South Africa set World Cup batting records in 102-run win over Sri Lanka

South African cricketers celebrate after winning the ICC Cricket World Cup match between South Africa and Sri Lanka in New Delhi, India, on October 7, 2023. (AP)
Short Url
Updated 08 October 2023
Follow

South Africa set World Cup batting records in 102-run win over Sri Lanka

  • South Africa’s Aiden Markram hits World Cup’s fastest-ever century
  • Proteas slo posted highest-ever World Cup total by scoring 428-5 

NEW DELHI: South Africa rewrote Cricket World Cup batting records as it beat Sri Lanka by 102 runs, with three Proteas batters smashing centuries on Saturday in their tournament opener.
Aiden Markram (106) hit the World Cup’s fastest-ever century off 49 balls; Quinton de Kock, in his farewell international tournament, scored 100; and Rassie van der Dussen made 108 as South Africa amassed 428-5.
It was the first time three batters from the same team had scored centuries in a single innings of a World Cup game.
Sri Lanka, which won the toss in New Delhi and chose to field, always lagged behind despite Kusal Mendis’ blistering 76 off 42 balls in the batting powerplay. Sri Lanka was dismissed for 326 in 44.5 overs.
“Probably a blessing in disguise that we lost the toss,” South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said afterward.
Markram’s belligerent knock surpassed Kevin O’Brien’s 50-ball century in Ireland’s famous win over England at the 2011 World Cup. The South African total was also the highest in a World Cup, surpassing Australia’s 417-6 against Afghanistan in 2015.
De Kock and van der Dussen shared a 204-run second wicket stand after Bavuma was trapped leg before wicket by Dilshan Madushanka.
Sri Lanka, going into the World Cup without injured ace legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga, couldn’t stop the flow of runs either through pace or spin as de Kock and van der Dussen smashed 25 boundaries and five sixes between them.
De Kock top-edged an easy catch at mid-on off Matheesha Pathirana a ball after he completed his century and van der Dussen also holed out at long-on soon after completing his century.
It was all Markram’s brilliant power-hitting in the latter stage of South Africa’s innings as he cut loose soon after completing his half century off 34 balls.
He raised his next 50 off only 15 balls when he smacked Pathirana over square leg for a six in an over that went for 26 as all the Sri Lanka bowlers got a hammering.
“I know what’s expected of me as a batter,” Markram said. “Initially, you want to get a feel for the wicket and find out the options you can take and then back it.”
Pathirarana (1-95) and Kasun Rajitha (1-90) went for plenty while Madushanka (2-86) and young left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage (1-81) also had a forgetful World Cup outing.
Markram was dismissed after smashing 14 fours and three sixes in hot conditions as he holed out at long off before David Miller continued to push the scoring rate with a breezy unbeaten 39 off 21 balls.
Chasing a huge target, Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka (68) finally ended a lean spell in ODIs with his first score of 50-plus since his century against India early this year while Charith Asalanka (79) was also among the runs before Sri Lanka got bowled out with more than five overs to spare.
“We expected to keep them to 350-370, we thought it would be manageable given Asalanka and Mendis’ form but we couldn’t deal with the extra runs,” Shanaka said.
Seamer Gerald Coetzee picked up 3-68 and spinner Keshav Maharaj took 2-62.
Marco Jansen, who picked up two early wickets before being smashed around, had 2-92 as Mendis flicked the left-arm seamer for big sixes.

