Sports
Champions Trophy: Atal and Omarzai fifties carry Afghanistan to 273 against Australia

Lahore, Feb 28: Sediqullah Atal overcame an early examination to hit 85, while Azmatullah Omarzai shined with 67 to help Afghanistan post a competitive 273 in their 50 overs against Australia in the Group B Champions Trophy clash at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday.
With the new ball nipping around, Atal had to wait for his chances before hitting six fours and three sixes in his 95-ball vigil at the crease. After a middle-order meltdown, Omarzai, the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year in 2024, smacked five sixes and a four in his superb 63-ball knock at the back end. For Australia, who conceded 37 extras, Ben Dwarshuis was the standout bowler with 3-47, while Adam Zampa and Spencer Johnson took two scalps each. Glenn Maxwell and Nathan Ellis had one wicket each as Australia now need to chase down 274 on a slow Lahore pitch.
Electing to bat first, Afghanistan didn’t have a great start as Rahmanullah Gurbaz was castled for a duck by a ripping inswinging yorker from Johnson in the first over. With Johnson and Dwarshuis getting the ball to hoop around, Atal was beaten on numerous occasions on the outside edge.
Despite playing and missing a lot of deliveries, Atal and Ibrahim Zadran managed to weather the early storm by collecting two boundaries each as Afghanistan ended the first power-play at 54/1. But Afghanistan lost Zadran in the 14th over as Zampa had him cut a short ball straight to backward point and fall for 22.
Five overs later, Rahmat Shah tried to drive off the back foot against Maxwell but got an outside edge and was caught behind by Josh Inglis for 12. Atal marched forward to bring up his third fifty-plus score in eight ODI innings in grand style by dispatching a six off Maxwell over mid-on off 64 balls.
Though Atal hit two fours and as many sixes later, it didn’t help that captain Hashmatullah Shahidi struggled to get going. In a bid to keep attacking, Atal went for a punch on the up but spooned one to Smith at short cover and fell for 85 in the 32nd over. Four overs later, Shahidi’s scratchy stay ended when he got a top edge on a sweep off Zampa and was caught by backward square-leg for 20. Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib falling within the three overs left Afghanistan at a precarious 199/7 at the end of the 40th over.
Though Omarzai hit two sixes and Rashid Khan smashed as many fours, Australia clawed back as Rashid holed out to long-on off Dwarshuis for 19. Omarzai, though, marched forward to bring up his fifty in 54 balls and launched three sixes off Ellis, including twice in the 49th over. He went to smash Dwarshuis for four before holing out in the deep off him. By then, Omarzai had done a fine job of taking Afghanistan past the 270-run mark.
Brief scores:
Afghanistan 273 all out in 50 overs (Sediqullah Atal 85, Azmatullah Omarzai 67; Ben Dwarshuis 3-47, Adam Zampa 2-48) against Australia
health
Tobacco is not just addiction but poison: Delhi Speaker Vijender Gupta leads walkathon on World No-Tobacco Day in Rohini

New Delhi, May 31: On the occasion of World No-Tobacco Day, Delhi’s Rohini area witnessed a strong show of public awareness and health advocacy through a walkathon organised to spread the message against tobacco consumption.
The event, themed ‘Walk for Life’, brought together medical professionals, civic leaders, and local residents in a collective stand against the harmful effects of tobacco.
Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta, who flagged off the walkathon, delivered a powerful message on the dangers of tobacco. “Tobacco is not just an addiction; it’s a poison,” he said, addressing the gathering. “It is a dangerous habit that ruins lives, and the only effective way to combat it is through sustained awareness and education,” he added.
Organised by the Indian Medical Association in collaboration with the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, the event saw enthusiastic participation from doctors, healthcare workers, and members of the public.
The walkathon aimed to raise awareness, especially among the youth, about the health risks associated with tobacco, including its direct link to life-threatening diseases like cancer.
“The younger generation often views smoking and tobacco use as fashionable, but we must help them understand the long-term consequences,” Gupta added, urging collective efforts to curb the rising trend of tobacco use among the youth.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Sudhir Rawal, Medical Director at the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, emphasised the medical impact: “Tobacco is one of the main avoidable causes of cancer. If you don’t use tobacco, you significantly reduce your risk of developing cancer, especially lung and mouth cancer.”
The event also featured health-themed activities, including group exercises and educational talks, to create a more engaging and impactful experience for participants.
As part of a broader initiative across the country, the Rohini walkathon served as a crucial reminder of the importance of quitting tobacco and promoting healthier, smoke-free lives.
Sports
IPL 2025: This will be the year for RCB, AB de Villiers backs his former franchise to end title drought

