SANO (JAPAN): Seven months after they made their international debut at the Asian Games, Mongolia capped an ignominious milestone when they were bowled out for 12, the second lowest score in T20 International history in a match against hosts Japan here on Wednesday.

In response to Japan's imposing 217 for 7 after the hosts elected to bat, Mongolia were folded in 8.2 overs, etching their name in the annals of infamy with the second lowest score in T20I history after Isle of Man's 10 all out against Spain in on February 26, 2023.

For Japan, 17-year-old left-arm seamer Kazuma Kato-Stafford returned with 5 for 7 from his 3.2 overs, while Abdul Samad (2/4) and Makoto Taniyama (2/0) bagged two each in the match held at the Sano International Cricket Ground.

Tur Sumaya (4 off 11) was the top-scorer for Mongolia, while opener Namsrai Bat-yalalt faced a maximum 12 deliveries. This was the second T20I of a seven-match series, while the third one, slated later in the day, did not yield any result.

In the first T20I, Mongolia were bowled out for 33 in reply to Japan’s 199 for 5, enduring a 166-run defeat.

This was Mongolia’s fifth T20I appearance, having made international debut at the Hangzhou showpiece where they made a group stage exit after losing both their matches.

In their first-ever international match, they were subjected to a massive total of 314/3 by Nepal, ultimately losing by 273 runs after being dismissed for 41.

Mongolia had also lost to Maldives by nine wickets in the second match after posting 60 for 9.

According to the ICC, one Battulga Gombo was the ‘man behind cricket’ in the country.

“In 2014 he convinced the municipal park authorities to grant rights to develop an area of wasteland into a cricket ground, and in 2015, with his friend Chris Hurd, he launched the Mongolian Cricket Seed Appeal,” according to the ICC.

Since then the schools’ programme has grown, six provinces outside Ulaanbaatar are now playing the game, and indoor and outdoor tournaments are consistently being held throughout the year, it added.

Brief Scores:

Japan 217 for 7 in 20 overs (Sabaorish Ravichandran 69; Zoljavkhlan Shurentsetseg 3/32, Luvsanzundui Erdenebulgan 2/61).

Mongolia 12 all out in 8.2 overs (Kazuma Kato-Stafford 5/7, Abdul Samad 2/4, Makoto Taniyama 2/0) by 205 runs.

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Lucknow (Farrukhabad): A viral video has surfaced showing a 16-year-old son of a BJP worker allegedly casting eight votes to the saffron party during the ongoing general elections in Uttar Pradesh. The video has sparked controversy, and the opposition has urged for prompt action from the Election Commission of India, reports scroll.in.

The video shared by the Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on micro-blogging site ‘X’, showed the youngster recording himself while casting multiple times in a series of instances. The incident reportedly took place in Khiri Pamaran village, which falls under the Aliganj Assembly constituency within the Farrukhabad parliamentary seat. Mukesh Rajput, the sitting MP, is the BJP candidate in this constituency. Polling in Farrukhabad occurred on May 13 during the fourth phase of the general election.

In the viral video, the youngster is seen casting eight votes in total, all for the BJP, one by one with different clippings.

The youngster in the video has been identified as Rajan Singh Thakur, confirmed his father, Anil Singh Thakur to the Scroll.in. Anil Singh Thakur is the gram pradhan (village head) of Khiri Pamaran and a member of the BJP.

Anil defending his son told the Scroll that the ‘Video misrepresented his son,’ and claimed that the voting was done when the machine was being tested in some instances and other clipping of him voting on behalf of mentally and physically disabled voters was merged and made into a video.

Despite the Anil's caims, the video has drawn significant criticism. Subhash Chandra Prajapati, the additional district magistrate of Farrukhabad, confirmed to the Scroll that the administration will file a case soon. He mentioned that the returning officer is investigating the matter following a directive from the chief electoral officer in Lucknow.

The opposition has been vocal in its criticism, with Akhilesh Yadav demanding action from the Election Commission. In his social media post, Yadav accused the BJP of undermining the electoral process and described the party's booth committee as a "loot committee." The Congress party also called on the Election Commission to take action, in a ‘X’ post the party wrote, “Dear Election Commission…are you watching..a boy is voting 8-8 times ... .at least wake up now.”

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, took to ‘X’ to express, “Fearing and seeing their defeat, the BJP is attempting to undermine democracy by pressuring government machinery to deny the mandate. The Congress expects all officers performing election duties to remember their constitutional responsibilities despite any pressure from those in power. Otherwise, once the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc government is formed, actions will be taken to ensure that anyone will think ten times before violating their 'Oath to the Constitution'."

Following the video's circulation, Naval Kishor Shakya, the Samajwadi Party candidate in Farrukhabad, filed a complaint with the district election officer. Shakya's complaint alleges that Rajan Singh Thakur cast votes after snatching voter information slips from other voters and that he was assisted by Dinesh Thakur, the local police station's station house officer. Shakya has called for re-polling at the affected polling center.

In a related incident earlier in May, Gujarat Police arrested two BJP workers for allegedly casting bogus votes and live-streaming the act on social media in the Dahod constituency. The Election Commission conducted re-polling at the affected booth following the incident.

The opposition INDIA bloc, including the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, has repeatedly accused the Election Commission of failing to take prompt action against election model code of conduct violations.