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Spinner Simon Harmer led an inspired South African attack to leave India in trouble at 102-4 at the first break on day three of the second Test on Monday.India trail by 387 in response to South Africa’s 489 on a batting-friendly pitch in Guwahati.Skipper Rishabh Pant, on six, and Ravindra Jadeja, who was yet to score, were batting at the break.Play starts 30 minutes early in the northeastern city because of sunsets and the order of the breaks is reversed, meaning the shorter tea interval comes before lunch.After winning the first Test in the two-match series, South Africa are chasing a first series win in India since Hansie Cronje’s team triumphed in 2000.Yashasvi Jaiswal lost overnight partner KL Rahul in the first hour of play before reaching his 13th Test half-century.Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj dismissed Rahul for 22 on a delivery that turned and jumped off the turf to take the edge, and was caught by Aiden Markram at first slip.Spinners including Maharaj (1-29) and Harmer (2-39) have got turn but opener Jaiswal used the sweep to good effect and took on the bowlers, hitting seven fours and one six until his departure for 58.Harmer forced Jaiswal to mistime a shot to backward point and in his next over the bowler had Sai Sudharsan caught at mid-wicket for 15.Marco Jansen then removed Dhruv Jurel for a duck to further put India on the back foot as they attempt to stay alive.World Test champions South Africa grabbed the early advantage with a big first-innings total after they elected to bat.Senuran Muthusamy top-scored with 109.

Blind women from India won the world’s first T20 cricket championship in Sri Lanka on Sunday, following a tournament seen as pushing the limits of the visually impaired.The Indian women beat Nepal by seven wickets in the final of the inaugural series, which also involved Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the United States.Adeline Roe, 18, from South Australia said she was thrilled to be part of her nation’s first blind cricket team and to have the opportunity to travel and meet fellow sportswomen.”It’s amazing that we’ve got a blind women’s World Cup… It’s been a wonderful step forward for all women’s blind cricket,” Roe told AFP during the final between India and Nepal in Colombo.”I think this is just showing how good it is for women to participate,” she said.India captain T.C. Deepika won more sporting admiration when she led her team to shake hands with the Pakistan players after winning a league match last week.Tensions off and on the field have been high since a deadly military clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May.India’s men refused to shake hands with their Pakistani opponents at the Asia Cup in September and since then neither side has shown signs of making up.India’s blind players were expected to mirror the conduct of their sighted teams, but both sides warmly greeted each other, a friendship that was seen throughout the tournament.- ‘Really empowering’ -Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, who presented the trophy to India, thanked all players for helping raise the profile of the visually impaired.”This World Cup is more than just a competition. It is a collective statement about access, equity, and the growing participation of women in sport,” she said.”Inclusion must remain central to how we design our national and regional sporting futures, and these kinds of events truly make it possible for us to show that inclusivity in sport.”The tournament is based on the shortest form of cricket, but unlike able-bodied players, who are expected to have sharp eyesight, blind cricketers must play it by ear.A white plastic ball, the size of a tennis ball, is packed with ball bearings that rattle as it rolls.The bowler must ask the striker if he or she is ready and then yell “play” as the jingling ball is delivered underarm with at least one bounce.As in a regular cricket match, each side has 11 players, but at least four must be totally blind who are classified as “B1″. Players are required to wear blindfolds for fairness.Fielders clap to indicate their positions on the field.Others are partially sighted, classified by how far they can see -— two metres (six feet) for B2 players, six for B3.Each team can have up to eight totally blind players. Any run scored by a B1 player counts as two.For completely blind US player Meghan Whalen, 38, the challenge is also to explain to friends and family back home about her new sport.She learnt about cricket by accident in April after attending a conference for the blind.”They were there doing a cricket demo and we got a chance to practise bowling and batting, and it was just really empowering and exciting,” Whalen told AFP.It was an opportunity to push, to be challenged, and to see what she was capable of, she said.”It was just really empowering to know that I could be an asset to a team and help build other people up, and for the visually impaired community as a whole.”

