Hetmyer fifty, Shepherd five-for power Windies to easy win over Scotland
Kolkata (PTI): Shimron Hetmyer struck a counter-attacking fifty before Romario Shepherd unleashed a stunning five-wicket burst including a hat-trick as two-time champions West Indies began their T20 World Cup campaign with a comfortable 35-run win over Scotland in their group C fixture here on Saturday.
Back at the venue where they had lifted their second T20 World Cup title a decade ago, West Indies were made to work early before Hetmyer's 36-ball 64 (6x6, 2x4) lifted them to a competitive 182/5.
In reply, Guyanese pacer Shepherd blew away the lower order with a sensational spell of 5/20 to bowl out Scotland for 147 in 18.5 overs.
Shepherd finished the game in dramatic fashion as he ripped through the tail with four wickets in five deliveries -- including Matthew Cross, Michael Leask and Oliver Davidson off successive balls -- to complete his second T20I hat-trick in four months.
He later added Safyaan Sharif to register his maiden five-wicket haul, returning with outstanding figures of 5/20 in three overs. He had also taken a hat-trick against Bangladesh in October.
For West Indies, who had a difficult build up including a shock series loss to Nepal, it was redemption of sorts, having endured a shock loss to Scotland in the 2022-23 edition.
"It was just good to see the guys came back in the middle overs and showed what the power that we possess. And again with the ball, just putting it hard this time around and getting it right," West Indies skipper Shai Hope said at the post-match presentation.
Scotland, who learnt about their participation barely two weeks before the tournament after Bangladesh's withdrawal, showed discipline with the ball but their lack of preparation reflected in the chase.
Having trained indoors through winter full of one-foot snow back home, Scotland got their first proper outdoor sessions only during the warm-ups at Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru in India.
"It was just good to see the guys came back in the middle overs and showed what the power that we possess. And again with the ball, just putting it hard this time around and getting it right," Scotland captain Richie Berrington said.
Berrington struck a brisk 42 off 24 balls (3x4, 2x6) and Tom Bruce made 35 from 28 balls (1x4, 2x6), but the boundaries dried up regularly and the asking rate kept climbing.
Jason Holder removed the skipper with a slower ball to break their 78-run stand and also became the first West Indian to complete 100 T20I wickets.
Hetmyer capped a fine outing with a full-length diving, one-handed catch at cover to dismiss opener George Munsey that lifted their tempo early on.
Earlier, Scotland justified their decision to bowl with a disciplined start.
Brandon King looked scratchy during his 35 off 30 balls, surviving a testing opening spell from Safyaan Sharif, while skipper Shai Hope (19) was cleaned up by Michael Leask's (1/42) quicker delivery.
Debutant left-arm spinner Oliver Davidson (1/23 in three overs) then struck with his second ball to keep the Windies in check. For the Scot, Brad Currie was most successful bowler picking 2/23.
But Hetmyer turned the game on its head with clean, calculated power-hitting, smashing six sixes and two fours in a 36-ball 64.
West Indies were an uncharacteristic 33 for no loss in the power play, managing just four boundaries while eating up 17 dot balls, which is nearly three overs without scoring.
At the halfway mark they were only 66/2 as the Scotland spinners, led by seasoned Mark Watt (0/38), bowled brilliantly.
But after the 10-over mark, Hetmyer slog-swept the spinners, pulled anything short with disdain and even launched an audacious inside-out six over covers as the momentum swung dramatically.
West Indies plundered 72 runs between overs 11 and 15 to surge to 138 for 2, with Hetmyer doing most of the damage.
The Guyanese southpaw found an able ally in Rovman Powell (24 off 14) as the duo added a brisk 81 off just 37 balls to seize complete control of the middle overs.
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Resolution for his removal: Speaker Birla to be present in House but not chair proceedings
New Delhi (PTI): The Lok Sabha will witness a rare moment most likely on Monday next when Om Birla will not chair proceedings but will be seated amongst the members as the House takes up a notice seeking his removal from office.
