Sports

Tshwane, Sep 7 (IANS) South Africa women’s captain Laura Wolvaardt has expressed excitement ahead of her team’s historic maiden T20I tour to Zimbabwe, stating that it is ‘pretty cool’ to finally play against their African neighbours in a bilateral series at the senior level.

All five matches will be played at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on September 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19. “It’s very special for us. I think for as long as I’ve played, we haven’t played against another African team. It’s pretty cool that we get to play some cricket against our neighbours. So I’m very excited to head over there,” said Laura in a statement by Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Monday.

Laura leads a new-look squad that features only three other players – Annerie Dercksen, Karabo Meso, and Kayla Reyneke – from the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup squad in England. The touring party also includes four uncapped youngsters: Caitlin Wyngaard, Luyanda Nzuza, Nthabiseng Nini, and Jae-Leigh Filander, who replaced the injured wicketkeeper-batter Sinalo Jafta.

Head coach Mandla Mashimbyi believes the tour serves as a crucial testing ground for young talent as South Africa builds towards the 2029 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. “The purpose is quite simple. It’s an opportunity for players to test their skills. An opportunity to give opportunities to the young players.

“And also for us to see where we are going forward in terms of the future of South African cricket. A couple of youngsters putting their hands up. Just to put a bit of pressure on the usual players that we take on tour on a normal basis.

“When you’ve got players that are putting their hands up and actually pushing the other players that we’ve always had in our squad, it’s good for cricket as a whole in South Africa. So for me, the positive thing will be seeing these youngsters actually do well. And also seeing Laura lead the team,” he elaborated.

Laura noted that the fresh squad dynamic has energized the group ahead of the series. “It’s going to be awesome to see those youngsters just express themselves and play free cricket against a new opposition. Lots of talent here in the net. I’m keen to see how they all go in the games.”

–IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS) Young Uttarakhand batter Lakshya Raichandani is “honoured” to be bestowed with the leadership responsibility of the Indian U19 side for the upcoming three unofficial ODIs against Australia U19, which begin on September 18.

Raichandani, who is currently playing for Mussoorie Thunder, was named captain of the Indian U19 white-ball side, while he is also the vice-captain for the two unofficial Tests that will be played between September 28 and October 8.

Speaking exclusively to IANS, Raichandani reflected on the opportunity and how he prepares for the series, which will take place in Rajkot and Ahmedabad. “It is a great opportunity; it’s an honour to be a captain for the Indian team,” he said. “It is an added responsibility, so I am very excited for this opportunity, and I want to lead everyone, create a positive environment and give my 100%.”

The Raichandani family is also excited to see their son leading the national junior side as the Aussies arrive in India. “(My) Family is very excited and happy, but as I said, it is a great opportunity, and it is an added responsibility, so it is very good, and I am looking forward to the captaincy,” Raichandani added.

The 17-year-old has been rewarded with the captaincy for his stellar performances in the U19 circuit. He scored a double century and a century in two Youth Tests against Sri Lanka U19 and also scored two half centuries against the Lankan U19 side in the two youth ODIs that preceded them. But he is keeping his preparation to what he usually does.

“Preparation is the same as what I normally do, and it is going on. I don’t change much when seeing their brand of cricket. But we will see their style of play through the video footage, and we will make a plan for them,” he added.

Apart from those stellar knocks for India U19s, he recently also scored an impressive 76 in the Dehradun T20 League. Speaking on the outings, he said that he likes to keep his team above himself.

“I wanted to play for the team, and I wanted to contribute for the team, and my intent was the same. It was positive. I have a normal mindset whether I go well or not, from a confidence point of view. I have confidence, but I wanted to play for the team and contribute.

“It was very good. My aim has been for the team. The form gives you confidence, but I will keep the same mindset,” he said.

Raichandani also spoke on the inaugural edition of the Dehradun T20 league, calling it a crucial footstep for young cricketers from the grassroots of Uttarakhand.

“It is a very exciting league, and it is a very good tournament for Dehradun’s local players. They will get a very good opportunity, and it is a very good tournament to improve their T20 game for UPL. It is a very good platform, as players will get to learn a lot from experienced players,” he added.

–IANS

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Nottingham, Sep 7 (IANS) New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Mitchell Hay has signed a short-term deal with Nottinghamshire for the remaining three matches of the 2026 County Championship season, the club announced on Monday.

