ICC Cricket World Cup: Warner's ton takes Australia to 381/5
Nottingham, June 20: A 'calmer' David Warner worked his way to a responsible 166, his second century of the tournament, to lead Australia to a formidable 381 for five in 50 overs in their World Cup clash against Bangladesh here Thursday.
The left-handed opener contained aggression, his natural style of play, to build his innings and went on an offensive only after Australia got the license to go for the kill.
He completed his 16th ODI hundred, his sixth 150-plus knock, which came off 147 balls with 14 hits to fence and five over the ropes.
Warner, who had hit a hundred against Pakistan as well, added 121 runs with his skipper Aaron Finch (53) in a risk-free opening partnership and then raised a 192-run stand with Usman Khawaja (89).
The stage was set to go after the bowlers and Glenn Maxwell produced a 10-ball 32, which had three sixes and two fours. He was run out after a mix-up with Khwaja, who sent his partner back sensing risk before he was caught behind minutes later to miss out on a hundred.
Medium pacer Soumya Sarkar (3/58) took three wickets while Mutsafizur Rehman (1/56) accounted for Steve Smith (1).
Rain halted play when just one over was left to be bowled in the Australian innings.
Mashrafe Mortaza and Mustafizur Rehman largely remained disciplined in their opening spells, bowling wicket-to-wicket. Warner and Finch also preferred playing risk-free game and did not attack much, managing an under-six run-rate.
It was only after spinners Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan were introduced that the two batsmen showed some aggression. Warner launched one from Shakib for a massive six over mid-wicket while Finch punished Hasan with back-to-back shots over the ropes.
Paceman Rubel Hossain bowled in good rhythm and the run-rate was under control, but both Warner and Finch were still at the crease, having completed their half-centuries.
Soumya Sarkar brought relief for a worried Bangladesh by sending back Finch with his fifth ball in what was a soft dismissal off the medium pacer in the 21st over of the innings.
But the joy was short-lived as Warner and Usman Khawaja joined forces to raise another big partnership. They added 192 runs for the second wicket, dominating the bowlers.
Sarkar again separated the batsmen by dismissing Warner but by that time, Australia had already 300-plus total on the board.
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Fascism will not be allowed to enter through the back door of vote rigging: CM Siddaramaiah
New Delhi: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday asserted that fascism would not be allowed to enter India “through the back door of vote rigging” and called upon citizens to collectively defend the country’s democratic foundations.
Speaking after participating in an anti–vote rigging protest organised in New Delhi, Siddaramaiah said the gathering was not merely a political demonstration but a stand to protect Indian democracy. “We have come to the heart of our republic not as Congress workers or voters, but as protectors of Indian democracy,” he said.
Emphasising the importance of the right to vote, Siddaramaiah said it was the most sacred right guaranteed by the Constitution and the very foundation of democracy.
“Through voting, a farmer shapes the future of his children, a worker safeguards his dignity, a youth realises dreams, and a nation expresses its collective will,” he said.
He accused the BJP-led Union government of attempting to undermine this right through what he termed systematic vote rigging, including the alleged misuse of the special revision of electoral rolls. “This power is being stolen repeatedly,” he alleged.
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Warning against authoritarian tendencies, Siddaramaiah said history had shown that dictatorship does not begin with violence but with the misuse of institutions and manipulation of democratic systems.
“Across the world, authoritarian regimes pretend to protect democracy while quietly subverting it. This is what the BJP is doing today,” he charged.
He alleged that the ruling party was controlling institutions, intimidating electoral machinery, distorting voter lists, suppressing voter turnout in opposition strongholds, and misusing money and power. “This is not mere maladministration. Vote rigging is an attack on the very idea of India,” he said.
Siddaramaiah further claimed that governments formed through “stolen votes” could not be considered democratic.
“Such regimes survive through fear, fraud and distortion of the people’s mandate,” he said, adding that vote rigging posed the biggest threat to the republic since Independence.
Praising Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah said he had shown exceptional courage in exposing alleged irregularities in voter lists, booth-level manipulation and “systematic, organised vote rigging” across several states, including Karnataka, Haryana and Bihar.
Referring to Karnataka, Siddaramaiah cited Mahadevpura and Aland constituencies as examples highlighted by Gandhi. In Mahadevpura, he said, thousands of allegedly fake and fraudulent voter entries and discrepancies in electoral rolls pointed to a narrow BJP victory. In Aland, he said, attempts were made to remove the names of legitimate voters ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.
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He noted that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had recently filed a chargesheet accusing seven persons, including a former BJP MLA and his son, of attempting to delete the names of around 6,000 voters in Aland.
“This is a significant legal step in the fight against vote rigging,” he said.
Siddaramaiah concluded by stating that the fight against vote rigging was rooted in constitutional morality, Ambedkarite thought and the core principle of democracy. “Sovereignty belongs to the people, not to any party, regime or those who seek to steal elections,” he said.
