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The West Indies were 35-2 in their second innings at tea on the third day of the second Test on Sunday after following on 270 runs behind India.Kuldeep Yadav took five wickets as the West Indies were bowled out for 248 after lunch. India captain Shubman Gill took a diving catch to dismiss Tagenarine Chanderpaul for 10 off Mohammed Siraj.John Campbell was 18 not out when Washington Sundar bowled Alick Athanaze for seven on the stroke of tea.They still need a further 235 runs at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium to avoid an innings defeat.The West Indies began day three at 140-4 in their first innings in response to India’s 518-5 declared.Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep bowled the first over of the day and struck inside 30 minutes as he bowled Shai Hope for 36, the batsman adding just five to his overnight score.Tevin Imlach was the next to go when Kuldeep had him given out lbw for 21, a decision that was reviewed but the ball was shown to be hitting leg stump.Justin Greaves also fell lbw to Kuldeep for 17 and when Jomel Warrican was bowled by Mohammed Siraj for one, the West Indies were in deep trouble at 175-8.Khary Pierre and Anderson Phillip, who hit 24 not out, put on a stubborn stand of 46 to steer their team through to lunch.Jasprit Bumrah bowled Pierre for 23 straight after lunch but Phillip and Jayden Seales further frustrated the bowlers.Kuldeep finally trapped Seales lbw for 13 for his fifth five-wicket haul in his 15th Test.India won the first Test in Ahmedabad by an innings and 140 runs.

Key border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan were closed on Sunday after fierce clashes erupted overnight following Taliban accusations that Islamabad had carried out air strikes this week, officials said.Neighbouring Afghanistan and Pakistan have had frosty relations since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Islamabad accuses authorities there of harbouring militants carrying out strikes on its soil, an accusation Afghanistan denies.Afghanistan’s Taliban forces attacked Pakistani soldiers along their shared border on Saturday night, accusing Islamabad of violating its sovereignty after explosions were heard in Kabul and in the southeast two days earlier.Officials from both sides of the border told AFP that crossings at Torkham, which connects Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with Nangarhar in Afghanistan, and Chaman, more than 800 kilometres (500 miles) to the southwest, were closed.Pakistani Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif condemned what he said were “provocations by Afghanistan” along Pakistan’s border area overnight.”There will be no compromise on Pakistan’s defence, and every provocation will be met with a strong and effective response,” Sharif said in a statement, accusing Taliban authorities in Afghanistan of allowing their land to be used by “terrorist elements”.- Border crossings ‘sealed’ -A senior Pakistani official in Torkham told AFP extra paramilitary troops had been sent to the area, which sits on the border between Kabul and Islamabad.”The Torkham border has been completely closed for pedestrian movement and trade,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.”Security forces have also pulled out all civilian staff posted at the border, so they are not harmed in case of further firing,” he said.Another Pakistani border official at Chaman, which links Balochistan province with Kandahar, the birthplace of the Afghan Taliban, said the crossing was “sealed”.Other Pakistani officials said there had been clashes using heavy weapons in at least four border districts but there had been no casualties on its side.The Afghan military said on Saturday night Taliban forces were engaged “in heavy clashes against Pakistani security forces in various areas”.Taliban defence ministry spokesman Enayat Khowarazm later told AFP that the “successful” operations had ended at midnight.Several border security officials told AFP that no further clashes had been reported on Sunday morning.Militancy has surged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the withdrawal of US-led troops from neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021 and the return of the Taliban government.The TTP, separate to the Afghan Taliban but which shares the same ideology and is trained in combat in Afghanistan, and its allies are accused by Islamabad of killing hundreds of its soldiers since 2021. Islamabad has not confirmed that it was behind Thursday’s strikes that sparked the border clashes.Saudi Arabia, Iran and Qatar have urged both sides to “exercise restraint”.TTP militants have intensified their campaign of violence against Pakistani security forces in the mountainous areas bordering Afghanistan in recent months.More than 500 people, including 311 troops and 73 policemen, have been killed in attacks between January and September 15, a military spokesman said on Friday.A UN report this year said the TTP “receive substantial logistical and operational support from the de facto authorities”, referring to the Taliban government in Kabul.Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told parliament on Thursday that several efforts to convince the Afghan Taliban to stop backing the TTP had failed.”Enough is enough,” he said. “The Pakistani government and army’s patience has run out.”