Hay, 26, will replace South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne, who has been recalled early by Cricket South Africa (CSA) in accordance with his central contract terms. Hay made his Test debut in December 2025 and scored 61 against the West Indies.

He brings a solid first-class cricket record of over 2,000 runs at an average of 45.14 across 23 appearances for the national side and his domestic team Canterbury. Hay has so far played a Test, 10 ODIs and 12 T20Is and will link up with Nottinghamshire ahead of their clashes against Hampshire, Sussex and Yorkshire.

“I’m really proud to sign for Nottinghamshire, and I can’t wait to get over to England and experience both the County Championship and Trent Bridge. It’s a really high-quality competition, and I know how historic Trent Bridge is too, so the idea of being able to call it home, and at the business end of the season too, is thrilling,” said Hay in an official statement.

The Christchurch-born cricketer expressed excitement at following in the footsteps of several Kiwi legends who previously represented the county side. “There have been so many quality New Zealanders who have played for Nottinghamshire; the likes of Sir Richard Hadlee, Stephen Fleming, Chris Cairns, Andre Adams.

“I’m so excited to become the latest in that line and with the defence of the Championship title still very much going, I can’t wait to meet the boys and contribute to that.”

Nottinghamshire Head Coach Peter Moores welcomed Hay’s signing ahead of a crucial phase in their title defence campaign. “As disappointing as it is to lose Kyle for the last three games, to get someone with the quality that Mitch has is hugely exciting.

“He is a mature keeper with the ability to bat in the top six, which fits the role we need coming into the business end of the season. He comes across as someone who knows his game and is calm and confident about how he goes about his cricket. Like always, we’re looking forward to getting him involved and settled into the squad.”

–IANS

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Mumbai, Sep 7 (IANS) Having won a medal at each of her three previous appearances in the Continental Games, star compound archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam will be going into the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya in Japan with a lot of confidence and a different set of challenges.

It will be her fourth consecutive Asian Games, which brings familiar territory in some ways and a new challenge in others. The 30-year-old compound archer, who has won three gold, one silver and one bronze medal in Asian Games so far, will now be part of a new Indian women’s team still finding its rhythm together.

With the Games as the priority this year, Jyothi’s preparation has centred on getting every detail right, both with her equipment and herself. “We are working really hard, preparing ourselves, making sure that everything is good, whether it’s our equipment or ourselves, and working towards it,” she said.

Archery may not appear as physically strenuous as some other sports, but the demands of the sport extend well beyond the physical. For Jyothi, the challenge becomes clearer once someone actually picks up the equipment, where technique, control, and mental strength come together to execute a shot.

“Not only archery, like any sport, when someone is playing, it seems really easy, and we can also just do it. But it’s not the case; like every sport has its own things, like some techniques and all. That’s what I believe. And once you start training or once you start, you know, using the equipment and all, then you get to know like how hard it is,” she explained.

For an archer heading into her fourth Asian Games, that mental strength also means not getting weighed down by what has come before. Despite winning a medal at every Asian Games she has competed in, Jyothi says her focus remains on the performance in events ahead. “Right now I’m just focused on giving my best at the games rather than thinking about any other things.”

For Jyothi, the women’s team brings a new dynamic this time around. The squad has already had two opportunities to compete together at the World Cup stages, and those outings have helped the athletes get used to one another and build confidence as a team.

“Coming to the team, it’s a new team for us because this is the first time that we got to play as a team, especially for the women’s team, I would like to say. And we have participated in World Cup stages three and four because, for us, the game selection trials were completed in May, and we got two tournaments to participate in before the Asian Games. We are improving, we are working hard, and we are getting used to each other. And it’s just that no matter what the situation is, we are there for each other,” she added.

While Jyothi is one of the senior members of the squad, she sees experience as something shared across the team rather than a responsibility resting on one athlete.

“I think all the team members are really experienced, I would say, in some sort of things because there’s no one who is representing India in the games for the very first time. Like it’s their first international tournament. They have been part of many international tournaments in previous years and this year too,” she said.

Her journey has also been shaped by being part of the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) ecosystem, where she has trained alongside and shared the high-performance environment with fellow Indian archers including Rishabh Yadav and Abhishek Verma. Being around athletes competing at the highest level has also meant having an environment where experiences, learnings, and perspectives are constantly shared.

