A 17th Century Spanish galleon will be on show at Bristol Harbour Festival
Here’s our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media.
Our pick of local website stories
A mother living in Haywood Village, Weston-super-Mare, says she has been left terrified and unsupported after months of harassment and threats from her neighbours, the Weston Mercury reported.
Bristol Live reported on a Bristol pub that has embarked on a marketing campaign with a twist, putting up a giant billboard featuring some less than complimentary customer reviews.
The A30 closure on Tuesday was a top post for Somerset Live, with a dramatic picture of a car engulfed in flames.
The EU has been accused of a “cruel and unlawful betrayal” of Palestinians and European values after failing to take action to impose sanctions on Israel over the war in Gaza.
The stinging rebuke from Amnesty International, echoed by other human rights organisations, came after EU ministers meeting in Brussels on Tuesday declined to endorse any measures to sanction Israel over the brutal war in Gaza and endemic violence in the West Bank.
The EU’s most senior diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said the bloc would keep “options on the table” to pressure Israel’s government if there was no improvement in the “catastrophic” humanitarian situation in Gaza. According to several diplomatic sources she did not endorse any one of 10 sanctions options drawn up by her team, after an earlier EU review found “indications” Israel was in breach of human rights commitments.
Kallas said Israel needed to “take more concrete steps to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground”, which earlier in the day she had described as catastrophic. She was meeting EU foreign affairs ministers days after announcing a potentially significant agreement with Israel to increase the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, where 2.1 million people face famine and drought caused by the collapse of water systems.
EU sources say the flow of aid into the territory has increased to about 80 trucks a day, but distribution remains problematic. With no clear signs that new aid inflows were reaching people over the weekend, Palestinians have continued to risk their lives queueing for food and water at sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed logistics group. Officials iin Gazareported that in one 24-hour period over the weekend, 139 people were killed, including women and children queueing for food. The UN said about 850 Palestinians in the enclave had been killed while waiting to receive aid since May, both at GHF distribution points and elsewhere.
Ministers were not expected to endorse any of the 10 sanctions options, which include full suspension of the EU-Israel association agreement, a trade and cooperation deal. Suspending this deal is widely seen as a non-starter as it requires unanimous support of member states.
Israel’s closest EU allies – Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic – oppose sanctions, especially now Israel has struck the humanitarian deal with the EU. Hungary also continues to veto EU sanctions on violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
Even countries strongly supportive of the Palestinian cause, such as Ireland, have not called for any specific measures, but await proposals from Kallas. Only Spain has come out clearly for a suspension of the association agreement.
Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s secretary general, said refusal to suspend the agreement with Israel “is a cruel and unlawful betrayal of the European project and vision, predicated on upholding international law and fighting authoritarian practices, of the European Union’s own rules and of the human rights of Palestinians”.
She added: “This will be remembered as one of the most disgraceful moments in the EU’s history.”
Claudio Francavilla, the acting EU director of Human Rights Watch in Brussels, said: “Once again, EU ministers have failed. Not enough support for any measure to hold Israel to account, traded away for the illusory promise of a few more trucks.”
Earlier in the day, Kallas said there were positive signs on border crossings, arrival of humanitarian aid trucks, reconstruction of electricity lines and water, but “of course we need to see more in order to see real improvement for the people on the ground”. She said the EU would keep a “close watch” on how the agreement was implemented, with updates to European diplomats once a fortnight.
According to the EU, the agreement with Israel means “the substantial increase of daily trucks for food and non-food items to enter Gaza” among other measures, including the repair of power supplies to Gaza’s critical water desalination facility.
Kallas said member states had a discussion on the options paper, but she did not take ownership of any proposal. “These are the choices that member states have to make,” she told reporters. “We will keep these options on the table and stand ready to act if Israel does not live up to its pledges. The aim is not to punish Israel. The aim is to improve the situation in Gaza.”
Speaking on Monday, Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, expressed confidence the EU would not take any action, saying: “There’s no justification whatsoever.”
Hadja Lahbib, the EU commissioner for humanitarian aid, struck a more urgent tone, saying it was clear the agreement was not yet fully implemented: “My message to the Israeli authorities is very clear. Put this agreement into action now. Stop killing the people. We need humanitarian aid: food, water, fuel to reach the people in need.”
