Rain halts KKR vs PBKS clash after Bartlett rocks hosts with two in three balls
Kolkata (PTI): Rain played spoilsport as Kolkata Knight Riders' IPL match against Punjab Kings was interrupted with the home side struggling at 25 for 2 in 3.4 overs amid steady drizzle that later turned into a thunderstorm, here on Monday.
Opting to bat on a dry surface, KKR, in search of their first win of the season, were rocked early as Xavier Bartlett struck twice in the space of three balls.
Displaying fine control over swing and seam, the Australian pacer removed KKR's two star overseas recruits Finn Allen (6) and Cameron Green (4), who had been promoted to No. 3.
Green, the highest-paid overseas player at Rs 25.20 crore, continued his miserable outing having earlier managed scores of 18 (against Mumbai Indians) and 2 (Sunrisers Hyderabad), as KKR stumbled having lost their opening two matches.
Skipper Ajinkya Rahane (8) and young wicketkeeper-batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi (7), who has been KKR’s most consistent performer this season with successive fifties, were looking to rebuild when persistent drizzle forced the umpires to halt play at 7.45pm.
With Eden Gardens equipped with full ground covers, the groundstaff sprang into action, swiftly covering the entire field.
There was a brief relent when the covers began to come off, but rain returned with thunderstrom and lightning, leaving spectators frustrated as they started leaving.
The match also witnessed a relatively sparse turnout, with 29,358 spectators in attendance possibly due to a Monday fixture and overcast conditions.
All this unfolded in front of Bollywood superstar and KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan, who made his first appearance of the season, only to witness a rain-hit evening.
Incidentally, last season’s KKR-PBKS fixture at the Eden (April 26) was also affected by rain, with both teams forced to share a point.
The Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings had posted 201 for 4 before KKR reached 7 for no loss when rain intervened.
An inspection was held at 8.45 pm, but with further showers accompanied by gusty Kalbaisakhi (Nor’wester) winds, the outlook remained grim.
Overs begin to be reduced after a delay of one hour, with roughly one over per side lost for every four to five minutes thereafter.
The cut-off time to start a five-overs-a-side match -- the minimum required for a result -- is 10.56pm.
However, with rain expected to intensify as per forecasts, a result appeared unlikely.
A washout, though, would help KKR open their account with one point after a winless start.
According to the IMD, the rain has been triggered by a low-pressure trough stretching from Bihar to Manipur, passing over North Bengal, Assam and Bangladesh, leading to moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal.
“Thunderstorms with lightning and rain may occur in most districts of South Bengal. From Sunday to Thursday, scattered rainfall is likely across the state, with higher intensity on Tuesday and Wednesday,” the IMD said.
Weather conditions are expected to worsen on Tuesday, with Kalbaisakhi storms likely to bring winds of 50-60 kmph, along with lightning and heavy rain in Kolkata and adjoining areas.
KKR have a third home match in a row facing Lucknow Super Giants on Thursday but that too has some rain forecast.
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US warns shipping firms they could face sanctions over paying Iranian tolls in Strait of Hormuz
Dubai (AP): The United States is warning shipping companies that they could face sanctions for making payments to Iran to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
The alert posted Friday by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control adds another layer of pressure in the standoff between the US and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
About a fifth of the world's trade in oil and natural gas typically passes through the strait at the mouth of the Persian Gulf in peacetime.
Iran effectively closed the strait to normal traffic by attacking and threatening to attack ships after the US and Israel launched a war on Feb. 28. It later began offering some ships safe passage by detouring them through alternate routes closer to its shoreline, charging fees at times for the service.
That "tollbooth” effort is the focus of the US sanctions warning.
The payment demands could include transfers not only in cash but also “digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments,” including chartibale donations and payments at Iranian embassies, OFAC said.
“OFAC is issuing this alert to warn US and non-US persons about the sanctions risks of making these payments to, or soliciting guarantees from, the Iranian regime for safe passage. These risks exist regardless of payment method,” it said.
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The US responded to Iran's closure of the strait with a naval blockade of its own on April 13, preventing any Iranian tankers from leaving and depriving Iran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy.
The US Central Command said 45 commercial ships have been told to turn around since the blockade began.
Trump rejects Iranian proposal
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The warning came as US President Donald Trump swiftly rejected Iran's latest proposal to end the war between the countries.
“They want to make a deal, I'm not satisfied with it, so we'll see what happens,” Trump said Friday at the White House. He didn't elaborate on what he saw as its shortcomings but expressed frustration with the Iranian leadership.
“It's a very disjointed leadership,” Trump said. “They all want to make a deal, but they're all messed up.”
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported Iran handed over its plan to mediators in Pakistan on Thursday night.
The shaky three-week ceasefire between the US and Iran appears to be holding, though both countries have traded accusations of violations. The standoff is increasingly putting pressure on the global economy, driving up prices and leading to shortages of fuel and other products tied to the oil industry.
Negotiations continued by phone after Trump called off his envoys' trip to Pakistan last week, the president said. Trump this week floated a new plan to reopen the critical passageway used by America's Gulf allies to export their oil and gas.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has briefed many of his regional counterparts on the country's initiatives to end the ear, according to his social media. He also held talks Friday with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who is in contact with the EU's Gulf partners.
China's UN envoy urges Iran to lift restrictions
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Fu Cong, the Chinese ambassdor to the United Nations, said Friday that maintaining the ceasefire is “the most urgent issue" as well as bringing together the sides to resume good faith negotiations “to make sure that the ground is laid for reopening of Hormuz.”
Foreign Minister Wang Yi “has been on the phone almost constantly” with representatives from all sides, Fu said, adding that China supports Pakistan's efforts to mediate between the parties.
Fu stressed the root cause of the tremendous suffering in Iran and neighboring countries and the growing turmoil in the global economy, especially in developing countries, “is the illegitimate war by the US and Israel.
