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Hapless Australia crash into South African juggernaut

Published

2 years ago

2023/10/12

Priyan

Rabada and De Kock starred with the ball and bat respectively (Cricbuzz)

A clinical all-round performance from South Africa has seen them register a whopping 134-run win over Australia in Lucknow on Thursday (October 12). Having posted a competitive total of 311, on the back of Quinton de Kock’s second ton in a row, the Proteas virtually sealed the game in the first Powerplay itself with the wickets of Mitchell Marsh, David Warner and Steve Smith. Without a doubt, Australia were on the mat at 70/6 and if not for a 69-run partnership between Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Starc, the margin of defeat would have been worse. It was a performance of utmost dominance from South Africa as they outplayed Australia in all facets of the game.

Having opted to bowl, Australia would have hoped for the pitch to ease out under lights with dew expected to come later on. Unfortunately for them, the new ball nibbled around a lot more than during the afternoon and South Africa’s quicks took full toll of it. Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi started off brilliantly, getting the ball to talk appreciably, thereby choking the run flow in the first Powerplay. The pressure told on Marsh as he miscued one against Jansen and Warner fell soon, slapping a cut straight to backward point off Ngidi. The onus was squarely on Smith who started off in ominous fashion with four delectable boundaries.

However, then came the most debatable moment of the Australian innings. Coming in as the first change bowler, Kagiso Rabada had Smith LBW after the Australian had missed a rare flick stroke after the trademark shuffle across the sticks. It looked not out in real time but ball tracking had it hitting leg stump, putting Smith in shock. Even the South African players couldn’t believe their luck and with that breakthrough, Australia seemed rattled completely. Rabada was breathing fire in his first spell and bowled a peach to nip out Josh Inglis who capped a forgettable day in the middle both with bat and gloves.

As if the extravagant movement wasn’t hard enough, there was also a lot of spin on offer and it made Australia’s task near impossible. Glenn Maxwell offered a simple return catch to Keshav Maharaj while Marcus Stoinis became another of Rabada’s victims, albeit in controversial fashion. It was a short ball down leg-side that went off the glove. A clear spike was shown on UltraEdge but whether Stoinis’ top and bottom hand were both connected to the bat was up for debate. The visuals weren’t conclusive enough but third umpire Richard Kettleborough felt he had seen enough to give the marching orders. Not for the first time, Australia were displeased. At 70/6, it was about damage control now.

Labuschagne and Starc hung around, as the surface eased out and soon, dew set in as well to make batting easier. Australia, though, had no batting left to make a match of the game despite the drastic improvement in conditions. South Africa’s bowlers all had a field day, making use of the conditions and scoreboard pressure to dent the Aussies. The total of 311 looked par at the halfway mark and in hindsight, it was probably slightly above par. South Africa’s innings was set up by Quinton de Kock’s second successive World Cup ton and a fluent fifty from Aiden Markram.

Both batters didn’t produce the same carnage that the did in Delhi against Sri Lanka but that was largely due to the conditions on offer here in Lucknow. A relaid surface with red soil meant that the track played much better than in the IPL games but it was still on the slower side. There was variable bounce and the slower balls were tougher to score, particularly once the ball got older. Australia were slow to read the memo and got their radar all wrong for a major part of the innings. They also failed to utilize the movement that was on offer with the new ball.

De Kock capitalized on all these follies and his century stand with Temba Bavuma set the platform for South Africa to get to a competitive score. The former did lose steam through the innings but Markram’s brilliance ensured that the tempo wasn’t lost during the middle overs. Towards the back end, Australia got their lines, lengths and pace variations spot on, thereby staging a decent fightback at the death. However, a flurry of dropped catches through the innings meant that they ended up conceding at least 30 runs more than they should have. In the end, the target proved far too many for the five-time champions.

