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Carey and Marsh lead Australia to 2-0 Test series win over New Zealand

Carey and Marsh lead Australia to 2-0 Test series win over New Zealand

Carey shared 140-run partnership with Marsh as Australia won the second Test by three wickets in a tense finish. Alex Carey scored an unbeaten 98 and shared a 140-run partnership with Mitch Marsh to drive Australia to a three-wicket win in the second Test and a 2-0 sweep of the series over New Zealand in Christchurch. The contest played out on a relatively mild fourth-day pitch on Monday and both sides had moments when they took control. But it was Marsh’s innings of 80 and Carey’s steady hand which guided Australia to victory. Wicketkeeper Carey then teamed up with captain Pat Cummins as Australia chased down their 279-run victory target before tea on day four. “It was pretty tense,” said Cummins, who scored 32 not out and hit the winning runs with a four to the point boundary. “I think the story of this series was in key moments, someone stood up and made themselves a match-winner so yeah, [we] keep finding ways to win. It’s a pretty awesome squad.” New Zealand, chasing a first home Test win over their neighbours in 31 years, had put the tourists on the back foot with four wickets in the last 90 minutes of play on day three. After rain delayed the start of day four for an hour, skipper Tim Southee struck with the eighth delivery to dismiss Travis Head for 18 and reduce the tourists to 80-5. In retrospect, however, Rachin Ravindra fumbling a straightforward catch that would have sent back Marsh for 28 off the previous delivery was perhaps the more significant moment. “I think whenever you’ve finished a close game you always look back on a number of things,” said Southee, who with fellow stalwart Kane Williamson was playing his 100th Test. “This morning was always going to be a crucial period with the ball still reasonably new, and we were able to beat the bat a few times but they were able to weather that storm.” The defeat left the Black Caps with just one Test win in 24 attempts against their closest rivals this century, while Australia will now move above them into second place in the World Test Championships standings behind India. Here’s a look at the updated WTC standings 🪜 #WTC25 pic.twitter.com/RdHvM4PTYp — cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) March 11, 2024 Carey was denied his second Test century but cared little as he and his captain steered their side to their target 281-7 and a sixth win in seven Tests over the Australasian summer. “I was happy with that,” Carey said. “I didn’t want to be on strike again. It was a great series and this match ebbed and flowed. We had our backs against the wall this morning, they came out and put us under the pump so it’s nice to chase those runs down.” Carey, who also took 10 catches over New Zealand’s two innings to match Adam Gilchrist’s Australian record, said Australia “stayed resilient” despite the early pressure. “Everyone’s had their moments and it’s a really special team we’re playing in.” New Zealand seamer Matt Henry was named Player of the Series for his 17 wickets over the two matches, the first of which finished with Australian victors by 172 runs in Wellington. Adblock test (Why?)

UK pledges additional funds to protect Muslim communities

UK pledges additional funds to protect Muslim communities

The announcement comes amid a sharp rise in anti-Muslim incidents since the start of the war in Gaza in October. The United Kingdom will pump an additional 117 million pounds ($150m) into protecting Muslim communities, the government said. The new funding, announced on Monday as the Muslim month of Ramadan began, will be used to install security cameras, alarms, and fences in mosques, Muslim faith schools, and other community centres. The move comes amid a rise in hate attacks since the start of the war in Gaza in October. “Anti-Muslim hatred has absolutely no place in our society. We will not let events in the Middle East be used as an excuse to justify abuse against British Muslims,” Home Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement. An estimated four million Muslims live in the UK. Tell MAMA, a group monitoring Muslim hate, found that online attacks, physical assaults, and other forms of targeting, grew 335 percent last month compared with the same time in the previous year. “The prime minister has made clear that we stand with Muslims in the UK,” Cleverly continued. “That is exactly why we have committed to this funding, giving reassurance and confidence to UK Muslims at a time when it is crucially needed.” Under fire Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has come under fire in recent weeks for failing to condemn inciting statements coming from his fellow Conservatives. His government is now planning to unveil a new official definition of extremism to ensure groups that promote unacceptable views do not receive state funding or support. Communities minister, Michael Gove, who will set out the new definition, said some recent pro-Palestinian marches in central London had been organised by “extremist organisations”. Conservative lawmaker Lee Anderson said in February that London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Labour leader Keir Starmer were “controlled by Islamists”. Although Sunak called the comments “unacceptable” and suspended Anderson, many critics point out that the prime minister did not specifically condemn the comments as Islamophobic. In the same vein, former Home Secretary Suella Braverman wrote in a February opinion piece that “Islamists are bullying Britain into submission”. Last week, a group of “terror attack” survivors penned an open letter to British politicians, warning them to stop equating Muslims with “extremism” and calling such action the “height of irresponsibility”. The additional fund allocation for the Muslim community is in addition to an already-budgeted 29.4 million pounds ($37.7m) for 2023 through 2024. The funding will be disbursed over the next four years. The UK announced in February 54 million pounds ($68m) of new funding to protect Jewish communities, which have also suffered a sharp rise in hate incidents. A total of 4,103 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded in 2023, almost double the number the previous year and the highest in decades. Two-thirds of these attacks took place after October 7, according to the Jewish advisory body Community Security Trust (CST). Adblock test (Why?)