Leeds, Jul 4: Young Nicholas Pooran and skipper Jason Holder provided the final flourish with a century plus stand as West Indies scored a respectable 311 for six in an inconsequential World Cup league stage encounter, here Thursday.

Pooran (58 off 43 balls) and Holder (45 off 34 balls) added 105 runs in 71 balls to take the total past 300-run mark.

This was after Shai Hope (77 off 92 balls) and Evin Lewis (58 off 78 balls) set the platform with an 88-run second wicket partnership.

For Afghanistan, seamer Dawlat Zadran was the most successful bowler but was hammered during the last few overs. He ended with figures of 2 for 73.

Afghan spin troika of Mujeeb ur Rahman (0/52 in 10 overs), Mohammed Nabi (1/56 in 10 overs) and Rashid Khan (1/52 in 10 overs) were once again steady as the Caribbean batsmen couldn't push the run-rate up during middle overs.

Hope and Lewis both hit six fours and two sixes each as they built a foundation after Chris Gayle's early dismissal. Shimron Hetmyer (39) also got a start but was out after being set. He added 65 runs with Hope for the third wicket.

Hope and Hetmyer were out within 20 runs off each other and West Indies weren't exactly comfortable at 192 for 4 in the 38th over.

But it was Pooran and Holder, who attacked the bowling during the last 10 overs.

Pooran, after his hundred in a lost cause against Sri Lanka, was once again in his elements, reaching his half-century off only 40 balls. His flat-batted six off Zadran was a delight to watch. 

His skipper wasn't far behind as he muscled the bowlers over the ropes with his big strides.

Pooran hit six fours and a six while Holder had four maximums apart from a boundary to his credit.

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Imphal (PTI): The police have evacuated at least 51 Kuki students from a school in Manipur’s Naga-majority Ukhrul district as a precautionary measure, following clashes between the two communities, a statement said on Monday.

Tension had been simmering between Tangkhul Naga tribe and the Kukis in Ukhrul for more than a week, as around 30 houses were burnt during clashes at Litan Sareikhong area in Ukhrul district.

“The Ukhrul District Police have evacuated 51 students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Ramva School in Ukhrul and handed them over to the Saikul police station team for onward movement to the JNV in Kangpokpi district," the police said in a statement.

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Thirty-one male and 20 female students were sent to Kangpokpi, a Kuki-majority district.

Police said the students were evacuated as a precautionary measure due to the prevailing law and order situation in the district.

During the evacuation process, some members of the public mistook the students for miscreants, the police said, adding that local civil society organisations helped the administration in de-escalating tension.

"Their efforts in persuading villagers across the Shangshak, Ramva, Shokvao, TM Kasom, and S Laho areas ensured the safe evacuation of the students," the statement added.

Police also appealed to all communities to maintain restraint and refrain from spreading rumours.

The violence between the Kukis and the Nagas began following a drunken brawl between two groups on the evening of February 7 at Litan, a commercial town and home to both communities.

For nearly three years, Manipur has been rocked by ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities. It started in May 2023 after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. At least 260 people lost their lives in the clashes, and thousands were displaced.

Presidents’ Rule was imposed in the state on February 13 last year, while the state got a new chief minister in Y Khemchand Singh, who was sworn in earlier this month.