West Indies out of T20 World Cup semifinals race after loss to Sri Lanka
Abu Dhabi, Nov 4: Defending champions West Indies were eliminated from the semi-final race in the T20 World Cup after a 20-run loss to Sri Lanka here on Thursday as their aging stars failed to recreate the magic of the past.
Going into the game with two losses in three games, the West Indies were always up against it and Sri Lanka out-batted them by amassing 189 for three on a good batting surface.
Pathum Nissanka (51 off 41) and Charith Asalanka (68 off 41) struck sublime half-centuries to give Sri Lanka the upper hand. The West Indies could only reach 169 for eight despite Shimron Hetmyer's unbeaten 81 off 54 balls.
Leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga once again starred with the ball taking two wickets for 19 runs in four overs.
The West Indies, who have won two of the last three world titles, are now mathematically out of the competition with two points from four games. Their last game is against Australia on Saturday.
Sri Lanka batters played with freedom and flair to set up a daunting target which prove to be too steep for West Indies, who could never recover from a poor start to the run chase.
The West Indies' forgettable campaign showed the need to look beyond greats like Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo while rebuilding ahead of the 2022 edition.
Gayle's struggles in the game continued and he was the first to depart for West Indies. Pacer Binura Fernando removed Gayle and Evin Lewis in the second over to put extreme pressure on the opposition.
Nicholas Pooran (46) and Hetmyer batted well but wickets at regular intervals kept the West Indies always behind in the chase.
Earlier, the in-form Nissanka and Asalanka enjoyed batting on the surface.
Nissanka played some outrageous strokes en route his third half-century of the tournament. If the switch hit was not bold enough, the opener walked way across the off stump to whip Ravi Rampaul towards backward square leg for a boundary.
Asalanka too struck a sublime half-century and one of the highlights of his innings was a straight slog sweep off Dwayne Bravo for a six.
With nothing to lose, Sri Lankan batters played to their promising potential and made the West Indies attack look pedestrian.
They also displayed that the future of Sri Lankan batting is in capable hands and with more experience at the highest level, they will only get better.
Sri Lanka made 48 for one in the Powerplay with the loss of Kusal Perera, who played well for his 29 off 21 balls. Andre Russell took a brilliant catch to dismiss him.
Nissanka and Asalanka then got together and with their free flowing strokeplay, put the West Indies attack under tremendous pressure.
After Nissanka's dismissal, Asalanka went ballistic. In the 18th over, he slog swept Bravo for a straight six before smoking one over the bowler's head for a boundary.
Skipper Dasun Shanka also chipped in with an unbeaten 25 off 14 balls in the death overs.
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