BANGLADESH CRUSHES AFGHANISTAN

Mehidy Hasan Miraz starred with bat and ball in hilly Dharamsala as Bangladesh crushed Afghanistan by six wickets.
After Bangladesh won the toss and elected to field, Afghanistan was skittled out for 156 with all-rounder Mehidy picking up 3-25 and skipper Shakib Al Hasan claiming 3-30.
Mehidy then scored 57 runs in 73 balls as Bangladesh made 158-4 in 34.4 overs, easing home with 15.2 overs to spare.
Afghanistan made a good start to its innings with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran (22) putting on 47 for the first wicket.
Gurbaz added another 36 with Rahmat Shah (18) before Shakib struck twice to remove Zadran and Shah.
The turning point came when Mehidy dismissed Hashmatullah Shahidi for 18 as the skipper went for a slog.
Four balls later, Mustafizur Rahman removed the in-form Gurbaz for 47 with a slower ball and the Afghanistan slide continued, with the last three wickets all falling on 156.
Bangladesh then made a poor start to its innings, Tanzid Hasan going for five and Litton Das for 13.
Mehidy, though, added 97 in 129 balls with Najmul Hossain Shanto for the third wicket to steer Bangladesh toward its target.
Naveen-ul-Haq removed Mehidy thanks to a brilliant catch at mid-off from Shah, but Shanto stayed until the end, scoring 59 not out off 83 balls including three fours and a six.
During the innings, Afghanistan’s Mujeeb ur Rahman made a sliding fielding attempt close to the backward square leg boundary at the HPCA Stadium and his knee was almost jammed up in the outfield, with a patch of grass coming clean off.
“We are lucky Mujeeb hasn’t got a serious knee injury today,” Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott said afterward. “Yes, he probably shouldn’t have dived on his knee, but we see it is the product of cricket all around the world where players are taught and encouraged to improve their fielding. (But) we have got players unsure of whether they can dive (here),” Trott said.
When asked if the ground was fit to host international games, Trott replied, “I don’t think that’s a decision for me to sit here and make an assessment of. You have got players worried about getting injured. It is for them (the ICC) to look at and keep an eye on.”
But Trott also added: “It is not the reason why we lost today.”


Ukraine’s Zelensky: Ceasefire with Russia possible at any moment

Updated 4 sec ago
Follow

Ukraine’s Zelensky: Ceasefire with Russia possible at any moment

PRAGUE: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that a ceasefire with Russia in its more than three-year-old war is possible at any moment.
Zelensky, speaking at a joint news conference in Prague alongside Czech President Petr Pavel, also said that Ukraine hopes to receive 1.8 million shells in 2025 under a Czech initiative to provide military assistance.

Indonesian president inaugurates Hajj and Umrah airport terminal in Jakarta

President Prabowo Subianto, third from left, and Saudi Ambassador Faisal Abdullah Amodi inaugurate Hajj and Umrah Terminal.
Updated 04 May 2025
Follow

Indonesian president inaugurates Hajj and Umrah airport terminal in Jakarta

  • Indonesian Hajj pilgrims have started departing for Saudi Arabia since Friday
  • Kingdom’s Makkah Route initiative will be implemented at new Hajj and Umrah terminal

JAKARTA: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto inaugurated on Sunday a special terminal for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims at Jakarta’s international airport, where travel will also be facilitated under Saudi Arabia’s Makkah Route initiative.

Indonesia, which has the world’s largest Muslim-majority population, sends the highest number of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims every year.

As pilgrims around the world have already begun to make their way to Saudi Arabia for Hajj this year, about 221,000 people will be coming from Indonesia.

“The government wants to give the best service for our pilgrims. We also understand that many of our pilgrims are seniors, and so we must take very good care of them,” Subianto said during the inauguration ceremony at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

“We understand that our pilgrims have saved up for a long time, and even waited for a long time, and so the government under my leadership will do our very best to give the best services and work hard to lower the cost of Hajj.”

The airport’s 2F terminal area, which has undergone renovations, has been transformed into a dedicated area for Indonesia’s Hajj and Umrah pilgrims. It was developed to serve 6.1 million travelers annually, according to a statement issued by the Cabinet Secretariat.

The launch event was attended by Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia Faisal Abdullah Amodi, as well as other Indonesian ministers, including Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir.

Special counters for Saudi immigration, which are part of the Kingdom’s Makkah Route initiative, have also been set up at the new terminal.

