ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: Afghanistan, South Africa look for maiden win

Agencies
June 15, 2019

London, Jun 15: South Africa were never seen as one of the favourites to reach the last four of the ongoing World Cup largely due to their inexperienced batting line-up.

And their performance so far in the tournament has been disappointing to say the least. South Africa's best result thus far has been a 'no result' owing to their washed out match against the West Indies on Monday, coming on the back of a hat-trick of comprehensive defeats.

Afghanistan, who face South Africa on Saturday, too have suffered a similar fate in the tournament so far, as their batting collapses have given their star-studded bowling line-up little to defend. In the three matches they have played so far, Afghanistan have managed scores of 207, 152 and 172 -- totals that have been deemed chaseable decades back in ODI cricket.

Add to that the uncertainty over the fitness of their star spinner Rashid Khan and the allegations levelled against the selectors by dropped keeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad, Afghanistan indeed seem to be on a shaky ground. It means that if South Africa have any chance of getting out of the rut they currently find themselves in, it is in this match.

While their batting remains an obvious weak link, South Africa's troubles have been compounded by some loose fielding and a misfiring pace attack.

While they managed to get the better of most of the mighty England batting line-up before Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes bailed the hosts out in the tournament opener, South Africa were completely outplayed in the games against Bangladesh and India.

Tightening things up in the field against an already vulnerable Afghanistan batting line-up would go a long way in securing a first win in the tournament for the Proteas.

Similarly, the fact that they are facing what has to be the weakest South African side to have played in a World Cup means that this is the best chance for Afghanistan to show that they belong at this level of the game.

However, the weather forecast for Cardiff is not encouraging. It is expected to rain in the early parts of the day and showers could return in the afternoon.

But Afghanistan are one of the few teams in the tournament which didn't experience a washout thus far and the players would hope that their good luck continues on Saturday.

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News Network
March 27,2024

IPLbettingsuicide.jpg

Bengaluru: Darshan Babu is an engineer who is fond of betting on cricket matches and has been placing major bets on Indian Premier League (IPL) games since 2021. He often borrows money after losing a bet, or to place one when he is short on funds. His 23-year-old wife, tired of the constant harassment by creditors, died by suicide.

Ranjitha was found hanging at her home in Karnataka's Chitradurga on March 18. According to the family, Darshan had racked up a debt of over Rs 1 crore.

He worked as an assistant engineer in the Minor Irrigation Department at Hosadurga and had been ensnared in the realm of IPL betting from 2021 to 2023. This took a major toll on the couple's finances. Allegedly, he had borrowed over Rs 1.5 crore to place bets after his luck ran out and he lost all his money. While he managed to return Rs 1 crore, cops say that he still has a pending loan of ₹ 84 lakh.

Ranjitha married Darshan in 2020. She realised the truth about Darshan's involvement in betting in 2021, claims her father Venkatesh.

In his complaint, Venkatesh said that his daughter was extremely distressed due to the constant harassment by moneylenders and this led to her suicide. He has also named 13 men who had allegedly lent the money.

He said that his son-in-law was lured into betting with a promise of quick money.

"He (Darshan) was not willing to get into betting, but the suspects forced him saying it was an easy way to get rich. They promised to finance his betting activities against some blank cheques as security," he said.

Cops during their investigation found a suicide note, where she detailed the harassment they faced. Darshan and Ranjitha have a two-year-old son.

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