Connect with us

Latest News

Jaiswal, Dube power India to series-winning lead

Published

on

Shivam Dube smashed a 32-ball 63* and bagged a wicket (Cricbuzz)

Afghanistan posted their highest total against India, led by a half-century from Gulbadin Naib and late cameos. They posted 172 after being asked to bat first but the total proved too little against the blazing blades of Yashasvi Jaiswal (68 off 34, 5 fours & 6 sixes) and Shivam Dube (63* off 32, 5 fours & 4 sixes) as India chased down the target in 15.4 overs to clinch the series with a game to go.

Rohit Sharma, who became the first to feature in 150 T20Is, couldn’t commemorate the occasion with an impactful innings as he fell for a golden duck. Looking to swing across the line to a Fazalhaq Farooqi delivery, he missed making any contact with the bat to be bowled, heading back without scoring for his second successive game. Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli, who replaced Shubman Gill and Tilak Varma, began with confident boundaries to get India going. Boundaries and sixes came regularly as they raised a quick-fire half-century stand to put India in command. Kohli though fell against the run of play, failing to clear mid-off off Naveen-ul-Haq in the final over of powerplay. Jaiswal ended the over with another six, helping India to 69/2.

Jaiswal continued to dominate, striking a straight six off Mohammad Nabi, while Shivam Dube hit his first maximum by sending a Noor Ahmad delivery flat past long-off. Jaiswal reached a 27-ball fifty following which Dube went on overdrive, hitting a hat-trick of sixes off Nabi to bring up a fifty-run stand off only 25 balls. It was a batting show-off between Dube and Jaiswal, with Afghanistan being the collateral damage. Jaiswal hit a four and two sixes off Noor after which Dube followed it up with three fours in an over off Naveen and got to a 22-ball fifty, his second successive half-century in the series.

Karim Janat struck twice in the 13th over to give Afghanistan some respite. Jaiswal edged the ball to the keeper trying to run the ball to the third-man region, ending a partnership worth 92 off 42, while Jitesh Sharma hit one straight to mid-off to depart for a duck. But with the required rate under 2.5 an over, it needed an implosion from the Indian batting order for Afghanistan to stand any chance. Dube and Rinku Singh ensured there wasn’t one, sealing a comprehensive victory for India.

Earlier,

Rahmanullah Gurbaz didn’t take long to get going, putting away a half-volley from Arshdeep Singh in the opening over for a four and then hit a straight six off Mukesh Kumar. In the same over Ibrahim Zadran survived a review for lbw and got off the mark with a boundary. Afghanistan suffered a setback in the third over as Ravi Bishnoi had him caught at mid-on. But Gulbadin Naib ensured the positivity from the innings did not diminish, putting away Mukesh for a couple of fours and then taking on the legspinner, pulling one for a six followed by two fours. Axar Patel picked up a wicket in his first over as well, having Ibrahim bowled for 8. Gulbadin, meanwhile, added another four to his tally to help Afghanistan end the powerplay at 58/2, their highest Power Play score against India.

Another bowler delivered for India in his first over as Shivam Dube had Azmatullah Omarzai bowled with a slower delivery. But Gulbadin did not relent, clearing deep midwicket and long on for two sixes off Dube en route to a 28-ball fifty. But Axar, who bowled his four overs at one go, had Gulbadin caught at midwicket and finished with excellent figures of 2-17. Mohammad Nabi was reprieved in the 13th over when Jitesh Sharma couldn’t hold on to an under-edge off Washington Sundar’s bowling. But the veteran fell soon after, giving Bishnoi his second wicket when Rinku held on to a well-judged catch at long off. Karim Janat’s boundary off Washington in the 16th over was a much-needed one for Afghanistan who managed only 59 runs in overs 7-16.

Najibullah Zadran, who was on 6 off 15, finally got going in the 17th over as he clubbed two sixes off Bishnoi, with a four sandwiched between those. But he had to depart in the next over, bowled by Arshdeep, who in the same over ended up being hit for a six and a four by Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Dube was handed the ball for the penultimate over as part of India’s experimentation but Karim found the bowling to his liking as he struck a four and a six, and Mujeeb ended the over with another maximum. Arshdeep bagged a couple of wickets in the final over, eight runs came off it, and there were a couple of run outs too as Afghanistan finished with 170-plus.

