KARUNARATNE GIVES LANKA SLENDER LEAD Timely help

Johannesburg, Jan. 4: Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne ensured his team would avoid an innings defeat but the tourists were in a precarious position at the end of the second day of the second and final Test against South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium on Monday. The tourists were 150 for four at the close in Johannesburg, a lead of five runs with six wickets remaining.

Karunaratne, one of five left-handers in the Sri Lankan top six, made 91 not out off 116 balls with 17 fours.

But there was only one partnership of note, 85 for the second wicket with Lahiru Thirimanne, who scored 31. They came together after Kusal Perera had been bowled with only one run scored.

Brief scores: Sri Lanka 157 & 150/4 (Karunaratne 91 batting, Ngidi 3/26) vs South Africa 302 (Elgar 127).

National badminton coach Pullela Gopichand’s mother (second from left) presents a pocket allowance of 10,000 to Telangana athlete G. Maheshwari, who has been selected for the senior national camp in Bengaluru based on her past performances in the 3,000 metres steeplechase event at the Junior Nationals, All India Universities and Khelo India Games. Maheshwari, daughter of daily wage farmers from Unikicherla village in Mahbubnagar district, was awarded the assistance as part of the SAI Gopichand Mytrah Athletics project. Also seen in the pic are Dronacharya Award winning national athletics coach N. Ramesh (right) and Gopi (on the left).

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