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Bangladesh stutter after strong start to finish with 256
Bangladesh failed to take advantage of the platform provided by their openers in Pune against India on Wednesday (October 19) as they finished with a par score of 256/8. Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das hit sparkling fifties and added 93 for the opening wicket before Bangladesh lost their way. Eventually, a vital cameo from Mahmudullah at the death helped them go past the 250-run mark.
The powerplay after Bangladesh opted to bat was quite contrasting. The two openers were cautious to begin with against both Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj. In the first five overs, only 10 runs were scored and India had even squandered an opportunity to reverse a lbw decision against Tanzid. Litton then took advantage of a couple of short deliveries from Siraj in the sixth over that kick-started a superb comeback. Tanzid pulled Bumrah for a six and followed it up with a couple of boundaries off Siraj to slowly turn the tide.
Litton then welcomed Hardik Pandya into the crease with successive boundaries following which the allrounder injured his left ankle. Hardik gave India a major scare as he walked off the field with Virat Kohli completing the over. Later, the BCCI also confirmed that the 30-year-old was taken for scans. Bangladesh then targeted Shardul Thakur knowing India had only five proper bowlers now and the young Tanzid succeeded by fetching 16 runs off his first over.
From 10/0, Bangladesh raced to 63/0 after the powerplay. The two batters continued to milk the bowling attack before Kuldeep Yadav finally gave India a vital breakthrough. Tanzid, who had just brought up his first half-century in international cricket, failed to connect a sweep and was trapped leg-before-wicket. Najmul Shanto, the captain on the day in place of the injured Shakib Al Hasan, struggled before Ravindra Jadeja put him out of his misery with a quicker delivery to trap him lbw. While Litton brought up his fifty at the other end, Bangladesh continued to slide as Mehidy Hasan was the next to go when he edged one down leg side with KL Rahul taking a blinder.
Litton, the key wicket at this point, threw it away at a crucial juncture by mistiming one to long off. From 93/0, Bangladesh found themselves struggling at 137/4. India bowled a few tight overs in that middle period to stay on top of the game and as a result, Bangladesh had to rely heavily on the experienced pair of Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim to give them a fighting total. While Rahim did keep the scorecard moving, India struck again at the right time as Jadeja took a blinder at backward point to get rid of the set batter with a little over seven overs remaining. Mahmudullah then fetched boundaries in the final five overs against India’s pace trio to drag them to a respectable total but India will still fancy their chances of keep their unbeaten record in the tournament intact.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 256/8 in 50 overs (Litton Das 66, Tanzid Hasan 51; Ravindra Jadeja 2/38) vs India
United States President Donald Trump has confirmed that talks with Iran are continuing to try to de-escalate tensions in the Gulf, even as the US military announced shooting down an Iranian drone that approached its aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.
Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that Washington was negotiating with Iran “right now”, but declined to say where the talks were taking place.
“[The talks] are all over. But they are negotiating. They’d like to do something, and we’ll see if something is going to be done,” he said.
“They had a chance to do something a while ago, and it didn’t work out. And we did ‘Midnight Hammer’, I don’t think they want that happening again,” he added, referring to the operation last June in which the US Air Force and Navy struck three Iranian nuclear facilities.
Trump, who has been pushing Teheran to agree to talks over its nuclear programme, has repeatedly threatened to attack the country again over a recent crackdown on antigovernment protests. The US president sent the USS Abraham Lincoln to the Gulf last week, leading to fears of a possible military confrontation.
The carrier strike group, which brought roughly 5,700 additional US troops, joined three destroyers and three littoral combat ships that were already in the region.
Tensions have been easing in recent days amid a push by regional powers for a resolution.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said earlier on Tuesday that he had instructed the country’s foreign minister to “pursue fair and equitable negotiations, guided by the principles of dignity, prudence, and expediency”, provided that a “suitable environment exists”.
“These negotiations shall be conducted within the framework of our national interests,” Pezeshkian added
[Aljazeera]
Seven million people’s cancer could be prevented each year, according to the first global analysis.
A report by World Health Organization (WHO) scientists estimates 37% of cancers are caused by infections, lifestyle choices and environmental pollutants that could be avoided.
This includes cervical cancers caused by human papilloma virus (HPV) infections which vaccination can help prevent, as well as a host of tumours caused by tobacco smoke from cigarettes.
The researchers said their report showed there is a “powerful opportunity” to transform the lives of millions of people.
Some cancers are inevitable – either because of damage we unavoidably build up in our DNA as we age or because we inherit genes that put us at greater risk of the disease.
But researcher Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram said “people are surprised to hear” that nearly four in 10 cancers can be prevented as it is “a substantial number”.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the WHO, analysed 30 preventable factors known to increase the risk of cancer.
These include smoking and ultraviolet (UV) radiation which can directly damage our DNA; obesity and too little physical activity which alter inflammation and hormones in the body to raise cancer risk; and air pollution which can wake up dormant cancer cells.
The agency’s report also looked at nine cancer-causing infections including HPV, hepatitis viruses which lead to liver cancer and the stomach bug H. pylori.
The team used data on cancer cases from 2022 and from the 30 risk factors a decade earlier – across 185 countries – to perform their statistical analysis.
The big three contributors to more than 18 million cancer cases around the world were found to be:
- smoking tobacco which caused 3.3 million cancers
- infections causing 2.3 million cancers
- alcohol use leading to 700,000 cancers
However, the overall figures mask a nuanced picture of cancer risk around the world.
There is a stark sex-divide with 45% of men’s cancers being preventable compared with 30% in women, partly down to higher levels of smoking among men.
In women living in Europe, the top three preventable causes of cancer are smoking, closely followed by infection and then obesity.
While in sub-Saharan Africa, infections dominate and account for nearly 80% of preventable cancers in women.
This means any measures to tackle these cancers would need to be tailored to each region or country.
“This landmark study is a comprehensive assessment of preventable cancer worldwide, incorporating for the first time infectious causes of cancer alongside behavioural, environmental, and occupational risks,” said Soerjomataram, the deputy head of the IARC Cancer Surveillance Unit.
“Addressing these preventable causes represents one of the most powerful opportunities to reduce the global cancer burden.”
The report, published in the journal Nature Medicine, showed lung cancer (linked to smoking and air pollution) stomach cancer (linked to H. pylori infection) and cervical cancer (linked to HPV infection) made up nearly half of all preventable cases of cancer.
Dr Andre Ilbawi, team lead for cancer control at WHO, said the study was “good news” as it showed something could be done and he pointed to the success of countries that have introduced policies to tackle smoking or vaccinate against HPV.
“The percentage of preventable cancers can change over time and our goal is to get it as close to zero as possible,” he said.
[BBC]
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