Spinner Kuldeep Yadav claimed five wickets as India bowled out the West Indies for 248 and enforced the follow-on in the second Test on Sunday.The tourists resumed on day three at 140-4 and their innings ended in the second session 270 runs adrift of India’s first innings 518-5 declared.West Indies lost regular wickets and were in deep trouble at 175-8, but Khary Pierre and Anderson Phillip, who hit 24 not out, put on a stubborn stand of 46 to steer their team through to lunch.Jasprit Bumrah bowled the left-handed Pierre for 23 in the first over after lunch but Phillip and Jayden Seales further frustrated the bowlers.Kuldeep, a left-arm wrist spinner, finally trapped Seales lbw for 13 for his fifth five-wicket haul in his 15th Test.He bowled the first over of the day and struck inside 30 minutes as he bowled Shai Hope for 36, the batsman adding just five to his overnight score.Tevin Imlach was the next to go when Kuldeep had him given out lbw for 21, a decision that was reviewed but the ball was shown to be hitting leg stump.Justin Greaves also fell lbw to Kuldeep for 17 and Jomel Warrican was bowled by Mohammed Siraj for one.India won the first Test in Ahmedabad by an innings and 140 runs.

Opener Imam-ul-Haq hit a solid half-century as Pakistan reached 107-1 at lunch on the opening day of the first Test against South Africa in Lahore on Sunday.Haq was unbeaten on 59 while skipper Shan Masood was 44 not out as the duo steadied Pakistan after losing opener Abdullah Shafique for two off the third ball of the match.With the Gaddafi Stadium pitch likely to take spin, Masood opted to bat after winning the toss and named specialist spin duo Noman Ali and Sajid Khan in the team.Haq completed his 10th Test fifty, including five fours, in an unbroken 105 stand with Masood.South African captain Aiden Markram introduced spin in the sixth over and by lunch had used all three of his spinners — Prenelan Subrayen, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy.But it was pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada who got the lone breakthrough in the first over, trapping Shafique leg-before.The two-match series is part of the new World Test Championship two-year cycle. South Africa won the title by beating Australia in June.

Once Bangladesh’s largest political party, the Awami League has been outlawed since its leader Sheikh Hasina was overthrown in a mass uprising last year.Now, its supporters — encouraged by Hasina’s social media calls to “resist” —  are staging flash mob protests defying the ban as the country prepares for elections from which the party is barred.In the capital Dhaka, 45-year-old cleaner Mohammad Kashem described witnessing around 25 Awami League loyalists being chased, beaten and detained by police at one such rally.”It’s happening all over Dhaka,” Kashem told AFP, saying videos of such spontaneous demonstrations appear constantly on social media.”We see it every day on Facebook.”The elections, expected in February 2026, will be the first since Hasina fled into exile in India as crowds stormed her palace, ending her 15-year rule.She has since defied court orders to attend her ongoing trial on charges amounting to crimes against humanity for allegedly ordering a deadly crackdown during the revolt.Her party and its supporters have since been pushed underground. More than 800 have been arrested in connection with the flash mobs, officials say, which have rattled the interim government of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus as he oversees the South Asian nation of 170 million until the polls.- ‘Abandoned’ -Still, they protest.Some rallies consist of only a handful of young men. Others draw more than 100, chanting slogans.”Sheikh Hasina is coming!” they shout, waving small placards or unfurling banners. “Bangladesh is smiling!”They gather for a few minutes before vanishing into the crowds.Sometimes, multiple flash protests erupt simultaneously in different parts of Dhaka. On one day, police arrested 244 people, authorities said.The risks are high. In the rally Kashem witnessed, several protesters were badly beaten.”Stupid boys,” Kashem said. “The heavyweight leaders abandoned them… yet they’re risking their lives.”The protests have unnerved Yunus’s government.”The fascists have turned reckless, as they can see that the country is heading towards an election and the trial process (of Hasina) is progressing fast,” Yunus’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam told reporters last month.”The government has decided to strengthen the monitoring of flash processions and other illegal gatherings.”Hasina remains vocal on social media, issuing broadsides against Yunus and urging loyalists to “resist”.Bangladeshi newspapers, quoting a senior party leader in hiding, reported at least 20 flash processions in the past month.Dhaka police spokesman Md Talebur Rahman could not confirm the number of protests, but said “more than 800 people” had been arrested in connection with them.Political analyst Zahed Ur Rahman, a member of the government’s electoral reform commission, said Hasina was risking protesters’ safety to maintain relevance.”She is trying to earn sympathy by widely sharing the beatings, chases, dispersals and arrests of her party members,” Zahed told AFP.- ‘Proper action’ -Human Rights Watch has condemned the “draconian” ban on the Awami League.”The interim government should not be engaging in the same partisan behaviour that Bangladeshis had to endure under Sheikh Hasina, whether it is stuffing the prisons with political opponents or shutting down peaceful dissent,” HRW’s Meenakshi Ganguly said.But analysts say the protests could complicate election preparations.Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam said “different interest groups” were trying to derail the election, including the “defeated axis”.Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor in Hasina’s trial in absentia, said that a judicial probe was underway into the Awami League.”Once the investigation report is ready, proper action will be taken,” Islam said.The Awami League remains defiant.Senior leader Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, whose current whereabouts are unclear,insists that protesters were taking to the streets out of “love” for Hasina.He told AFP that he revelled in the trouble they have caused.”Have you noticed how these activities have robbed the government of sleep?”