Senuran Muthusamy struck his first Test century and Marco Jansen hammered 93 to guide South Africa to a commanding 489 all out on day two of the second match against India on Sunday.The left-handed Muthusamy made 109 and put on 97 runs for the eighth wicket with Jansen, who was the last wicket to fall in the final session in Guwahati.”First innings runs in the sub-continent are vital,” Muthusamy told reporters. “So, yeah, it was just really, really awesome experience out there. And it was just a lot of relief when I got to 100.”Muthusamy praised Jansen’s knock, saying, “Marco was sublime when he came in. He’s a clean striker of the ball and he really, really showed his skills today. So, that was an awesome treat to watch from the other end.”Janson struck six fours and seven sixes in his 91-ball blitz before he dragged a delivery from Kuldeep Yadav on to his stumps and the innings ended after 151.1 overs.The hosts reached nine for no loss in 6.1 overs at stumps, trailing South Africa by 480 runs on a pitch still looking good to bat at India’s newest Test venue.Yashasvi Jaiswal, on seven, and KL Rahul, on two were at the crease when bad light stopped play for the day in the northeastern city where sunsets are early.The 6ft 8in (2.03m) Jansen frustrated the Indian attack as he hung on with number nine and 10 after he reached his fourth Test half-century and surpassed his previous best of 84 not out in the longer format.- Sixes fest -Jansen’s seven hits over the fence are the joint-most in a Test innings against India. Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi hit as many during his 103 in Lahore in 2006.Muthusamy reached his hundred in 192 balls off pace bowler Mohammed Siraj, as he punched the air and raised his bat to a standing ovation from the crowd and the dressing room.He fell soon after the second break but Jansen, a right-hand batter and left-arm quick, kept up the charge with Simon Harmer (5) and Keshav Maharaj, unbeaten on 12.Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja ended a 88-run seventh-wicket stand after a wicketless first session when Kyle Verreynne was stumped for 45 by captain Rishabh Pant.Kuldeep finished with four wickets with his left-arm wrist spin.”To be very honest we knew that this is not a track they are not going to roll out very easily and we have to keep disciplined lines and be patient,” said Kuldeep.”We tried, but as everyone knows Marco Jansen and Muthuswamy batted well.”The tourists, who won the toss and elected to bat on Saturday, are in the hunt for their first series victory in India in 25 years after they won the opener of the two-match series.Earlier Muthusamy and Verreynne used their feet to tackle spinners in a sedate first hour of play when only 28 runs were scored, including two fours.Muthusamy survived a scare on 48 when Jadeja had him given out lbw, but the batsman’s review showed a murmur when the ball passed his glove and the decision was overturned.

Senuran Muthusamy struck his first Test century and Marco Jansen hammered 93 to guide South Africa to a commanding 489 all out on day two of the second match against India on Sunday.The left-handed Muthusamy made 109 and put on 97 runs for the eighth wicket with Jansen, who was the last wicket to fall in the final session in Guwahati.Janson struck six fours and seven sixes in his 91-ball blitz before he dragged a delivery from Kuldeep Yadav on to his stumps and the innings ended after 151.1 overs.The hosts reached nine for no loss in 6.1 overs at stumps, trailing South Africa by 480 runs on a pitch still looking good to bat at India’s newest Test venue.Yashasvi Jaiswal, on seven, and KL Rahul, on two were at the crease when bad light stopped play for the day in the north-eastern city where sunsets are early.The 6ft 8in (2.03m) Jansen frustrated the Indian attack as he hung on with number nine and 10 after he reached his fourth Test half-century and surpassed his previous best of 84 not out in the longer format.Jansen’s seven hits over the fence are the joint-most in a Test innings against India. Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi hit as many during his 103 in Lahore in 2006.Muthusamy reached his hundred in 192 balls off pace bowler Mohammed Siraj, as he punched the air and raised his bat to a standing ovation from the crowd and the dressing room.He fell soon after the second break but Jansen, a right-hand batter and left-arm quick, kept up the charge with Simon Harmer (5) and Keshav Maharaj, unbeaten on 12.Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja ended a 88-run seventh-wicket stand after a wicketless first session when Kyle Verreynne was stumped for 45 by captain Rishabh Pant.Kuldeep finished with four wickets with his left-arm wrist spin.Pace bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Siraj and left-arm spinner Jadeja took two each.The tourists, who won the toss and elected to bat on Saturday, are in hunt for their first series victory in India in 25 years after they won the opener of the two-match series.Earlier Muthusamy and Verreynne used their feet to tackle spinners in a sedate first hour of play when only 28 runs were scored, including two fours.Muthusamy survived a scare on 48 when Jadeja had him given out lbw, but the batsman’s review showed a murmur when the ball passed his glove and the decision was overturned.

