"If Shoe Was On The Other Foot...": Stokes' Blunt Take On Bairstow Run-Out

England captain Ben Stokes insisted he would not have wanted to win a game of cricket with the kind of dismissal that led to Jonny Bairstow's controversial exit during Australia's victory in the second Ashes Test at Lord's. Shortly before lunch on Sunday's final day, Bairstow -- the last of England's recognised batsmen -- fell for 10 in bizarre fashion when he wandered out of his ground after ducking a Cameron Green bouncer and quick-thinking wicketkeeper Alex Carey under-armed the ball onto the stumps.

Bairstow thought he had secured his ground by tapping his bat behind the crease.

Australia captain Pat Cummins could have withdrawn the appeal but the decision was referred to third umpire Marais Erasmus, who ruled Bairstow had been stumped, with England now 193-6 chasing a target of 371.

As spectators jeered the decision and taunted Australia with chants of "Same old Aussies, always cheating", an angry Stokes then on 62, launched a blistering assault on the bowling.

The all-rounder made a stunning 155 but his brilliant innings could not prevent England falling to a 43-run defeat as Australia went 2-0 up in the five-match series.

Bairstow had been dismissed off the last ball of the over, with Stokes suggesting the movement of the umpires may have led him to think the ball was dead.

"When is it justified that the umpires have called over?," Stokes told the BBC.

"Is the onfield umpires making movement, is that enough to call over? I'm not sure. Jonny was in his crease then out of his crease. I am not disputing the fact it is out because it is out."

However, he added: "If the shoe was on the other foot I would have put more pressure on the umpires and asked whether they had called over and had a deep think about the whole spirit of the game and would I want to do something like that.

"For Australia, it was the match-winning moment.

"Would I want to win a game in that manner? The answer for me is no."

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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"Will Write To PM Modi Regarding Defeat In Karnataka": BJP Leader

Karnataka BJP leader and former MLA M P Renukacharya, who has been served a notice by the party for "anti-party" remarks, on Saturday said he will not fear such things and will write a letter to the national leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the defeat in the Assembly polls and those responsible for it.

The former Minister who met veteran party leader and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said abiding by the latter's instructions, he will not make public statements regarding party before the media.

His meeting with Yediyurappa came a day after he skipped the meeting called by the party's state leadership, with 11 leaders who had either indulged in anti-party activities or were making public statements, which had caused embarrassment to the BJP.

"They issued notice to Renukacharya, will I fear for notice? No....we got to know about the existence of the disciplinary committee after I was served the notice. The State President said eleven people have been served notice. You make public about serving notice to Renukacharya by releasing it to the media, but what about notice to the other ten," Renukacharya said.

Speaking to reporters, he said, "I will write letters to Delhi leaders like Prime Minister, Amit Shah (Home Minister)and J P Nadda (BJP national president) regarding the situation in Karnataka. If I get an opportunity I will meet the party national President and tell him the reasons for BJP's defeat in Karnataka and who are all responsible for it." The Karnataka BJP on Thursday had issued notice to Renukacharya for his "anti-party" remarks. He has been given one week's time to give a written reply to the show-cause notice issued by the state disciplinary committee of the party.

The party had officially released the notice served to Renukacharya, the former Honnali MLA.

Renukacharya had said on Thursday that the party's state president Nalin Kumar Kateel should have resigned from the post, taking moral responsibility for the Assembly poll debacle.

Targeting party leaders without taking any names, he had alleged that the BJP office has been turned into a "corporate office", and urged them to introspect and work towards strengthening the party and boosting the morale of the workers for the Lok Sabha elections and the zilla and taluk panchayat polls, among others.

Alleging that false news is being spread that he will be joining the Congress, Renukacharya said he will stay in the party and abide by Yediyurappa's directions.

"But, there is no change in my stand...several false decisions by the party and its governemnt, not putting efforts for developing a caste combination, not having senior leaders in preparing manifesto, neglecting seniors in the party like Yediyurappa -- led to defeat in the Assembly polls. I will continue to say it. But will not make public statements before the media respecting Yediyurappa's instructions," he added.

Noting that he cannot remain silent if Yediyurappa is "humiliated", the former Minister said they said as Yediyurappa is aged so he had to step down from the CM post, but they needed the same person to travel across the state to campaign and organise the party. 

