Martin Guptill's 93 sets up NZ's 16-run win over Scotland
Dubai, Nov 3: Opener Martin Guptill's blistering 56-ball 93, which was built around monstrous sixes and authoritative batting, set up a 16-run win for New Zealand over a spirited Scotland in the T20 World Cup here on Wednesday.
In all, Guptill smashed seven sixes and six fours as New Zealand posted 172 for five in the Group 2 Super 12 match. Scotland replied with 156 for five in their allotted 20 overs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Michael Leask blazed away to an unbeaten 42 off 20 balls, but his effort was not enough for the Scots.
Most of his big hits were directed towards the mid-wicket region and by the time he was done with his knock, Guptill was overcome with exhaustion in the extreme heat.
One of New Zealand's prolific run-scorers over many years, Guptill added 105 runs for the fourth wicket with Glenn Phillips (33) to put his team in a commanding position.
Asked to bat first, New Zealand were off to a brisk start with Guptill leading the way in the company of Daryl Mitchell (13).
As many as 13 runs came in the match's very first over bowled by Bradley Wheal (2/40), but Safyaan Sharif (2/28) made an excellent start in the next over, giving away just one run.
Playing this game in place of an injured Josh Davey, Alasdair Evans was smashed for two successive boundaries by Guptill through the point region, the batter cutting with utter disdain on both occasions.
Mitchell too got himself a boundary against Wheal but the opener was trapped in front of the wicket by Sharif in the fifth over. The on-field umpire's decision was challenged, albeit unsuccessfully, by the batter.
In the middle of the fine first spell, seamer Sharif got the big wicket of New Zealand captain Kane Williamson (0) four balls later, as a diving Matthew Cross completed a good catch behind the stumps after the batter failed to connect properly while playing it down the leg side.
Unperturbed by the double blows, Guptill smashed Evans for a maximum over backward square leg fence, as the Kiwis collected a productive 52 runs during power play, with 16 of them coming in the sixth over.
With that big hit, Guptill became only the second batter after Indian captain Virat Kohli to cross 3000 runs in T20 Internationals.
Scotland enjoyed another success right after spin was introduced for the first time, when slow left-armer Mark Watt castled Devon Conway (1) with his very first ball in the seventh over.
Only 18 runs came between the 6th and 10th over as Scotland tightened things.
However, the Scots had no answer to the onslaught launched on them by Guptill, who hammered their best bowler Sharif for two sixes.
There was also a six that travelled 102m, the second biggest in the Super 12 stage.
However, the NZ innings lost a bit of momentum after his dismissal as they could not manage only 22 runs in the last three overs.
Skipper Kyle Coetzer (17) started the proceedings for Scotland in earnest, hitting New Zealand's lead pacer Trent Boult for fours on either side of the wicket.
Coetzer drove Tim Southee through cover-point for a boundary and then played a magnificent square drive off the back foot against Boult, who had his man two balls later when he deceived the batter with a slow off-cutter.
Two deliveries later, George Munsey (22) played one of the day's best shots when he played Boult through the line on the on side.
After two quiet overs, Matthew Cross (27) hit Adam Milne for five fours on the trot as Scotland made 48 runs in the power play.
Munsey smashed Ish Sodhi for two sixes but in trying to hit one too many, he got out soon thanks to a fine running catch by a sliding Southee, who came back to knock Cross' stumps to leave Scotland at 76 for three as the 12th over approached.
From there, the Scotland innings could not gather the momentum required to mount a challenge to their fancied opponents, despite Michael Leask's lusty hits.
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Karnataka police constable arrested for forging passport verification records
Mangaluru: A police constable attached to the Vitla Police Station has been arrested for allegedly forging documents and manipulating passport verification records to obtain a clearance certificate from the authorities.
Police said on Tuesday that a person identified as Shakti Das, who claimed to be residing within the jurisdiction of the Vitla Police Station, first applied for a passport in February 2025.
During police verification, it was found that the address mentioned in the application did not match official records, following which the application was not recommended.
In June 2025, Shakti Das reportedly submitted a second passport application. Police alleged that Pradeep, a staff member at the Vitla Police Station, processed the reapplication without informing the concerned beat constable, Sabu Mirji, who was responsible for verifying the applicant’s address.
Pradeep allegedly prepared a verification report in the name of the beat constable, forged his signature, secured approval from senior officers, and forwarded the report. He is also accused of destroying verification-related documents to conceal the irregularities.
As per the report, the matter came to light on December 19 during a scrutiny of records. Police said the acts amounted to criminal breach of trust, as a crucial identity document issued by the Central government was fraudulently obtained.
Police further said that Shakti Das claims to hail from West Bengal, and his address is currently being verified.
Based on the findings, Vitla Police have registered a case against Pradeep and passport holder Shakti Das under Sections 336, 337, 316(5), and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
Pradeep has been arrested and produced before a court, which remanded him to judicial custody. Further investigation is underway, police said.
