Cool South Africa edge out West Indies to enter semi-final of T20 World Cup
North Sound (Antigua) (PTI): South Africa's golden generation of white-ball cricketers took a big step towards erasing the "eternal chokers" tag by keeping their composure to enter the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup, beating a formidable West Indies by three wickets in a thrilling rain-truncated Super 8s game here.
After part-time magician and full-time wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (3/27), along with his slow bowling colleagues Keshav Maharaj (1/24) and skipper Aiden Markram (1/28), restricted West Indies to a manageable 135 for 8, South Africa achieved the revised target of 123 with five balls to spare.
The Proteas were 15/2 in two overs when rain disrupted proceedings.
With this win, South Africa topped Group 1 followed by defending champions England as the second semifinalist from it.
Tristan Stubbs (29 off 27 balls), one of the most talked-about among young T20 batters, set up the chase in company of Heinrich Klaasen (22 off 10 balls) for the South Africans.
But it was Marco Jansen (21 not out off 14 balls), who hit a beautiful six down the ground off the first ball of the 17th over bowled by left-arm pacer Obed McCoy to seal the deal.
Equally praiseworthy was Kagiso Rabada's copybook cover drive off Roston Chase when South Africa required 9 off 7 balls.
"Lot of relief to get through to the semifinal. We would have liked to be a lot more convincing," said South African skipper Aiden Markram.
In a contest that was headlined by the most revered names in T20 history, two under-rated cricketers held forte.
Barbados' Roston Chase (52 and 3/12), who year-after-year goes unsold in the IPL and Jansen, who displayed the less talked-about virtue of composure, much required in down-the-wire chases.
It was an unfair rain-rule in the 1992 ODI World Cup that saw South Africa bow out of the semi-finals against England and often the Proteas found ways to lose important games of cricket.
But on Sunday night in North Sound, the one hour rain delay did a world of good for their batters as the pitch suddenly became better for batting with the ball skidding and coming on easily.
Also unforgettable was how left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie (1/20), lost his length. His only over cost 20 which did contribute a lot to the co-hosts' defeat.
In a game full of T20 prima donnas, it was the Stubbs, Klaasens, Millers and Markrams who had the last laugh over the Andre Russells, Rovman Powells and Nicholas Poorans.
On a track where ball wasn't always coming on to the bat, the South African spin troika was excellent with five wickets shared between Markram, Keshav Maharaj and Shamsi for 79 run in 12 cumulative overs.
Skipper Markram, who opened the bowling did a stellar job by removing opposition's most destructive batter Nicholas Pooran (1), inviting him to go for a heave, only to hole out at long-off.
Kyle Mayers (35 off 34) and West Indies' most useful player across formats -- Roston Chase (52 off 42 balls) -- carried out a commendable rescue act with 81 runs added for the third wicket in little under 11 overs.
At 86 for two, the duo had built the platform for a respectable total with big hitters like Andre Russell and Rovman Powell still in the dug-out but things changed drastically due to the way Shamsi and Maharaj bowled.
Both were not afraid to toss the ball up and entice the batters to go for expansive drives and it did pay dividends.
Maharaj bowled a dream delivery for a classical left-arm spinner to get rid of of West Indies skipper Powell.
Maharaj flighted one above his eyeline, drawing Powell forward but it dipped late and then turned away after pitching only for De Kock to complete the stumping.
Shamsi, at the other end was dead accurate, not trying to turn too much, and pitching his deliveries in the leg-middle line not giving batters room to manoeuvre. Both Mayers and Chase were dismissed trying to free the shackles.
Skipper Markram's planning was impeccable and Kagiso Rabada was only brought into the attack in the 18th over and bowled a couple of overs.
Andre Russell, who hit a couple of sixes off Anrich Nortje, could have inflicted more damage but a direct throw from the bowler during a Rabada over found the all-rounder short of his ground and ended the hosts' chances of crossing the 150-run mark.
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India, New Zealand ink free trade agreement
New Delhi (PTI): India and New Zealand on Monday inked a free trade agreement, aimed at boosting two-way commerce and investments.
The pact was signed by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and visiting New Zealand's Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay.
The FTA provides duty-free access for 100 per cent of India's exports to New Zealand, covering all tariff lines or produce categories, and is expected to significantly boost MSMEs and employment by enhancing competitiveness in labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, apparel, leather, footwear, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, and processed foods.
Earlier, New Zealand maintained peak tariffs of up to 10 per cent on key Indian exports, including ceramics, carpets, automobiles, and auto components.
With zero-duty market access from entry into force as New Zealand's other trade partners, Indian products will be fully competitive in that country, enjoying a level playing field.
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Significantly, India also secured duty-free inputs for its manufacturing sector, including wooden logs, coking coal, and waste and scraps of metals, lowering production costs and enhancing the global competitiveness of the Indian industry.
On the other hand, India has offered tariff liberalisation on 70.03 per cent of tariff lines covering 95 per cent of bilateral trade value, while keeping 29.97 per cent of tariff lines excluded to protect India's sensitive sectors.
The products that are kept in exclusion are mainly -- dairy (milk, cream, whey, yoghurt, cheese etc.), animal products (other than sheep meat), agricultural products (onions, chana, peas, corn, almonds), sugar, artificial honey, animal, vegetable or microbial fats and oils, arms and ammunition, gems and jewellery, copper and articles thereof (cathodes, cartridges, rods, bars, coils), aluminium and articles thereof (ingots, billets, wire bars) among others.
On 30 per cent of tariff lines of New Zealand, India will provide duty elimination on goods such as wood, wool, sheep meat, and leather-raw hides.
Similarly, 35.60 per cent of tariff lines are subject to phased elimination over 3, 5, 7, and 10 years, including petroleum oil, malt extract, vegetable oils, selected electrical and mechanical machinery, and peptones.
New Zealand products which enjoy tariff reductions include wine, pharmaceutical drugs, polymers, aluminum, iron and steel articles, and goods that only 0.06 per cent fall under tariff rate quotas, including Manuka honey, apples, kiwi fruit, and albumins, including milk albumin.
The FTA also includes a commitment to facilitate USD 20 billion in investment into India.
A rebalancing clause is incorporated into the Agreement to provide a framework for addressing any shortfall in investment delivery, thereby ensuring robust and tangible economic outcomes.
Total bilateral trade in goods and services reached USD 2.4 billion in 2024.
