South Africa defeat USA by 18 runs in T20 World Cup
North Sound (Antigua), Jun 19: Opener Quinton de Kock hit a blazing half-century and shared a 110-run partnership with skipper Aiden Markram as South Africa defeated the USA by 18 runs in their opening T20 World Cup Super Eight (Group 2) match here on Wednesday.
De Kock smashed 74 off 40 deliveries, while Markram hit a 32-ball 46 as the Proteas made a solid 194 for 4 in 20 overs. They then restricted the USA batters to 176/6 with pacer Kagiso Rabada (3/18) doing the maximum damage.
USA's opener Andries Gous gave the Proteas the jitters with his audacious strokeplay but his unbeaten 80 off 47 balls went in vain. He was ably supported by Harmeet Singh, who contributed 38 runs.
Earlier, De Kock was brutal in his knock, hitting seven boundaries and five maximums. Heinrich Klaasen remained unbeaten on 36, while Tristan Stubbs contributed 20 as SA made a big impression in their Super Eight game.
For the USA, who chose to field, left-arm pacer Saurabh Netravalkar and spinner Harmeet Singh took two wickets each.
Brief scores:
South Africa: 194 for 4 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 74, Aiden Markram 46, Heinrich Klaasen 36 not out, Tristan Stubbs 20 not out; Saurabh Netravalkar 2/21, Harmeet Singh 2/24).
USA: 176 for 6 in 20 overs (Steven Taylor 24, Andries Gous 80 not out, Harmeet Singh 38; Kagiso Rabada 3/18).
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
