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Members of the FBI perform an investigation near Buford’s restaurant in downtown Sunday, in Austin, Texas. Three people are dead and 14 others hospitalised following a…
Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman held a phone call with King Abdullah II of Jordan.According to Oman News Agency, the two leaders discussed the military escalation in the region following Israeli and US strikes on Iran and their implications for regional and global security and stability.Both sides stressed the need for an immediate halt to the exchange of strikes and a return to dialogue and diplomacy. Source link
Pakistan’s captain Salman Agha reacts during the World Cup Super Eight match against Sri Lanka on Saturday. (AFP) Pakistan’s shortcomings were laid bare during their lacklustre T20 World Cup campaign which ended Saturday when the team failed to reach the semi-finals. From the captain Salman Agha, who was criticised for not being a T20 player, to slow batting rates and the use of all-rounders not up to the job, Pakistan were shown to be behind the times in the rapid-fire format. Former wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal believes there is a huge gulf in standard between Pakistan and the top sides such as India, West Indies, South Africa and England. “Other teams have evolved to the demands of Twenty20 cricket, but neither our team nor our players meet those standards,” Akmal told AFP. “It is like other teams are playing on the moon and we are on earth. We only beat smaller teams but lose to top teams.” Pakistan had high hopes for the T20 World Cup after sweeping Australia 3-0 in a pre-tournament series. They boasted a quintet of spinners that should have been suited to the turning pitches in Sri Lanka where they played all their matches. But they received a rude awakening in their first match against the Netherlands when only they squeezed home by three wickets in the final over thanks to Faheem Ashraf’s 11-ball 29. Like most of his predecessors at World Cups, Agha blundered in the pressure-cooker match against India, which only went ahead after the Pakistan government U-turned on a boycott just days before the encounter. Agha won the toss and asked India to bat. The decision backfired badly as Pakistan conceded 175 and were hammered by 61 runs. Agha inexplicably held back his mystery spinner and chief weapon Usman Tariq to the 11th over, by which time opener Ishan Kishan had scored his match-shaping 77 and India were well on their way to a winning total. “How on earth did you bowl at a venue which was suited to batting first,” questioned former Pakistan player Basit Ali. “After India scored 175 our batters failed to handle the pressure of a chase.” Agha also held back Tariq’s second over in the game against England, after he took a wicket in his first, allowing captain Harry Brook to build a sparkling match-winning century. ‘Weak captaincy from Agha’ “It was weak captaincy from Agha,” said Akmal, who also took aim at the head coach Mike Hesson and the selectors. “We were also not helped by head coach Mike Hesson, who has an obsession for bit-and-pieces all-rounders who were neither complete bowlers, nor good batters.” Pakistan’s insistence in sticking with the out-of-sorts Babar Azam did nothing to help their shaky batting. The star batsman’s slow scoring at number four interrupted the side’s rhythm. He was dropped for the final match against Sri Lanka on Saturday where Pakistan finally posted a total in excess of 200, but it proved too little too late as New Zealand progressed on net run rate. “We are all fans of Azam but he disappointed us by not adapting to the demands of T20 cricket,” said one Pakistan fan, Saud Baloch, who resigned from his job in the United Arab Emirates to go to the World Cup. “The whole Pakistan fandom is not only disappointed but angry. “But we know nothing will change and we will continue to mourn such defeats in future,” he said. Related Story Source link
Muslim women holding portraits of Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gather during a solidarity protest outside of the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur on…
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense announced that the Kuwaiti air defense system successfully confronted and intercepted a number of hostile aerial targets on Sunday morning, underscoring the readiness of the armed forces to protect the nation’s airspaces.In a statement, Official Spokesperson for the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense, Col. Saud Atwan, said the targets had been tracked and intercepted within the scope of operations in the south of the country as part of full readiness to deal with any potential threats.Atwan pointed out that no injuries were recorded as a result of this interception, confirming that the Kuwaiti armed forces continue to carry out their national duties diligently and handle any field developments to ensure the safeguarding of the nation’s security and stability, as well as its territorial integrity. Source link
South Africa’s Dewald Brevis plays a shot during the World Cup Super Eight match against Zimbabwe in New Delhi Sunday. (AFP) South Africa thumped Zimbabwe by five wickets in a Super Eights dead rubber to maintain their unbeaten run and set up a semi-final clash against New Zealand at the Twenty20 World Cup Sunday. The 2024 runners-up chased down a target of 154 with 13 balls to spare to remain the only unbeaten side in this year’s 20-team tournament. Having already qualified for the semi-finals, South Africa rested speedsters Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen and spinner Keshav Maharaj and still restricted Zimbabwe to 153-7 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza smashed 73 and returned to claim 3-29 but even his all-round brilliance was not enough to halt the South African juggernaut. “Nice to get the win,” South Africa captain Aiden Markram said Sunday. “It can be quite tricky when you change the team a bit. “Obviously with the bat, I’d have loved it to be more clinical, but probably not the worst thing that the middle order was put under a little bit of pressure and came through.” South Africa began with George Linde’s left-arm spin following Raza’s decision to bat after winning the toss. Zimbabwe’s top order struggled but Raza counter-attacked in spectacular fashion and raced to a 29-ball fifty. Raza clobbered four sixes and eight fours in his 43-ball blitz before falling to Kwena Maphaka. Clive Madande made 26 not out down the order but Zimbabwe still settled for a below-par total. Raza did