Former Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting gave star England allrounder Will Jacks a perfect 10/10 rating for his performances in the T20 World Cup. Indian stars Sanju Samson and Jasprit Bumrah followed closely with 9.5/10.Sanju Samson was named Player of the Tournament for his impressive performances in the second half of the campaign. Players from Pakistan, New Zealand, England, and South Africa were also among the nominees.Samson was India’s top run-scorer and finished third overall in the tournament, while Bumrah ended as joint-highest wicket-taker, including a four-wicket haul in the final against New Zealand.

Ponting also highlighted other top performers: openers Tim Seifert and Sahibzada Farhan led the run charts, earning ratings of 9/10 and 9.5/10, respectively.India became the first team to successfully defend their T20 World Cup title, defeating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final at Narendra Modi Stadium on March 8, and also became the first team to win the tournament three times.

In the final, New Zealand won the toss and chose to field first, but Abhishek Sharma made them regret it with a blazing 52 off 21 balls, including six fours and three sixes. He shared a 98-run partnership with Sanju Samson, who then added a century stand with Ishan Kishan (54 off 25 balls, four fours and four sixes), helping India cross the 200-run mark by the 16th over.Shivam Dube finished unbeaten on 26 off just eight balls, taking India to 255/5, the highest total in a T20 World Cup final. James Neesham was New Zealand’s best bowler with 3/46.In reply, India’s bowlers, led by Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah, reduced New Zealand to 72/5, despite a quick fifty from Tim Seifert (52 off 26 balls). A brief partnership between Daryl Mitchell (17) and captain Mitchell Santner (43 off 35 balls) wasn’t enough, as India kept taking wickets and bundled the Kiwis out for 159, securing a comfortable victory.

AGRA: A UP police constable has been arrested in a case linked to abetment of suicide after a woman, who was reportedly in a relationship with him, allegedly died by suicide, accusing the constable of mental harassment and breaking the promise of marrying her.According to details, the deceased had completed a fashion design course from a college in Lucknow. Her family told the police that she had been married six years ago, but the relationship lasted only two years. The couple had a child, who currently lives with the husband. Due to differences with her husband, she had been living separately.About four years ago, she attended a programme in Shamsabad where she met constable JB Gautam, a 2019-batch policeman. The two became friends, and according to allegations, the constable later called her to meet him. Their meetings increased, and he allegedly promised to marry her.

The deceased woman’s sister lives in Agra. Whenever the woman visited her sister, she would also stay at the constable’s flat in the Tajganj area. A few days ago, the constable allegedly refused to marry her, which left her distressed. His family members were also allegedly harassing her.On Wednesday, the woman came to her sister’s house and went into another room. In the evening, her sister went to the gym while her brother-in-law also left for work. The woman locked the room from inside. When her sister returned from the gym, she knocked on the door, but loud music was playing inside. Thinking that she was listening to songs, the sister went to sleep. Later at night, when the music was still playing, she became suspicious and knocked again but received no response. She then looked through a window above the door and saw the woman hanging from a noose. Shocked, she raised an alarm and informed the police.The police said that information was received regarding a young woman taking her own life on the night of March 12, within the jurisdiction of Sadar Bazar police station and registered a case under Sections 69 (False promise to marry) and 108 (Abetment of suicide) of the BNS“Upon receiving the information, Sadar Bazar police personnel immediately reached the scene and, after conducting the necessary legal proceedings, prepared the inquest report on the body and sent it for postmortem. Based on the written complaint submitted by the deceased’s father at Sadar Bazar police station, a case was registered under the relevant sections, and computer operator Jantar Babu alias J.B. Gautam was arrested and sent to judicial custody. Additionally, departmental proceedings have been initiated against the said computer operator, and he has been suspended.”ACP Sadar Imran Ahmed said the woman recorded two videos of about one minute each before her death. In the videos, she spoke about her relationship with the constable and alleged exploitation, saying she was under severe stress. She had also sent the videos to several relatives. The family informed the police about the videos on Thursday morning, after which the woman’s mobile phone was seized. Investigators are now examining when the videos were recorded and to whom they were sent. The phone will be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for further examination, police said.

Yet another US aircraft has been lost in Iraq amid the constantly evolving situation in the Middle East, following the coordinated American-Israeli strikes on Iran that started at the end of February.This time, a US KC-135 refuelling aircraft, carrying at least five personnel, went down in western Iraq on Thursday. The incident also involved another aircraft but was not the result of hostile or friendly fire, according to the US Central Command.

“One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely. This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” the US Central Command, which oversees American forces in the region, said in a statement.The United States, the world’s largest economy, maintains a significant military presence in the region and has surged a large number of aircraft into the Middle East to participate in ongoing operations against Iran.

KC-135 Stratotanker: Aerial refuelling workhorse of the US air force

Midair Refuelling: How it works

The KC-135 primarily uses a flying boom to transfer fuel. A boom operator, positioned at the rear of the aircraft, controls the boom during in-flight refuelling. For aircraft equipped with probes, a shuttlecock-shaped drogue trailing behind the boom allows fuel transfer. Some KC-135s feature a multipoint refuelling system with special pods on the wingtips, enabling the tanker to refuel two aircraft simultaneously.

Mission

The KC-135 Stratotanker has been the backbone of the United States air force’s aerial refuelling capability for over 60 years. It extends the air force’s global reach and supports missions for the air force, navy, marine corps, and allied nations.

In addition to refuelling, the KC-135 can transport litter and ambulatory patients on patient support pallets during aeromedical evacuations.

Features

Powered by four turbofan engines mounted under 35-degree swept wings, the KC-135 can take off at gross weights of up to 322,500 pounds. Its cargo deck above the refuelling system can accommodate a mix of passengers and cargo, carrying up to 83,000 pounds depending on fuel storage configuration.

This marks the fourth US aircraft lost since the US and Israel began strikes against Iran on 28 February. Earlier this month, three US Air Force fighter jets were accidentally shot down in a “friendly fire” incident by Kuwaiti air defenses, though all crew members ejected safely.So far, seven US troops have been killed in the conflict, and Reuters reported on Tuesday that up to 150 US personnel have been wounded. Meanwhile, Iran’s death toll has surpassed 1,300, according to the country’s UN ambassador.