Lahbib, who briefed ministers about the aid deal, added that “it was important to know what we can do if the agreement is not fully implemented” and that the situation would need to have improved before the next formal gathering of foreign ministers in October. “Every minute lost is a life lost,” she said.
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Britain has lifted a years-long ban on Pakistani airlines following improvements in the country’s aviation safety standards, the British diplomatic mission in Islamabad said Wednesday.
The U.K.’s Air Safety Committee imposed the ban after Pakistan’s aviation minister in June 2020 disclosed that nearly one-third of the country’s pilots had cheated on their licensing exams. The claim came after a Pakistan International Airlines crash killed 97 people on May 24, 2020, in the southern city of Karachi.
Wednesday’s announcement follows a broader international recognition of Pakistan’s efforts to improve air safety. Earlier this year, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency also lifted its five-year-long ban, allowing the national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines to resume direct flights to Europe.
British High Commissioner Jane Marriott said that after “extensive engagement” between the U.K.’s Air Safety Committee and the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, restrictions on Pakistani airlines have now been lifted. U.K. diplomatic missions in Commonwealth countries are known as high commissions and are equivalent to embassies.
However, Marriott said individual airlines will still need to apply for operating permits from the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority.
“I’m grateful to aviation experts in both the U.K. and Pakistan for their collaborative work to meet international safety standards,” she said. “While it will take time for flights to resume, once the logistics are in place, I look forward to using a Pakistani carrier when visiting family and friends.”
The high commission emphasized that decisions on delisting countries or carriers from the U.K. Air Safety List are made through an independent safety process overseen by the Air Safety Committee.
With more than 1.6 million people of Pakistani heritage living in the U.K., and thousands of British nationals residing in Pakistan, it said the move will help families to reconnect and potentially boost bilateral trade ties.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif welcomed the decision.
Speaking at a televised news conference on Wednesday, he attributed the ban to what he described as “baseless” remarks made by former aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan. He said Khan’s claim tarnished the country’s image and triggered significant financial losses for Pakistan International Airlines.
Could Titan’s liquid methane lakes be a cradle for life beyond Earth?
Saturn’s largest moon Titan is a key Solar System target in the search for life and habitable conditions beyond our planet.
Credit: NASA/ESA – ESA/NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
Titan is the only place beyond Earth in our Solar System known to have liquid on its surface.
In fact it has clouds, rain, rivers, lakes and seas, all working together in a natural cycle.
Images captured by the NASA Cassini spacecraft show the evolution of a transient feature in a large hydrocarbon sea called ‘Ligeia Mare’ on Saturn’s moon Titan. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASI/Cornell
But these bodies on Titan don’t contain liquid water. Instead, its lakes and rivers are filled with liquid hydrocarbons like methane and ethane.
NASA research suggests these hydrocarbon-rich lakes might be doing something extraordinary.
According to a study published in the International Journal of Astrobiology, cell-like structures called vesicles might naturally form in Titan’s frigid lakes.
This is a process that, on Earth, played a vital role in the origins of life.
An infrared view of the Saturn moon Titan showing sunlight reflected off its polar lakes. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. Arizona/Univ. Idaho
Life on Earth, life on Titan?
On Earth, life likely began in a soup of organic molecules packaged into vesicles, which are tiny compartments made by molecules called amphiphiles.
These molecules are split: one end loves water (hydrophilic) and the other doesn’t (hydrophobic).
In the right conditions, they arrange into protective compartments like soap bubbles, similar to the membranes that make up the outer walls of our cells.
But Titan is no Earth. Its lakes aren’t made of water and its average surface temperature hovers around a chilly –290°F (–179°C).
So could vesicles still form in such an alien world?
An image of Titan captured by the Cassini spacecraft on July 2009. The bright spot at the top of Titan’s disc is sunlight reflecting off the surface of a hydrocarbon lake. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/DLR
Vesicles in methane
Scientists considered Titan’s atmosphere and chemistry and calculated how vesicles might assemble in its environment.
Of course, these hypothetical vesicles would need to form in liquid methane or ethane.
On Titan, sea spray droplets caused by raindrop impacts could be coated in amphiphiles.
When the droplets land back on the hydrocarbon lakes, they might form double-layered membranes, wrapping the droplets into cell-like spheres.
These vesicles wouldn’t be living beings themselves, but they could be protocells: primitive containers that protect and concentrate molecules.
Such compartments are considered one of the crucial steps toward the emergence of life.
