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Mulder unbeaten on 264 as South Africa post 465 on opening day
Wiaan Mulder marked his captaincy debut with a marathon unbeaten 264 as South Africa ran Zimbabwe ragged on a hot opening day of the second Test in Bulawayo.
South Africa went into stumps on a mammoth 465 for 4, the final session alone bringing them 222. Runs hemorrhaged from both ends against a toothless attack that was further depleted by a niggle to debutant seamer Kundai Matigimu, who largely bowled within himself for much of the evening.
As dominant as South Africa were, Zimbabwe’s misfired tactics – of bowling to spread out fields as early as after the first hour with the fast bowler adopting a short-ball ploy to Mulder and David Bedingham – came under sharp focus. There were also a few missed opportunities in between that contributed to the day’s scoreline.
The first one came when Mulder top-edged a pull on 91, with the ball landing between deep square and fine leg off Blessing Muzarabani. Then there was a grassed opportunity at backward square leg by Wesley Madhevere off teenager Lhuan-dre Pretorius on 31 when he skied an attempted slog sweep off left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza.
There was more frustration late in the day when Tanaka Chivanga clean bowled Mulder on 247, only for the joy to be short-lived as replays confirmed the bowler had overstepped to compound Zimbabwe’s frustration.
On 133 at the tea interval, Mulder added 131 more in the final session, as he climbed into Zimbabwe’s tired spinners initially, and then against the fast bowlers who once again dished out bizarre short-ball plans with the second new ball.
And while Mulder made merry, Pretorius was equally enterprising in his bristling 87-ball 78, before falling in the final session when a century was there for the taking. Looking to heave a length delivery over deep midwicket, he top-edged debutant Matigimu to Masakadza at mid-on just as the second new ball was taken, bringing an end to a 217-run fourth-wicket partnership.
The prelude to the Mulder-Pretorius partnership was another solid double-century stand between Mulder and David Bedingham, who rode the early wobble in the first session with the pair lifting South Africa from 24 for 2. Bedingham was compact in defence, and steely in his resolve to not play loose drives in the first hour.
There on, there were hardly any drivable deliveries on offer thanks to the short-ball ploy. Bedingham was equally severe against the spinners, using his feet well to get fully forward or rock back to cut and pull. Mulder and Pretorius brought up the half-century partnership off just 35 balls, and then set themselves for the long haul.
Bedingham was out against the run of play for 82 when a nip-backer from Chivanga trapped him lbw, but any joy from the wicket quickly dissipated as Pretorius took charge. Fresh off a barnstorming century in the first Test, he looked unshackled as he took the attack to the spinner and fast bowlers alike, hitting seven fours and three sixes in his innings.
Zimbabwe’s only semblance of effectiveness came in the first half hour in an engaging passage, where the new ball did something. Tony de Zorzi was put down in the slips by Craig Ervine, but Zimbabwe didn’t need to wait long for a wicket as he was out slashing to gully, where Nick Welch took a leaping catch. Then it was the turn of debutant Lesego Senokwane to fall for 3 when he was out lbw attempting to paddle Masakadza.
Those moments of fleeting joy quickly dissipated as Zimbabwe were sent on a leather hunt for the rest of the day.
Brief scores:
South Africa 465 for 4 in 88 overs (Wiaan Mulder 264*, David Bedingham 82, Lhuan-dre Pretorius 78; Tanaka Chivanga 2-85) vs Zimbabwe
[Cricinfo]
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Qualifier Maja Chwalinska extends dream French Open run
Qualifier Maja Chwalinska continued her dream French Open run as she beat Anna Kalinskaya to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final.
The world number 114 was left open-mouthed with shock after completing a superb 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 win over 22nd seed Kalinskaya on a blustery Paris day.
Poland’s Chwalinska is the second qualifier after Nadia Podoroska in 2020 to reach the singles semi-finals at Roland Garros.
She is only the sixth qualifier in the Open era to reach the women’s singles semi-finals at a Grand Slam.
Only one – Britain’s Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open – went on to win the title.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka could await Chwalinska the last four, with the Belarusian taking on Russian Diana Shnaider later on Wednesday.
“I honestly don’t know what is going on,” Chwalinska told the crowd.
“I know I repeat myself, but every match here is kind of crazy for me.”
It is a remarkable run for Chwalinska, who arrived at the tournament with just two victories in WTA Tour-level main-draw matches under her belt.
Her sole Grand Slam match win came at Wimbledon in 2022 – but Chwalinska now finds herself on an eight-match winning streak on the Parisian clay, having dropped just one set on the way.
Everything appears to have clicked in place for a player who once feared she might have left the sport for good.
Chwalinska struggled with depression for two years and took an indefinite break from tennis after losing in the first round of qualifying at Wimbledon in 2021.
She did not know whether she would return at that point, having lost her enjoyment of training and competing.
With the support of the people around her, the openness of fellow players such as Naomi Osaka in speaking about their mental health, and brief attempts to enjoy other sports, Chwalinska found herself gradually gravitating back to the tennis court.
It has all led her to this moment of a first major semi-final – and a potential David-versus-Goliath showdown with title favourite Sabalenka.

