ICC World Cup: Rain forces South Africa, Windies to split points
Southampton: Incessant drizzle forced the World Cup tie between South Africa and West Indies to be called off at the Rose Bowl here on Monday after only few overs could be bowled, as both teams shared the spoils.
Andre Russell-less West Indies put the Proteas in to bat after winning the toss with skipper Jason Holder hoping to make use of the overcast conditions.
Desperate for a win after three successive defeats, Faf Du Plessis led South Africa were off to a jittery start, losing out-of-form Hashim Amla (6) and Aiden Markram (5) early to totter at 29/2 in 7.3 overs.
Windies pacer Sheldon Cottrell bagged both the wickets in a wonderful four-over spell in which he leaked 18 runs. Oshane Thomas had just started his first over when the skies opened up, and after several inspections, the umpires had to rule out any chance of further play being possible.
Under the cosh, South Africa can now score a maximum of 11 points in this tournament, while the West Indies, who lost to Australia last week after a good opening win against Pakistan, have a better chance of bouncing back.
"These are the worst. Both teams wanted to play and get results but you can't control the weather," Du Plessis said.
"For us it was important to not lose wickets. It's like Test cricket. But they did well to get two wickets. (Shortage) favours the team that bats second. But even saying that, if you get 30-35 overs, you can defend on a big ground. Lungi (Ngidi) will be ready for the next match. We didn't play our best cricket so far. We've got to beat Afghanistan (in the next game)," the 34-year old added.
Holder said their bowlers got a good start but could not cash in thanks to the inclement weather.
"Yeah, really good start again by the bowlers. It's unfortunate the weather came in our way. So far we've been getting new ball wickets. It's just a matter for our bowlers to hit the straps and continue doing what we're doing. We don't mind giving away runs. We're hoping Russell pulls up before the next game," Holder said.
The Windies were without the injured pair of Russell and Evin Lewis.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
