New Zealand restrict Afghanistan to 124 for 8
Abu Dhabi, Nov 7: New Zealand pacers, led by Trent Boult (3/17), dished out a clinical performance to restrict Afghanistan to 124 for 8 in their final Super 12 match of the T20 World Cup here on Sunday.
Afghanistan, who need to win to keep their semifinal hopes alive, reached the total mainly due to the efforts of Najibullah Zadran (73 off 48 balls), who stood out in a rather tepid display by the rest of his team-mates.
Zadran struck six fours and three sixes during his brilliant innings.
A win by New Zealand will send India out of contention for a semifinal spot.
The Kiwi pace trio of Boult, Tim Southee (2/24) and Adam Milne (1/17) did not give anything away in the initial overs as the Afghan batters struggled to get going and fell in trying to force the pace of their innings.
Ish Sodhi (1/13) and Jimmy Neesham (1/24) were the other New Zealand wicket-takers.
Neesham conceded only two runs from the final over of the Afghanistan innings.
The left-handed Zadran rescued Afghanistan with a 59-run fifth wicket stand with captain Mohammed Nabi (14) from 56 for 4 in 10 overs.
However, there was very little support for Zadran from the rest of the batters with only one half-century partnership which proved be their undoing.
A flurry of wickets after the fall of Nabi, including that of Zadran, ensured that Afghanistan did not get to a middling score. Boult sent back Zadran and Karim Janat (2) in the 19th over as the Kiwis took control of the match.
Afghanistan got off to a poor start, losing the openers inside the first four overs.
Mohammed Shahazad (4) was the first to go in the third over when his uppercut off Milne flew to 'keeper Devon Conway, who leapt high to complete a good catch on the second attempt.
The wily Boult struck the second blow, getting Hazratullah Zazai when the batter's attempted flick took a leading edge for an easy catch to Mitchell Santner to leave Afghanistan at 12 for 2.
Soon, it became 19 for 3 when Rahmanullah Gurbaz was leg-before to Tim Southee for 6.
Zadran and Gulbadin Nabi (15) staged mini recovery for Afghanistan with a 37-run partnership for the fourth wicket during which the former came up with the some good shots.
However, leggie Ish Sodhi broke through for the Kiwis when he had Naib chopped a widish delivery on to his stumps.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
