South Africa is facing New Zealand in the semi-final 1 of the T20 World Cup 2026, at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The Kiwis have not won a single game in the men’s T20 World Cup against the Proteas. South Africa have a 4-0 record against the Black Caps, dating back to the inaugural edition in 2007.

Mitchell won the toss and elected to field first, with just one change in their side; Jimmy Neesham came back in the side, replacing Ish Sodhi. During the match a unusual sight was seen with Glenn Phillips dropping a catch.

Glenn Phillips drops David Miller

During the 9.1 overs of the match, Rachin Ravindra bowled to David Miller, as the latter mistimed the shot, and it went up in the air with Glenn Phillips running from the deep extra cover area towards the long on, dropping the important catch.

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Here’s the video

Wait, What? Glenn Phillips Dropped a Catch 😱. Nobody would’ve believed, if it wasn’t caught on camera.

That’s a sitter of a catch to his standards#NZvsSA pic.twitter.com/L7USWbSk2E

— Vitamin K(ohli) (@manga_varun) March 4, 2026

However, Phillips would be relieved as Miller was dismissed on the score of six runs in the same over’s last bowl, handing an easy catch to Daryl Mitchell to long on. Coming to the match, the Proteas were in deep trouble after being invited to bat first, as they kept on losing wickets at regular intervals.

Even Glenn Phillips can make mistakes

Glenn Phillips has been one of the finest fielders in world cricket at present. He takes catches from impossible angles and shocks the batter and the fans with his fielding efforts. He has been an absolute lightning in the field with his catches and fielding abilities. The moment proved that even the usually flawless Phillips can have an off day in the field.

However, New Zealand did not have the best of days while taking catches, as previously, Rachin Ravindra put down a sitter of Aiden Markram. But eventually, the South Africa captain was dismissed by the Kiwi all-rounder, with Darly Mitchell taking a catch which initially looked controversial but was given out.

Catching has been difficult at Eden Gardens, as when India faced the West Indies, last Sunday, there were three drop catches combing of two teams, with two of them being a sitter, and there were even misfields as well. So it has been a hard ground to field.

South Africa recover well from a collapse

The Proteas were struggling with the score of 77/5, as Tristan Stubbs and Marco Jansen put up a partnership of 73 runs for the 6th wicket. The former has been dismissed on the score of 29 runs off 24 balls. However, Jansen has just brought up his fifty, hitting back-to-back sixes to Lockie Ferguson.

The South Africa National team posted a target of 169/8 in their 20 overs. They would have been very happy with the score as they were nearly struggling, at one stage, and even 130 was looking impossible. But Jansen’s crucial 55* off 30 deliveries helped the side to go past the 150-run mark.

Also Read: WATCH: Daryl Mitchell takes CONTROVERSIAL catch to dismiss Aiden Markram

CLSA maintains an outperform rating on Reliance Industries, citing improved confidence in its new ventures. HSBC has a reduce rating on Avenue Supermart, noting its pricing advantage is not substantial. Morgan Stanley raises Delhivery’s target price, expecting strong volume growth and margin expansion due to a favorable industry environment.

CLSA has an outperform rating on Reliance Industries with the target price at Rs 1,800. Analysts said the market’s worry about value erosion from holdco discount after the Jio IPO are overdone. After the IPO, investors will get an option to buy Jio separately which may bring back the holdco discount on the value of RIL’s 67% stake in Jio. However, Jio’s starting free float of just 2.5% may see liquidity limitations. Improved confidence in Reliance’s FMCG, digital OTT and AI forays as well as the ramp-up of new energy and quick commerce businesses are other tailwinds for its sum of the parts (SOTP) value.HSBC has a reduce rating on Avenue Supermart (D-Mart) with the target price at Rs 3,500. Analysts said the company’s pricing differential is marginally better, but not substantial, and pricing is the only moat Dmart has versus other retailers. The company’s store addition trend is on track to touch about 60, but expectations were of an acceleration (post analyst day in July 2025). Analysts await clarity on initiatives from the new CEO, who took over in January 2026.Morgan Stanley has an equal weight rating on Delhivery with the target price raised to Rs 470 from Rs 445 earlier. Analysts said a favourable industry environment would support the thesis of strong players gaining market share and improving volume growth numbers. The company has strong operating leverage in its business model that should allow for healthy margin expansion. The company’s management did reiterate in the last earnings call that industry volumes could grow 15-20% on the year and the company could grow even faster in the medium term.Macquarie has an outperform rating on L&T with the target price at Rs 4,910. Analysts said that 37% of L&T’s order book was directly from West Asia at the end of Oct-Dec quarter (Q3FY26) along with 33% order intake in FY26 till Dec. The total exposure to the Gulf region has increased materially for L&T over years. Further, 55% of the Gulf order book is based on fixed price contracts. They see risk to L&T’s margins due to evolving scenarios in the Gulf region. They have already flagged geopolitical and commodities along with AI-led disruption as key risks for the company. While it is difficult to put a number on margin impact currently as the situation is evolving, margin drop is certain as a possible fallout of the Gulf conflict.JP Morgan has an overweight rating on Cyient with the target price at Rs 1,500. Analysts said the company announced an organizational change with the appointment of a new CFO and creation of a COO role. Shrinivas Kulkarni, ex-CFO of Cyient DLM, has been appointed as the new CFO of Cyient. Prabhakar Atla, the current CFO of Cyient, now becomes the new COO at Cyient. See this change as positive given Shrinivas brings his experience of running business finance and M&A functions, while Prabhakar in his new role can leverage his experience of running Aerospace, Communication, Rail and Utilities businesses.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)