Brief scores:
Afghanistan 172 in 20 overs (Gulbadin Naib 57; Arshdeep Singh 3-32, Axar Patel 2-17) lost to  India 173/4 in 15.4 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 68, Shivam Dube 63*; Karim Janat 2-13) by 6 wickets.



Latest News

India start favourites against rattled Pakistan

Published

on

By

India began their Champions Trophy campaign in style with a facile win over Bangladesh [Cricbuzz]

The common refrain among teams ahead of today’s expected high-voltage clash between India and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy is, “It’s just another game.” Players from both sides have sought to downplay the pressure factor that typically accompanies a match between these traditional rivals.

“It doesn’t change anything for us, honestly. We play every match to win the match and this is no different for us. And that is how we are going to prepare for this one as well,” India vice-captain Shubman Gill said on the eve of the game. “There is no extra pressure; we are relaxed. We will treat it as just another match,” Haris Rauf remarked on the contest. It is unlikely the players are entirely honest about their mindset and mental approach, particularly the Pakistan players.

With their survival on the line, Pakistan’s players are feeling the pressure from all sides. Their bowling and batting floundered in the tournament opener against New Zealand, leaving the Mohammad Rizwan side teetering on the cliff. The bowlers were way off the mark and the batters struggled to accelerate.

During their net sessions at the ICC Academy on Friday night, the bowlers focused on swinging the ball in, something that was invisible in their performance against New Zealand. The batters, on the other hand, were consistently attempting big shots and aiming to clear the boundary – something they had struggled to do in their previous match.

A sense of urgency was evident within the Indian ranks as well. Virat Kohli, short on runs of late, alarmingly sparking concerns over his batting technique, arrived at the academy an hour before his teammates. Accompanied by a pair of throwdown specialists – one left-handed and the other right-handed – with batting coach Sitanshu Kotak in tow, Kohli batted for an extra hour, noticeably determined to regain his former flourish, sparkle and confidence. Most importantly the trademark Kohli swagger and confidence that would be so inherent in his cover drives have been missing of late. He is not leaving anything to chance to regain the touch.

Going by numbers and recent form, India should be the clear favorites, having won five of the six encounters against the traditionals rivals since the 2017 Champions Trophy final. Overall, Pakistan lead the head-to-head record 73-57, but in the past decade – especially since the 2015 World Cup – India have lost only one match, the 2017 Champions Trophy final, while winning seven with one no result.

The form and record clearly indicate India as the favorites, but Sunil Gavaskar, speaking on a television show Friday, said that while he believes Rohit Sharma’s men are strong favorites, it would be impudent to discount the fact that a single game-changing moment from either side could shift the balance. Who will that game-changer be?

India Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Harshit Rana.

Pakistan Probable XI: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

[Cricbuzz]

Continue Reading

Foreign News

US measles outbreak sickens nearly 100 in Texas, New Mexico

Published

on

By

Health officials in two US states are tracking measles outbreaks as cases rise to nearly 100 people.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported Friday that it was aware of 90 cases diagnosed in the last month in the South Plains area, in the north-west part of the state. At least 77 of them were reported in children and teens under 17.

In New Mexico, officials said nine people had been sickened in Lea County, along the state’s eastern border with Texas.

Measles is highly contagious and can be deadly. The outbreaks come amid a rise in US anti-vaccine sentiment, including towards the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab that is typically received during childhood.

Health officials in Texas say those numbers are likely an undercount, as some parents may not report infections or may not realise their child has the disease.

“It is troubling, because this was completely preventable,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and senior scholar at Johns Hopkins University, told CBS News, the BBC’s American news partner.

“It’s the most contagious infectious disease known to humans,” she added.

Symptoms of the highly infectious illness include fever, cough, runny nose, eye irritation and a signature rash.

A measles infection can have particularly devastating complications for pregnant women and young children, including pneumonia, neurological impairment, hearing loss and death, and survivors are at risk of developing a degenerative brain and nervous system disease known as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE).

Most US children receive two shots to protect against the illness, which together are 97% effective in protecting against measles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Health experts say that the disease could be controlled or even eradicated with proper inoculation rates – generally defined as 95% of a community receiving the measles vaccine.

But vaccination rates have dropped in some communities in recent decades as a loose network of vaccine sceptics have without evidence questioned the safety and efficacy of the shots. Robert F Kennedy Jr, recently confirmed as President Donald Trump’s health secretary, faced strong criticism for his ties to these groups.

