ICC World Cup: De Kock, Van der Dussen and bowlers power SA to massive win
Pune, Nov 1: Quinton de Kock and Rassie Van der Dussen brought cricket back to prominence in South Africa amid the euphoria over the country's epic triumph in rugby, their scintillating hundreds ensuring a 190-run hammering of New Zealand in the World Cup here on Wednesday.
De Kock (114 off 116 balls) hit his fourth century of the tournament to go level with Kumar Sangakkara who achieved the feat in the 2015 edition, while Van der Dussen blazed away to a 118-ball 133 as South Africa racked up an imposing 357 for four after being asked to bat first.
New Zealand were bowled out for 167 in 35.3 overs.
So far, only three batters have scored four or more centuries in a single edition of World Cup.
The Proteas have displaced India at the top of the points table following the win. Both are on 12 points, though India have played one game less.
David Miller blasted 53 in 30 balls to provide the final flourish four days after the whole country was basking in the rugby team's record fourth World Cup triumph in Paris where the Springboks beat New Zealand's All Blacks, their biggest rivals in the sport.
New Zealand's reply was horrendous as they lost their in-form batters Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra with just 45 runs on the board.
Marco Jansen (3/31) struck the first blow with the new ball, getting the dangerous Conway (2) to edge one to Aiden Markram at second slip.
It was Jansen again who gave South Africa the second breakthrough as he dismissed the in-form Ravindra (9), who went for a pull shot but ended up top-edging it, putting the Proteas on top.
Gerald Coetzee struck with his third delivery of the spell as Will Young poked at a short-of-a-length delivery outside off to give De Kock a regulation catch and leave the Kiwis reeling at 56 for three in the 11th over.
It became 67 for four when Kagiso Rabada sent back skipper Tom Latham in a rather soft dismissal after the batter went for his shot too early.
From there, it was a matter of time before the New Zealand innings folded with plenty of overs remaining.
Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj (4/46) bowled James Neesham with a turner that would make the late Shane Warne proud.
Glenn Phillips delayed the inevitable with his 60 off 50 balls.
Earlier, taking dew into account, New Zealand's stand-in skipper Latham opted to bowl first at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium whose stands were half-full with some people gathered outside when the in-form De Kock and skipper Temba Bavuma walked out to bat.
However, dew was not a factor as South Africa proved to be too good for their opponents who suffered their third defeat of the tournament in seven outings. For the Proteas, it was their sixth win in seven matches, the margin of victory doing their net run rate a world of good.
After Bavuma's (24) dismissal, in De Kock and Van der Dussen, the South Africans had the perfect duo to set the tone, and they did exactly that with a 200-run partnership in little over 30 overs.
Riding on a bit of luck with one of his shots falling in a no man's land, De Kock stepped outside against Mitchell Santner and hoisted the seasoned left-arm spinner over the long-on boundary for a six.
Van der Dussen, too, got into the act and looked comfortable while accumulating his runs.
Dealing with two set batters was not the only challenge for the Kiwis as they also had players getting injured, the last thing for a team that was already grappling with injuries to key players heading into this match.
After Matt Henry hurt his right hamstring and received treatment, Jimmy Nesham also had some injury issues.
Meanwhile, luck also smiled on Van der Dussen as he got more than one reprieve on way to his century.
First, De Kock reached his hundred in style, smashing Neesham on the onside for a maximum. Soon, Van der Dussen got to his ton with a four.
Batting on 104 off 105 balls, Van der Dussen shifted gears and launched into Neesham for two consecutive sixes, the first one was thanks to Trent Boult tipping the ball over the ropes while trying to catch it.
Then, Van der Dussen carted Tim Southee for a maximum over long-on.
By the time De Kock and Van der Dussen were dismissed, they had done enough for South Africa to aim for 350.
Then, Miller produced a few big hits to prop them up towards the end.
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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