New Zealand’s Finn Allen produced a power-hitting masterclass, blasting the fastest century in T20 World Cup history as he powered the Kiwis to a nine-wicket win over South Africa in Kolkata on Wednesday, securing their place in the final.Chasing 170 in the first semi-final, Allen smashed an unbeaten 100 off just 33 balls, shattering Chris Gayle’s previous record of 47 deliveries, as New Zealand raced to victory with 7.1 overs to spare.

Allen finished in style, hitting a four, two sixes, and another four off successive balls to seal the win and celebrate his record-breaking hundred at Eden Gardens. Tim Seifert also starred with 58, sharing a 117-run opening stand with Allen in just 9.1 overs. Seifert struck seven fours and two sixes, while Allen unleashed eight sixes and 10 fours in an awe-inspiring display of controlled power.“Just tried to get in good positions and perform for the team. [The plan for the opening partnership] We wanted to start well and put them on the back foot early. Easy for me when Timmy is going like that. I can just watch and get him on strike. He batted on a flyer. Huge game for us. Timmy and I just kept ensuring we’re looking straight and going hard,” Allen, who was named Player of the Match, said after the game.“[On adapting to different pitches and being aggressive] You adapt to the wicket. Training is really important to get a feel of the wicket. We knew it would be black soil, we had that intel. Shows how important that series was before the World Cup,” he added.New Zealand, who had edged into the semi-finals on net run rate, will face either India or England in Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad as they chase their first World Cup title. “[On getting to the final] You take the positives from the game and celebrate a little but you have a final to look forward to on Sunday,” Allen said.Earlier, spinners Rachin Ravindra and Cole McConchie claimed two wickets each to restrict South Africa to 169-8 after New Zealand chose to field first. The 2024 runners-up, led by Aiden Markram, had been unbeaten in seven matches but were reduced to 77-5 before Marco Jansen’s unbeaten 55 restored some respectability.Seifert reached his fifty off quick bowler Lungi Ngidi, while Allen brought up his half-century off just 19 balls. Kagiso Rabada accounted for Seifert in the 10th over, but that was South Africa’s only success in the chase.Earlier in the innings, McConchie struck in the second over, removing Quinton de Kock for 10 and Ryan Rickelton on the next ball, though Dewald Brevis avoided the hat-trick. Ravindra trapped Markram for 18, caught in the deep by Daryl Mitchell, and five balls later, David Miller fell for six, also to Ravindra and Mitchell.South Africa lost half their side inside 10.2 overs when Jimmy Neesham dismissed Brevis for 34. Tristan Stubbs contributed 29 before falling to Lockie Ferguson, while Jansen smashed two fours and five sixes in his 30-ball unbeaten knock, including a six off Ferguson to reach his fifty.Fast bowler Matt Henry, who returned only on Tuesday night after going home for the birth of his child, finished with 2-34, providing timely support for the Kiwis.

