WI beat England by 6 wickets, enter women's T20 WC semifinals
Dubai, Oct 15: Captain Hayley Matthews and her opening partner Qiana Joseph struck fine half centuries as the West Indies registered a thumping six-wicket win over England to qualify for the semifinals of the Women's T20 World Cup here on Tuesday.
England were knocked out of the showpiece following the defeat.
Matthews (50 off 38 balls) and Joseph (52 off 38 balls) shared 102 runs for the opening wicket in 12.2 overs to take the game away from England as West Indies chased down the target of 142 with 12 balls to spare.
Both got out in quick succession but Deandra Dottin's 27 off 19 balls ensured that West Indies reached 142 for 4 in 18 overs.
South Africa will face Group A winners and defending champions Australia in the first semifinals on Thursday while West Indies take on Group A runners-up New Zealand in the second semifinals on Friday.
West Indies finished their league engagements with six points from four matches, the same as South Africa and England. But the Caribbeans have the highest Net Run Rate of + 1.504, followed by South Africa (+1.382). England, who ended with NRR of + 1.117, finished third in Group B and were eliminated.
India have already been eliminated from the semifinal race after finishing third in Group A.
Put in to bat, England slumped to 34 for 3 just after power play but recovered to post 141 for 7 with Nat Sciver-Brunt top-scoring with 57 not out off 50 balls while captain Heather Knight retired hurt on 21 off 13 balls.
For West Indies, leg-spinner Afy Fletcher took three wickets for 21 runs from her four overs while Hayley Matthews got two scalps.
Brief Scores:
England: 141 for 7 in 20 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 57 not out; Afy Fletcher 3/21).
West Indies: 142 for 4 in 18 overs (Hayley Matthews 50, Qiana Joseph 52; Sarah Glenn 1/20).
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Additional District Magistrate found dead at his quarters in Kannur
Kannur (Kerala), Oct 15: A senior district administration official in Kerala was found dead at his official residence here on Tuesday, a day after facing corruption allegations from the District Panchayat president during his farewell ceremony.
Police said Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Kannur, Naveen Babu K, who was supposed to reach his home district of Pathanamthitta on Tuesday morning to take charge as ADM there, was found hanging in his quarters.
At his farewell ceremony organised by his colleagues and attended by district Collector Arun K Vijayan, the ADM faced allegations of corruption from District Panchayat president P P Divya, who allegedly attended the event without an official invitation.
The death of Babu, allegedly by suicide, has sparked a row in the state, with the opposition Congress seeking the resignation of Divya, who is the ruling CPI(M)'s Kannur district panchayat president.
The Congress leaders alleged that the humiliation Babu suffered from Divya during his send-off ceremony was the reason for his extreme step. They demanded that Divya be arrested.
Kerala Revenue Minister K Rajan described the death of the official as a sad incident and stated that a serious investigation would be conducted into it. He said that there were no complaints of corruption against Babu.
In an indirect message to Divya, the minister said that elected representatives, if any, must possess maturity and public awareness when engaging with the broader society.
The police, which conducted the inquest into the body, reported that they did not find a suicide note.
Rejecting the police version, the Youth Congress alleged that the police destroyed evidence to protect the culprits involved in the incident.
The relatives of Babu rejected the narrative from certain quarters attempting to "portray" him as corrupt.
They said Babu's family had been followers of the Left party since his parents' time, and both Babu and his wife were members of Left-backed service organisations.
Attending the send-off ceremony of Babu allegedly without an official invitation on Tuesday, the District Panchayat president had criticised the ADM for delaying the approval of a petrol pump in Chengalai for several months.
Divya accused the ADM of granting approval only two days after being transferred and hinted that she knew the reasons behind this sudden approval.
Speaking in the presence of the District Collector and Babu's other colleagues, she also stated that more information would be revealed within two days.
After concluding her speech, Divya declined to stay for the presentation of a memento, saying she did not wish to stand for it, and left the stage.
The death of the official came to light when his wife, a tehsildar, and their children went to Chengannur railway station on Tuesday morning to receive Babu, who was supposed to take charge as ADM Pathanamthitta, later in the day.
When Babu was not found on the train, the family tried to reach him on his mobile phone, but it went unanswered. They subsequently contacted his colleagues in Kannur, and during their search, they found Babu hanging in his quarters.
Meanwhile, a protest erupted in Kannur by supporters of the Congress, seeking the resignation of Divya.
Talking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan alleged that the death of the ADM is equivalent to murder.
He said the arrogance and contempt shown by the district panchayat president towards the ADM are unacceptable.
Satheesan said a case should be registered, and an investigation must be conducted to bring the culprit to justice.
Meanwhile, Prasanthan, who was planning to start a petrol pump in Chengalai, alleged that he paid a bribe to Babu, the ADM of Kannur, to obtain a NOC for the petrol pump license.
He claimed that although he had submitted an application for petrol pump approval, Babu delayed the process for six months, stating that the file needed to be reviewed.
Prasanthan further alleged that he was later called to Babu's residence and asked for money. He said that he had also emailed a complaint against Babu to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The Youth Congress alleged that Prasanthan was a CPI(M) member and a close relative of a party leader. The organisation also claimed there was a conspiracy behind Prasanthan's allegations.
The BJP also held a protest march towards the district panchayat office, seeking the resignation of Divya. The party also called for the registration of a case against Divya.
