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Stokes, bowlers keep England’s Champions Trophy qualification hopes alive
A clinical bowling performance following Ben Stokes’ maiden World Cup century gave England an emphatic 160-run win against Netherlands in Pune on Wednesday (November 8). Chasing a daunting target of 340, the Dutch never got going as they were derailed in the first Powerplay itself. Chris Woakes and David Willey bowled immaculate new-ball spells to virtually seal the deal in the first ten overs. Wesley Barresi, Scott Edwards and Teja Nidanamuru provided resistance but the task had gotten out of hand very early in the chase. Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali ensured that the end was hastened with over 12 overs left. The result ensured that England were on track for qualification to the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Facing the new ball under lights has been a task for chasing sides and the Dutch openers were at sea against the Woakes-Willey duo who probed away relentlessly and managed to extract some help off the surface. Max O’Dowd and Colin Ackermann were unable to cope with it as Netherlands slipped to 13/2 in the sixth over. The first Powerplay produced a mere 23 runs and this in the context of a run chase of 340 all but buried Netherlands’ chances of making a game out of it. Barresi and Engelbrecht did stitch a 55-run partnership to steady things but the rate of scoring was too slow and it only made the task harder for Netherlands.
On expected lines, both batters succumbed to the mounting pressure and Bas de Leede also continued his woeful form with the bat as the innings started to fall apart. The only time in the innings when it seemed like the intent and execution were on point was when Edwards and Nidanamuru got together. Their 59-run stand came off just 50 balls as they managed to put some sort of pressure on England’s bowlers. The Dutch skipper was his usual self against spin while Nidanamuru also produced some cracking strokes. However, the pressure of a big asking rate eventually undid them too, with Rashid and Moeen then slicing through the rest of the batting line-up.
Eventually, it proved to be a very comfortable win for England whose strong total was set up by a Stokes masterclass. Despite the immensely favourable batting conditions on offer, England managed to get themselves into a hole at 192/6 after Dawid Malan’s 74-ball 87 had given them the early impetus. The left-handed opener was at his classy best as he pinged the gaps with ease during the first ten overs. It set him up for a big knock even as Jonny Bairstow suffered yet another failure in the tournament. Joe Root also struggled for tempo and uncharacteristically missed a reverse ramp to be bowled. It was his dismissal that opened the floodgates for Netherlands.
The Dutch bowlers till that point were lacking in penetration and appeared to be wayward in their radar. Root’s dismissal followed by Malan’s silly run out derailed England’s momentum as the middle order collapsed yet again. Harry Brook on his comeback failed to impress while Jos Buttler’s lean patch continued. Moeen also fell without troubling the scorers much and it was all left to Stokes once again. The all-rounder found a good ally in Woakes as the pair stitched a game defining 129-run stand to turn things around. Stokes was the aggressor but he was initially defiant in his approach before going out all guns blazing in the slog overs.
Woakes also chipped in with a handy fifty as death bowling once again hurt the Dutch. A whopping 124 runs came in the last 60 balls and it meant that the chase at hand was going to be a gargantuan one.
Brief scores:
England 339/9 in 50 overs (Ben Stokes 108, Dawid Malan 87, Joe Root 28, Chris Woakes 51; Aryan Dutt 2-67, Logan va Beek 2-88, Bas de Leede 3-74) beat Netherlands 179 in 37.2 overs (Wesley Baresi 37, Sybrand Engelbrecht 33, Scott Edwards 38, Teja Nidamanuru 41; David Willey 2-19, Moeen Ali 3-42, Adil Rashid 3-54) by 160 runs
(Cricbuzz)
United States President Donald Trump has confirmed that talks with Iran are continuing to try to de-escalate tensions in the Gulf, even as the US military announced shooting down an Iranian drone that approached its aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.
Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that Washington was negotiating with Iran “right now”, but declined to say where the talks were taking place.