In Paris, Chwalinska has played with infectious freedom and joyful creativity, beating two seeded players and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen along the way.
She kept her composure well against Kalinskaya, first having to reset after letting a 5-1 lead slip in the opener, before reeling off five straight points from 3-2 down in the resulting tie-break to take the lead.
She then held her nerve in the second, recovering from being broken as she tried to serve out victory before clinching her first match point on Kalinskaya’s serve.
“I was definitely nervous. I am stressed, of course, but I try to focus on my job and my games,” Chwalinska said.
“I am not focusing on confidence. I am playing against the best players in the world, so I will not compare myself to them.”
Whatever happens in the semi-finals, Chwalinska is now projected to leap up the rankings and into the world’s top 30.
By reaching the semi-finals, she has also secured prize money amounting to £647,700 – more than doubling her career total earnings of £642,400 in the space of 10 days.
[BBC Sport]
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Foreign nationals among at least 21 killed in Delhi fire
At least 21 people have been killed and many others injured after a fire tore through a multi-storey building in south Delhi, police in India’s capital say.
Many of the victims were foreigners – including people from South Asian and African countries – who had travelled to India for medical treatment or to accompany relatives undergoing care, local media reported.
The building in the Malviya Nagar area allegedly operated as a bed-and-breakfast catering to patients and relatives of those receiving treatment at a nearby private hospital.
More than 40 people were rescued and taken to hospital. It remains unclear how many were inside the building when fire broke out. Its cause is not yet known.
The blaze is one of the deadliest in recent years in the Indian capital.
“The fire was brought under control quite early on – it was contained very quickly. We have now cleared the building and opened it up for the police,” fire officer AK Malik said.
Delhi minister Ashish Sood said authorities were investigating whether the building had the necessary permissions to operate as a bed-and-breakfast facility, adding that those found responsible for any violations would face criminal action.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,088; £1,552) for the families of those killed and 50,000 rupees for those injured.

Videos on social media showed flames shooting from the building as people gathered nearby. Footage broadcast by Indian news channels showed its exterior badly charred as emergency workers searched the site.
Witnesses said the fire spread rapidly, trapping people on upper floors. Bystanders helped some escape before emergency crews arrived.
“The fire broke out at about 08:50… we rushed to the spot to see that the entire building was on fire. There is a mattress shop at the corner from where we took out mattresses and laid them on the road,” Wasim Raj told ANI news agency.
“People started to jump out of the building from the second and third floors. The fire-fighting team had reached the spot immediately and started rescue work.”
Sher Khan, who lives nearby, described scenes of panic as people trapped on the upper floors cried out for help.
“As the fire intensified, it seemed as if there was no way to jump from here. People spread mattresses, and some from the third floor jumped out with a little kid… She was saying that she fractured her leg,” he said.
Israr Khan, another local resident, told reporters that “all of us have been here since morning. We rescued a child who jumped from the higher floor”.
Several people in the building were from Bangladesh and other South Asian countries and had travelled to Delhi for medical treatment, local lawmaker Satish Upadhyay said.
Fires are common in India, where building safety laws are often poorly enforced.
From factories and coaching centres to hospitals and entertainment venues, many of Delhi’s deadliest blazes have exposed a persistent gap between safety rules on paper and their implementation on the ground.
Investigations have repeatedly pointed to lax inspections, faulty electrical systems and buildings operating beyond their approved use.
[BBC]
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US and Iran launch new strikes, as Kuwait says airport hit by Iranian drones
The US military has said it launched “self-defence” strikes on Iran overnight, and shot down ballistic missiles and drones fired at ships and Gulf countries.
The strikes on Qeshm Island, in the Strait of Hormuz, were “in response to attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East”, US Central Command (Centcom) said.
Centcom said Iran had fired two missiles at Kuwait and three at Bahrain, all of which broke apart or were intercepted. Iran said it had attacked US bases and helicopters in a “regional country” using missiles and drones in retaliation.
One person was killed in Kuwait and more than 60 injured when drones hit buildings including its international airport, officials said.
Kuwait’s defence ministry spokesman, Brig Gen Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, called the attack “criminal Iranian aggression”, while the Kuwaiti foreign ministry later said infrastructure including diplomatic missions had been damaged.
Centcom said the strike on Qeshm Island had targeted an Iranian military ground control station. It said the US also shot down three attack drones that had been launched by Iran toward “civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters”.
Centcom had earlier said it had struck and “disabled” an unladen oil tanker that was sailing towards Iran, as part of the US naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, which began on 13 April.
A US aircraft fired a Hellfire missile into the engine room of the Botswana-flagged M/T vessel, after its crew “ignored repeated warnings”, it said.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said “disrupting the security of the Strait of Hormuz will carry a heavy price for the aggressive US military”.
A foreign ministry statement said the leaders of Kuwait and Bahrain had “direct and unmistakable responsibility” for “last night’s acts of aggression”, according to the AFP news agency, as it condemned the US for the strikes.
Iran has repeatedly attacked targets in Bahrain and Kuwait, where US military bases are located.
The attacks happened as ceasefire negotiations between the US and Iran stalled, with a deal to end the war failing to advance over the weekend.

US President Donald Trump this week told his critics to “sit back and relax “, saying that Iran “really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the USA”.
US media earlier reported that Trump had requested edits to the terms of a potential peace deal, after meeting with senior aides to discuss extending the framework of a ceasefire.
The changes related to the Strait of Hormuz and the removal of highly enriched uranium from Iran, the BBC’s US news partner CBS News reported – as well as a framework to reopen negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme.
On Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei denied this had been on the table, adding that Washington was “constantly changing its views and putting forward new or contradictory demands”.
In an interview aired on Wednesday, Trump said Iran had “already agreed” to not have a nuclear weapon.
Trump said Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, was “involved” in the talks.
“We seem to be getting along quite well,” Trump told the Pod Force One podcast.
Asked if he would like to meet him, he said: “I’d like to meet him. We probably will meet at some point, depending on how it all works out.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress on Tuesday that negotiators had not offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for reopening the strait.
“Right now, everything that’s been discussed with them is that … any sanctions relief is condition-based, which means it has to be in return for the reason why those sanctions were put in place in the first place, which is their nuclear programme,” he said.
“The war is over,” he said in another tense exchange with a senator, as lawmakers on the committee questioned the US strategy for ending the conflict.
[BBC]
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