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Nawaz slams maiden ton as Pakistan chase 205 in 16 overs
Pakistan’s high-risk, high-reward tactics finally bore fruit after two failed attempts as the Salman Agha led side stormed to a nine-wicket victory against New Zealand in an enthralling battle that saw 411 runs being amassed at Eden Park Hasan Nawaz’s maiden T20I century outplayed Mark Chapman’s 94 as Pakistan chased down 205 in just 16 overs and kept the five-match series alive at 1-2.
Pakistan backed their new openers Nawaz and Mohammed Haris in the post Mohammed Rizwan-Babar Azam era and they repaid the faith by putting up a 74-run opening stand off just 35 balls to lay the perfect foundation for the chase. Salman capitalised on the flying start to score 51 not out and was involved in an unbroken 133-run second-wicket stand. Nawaz, who was coming off two successive ducks, blazed away the fastest hundred by a Pakistan batter in T20Is, off just 44 balls, in a sensational chase.
Chapman’s blistering knock off just 44 balls set New Zealand up for what seemed like an above-par total at the innings break. After losing Finn Allen for a three-ball duck in the first over by Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tim Seifert (19 off nine) and Chapman pushed New Zealand past early jitters. Seifert fell to Haris Rauf in the fifth over but Chapman didn’t slow down.
He pulled and hooked the short balls, brought out beautiful cover drives against seamers and punished loose deliveries from Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan. He brought up his fourth half-century against Pakistan off 29 balls. This was also his first T20I fifty in almost a year.
Pakistan got the much-needed breakthrough in the tenth over when Daryl Mitchell (17 off 11) chased a wide delivery of Shadab and miscued to Rauf. Chapman kept finding boundaries, however, even when Pakistan captain Agha brought himself on and leaked 13 runs off his only over.
His strong bottom-hand and exceptional placement saw him smash 11 fours and four sixes. He was eventually deceived by an Afridi slower ball in the 13th over.
Pakistan fought back with quick wickets including two double-wicket overs from Rauf and Abrar but Michael Bracewell’s 31 off 18 ensured New Zealand crossed 200.
After two disappointing outings, Haris and Nawaz gave the visitors a dream start. Haris began with two sixes off Kyle Jamieson’s first over of the innings and followed it up with two fours against Jacob Duffy. Nawaz had a tough time early on with his timing but still found boundaries through streaky edges. Pakistan reached their joint-fastest team fifty in men’s T20Is, in four overs.
Duffy removed Haris for a 20-ball 41 with a bouncer in the sixth over and Pakistan ended the phase with 75 for 1, their highest powerplay total in men’s T20Is, moving past the 73 they scored against England in 2016.
Nawaz rode his luck but made sure to hang around. He was not particularly convincing against short balls early on but he was able to see the balls more clearly as the innings progressed. Though he started the chase playing second fiddle to Haris, Nawaz took charge after the powerplay.
His first confident strike came against Ish Sodhi in the seventh over, when he picked a loopy googly and clubbed it over long-on for a six. He brought up his maiden T20I fifty off 26 balls in the ninth over and propelled Pakistan to 124 for 1 at the halfway stage.
Nawaz was dropped on 68 by Sodhi off Ben Sears’ bowling but New Zealand couldn’t do much on a batting-friendly pitch with dew also making the task hard for the bowlers. Nawaz eventually hammered ten fours and seven sixes in his 45-ball stay.
Unlike Nawaz, Agha was precise and clever in his batting that fetched him six fours and two sixes. The duo scored 65 runs in the last four overs of the chase to take the team home early.
Nawaz brought up his century off the penultimate ball, before Pakistan completed the fastest 200-plus chase in men’s T20Is.
Brief scores:
Pakistan 207 for 1 in 16 overs (Hasan Nawaz 105*, Salman Agha 51*, Mohammad Haris 41, Jacob Duffy 1-37) beat New Zealand 204 in 19.5 overs (Tim Seifert 19, Mark Chapman 94,Daryl Mitchell 17, Michael Bracewell 31, Ish Sodhi 10; Shaheen Shah Afridi 2-36, Abrar Ahmed 2-43, Haris Rauf 3-29, Abbas Afridi 2-24, Shadab Khan 1-33) by nine wickets
[Cricinfo]
India’s opposition Congress party has said it will organise nationwide protests on Wednesday after the country’s financial crimes agency charged senior leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and others with money laundering.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) presented its findings in a Delhi court on Tuesday, accusing the Gandhis of forming a shell company to illegally acquire assets of the National Herald newspaper worth more than 20bn rupees ($233mn; £176mn).
Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh called the charges “politics of vendetta and intimidation” by the government.
The Gandhis who have previously denied any wrongdoing have not commented on the charges.
The investigation also names other members of the Congress party, including its overseas chief Sam Pitroda, according to news agency ANI.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) began investigating the case in 2021 after a private complaint filed by Subramanian Swamy, a member of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Swamy alleged that the Gandhis used party funds to take over Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which published the now-defunct National Herald newspaper, and illegally acquired properties worth millions through AJL.
The Congress maintains that it bailed out the publisher due to its historical legacy and had lent more than 900m rupees to AJL over the years.
In 2010, AJL became debt-free by swapping its debt for equity and assigning the shares to a newly created company called Young Indian, which the party says is a “not-for-profit company” with no dividends paid to its shareholders and directors.
Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are among Young Indian’s directors and they each own 38% of the company. The remaining 24% is owned by Congress leaders, including Motilal Vora and Sam Pitroda.
Last week, the Enforcement Directorate said Young Indian had acquired AJL properties worth 20bn rupees for just 5m, significantly undervaluing their worth.
It also served several notices to seize assets worth 6.6bn rupees across several Indian cities – including Delhi and Mumbai – which are connected to Young Indian.
The case is scheduled to come up for hearing on 25 April.
In recent years, the opposition has repeatedly accused the Narendra Modi government of weaponising the Enforcement Directorate against its political opponents.
According to data compiled by Reuters in 2024, the agency has summoned, questioned or raided around 150 opposition politicians since Modi came to power in 2014.
Last year, the ED arrested former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with an alleged liquor scam just a month before key general elections. He spent five months in jail before being freed on bail.
What is the National Herald?
The National Herald newspaper was founded in 1938 by Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister and Rahul Gandhi’s great-grandfather.
It ceased publication in 2008 after running into financial troubles but was later acquired by the Congress in 2010 and relaunched as a digital news outlet in 2017.
It was published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which was established in 1937 with 5,000 freedom fighters as shareholders. AJL also published Qaumi Awaz in Urdu and Navjeevan in Hindi.
The National Herald became known for its association with India’s freedom struggle and its nationalist stance.
Nehru often wrote strong-worded columns, which led to the British government banning the paper in 1942. It reopened three years later.
After India gained independence in 1947, Nehru resigned as chairman of the newspaper to become prime minister.
But the Congress continued to play a huge role in shaping the newspaper’s ideology.
In a message to the National Herald on its silver jubilee in 1963, Nehru spoke about the paper “generally favouring Congress policy” while maintaining “an independent outlook”.
Over the years, the National Herald grew to be a leading English daily, supported by the Congress party, until it shut down in 2008 after years of financial troubles.
[BBC]
The ICC have welcomed the announcement that the Fairgrounds in Pomona, Southern California, will host cricket at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Excitement around cricket’s Olympic comeback has been building since it was confirmed that the sport would return to the Games.
On 9 April, the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed the player quotas and number of participating teams for cricket at the 2028 Olympics.
Both the men’s and women’s T20 competitions will feature six teams each, with a 90-player quota allocated per gender, allowing each nation to field a squad of up to 15 players.
The full tournament schedule will be finalised closer to the start of the Games.
“We welcome the announcement of the venue for cricket at Los Angeles 2028 as it is a significant step towards the preparation for our sport’s return to the Olympics,” ICC Chair Jay Shah said.
“Although cricket is a hugely popular sport, it will be a fantastic opportunity to expand traditional boundaries when it features in the Olympics in the fast-paced, exciting T20 format that should appeal to new audiences.
“On behalf of the ICC, I want to express my gratitude to LA28 and the International Olympic Committee for their support and look forward to collaborating with them and ICC Members in preparing for LA28 and making cricket a huge success there.”
Cricket’s return to the Olympics was confirmed in October 2023, alongside the inclusion of five additional sports for the Los Angeles Games – baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes) and squash.
The T20 format has previously featured in multi-sport events, with both men’s and women’s competitions held at the Asian Games in 2010, 2014 and 2023. The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham featured a women’s T20 tournament.
[ICC]
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Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cautions all stakeholders of the Indian Premier League (IPL) of attempts to entice participants
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has issued a caution to all stakeholders of the Indian Premier League (IPL) about attempts to entice participants into potentially corrupt activities. The BCCI has cautioned the owners, players, coaches, support staff, and even commentators that a businessman with dubious credentials is actively seeking to trap individuals involved in the league.
The Anti-Corruption Security Unit (ACSU) seems to believe that a businessman from Hyderabad, with clear links to punters, bookies and past and proven records of involvement in corrupt activities, is trying to befriend participants. The ACSU has urged all IPL stakeholders to report any interactions with the businessman and also disclose any possible connections or engagements with him.
The ACSU is also understood to have urged all parties involved in the league to exercise caution. Teams and individuals have been asked to remain alert and report any relevant approaches. The individual’s modus operandi is said to involve luring unsuspecting targets with expensive gifts, including jewellery.
The individual in question is reportedly attempting to get himself close to the IPL participants by masquerading as a fan. He has allegedly been spotted at the team hotels and in the matches, making efforts to befriend players and staff, and inviting potential targets to private parties. There is also information of him offering gifts not only to team members but also to their families.
One of the methods reportedly employed by him involves approaching family members of franchise owners, players, coaches, support staff, and even commentators. He is said to have been offering to take them to jewellery stores and high-end hotels posing as a fan. There are also indications that he may have attempted to contact relatives living abroad, often through social media platforms.
Previously, the ACSU had told the teams that advancing technology has increased their challenges and urged all involved in the league to be alert. Seeking cooperation from all, the BCCI said it is determined and committed to taking every step in its power to prevent corrupt practices that undermine the integrity of the sport of cricket.
India’s Gandhis charged in money laundering case amid opposition outcry
Venue announced for cricket’s Olympics return at LA28
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cautions all stakeholders of the Indian Premier League (IPL) of attempts to entice participants
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