ICC CWC 2019: India-New Zealand semi final pushed to reserve day
Manchester, July 9: The notorious Manchester weather pushed the first semifinal of the World Cup to the reserve day after dominant Indian bowlers excelled yet again to restrict New Zealand to a sub-par 211 for five, here Tuesday.
Rain forced players off the field after 46.1 overs and as per ICC's playing conditions, the game will resume on Wednesday from where it stopped.
Despite half-centuries from skipper Kane Williamson (67 off 95 balls) and veteran Ross Taylor (67 not out off 85 balls), the Black Caps could not force the pace against tournament's best bowling attack.
By the time when the covers were off at 10pm IST, the outfield had too much water and there was no way match could have started.
However the day belonged to the Indian bowlers as skipper Virat Kohli found out that it was a good toss to lose.
After a brilliant start by Jasprit Bumrah (1/25 in 8 overs) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/30 in 8.1 overs), Ravindra Jadeja (1/38 off 10 overs) and Hardik Pandya (1/55 in 10 overs) did well in the middle overs to keep the opposition under check.
If the first Power Play was witness to fine exhibition of swing bowling under overcast conditions, the middle overs had Pandya using the newly-laid two-paced pitch to good effect, bringing the slow bouncer to the fore.
That was one delivery that Taylor initially found difficult to get away as the dot ball count increased with each over.
Martin Guptill (1) looked like a walking wicket' and Bumrah relieved him off his misery with a delivery that kicked up from three quarter length, forcing him to push at it. Kohli at second slip made no mistake with a sharp chance.
Williamson looked compact in his defence along with the edgy Henry Nicholls (28 off 51 balls) during their 68-run second wicket stand.
Such was the impact of the first spell bowled by Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar that the Black Caps innings never gained the momentum.
But credit should also be given to Jadeja and Hardik for keeping the Kiwis under a tight leash.
Jadeja vindicated his skipper's decision with tight wicket-to wicket bowling and the odd one that turned created problems for Nicholls. He had 38 dots to his credit by the time he ended the spell.
Williamson, who was getting into some sort of rhythm however couldn't capitalise as Taylor got stuck playing one dot ball after another.
In fact, during the crucial second Powerplay, New Zealand managed only 65 runs in 17 overs as Chahal got decent turn off his leg-breaks.
The New Zealand captain, who was hitting a few slog sweeps against the turn was getting impatient having reached 50 off 79 balls. Williamson paid the price by gifting his wicket to the leg-spinner when his team needed him the most.
Taylor upped the ante in the final overs with three boundaries and a six but it looks unlikely to be enough.
A fresh day will certainly be advantageous for India as it will be a continuation and not a restart. Any advantage earned on the scheduled day will be carried through to the reserve day. Super over will determine the winner, if it's a tied match.
If the match doesn't happen on Wednesday, then India will progress to the final by virtue of finishing on top of the league table.
Match will resume at 3pm IST tomorrow.
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