Captain Shubman Gill struck his fifth Test century of the year to put India firmly in control against West Indies on Saturday, earning praise from his deputy Ravindra Jadeja for his remarkable consistency.The 26-year-old Gill, who took over as Test skipper in May, was unbeaten on 129 when India declared their innings at 518-5 on the second day of the second Test in New Delhi.With his latest hundred, Gill equalled Virat Kohli’s Indian record of five Test tons in a calendar year as captain, a feat Kohli achieved in 2017 and 2018.Gill has been in prolific form since becoming captain, topping the scoring charts in the five-Test series in England this year. That series ended in a draw but he amassed 754 runs and four centuries, including a career-best 269.Jadeja said “consistency” was the hallmark of Gill’s batting as a leader.”That’s a good sign for Indian cricket because he has been scoring a lot of runs since taking charge,” the vice-captain said.”If the captain performs, the whole team benefits,” Jadeja told reporters.The 36-year-old all-rounder also praised India’s younger players, highlighting opener Yashasvi Jaiswal’s rapid rise.”The young generation are taking responsibility for themselves, like Jaiswal. He has also scored plenty of runs in the last two years. Indian cricket will benefit a lot from this in the future,” he said.Gill’s latest century was his 10th since making his Test debut in December 2020. He shared a 74-run stand for the third wicket with 23-year-old Jaiswal, who made 175 before being run out in a mix-up with Gill.Jadeja also praised Jaiswal’s maturity, saying his temperament has helped him become a reliable player at the top of the order.The left-hander brought up his seventh Test hundred as India look to wrap up a 2-0 series win over the visitors.

