Stuart Binny announces retirement from first class and International cricket
New Delhi(PTI): India all-rounder Stuart Binny, who owns the record of the best bowling figures in ODI format, on Monday announced his retirement from first class and international cricket.
The 37-year-old Binny began his career with his state Karnataka and represented India in six Tests, 14 ODIs and three Twenty20 Internationals.
"I would like to inform you that I have decided to retire from first class and international cricket," Binny, whose father Roger also represented India, said in a statement.
"It has given me tremendous joy and pride to have represented my country at the highest international level."
While he did not get many international runs under his belt, Binny returned exceptional bowling figures against Bangladesh when he took six wickets for just four runs in an ODI in June 2014 in Dhaka.
It remains the best bowling performance in the ODIs till date. He had bettered the record of his compatriot Anil Kumble, who had also taken a six-wicket haul against the West Indies in 1993 but had conceded 12 runs.
A handy all-rounder, with experience of 95 first class matches, iconic skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni tried him out in a few Tests with reasonable success.
In his debut Test against England in July 2014, he scored 78 in his second innings and that remained his only fifty in his six Tests.
A 31-run over in a T20 game against the West Indies in Florida effectively ended his international career where Evin Lewis hit him for five sixes. He was viciously trolled.
Once the conflict of interest became a catch phrase in Indian cricket, his father Roger was forced to relinquish his selection committee post.
With advent of Hardik Pandya as an explosive batting all rounder, Binny's chances of national comeback dwindled and he played a season of first class cricket in the North East.
He will be remembered as a player who punched above his weight and did his best as per his abilities.
Binny thanked the BCCI, his various teams, fellow players and coaches for the role played in his growth as a cricketer.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