India beat Nepal by seven wickets in Colombo on Sunday to win the first Blind Women’s T20 World Cup. India won the toss and elected to field and restricted Nepal to 114-5. They replied with 117-3 in just 12 overs to become the unbeaten champions in an inaugural tournament that also included Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the United States. India’s Phula Saren top scored with 44 off 27 deliveries. Nepal’s top scorer was Sarita Ghimire with 35 off 38 balls.Sri Lanka and India co-hosted the tournament with the final at Sri Lanka’s oldest Test venue, the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium.Blind cricket is played with a white plastic ball packed with ball bearings that rattle as it rolls — which allows it to be heard by players.The bowler must ask the striker if he or she is ready and then yell “play” as the ball is delivered underarm with at least one bounce.Each side has 11 players, like regular cricket, but at least four must be totally blind. Players are required to wear blindfolds for fairness.Fielders clap once to reveal their positions.Others players can be partially sighted, classified by how far they can see — two metres for B2 players, six for B3. Each team can have up to eight B1, or totally blind, players. Any run scored by a B1 player is counted as two.

Heavy rain, severe flooding and landslides in Vietnam have killed at least 90 people in the last week, authorities said Sunday, leaving others stranded on rooftops and mountain roadways blocked.Relentless rain has lashed south-central Vietnam since late October and popular holiday destinations have been hit by several rounds of flooding, with economic losses estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars.Whole sections of coastal Nha Trang city were inundated last week, while deadly landslides struck highland passes around the Da Lat tourist hub.In the hard-hit mountainous province of Dak Lak, 61-year-old farmer Mach Van Si said the floodwaters left him and his wife stranded on their sheet-metal rooftop for two nights.”Our neighborhood was completely destroyed. Nothing was left. Everything was covered in mud,” he told AFP on Sunday.By the time they climbed a ladder to their roof, Si said he was no longer scared.”I just thought we were going to die because there was no way out,” he said.More than 60 deaths, of the 90 recorded since November 16, were in Dak Lak, where tens of thousands of homes were inundated, the environment ministry said in a statement.- ‘Big soggy mess’ -At the Tuy Hoa market in the province, the floodwaters have receded but Vo Huu Du, 40, said some of the hats, bags and shoes she sells were still soaked or lying in mud.”My goods look like one big soggy mess,” she told AFP. “I don’t even know where to start.”She and other vendors once considered five centimetres (two inches) off the ground a safe level to raise their merchandise to avoid flood damage — but no more.”All these years, the highest water level back in 1993 only reached our ankles,” said Du. “But now the water has come in over one metre (three feet) high.””All the vendors are devastated, not just me,” she added.Ceramics seller Nguyen Van Thoai, 60, gestured to piles of damaged goods to be cleared from paths between vendor stalls, calling it “a real loss”.”I don’t even know where to put all this market stock,” he said. “We might need to clean it for a month and still won’t be done.”More than 80,000 hectares (200,000 acres) of rice and other crops across Dak Lak and four other provinces were damaged in the last week, with over 3.2 million livestock or poultry killed or washed away by floodwaters.Authorities have used helicopters to airdrop aid to communities cut off by flooding and landslides, with the government deploying tens of thousands of personnel to deliver clothing, water-purification tablets, instant noodles and other supplies to affected areas, state outlet Tuoi Tre News said.Several locations on national highways remained blocked on Sunday due to flooding or landslides, according to the environment ministry, and some railway sections were still suspended.The ministry estimated economic losses of $343 million across five provinces due to the floods.Natural disasters have left 279 people dead or missing in Vietnam and caused more than $2 billion in damage between January and October, according to the national statistics office.The Southeast Asian nation is prone to heavy rain between June and September, but scientists have identified a pattern of human-driven climate change making extreme weather more frequent and destructive.