India’s spinners struck regular blows to dent West Indies’ reply as the hosts extended their dominance in the second Test after a fluent century from skipper Shubman Gill on Saturday.The tourists were 140-4 at stumps on the second day, still trailing India by 378 runs at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.Shai Hope, on 31, and wicketkeeper-batsman Tevin Imlach, on 14, were batting at close of play after left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets.Gill led from the front with his unbeaten 129 — his fifth hundred of the year in eight Tests — after Yashasvi Jaiswal’s run out on 175 in the second over of the day following a mix-up with the captain.”Misunderstandings happen and it’s part of the game,” Jadeja told reporters. “Thankfully we are in a good position after that and put up a tall score.”Jadeja added that they would try to get the tourists out early on day three even though “there is not much spin on the wicket”.In reply to India’s mammoth first-innings 518-5 declared, opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul (34) and Alick Athanaze (41) offered some resistance before departing. Chanderpaul edged a short-of-a-length ball from Jadeja to slip where KL Rahul caught it after a couple of juggles to end a 66-run second-wicket stand.Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav sent back Athanaze and in the next over skipper Roston Chase was dismissed for a duck off Jadeja.Hope kept up the fight after he survived a close lbw appeal, which India reviewed but lost as ball tracking confirmed the umpire’s call.- Freak catch -“We know it’s very challenging, but I know we have capable batters who can do it,” West Indies spinner Jomel Warrican said. “The wicket is turning a lot more compared to day one, so we just have to apply ourselves and back our ability.”In the second session, West Indies opener John Campbell fell for 10 as Sai Sudharsan somehow took a stunning and slightly lucky reflex catch at forward short-leg.The left-handed Campbell attempted a slog sweep off Jadeja and Sudharsan instinctively held on to the ball with his helmet, chest and hands as he ducked for cover.Gill, who started the day on 20, took on the West Indies attack with his classy strokeplay, hitting 16 fours and two sixes in his 10th Test century.Gill scored three runs off left-arm spinner Khary Pierre to reach a hundred and raised his bat to acknowledge a raucous weekend crowd.He and wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel, who made 44, shared 102 runs for the fifth wicket and put on quick runs peppered with regular boundaries after the lunch break to turn the screw on the West Indies.Earlier, the left-handed Jaiswal added just two to his overnight score before departing after the dramatic run out.Attempting a single after pushing the ball to mid-off, Jaiswal set off, but Gill had his back towards the striker and was ball-watching, and Imlach was quick to rattle the stumps.Gill kept calm and put on 91 runs with Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made 43 before Warrican got him out for his third wicket.India are hot favourites to sweep the two-match series after winning the opener by an innings.

India’s spinners struck regular blows to dent West Indies’ reply as the hosts extended their dominance in the second Test after a fluent century from skipper Shubman Gill on Saturday.The tourists were 140-4 at stumps, still trailing India by 378 runs at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.Shai Hope, on 31, and wicketkeeper-batsman Tevin Imlach, on 14, were batting at close of play after left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets.Gill led from the front with his unbeaten 129 — his fifth hundred of the year in eight Tests — after Yashasvi Jaiswal’s departure on 175 in the second over of the second day.In reply to India’s mammoth first-innings 518-5 declared, opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul (34) and Alick Athanaze (41) offered some resistance before departing. Chanderpaul edged a short-of-a-length ball from Jadeja to slip where KL Rahul caught it after a couple of juggles to end a 66-run second-wicket stand.Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav sent back Athanaze and in the next over skipper Roston Chase was dismissed for a duck off Jadeja.Hope kept up the fight after he survived a close lbw appeal, which India reviewed but lost as ball tracking confirmed the umpire’s call.In the second session, West Indies opener John Campbell fell for 10 after Sai Sudharsan somehow took a stunning and slightly lucky reflex catch at forward short-leg.The left-handed Campbell attempted a slog sweep off Jadeja and Sudharsan instinctively held on to the ball with his helmet, chest and hands as he ducked for cover.Gill, who started the day on 20, took on the West Indies attack with his classy strokeplay, hitting 16 fours and two sixes in his 10th Test century.Gill scored three runs off left-arm spinner Khary Pierre to reach a hundred and raised his bat to acknowledge a raucous weekend crowd.He and wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel, who made 44, shared 102 runs for the fifth wicket and put on quick runs peppered with regular boundaries after the lunch break to turn the screw on the West Indies.Earlier, the left-handed Jaiswal added just two to his overnight score when a mix-up with Gill saw him heading back to the pavilion.Attempting a single after pushing the ball to mid-off, Jaiswal set off, but Gill had his back towards the striker and was ball-watching, and Imlach was quick to rattle the stumps.Gill kept calm and put on 91 runs with Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made 43 before Jomel Warrican got him out for his third wicket.India are hot favourites to sweep the two-match series after winning the opener by an innings.