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At Delhi Congress Meet A Resolution Against AAP For 2024 Polls

In the run-up to the 2024 general elections, Delhi Congress will focus on door-to-door interactions with the masses and re-energise its grass-roots level workers in the national capital, an official said on Saturday.

The decision was taken in a meeting of party workers, leaders and office-bearers called by newly-appointed AICC in-charge of Delhi Congress Deepak Babaria, who also passed two resolutions - political and organisational - after the meeting.

"Congress will spread Rahul Gandhi's message of love as his fight against the politics of hatred has resonated across the country. We will focus on door-to-door interaction with people and further energise the grass-roots level workers in the national capital," Mr Babaria said while addressing the party workers.

Mr Babaria, a Gujarat Congress leader, formally took charge as in-charge of Delhi Congress at Rajiv Bhawan in Delhi on Saturday.

Lashing out at the Aam Aadmi Party, Mr Babaria said despite AAP securing a 13 per cent vote share in the Gujarat assembly elections, Mr Kejriwal has not visited the state in the past six months.

He further alleged that AAP and BJP were "two sides of the same coin".

"Congress workers pledge to fight unitedly, with all its might, against the corrupt BJP-ruled Central Government and AAP in the 2024 Parliamentary elections," read the resolution passed after the meeting.

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CIA Sees "Once-In-A-Generation" Spy Recruiting Opportunity In Russia

US CIA Director William Burns said on Saturday that the armed mutiny by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was a challenge to the Russian state that had shown the corrosive effect of President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.

Putin this week thanked the army and security forces for averting what he said could have turned into a civil war, and has compared the mutiny to the chaos that plunged Russia into two revolutions in 1917.

For months, Prigozhin had been openly insulting Putin's most senior military men, using a variety of crude expletives and prison slang that shocked top Russian officials but were left unanswered in public by Putin.

"It is striking that Prigozhin preceded his actions with a scathing indictment of the Kremlin's mendacious rationale for the invasion of Ukraine and of the Russian military leadership's conduct of the war," Burns said in a lecture to Britain's Ditchley Foundation - a non-profit foundation focused on US-British relations - in Oxfordshire, England.

"The impact of those words and those actions will play out for some time - a vivid reminder of the corrosive effect of Putin's war on his own society and his own regime."

Burns, who served as US ambassador to Russia from 2005 to 2008 and was appointed CIA director in 2021, cast Prigozhin's mutiny as an "armed challenge to the Russian state".

He said the mutiny was an "internal Russian affair in which the United States has had and will have no part."

Since a deal was struck a week ago to end the mutiny, the Kremlin has sought to project calm, with the 70-year-old Putin discussing tourism development, meeting crowds in Dagestan, and discussing ideas for economic development.

CIA RECRUITMENT

Russia will emerge stronger after the failed mutiny so the West need not worry about stability in the world's biggest nuclear power, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

But Burns said that the war had already been a strategic failure for Russia by laying bare its military weakness and damaging the Russian economy for years to come, while the NATO military alliance was growing bigger and stronger.

Burns said Russia's "future as a junior partner and economic colony of China" was being shaped "by Putin's mistakes."

He said disaffection in Russia with the war in Ukraine was creating a rare opportunity to recruit spies - and the CIA was not letting it pass.

"Disaffection with the war will continue to gnaw away at the Russian leadership beneath the steady diet of state propaganda and practiced repression," Burns said.

"That disaffection creates a once-in-a-generation opportunity for us at the CIA - at our core a human intelligence service. We're not letting it go to waste."

The Kremlin said in May that its agencies were tracking Western spy activity after the CIA published a video encouraging Russians to make contact via a secure internet channel.

The short video in Russian was accompanied by a text saying the agency wanted to hear from military officers, intelligence specialists, diplomats, scientists and people with information about Russia's economy and its leadership.

