Roy, Buttler power England to 386-6 against Bangladesh
Cardiff, Jun 8: Opener Jason Roy smashed his way to a sensational 153 before Jos Buttler provided the late charge with a strokeful fifty as England posted a massive 386 for six against Bangladesh in their World Cup fixture here Saturday.
Roy, who blasted five sixes and had 14 hits to the fence in his 121-ball innings, laid the foundation with two crucial partnerships -- 128 with opener Jonny Bairstow (51) and 77 with first-down Joe Root (21).
Buttler then scored a 44-ball 64 laced with four sixes and two fours and added 95 with skipper Eoin Morgan (35) as England posted the first 350 plus total of the tournament.
For Bangladesh, Mohammad Saifuddin (2/78) and Mehidy Hasan (2/67) picked two wickets each.
Put into bat, England were off to a flying start as Roy and Bairstow scored 67 in the first powerplay and then brought up the hundred in 15 overs.
A stunning catch by Mehidy Hasan at short cover finally ended Bairstow's innings as Bangladesh produced a much-needed breakthrough in the 20th over bowled by skipper Mortaza.
Roy, however, continued in the same vein and completed his century with a boundary off Mustafizur in the 27th over but while completing the run he ended up knocking on-field umpire Joel Wilson down to the ground.
Roy and Root continued to dominate the proceedings as the hosts crossed 200 runs in 30.4 overs.
England lost their second wicket when Root perished in the 32nd over after inside edging a slower ball to the stumps.
In the 35th over, Roy plundered three successive sixes off Mehidy Hasan to complete his 150 in 120 balls but he was holed out by Mortaza at extra cover in the next ball.
Buttler and Morgan then carried the onus with the former blasting two sixes and a four off Mosaddek Hossain to take England across the 250-mark in the 38th over.
However, the duo perished in the 46th and 47th over respectively, while Ben Stokes (6) too was out cheaply.
Liam Plunkett (27) and Chris Woakes (18) then provided some lusty blows to take England close to the 400-mark.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
