Sri Lanka wins toss and bats first in the ODI series opener against India

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Sri Lanka wins toss and bats first in the ODI series opener against India

2024-08-02 17:08 Last Updated At：17:10

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka won the toss and chose to bat first against India in their ODI opener on Friday.

India comes into the three one-day internationals after sweeping the Twenty20 series 3-0, while Sri Lanka will be looking to deal with their batting collapses in the T20 games after making good starts.

India is fielding a full-strength team at R. Premadasa Stadium, including captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli, as it looks to prepare for the Champions Trophy next year.

Sri Lanka is hit by injuries and illness, and has lost six front-line fast bowlers.

Uncapped 29-year-old fast bowler Mohamed Shiraz makes his debut for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka: Charith Asalanka (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Akila Dananjaya, Asitha Fernando, Mohamed Shiraz.

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

France waves farewell to its sporting summer at the Paralympics closing ceremony

2024-09-09 03:28 Last Updated At：03:31

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — This time, it really is au revoir.

A summer sporting bonanza which started under pouring rain on July 26 with a remarkable opening ceremony on the Seine River was ending Sunday with the Paralympics closing at a rain-soaked Stade de France.

It lowers the curtain on successful back-to-back events that captivated fans and raised the bar high for others to follow. Good luck Los Angeles in 2028.

As the stadium was lit up in the blue, white and red colors of the French national flag, a trumpet player played the national anthem “La Marseillaise” and Paralympic flagbearers then made their way into the stadium carrying national flags to the sound of “Chariots of Fire” by Vangelis.

Later Sunday, famed French electronic music composer Jean-Michel Jarre was to close out the ceremony which was again led by artistic director Thomas Jolly.

His intention this time was to turn the stadium into a giant open-air dance party. More than 20 DJs, including Étienne de Crécy, Martin Solveig and Kavinsky, were to perform in a tribute to French electro music to the theme “Journey of the Wave.”

Or the wave goodbye from the 64,000 fans, and the city itself, to the more than 4,000 Paralympic athletes.

After the successful Olympics showcased the vibrancy of fans from around the world and the beauty of the city's iconic venues, there were doubts that the energy would keep going into the Aug. 28-Sept. 8 Paralympics.

Those doubts were dispelled, with athletes enjoying strong support. Not all venues were sold out, but this was also because the summer holiday period was ending and children were returning to school.

A surge of enthusiasm saw 2.4 million tickets of the 2.8 million tickets sold — second only to the 2.7 million sold at the 2012 London Games — and this was some feat considering that by late June only 1 million had been sold.

Large swathes of Parisians vacated — some say fled — the city amid concerns over traffic chaos, political upheaval, social tensions and growing fears over security.

But locals who stayed or French fans coming in from other towns and cities gave their athletes huge support over both Games.

In the Olympics, France tallied 16 golds among its 64 medals to finish fifth overall in the medal count, and it won 75 medals overall in the Paralympics.

The Games themselves were a success for French President Emmanuel Macron. Transport ran well, there were very few organizational glitches and security issues were appeased, with police even engaging in friendly banter or posing for photos with fans — a rarity in France.

For how long the feel-good factor stays remains to be seen.

An early indication came on Saturday, when thousands took to the streets to protests the president’s appointment of a conservative new prime minister.

There were some boos for Macron when he was introduced at the start of the ceremony.

Plus ça change, as the French saying goes.

AP Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games