Senuran Muthusamy’s gritty half-century anchored South Africa to 316-6 at the first break on day two of the second Test against India on Sunday.South Africa resumed on 247-6 and overnight batters Muthusamy, on 56, and Kyle Verreynne, on 38 were still there at the end of the first session in Guwahati having extended their unbroken seventh-wicket partnership to 70.Play in the north-eastern city is starting 30 minutes earlier than usual because of early sunsets, with the order of the session breaks reversed, meaning the shorter tea break comes before lunch.The tourists, who won the toss and elected to bat on Saturday, are in hunt for their first series victory in India in 25 years after they won the opener of the two-match series.Verreynne hit a boundary to raise South Africa’s 300 before the left-handed Muthusamy reached his fifty with a single off Ravindra Jadeja and looked in control.It was the first fifty of this innings after Tristan Stubbs fell on 49 and skipper Temba Bavuma made 41 as the pair put on 84 for the third wicket on day one.Muthusamy and Verreynne used their feet to tackle spinners in a sedate first hour of play when only 28 runs were scored, including two fours.Muthusamy had a reprieve on 48 when left-arm spinner Jadeja had him given out lbw but the batsman’s review showed the a muurmur when the ball passed his glove and the decision was overturned.

The death toll from major flooding in Vietnam has risen to 90, with 12 people still missing, the environment ministry said Sunday, after days of heavy rain and landslides.Relentless rain has lashed south-central Vietnam since late October and popular holiday destinations have been hit by several rounds of flooding.Whole sections of coastal Nha Trang city were inundated last week, while deadly landslides struck highland passes around the Da Lat tourist hub.In the hard-hit mountainous province of Dak Lak, 61-year-old farmer Mach Van Si said the floodwaters left him and his wife stranded on their sheet-metal rooftop for two nights.”Our neighborhood was completely destroyed. Nothing was left. Everything was covered in mud,” he told AFP on Sunday.By the time they climbed a ladder to their roof, Si said he was no longer scared.”I just thought we were going to die because there was no way out,” he said.More than 60 deaths recorded since November 16 were in Dak Lak, where tens of thousands of homes were inundated, the environment ministry said in a statement.Four communes in Dak Lak were still flooded on Sunday, the ministry said.More than 80,000 hectares of rice and other crops across Dak Lak and four other provinces were damaged in the last week, with over 3.2 million livestock or poultry dead or washed away by floodwaters.Authorities have used helicopters to airdrop aid to communities cut off by flooding and landslides, with the government deploying tens of thousands of personnel to deliver clothing, water-purification tablets, instant noodles and other supplies to affected areas, state outlet Tuoi Tre News said.Severe flooding in southern coastal Khanh Hoa province washed away two suspension bridges last week, leaving many households isolated, the outlet said, citing officials.Several locations on national highways remained blocked on Sunday due to flooding or landslides, according to the environment ministry, and some railway sections were still suspended.More than 129,000 customers remained without electricity, after more than a million were without power last week.The environment ministry on Sunday estimated economic losses of $343 million across five provinces due to the floods.Natural disasters have left 279 people dead or missing in Vietnam and caused more than $2 billion in damage between January and October, according to the national statistics office.The Southeast Asian nation is prone to heavy rain between June and September, but scientists have identified a pattern of human-driven climate change making extreme weather more frequent and destructive.