With three Asian Games medals already behind her, Jyothi says staying motivated comes from continually resetting her goals based on the importance of each tournament. This year, there is no ambiguity about the priority.

“I think the main thing would be just reframing your goals now and then, depending upon what tournaments you’re playing and which tournament you give the most importance to. This year we only had the Asian Games, which is having the utmost priority. The World Cups happen every year for us. This year it’s Asian Games,” she said.

As Jyothi heads into her fourth Asian Games, the challenge is therefore not about carrying the weight of three previous medals, but about approaching a new competition with the same focus, while growing alongside a new-look Indian women’s team. With the Asian Games firmly at the top of her priorities, she now turns her attention to putting that preparation into practice on the competition field.

–IANS

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Chennai, Sep 7 (IANS) Skipper Ishan Kishan smashed a monumental 270 while Kumar Kushagra hit a fine century to put East Zone in complete command of the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone by posting a colossal 708 at the end of the second innings of the match, played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday.

Kishan’s 334-ball knock, laced with 30 fours and seven sixes, registered the eighth-highest individual score in a Duleep Trophy match. Kushagra, on the other hand, hit 101 off 132 balls, studded with eight fours and five sixes, ensuring that a total in excess of 700 was registered at Chepauk for only the third time in first-class cricket history before East Zone were finally bowled out by stumps.

Resuming from their overnight score of 385/4, East Zone continued to pile on the runs right from the outset. Desperately seeking wickets, South Zone took the new ball after delaying it for just one over, but neither Mohammad Siraj nor MD Nidheesh could find an early breakthrough.

Kishan got going immediately, collecting successive boundaries off Siraj before giving the same treatment to Nidheesh. Kushagra soon joined the party from the other end as, on either side of the drinks break, South Zone introduced spinners Tripurana Vijay and Shreyas Gopal into the attack, but it didn’t change the trajectory of East Zone’s innings.

Kushagra moved into the nineties with a couple of boundaries off Gopal before eventually bringing up his sixth first-class century. South Zone finally got the much-needed breakthrough closer to the lunch break when Kushagra found the fielder at fine leg off Vijay.

For Kishan, however, it remained business as usual as he continued to manipulate the field with ease. Taking full toll of a tiring opposition, the aggressive left-hander slammed three boundaries in a single over from Gopal. South Zone attempted to break his momentum by deploying part-timers Devdutt Padikkal and Shaikh Rasheed, but to no avail as Kishan reached his double century off 270 balls.

After crossing the milestone, Kishan accelerated rapidly and hit boundaries with immaculate ease to move past 250, with South Zone eagerly anticipating a declaration. Even after guiding his side past the 600-run mark, the captain showed no intention of declaring.

Although fatigue briefly caught up with Kishan and forced him to retire temporarily, the runs kept flowing for East Zone. With the total edging closer to 700, Mohammed Shami departed for a quickfire 28, which brought Kishan back to the crease in pursuit of a rare triple century.

However, wickets falling at the other end forced his hand, and he was eventually caught near the long-on boundary, falling just 30 runs short of the 300-mark. By the time the East Zone innings ended at 708, they had firmly taken charge of winning the summit clash against a tiring South Zone.

Brief scores:

East Zone 708 in 163 overs (Ishan Kishan 270, Kumar Kushagra 101; Tripurana Vijay 4-180, Chama Milind 2-88) against South Zone

–IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS) The UEFA Champions League 2026-27 is set to kick off on Tuesday when 36 top teams around Europe will battle it out for the continental showpiece.

Reigning two-time champions Paris Saint-Germain will be looking for a famous three-peat as they bid to become the first team since Real Madrid in 2016-18 with a hat-trick of UCL titles.

Eyes will also be on the likes of Arsenal and Bayern Munich, who came close to winning the title in 2025-26, but their runs were halted by Luis Enrique’s men, who seem to be favourites for another title.

PSG have the arsenal for another crown, it seems, despite the transfer window not going as they wanted. They targeted Yan Diomande, who went to Real Madrid, and they let go of their winger Bradley Barcola, who used to be behind their star attacking line. PSG have been bolstered by the arrival of Ferran Torres, Lucas Digne, Mika Godts and Maghnes Akliouche and have the fabled pair of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele in their ranks.