How vesicles might form on Titan. 1: Methane lakes and seas on Titan’s surface become coated with a film of amphiphiles. 2: Methane raindrops splash the lake surface. 3: Splashes create a mist of droplets coated in the same film. 4: Droplets settle back onto the lake and sink, becoming coated in a bilayer that becomes a vesicle. Credit: Christian Mayer (Universität Duisburg-Essen) and Conor Nixon (NASA Goddard)
Titan’s wild weather is a chemistry lab
Thanks to data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, we know Titan has a dense atmosphere rich in nitrogen and methane.
Methane clouds form, rain falls, rivers carve through icy terrain and lakes fill, only to evaporate and start the cycle again.
Solar radiation breaks apart simple molecules in Titan’s atmosphere, allowing them to recombine into complex organics.
Titan passes in front of Saturn in an image from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Some of these could eventually rain down into the lakes and mix with amphiphiles to form vesicles.
In other words, Titan may be replicating some of the steps Earth took toward life.
“The existence of any vesicles on Titan would demonstrate an increase in order and complexity, which are conditions necessary for the origin of life,” says Conor Nixon of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
“We’re excited about these new ideas because they can open up new directions in Titan research and may change how we search for life on Titan in the future.”
Six infrared images of Saturn’s moon Titan captured by the Cassini spacecraft. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Nantes/University of Arizona
Could Dragonfly solve the mystery?
NASA’s next leap towards unlocking the secrets of Titan is its Dragonfly mission, a drone-like rotorcraft set to launch later this decade.
Dragonfly won’t visit Titan’s lakes directly or carry tools to spot vesicles, but it will hop across the surface, analysing the chemistry of dunes, craters and icy plains.
By studying Titan’s surface and atmosphere up close, Dragonfly could help determine whether the building blocks for life are assembling on this distant moon.
Real Madrid C.F. would like to announce that tomorrow, Thursday 17 July, at 1:00pm CEST, an institutional act of homage and farewell to our player Lucas Vázquez will be held at Real Madrid City, in the presence of our president Florentino Pérez. Real Madrid would like to express our gratitude and affection to Lucas Vázquez, one of the great legends of our club. Lucas Vázquez arrived at Real Madrid in 2007, at the age of 16, and played in all the categories of our youth academy from Under-17s to Castilla. After a season on loan at Espanyol, he made his debut with the Real Madrid first team in September 2015. Since then, he has defended our shirt in 402 games over 10 seasons, in one of the most successful periods in the history of Real Madrid. Throughout this time, he has won 23 titles: 5 European Cups, 5 Club World Cups, 4 European Super Cups, 4 Leagues, 1 Copa del Rey, and 4 Spanish Super Cups.
For the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, “Lucas Vázquez represents in an exemplary way the values of Real Madrid, which has made him one of the most loved players by our fans. The figure of Lucas Vázquez symbolises the hard work, perseverance, humility, and winning spirit that are essential for success in this shirt. He is a player who has the affection and recognition of all madridistas. Real Madrid is and always will be his home.” Real Madrid wishes him and his family the best of luck in this new stage of his life.
There were many headline acts at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, as the iconic event took time to celebrate 75 years of Formula 1.
Among them was Riccardo Patrese, one of the standout names to take historic machinery up the hill across the weekend.
The Italian took four of his six career victories with Williams in the early 1990s and enjoyed his best season in the sport behind the wheel of the FW14B, finishing runner-up to teammate Nigel Mansell in our title-winning 1992 campaign.
The pair enjoyed an emotional reunion at the festival, both getting behind the wheel of the car that delivered such a memorable year. For Riccardo, it was an experience he won’t forget in a hurry.
Nigel and Riccardo reunited with the FW14B
“It was fantastic to rejoin my car of 1992, the 14B, the active car,” he told Williams. “It really gave us a fantastic year, dominant – Nigel World Champion, me vice-champion. I won in Suzuka so at the end, to get in the car again gave me so much satisfaction.
“It was fantastic, and it was also working very well. You know it’s a bit complicated because of all the electronics that are involved, but it was working very fine.
“So I had a great day, and I hope in the future other chances to drive it!”
The FW14B wasn’t the only classic Williams car Riccardo was reunited with across the weekend. He also climbed back into the cockpit of the very first Williams he drove: the FW11.
