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Samson, bowlers set up India’s series win
A maiden ODI century by Sanju Samson, also his first in international cricket, paved the way for India’s 78-run victory over South Africa in the Paarl decider. As a result, India won the ODI series 2-1.
Put in to bat, India compiled 296/8, their second-highest total against South Africa on these shores. And on a tricky surface which had help for pacers and spinners alike, the target proved beyond the opposition in the face of an all-round bowling performance.
That total on the board looked a long shot when India were 132/3 after 30 overs but as many as 141 runs were scored in the last 14 overs, in part thanks to Rinku Singh’s quick-fire 38 off 27. The meat of the innings though was the 116-run stand for the fourth wicket between Samson and Tilak Varma, the second-highest run-getter of the innings.
Varma hit 5 fours and six but scored his runs at a strike-rate of 67 in conditions difficult for batting, something which put pressure on Samson at the other end too. Tilak had 9 runs from his first 38 balls but was luckily able to move on from his sluggish start, scoring his next 43 runs off 39 balls en route to his first ODI fifty. Samson, at the other end, looked to be batting on a different pitch but had his fair share of luck, putting away 6 fours and 3 sixes.
Varma holed out after his fifty, and Samson after his hundred, but the duo ensured that India had a fighting total on the board. Keshav Maharaj was the standout bowler for the hosts with figures of 10-2-37-1. Markram bowled his five overs for 1-37 whereas Beuran Hendricks finished with three wickets.
South Africa’s chase got off to a solid start, thanks to the 59-run association between Reeza Henricks and Tony de Zorzi. It took a jaffa from Arshdeep Singh to nick Reeza and break that stand, following which Axar bowled Rassie van der Dussen. Aiden Markram and de Zorzi then came together for a reassuring 65-run stand but a flurry of wickets waited on the other side of it, the door opened by Markram’s ill-advised reverse-sweep against Washington Sundar. De Zorzi
The pacers needed no second invitation after that. Arshdeep trapped South Africa’s top-scorer and in-form de Zorzi in front, Avesh outwitted Heinrich Klaasen with a legcutter, and Mukhesh Kumar had David Miller edging behind. With the main actors back in the hut, it was only a matter of time for India.
Sundar finished with figures of 2-38, Axar Patel with 1-48 and Arshdeep with 4-30 as India bowled South Africa out for 218 and marked a memorable return to the ODI format after the World Cup heartbreak.
Brief Scores:
India 296/8 in 50 overs (Rajat Patidar 22, Sanju Samson 108, K L Rahul 21, Tilak Varma 52, Rinku Singh 38; Nandre Burger 2-64, Beuran Henricks 3-63) beat South Africa 218 in 45.4 overs (Toni de Zorzi 81, Aiden Markram 36, Heinrich Klassen 21, ; Arshdeep Singh 4-30, Avesh Khan 2-45, Washington Sundar 2-38) by 78 runs
The ICC have welcomed the announcement that the Fairgrounds in Pomona, Southern California, will host cricket at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Excitement around cricket’s Olympic comeback has been building since it was confirmed that the sport would return to the Games.
On 9 April, the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed the player quotas and number of participating teams for cricket at the 2028 Olympics.
Both the men’s and women’s T20 competitions will feature six teams each, with a 90-player quota allocated per gender, allowing each nation to field a squad of up to 15 players.
The full tournament schedule will be finalised closer to the start of the Games.
“We welcome the announcement of the venue for cricket at Los Angeles 2028 as it is a significant step towards the preparation for our sport’s return to the Olympics,” ICC Chair Jay Shah said.
“Although cricket is a hugely popular sport, it will be a fantastic opportunity to expand traditional boundaries when it features in the Olympics in the fast-paced, exciting T20 format that should appeal to new audiences.
“On behalf of the ICC, I want to express my gratitude to LA28 and the International Olympic Committee for their support and look forward to collaborating with them and ICC Members in preparing for LA28 and making cricket a huge success there.”
Cricket’s return to the Olympics was confirmed in October 2023, alongside the inclusion of five additional sports for the Los Angeles Games – baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse (sixes) and squash.