Most states require that children receive the MMR vaccine to attend school, but many, including Texas, also allow families to file a conscientious exemption – a non-medical reason to refuse a vaccine requirement.

In Texas, federal data shows that the state achieved a 94.3% vaccination rate among kindergarteners for the 2023-2024 school year, while New Mexico reached 95%. But a state survey of Texas schools found that rates of exemptions were ticking upwards for MMR and other required vaccines.

In Gaines County, where 57 of the Texas cases were reported, exemptions have surged over the last decade. State data shows 17.62% of students had a conscientious exemption to at least one required vaccine during the 2023-2024 school year, up from 7.45% in the 2013-2014 year.

Neighbouring Terry County, home to 20 cases, saw exemption rates go from zero to 3.73% in the same time period.

Texas officials reported that of the 90 cases in their state, 85 were in people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unclear.

CBS reports that the area is home to a large Mennonite community, which typically have low vaccination rates due to the group’s religious beliefs.

But some officials are reluctant to intervene.

“We respect everyone’s right to vaccinate or not get vaccinated,” Albert Pilkington, CEO of the nearby Seminole Hospital District, told the Texas Standard. “That’s just what it means to be an American, right?”

American children have been vaccinated against measles since 1963. The jab was improved and combined with vaccines for the mumps and rubella viruses about a decade later, and is widely considered to be safe.

Prior to the vaccine’s introduction, around 48,000 people were hospitalized with measles each year and 400–500 people died. In 2024, the US reported 285 cases with 114 hospitalisations.

Health officials in New Mexico are offering a free vaccine clinic this week in an effort to boost protection. Texas also directed residents to contact their doctors or visit a clinic to get vaccinated if they have not previously received a shot.

[BBC]

Continue Reading

Foreign News

Pope remains in ‘critical’ condition after ‘respiratory crisis’

Published

on

By

Pope Francis’s condition continues to be “critical” after suffering a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis” earlier on Saturday, the Vatican has said.

The pontiff is “more unwell than yesterday” and had received blood transfusions, the statement said.

The Vatican said the 88-year-old was alert and in his armchair, but required a “high flow” of oxygen and his prognosis “remains guarded”.

The Pope is being treated for pneumonia in both lungs at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome.

The blood transfusions were deemed necessary due to a low platelet count, associated with anaemia, the Vatican said.  “The Holy Father’s condition remains critical,” a statement said. “The Pope is not out of danger.”

“The Holy Father continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair even if he was suffering more than yesterday,” the statement added.

The Pope has asked for openness about his health, so the Vatican has begun releasing daily statements. The tone, and length, of the announcements has varied, sometimes leaving Pope-watchers to attempt to read between the lines.

But this is by far the starkest assessment yet and it is unusually detailed. It declines to give any prognosis.

It comes just a day after doctors treating the Pope said for the first time that he was responding to medication, although they were clear that his condition was complex. They said on Friday that the slightest change of circumstance would upset what was called a “delicate balance”.

“He is the Pope,” as one of them put it. “But he is also a man.”

The Pope was first admitted to hospital on 14 February after experiencing difficulties breathing for several days.

He is especially prone to lung infections due to developing pleurisy – an inflammation around the lungs – as an adult and having part of one of his lungs removed at age 21.

During his 12 years as leader of the Roman Catholic church, the Argentine has been hospitalised several times including in March 2023 when he spent three nights in hospital with bronchitis.

The latest news will worry Catholics worldwide, who are following news of the Pope’s condition closely.

It is a busy Jubilee year for the Catholic Church with huge numbers of visitors expected in Rome and a major schedule of events for the Pope. He is not known for enjoying being inactive. Even in hospital, his doctors say he went to pray in the chapel this week and had been reading in his chair.

But even before the latest setback, the Vatican had said he would not appear in public to lead prayer with pilgrims on Sunday, meaning he will miss the event for the second week in a row.

Well-wishers have been leaving candles, flowers and letters for the Pope outside Rome’s Gemelli hospital all week. There was no change outside St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Saturday evening, however, with no crowd gathering.

But people passing through the square said they were following the news.

“We feel very close to the Pope, here in Rome,” one Italian man told the BBC. “We saw the latest, and we are worried.”

[BBC]

Continue Reading

Trending