The FW11 had powered the team to a dominant Constructors’ Championship in 1986, before evolving into the FW11B – the final Honda-powered Williams. Riccardo made a single outing in the car at the final round of the 1987 season.
Riccardo at the wheel of the FW11
“The feeling of the car is fantastic, it’s working perfectly – brand new I should say!” Riccardo shared.
“So the memories are nice, and here in Goodwood they’re special. I have known this place since 1998, and this is the first time I’ve seen it (the FW11), and the first time in 38 years that I’ve touched this car.
“This weekend I’ve had many emotional moments because I’ve driven three of the best cars of my career – because of that, I’m very happy.”
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Google Search Console Core Web Vitals (CWV) reporting for mobile is experiencing a dip that is confirmed to be related to the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX). Search Console CWV reports for mobile performance show a marked dip beginning around July 10, at which point the reporting appears to stop completely.
Not A Search Console Issue
Someone posted about it on Bluesky
“Hey @johnmu.com is there a known issue or bug with Core Web Vitals reporting in Search Console? Seeing a sudden massive drop in reported URLs (both “good” and “needs improvement”) on mobile as of July 14.”
The person referred to July 14th, but that’s the date the reporting hit zero. The drop actually starts closer to July 10th, which you can see when you hover a cursor at the point that the drops begin.
Google’s John Mueller responded:
“These reports are based on samples of what we know for your site, and sometimes the overall sample size for a site changes. That’s not indicative of a problem. I’d focus on the samples with issues (in your case it looks fine), rather than the absolute counts.”
The person who initially started the discussion responded to inform Mueller that this isn’t just on his site, the peculiar drop in reporting is happening on other sites.
Mueller was unaware of any problem with CWV reporting so he naturally assumed that this was an artifact of natural changes in Internet traffic and user behavior. So his next response continued under the assumption that this wasn’t a widespread issue:
He responded:
“That can happen. The web is dynamic and alive – our systems have to readjust these samples over time.”
Then Jamie Indigo responded to confirm she’s seeing it, too.
“Hey John! Thanks for responding 🙂 It seems like … everyone beyond the usual ebb and flow. Confirming nothing in the mechanics have changed?”
At this point it was becoming clear that this weird behavior wasn’t isolated to just one site and Mueller’s response to Jamie reflected this growing awareness. Mueller confirmed that there’s nothing happening on the Search Console side, leaving it open about the CrUX side of the Core Web Vitals reporting.
His response:
“Correct, nothing in the mechanics changed (at least with regards to Search Console — I’m also not aware of anything on the Chrome / CrUX side, but I’m not as involved there).”
CrUX CWV Field Data
CrUX is the acronym for the Chrome User Experience report. It’s CWV reporting based on real website visits. The data is collected from Chrome browser website visits by users who have opted in to reporting their data for the report.
Google’s Chrome For Developers page explains:
“The Chrome User Experience Report (also known as the Chrome UX Report, or CrUX for short) is a dataset that reflects how real-world Chrome users experience popular destinations on the web.
CrUX is the official dataset of the Web Vitals program. All user-centric Core Web Vitals metrics are represented.
CrUX data is collected from real browsers around the world, based on certain browser options which determine user eligibility. A set of dimensions and metrics are collected which allow site owners to determine how users experience their sites.”
Core Web Vitals Reporting Outage Is Widespread
At this point more people joined the conversation, with Alan Bleiweiss offering both a comment and a screenshot showing the same behavior where the reporting completely drops off is happening on the Search Console CWV reports for other websites.
He posted:
“oooh Google had to slow down server requests to set aside more power to keep the swimming pools cool as the summer heats up.”
Here’s a closeup detail of Alan’s screenshot of a Search Console CWV report:
Screenshot Of CWV Report Showing July 10 Drop
I searched the Chrome Lighthouse changelog to see if there’s anything there that corresponds to the drop but nothing stood out.
So what is going on?
CWV Reporting Outage Is Confirmed
I next checked the X and Bluesky accounts of Googlers who work on the Chrome team and found a post by Barry Pollard, Web Performance Developer Advocate on Google Chrome, who had posted about this issue last week.
Barry posted a note about a reporting outage on Bluesky:
“We’ve noticed another dip on the metrics this month, particularly on mobile. We are actively investigating this and have a potential reason and fix rolling out to reverse this temporary dip. We’ll update further next month. Other than that, there are no further announcements this month.”
