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Phillips, Latham fifties rescue the Black Caps
A solid 144-run stand for the fifth wicket between Glenn Phillips (71) and Tom Latham (68) helped New Zealand to post a challenging total of 288 against Afghanistan in Chennai on Wednesday (October 18). A whopping 103 runs came off the final ten overs as Afghanistan lost the plot during the slog overs. Their catching in general was also faulty and it allowed New Zealand to get about 30-40 runs more than it looked possible.
Put in to bat, New Zealand lost the usually reliable Devon Conway in the first Powerplay to Mujeeb-ur-Rahman but the Kiwis were on track thanks to a stroke-full fifty from Will Young who had good company from the impressive Rachin Ravindra. The surface being the one used in the New Zealand-Bangladesh game, there was enough value for strokeplay with a shorter boundary at one end. However, this being the second game meant that it was also a tough drier in that fixture. Young and Ravindra seemed to have things in control until Azmatullah Omarzai was introduced into the attack.
The all-rounder took just two deliveries to break the promising partnership and had both set batters out in the same over to jolt New Zealand. More trouble awaited the batting side as Daryl Mitchell fell next over to Rashid Khan. From 109/1, New Zealand were suddenly 110/4 with more than half the overs left in the tank. That’s when stand-in skipper Latham joined hands with Phillips to do the repair job. It wasn’t always easy going for them, particularly against the slower bowlers and when pace was taken off, but they hung in there. Like the earlier batters, both were also aided by some simply dropped catches in the field.
Afghanistan had to pay dearly for the lapses as both batters set themselves for the final flourish, and executed their plan perfectly. Phillips was the more fluent of the lot although he did rein himself in for a major part of the innings. Latham struggled to find his range until the back end but he too was then into the act with those trademark ramps and lofted strokes. Apart from the dropped catches, the bowling in the death overs was also quite wayward from Afghanistan who would have preferred a chase in the 260 range. But with dew expected later, this is still a target they can chase, just that it will take a lot more doing against the wily New Zealand attack.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 288/6 in 50 overs (Glenn Phillips 71, Tom Latham 68; Naveen-ul-Haq 2-48) vs Afghanistan
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Heavy rainfall of about 100 mm are likely at some places in Central, Sabaragamuwa, Western, Southern and Uva provinces and in Kurunegala and Polonnaruwa districts
WEATHER FORECAST FOR 01 APRIL 2025
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 01 April 2025 by the Department of Meteorology
The atmospheric conditions are getting favorable for afternoon thundershowers in the most parts of the island for next few days from today (01).
Misty conditions can be expected at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-central and Uva provinces and in Galle, Matara and Kurunegala districts during the morning.
Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in the most parts of the island during the afternoon or night. Heavy rainfall of about 100 mm are likely at some places in Central, Sabaragamuwa, Western, Southern and Uva provinces and in Kurunegala and Polonnaruwa districts.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershower
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has nominated a former Navy commander to head the country’s domestic security services, despite the courts having blocked his bid to fire the previous head of Shin Bet.
Netanyahu’s office announced on Monday that he had nominated Vice Admiral Eli Sharvit to lead the agency, which surveils attacks from abroad and at home, including by armed groups based in Palestine and Lebanon. However, a halt to the sacking of Ronen Bar as head of Shin Bet, ordered by the Supreme Court, remains in place.
[Aljazeera]
The Trump administration has deported 17 more alleged gang members to El Salvador, the US state department has said, despite legal battles over removing people to the Central American country’s supermax prison.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the group included members of the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs.
Salvadoran government officials told the BBC they included a mix of Venezuelans and Salvadorans.
Earlier this month a court ordered a halt to deportations carried out under the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law previously used only in wartime. However, US media, citing administration sources, reported that the recent deportations were made under general immigration laws.
In a statement, Rubio said the group included “murderers and rapists”, but did not provide names or details of the alleged crimes or of any convictions.
In a post on X, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele shared a dramatically edited video showing shackled men being loaded off a plane and their heads being shaved before they were put into prison cells.
“All individuals are confirmed murderers and high-profile offenders, including six child rapists,” he wrote. “This operation is another step in the fight against terrorism and organized crime.”
President Trump reposted the message, blamed the administration of his predecessor Joe Biden for allowing the deportees into the US and thanked Bukele for “giving them such a wonderful place to live”.
El Salvador has agreed to take in deportees in exchange for $6m (£4.6m).
Family members of some of those who were previously sent to the maximum security prison have denied they have any gang ties.
After Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act to remove more than 100 Venezuelans from the US earlier this month, groups including the American Civil Liberties Union filed a legal challenge alleging the administration had illegally denied the immigrants due process.
In a hearing on 15 March, James Boasberg, the top federal judge in Washington DC, imposed a temporary restraining order on the use of the law and ordered deportation flights that were in the air to be turned around.
But the deportations proceeded. The next hearing in the case will be held on Thursday.
[BBC]
Heavy rainfall of about 100 mm are likely at some places in Central, Sabaragamuwa, Western, Southern and Uva provinces and in Kurunegala and Polonnaruwa districts
Netanyahu nominates new Israeli spy chief despite court order
Underworld leader threatens police over arrest of his father and brother
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