MUMBAI: After seven years, state BJP politician Vinod Tawde is all set to return to electoral politics. Tawde, who found himself out of Maharashtra politics in 2019 and was accommodated as party general secretary thereafter in New Delhi, was on Wednesday named one of the BJP’s four candidates from Maharashtra for the March 16 Rajya Sabha elections.The other three on the list of candidates released by the BJP’s central election committee are ally Ramdas Athawale from RPI (A), currently Union minister of state for social welfare; Maya Ivnate, former Nagpur mayor and sitting corporator; and Ramrao Wadkute, who joined the BJP in 2019 and is from the Dhangar community.Political observers said Tawde has been rewarded for BJP’s performance in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections, where he had been placed as party in-charge. BJP emerged as the single largest party in Bihar, winning 89 of the 243 seats in the state.Tawde, who rose steadily in the BJP Mumbai unit from president to opposition leader in the legislative council, saw his fortunes slide in 2019 when he was denied a ticket to contest the assembly elections that year. In his first term as MLA (2014-2019), he was elected from Borivli, a BJP stronghold. He was in 2019 replaced by Sunil Rane, a close associate of CM Devendra Fadnavis. Tawde was also a minister in the first Fadnavis-led govt.During the assembly elections in 2024, there was once again talk that Tawde may come back to state politics. However, he was caught in a major controversy on the eve of the elections, with workers of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi detaining him in a Vasai hotel and accusing him of distributing cash. The Hitendra Thakur-led VBA however lost all assembly seats in the Vasai-Virar belt.Observers said that the BJP recognised Tawde’s talent for political strategy and placed him in charge of five states that went to the polls in 2022: Goa, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Manipur. Except for Punjab, the party won all other states.Now, after Bihar, he has been placed in charge of the Kerala assembly elections.Seven Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra are set to fall vacant in April. With over 230 MLAs in the assembly, the BJP-led Mahayuti is in a position to ensure the election of all its six nominees.While BJP is filing nominations for four seats, the other two nominations are to be filed by candidates from the Shiv Sena and NCP, who had not announced their names till late Wednesday evening. Thursday is the last day for filing nominations.Tawde expressed gratitude to his party leadership and said he is committed to “fulfilling this new responsibility with complete dedication and loyalty.”

IRIS Dena

An Iranian frigate with an estimated 180 Navy personnel on board was sunk in the Indian Ocean by a US submarine on Wednesday off the coast of Sri Lanka, killing 87 people on board. The Sri Lankan Navy was able to rescue 32 people on board frigate IRIS Dena. The fate of the remaining crew members is unknown.The Iranian warship was venturing in the international shipping lane off the Sri Lankan coast after participating in India’s International Fleet Review and subsequent MILAN exercise off Visakhapatnam, which concluded on Feb 25, when it was attacked by the US.

During a press briefing in Washington, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Iranian warship that sank in the Indian Ocean was the Islamic Republic’s “prize ship” and also revealed that it was the “the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II”. “Like in that war, we are fighting to win,” he said.According to the Pentagon, its submarine engaged the Iranian warship after it was identified as a potential threat amid escalating tensions between the US and Iran in West Asia. Officials said the torpedo strike was precise and resulted in the rapid incapacitation of the warship.The Sri Lankan Navy said it recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 people. Sri Lanka’s foreign minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament that its navy received information that IRIS Dena, with 180 people on board, was in distress and sinking. The island nation sent ships and air force planes on a rescue mission, he said. Navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath told the media that by the time their ships reached the location of distress signals, there was no sign of the Iranian ship and “were only some oil patches and life rafts. We found people floating on the water”.He said 32 people rescued were admitted to a hospital in the seaside town of Galle on the southern coast. The bodies recovered were being brought to land, he said. Both Sri Lanka’s navy and the air force said they were not releasing footage of the rescue because it involved the military of another state.Iran has not yet commented on the sinking. At least 17 Iranian naval vessels have been sunk during the ongoing Iran-US conflict, said US Adm Brad Cooper, who leads the American military’s Central Command. The Pentagon says one of the main aims of the US-Israeli war against Iran, launched Saturday, is to wipe out the country’s navy.The US Navy has about 50 nuclear-powered attack submarines in three classes, Los Angeles, Virginia and Seawolf. Because of their nuclear propulsion and design, all are extremely quiet — intended to tail enemy vessels without being detected. It was not clear which submarine fired the torpedo.US submarines are typically armed with Mk48 heavyweight torpedoes, which carry 650 pounds of explosive meant to detonate beneath a target’s keel, snapping it in two.

A delivery from New Zealand quick Lockie Ferguson hit right on the side of the eye of the New Zealand wicket-keeper Tim Seifert. After being hit by the fast delivery, the keeper went instantly to his knees and was visibly in pain. The South Africa vs New Zealand Semifinal match of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata paused for a while after the moment.

New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson is known for his extreme pace. For the very last ball of the 6th over, the pacer delivered an outside off, short off the length delivery against South Africa captain Aiden Markram. Markram left the ball, and it went flying straight towards the keeper.

Express delivery from Lockie Ferguson hit New Zealand keeper Tim Seifert

The ball had elevation, and pace. The keeper found it difficult to collect it into his gloves. As he missed grabbing it properly, the ball hit the side of his left eye. Tim Seifert went on knees, trying to endure the pain. Fielders of New Zealand rushed to their keeper to check him. After a while, Tim Seifert went on his knees and was again ready to go, showing his brave heart and strong mettle.

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Men Are Brave 🔥

A 143 km/h delivery from Lockie Ferguson struck Tim Seifert in the left eye, but he said, “No worries, I’ll keep going 🫡

pic.twitter.com/0bwNJ9cJf9

— CricketSanctum (@SanctumCricket) March 4, 2026

Tim Seifert carried on without sustaining any further trouble

Seifert carried the rest of the innings without any further trouble. And Aiden Markram also could not do much to revive the team’s innings. New Zealand’s tight bowling mostly kept the power-packed South African batting attack calm throughout the contest.

