Miller blitzkrieg powers South Africa to four-wicket win
Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga Takes Hat-Trick wicket
Sharjah, Oct 30: David Miller's two last-over sixes powered South Africa to a four-wicket victory over Sri Lanka despite a hat-trick by Wanindu Hasaranga in a thrilling Super 12 match of the ICC T20 World Cup here on Saturday.
Miller's 23-run unbeaten cameo off just 13 balls ensured South Africa knock off the required 25 runs in the last two overs, including 15 in the final six deliveries. The Proteas did so with a ball to spare.
In a match where the pendulum swung till the very end, Kasigo Rabada (13 not out off 7 balls) took a single in the first ball of the last over. Then Miller smashed two back-to back sixes off pacer Lahiri Kumura to seal the game in his team's favour.
Rabada completed the chase by hitting the winning runs -- a boundary to the third man fence -- as the Proteas continued their fine run to stay afloat in the tournament.
First left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (3/17) ran through the Sri Lankan batters as South Africa bundled them out for 142 despite opener Pathum Nissanka's whirlwind 72 and then chased the tricky target.
Thus, the efforts of young leg-spinner Hasaranga (3/20), who scalped two wickets in the 18th over, went in vain.
Skipper Temba Bavuma (46) played his part to perfection as he took the game deep and then Miller justified his finisher's tag.
Chasing 143, South African lost Reeza Hendricks (11), Quinton de Kock (12) and Rassie van der Dussen (16) cheaply.
Bavuma and Aiden Markram (19) took the game deep with their crucial 47-run stand, which played a role in the side's win.
Earlier, left-arm wrist spinner Shamsi spun his web around the Sri Lankan batters as South Africa bowled their opponents out.
On a track that aided spinners, Shamsi rattled the Sri Lankan middle-order to return with fine figures of 3/17 and his scalps included Bhanuka Rajapaksa (0), Avishka Fernando (3) and Hasaranga (4).
The 23-year-old Nissanka was the lone Sri Lankan to shine with the bat, hitting 72 off just 58 balls, with six fours and three sixes.
Put into bat, Kusal Perera (7) and Nissanka, who hit his second T20 fifty, started cautiously. Pacer Kagiso Rabada conceded two boundaries in the second over as the Islanders amassed nine runs.
Pacer Anrich Nortje cleaned up Perera as Sri Lanka lost their first wicket with 20 on the board.
Then in-form Charith Asalanka (21) joined Nissanka and the duo tried to rally the innings with a 41-run stand.
Asalanka struck two successive fours in the sixth over off Nortje, including a straight drive, as Sri Lanka fetched 13 runs from it and cantered to 39/1 after power-play.
After a couple of slow overs, both Asalanka and Nissanka freed their arms, hammering a six each in the 9th over bowled by Keshav Maharaj (0/24).
But South African pegged back the host by scalping four quick wickets. First, Rabada's brilliance in the field meant that Asalanka was run out and, in the next over, Shamsi lobbed a return catch off his own bowling to dismiss Rajapaksa and leave the opposition tottering at 62/3.
Shamsi, in a similar fashion, removed Fernando as they further slipped to 77/4. Shamsi got his third when he dismissed Hasaranga. Skipper Dasun Shanaka's (11) horrid form also continued in the game.
Nissanka, who hit his second T20 half century, continued playing his shots and took on the SA attack with gusto, but South African speedster Dwaine Pretorius (3/17) rattled the lower order.
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Muslim woman doctor decides not to join Bihar govt job after Nitish Kumar hijab incident
Patna: AYUSH doctor Nusrat Parveen has decided not to join Bihar government service after a controversial incident involving Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, despite recently receiving her appointment letter.
Parveen was among several hijab-wearing women attending a government Samvad programme in Patna when a video surfaced showing the Chief Minister allegedly pulling down her hijab in public. The incident sparked widespread criticism and political outrage across the country.
Although Parveen is scheduled to join service on December 20, she has chosen to stay away from the job due to the distress caused by the episode. Her family members are reportedly trying to convince her to reconsider the decision.
According to The Wire, Parveen’s brother, who teaches at a government law university in Kolkata, as saying that the family is of the opinion that she should not be held back for the fault of someone else, though they are well aware of her distress over the incident. Her husband works as a clinical psychologist at a college.
ALSO READ: Bihar CM removes hijab from newly appointed doctor's face at govt event, stokes controversy
The incident gained national attention after the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) shared a video clip of the Chief Minister’s interaction with Parveen on its official X account. As per the report, the video quickly went viral, drawing strong reactions from social media users, especially women, who described the act as inappropriate and humiliating.
The RJD criticised Nitish Kumar’s conduct and questioned his mental fitness in a strongly worded post. The Congress also entered the debate by condemning the Chief Minister’s behaviour and demanding his resignation, while linking the episode to concerns over women’s safety in Bihar and arguing that such conduct from the state’s highest constitutional authority sent a disturbing message to society at large.
Despite the growing outrage and sustained political pressure, there has been no official clarification or response from Nitish Kumar, his party, or the Bihar government more than a day after the video went viral.