As Parliament meets for the second phase of the Budget session on March 9, the Lok Sabha is likely to take up the resolution moved by the opposition against Birla's for allegedly acting in a "blatantly partisan" manner.
According to the rules and laid down procedure, Birla will get a right to defend himself when the resolution is discussed by the lower house. He will also have the right to vote against the resolution, Constitution expert P D T Achary explained.
The expert said while Birla will not chair the proceedings when the resolution comes up before the House, he will be seated in the prominent rows in the Treasury benches.
At least 118 opposition members had submitted a notice for moving the resolution to remove Birla from office for not allowing Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders to speak in the House on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address, as well as for suspending eight MPs.
Congress member and chief whip K Suresh submitted the notice to the Lok Sabha secretariat on behalf of several opposition parties, including his party, Samajwadi Party and DMK.
TMC MPs, however, did not sign the notice.
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Achary, a former Lok Sabha secretary general, told PTI, that the "allocation of the seat, which the Speaker occupies under such circumstances is not mentioned in the Rules".
He said Birla will also not be able to vote on the resolution using the automated vote system, but will have to fill a slip to register his vote.
He presumes that a seat belonging to a Union minister, who is from the Rajya Sabha, could be given to him as only Lok Sabha members will be able to cast their votes for or against the resolution.
Deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha and deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha have their earmarked seats in their respective Houses when they are not presiding over.
Front seats in the opposition benches are allocated to them.
Article 96 of the Constitution bars a speaker or a deputy speaker from presiding over the House sitting while a resolution for his removal from office is under consideration.
The speaker has a constitutional right to defend himself in the House if the resolution is discussed in the Lok Sabha.
At least two Lok Sabha members have to sign the notice to move a resolution for the speaker's removal. Any number of members can sign the notice but a minimum of two is mandatory.
The speaker can be removed from office by a resolution passed by the House through a simple majority.
Article 94C of the Constitution has provisions for such a move.
"All the members of the House are counted to compute the majority, not the members present and voting, which is the normal practice. It means the effective membership of the House, except for the vacancies, is used to calculate the majority," Achary said.
The notice has to be submitted to the Lok Sabha secretary general, and not the deputy speaker or anyone else, he said.
The document is then examined at the preliminary stage to see whether it contains "very specific charges", he said.
"At the threshold itself, there is a process of admissibility. At that stage, it is seen whether it contains specific charges. Specific charges are required as only then the speaker will be able to respond," Achary explained.
The resolution must not contain defamatory language or content.
Article 96 gives the speaker the opportunity to defend himself or herself in the House.
The language of the proposed resolution is usually examined by the deputy speaker, but since the present Lok Sabha does not have a deputy speaker, it may be examined perhaps by the senior-most member of the panel of chairpersons.
The panel helps the speaker run the House in his or her absence.
"The speaker examining a resolution that seeks his removal looks absurd," Achary said, adding that the rule is silent on the subject.
Once the processing part is over, the resolution reaches the House. But it can go to the House after 14 days, Achary said.
The chair then places it in the House for consideration. It is actually the House which admits it, or as the rule says, "grants permission".
Achary further said, "The chair then asks members in favour of the resolution to stand up. If 50 members stand up in support of it and if the criteria is fulfilled, the Chair announces that the House has granted permission. Once the House grants permission, it has to be taken up for discussion and disposed of within 10 days."
Lok Sabha sources said it will be taken up for discussion on Monday itself.
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There are precedents of resolutions being moved. However, none has been adopted so far.
"The reason -- governments have a majority," Achary said.
The resolution alleges that Speaker Birla had acted in a "blatantly partisan" manner in conducting the business of the House and "abused" the constitutional office he occupies.
The Opposition also accused the speaker of making certain false allegations against members of the Congress.
Three Lok Sabha speakers -- G V Mavlankar (1954), Hukam Singh (1966) and Balram Jakhar (1987)-- had faced no-confidence motions in the past, which were negatived.
