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Australia thrash Scotland, secure second spot in pool
Hobart: Australia hammered Scotland by seven wickets in a rain-marred cricket World Cup match to secure second position in Pool A at the Bellerive Oval here on Saturday.
Pacers Mitchell Starc (4/14) and Pat Cummins (3/42) led the charge for Australia by bowling out minnows Scotland for a paltry 130 in 25.4 overs.
In reply, Australia skipper Michael Clarke moved up the order to give himself some time out in the middle. The right-hander scored a run-a-ball 47.
Aaron Finch (20), Shane Watson (24), James Faulkner (16 not out) and David Warner (21) completed the formalities with three wickets and 34.4 overs to spare. It was the four-time World Cup winners’ second biggest victory in terms of balls to spare.
Medium pacer Josh Davey, 24, removed Watson to continue to take his tally to 15. Rob Taylor took the wicket of Finch, while Iain Wardlaw accounted for Clarke.
With this win, Australia, who had already reached the quarter-finals, are second in Pool A with nine points from all the six matches. They lost to New Zealand and were forced to share points with Bangladesh due to rain in another match.
“Fortunately we got enough time (today), credit to the way the boys played. It’s always nice to win. I don’t think there’s any better preparation for a quarter-final,” Clarke said after the match.
For Scotland, it was their sixth loss on the trot. They even lost to debutants Afghanistan and finished last in the seven-team pool.
“We knew it was always going to be a tough game. We wanted to stand up to the challenge,” Scotland skipper Preston Mommsen said regarding the match.
He added: We take a huge amount of positives from the past six games. The more we’ve played, the better we’ve gotten. We leave the World Cup a much stronger team.
“As a team we’re very proud of (Davey’s) achievements, he can hold his head high. Our focus now shifts to the World T20 qualifiers, hopefully we’ll be able to qualify.”
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh finished third and fourth to enter the quarter-finals. Much-vaunted England had a disastrous World Cup. They managed to win only two games and finished ahead of sixth placed Afghanistan.
Earlier, sent in to bat on a lively pitch, the Australia bowlers exploited the conditions to the hilt. Experienced Kyle Coetzer failed to open his account in 11 balls before he fell to left-armer Starc.
Opener Calum MacLeod (22) and Mat Machan (40) had just put up a 28-run partnership for the second wicket and were looking good before MacLeod became Starc’s second victim with the score at 36/2 in seven overs. Thereon, the Scottish batting order totally collapsed.
Skipper Mommsen (0), Freddie Coleman (0), Richie Barrington (1) lost their wickets to Watson, Mitchell Johnson and Glenn Maxwell, respectively. From 36/2 in seven overs, Scotland were reduced to 51/5 in the 12th over.
Wickets continued to tumble as Cummins removed Machan (40) and wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Cross (9) in the 17th over as Australia controlled the match with aggressive bowling.
Cummins took his third wicket in the form of Taylor (0). Davey (26) and Michael Leask (23 not out) stitched a 35-run stand for the ninth wicket before Starc removed the former in the second ball of the 26th over as Scotland stooped to 130/9.
Two deliveries later, Wardlaw (0) had his stumps rattled by Starc and Scotland were bowled out for 130.
Brief scores: Scotland 130 all out in 25.4 overs (Mat Machan 40, Josh Davey 26; Mitchell Starc 4/14, Pat Cummins 3/42) lose to Australia 133/3 in 15.2 overs (Michael Clarke 47; Rob Taylor 1/29, Josh Davey 1/38).
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.