Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets World Cup
Hyderabad (PTI): Opener Abdullah Shafique and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan smashed fine centuries as Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in a high-scoring World Cup match here on Tuesday.
Shafique, playing only his fifth ODI, slammed a 103-ball 113, while Rizwan battled cramps to hit an unbeaten 131 and shared a 95-run partnership with Saud Shakeel (31) to help Pakistan overhaul Sri Lanka's total of 344/9 in 48.2 overs.
Following their second win in the tournament, Pakistan climbed one spot to second on the points table behind leaders New Zealand.
Earlier, Kusal Mendis (122) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (108) struck terrific centuries as Sri Lanka posted a huge 344/9.
Mendis clobbered 14 fours and six sixes to make 122 off 77 balls and was involved in two century partnerships. He added 102 runs with Pathum Nissanka (51) for the second wicket and 111 with Samarawickrama for the third.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 344/9 in 50 overs (Pathum Nissanka 51, Kusal Mendis 122, Sadeera Samarawickrama 108; Hasan Ali 4/71).
Pakistan: 345/4 in 48.2 overs (Abdullah Shafique 113, Mohammad Rizwan 131 not out, Saud Shakeel 31, Iftikhar Ahmed 22 not out).
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BJP will form govt in Bengal with thumping majority: Nabin
Mirzapur (UP) (PTI): BJP president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday voiced confidence that his party will form the government in West Bengal with a "thumping majority".
Polling is underway for 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, covering key districts, including Kolkata, Howrah and North and South 24 Parganas.
The high-stakes contest is being seen as decisive for the ruling TMC's bid for a fourth consecutive term and the BJP's push to form its first government in the state. The first phase held on April 23 recorded a high voter turnout of over 93 per cent, reflecting intense electoral engagement.
Speaking to reporters in Mirzapur, Nabin said, "The BJP will form the government in Bengal. We are winning the elections with a massive majority."
Earlier in the day, the BJP chief visited the Vindhyavasini temple and offered prayers. The rituals were conducted by his priest Acharya Agastya Kumar Dwivedi.
On his first visit to the district after assuming office, Nabin was welcomed by party workers at several places. At the temple, he was received by city MLA Ratnakar Mishra and District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Gangwar, who felicitated him with a traditional 'angvastram'.
After offering prayers for about 10 minutes amid Vedic chants, Nabin held a meeting at a hotel with local MLAs, including Mishra, Majhwan MLA Suchismita Maurya and Madihan MLA Ramashankar Patel.
Patel said Nabin emphasised strengthening the organisation and asked public representatives to focus on serving people in their respective constituencies.
Several party leaders, including district president Lal Bahadur Saroj, district vice-president Gaurav Umar, municipal chairperson Shyam Sundar Kesari, women workers and senior officials, were present on the occasion.
Elaborate security arrangements were put in place by the district administration for the visit, with multiple officers of circle officer rank deployed, officials said.
