All-round Australia edge out South Africa by 5 wickets
Abu Dhabi, Oct 23: Australia endured some anxious moments before edging out South Africa by five wickets after their bowlers set it up with a clinical display in an ICC T20 World Cup match here on Saturday.
Needing eight runs in the final over, Marcus Stoinis (24 not out) hit Dwaine Pretorius for two vital fours and completed the job with two balls to spare. This was after Australia were reeling at 81 for five in the 16th over.
Defending a modest target of 119, South Africa got the start they were looking for when Anrich Nortje (2/21) dismissed opposition skipper Aaron Finch for a duck in the innings' second over.
Finch went for a drive but he could not middle it as the ball took a top edge and flew towards the third man region.
Dropped from his IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderebad in the second leg of the league recently, David Warner (14) seemed to have found his form with three boundaries but Kagiso Rabada cut short his promising start when the batter sliced one in the air for Heinrich Klaasen to complete a catch at backward point.
Mitchell Marsh fell for 11 as South Africa left Australia struggling at 38 for three in the eighth over.
A partnership ensued between Steve Smith (35) and Glenn Maxwell (18) but their 42-run association for the fourth wicket ended when the former was sensationally caught in the deep by a sprinting Aiden Markram.
Smith pulled a short of a length delivery but Markram ran a long way before diving full stretch to his right to stun everyone.
Left-arm chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi then castled Maxwell to put Australia under the pump on a pitch not really conducive for playing expansive strokes.
Matthew Wade (15 not out) released the pressure with two fours off Rabada, bringing the equation down to 25 from 18 balls.
Earlier, Australia's bowlers scythed through South Africa's top and middle-order batting lineup to restrict them to 118 for nine.
On a pitch where the ball came on to the bat late, Josh Hazlewood 2/19), Adam Zampa (2/21) and Michell Starc (2/33) did most of the damage, even as Aiden Markram battled his way to a 36-ball 40.
Had it not been for Kagiso Rabada's 19, which included a one-handed six off Starc in the final over, South Africa would have got less.
South Africa started well after skipper Temba Bavuma oversaw a productive first over with two lovely boundaries through the off-side.
However, Glenn Maxwell had other ideas as the star all-rounder offset Mitchell Starc's expensive opening over with the dismissal of the in-form Bavuma (12), who was bowled by a delivery that turned very little after the batter had refused to play on the front foot, something that could have saved him.
Pacer Josh Hazlewood left Rassie van der Dussen (2) stunned first up with a peach of a delivery that landed in the channel just outside off before taking an edge for wicketkeeper Matthew Wade to complete a simple catch.
One of South Africa's seasoned stars, opener Quinton de Kock pulled Maxwell over mid-on for a boundary but in the first ball of the next over, the wicketkeeper-batter played a Hazlewood delivery on to his stumps after looking to play a paddle scoop. The dismissal looked quirky as de Kock saw the ball lob on to hit the stumps.
His tails up after two early wickets, Hazlewood did not concede a single run in the next five balls, leaving South Africa in a spot of bother at 23 for three.
Thanks to an exquisite boundary through mid-off by Aiden Markram, the Proteas added seven runs in the sixth over to finish the power play at 29 for three.
Australia couldn't have asked for more and after Heinrich Klaasen got himself two boundaries on either side of the wicket, they tasted one more success when Pat Cummins had the batter caught at backward point after a leading edge.
Meanwhile, Maxwell came back to complete his quota of four overs, giving just 24 runs for the big wicket of Bavuma.
Leg-spinner Adam Zampa struck twice in the 14th over, including taking the wicket of David Miller, to leave the South Africans tottering at 82 for six, which became worse after Keshav Maharaj was run out following a horrible mix-up.
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Commercial LPG hike: Delhi restaurant owners warn of higher menu rates, job losses
New Delhi (PTI) A day after a 50 per cent rise in commercial LPG cylinder prices, Delhi's food business, with restaurant owners and street vendors have warned of higher menu rates, financial strain and potential job losses if the trend persists.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by a steep Rs 993 per 19 kg cylinder, marking the third consecutive monthly hike amid rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
For many in the restaurant industry, the spike has been both sudden and steep.
Manpreet Singh, honorary treasurer of the National Restaurant Association of India, said that eateries are already grappling with supply challenges alongside rising costs.
"There is a huge difficulty in getting these cylinders, and black marketing is also increasing in many unregulated sectors," he said, noting that prices that were once around Rs 1,600, often dropping to nearly Rs 1,300 with discounts, have now surged to between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per cylinder.
He further added that a medium-sized restaurant typically uses between two and five cylinders daily, making the increase particularly burdensome as costs mount.
Singh further said that as costs mount, smaller establishments could struggle to stay afloat. Instead, the association has advised restaurants to shift towards piped natural gas connections through Indraprastha Gas Limited as a more sustainable alternative.
"If this problem continues, PNG is the only long-term solution," he said, adding that temporary measures like coal offer limited relief due to slower cooking times and that it can largely be used only for tandoors.
Echoing similar concerns, Kabir Suri, owner of Mamagoto in Khan Market, said the impact is already visible across the industry. "There has been almost a threefold increase in cylinder prices for restaurants," he said, adding that rising fuel and logistics costs are compounding the pressure.
"If this continues, it will become a significant financial burden, and food prices will inevitably go up. Adding to this burden, higher fuel costs are also affecting logistics and transportation, making a price rise unavoidable. The extent of the impact will vary between small eateries and large chains depending on their scale," he said.
Global oil prices have surged nearly 50 per cent following disruptions in energy supply chains due to the West Asia conflict, pushing up commercial fuel costs and transport expenses.
A West Delhi-based restaurateur said they are trying to manage rising costs while keeping their staff secure. "We are trying to ensure that our staff, from kitchen workers to waiters, are paid on time and do not face immediate hardship," the owner said.
"We are a small restaurant with seating for about 20 to 25 people at a time. But if this continues for long, we will have to take difficult calls. There is only so much we can absorb, and menu prices will have to go up. We hope this does not continue for a longer period," he said.
Another restaurant owner in North Delhi, who did not wish to be named, said operational adjustments alone may not be enough. "We are checking our costs very carefully and trying to cut wherever possible, but if fuel prices remain high, it will eventually affect how we run the business," the owner said.
"Coal helps in tandoor cooking, but it takes more time," the owner further added.
The strain is even more acute among street vendors, many of whom operate on thin margins. A vendor in Saket said he had recently expanded his business, moving from a mobile cart to a rented outlet.
"I have a family to feed and more responsibilities now. Earlier, I managed with a moving cart, but after renting the place, expenses increased," he said. "Whenever cylinders were unavailable, I had to buy them at higher rates in the black market. Now even regular supply is too expensive, and if this continues, we may have to shut down," he added.
In Laxmi Nagar, another vendor said they are struggling to keep the business running. "Sometimes we even used domestic cylinders from home when supply ran out because we had to keep the stall running," he said, adding that rising costs leave little choice but to increase prices or bear losses.
On April 1, the rates of commercial LPG cylinders were hiked by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, followed by a Rs 114.5 hike on March 1, taking the total increase over the past three months to Rs 1,303. With the latest revision, a 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder now costs Rs 3,371.5 in Delhi, up from Rs 2,078.5 earlier.
The prices of domestic LPG cylinders used for household cooking have remained unchanged. They were last increased by Rs 60 per 14.2 kg cylinder on March 7 and currently cost Rs 913 in Delhi.
