Lakmal to lead Sri Lanka in pink-ball Test
Barbados, June 23: Sri Lanka Cricket on Saturday named paceman Suranga Lakmal as skipper for the third and final Test against the West Indies that gets underway here late Saturday -- with a pink ball and under lights.
The decision has come in the aftermath of regular captain Dinesh Chandimal's ban being upheld by the International Cricket Council (ICC) appointed Judicial Commissioner, Michael Beloff, who rejected his appeal against the ball-tampering sanction on Friday.
"Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce the appointment of Suranga Lakmal to captain the third Test against West Indies, which will start Saturday. Lakmal was appointed as the captain, in the absence of Dinesh Chandimal," a statement from the board read.
Veteran left-arm spinner Rangana Herath was also among the choices to lead the team but SLC revealed on Friday that he split the webbing between his ring and small fingers of his non-bowling hand during training on Thursday and was a doubtful starter for the day-night Test.
Meanwhile, Chandimal faces a lengthy ban after having admitted to the more serious Level three offence which relates to 'conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game.'
If found guilty, Chandimal could miss both Test matches against South Africa at home next month.
The Sri Lankans trail the three-match rubber 0-1 after losing the opener at Port of Spain and drawing the second Test at St. Lucia.
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ISRO launches Mission MITRA for safety of human spaceflight mission crew
Bengaluru (PTI): ISRO on Friday said it has undertaken mission MITRA in Leh, Union Territory of Ladakh, from April 2 to 9, a first-of-its-kind team behavioural study for the benefit of human spaceflight missions such as Gaganyaan.
The mission, inaugurated by the ISRO chairman V Narayanan, was mainly for the crew safety and performance.
"Mission MITRA is a first-of-its-kind team behavioural study designed by ISRO and IAF-Institute of Aerospace Medicine to examine the physiological, psychological, and operational dynamics of Crew and ground teams functioning in a high-altitude environment," ISRO said in a statement.
This study is targeted to generate vital understanding on the team interoperability between crew (Gaganyatris) and ground control teams and the effectiveness of decision making under environmental & operational stress, the space agency said.
Noting that the crew safety and performance are the most critical elements of all Human Spaceflight Missions, ISRO said the ability of the crew to communicate effectively, adapt to stress, maintain psychological resilience and support one another determines the success and safety of any mission.
Analogue missions conducted under controlled yet realistic conditions are utilised to understand how crews perform under challenging conditions, it added.
The space agency said the high altitude of approximately 3,500 meters at Leh having the environmental conditions of hypoxia, low temperature, and isolation, is a natural analogue for spaceflight operations.
