Eoin Morgan retires, draws curtains on glorious international career
London, June 28: Eoin Morgan confirmed his retirement from international cricket and stepped down as England's white-ball captain after more than seven years on Tuesday.
After England's dismal failure at the 2015 Cricket World Cup, Morgan spearheaded the team's white-ball transformation to a bold, attacking approach and unprecedented heights.
He led England's to its first global 50-over title at the 2019 World Cup, and the No. 1 ranking in one-day internationals and Twenty20s. They enjoyed series victories against every major team and 60% success on his watch.
As with all great players and leaders, he has changed the way the game has been played, and he has changed the way an entire generation and generations to come will play this form of the game, Rob Key, the managing director of England men's cricket, said. His legacy within the game will be felt for many years to come.
Morgan's teams have the three highest ODI totals; last week in the Netherlands they raised the world record to 498-4.
However, he scored consecutive ducks in the first two matches and missed the third with a groin issue.
His form and fitness have been in decline. Over the last year and a half, the 35-year-old Morgan has only one half-century in 48 innings in international and domestic T20s and ODIs.
To call time on what has been without doubt the most enjoyable and rewarding chapter of my career hasn't been an easy decision, but I believe now is the right time to do so, both for me, personally, and for both England white-ball sides I have led to this point, he said.
England allrounder Moeen Ali, who won the 2019 World Cup with Morgan, wasn't surprised by the captain's timing.
The team for him still comes first, which just shows how unselfish he is, Ali told the BBC. He's done a remarkable job and he's the best we've ever had, for sure.
Morgan was also part of England teams that won their first global cricket title in 2010 at the World Twenty20 and captained the team to the final in 2016.
Morgan holds the team records for most ODIs (225) and T20s (115), and the most runs in both formats.
Ali lauded Morgan's "massive achievement in changing the team's mindset, as well as being a great captain.
"There were so many times where people were caught on the boundary and they were like, I should have just hit a single,' and he was like, 'No, no, next time you hit it out of the ground.' We'd never come across a captain like that before.
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ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
