Samson's ton goes in vain as Warner-Bairstow hand Sunrisers first win in IPL 2019
Hyderabad, Mar 29: Sanju Samson's second IPL ton was overshadowed by David Warner's blistering fifty as Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Rajasthan Royals by five wickets to register their first win in the ongoing edition of the tournament here Friday.
Samson's first century of the ongoing IPL went in vain, as chasing a mammoth 199-run target, Warner set up the platform for Sunrisers with a breezy 69 off 37 balls and together with Jonny Bairstow (45 off 28) added a century stand for the opening wicket to spoil Rajasthan's day.
Sunrisers needed the quick start if they fancy their chances of eclipsing Rajasthan's imposing 198 for two and Warner and Bairstow just provided that to give the impetus for the rest of the batsmen to follow as the hosts chased down the target in 19 overs.
Earlier, Samson smashed the first century of the ongoing IPL and together with skipper Ajinkya Rahane stitched a century stand to guide Rajasthan to a mammoth total.
Samson didn't spare a single Sunrisers' bowler and remained unbeaten on 102 that came off just 55 balls with the help of 10 fours and four sixes. It was Samson's second IPL ton. His first century came in 2017.
Chasing the total, Warner looked in imperious form as he started clobbering the Rajasthan bowlers from the word go.
Sensing the demand of the situation, Warner, who hit 85 against Kolkata Knight Riders in a losing cause in their opener, went hammer and tongs from the beginning and struck fours and sixes at will to propel Sunrisers to 54 for no loss after five overs.
Together with Bairstow, Warner shared 110 runs in just 58 balls for the opening stand.
But just when it seemed Warner would run away with the game, Ben Stokes foxed him with a perfect short ball as he was holed out by Dhawal Kulkarni at deep fine leg.
Warner's knock was studded with nine fours and two sixes.
It would have been a double blow for Sunrisers but Kulkarni dropped Bairstow at third man a ball later.
But Kulkarni made up for his mistake in the final ball of the next over, latching on to a fine catch at the long-off to sent Bairstow packing.
Skipper Kane Williamson (14) and Vijay Shankar (35 off 15) played aggressively to bring down the equation within reach but three quick wickets, that too in consecutive balls of Shreyas Gopal (3/27) in the 16th over, changed the complexion of the game.
But Yusuf Pathan (16 not out) and Rashid Khan (15 not out) played sensibly to overwhelm the target with ease.
Earlier, Rahane led from the front with 49-ball 70 and together with Samson shared 119 runs for the second wicket to set the base for the total.
Introduced into the attack in the fourth over, Rashid (1/24) struck with only his second ball, cleaning up Jos Buttler around his legs.
Rajasthan's decision to bat first didn't go according to plan, at least, in the powerplay as the visitors struggled against Sunrisers' disciplined bowling to garner just 35 runs.
After Buttler's dismissal, skipper Rahane was joined at the crease by Samson and the duo played cautiously without taking any undue risk to take Rajasthan forward.
While Rahane played the anchor's role, Samson opened up his arms soon and smashed two sixes in consecutive overs of Shabaz Nadeem and Siddharth Kaul to give some momentum to Rajasthan's innings.
Rahane soon joined his junior colleague and clobbered Nadeem straight over his head as Rajasthan reached 75 for one at the halfway stage.
After a slow start, Rahane stepped on the accelerator and welcomed Vijay Shankar with six over deep square leg boundary.
Both Rahane and Samson paced their innings to perfection, as after playing cautiously initially, they broke their shackles when needed and notched up the team's 100 in 11.5 overs.
Rahane registered his first fifty of the ongoing IPL in 38 balls while Samson brought up his half-century in 34 deliveries as the duo raised 100-run stand for the second wicket in 65 balls.
Rahane finally departed in the 16th over bowled by Nadeem, holed out by Manish Pandey at long-on as he went for a big shot. He struck four boundaries and three sixes.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar's torrid time at the death overs continued. If it was Andre Russell in the last match, it was Samson Friday as the young Kerala batsman too the senior pacer to cleaners, hitting him for four boundaries and one six to pick up 24 runs in the 18th over.
As if that was not enough, Bhuvneshwar witnessed yet another forgettable day as he leaked 21 runs in the last over.
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Pak cancels over 500 flights in last three days due to raging conflict in West Asia
Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan has cancelled more than 500 domestic and international flights over the past three days due to raging conflict in West Asia, leaving thousands of passengers stranded, according to a media report on Monday.
Along with passengers, air cargo services have also been suspended, halting the transport of various goods, including food items and other supplies. It is still unclear when flights will resume, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
According to data from the Pakistan Airport Authority, more than 500 flights departing from and arriving at various airports across Pakistan have been cancelled, the paper said.
It added that the suspension of air cargo services has also disrupted the delivery of food and other goods, causing difficulties not only for passengers but also for industrialists.
Flights from Pakistani airports, including Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Faisalabad, and Multan, operated by PIA, private airlines, and foreign carriers to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Sharjah, Dubai, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and other countries have been cancelled.
Airport sources stated that some airspaces are closed, leading to the suspension of operations. Currently, there is no information on when flights will resume. Only flights to and from Saudi Arabia are continuing.
If the situation persists or worsens, air operations may face further disruptions.
According to Khawaja Ayub Naseem, a senior leader of the Travel Agents Association, fear and uncertainty are also causing many Umrah pilgrims to hesitate to travel.
Hundreds of pilgrims had booked tickets via Dubai. While ticket refunds are possible, hotel bookings are non-refundable. If the situation continues, travel agents could face losses amounting to millions of rupees.
While Pakistan's airspace remains fully available and secure, airlines have adjusted operations in response to the evolving security situation and restrictions in neighbouring airspace.
Karachi's Jinnah International Airport witnessed extraordinary activity over the weekend, with dozens of flights of foreign airlines diverted to Karachi, creating scenes reminiscent of the 1990 Gulf crisis.
According to aviation sources, a large number of foreign airlines were rerouted to Karachi as regional airspace restrictions and security concerns forced precautionary diversions. Several aircraft were temporarily parked during the day, while many others landed for refuelling.
In view of the extraordinary influx, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Saturday issued a formal NOTAM highlighting limited aircraft parking space at the airport and directing airlines and cockpit crew to ensure prior coordination before operating into Karachi.
A PAA spokesperson said overall, 27 flights were handled, including diversions, return flights, technical landings and rerouted operations.
Karachi airport alone managed 13 diversions, including technical refuelling stops. In addition, four diversions were recorded in the Lahore Flight Information Region, while two return diversions were handled at Islamabad Airport.
Three flights returned to their original or alternate destinations, while five rerouted flights transited through Karachi's airspace without landing and were provided alternate routes.
The sudden increase in traffic created operational challenges due to limited parking space, prompting airport authorities to caution airlines about possible delays.
The US and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran on Saturday, assassinating 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, alongside family members, including his daughter and grandchildren.
Since then, Iran has targeted multiple US bases in surrounding Gulf States.