They will be up against a relatively comfortable opponent in Slovan Bratislava for their Matchday 1 at home. They will also play Barcelona, AS Roma, and Galatasaray at home, while they will be on a trip for their away league games against Man City, Aston Villa, Villarreal, and Como.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will be looking to go one step ahead of the runners-up finish from last time as they open their campaign against Napoli away from home. The Gunners would also feel they are missing a piece or two after the transfer window, as they could not complete the famous Julian Alvarez move but have brought in Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), midfielder Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle United) and winger Christos Tzolis (Club Brugge). They have also let Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus go.

Arsenal will face Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lille and Sabah FK at home, while their away fixtures, apart from Napoli, will be against Bayern Munich, Real Betis and Slavia Prague.

Eyes will also be on Bayern, who open their campaign against Norwegian club Bodo/Glimt at home. They were impressive last season in the UCL, and their high-scoring leg 1 semifinal against PSG was one of the most memorable and fast-moving games.

They will be led by Harry Kane, with Michael Olise and Luis Diaz providing in support. Bayern will be looking for their first European title since 2019-20.

They will play Arsenal, Real Betis, Bodo/Glimt and Slavia Prague at home, while their away fixtures are against Atletico Madrid, Man United, Lille and Viking FK.

While these three look set for a battle for the European title, the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Manchester City can’t be ruled out either.

Barca have brought in 2026 World Cup Golden Ball winner Rodri and Anthony Gordon. With Jose Mourinho back, Real Madrid will be hoping for continental glory, but they will be shouldered largely by Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham.

City have done a decent job in the transfer window with their most eye-catching arrival of Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea. They have also added Elliot Anderson and young Ayyoub Bouaddi.

–IANS

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Chandigarh, Sep 7 (IANS) India’s Karan Singh clinched the men’s singles title at the ITF Men’s World Tennis Tour M15, which was played in Bali, Indonesia. This is Karan’s fourth career title and his third of the 2026 season — second in singles.

The fourth-seeded Indian (ATP 604) defeated the fifth seed Isaac Becroft of New Zealand in a closely contested final on hard courts, clinching a 7-5, 7-6(3) win to lift the title.

It was a phenomenal run for Karan, who trains at the Roundglass Tennis Academy (RGTA) and delivered a flawless week of tennis by winning the championship without dropping a single set. He began the campaign by defeating Indonesian qualifier Gunawan Trismuwantara 6-3, 7-5.

In the second round, he got the better of local wildcard Rafalentino Ali Da Costa 6-3, 6-2. In the quarterfinals, Singh continued his dominance, defeating another Indonesian wildcard, Nathan Anthony Barki, 6-1, 6-4.

In the semifinals, Karan was up against the seventh seed Ryotaro Taguchi of Japan. In a commanding performance, Karan got the better of the Japanese player, cruising to a 6-3, 6-3 straight-sets win to book his place in the final.

The singles victory in Indonesia marks a highly successful continuation of Karan’s 2026 calendar, coming just weeks after he clinched the doubles title at the ITF M15 Astana in Kazakhstan.

In August, partnering with Russia’s Martin Borisiouk, the unseeded pair battled through three consecutive match tiebreaks, including an upset over the top seeds in the semifinals, before dominating the local Kazakh pair of Danial Rakhmatullayev and Damir Zhalgasbay 6-3, 6-2 in the final.

Karan, who hails from Karnal in Haryana, has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 388 achieved on 8 August 2025. He also has a career-high doubles ranking of No. 436 achieved on 28 July 2025.

The 23-year-old Karan has won one ATP Challenger doubles title at the 2024 Brazzaville Challenger with Florent Bax.

–IANS

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Chennai, Sep 7 (IANS) The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) will be staging the Chennai Open 2026 at the TNGF Cosmo Golf Course in Chennai from September 8 to 11. The Chennai Open returns for its fifth edition. carries a prize purse of INR 1 crore.

The tournament is set to feature some of the top Indian professionals, including Saptak Talwar, defending champion N. Thangaraja of Sri Lanka, Veer Ahlawat, Om Prakash Chouhan, Manu Gandas, Khalin Joshi, Rashid Khan, Honey Baisoya, and Akshay Sharma, to name a few.