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and decided to bowl first. The bowlers proved, why their skipper elected to bowl first. Santner, using his intelligence, shuffles his bowlers well to confuse the opposing batters.

Marco Jansen and Dewald Brevis helped South Africa to register a competitive total on the scoreboard

As, most of the top and middle-order batters departed cheaply, the Proteas managed to score only 169 runs in 20 overs, in exchange for 8 wickets.

Number 7 batter, the pace bowling all-rounder Marco Jansen did some rescue work for his team, scoring an unbeaten 55 off 30. Without Jansen’s half-century, South Africa could be limited to a below-par total. Along with Jansen, Dewald Brevis added a valuable 34 runs in 27 balls as well.

For the Kiwis, Matt Henry, Cole McConchie, and Rachin Ravindra claimed a brace each. Lockie Ferguson, and James Neesham bagged one scalp each as well.

The bowlers of New Zealand did their job well. Now, it is time for their batters to prove themselves on the stage. Ahead of the semi-finals, South Africa was the only team as undefeated. Will the New Zealand cricket team put them on the floor? The matter is on the kiwi batters right now.

Read More: Quinton de Kock’s HORROR form continues against New Zealand

LONDON: An Indian-origin senior British diplomat has quit the UK foreign office, criticising it for being woke, stuffed with paper-pushers and underperformers and putting the “worship of international law” above national security.In a column in the UK Times titled ‘Foreign Office fails to put Britain first’, Ameer Kotecha wrote: “Our impotence on Iran and craven surrender over Chagos happen when the long-term national interest is sacrificed to unquestioning worship of international law, the demands of noisy activist groups, or the appeasing of sectarian voting blocs.”He called for a “more ruthless focus on what benefits the British people” and said the govt’s decision to hand over the Chagos islands and UK PM Keir Starmer’s slowness to act on Iran influenced his decision to quit.“Rather than a really clear-sighted, level-headed assessment of what’s in the national interest and what’s good for the UK, we’re instead having our entire foreign policy dictated by what the lawyers tell us international law requires. I’m ashamed to serve this govt, so I’ve decided to throw the towel in,” he told the UK Times.Kotecha, an Oxford graduate, stepped down from his post at the British embassy in Tel Aviv last month. He said: “If the civil service was once a Rolls-Royce, it is now a banged-up hatchback driven by someone with decidedly dicey vision and a passionate hatred of driving. Our country will not get back on track until the car and the driver are made roadworthy once more.”He said on the day Kabul fell to the Taliban, he was invited to attend an event to mark World Afro Day (to celebrate Afro hair) and this week, with war raging in the Middle East, the main news on the foreign office intranet was about “taking charge of your development”.“In discussions about how the foreign office could improve productivity with AI, some colleagues were more concerned with an environmental impact assessment,” he said, adding some colleagues worked from home as “they didn’t want to work in a colonial office building.”

Mohammad Kaif and Mohammad Amir (Agency Image)

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif has delivered a sharp response to ex-Pakistan quick Mohammad Amir after the latter continued to cast doubts over India’s campaign in the ongoing T20 World Cup.Amir had initially predicted that India would stumble against the West Indies and miss out on a semifinal berth. When that forecast failed to materialise, he shifted his stance, backing England to halt India’s charge and claiming that Suryakumar Yadav’s team would not reach the final. He also referred to struggling opener Abhishek Sharma as a “slogger”, a remark that has drawn criticism from Indian supporters.Kaif, speaking on his YouTube channel, accused Amir of making inflammatory comments purely to generate publicity, insisting that India need not dignify such remarks with a response.“Did Amir really not know that India would reach the semifinals? He also knew it, that the defending champions will make it. But because it will become news, they do all these things. We must not give them importance. There is no need for us to come down to their level and reply,” he said.The former India cricketer then took aim at Amir by referencing Pakistan’s surprising defeat to the USA at the 2024 T20 World Cup. He questioned the pacer’s performance in the decisive Super Over, suggesting that Amir was in no position to criticise others.“The loss that they faced against the USA in 2024, it was the same bowler who was the reason. In that over, there was only one boundary, but too many wides. His ball did not even land on the stumps. Who got scared against that USA team and made his team lose the game, then I do not have to say more,” he remarked.Kaif continued by urging India to ignore the outside noise, arguing that engaging with Amir would only amplify his comments and hand him the attention he seeks.“Why are we focusing on him? The country that is so behind in the sport, they have no players, no solid captain, or a solid bowler, nothing. Just let them be. We don’t have to talk about everything they talk. They cannot come to our level. They have different problems. If we focus on their comments, it is like we are giving them importance, and that is what they want anyway,” he added.