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2nd Test Day 4: England 4 Down In 371-Run Chase Need 257 At Stumps

ENG vs AUS, 2nd Ashes Test, Day 4 Highlights: Mitchell Starc sparked an England collapse at Lord's on Sunday before Ben Duckett was given a controversial reprieve as the hosts maintained their bid for a remarkable win in the second Ashes Test. England were 114 for 4 at stumps on the fourth day, still needing a further 257 runs to reach a target of 371. Left-handed opener Duckett, who made 98 in the first innings, was 50 not out and captain Ben Stokes unbeaten on 29, with England looking to level the five-match series at 1-1. (Scorecard)

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"Was Hurt": Manipur's N Biren Singh To NDTV On Why He Offered To Quit

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Saturday said he had offered to resign before taking it back because he was "really hurt" by protests against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and felt he was losing the trust of the state's people amid the two-month-long ethnic clashes that have left over 100 dead and thousands displaced.

Speaking out for the first time on the subject, a day after protests outside his office led by women ended with him taking back his resignation, the 62-year-old NDTV, that he was surprised by the outpouring of support.

"I was really surprised that people gathered outside my house. I thought everyone had left me. But when I went out and saw the crowd, I thanked God and my people who love me so much. So, I changed my decision," Mr Singh said.

His initial resignation announcement followed escalating tensions in the state, marked by protests targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP offices.

"In such a crucial time, some started burning the effigies of our leaders. I wouldn't have minded if it was my effigy, they were burning PM Modi's effigy. What has he done? In some areas, they started attacking the BJP offices," Mr Singh said.

The Chief Minister expressed his disappointment and hurt by these actions, adding that he was unprepared for the backlash, particularly from the Kuki community, accusing him of targeting illegal refugees and smugglers.

"I was really hurt. I started to ask myself if I have done anything wrong. We were unprepared for this. Whatever we could, we are doing. Kuki brothers have been insulting me because I am flushing out illegal refugees, catching smugglers," Mr Singh said.

With these events shaking his confidence, Mr Singh had initially resolved to quietly step down, questioning his role and the respect he commanded as a political figure.

"I used to tell my colleagues that people abuse politicians because of their behaviour. So, politicians need to change their behaviour and change their working style so that people respect us the way they respect others. That was my principle. So, I was thinking if people don't respect me, what's the use?" Mr Singh said.

Violence between members of Manipur's Kuki ethnic group, who mostly live in the hills, and Meiteis, the dominant community in the lowlands, erupted on May 3 as a result of resentment over economic benefits and quotas in government jobs and education reserved for hill people.

Several rounds of peace talks between the groups have broken down and failed to end violent incidents in the state governed by the BJP.

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'Once Took That Route...': Sharad Pawar Jabs D Fadnavis Over Bus Accident

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday took a jibe at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in connection with a bus accident on the Samruddhi Expressway that killed 25 by claiming people had told him such fatalities become "devendrawasis".

The 701-kilometre Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg, which is now operational on a 601 kilometre stretch from Vidarbha's largest city to Bharvir in Nashik, is considered the brainchild of Mr Fadnavis.

However, it has been plagued by accidents since it was opened for the public on December 12 last year, which have killed several score people.

A bus carrying 33 passengers from Nagpur to Pune on the Samruddhi Expressway overturned and caught fire in Sindkhedraja in Buldhana at 1.32 am, killing 25 occupants.

"A number of accidents have taken place on the Samruddhi Expressway. I have once travelled on the route. When people were asked about their experience, they told me the one who dies in an accident on the Samruddhi Expressway becomes a 'devendrawasi'," Mr Pawar told reporters.

"The work on the expressway has not been done scientifically and this may be the reason for so many accidents. Ex-gartia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased is not the solution. A committee of experts must be appointed to avert such accidents," he added.

Mr Pawar said there are complaints of lack of signboards on the route and, therefore, there was need for a thorough inspection of the entire route so that it is made safe for commuting.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said Mr Pawar had hit below the belt with the 'Devendrawasi' jibe.

Mr Bawankule claimed Mr Pawar, as chief minister, did not meet the family of those who died and were injured in the stampede in Nagpur on November 23, 1994, in which 114 members of the Gowari community were killed, and returned to Mumbai.

Citing the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and the firing on farmers in Maval on August 9, 2011, Mr Bawankule said these were events which still cause pain to those involved and asked if "those who died in these incidents be called sharadwasis".

Mr Fadnavis worked hard to make Samruddhi Expressway a reality and the route was being used by lakhs of people who were saving time, Mr Bawankule said.

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