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India strike after setting West Indies 365 target
The hosts closed out the day at 76 for 2 on a Port-of-Spain pitch that was more responsive to the spinners. The forecast for Monday is also fairly grim, so India will have to step up a gear with the ball as well if they are to beat both West Indies and the weather.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s down-the-track six over extra-cover off the first over, bowled by Kemar Roach, was a portent for the carnage that was to follow. In Roach’s next over, Rohit lofted him over the midwicket boundary with more gusto. Rohit had led a charmed life – he was first dropped by Shannon Gabriel on 25 and then by Alick Athanaze on 29. Both were fairly straightforward chances, bringing West Indies’ sloppy fielding into sharp focus once again. In the ODI World Cup qualifier in June-July, West Indies had botched a number of chances in the field, with white-ball coach Daren Sammy labeling them the ‘worst fielding side around’ around.
Rohit made West Indies pay on Sunday before he was eventually caught at fine leg, where Alzarri Joseph didn’t mess it up. Jaiswal then helped India reach 100 off 12.2 overs – the fastest team hundred in Test cricket (where known). When Jaiswal tried to up the ante even further, he ended up skying a slog-sweep to the wicket-keeper off Jomel Warrican for 38 off 30 balls. Inclement weather allowed only three overs in the afternoon session, but once the sun was out, Kishan successfully slog-swept Warrican to the midwicket boundary.
Kishan also flat-batted Warrican over his head before unleashing Pant-esque one-handed sixes. Moments after Kishan zoomed to his fifty with one such one-handed six, Rohit declared India’s second innings at 181 for 2 in 24 overs. Shubman Gill had contributed an unbeaten 29 off 37 balls to that total.
That India were in a position to push for a win was also down to Mohammed Siraj, who had dismissed West Indies for 255, from an overnight 229 for 5, in their first innings. Siraj, the leader of India’s inexperienced pace attack, lived up to his billing and bagged career-best figures of 5 for 60 in challenging conditions.
It was debutant Mukesh Kumar who had struck in the first over of the day when he pinned Athanaze lbw with an inswinger from over the wicket. After being given out by on-field umpire Marais Erasmus, Athanaze went for a review almost immediately, but HawkEye suggested that it would have just clipped leg stump. Athanaze could count himself a bit unlucky, with ball-tracking also returning umpire’s call on impact.
In the next over, Siraj went wide of the crease, tricked Jason Holder into playing for the inward angle, but got the ball to swing away and kiss the edge. Siraj proceeded to snip off the tail with his wobble-seam inducker and outswinger. He led India’s players off the field and was warmly welcomed back by bowling coach Paras Mhambrey.
India had needed less than eight overs – and less than an hour – on the fourth morning – to bowl West Indies out in their first innings. However, there wasn’t as much swing on offer for India in an extended post-tea session. So, Siraj and co. shortened their lengths, but Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul were up for the task.
Brathwaite was busier than he was in West Indies’ first innings, driving and punching Siraj for fours. Chanderpaul spent 21 balls on 2, and 62 balls without a boundary, but was largely unperturbed. The opening partnership, though, ended on 38 when Ashwin had Brathwaite splicing a sweep to short fine leg in his fourth over. In his next over, Ashwin trapped Kirk McKenzie for a duck immediately after changing his angle to round the wicket.
Ravindra Jadeja also extracted sharp turn and bounce, but Chanderpaul and Jermaine Blackwood ushered West Indies to stumps without any further damage.
Iran has named Mojtaba Khamenei as its new supreme leader, just over a week after the assassination of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , in joint United States-Israeli strikes that have.plunged the entire region into a sprawling war.
The 56-year-old, who will now be charged with leading the Islamic Republic through the biggest crisis in its 47-year history, was named by clerics as his father’s successor on Sunday.
Key leaders, Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the armed forces were quick to pledge their backing to the new leader.
Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, who has been tasked with steering Iran’s security strategy since the US and Israel launched their all-out offensive, called for unity around the new supreme leader.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf welcomed the choice, saying that following the new supreme leader was a “religious and national duty”.
Mojtaba Khamenei has never run for office or been subjected to a public vote, but has for decades been a highly influential figure in the inner circle of the supreme leader, cultivating deep ties to the IRGC.
In recent years, Khamenei has increasingly been touted as a top potential replacement for his father. His selection could be a sign that more hardline factions in Iran’s establishment retain power, and could indicate that the government has little desire to agree to a deal or negotiations in the short term as the war enters its second week.
Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem described Khamenei as his “father’s gatekeeper”.
“He adopts the positions of his father with respect to the United States, with respect to Israel. So we are expecting a confrontational leader. We’re not expecting any moderation,” he said.
“However, if this war comes to an end and he is still alive, and he is able to continue running the country, there is going to be big potential… to find new routes for Iran,” Hashem said.
(Aljazeera)
Global oil prices have jumped above $100 (£75.11) a barrel for the first time since 2022 as the escalating US-Israeli war with Iran has fuelled fears of prolonged disruption to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran on Sunday named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader, signalling that a week into the conflict hardliners remain in charge of the country.
The US and Israel launched fresh waves of airstrikes across Iran over the weekend, hitting multiple targets including oil depots.
Major disruption to energy supplies from the region threatens to push up prices for consumers and businesses around the world.
Early on Monday in Asia, Brent crude was around 15.5% higher at $107.16, while Nymex light sweet was up by more than 17% at $106.77.
Stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region fell sharply in early trading on Monday, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 index down by more than 5% and the ASX 200 in Australia more than 3.5% lower.
Many in the markets predicted that oil would hit the $100 a barrel mark this week.
In the event it took about a minute to jump 10%, and then another 15 minutes to rise a further 10% in early Asian trading.
Last week the markets had been relatively relaxed about the seeming nightmare scenario for millions of barrels of crude and liquefied natural gas trapped in the Gulf, unable or unwilling to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
But the escalations over the weekend, alongside scenes of destruction of energy infrastructure both in Iran and across the Gulf, saw the markets take rapid fright.
The question now is where does this go? Some analysts argue that if the shutdown in the strait lasts until the end of March, we could see record oil prices above $150 a barrel.
The existing rise is likely to further increase petrol prices, and those of important derivative products such as jet fuel and vital precursors for fertilisers.
The physical supplies from the Gulf are mainly consumed in Asia.
Already however there are signs that Asian consumers are bidding up prices for US gas, with some tankers originally heading for Europe turning around in the mid-Atlantic.
US President Donald Trump responded to the jump in prices by saying that short term rises were a “small price to pay” for removing Iran’s nuclear threat.
His energy secretary told US broadcasters on Sunday that Israel, not the US, was targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure, amid some concern about rising domestic pump prices caused by the war.
(BBC)
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