At least 44 schoolchildren and three adults were killed on Wednesday when their bus veered off a bridge and plunged into a canal in western India, police said. Their bodies had been recovered, but some children were still missing, said RK Patel, a senior police officer in Gujarat state. Four children were rescued.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith hailed his team’s all-round performance after they beat India within three days in the second Test on Saturday. The tourists won by an innings and 90 runs to hand India their fourth heaviest defeat on home soil to go 1-0 up in the three-Test series.
South Africa relied on their bowlers’ disciplined performances to thrash India by an innings and 90 runs on the third day of the second Test on Saturday. Trailing by 418, India were bowled out for 328 in their second innings despite fighting half-centuries from former captain Sourav Ganguly (87) and wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (52).
South Africa closed in on a resounding victory in the second Test against India on Saturday, the tourists grabbing three wickets before lunch on the third day to maintain their stranglehold on the match. Openers Virender Sehwag and Wasim Jaffer, and batting mainstay Rahul Dravid were all undone by the South Africa pace attack.
AB de Villiers scored a maiden unbeaten double hundred and Jacques Kallis struck his 30th century to put South Africa in the driver’s seat against India in the second Test on Friday. The fifth-wicket pair took their overnight stand to 256 — a South Africa record for any wicket against India, who were out for 76 in the opening session of the match.
AB de Villiers scored an unbeaten century and Jacques Kallis is poised to register a ton of his own in helping South Africa tighten their grip of the second Test against India on Friday. The overnight fifth-wicket pair displayed a combination of assured footwork with soft hands against India’s experienced spinners.
Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers consolidated South Africa’s strong position with half-centuries after Dale Steyn sparked a sensational Indian collapse in the second Test on Thursday. The 24-year-old Steyn gave a magnificent display of fast bowling on a lively track to finish with 5-23 as India crashed to 76 all out in their first innings.
South Africa built on fast bowler Dale Steyn’s superb five-wicket effort to seize the initiative in the second Test against India on Thursday. The visitors batted steadily to reach 100-2 in their first innings at tea in reply to India’s 76. Hashim Amla was unbeaten on 15 at the break.
South Africa’s pace attack made optimum use of bowler-friendly conditions to dismiss India for just 76 runs before lunch on the opening day of the second Test on Thursday. Spearhead Dale Steyn finished with five wickets after Makhaya Ntini claimed three victims in 12 deliveries to rip through India’s top order after the hosts won the toss and opted to bat.
South Africa are confident of burying India’s spin threat yet again with a determined batting performance in the second Test starting in Ahmedabad on Thursday. The visitors kept the spin duo of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh at bay in the drawn opening Test in Chennai as they posted 540 in the first innings and 331-5 in the second.
South Africa will target swashbuckling India batsman Virender Sehwag with short-pitched bowling in the rest of the series, coach Mickey Arthur said on Tuesday. Sehwag tore apart the tourists’ bowling in the drawn first Test at Chennai with a scintillating 319 off 304 balls, the fastest triple century in history and the second of his career.
South Africa hold the psychological edge going into the second Test on Thursday against an India team weighed down by major fitness issues. The visitors will look to drive home their confidence of tackling the hosts’ experienced spin bowlers after rallying to draw the first match of the three-Test series, which ended on Sunday.
Police in India’s Western state of Gujarat are to wear new uniforms impregnated with the fragrance of flowers and citrus to help improve their image. ”Most policemen look hassled [and] drenched in sweat after coming from any [crime scene],” said Somesh Singh, a designer at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad.
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/ 30 October 2006
West Indies player Dwayne Bravo was on Sunday found not guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct after his controversial catch in the Champions Trophy match against England. Bravo was charged with failing to ”conduct play within the spirit of the game,” after his running catch to dismiss Michael Yardy on Saturday.
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/ 29 October 2006
A sparkling unbeaten 90 by Kevin Pietersen led England to a thrilling three-wicket victory over holders West Indies in their final Champions Trophy Group A match on Saturday. Pietersen helped England chase down a difficult target under lights, finishing on 276 for seven with nine balls remaining to record their first win of a disappointing tournament.
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/ 27 October 2006
Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit a solid 51 to build on Ian Bradshaw’s superb effort as the West Indies qualified for the Champions Trophy semifinals with a tense three-wicket victory over India on Thursday. Left-arm fast bowler Bradshaw carved out a rosy opening for his team when he grabbed three big wickets in his disciplined 10 overs to restrict India to a modest total of 223-9 in the Group A league match.
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/ 24 October 2006
Shaun Pollock took two early wickets as he set up South Africa’s 78-run victory over Sri Lanka in a low-scoring Champions Trophy Group B match on Tuesday. Pollock dismissed Sanath Jayasuriya for three and Kumar Sangakkara for nought. He then ran out skipper Mahela Jayawardene for 36 as Sri Lanka were reduced to 78-5 before being bowled out for 141 in 39.1 overs while chasing 220.
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/ 23 October 2006
South Africa captain Graeme Smith has asked his top-order batsmen to adapt quickly to spin-friendly conditions in Tuesday’s crucial Champions Trophy Group B match against Sri Lanka. South Africa, second in the ICC one-day rankings, lost to New Zealand in their opening match on a tricky Brabourne Stadium pitch in Mumbai.
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/ 10 October 2006
In-form opener Upul Tharanga’s second consecutive hundred guided Sri Lanka to a 144-run victory over Zimbabwe and a qualifiers’ slot in the main rounds of the Champions Trophy on Tuesday. The 21-year-old left-hander hit 13 fours and a six in his 130-ball 110 as Sri Lanka, opting to bat, made 285-7 in the day-night game to notch up their second straight win in the four-team qualifiers.
Banned Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq will not be able to play in the Champions Trophy final if his team qualifies, the International Cricket Council (ICC) ruled on Monday. Inzamam was banned for four one-day internationals last month after being found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute.
Swirling floodwaters inundated several towns and cities in western and southern India on Tuesday as the military deployed helicopters and boats to help hundreds of thousands of marooned people. Nearly 200 people have been killed in flooding due to incessant rains over the past week in the western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra and the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
Indian eunuchs have started issuing their own photo-identity cards in a battle for business with ”fake” transsexuals who have muscled in on their begging operations. Eunuchs say many men are dressing up as women and are involved in small-time crime and use more aggressive tactics to collect cash.
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/ 22 December 2005
Harbhajan Singh finished with 10 wickets as India thrashed Sri Lanka by 259 runs in the third Test on Thursday to clinch the series 2-0. The wily off-spinner finished the match with 10-141 as Sri Lanka, chasing an improbable 509-run target, were bowled out for 249 in their second innings after resuming at 235-6.
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/ 21 December 2005
India were on the brink of a 2-0 series victory against Sri Lanka after rattling the tourists with spin for the second time in the third and final Test in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. The hosts were four wickets away from a win as Sri Lanka tottered on 235-6 in their second innings at stumps on the fourth day.
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/ 20 December 2005
Tillakaratne Dilshan’s defiant 65 helped Sri Lanka recover from two early shocks on Tuesday to avert the follow-on in the third and final Test match against India. Dilshan saw the departure of overnight partner Jehan Mubarak (13) and Farveez Maharoof (4) as Sri Lanka slumped to 155 for seven before Malinga Bhandara (28 not out) provided the support that helped the tourists avoid the follow-on.
Nineteen children and one adult were killed on Thursday when a bridge crumbled on the western Indian coast, plunging a school bus and four other vehicles into a river.