Pakistan keep semi-final hopes alive with scrappy win over Netherlands
Perth(PTI): Pakistan were once again scrappy with the bat but managed to eke out a six-wicket victory over the Netherlands in the T20 World Cup here on Sunday to keep their slim semifinal hopes alive.
The Dutchmen found Pakistan’s world class pace attack too hot to handle on a bowlers’ friendly Optus Stadium track, managing only 91 for 9 in their 20 overs.
One of the batters, Bas de Leede (6) retired hurt after being hit below the eye by a snorter from Haris Rauf.
The target of 92 was never going to be an issue for Pakistan but even then it took them 13.5 overs to complete the chase with ICC’s No. 1 ranked T20 batter Mohammed Rizwan managing 49 off 39 balls at an unimpressive strike-rate of 125.64.
With Bangladesh also getting the better of Zimbabwe in a thriller, Pakistan’s chances of remaining alive in the tournament increased.
The full credit for this win will go to the bowlers, who hardly put a foot wrong on the day as Shaheen Shah Afridi (1/19 in 4 overs) and Naseem Shah (1/11 in 4 overs) choked the run flow in the Powerplay and the Dutch could never break the shackles.
Mohammed Wasim (2/15 in 3 overs) was very brisk during the back end while Shadab Khan reaped the fruits of this relentless pressure by the speed merchants with best figures of 3/10.
For the Dutch, the kind of extreme pace that they faced on the day isn’t something that they are accustomed to at the Associate level.
It was inevitable that they couldn’t really manage to get on top of the bowling as Powerplay overs yielded only 18 runs. It was ball hitting the bat rather than other way round.
De Leede got a nasty one from Rauf and was on all fours before he had to be rushed off the field. One saw a big swelling under his right eye as he walked off the field.
The short ball also played into the psyche of the batters as Colin Ackermann’s run-a-ball 27 was their top score. The only other batter to reach double figures was skipper Scott Edwards (15 off 20 balls).
Such was the domination of the Pakistani pace attack that the Netherlands managed a cumulative total of only five boundaries in 20 overs.
While batting, Babar Azam’s (4) run-out was unfortunate as he couldn’t beat a direct throw from from former Proteas spinner Roelof van der Merwe (playing for his country of birth) while Fakhar Zaman (20 off 16 balls) smashed three fours before Edwards took a diving catch off seamer Brandon Glover’s delivery.
But Rizwan completed the chase with minimum fuss
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
