Baartman takes four as South Africa restrict Netherlands to 103/9
New York, Jun 8: Pacer Ottneil Baartman registered his best bowling figures of 4 for 11 as South Africa produced a fine bowling effort to restrict Netherlands to 103 for nine in a T20 World Cup match here on Saturday.
Baartman returned with impressive figures, while Marco Jansen (2/20) and Anrich Nortje (2/19) picked up two wickets apiece.
South Africa made a bright start after opting to bowl, getting the first breakthrough in the third ball of the innings.
Jansen induced an inside edge from Michael Levitt, which wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock picked up even as the bowler and umpire failed to realise the snick. De Kock instantly went for the review and was successful.
It could have two down for Netherlands in the third over. Vikramjit Singh's outside edge off a short delivery from Jansen was snaffled by De Kock but the bowler had overstepped by a long way.
The Dutch batters found it difficult to negotiate South African bowlers on the tricky New York pitch as they kept losing wickets.
Baartman registered his name in the wickets tally when he dismissed Max O'Dowd but the credit should go to Jansen who took a one-handed blinder at first slip.
Vikramjit failed to cash in on the reprieve as he soon departed in the next over with Jansen disturbing his timbers.
Bas de Leede too found it difficult to handle the uneven bounce of the pitch as he ballooned one to David Miller at point from a back of a length delivery from Anrich Nortje.
Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards showed some early aggression, scooping Nortje for a six but his SA counterpart Aiden Markram found him short of the crease with a direct hit at the non-striker's end.
It was raining wickets for South Africa as Nortje dismissed Teja Nidamanuru in the same over as the batter spooned one to Henrich Klaasen at deep third man.
Sybrand Engelbrecht (40 off 45) and Logan van Beek then shared 54 runs for the seventh wicket to bring some respectability to Netherlands total.
But once Engelbrecht and Tim Pringle departed in the final over, the writing was on the wall for Netherlands as they could only muster a below-par total.
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Protests over rising prices spread across Iran as students join demonstrations
Tehran: Protests triggered by Iran’s worsening economic conditions spread to universities and commercial centres on Tuesday. Students joined shopkeepers and traders in demonstrations against soaring prices and the sharp fall of the national currency, according to semi-official media reports.
The unrest comes as the Iranian rial hit a record low, sliding to around 1.4 million against the US dollar on the open market, according to a Reuters. The currency has lost nearly half its value this year, while inflation reached 42.5 per cent in December, official data showed.
Semi-official Fars News Agency reported that hundreds of students staged protests at four universities in Tehran. Footage verified by Reuters showed groups of demonstrators marching through streets in the capital, chanting slogans, while state television broadcast images of gatherings in central areas of the city.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said late on Monday that he had instructed the interior minister to engage with protesters and listen to what he described as their legitimate demands. Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said authorities would set up a dialogue mechanism that could include talks with protest leaders.
“We officially recognise the protests. We hear the voices of the people and understand that these demonstrations stem from pressure on livelihoods,” Mohajerani said in remarks carried by state media.
On social media platforms, several Iranians expressed support for the protests, warning that public anger over rising prices, corruption and economic inequality could spread further across the country.
Iran’s economy has been under strain for years following the reimposition of US sanctions in 2018 after Washington withdrew from the international nuclear agreement. United Nations sanctions were reinstated in September, and Reuters reported in October that senior officials had held multiple meetings to discuss ways to prevent economic collapse and manage public discontent.
President Pezeshkian, speaking at a meeting with trade unions and market representatives on Tuesday, said the government would make efforts to address economic grievances and ease concerns faced by workers and traders, according to state media.
On Monday, Iran’s central bank chief resigned, with local media linking the move to pressure on the currency market following recent economic liberalisation policies.
