in 2020 to serve Sri Lanka single-mindedly once again, Mr. Hulugalle gathered together Australians ...

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Australia Tour Of Sri Lanka 2022: Cricket Australia Says Tour Will Go Ahead Despite Government Advisory – by CA Staff Source:cricketaddictor.com Cricket Australia on Thursday said the multi-format tour to Sri Lanka next month will go ahead despite high tensions amid recent developments of the political turmoil in the Island nation. The Australian team is due to travel to Sri Lanka to play three T20 Internationals, five ODIs and two Test matches. Australia Government issued travel advisory for nationals visiting Sri Lanka Civil unrest followed after Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s resignation earlier this week. The Australian government advised the touristd to reconsider their need to travel to Sri Lanka because of security concerns amid violent protests in Colombo. “We now advise you reconsider your need to travel to Sri Lanka due to the security situation,” the travel advice states, as reported by Sydney Morning Herald. “Several violent incidents have taken ...

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