not throw in the towel, however, and led Zimbabwe’s fightback with the ball. Armed with the new ball, the off-spinner dismissed Quinton de Kock and rival captain Markram in successive overs to jolt South Africa out of any sense of complacency. Ryan Rickelton smacked four sixes in his 31 but Zimbabwe struck just when a partnership was about to bloom. Likewise, Dewald Brevis (42) threatened to run away with the game but Raza returned to dismiss the batter to keep Zimbabwe alive in the contest. Tristan Stubbs (21) and Linde (30) combined in an unbroken stand of 53 to guide South Africa to victory. “I’ve never got a man-of-the-match (award) after losing a game but I think I can hold my head high,” Raza said. “We took a bit of beating in the previous two games but with each beating came a valuable lesson,” he said. “We have improved with every game that we have played. At least we now have got a taste of what it needs to be done for us to be a mid-table team.” BRIEF SCORESSouth Africa 154 for 5 (Brevis 42, Rickelton 31, Raza 3-29) beat Zimbabwe 153 for 7 (Raza 73, Maphaka 2-21) by five wickets Related Story Source link
Activists chant slogans during a rally to condemn the joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, in front of U.S. embassy in Seoul, South Korea, March 1, 2026.…
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi discussed in a phone call today with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman the developments of the military escalation in the region.During the call, El-Sisi expressed Egypt’s condemnation of targeting the Omani Port of Duqm today, stressing Egypt’s enduring position that calls for prioritizing dialogue and peaceful means of settling regional crises, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.The statement added that El-Sisi warned of the perilous consequences that could result in the region plunging into a chaotic situation due to this escalation. He praised the consequential role Oman is undertaking in mediation and facilitating the US-Iran negotiations on the Iranian nuclear issue.In addition, El-Sisi asserted that Egypt stands in full solidarity with the Arab nations that came under Iranian attacks, stressing his country’s unequivocal rejection of any threat to the security and stability of Arab nations.He further underscored Egypt’s full backing of the measures those nations take to protect their security and peoples.For his part, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq lauded Egypt’s supportive position to settle crises through peaceful means, alongside its keenness to contain current tensions.Both sides concurred on keeping consultations and coordination open between the two countries to help curb the current escalation and spare the region from risks of instability. Source link
West Indies’ Shamar Joseph shakes hands with India’s Sanju Samson after the World Cup 2026 Super Eight match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata Sunday. (Reuters) Sanju Samson’s sparkling unbeaten 97 kept alive India’s dream of retaining the T20 World Cup at home as they knocked out the West Indies with a five-wicket win in Kolkata Sunday to set up a semi-final against England. Samson hit 12 fours and four sixes in his superb 50-ball knock in the winner-takes-all final Super Eights match to thrill a capacity 67,000 fans at a pulsating Eden Gardens. After the West Indies smacked an impressive 70 off the last five overs to score 195-4 after being asked to bat, India lost two early wickets but were always up with the required rate. Samson, opening for the second match in succession in this World Cup, led the way. When India slipped to 41-2 Samson was joined by captain Suryakumar Yadav (18) and the pair added 58 for the third wicket. Tilak Varma was next to join Samson and scored 27 off 15 before departing in the 15th over with the score 141-4 and India still needing 55. Samson stood firm and though Hardik Pandya fell for 17 India reached the target with four balls to spare to spark celebrations and fireworks. “It means the whole world to me,” Samson said. “Right from the day I started playing, started dreaming to play for the country, I think this is the day I was waiting for.” Samson said he learned the art of finishing matches “from the greats like Virat Kohli, from Rohit Sharma.” Suryakumar said: “Obviously it’s a great feeling. The way we played, it was a do-or-die game and the boys showed character.” When asked about Samson’s innings, he said: “See I always say good things happen to good people who wait, who have a lot of patience. All his hard work ,what he has been doing behind the doors when he hasn’t been playing, he has got the fruits for it at the perfect stage.” Jason Holder and Rovman Powell earlier put on an unbroken stand of 76 for the fifth wicket to help the West Indies set the defending champions a target of 196 to stay alive. The West Indies sprang a surprise at the top of the order, promoting Test captain Roston Chase to open alongside T20 skipper Shai Hope. That enabled them to bring in an extra spinner, Akeal Hosein, with regular opener Brandon King left out. In their defeat to South Africa last week the West Indies slumped to 83-7 but the new-look opening partnership was more assured. Spinner Varun Chakravarthy got the first breakthrough, bowling Hope for a sluggish 32. Shimron Hetmyer raced to 27 off 12 balls before falling to the faintest of edges off Jasprit Bumrah to make it 102-2. After Chase fell for 40 and Sherfane Rutherford followed, Powell and Holder launched their brutal late assault. Powell finished on 34 not out from 19 balls with two sixes and three fours while Holder was unbeaten on 37 off 22 balls with three sixes and two fours. “Maybe a few short, especially on a chasing ground such as this,” said a disappointed Hope. “Probably could have gone a bit more at the end. Probably could have got more at the start as well,” he added. It could have been better for India but they dropped three regulation catches in a sloppy fielding display, including Chase when he had made just 15. South Africa, the only unbeaten side in the tournament, beat Zimbabwe by five wickets earlier Sunday and will face New Zealand in Kolkata in the first semi-final on Wednesday.The final is in Ahmedabad next Sunday. BRIEF SCORESIndia 199 for 5 (Samson 97*, Tilak 27, Holder 2-38) beat West Indies 195 for 4 (Chase 40, Holder 37*, Bumrah 2-36) by five wickets …
Stranded passengers report to Qatar Airways customer service at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport after flights to Doha, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi were cancelled following…