“[The talks] are all over. But they are negotiating. They’d like to do something, and we’ll see if something is going to be done,” he said.
“They had a chance to do something a while ago, and it didn’t work out. And we did ‘Midnight Hammer’, I don’t think they want that happening again,” he added, referring to the operation last June in which the US Air Force and Navy struck three Iranian nuclear facilities.
Trump, who has been pushing Teheran to agree to talks over its nuclear programme, has repeatedly threatened to attack the country again over a recent crackdown on antigovernment protests. The US president sent the USS Abraham Lincoln to the Gulf last week, leading to fears of a possible military confrontation.
The carrier strike group, which brought roughly 5,700 additional US troops, joined three destroyers and three littoral combat ships that were already in the region.
Tensions have been easing in recent days amid a push by regional powers for a resolution.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said earlier on Tuesday that he had instructed the country’s foreign minister to “pursue fair and equitable negotiations, guided by the principles of dignity, prudence, and expediency”, provided that a “suitable environment exists”.
“These negotiations shall be conducted within the framework of our national interests,” Pezeshkian added
[Aljazeera]
Seven million people’s cancer could be prevented each year, according to the first global analysis.
A report by World Health Organization (WHO) scientists estimates 37% of cancers are caused by infections, lifestyle choices and environmental pollutants that could be avoided.
This includes cervical cancers caused by human papilloma virus (HPV) infections which vaccination can help prevent, as well as a host of tumours caused by tobacco smoke from cigarettes.
The researchers said their report showed there is a “powerful opportunity” to transform the lives of millions of people.
Some cancers are inevitable – either because of damage we unavoidably build up in our DNA as we age or because we inherit genes that put us at greater risk of the disease.
But researcher Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram said “people are surprised to hear” that nearly four in 10 cancers can be prevented as it is “a substantial number”.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the WHO, analysed 30 preventable factors known to increase the risk of cancer.
These include smoking and ultraviolet (UV) radiation which can directly damage our DNA; obesity and too little physical activity which alter inflammation and hormones in the body to raise cancer risk; and air pollution which can wake up dormant cancer cells.
The agency’s report also looked at nine cancer-causing infections including HPV, hepatitis viruses which lead to liver cancer and the stomach bug H. pylori.
The team used data on cancer cases from 2022 and from the 30 risk factors a decade earlier – across 185 countries – to perform their statistical analysis.
The big three contributors to more than 18 million cancer cases around the world were found to be:
- smoking tobacco which caused 3.3 million cancers
- infections causing 2.3 million cancers
- alcohol use leading to 700,000 cancers
However, the overall figures mask a nuanced picture of cancer risk around the world.
There is a stark sex-divide with 45% of men’s cancers being preventable compared with 30% in women, partly down to higher levels of smoking among men.
In women living in Europe, the top three preventable causes of cancer are smoking, closely followed by infection and then obesity.
While in sub-Saharan Africa, infections dominate and account for nearly 80% of preventable cancers in women.
This means any measures to tackle these cancers would need to be tailored to each region or country.
“This landmark study is a comprehensive assessment of preventable cancer worldwide, incorporating for the first time infectious causes of cancer alongside behavioural, environmental, and occupational risks,” said Soerjomataram, the deputy head of the IARC Cancer Surveillance Unit.
“Addressing these preventable causes represents one of the most powerful opportunities to reduce the global cancer burden.”
The report, published in the journal Nature Medicine, showed lung cancer (linked to smoking and air pollution) stomach cancer (linked to H. pylori infection) and cervical cancer (linked to HPV infection) made up nearly half of all preventable cases of cancer.
Dr Andre Ilbawi, team lead for cancer control at WHO, said the study was “good news” as it showed something could be done and he pointed to the success of countries that have introduced policies to tackle smoking or vaccinate against HPV.
“The percentage of preventable cancers can change over time and our goal is to get it as close to zero as possible,” he said.
[BBC]
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