Chennai Super Kings beat Delhi Capitals
New Delhi, Mar 26: Shane Watson and Suresh Raina made batting look easy on a lifeless track as Chennai Super Kings coasted to a six-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals in an Indian Premier League encounter here on Tuesday.
Shikhar Dhawan's painstaking half-century was the only silver lining in Delhi Capitals' sub-par total of 147 for six which the defending champions overtook with two balls to spare.
The scoreline might suggest that it was a close game but CSK were always in control of the chase despite a lot of balls being wasted by Mahendra Singh Dhoni at the back end of the innings.
When Delhi batted first, run-scoring looked an arduous job with a middle-order collapse dashing hopes of a big total.
When CSK started their chase, it was expected that the slowness will be a factor but it seemed Watson (44 off 26 balls) and Suresh Raina (30 off 16 balls) were batting on a different track. They showed positive intent which was singularly lacking in Dhawan and Co.
They hit eight fours and four sixes between them to add 52 runs in only four overs and there was no recovery from that onslaught.
Ishant Sharma (0/28 in 3 overs) bowled too many length balls which were driven with disdain and short ones were cut ferociously. Five boundaries off Ishant's in three overs was just the start that CSK needed.
Veteran leg-spinner Amit Mishra got a couple of wickets but mostly bowled hittable length with three maximums coming in his spell, including the decisive six from Dhoni (32 no off 35 balls).
Kagiso Rabada, who was impressive in the first match, was erratic on the day and an altercation with Watson only disturbed his concentration.
By the time Watson was out, it was a formality for the CSK to record their second victory but Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav (27) made an easy chase look difficult.
Earlier, Dhawan played the role of sheet anchor in his 51 off 47 balls that had seven boundaries but unfortunately failed to accelerate during the final overs. This left the home team at least 30 runs short of a fighting score which proved to be decisive in the end.
From a comfortable 120 for 2 with the dangerous Rishabh Pant at the crease, CSK seized the momentum, effecting a middle-order collapse. Capitals lost four wickets for seven runs in just 1.5 overs. From 118 for 2 after 15 overs, the last five overs yielded only 29 runs.
With the ball stopping and coming, Capitals batsmen found Dwayne Bravo's (3/33 in 4 overs) variations difficult to handle. Ravindra Jadeja (1/23 in 4 overs) also made life difficult in the middle overs and Harbhajan Singh (0/30 in 4 overs) also bowled as many as 10 dot balls.
Dhawan, however, continued to hold one end up and hit the occasional boundary in between, even as stroke making became increasingly difficult.
Pant (25 off 12 balls), during his 41-run stand with Dhawan, tried to negate the pitch factor but did not last till the death overs.
He did reach out to a short ball from Harbhajan, dispatching it over long off for a six. In the next over, his short arm pull off Dwayne Bravo was taken by Shardul Thakur at deep square leg boundary.
With Colin Ingram (2) and Keemo Paul (0) also being dismissed cheaply, followed by Dhawan, the expectations of a 175-plus total withered away.
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Pak cancels over 500 flights in last three days due to raging conflict in West Asia
Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan has cancelled more than 500 domestic and international flights over the past three days due to raging conflict in West Asia, leaving thousands of passengers stranded, according to a media report on Monday.
Along with passengers, air cargo services have also been suspended, halting the transport of various goods, including food items and other supplies. It is still unclear when flights will resume, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
According to data from the Pakistan Airport Authority, more than 500 flights departing from and arriving at various airports across Pakistan have been cancelled, the paper said.
It added that the suspension of air cargo services has also disrupted the delivery of food and other goods, causing difficulties not only for passengers but also for industrialists.
Flights from Pakistani airports, including Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Faisalabad, and Multan, operated by PIA, private airlines, and foreign carriers to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Sharjah, Dubai, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and other countries have been cancelled.
Airport sources stated that some airspaces are closed, leading to the suspension of operations. Currently, there is no information on when flights will resume. Only flights to and from Saudi Arabia are continuing.
If the situation persists or worsens, air operations may face further disruptions.
According to Khawaja Ayub Naseem, a senior leader of the Travel Agents Association, fear and uncertainty are also causing many Umrah pilgrims to hesitate to travel.
Hundreds of pilgrims had booked tickets via Dubai. While ticket refunds are possible, hotel bookings are non-refundable. If the situation continues, travel agents could face losses amounting to millions of rupees.
While Pakistan's airspace remains fully available and secure, airlines have adjusted operations in response to the evolving security situation and restrictions in neighbouring airspace.
Karachi's Jinnah International Airport witnessed extraordinary activity over the weekend, with dozens of flights of foreign airlines diverted to Karachi, creating scenes reminiscent of the 1990 Gulf crisis.
According to aviation sources, a large number of foreign airlines were rerouted to Karachi as regional airspace restrictions and security concerns forced precautionary diversions. Several aircraft were temporarily parked during the day, while many others landed for refuelling.
In view of the extraordinary influx, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Saturday issued a formal NOTAM highlighting limited aircraft parking space at the airport and directing airlines and cockpit crew to ensure prior coordination before operating into Karachi.
A PAA spokesperson said overall, 27 flights were handled, including diversions, return flights, technical landings and rerouted operations.
Karachi airport alone managed 13 diversions, including technical refuelling stops. In addition, four diversions were recorded in the Lahore Flight Information Region, while two return diversions were handled at Islamabad Airport.
Three flights returned to their original or alternate destinations, while five rerouted flights transited through Karachi's airspace without landing and were provided alternate routes.
The sudden increase in traffic created operational challenges due to limited parking space, prompting airport authorities to caution airlines about possible delays.
The US and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran on Saturday, assassinating 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, alongside family members, including his daughter and grandchildren.
Since then, Iran has targeted multiple US bases in surrounding Gulf States.
