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Record-breaking Rohit headlines India’s dominant win

Led by skipper Rohit Sharma’s record-shattering 131, India mauled Afghanistan by 8 wickets in their 2023 World Cup clash in Delhi on Wednesday (October 11). Rohit bossed the chase right from the PowerPlay, making short work of Afghanistan’s 272/8 as India overhauled the target with 15 overs to spare to go second in the points table.
Short boundaries, quick outfield, flat wicket, modest target and dew all combined to make for a perfect setting for Rohit, who tore into not just Afghanistan’s attack but also a bunch of records. En route his scintillating 84-ball knock, Rohit became the highest six-hitter in international cricket surpassing Chris Gayle’s tally of 553, notched up India’s fastest World Cup century in 63 deliveries and overtook Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most hundred in the global event (six).
It wasn’t a brisk start from the get go – India had only 13 from the first-three overs of their chase before Rohit decided to single-handedly take the attack to opposition. Fazalhaq Farooqi had to be taken off the attack immediately after conceding 31 runs – four boundaries and two sixes included – in the space of just 10 balls. Naveen-ul-Haq and Azmatullah Omarzai met with similar fate after leaking a six and a four each in the next two. While it took Ishan Kishan nine balls to open his account in World Cups, the captain went past 1000 runs as he did the bulk of the scoring throughout his stay. India had 94 from Powerplay, of which Rohit had made 76 by himself.
Amidst all the carnage, Afghanistan inexplicably held back Rashid Khan until the 15th over despite the legspinner’s excellent record against Rohit in the other white-ball format (four dismissals). The Indian skipper had already raced to 88 off 52 by then, and India’s asking rate had dropped to a very comfortable 4.08. Rashid did not disappoint though, denying Ishan Kishan a half-century by just three runs. His googly got the better of Rohit too eventually, but not before he also came in the firing line. So relentless was Rohit’s assault that he had in fact flicked one – with impeccable timing – well over midwicket for a maximum.
By the time Rohit fell, India had already crossed the 200 mark in the 25th over. Virat Kohli (55*) and Shreyas Iyer (25*) built on that platform with an unbeaten 72-run partnership to take India over the line without any further hiccups. Though on a night where Rohit rained sixes, it was Iyer’s 101m hit off Mujeeb – the biggest of the tournament thus far – that stole the limelight. Soon after, Kohli completed the formalities with back-to-back fifties to kick-start his World Cup.
Earlier in the day, a 121-run partnership between Hashmatullah Shahidi (80) and Omarzai (62) had rescued Afghanistan from a precarious 63/3 but Jasprit Bumrah’s best World Cup haul of 4-39 only allowed them to post 272/8 after opting to bat. The two half-centurions managed to keep the Indian attack at bay for the majority of the middle overs, but Bumrah returned at death to deny them a shot at recovery.
In his four-over spell in the powerplay, consisting 19 dots, Bumrah had nipped the threat of a promising stand in the bud with the wicket of Ibrahim Zadran. The Afghanistan opener escaped a close LBW call early despite India’s review, but the pacer eventually had him nicking behind after a handful of fluent drives in his 22. Rahmanullah Gurbaz brought up the team fifty in the 11th over but was bounced out by Hardik Pandya soon after to dent another budding partnership. Two balls later, Shardul Thakur trapped Rahmat Shah in front to reduce Afghanistan to 63/3 just after the drinks break.
The fourth-wicket stand between the captain and a promoted Omarzai helped Afghanistan resurrect their innings. The pair did take their time settling in before stepping on the accelerator though. Besides a calculated risk Shahidi took in slogsweeping Ravindra Jadeja – because he knew India were one fielder short inside the ring – Afghanistan had endured 11 overs without a boundary. Omarzai broke the shackles finally in the 25th over when he took on Kuldeep Yadav, lofting him down the ground twice in three balls. Over the next 10 overs, Afghanistan amped up their run-rate by scoring 89 runs. The duo won the middle-overs battle, getting to their respective half-centuries en route Afghanistan’s second best partnership in World Cups.
While Shahidi duly dispatched the two short balls from Pandya to reach his half-century, the India vice-captain came back hard to in his next over by cleaning up Omarzai bringing curtains on the stubborn partnership. Afghanistan failed to find similar momentum again with Kuldeep returning into the attack to slow them down further. After troubling the Afghanistan skipper a few times, the spinner finally had him trapped LBW on 80 to wrap up a fine spell of 10-0-40-1.
Bumrah’s return at death spelled further trouble. From 184 for 3 in the 35th over, Afghanistan slipped to 235/7 as India’s lead pacer accounted for both of Afghanistan’s big-hitters – Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi – in the same over. Mujeeb ur Rahman and Rashid Khan threatened briefly but Bumrah ended the latter’s entertaining cameo on 16, restricting Afghanistan to a modest 272/8.
Brief scores:
Afghanistan 272/8 in 50 overs (Hashmatullah Shahidi 80, Azmatullah Omarzai 62; Jasprit Bumrah 4-39, Hardik Pandya 2-43) lost to India 273/2 in 35 overs (Rohit Sharma 131, Virat Kohli 55*; Rashid Khan 2-57) by 8 wickets
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President and representatives of IMF discuss progress of EFF