The program launched in Muslim-majority countries in 2019 allows Hajj pilgrims to fulfill all visa, customs and health requirements in one place, at the airport of origin, and save long hours of waiting before and upon reaching the Kingdom.

In Indonesia, pilgrims departing from the cities of Jakarta, Surabaya and Solo are benefiting from the Makkah Route initiative.

“As President Prabowo said, this is proof of the government’s commitment to give the best service, especially for our senior pilgrims. He is also proud of the modern and comfortable facilities that have been set up,” Umar, the religious affairs minister, said on social media.

Thousands of Indonesian pilgrims have begun to depart for Saudi Arabia, after the first Hajj flights commenced last Friday.

Though the pilgrimage itself can be performed over five or six days, many pilgrims arrive early to make the most of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fulfill their religious duty.

In 2025, the Hajj is expected to take place on June 4 and end on June 9.


Five policemen kidnapped in southwestern Pakistan

Updated 04 May 2025
Follow

Five policemen kidnapped in southwestern Pakistan

QUETTA: A separatist militant group in southwestern Pakistan on Sunday claimed an attack on a prison van in which five police officers were taken hostage.
Between 30 and 40 gunmen blocked a major highway that cuts across Balochistan province overnight on Friday, intercepting a prison van being transported by a police team, a police official said.
“The prisoners were released later but five policemen have been kidnapped,” a senior police official in the area, who was not authorized to speak to the media, told AFP on Sunday.
He said a rescue operation was underway.
The gunmen also set fire to government buildings and a bank in the area.
A senior government official, who asked not to be named, said that two gunmen were killed by security forces.
Pakistan has been battling a separatist insurgency in Balochistan for decades, where militants target state forces, foreign nationals, and non-locals in the mineral-rich southwestern province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the most active group in the region, claimed the assault in Kalat district.
The BLA has previously targeted energy projects receiving foreign financing — most notably from China.
In March, the group seized a train, taking hundreds of passengers hostage and killing off-duty security forces in a three-day seige.


Two dead, 31 injured in Croatia bus crash

Updated 04 May 2025
Follow

Two dead, 31 injured in Croatia bus crash

  • he health ministry, cited by state news agency Hina, said several badly hurt people had undergone operations in hospital

ZAGREB: Two people died and 31 people were injured when a Bosnian-registered coach and a car crashed into each other in Croatia on Sunday, police and medical staff said.
The accident occurred at 3:00 am (0100 GMT) on a busy freeway some 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of the capital, Zagreb.
The casualties were taken to nearby hospitals, police spokeswoman Maja Filipovic told AFP, adding that an investigation had been launched to determine the causes.
The health ministry, cited by state news agency Hina, said several badly hurt people had undergone operations in hospital.
Photos published by local media showed a double-decker bus lying on its side in the middle of the freeway with its windows broken.


15 killed in head-on road crash in South Africa

Updated 04 May 2025
Follow

15 killed in head-on road crash in South Africa

  • South Africa has a sophisticated and busy road network
  • Road accidents claimed more than 11,800 lives in 2023

JOHANNESBURG: A night-time collision between a packed minibus taxi and a pick-up truck has killed 15 people in rural South Africa, a transport official said on Sunday.
Five people were in hospital with serious injuries after the crash at around midnight on Saturday to Sunday near the Eastern Cape town of Maqoma, about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) south of Johannesburg, provincial transport spokesman Unathi Binqose official told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika.
The drivers of both vehicles were among the dead and an inquest would be opened to determine what happened, Binqose said.
The victims included 13 passengers in the minibus, which was reportedly traveling from the town of Qonce to Cape Town, a journey of nearly 1,000 kilometers.
South Africa has a sophisticated and busy road network. It also has a high rate of road deaths, blamed mostly on speeding, reckless driving and unroadworthy vehicles.
Road accidents claimed more than 11,800 lives in 2023, with pedestrians making up around 45 percent of the victims, according to the latest data from the Road Traffic Management Corporation.