Takeaways
Google Search Console Core Web Vitals (CWV) data drop: A sudden stop in CWV reporting was observed in Google Search Console around July 10, especially on mobile.
Issue is widespread, not site-specific: Multiple users confirmed the drop across different websites, ruling out individual site problems.
Origin of issue is not at Search Console: John Mueller confirmed there were no changes on the Search Console side.
Possible link to CrUX data pipeline: Barry Pollard from the Chrome team confirmed a reporting outage and mentioned a fix may be rolled out at an unspecified time in the future.
We now know that this is a confirmed issue. Google Search Console’s Core Web Vitals reports began showing a reporting outage around July 10, leading users to suspect a bug. The issue was later acknowledged by Barry Pollard as reporting outage affecting CrUX data, particularly on mobile.
Featured Image by Shutterstock/Mix and Match Studio
Tuukka Taponen has mixed feelings about his 2025 season with ART Grand Prix, as while there have been positives, he admits he had hoped for more. However, he is still very confident in his goal of winning a Feature Race before the year’s end.
Through seven rounds, the Finnish rookie has had some impressive moments, which include two Sprint Race podiums in Sakhir and Monte Carlo.
In total, Taponen he has finished in the points on seven occasions, but he has also gone without scoring in the other seven races. This leaves him ninth in the Drivers’ Championship with 52 points, and speaking in Spielberg last month, he assessed his season so far.
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“So far, it’s been alright,” Taponen says. “It could be better, but I feel like I have done quite a good job and I am happy with the things that I have been doing so far.
“So far the results could have been a little bit better, but if I keep doing the same things, they will be really good at the end of the season.”
TAPONEN AND ART’S ISSUES
While Taponen says ART’s problems have not been because of one particular issue, he revealed that he and his teammates James Wharton and Laurens van Hoepen have struggled in the long runs.
Tyre degradation is something he admitted affected him in the Sakhir and Imola Feature Races, where he finished fourth in both, but struggled to stay close to the top three.
Taponen have acknowledged that he and ART have had their struggles this season
The 18-year-old is however happy with the improvements they have made in Qualifying.
“It was a bit similar in Bahrain and in Imola, I could not really stay with the others,” he explains. “But we have improved it, as well as the Qualifying performances. In Barcelona, we were quite fast in the qualifying.
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“Maybe we haven’t shown our full potential in qualifying, but we have been improving. We are not aiming to do a mega step, instead we want little steps, because if we try to go from zero to hero, it can wrong quite quickly.”
HIS OWN LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Taponen is very clear in his goals, he wants to win races, so while the performances this year have not been what he wanted, he does not see it as purely a team issue, as he also put the blame on himself.
“It would obviously be nice for all of us to get a win, so we definitely need to find something as a team.”
The Finn says he also has to continue improving if he and ART are to take that last step of competing for pole and in the Feature Races. He already feels he has learned quickly how to get up to speed on a Friday, but that there is still one more step missing.
“The amount of practice time we have, the number of laps we get is really limited,” says Taponen. “So that’s where I have had to improve, to be on it straight away, to not take five or six laps to be there, but to be there on the second lap.
Taponen is hopeful of being able to win a race before the season ends
“All you have to do before that is prepare well for the weekend and know exactly what you have to do. That’s the biggest thing I’ve learned since stepping up.
“But even with that, we are definitely missing that last step, and we need to get there. I want to get there because it’s important for the future to get those Sunday podiums, even wins.
“It would obviously be nice for all of us to get a win, so we definitely need to find something as a team, even myself. I’m not saying I am doing a more than brilliant job, so we need to find this last little bit.
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“Qualifying at the front will be important to fight for those front positions on Sunday. If you qualify P10 and P9 you are up there in the Sprint, but not in the Feature.”
PROVING HIMSELF FOR FORMULA 3
Taponen is very experienced in all that motorsport has to offer, helped by the fact that he grew up in the environment with his father, who bought him his first kart at two years old, a rallycross driver.
The now 18-year-old says his father is not around the track giving him advice as he was back in his karting days when he would give him tips and also serve as a mechanic.
The ART rookie is thankful for those times especially as he went on to have a successful karting career, one that he is very proud of.
Taponen is very proud of his achievements so far in karting and in single seater racing
“Being in the top three three years in a row at the World Championships in karting is not easy,” says Taponen. “Finishing second, first, second is a result not many can do, and I can be proud of that.”