The Pakistani Taliban on Saturday claimed responsibility for deadly attacks in several northwestern districts that killed 20 security officials and three civilians.The attacks, which included a suicide bombing on a police training school, were carried out on Friday in several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan.Militancy has surged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the withdrawal of US-led troops from neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021 and the return of the Taliban government in Kabul.Eleven paramilitary troops were killed in the border Khyber district, while seven policemen were killed after a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into the gate of a police training school in Dera Ismail Khan district, which was followed by a gun attack.”Seven police personnel were martyred and 13 were injured in the attack, while six terrorists were also killed,” Muhammad Hussain, a senior local police official, told AFP.Five people, including three civilians, were killed in a separate clash between militants and paramilitary troops in Bajaur district, security officials told AFP on Saturday.The Pakistani Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attacks in messages on social media. The group is separate to but closely linked with the Afghan Taliban.The attacks came hours after Afghanistan’s Taliban government accused Pakistan of “violating Kabul’s sovereign territory”, a day after two explosions were heard in the capital.Pakistan did not say if it was behind the blasts in Kabul but said it had the right to defend itself against surging border militancy.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif “strongly condemns” Friday’s attacks, his office said in a statement.”Such cowardly acts by terrorists cannot shake our resolve against terrorism,” the statement said. “We are determined to completely eliminate terrorism from the country.”- ‘Enough is enough’ -Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of failing to expel militants using Afghan territory to launch attacks on Pakistan, an accusation that authorities in Kabul deny.The TTP and its affiliates are behind most of the violence — largely directed at security forces.Including Friday’s attacks at least 32 Pakistani troops and three civilians have been killed this week alone in the border regions, while dozens of militants were also killed.More than 500 people, including 311 troops and 73 policemen, have been killed in attacks since January up to September 15, a military spokesman said on Friday.Earlier this year, a UN report said the TTP “receive substantial logistical and operational support from the de facto authorities”, referring to the Taliban government in Kabul.Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told parliament on Thursday that several efforts to convince the Afghan Taliban to stop backing the TTP had failed.”We will not tolerate this any longer,” Asif said. “United, we must respond to those facilitating them, whether the hideouts are on our soil or Afghan soil.”He warned that any response could cause collateral damage. “Everyone will have to bear the consequences, including those providing the hideouts,” he said.”Enough is enough,” he added. “The Pakistani government and army’s patience has run out.”

India struck early with a freak catch after declaring their first innings on 518-5 with skipper Shubman Gill hitting an unbeaten 129 on day two of the second Test against the West Indies on Saturday.West Indies opener John Campbell fell for 10 after Sai Sudharsan somehow took a stunning and slightly lucky reflex catch at forward short-leg at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.The left-handed Campbell attempted a slog sweep off Ravindra Jadeja’s left-arm spin and Sudharsan instinctively held on to the ball with his helmet, chest and hands as he ducked for cover.West Indies were 26-1 at tea, trailing India by 492 runs.Tagenarine Chanderpaul, on 13, and Alick Athanaze, on two, were batting at the break.India lost overnight batter Yashasvi Jaiswal for 175 soon after they resumed on 318-2 but Gill took on the mantle with his 10th Test century.Gill, who started the day on 20, took on the West Indies attack with his classy strokeplay, hitting 16 fours and two sixes.Gill scored three runs off left-arm spinner Khary Pierre to register his fifth hundred this year and raised his bat to acknowledge a raucous weekend crowd.He and wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel, who made 44, shared 102 runs for the fifth wicket and put on quick runs peppered with regular boundaries after the lunch break to turn the screw on the West Indies.Visiting skipper Roston Chase bowled Jurel with a delivery that stayed low and Gill soon declared the innings.Earlier, the left-handed Jaiswal added just two to his overnight score when a mix-up with Gill saw him heading back to the pavilion in the second over of the day.Attempting a single after pushing the ball to mid-off, Jaiswal set off, but Gill had his back towards the striker and was ball-watching, and wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach was quick to rattle the stumps.Gill kept calm and put on 91 runs with Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made 43 before Jomel Warrican got him out for his third wicket.India are hot favourites to sweep the two-match series after winning the opener by an innings.