Ireland script maiden Test win, defeat Afghanistan by six wickets
Abu Dhabi, Mar 1: Nearly seven years after they were granted Test status, Ireland secured their maiden win in the longest format, defeating Afghanistan by six wickets in a one-off Test here on Friday.
Ireland skipper Andy Balbirne anchored the 111-run chase in their second essay with an unbeaten 58 off 96 balls after pacer Mark Adair's eight-wicket match haul (5/39 and 3/56) to secure their first-ever win in eight Tests.
Opting to bat, Afghanistan's first innings had lasted just 54.5 overs, folding up for 155 with Adair returning with his maiden five-wicket haul, taking advantage of the swinging conditions at the Tolerance Oval here.
He was ably supported by Craig Young (2/31), Curtis Campher (2/13) and Barry McCarthy (1/28).
If not for the patient opening knock of 53 by Ibrahim Zadran and the resistance shown by Karim Janat (41 not out) towards the end, Afghanistan would have ended up with a much lower first-innings score.
In reply, Ireland stuttered at the start before Campher (49) and Harry Tector (32) stabilised the innings.
Despite a brief comeback by Afghanistan, Ireland's middle and lower order put up a solid performance. Aided by mature knocks from Paul Stirling (52), Lorcan Tucker (46) and Andy McBrine (38) Ireland made 263, giving them a handy first-innings lead of 108 runs.
In reply, Afghanistan managed 218 runs in the second innings with Adair and McCarthy claiming three wickets each to set an easy 111-run target.
Afghanistan's top and middle order offered some resistance with crucial knocks from captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (55) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (46). But Adair removed Shahidi and, along with McCarthy and Craig Young, strangled the scoring rate, returning with 3/24.
Afghanistan, however, reduced Ireland to 13/3, thanks to a stunning opening spell from Naveed Zadran (2/31) and Nijat Masood (1/27).
But Balbirnie held fort in his two-hour knock, combining first with Paul Stirling (14) and then with Lorcan Tucker (27 not out) to eke out the win with two days to spare.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) had on June 22, 2017 confirmed Ireland as Full Member, according them the Test status. But since then, the team has lost seven matches -- twice to England and Sri Lanka, and one each to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
Incidentally, Afghanistan had also secured their first win in Tests against Ireland in 2019.
Brief Scores:
Afghanistan 155 (Ibrahim Zadran 53; Mark Adair 5/39) and 218 (Hashmatullah Shahidi 55; Craig Young 3/24, Barry McCarthy 3/48, Adair 3/56)
Ireland 263 (Paul Stirling 52; Zia-ur-Rahman 5/64) and 111/4 (Andy Balbirnie 58 not out).
A historic moment for Irish cricket as they claim their first-ever Test victory, beating Afghanistan by six wickets in Abu Dhabi ☘👏
— ICC (@ICC) March 1, 2024
Details 👉 https://t.co/DDB4xXWTR9 pic.twitter.com/1gvCM8RUM7
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
