West Indies beat Afghanistan by 23 runs in World Cup
Leeds: In an inconsequential match between Afghanistan and West Indies here on Wednesday West Indies team registers their second victory in the campaign by 23 runs.
While chasing Afghanistan wicket keeper Ikram Ali Khil has scored 86 runs off 93 balls with eight boundaries.
West Indies bowlers Carlos Brathwaite and Kemar Roach swept four and three wickets respectively.
Pooran (58 off 43 balls) and Holder (45 off 34 balls) added 105 runs in 71 balls to take the total past 300-run mark.
This was after Shai Hope (77 off 92 balls) and Evin Lewis (58 off 78 balls) set the platform with an 88-run second wicket partnership.
For Afghanistan, seamer Dawlat Zadran was the most successful bowler but was hammered during the last few overs. He ended with figures of 2 for 73.
Afghan spin troika of Mujeeb ur Rahman (0/52 in 10 overs), Mohammed Nabi (1/56 in 10 overs) and Rashid Khan (1/52 in 10 overs) were once again steady as the Caribbean batsmen couldn't push the run-rate up during middle overs.
Hope and Lewis both hit six fours and two sixes each as they built a foundation after Chris Gayle's early dismissal. Shimron Hetmyer (39) also got a start but was out after being set. He added 65 runs with Hope for the third wicket.
Hope and Hetmyer were out within 20 runs off each other and West Indies weren't exactly comfortable at 192 for 4 in the 38th over.
But it was Pooran and Holder, who attacked the bowling during the last 10 overs.
Pooran, after his hundred in a lost cause against Sri Lanka, was once again in his elements, reaching his half-century off only 40 balls. His flat-batted six off Zadran was a delight to watch.
His skipper wasn't far behind as he muscled the bowlers over the ropes with his big strides.
Pooran hit six fours and a six while Holder had four maximums apart from a boundary to his credit.
Chris Gayle while speaking to TV broadcasters said that,"this Would be definetly my last World Cup I would have loved to lift the trophy, but it didn't happen. It was fun ... Life goes on. Words can't really explain what I am going through at the moment. The future definitely looks bright with Hetmyer, Hope, Pooran. They will take the flag forward. They have a young captain in Jason Holder as well. Next for me is to play ODIs against India, a few T20s like the CPL and the Canada T20s".
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Bhojshala complex registered as 'mosque' in old revenue records: Muslim side to MP HC
Indore (PTI): The disputed Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex has historically been registered as a 'mosque' in revenue records and available sources don't clearly mention any Saraswati temple established by then-king Raja Bhoj, the Muslim side has told the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The Hindu community considers Bhojshala a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, while the Muslim side calls the 11th-century monument Kamal Maula Mosque. The disputed complex located in Dhar district is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
During the hearing before the HC's Indore bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi on Wednesday, Qazi Moinuddin questioned two PILs filed as intervenors in the Bhojshala case by an organisation named Hindu Front for Justice, one Kuldeep Tiwari and another individual.
Moinuddin claims to be a descendant of Sufi saint Maulana Kamaluddin Chishti and the 'Sajjadanashin' (spiritual head, guru, or successor of a Sufi shrine, khanqah, or religious site).
The PILs state that Bhojshala is actually a Saraswati temple and only Hindus should be granted the right to worship at the disputed complex.
Moinuddin's lawyer, Noor Ahmed Sheikh, claimed in the court that his client's ancestors, who are descendants of Maulana Kamaluddin Chishti, have historically held titles to the complex, and the site was also recorded as a "mosque" in government revenue records.
He contended that those associated with the management of the Kamal Maula Mosque, located within the complex, have been in "continuous and peaceful occupation" of the site for a long time.
Citing Muslim law, Sheikh argued that in the case of religious property, particularly a mosque or its related properties, officials such as the Sajjadanashin and Mutawalli (person entrusted with management, maintenance, and administration of a Waqf), and their descendants, not only have the right to intervene, but also have the right to manage and use such a structure.
Citing provisions of the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act 1904, the Muslim side's lawyer said the term "in-charge of the property" is used in this law, which makes it clear that the person or party who has been in charge of a property for a long time has rights over it.
During the hearing, Touseef Warsi, the lawyer representing the Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society of Dhar, claimed that Hindu parties in both PILs had made "misleading representations" regarding historical facts before the high court.
He further claimed that available historical sources do not clearly mention the existence of a Saraswati temple established by Raja Bhoj, the legendary king of the Parmar dynasty who ruled Dhar from 1010 to 1055.
The ASI, a central government agency, has adopted three different positions in the lawsuits filed regarding the Bhojshala dispute, changing its answers from time to time, and this situation raises serious questions about judicial scrutiny of the complex, Warsi submitted.
He raised objections regarding the ASI's process of scientific survey of the Bhojshala complex, carried out on the HC order in 2024, and the method of videography and requested the court to examine these objections.
The hearing in the Bhojshala case will continue on Thursday.
The HC has been regularly hearing four petitions and one writ appeal since April 6, contesting the religious nature of the monument.