The Finn is also happy that he has carried that form over to single seater racing, proving to be competitive in every category he has entered, including the 2023 Formula Regional Middle East Championship, which he won.
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Taponen has not yet finished outside the top five in any junior formula Championship, and it is another statistic he wears as a badge of honour.
“I have been up there every season, in every Championship,” continues Taponen. “My lowest result in a championship is fifth, my highest is first. I kind of kept the same momentum from karting, doing good results.
“I want to show what I am capable off. I want to win a Feature Race, that’s the main target, or at least get to the podium”
“Obviously, the goal is to win every championship but that’s super difficult to do, I don’t know if anyone has been able to do that. It’s not easy, but I think if you look at the overall picture of my career, karting and formula, it’s quite good.
“Winning Championships would help me a bit more, to be more in the picture or in the big paddock but I am doing the best I can every time.”
Taponen is eager to show what he is capable of doing in a race car
FERRARI BACKING AND 2025 GOALS
Through all of that success Taponen has had the support of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy (SFDA). He talked a lot about how they have helped him on and off the track, especially on a race weekend, where he can pick their brains.
The ART driver spoke about how the advice he has received from Jock Clear – Head of Ferrari’s Driver Academy – has helped him give him a “different picture” on things this season.
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Taponen also spoke about how much he enjoys working at Maranello, on both physical and mental aspects, and it is that hard work he is hopeful will give him the chance to achieve his goals in the final three rounds.
“I want to show what I am capable off. I want to win a Feature Race, that’s the main target, or at least get to the podium,” he says. “It’s really important to be there now, and everything will be down to the preparation for the weekend.
“Qualifying at the front will be important for that. I have been up there, twice I’ve been fourth, but I am not happy with that. Sometimes you need to accept that everyone cannot get up there, but we have a chance right now and we need to use it.”
Australia A and Sri Lanka A have ground out a tame draw at Marrara Stadium in Darwin, but the national selectors may have plenty to ponder for the Ashes.
It probably was the assurance chief selector George Bailey was looking for – rather than the result – at the end of the four-day game in the Top End, as bat prevailed over ball in a timely reminder all may not be lost for Australia’s top order this summer.
In reply to Australia A’s 486 after making 272 in their first knock, the Sri Lankans dug in to finish on 3-280 when the match was called on Wednesday afternoon.
First-drop Nuwanidu Fernando made a superb unbeaten 104, including seven fours and three sixes, ably supported by Pasindu Sooriyabandara (56) and Pavan Rathnayake (56no).
The Australian bowlers were unable to make major in-roads after securing the wickets of openers Lahiru Udara (17) and Kamil Mishara (35).
Fernando and Sooriyabandara starred in a 113-run partnership for the third wicket, before the latter was caught by Nathan McSweeney off the bowling of Liam Scott.
It gave the home side a glimmer of hope, but Rathnayake had other ideas, digging in with the centurion to snuff out any chance of an Australian victory.
McSweeney’s two catches – the other to dismiss Mishara off Mitchell Perry – were the highlight in the field for the hosts, but it was his timely innings of 94 that would have had Bailey’s pen and paper ready.
Such has been the batting woes of the Test team in the Caribbean, McSweeney’s knock at No.3 was a statement of intent.
A patient Nathan McSweeney struck just six boundaries in his innings of 94 for Australia A. (AP PHOTO)
McSweeney showed he was willing to fight to regain his place in the Test team after being dropped with scores of 10, 0, 9 and 4 in two Tests against India – against the world’s best bowler in Jasprit Bumrah, who dismissed him on three of those occasions.
The Queenslander grafted for his runs against Sri Lanka A, compiling his runs off 220 deliveries with only six boundaries. He was dismissed first ball on the third morning of play, just six shy of what would have been a most timely century.
In contrast, Australia’s current Test openers Usman Khawaja (47, 15, 16, 2, 23 and 14) and young Sam Konstas (3, 5, 25, 0, 17, 0) have struggled to get close to 50, with the brilliant, but ageing, left-handed Khawaja coming close in the first Test against the West Indies in Bridgetown.
At 38 years and 210 days, Khawaja is struggling, but he’s less under the microscope than young star Konstas, who is at the other end of a fledgling career.
Alas, the innings may have earned McSweeney another crack at Test level, this time in the Ashes, where he could line up against another frightening bowler in Jofra Archer.
Bristol Harbour Festival
