ICC congratulates England on 1000th Test
Dubai, July 30: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday congratulated the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) with their mens team preparing to play their 1000th Test match, which begins at Edgbaston in Birmingham against India on Wednesday.
Out of the 999 men's Tests to date since their debut Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 1877, England have won 357 and lost 297 with 345 ending in draws, according to an ICC statement.
At Edgbaston alone, the venue of the 1000th Test, England have played 50 Tests to date since their first Test in May 1902 against Australia, winning 27, losing eight with 15 ending in draws.
Congratulating the English side, ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar said: "On behalf of the cricket family, I want to congratulate England on their 1000th men's Test match, the first country to reach this milestone."
"I wish England all the best in this historic match and may it continue to produce players and performances that inspire the following of Test cricket, the oldest and most demanding format of the game."
To commemorate the occasion, former New Zealand captain and match referee Jeff Crowe, on behalf of the ICC, will present a silver plaque to ECB Chairman Colin Graves before the start of the Test.
England have dominated India since their first Test in June 1932, winning 43 and losing 25 out of a total of 117 Tests. On home turf, England have won 30 Tests and India have emerged winners on six occasions with 21 Tests ending in draws.
Edgbaston has hosted six Tests between the two sides, with England leading 5-0 on a head-to-head count. These statistics will give England further impetus to improve their current ranking of fifth on the ICC Test Team Rankings.
If England make a 5-0 sweep, then they will jump to second on the table with a 10-point rise to 107 points, reducing the pre-series gap with top-ranked India from 28 points to just five points.
In contrast, if India can display their strength and prowess which has made them the highest-ranked side in the world, then they will further strengthen their grip on the top spot.
If India wins 5-0, then they will rise to 129 points and England will drop to sixth place on 94 points.
The followers of the most challenging format of the game will also be keeping a close watch on the ICC Test Player rankings as India captain Virat Kohli will look to snatch the coveted number one position from Australia's Steve Smith, while England fast bowler James Anderson will aim to defend his number one ranking.
Kohli trails Smith by 26 points and will have to produce a string of strong performances to leapfrog the Australian, while Anderson will also need wickets to either defend or consolidate his top spot.
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Two women died, 6 taken ill after ‘consuming’ mango kernel gruel in Odisha
Bhubaneswar/Berhampur/Phulbani, Nov 1: At least two tribal women died and six others fell ill after allegedly consuming mango kernel gruel in Odisha's Kandhamal district, police said on Friday.
Consumption of mango kernel, prepared by boiling the seeds in water, was reported from Mandipanka village in the district's Daringbadi block, an officer said.
While one of the two women (Rasmita Pattamajhi aged 22) died on Thursday night at Mohana community health centre in Gajapati district where she was undergoing treatment after "consuming the gruel", another woman (Runu Majhi aged 29) breathed her last while being taken to MKCG Medical College Hospital in Berhampur, Gadapur sarpanch Kumari Mallick said.
Six others, who fell ill after allegedly consuming the gruel, were admitted to a hospital and their condition was critical, said Dr Subrat Das, a medical officer of the health facility.
"All the six have been admitted to the hospital in a serious condition. We suspected that they fell sick due to food poisoning. The exact cause of the illness will be ascertained after completion of the investigation," he added.
The six were identified as Pravati Patmajhi, Dranglu Patmajhi, Tuni Majhi, Susama Patmajhi, Jita Majhi and Jibanti Majhi, Daringbadi BDO Pritiranjan Ratha said.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government has rejected allegations that tribal people have been consuming mango kernel gruel due to a lack of access to rice under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Rasmita's husband Anil Pattamajhi alleged that they were denied rice under PDS for the last three months because of which his wife consumed mango kernel.
However, Kandhamal district magistrate-cum-collector Amrit Ruturaj dismissed the allegations, saying the family received rice according to PDS norms. "We are awaiting the postmortem report to determine the facts," the collector added.
Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida, who is also in-charge of the women and child development department said, "It is not a case of malnutrition. Mango kernel is part of their (tribal) regular diet. Sometime, the mango kernels get contaminated and lead to such unfortunate incidents. We have been actively spreading awareness about the risks of food contamination."
Health and family welfare minister Mukesh Mahaling, who ordered a departmental inquiry into the death of two tribal women, said a team from the district headquarters hospital and another local team are at the spot to assess the situation and conduct a detailed probe into the incident.
Mahaling said that the government was waiting for the postmortem report for a confirmation on the cause of the deaths. "People in Kandhamal consume mango kernel. It is common in that region and there also have been reports of health complications linked to it in the past," he said.
The Kandhmal incident reminds a similar tragedy involving mango kernel deaths in Kashipur block of Rayagada district, where at least 20 people died in 2001, and two more succumbed to mango kernel consumption in 2016. Additionally, mango kernel has claimed lives in Laxmipur in Koraput district in 2012 and 2013, as well as in Jharigaon in Nabarangpur district in 2018.
