Rizwan's gritty 60 holds up England, Pakistan gets to 223-9
Southampton: Mohammad Rizwan scored a gritty, unbeaten half-century to guide Pakistan past 200 against an increasingly frustrated England before bad light at the Rose Bowl brought an early end to the second day of the second Test on Friday.
The teams went off the field before tea because of the gloom, with Pakistan on 215-8, and reappeared for only another nine balls, during which Stuart Broad took his third wicket of the innings and the tourists moved to 223-9. The umpires took another meter reading and took the players off again for good this time.
Rizwan will return on Saturday on 60, the wicketkeeper's second-highest test score, alongside Naseem Shah (1).
England looked all set on wrapping up the Pakistan innings, which resumed on Friday on 126-5, after star batsman Babar Azam (47) edged behind a brilliant ball from Broad that seamed and squared up Babar.
That made the score 158-6 and two more wickets fell for 18 runs, with Yasir Shah (5) flashing at a delivery from Jimmy Anderson and edging to give wicketkeeper Jos Buttler another catch. Shaheen Afridi (0) was run out by Dom Sibley at the non-striker's end after a mix-up.
England's seam bowling unraveled in the final half-hour before the enforced tea, with the field set by captain Joe Root perhaps too negative under threatening skies and with two lower-order batsmen in the middle. On occasions, there were five or six out near the boundary as Root spread the field.
Anderson has the best bowling figures, with 3-48. Broad had 3-56.
The tourists trail 1-0 in the three-match series after losing the first match by three wickets in Manchester. Another victory for England will clinch a first test series against Pakistan in 10 years, and a second series of this pandemic-affected summer having already beaten the West Indies.
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MEA reports more than 200 Indians enlisted in Russian military since 2022; 26 deaths confirmed
More than 200 Indian nationals have joined the Russian armed forces since 2022, with 26 are confirmed dead, MEA—The Ministry of External Affairs have informed the Upper house of the Parliament: Rajya Sabha.
In a written response, the Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, has stated that at least 202 Indians are reported to have joined the Russian army. Among these recruited personnels, 26 have lost their lives; while, seven individuals have been reported missing by Russian authorities. He added that the remains of two deceased Indian nationals were cremated in Russia.
Singh noted that the sustained diplomatic efforts by the Indian government have led to the early discharge of 119 individuals. He further added that the discussions are going smoothly with the Russians to secure the release of the remaining personnel, with efforts underway to facilitate the early discharge of 50 more Indian nationals.
According to the minister, the Union government is in contact with Russian authorities to ensure the safety, welfare, and prompt return of Indian citizens serving in the Russian army. The issue, he said, is being addressed at multiple levels, including interactions between senior leaders, ministers, and officials of both countries.
The said disclosure was made in response to queries raised by Saket Gokhale, the MP of Trinamool Congress, and Randeep Singh Surjewala, the MP of INC, regarding the number of Indians allegedly recruited into the military service in Russia; Along with the details of deaths and missing persons reported since 2022.