The T20 format has previously featured in multi-sport events, with both men’s and women’s competitions held at the Asian Games in 2010, 2014 and 2023. The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham featured a women’s T20 tournament.
[ICC]
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Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cautions all stakeholders of the Indian Premier League (IPL) of attempts to entice participants
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has issued a caution to all stakeholders of the Indian Premier League (IPL) about attempts to entice participants into potentially corrupt activities. The BCCI has cautioned the owners, players, coaches, support staff, and even commentators that a businessman with dubious credentials is actively seeking to trap individuals involved in the league.
The Anti-Corruption Security Unit (ACSU) seems to believe that a businessman from Hyderabad, with clear links to punters, bookies and past and proven records of involvement in corrupt activities, is trying to befriend participants. The ACSU has urged all IPL stakeholders to report any interactions with the businessman and also disclose any possible connections or engagements with him.
The ACSU is also understood to have urged all parties involved in the league to exercise caution. Teams and individuals have been asked to remain alert and report any relevant approaches. The individual’s modus operandi is said to involve luring unsuspecting targets with expensive gifts, including jewellery.
The individual in question is reportedly attempting to get himself close to the IPL participants by masquerading as a fan. He has allegedly been spotted at the team hotels and in the matches, making efforts to befriend players and staff, and inviting potential targets to private parties. There is also information of him offering gifts not only to team members but also to their families.
One of the methods reportedly employed by him involves approaching family members of franchise owners, players, coaches, support staff, and even commentators. He is said to have been offering to take them to jewellery stores and high-end hotels posing as a fan. There are also indications that he may have attempted to contact relatives living abroad, often through social media platforms.
Previously, the ACSU had told the teams that advancing technology has increased their challenges and urged all involved in the league to be alert. Seeking cooperation from all, the BCCI said it is determined and committed to taking every step in its power to prevent corrupt practices that undermine the integrity of the sport of cricket.
Sudan’s paramilitaries have declared the formation of a rival government to the country’s armed forces, two years into a war that has become the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
The leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, said the group was “building the only realistic future for Sudan”.
The announcement came as London hosted an high-level conference to mark the second anniversary of the conflict, where the UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy called for “a pathway to peace”.
Fighting raged on, with the army saying it had bombed RSF positions outside the city of el-Fasher, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee the Zamzam refugee camp.
Hemedti said the RSF was building a “state of law” and not a state ruled by individuals.
“We do not seek domination, but unity. We believe that no tribe, region, or religion holds a monopoly over Sudanese identity,” his statement on Telegram read.
He added that his government would provide essential services such as education and healthcare to not only RSF-controlled areas, but the whole country.
More than 400 people have been killed in recent attacks by the RSF, according to the UN, citing “credible sources”.
Two years into the war, both the army and RSF have been accused of war crimes, including genocide and mass sexual violence.
Hemedti has been locked in a power struggle with Sudan’s army chief, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, since 15 April 2023, creating a humanitarian crisis that has claimed more than 150,000 lives and displaced more than 12 million people.
The latest fighting in the capital of North Darfur, el-Fasher, has forced tens of thousands of civilians from the Zamzam refugee camp to walk 70km (43 miles) to the town of Tawila, according to medical charity MSF.
Many arrived severely dehydrated and some children are reported to have died of thirst.
Humanitarian agencies have reported famine-like conditions facing more than 700,000 people in temporary camps around el-Fasher, with security threats and roadblocks thwarting the delivery of critical aid.
During an international meeting on Tuesday, the UK promised an extra £120m ($159m) worth of food and medical assistance, urging the world not to turn its back on Sudan.
“Many have given up on Sudan – that is wrong – it’s morally wrong when we see so many civilians beheaded, infants as young as one subjected to sexual violence, more people facing famine than anywhere else in the world… We simply cannot look away,” Lammy said.
The conference also called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, but the African Union has said it will not allow the country to be partitioned by the army and the RSF.
[BBC]
Venue announced for cricket’s Olympics return at LA28
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cautions all stakeholders of the Indian Premier League (IPL) of attempts to entice participants
Paramilitaries declare rival government in Sudan
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