Two minor tremors hit Bangladesh on Saturday, a day after a powerful earthquake struck outside the capital Dhaka and killed at least 10 people.A 3.3-magnitude jolt was recorded in Narshingdi district, east of Dhaka, in the morning, followed by a 4.3-magnitude quake that struck the capital around 6:00 pm (1200 GMT), according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.Dhaka resident Tasnuba Sharmin Sharna, 32, said her children started screaming as the furniture in their apartment began shaking.”We are praying to God for mercy,” Sharna told AFP.Friday’s deadly earthquake was felt in Dhaka and neighbouring districts, causing widespread destruction.Updating earlier tolls from the 5.5-magnitude quake, disaster management official Ishtiaqe Ahmed told AFP that “the number of casualties has reached 10, while a few hundreds were injured”.There were no immediate reports of casualties on Saturday, but the aftershocks — which are common after major earthquakes — have added to fears of an even greater disaster.”I don’t feel safe yet, as there was another jolt this morning… Maybe we are next,” said Shahnaj Parvin, 44, who lives near the epicentre of Friday’s earthquake and told AFP she had never experienced such a tremor.Cracks have developed in dozens of houses in her area, she said.”I was hanging my children’s clothes on the washing line when the tremor struck,” added Parvin.”I held onto a mahogany tree, and when I returned home, I found my glassware broken.”The government has activated Bangladesh’s emergency operation centre to assess the scale of the damage and to coordinate relief and rescue operations.Rubayet Kabir of the Meteorological Department’s Earthquake Observation and Research Center said Bangladesh’s geography makes the country of 170 million people prone to quakes.”That’s why we experience earthquakes quite frequently, though they are not as strong as the one” on Friday, he told AFP.”Some small tremors are expected after any major earthquake,” Kabir said.”There has been no massive earthquake in the last 100 years or more, but Bangladesh has been vulnerable for quite some time.”

Spinner Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets as India rattled South Africa with late strikes to leave the tourists 247-6 at stumps on the first day of the second Test on Saturday.Tristan Stubbs, who made 49, and skipper Temba Bavuma (41) put on 84 runs for the third wicket after South Africa elected to bat in their bid for a first Test series win in India in 25 years.The World Test champions won the first Test of the two-match series by 30 runs at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.Ravindra Jadeja sent back Bavuma with his left-arm spin in the final session before Kuldeep denied Stubbs his fifty to raise the noise of a large weekend crowd in Guwahati.Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep (3-48) dismissed Wiaan Mulder for 13 and pace bowler Mohammed Siraj ended Tony de Zorzi’s defiance on 28 with the second new ball to further dent South Africa.”I think it was just good old-fashioned attritional Test cricket,” India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate told reporters.”And I thought both sides accounted for themselves very well. I thought we stuck at it brilliantly. Just when the game was slipping away, a couple of times we managed to get a foothold back into the game.”Ten Doeschate said it was an “even day”.Left-hander Senuran Muthusamy, on 25, and wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne, on one, were batting when bad light forced stumps with only 81.5 overs possible, fewer than the usual 90 overs in a day.Aiden Markram, who scored 38, and Ryan Rickelton (35) fell either side of the first break to Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep after an opening partnership of 82.- The grind -Bavuma and Stubbs, promoted to number three in the batting order, then got to the grind and slowly took the attack to the hosts with regular boundaries as the pair used their feet against the Indian spinners.Jadeja broke through with his left-arm spin to dismiss in-form Bavuma, who scored the only fifty in the opener in Kolkata, after the batter chipped to mid-off.Stubbs attempted to keep up the tempo as he hit Jadeja for a six but soon Kuldeep had him caught at slip.”I definitely think it’s better wicket for batting,” said Stubbs.”I do think they bowl quite well, the seamers especially, just kept bowling straight lines. But all of us (batters) had opportunities, and if you look in it, no one kicked on, so we can take that on ourselves.”Play started 30 minutes earlier than usual, with the order of the session breaks reversed, meaning tea came before lunch at India’s newest Test venue, which attracted an opening-day crowd of more than 15,000 fans.Bumrah had Markram bowled at the stroke of tea when the batsman inside-edged a delivery on to his stumps.Kuldeep struck on the third ball after the break to cut short Rickelton’s 82-ball stay.The openers had started cautiously and Markram got off the mark on his 17th ball with a crunching cover drive for four off Bumrah.Bumrah nearly had his revenge next ball only for KL Rahul to drop a regulation chance at second slip. The bowler covered his face in dismay.South Africa, who recently drew 1-1 in Pakistan, are chasing a first series win in India since Hansie Cronje’s team triumphed there in 2000.