Brief scores:
South Africa 311/7 in 50 overs (Quinton de Kock 109, Aiden Markram 56; Glenn Maxwell 2-34, Mitchell Starc 2-53) beat Australia 177 in 40.5 overs (Marnus Labuschagne 46; Kagiso Rabada 3-33, Keshav Maharaj 2-30, Tabraiz Shamsi 2-38) by 134 runs

(Cricbuzz)

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Sun directly overhead Dodanduwa, Rathgama, Yakkalamulla, Akuressa, Mulgirigala, Ranna, Kalamatiya and Ussangoda at about 12:13 noon today (05th April)

Published

10 mins ago

2026/04/5

Priyan

On the apparent northward relative motion of the sun, it is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka during 05th to 15th of April in this year.

The nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (05th) are Dodanduwa, Rathgama, Yakkalamulla, Akuressa, Mulgirigala, Ranna, Kalamatiya and Ussangoda at about 12:13 noon

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Heat Index at Caution Level in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Eastern, North-western, Northern and North-central provinces and in Monaragala district

Published

24 mins ago

2026/04/5

Priyan

Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 04 April 2026, valid for 05 April 2026

The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Eastern, North-western, Northern and North-central provinces and in Monaragala district.

The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.

Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.

ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.

Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.

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Iran executes two convicted members of banned opposition group

Published

15 hours ago

2026/04/4

Priyan

Glenn Torshizi, whose brothers were executed by the Iranian government, joins others in a protest at the US State Department, to highlight the executions in Karaj, Iran, of People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran members, on March 30, 2026, in Washington, DC [Cricinfo]

Iran has executed two men convicted of being members of the banned People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) opposition group, in the latest action targeting dissidents, even as the United States – Israeli war on Iran drags on.

The two were executed on Saturday morning after the country’s Supreme Court upheld earlier sentences that convicted them of PMOI/MEK membership, and “armed rebellion through involvement in multiple terrorist acts”.

“Abolhassan Montazer and Vahid Baniamerian were hanged after trial and their sentences were upheld by the Supreme Court,” the Iranian judiciary website, Mizan Online, said on Saturday.

PMOI/MEK had initially supported the 1979 Islamic revolution that unseated the Iranian monarchy. However, in the 1980s, it fell out with the new leadership in Tehran and was designated a “terrorist” organisation. PMOI/MEK has since operated in exile.

Four other convicted members of the group were executed on March 30 and 31. According to information on the PMOI/MEK website, the men were: Mohammad Taghavi, Akbar Daneshvarkar, Babak Alipour and Pouya Ghobadi.

All six men were arrested and convicted by a Revolutionary Court in late 2024, according to PMOI/MEK.

The group condemned the executions in an April 2 statement, calling Tehran’s actions a “futile” attempt to suppress opposition.

“These brutal executions will not silence the opposition; instead, they will only intensify the resolve of Iran’s rebellious youth to overthrow the regime,” PMOI/MEK said.

Rights groups, too, have criticised the spate of hangings. Activists have long accused Iran of being the second most prolific executioner after China.

In a statement following the first set of hangings on March 31, Amnesty International accused Iranian authorities of torturing the men while they were held in prison and then abruptly transferring them to an unknown location shortly before their executions.

Amnesty further raised fears of more planned executions, including of protesters arrested during mass anti-government demonstrations in January, during which thousands were killed.

“It is unconscionable that even as the population is reeling from conflict and mass bereavement amid the ongoing aerial bombardment by Israel and the USA, the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran continue to weaponize the death penalty to eradicate dissenting voices and further terrify people,” said Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.

Since the US and Israel’s war on Iran began on February 28, Tehran has executed several people, including Kouroush Keyvani, a dual Iranian-Swedish national convicted on charges of spying for Israel in a case that has drawn outrage from Stockholm and the European Union.

One man convicted of acting on behalf of Israel and the US during the protests was also executed on Thursday.

Earlier, on March 19, four people – Saleh Mohammadi, Mehdi Ghasemi, and Saeed Davoudi – arrested in connection with the uprising, were killed.

Amnesty warns that another five young protesters previously sentenced to death could soon be executed after they were moved from the Ghezel Hesar prison to an unidentified location this week.

[Aljazeera]