Windies A sneak 5-run win over India A despite Axar Patel's valiant effort
Coolidge (Antigua): Axar Patel's reargaurd heroics went in vain as India A suffered a narrow five-run loss against West Indies A in the fourth unofficial ODI of the five-match series here.
With the series already in pocket after winning the first three games, India A tasted their first defeat in the tour on Friday despite Axar's (81 not out of 63 balls) valiant effort with the bat while chasing 299 runs.
Chasing the home team's 298 for nine, India A's top-order failed to put up big scores despite getting starts and at one stage were struggling at 160 for six.
Then came in Axar and in the company of Washington Sundar raised 60 runs for the seventh wicket to keep India A in the hunt.
Axar marshalled the tail beautifully but Khaleel Ahmed and Navdeep Saini fell in a space of three balls towards the close as West Indies' registered their first win in the series. India A needed nine runs of the last over but could only manage three to finished on 293 for nine.
Axar hit eight boundaries and one six during his fiery knock.
Sundar (45), Krunal Pandya (45), skipper Manish Pandey (24), Ruturaj Gaikwad (20) and Hanuma Vihari (20) all got starts but couldn't prolong their stay.
Rovman Powell (2/47) and Keemo Paul (2/61) shared four wickets between them for West Indies A.
Earlier, West Indies A rode on Roston Chase (84), Devon Thomas (70), Jonathan Carter (50) and skipper Sunil Ambris' (46) fine efforts with the bat to post 298 for nine after being sent into bat.
Left-arm pacer Khaleel continued his fine form, returning with figures of 4 for 67 while Avesh Khan picked up 3 for 62.
The fifth and final one-dayer will be played at the same venue on Sunday.
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Sri Lanka recovers 87 bodies from Iranian warship sunk off its coast by US submarine
Colombo (AP): A US submarine sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, and Sri Lanka's navy said Wednesday it recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 people.
The Iranian vessel that was sunk in the Indian Ocean was the Islamic Republic's “prize ship,” US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a Pentagon news briefing. Hegseth said it was the first sinking of an enemy ship with a torpedo by the US since World War II.
Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament that its navy received information that the IRIS Dena, with 180 people on board, was in distress and sinking. The island nation sent ships and air force planes on a rescue mission, he said.
Navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said by the time navy ships reached the location, there was no sign of the ship and “there were only some oil patches and life rafts. We found people floating on the water.”
He said the 32 people rescued were admitted to a hospital in the seaside town of Galle on the Sri Lanka's southern coast. The bodies recovered were being brought to land, he said.
Dr Anil Jasinghe, a top health ministry official, said one of those rescued is in critical condition, seven are receiving emergency treatment and others are being treated for minor injuries.
The IRIS Dena — one of Iran's newest warships — is a Moudge-class frigate that patrols in deep water for the Iranian navy. It is armed with heavy guns, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles and torpedoes. It also carries one helicopter.
The frigate was the centerpiece of a two-ship international tour in 2023 that included port calls in countries including South Africa and Brazil. It was accompanied by the support ship IRIS Makran, a converted oil tanker.
The US Treasury Department included both ships on a sanctions designation in February 2023 along with eight executives of an Iranian drone manufacturer that supplied the weapons to Russia for use against civilian targets in Ukraine.
At least 17 Iranian naval vessels have been sunk during the ongoing war, said US Adm Brad Cooper, who leads the American military's Central Command.
“We are also sinking the Iranian navy — the entire navy,” he said in a video message.