A comprehensive discussion regarding the progress of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) took place on Thursday (06) at the Presidential Secretariat, between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and the IMF delegation.
The current government has already reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF on the third review regarding the extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of USD3 billion.
The details of this review are expected to be presented to the International Monetary Fund’s Board of Directors by the end of this month. In this regard, discussions were held regarding the progress and the government’s involvement in continuing the program moving forward.
Once the approval is granted by the IMF Executive Board, Sri Lanka is expected to release the fourth tranche of the extended loan, amounting to 333 million dollars.
The discussion was also attended by IMF Executive Director Dr. Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Alternate Executive Director Dr. P. K. G. Harischandra, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwadana, and Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe.
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First case of newer mpox variant detected in Ireland

The first case of a newer, more spreadable variant of mpox has been detected in the Republic of Ireland, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has said.
The Irish resident, who was infected with the Clade 1 variant, had recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The virus – formerly known as monkeypox – was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization last August.
The HSE said that while it is the first Irish case of the newer variant, it is not unexpected and the risk to the public remains low.
The individual is now receiving specialist care in a hospital in Dublin.
The HSE added that those who have received two doses of the mpox vaccine, or previously had the virus, are considered to have protection against severe illness caused by the newer variant.
Director of National Health Protection Dr Éamonn O’Moore said the HSE is fully prepared to respond to this case.
“We have been working alongside international partners and National Health Protection has been monitoring mpox closely since the outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo first emerged,” Dr O’Moore added.

Mpox is caused by a virus in the same family as smallpox but is usually much less harmful.
It spreads through direct contact with rashes, skin lesions or scabs caused by the virus, including during sexual contact, kissing, cuddling and other skin-to-skin contact.
There is also a risk from contact with bodily fluids; from contact with bedding or towels or clothing; and through close and prolonged face-to-face contact, such as talking, breathing, coughing and sneezing.
Common symptoms of mpox include flu-like symptoms, followed by a skin rash and pus-filled lesions which can last up to a month.
Once the fever breaks, a rash can develop. This can be extremely itchy or painful, often beginning on the face before spreading to other parts of the body, most commonly the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

In serious cases, lesions can attack the whole of the body, especially the mouth, eyes and genitals.
The rash goes through different stages before finally forming a scab, which later falls off and can cause scarring.
In many cases the infection lasts between 14 and 21 days before clearing up on its own.
But mpox can be fatal, particularly for vulnerable groups – including small children.
Outbreaks can be controlled by preventing infections with vaccines, though these are usually only available for people at risk or those who have been in close contact with an infected person.

There are broadly two main types of mpox – Clade 1, which is often more serious, and Clade 2.
A previous mpox public health emergency, declared in 2022, was caused by the relatively mild Clade 2.
Experts are now concerned about the Clade 1 virus that has been spreading quickly in west and central Africa since 2023.
Health officials experts have described it as ‘incredibly worrying’ and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreaks in Africa as ‘a public health emergency of international concern.
Millions of vaccines are being sent to the hardest-hit areas of east and central Africa to help control the outbreak.
Sweden, Germany, India, Thailand, Canada and the US have all seen imported cases of Clade 1b but there has been little onward spread to date.
On Tuesday, 12 new mpox vaccination sites opened across England.
[BBC]
Foreign News
Trump sanctions International Criminal Court, calls it ‘illegitimate’

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order sanctioning the International Criminal Court, accusing it of “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel”.
The measure places financial and visa restrictions on individuals and their families who assist in ICC investigations of American citizens or allies.
Trump signed the measure as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was visiting Washington.
Last November, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza, which Israel denies. The ICC also issued a warrant for a Hamas commander.
A White House fact sheet circulated earlier on Thursday accused the Hague-based ICC of creating a “shameful moral equivalency” between Hamas and Israel by issuing the warrants at the same time.
Trump’s executive order said the ICC’s recent actions “set a dangerous precedent” that endangered Americans by exposing them to “harassment, abuse and possible arrest”.
“This malign conduct in turn threatens to infringe upon the sovereignty of the United States and undermines the critical national security and foreign policy work of the United States government and our allies, including Israel,” the order said.
It adds that “both nations [the US and Israel] are thriving democracies with militaries that strictly adhere to the laws of war”.
The US is not a member of the ICC and has repeatedly rejected any jurisdiction by the body over American officials or citizens.
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