ICC World Cup: Rain forces South Africa, Windies to split points
Southampton: Incessant drizzle forced the World Cup tie between South Africa and West Indies to be called off at the Rose Bowl here on Monday after only few overs could be bowled, as both teams shared the spoils.
Andre Russell-less West Indies put the Proteas in to bat after winning the toss with skipper Jason Holder hoping to make use of the overcast conditions.
Desperate for a win after three successive defeats, Faf Du Plessis led South Africa were off to a jittery start, losing out-of-form Hashim Amla (6) and Aiden Markram (5) early to totter at 29/2 in 7.3 overs.
Windies pacer Sheldon Cottrell bagged both the wickets in a wonderful four-over spell in which he leaked 18 runs. Oshane Thomas had just started his first over when the skies opened up, and after several inspections, the umpires had to rule out any chance of further play being possible.
Under the cosh, South Africa can now score a maximum of 11 points in this tournament, while the West Indies, who lost to Australia last week after a good opening win against Pakistan, have a better chance of bouncing back.
"These are the worst. Both teams wanted to play and get results but you can't control the weather," Du Plessis said.
"For us it was important to not lose wickets. It's like Test cricket. But they did well to get two wickets. (Shortage) favours the team that bats second. But even saying that, if you get 30-35 overs, you can defend on a big ground. Lungi (Ngidi) will be ready for the next match. We didn't play our best cricket so far. We've got to beat Afghanistan (in the next game)," the 34-year old added.
Holder said their bowlers got a good start but could not cash in thanks to the inclement weather.
"Yeah, really good start again by the bowlers. It's unfortunate the weather came in our way. So far we've been getting new ball wickets. It's just a matter for our bowlers to hit the straps and continue doing what we're doing. We don't mind giving away runs. We're hoping Russell pulls up before the next game," Holder said.
The Windies were without the injured pair of Russell and Evin Lewis.
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Chhattisgarh Vedanta power plant blast: Death toll rises to 20; sixteen workers undergoing treatment
Sakti (Chhattisgarh) (PTI): The death toll in a blast at the Vedanta power plant in Chhattisgarh's Sakti district has mounted to 20 with seven more workers succumbing to injuries, while 16 others are undergoing treatment at different hospitals, officials said on Wednesday.
The deceased include six labourers from West Bengal, five from Chhattisgarh, three each from Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, two from Bihar, and one from Madhya Pradesh.
The opposition Congress has demanded registration of an FIR against the plant management and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
The explosion occurred on Tuesday afternoon in a steel tube carrying high-pressure steam from the boiler to the turbine at the Vedanta Ltd power plant located in Singhitarai village, leaving several workers with severe burn injuries.
According to officials, four workers died on the spot, while nine others succumbed to injuries soon after the incident.
Seven more workers have died in hospitals, raising the toll to 20, Sakti Collector Amrit Vikas Topno told PTI on Wednesday.
He said that a total of 36 workers were affected in the blast, and 20 of them died.
"Of the 16 injured workers, five are undergoing treatment in hospitals in Raipur, while 11 others are in hospitals of Raigarh, the neighbouring district of Sakti," he added.
Topno added that every possible effort was being made to provide the best medical treatment to the injured.
The deceased were identified, and their family members are being contacted. Arrangements have been made to transport the mortal remains to their native villages via ambulance following the postmortem examination and to provide immediate financial assistance, he said.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of each deceased worker and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
Vedanta Power has also announced a Rs 35 lakh compensation for the family of each deceased worker, along with employment support.
The company will also provide Rs 15 lakh to each injured person, ensure salary continuation until recovery, and offer counselling support, a statement from the plant management said.
The chief minister has ordered an inquiry by the Commissioner of the Bilaspur division, assuring strict action against the guilty.
He directed officials to ensure free and proper medical treatment for all injured and emphasised that no negligence in their care would be tolerated.
The district administration has also ordered a separate magisterial probe, while the company has initiated its own internal investigation.
Collector Topno has appointed the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Dabhra to conduct the magisterial inquiry.
The SDM has been asked to submit a report within 30 days covering key aspects, including the cause of the accident, whether it was due to technical or human error, and details of safety inspections carried out at the plant.
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress has demanded registration of an FIR against the plant management and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
State Congress communication wing head Sushil Anand Shukla on Wednesday alleged negligence on the plant management's part and accused the government of attempting to shield those responsible.
He also demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of the deceased and Rs 50 lakh for the injured.
The construction of a 1,200 MW coal-based thermal power project (two units of 600 MW each) in Singhitarai, originally owned by Athena Chhattisgarh Power Ltd, started in 2009, but remained stalled between 2016 and 2022.
Vedanta acquired the plant in 2022, after which a 600 MW unit was completed and commissioned in August last year, while the second unit is still under construction.
The deceased have been identified as Amrit Lal Patel, Thanda Ram Lahre, Udhab Singh Yadav, Rameshwar Mahilange, and Nadeem Ansari (all from Chhattisgarh); Susanta Jana, Sheikh Saifuddin, Manas Giri, Kailash Mahto, Shibnath Murmu, and Dipankar Singh (West Bengal), Tarun Kumar Ojha, Abdul Karim and Ashok Parhiya (Jharkhand), Raju Ram, Pappu Kumar and Brijesh Kumar (Uttar Pradesh), Aakib Khan and Ritesh Kumar (Bihar), and Chitranjan Dhulai of Madhya Pradesh, officials said.