Mumbai, May 31: Former South Africa batter AB de Villiers backed his former IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to lift their maiden title this year after securing their berth for the summit clash with a commanding win over Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 on Thursday.
This year, RCB have been in stellar form and have not lost a single away game so far in the season. They finished the league stage with 19 points to seal the second spot in the points table.
Virat Kohli and Phil Salt have been leading the run-scoring for the franchise with 614 and 387 runs respectively. The duo has been supported by middle-order batters including captain Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma and Krunal Pandya.
On the bowling front, Josh Hazlewood is the leading wicket-taker for the side with 21 scalps in 11 games while Krunal Pandya (15 wickets), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (15 wickets) and Yash Dayal (12 wickets) are also contributing in tandem to make them a balanced unit.
“I’m very happy that RCB is in the final. We saw MI winning last night, so it’ll be a very good qualifier too, knockout match between Punjab and MI. Looking forward to that one, and whoever deserves it will play RCB in the final, so I’m very much looking forward to the final and hopefully, this will be the year for RCB,” De Villiers told Media in Mumbai.
The legendary batter backed Punjab Kings to play the final against RCB but remains sceptical after watching Mumbai Indians’ dominance against Gujarat Titans to knock them out of the tournament on Friday.
“I said quite a while ago, about a month ago, that Punjab and RCB will be in the final. MI looked very strong right now, so it looks like the odds are against my call, but it is still cricket. You never know. It is a knockout match. It takes one or two great performances to turn the pressure onto your opposition. So I think it’s still going to be Punjab, but I’ve got a little bit of doubt now in my mind after watching last night’s game,” he said.
Punjab Kings will now take on Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday to seal a place for the IPL 2025 final against RCB on June 3 at the same venue.
National
SpaceX’s Starship fails 3rd time, Musk blames fuel leak as megarocket explodes

New Delhi, May 28: Even as SpaceX’s Starship flight exploded during splashdown on its ninth test on Wednesday, the company’s founder Elon Musk blamed it on fuel leaks.
This is the third time in a row that Starship flight has faced issues during the test flight. The company’s last two test flights — the seventh (January) and eighth (March) test flight — also ended prematurely with the destruction of the aircraft.
The ninth test flight of Starship — which blasted off at about 7:36 p.m. EDT (5:06 am IST) from the company’s Starbase launch site in Texas — successfully reached orbit, flying farther than on its two previous attempts.
However, the spacecraft’s payload bay door failed to open, preventing the planned release of simulated Starlink satellites. Around 30 minutes into the mission, SpaceX confirmed a fuel tank leak aboard the vehicle.
The first-stage Super Heavy booster exploded shortly before its expected splashdown, and live video showed the upper-stage vehicle spinning uncontrollably before its planned re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere, due to fuel leaks.
“Leaks caused loss of main tank pressure during the coast and re-entry phase,” Musk shared in a post on his social media platform X.
“Contact with the booster was lost shortly after the start of the landing burn when it experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly approximately 6 minutes after launch, bringing an end to the first reflight of a Super Heavy booster,” SpaceX said in a statement.
However, Musk called the flight an achievement and noted that there had been no loss to the heat shield tiles.
“Starship made it to the scheduled ship engine cutoff, so big improvement over the last flight! Also, no significant loss of heat shield tiles during ascent. Lot of good data to review,” Musk said.
SpaceX noted that the company “will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test”.
Standing 403 feet (123 meters) tall, Starship and heavy booster — the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket system. It will launch the moon lander for NASA’s Artemis 3 mission that aims to land astronauts on the Moon by 2026.
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