Besides Sri Lankan N Thangaraja, the prominent foreign players in the field include Sri Lankan Mithun Perera, Bangladeshis Jamal Hossain and Badal Hossain, Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool, Japan’s Koichiro Ishika and Taiga Tanaka, Czech Republic’s Stepan Danek, Uganda’s Joshua Seale, Nepal’s Subash Tamang, Americans Koichiro Sato and Dominic Piccirillo, and Ireland’s Declan Kenny.

The local challenge will be led by Chennai-based professionals S. Prasanth, S. John Royan, Ilayaraja C. and C. Arul.

H. Shankar, MD, CPCL, said, “CPCL is delighted to be associated with the Chennai Open as Powered by Partner. As an organisation with deep roots in Chennai, we are proud to support a premier professional golf event of the DP World PGTI that brings together some of the finest talent from across the country and provides an inspiring platform for emerging golfers. We look forward to a successful and memorable Chennai Open and to continuing our support for the development of golf in the region.”

Amandeep Johl, CEO, DP World PGTI, said, “We are delighted to return to Chennai for the Chennai Open powered by CPCL, a tournament that has become an important fixture on the DP World PGTI schedule. Chennai has a strong golfing culture, and the city has consistently provided an excellent platform for our players to showcase their skills. With the season entering an exciting phase, several new champions emerging and the Race to DP World India Championship gathering momentum, we look forward to another highly competitive week.”

The Pro-Am event, played on Sunday, was won by the team led by Thai professional Tanapat Pichaikool. The winning team had a net score of 53.1 and consisted of amateurs Kaushik, Vikram and Nirav Hariharan.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS) South Africa have named their squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia that kicks off their home season.

Regular captain Temba Bavuma is back, while senior batters David Miller and Quinton de Kock are also part of the ODI series, which starts on September 24 in Durban, as it seems they are pretty much in the scheme of things for the ODI World Cup 2027. The Proteas have named a 16-member squad, which was as close to their available full strength as possible.

Both Miller and de Kock are not currently centrally contracted but played in the T20 World Cup earlier this year.

The squad sees the return of Gerald Coetzee, who last played an ODI in the 2023 World Cup, as he fills in the void left by Kagiso Rabada, who is out of the ODIs and racing to be fit for the Tests due to his hamstring injury.

Coetzee has been hampered by injuries in the last few years, but his return gives a shot in the arm to the Proteas side. “It’s great to see Gerald back in the fold and, by all accounts, he’s been bowling nice and quickly,” South Africa’s head coach Shukri Conrad said in a statement.

The Proteas are keeping an eye on Rabada’s recovery, while Conrad added that Anrich Nortje was not considered for the series.

“KG is out of the ODIs, and we are constantly monitoring his rehabilitation. When we sit down to select a Test squad, we will make an informed decision. He is tracking nicely, going on reports from physios,” Conrad said during a press conference on Monday.

“Anrich Nortje was not considered for the ODIs. I don’t think he has done enough for now, but don’t be surprised if he played the Bangladesh series,” he added on Nortje.

Meanwhile, swashbuckling batter Dewald Brevis is not part of the squad as he will be preparing for the Test season, with him featuring in first-class cricket. Aiden Markram will be available for the second and third ODIs.

“Everybody who is not here or in the A side will be playing the first round of first-class cricket,” Conrad said. “And everyone not in the ODI squad will play in the second round. That includes Dewald. He competes for a spot in the middle-order, and there he competes with Matthew Breetzke, Tristan Stubbs and David Miller. He will definitely get a crack at ODIs in the Bangladesh series.

“We’ve got six ODIs before we play England. The England squad will be a shadow squad for the World Cup. We’ve got a few guys vying for space at the top in terms of Aiden, Ricks, Quinny and Tony. It’s just about making sure everyone gets a fair crack at it.”

Conrad stated that the series is crucial for their plans for the ODI World Cup 2027. “With the World Cup just over a year away, this series marks an important step in shaping the squad as we build towards the tournament, while also giving those players who are in the frame opportunities when we face Bangladesh and England later in the season,” Conrad said.

“We have a clear idea of the combinations we want and the roles we need players to fulfil. From a batting perspective, we’ve looked at making sure we have a middle order that can be explosive but have the ability to absorb pressure and take the innings quite deep. That balance is going to be important for us.”

South Africa ODI squad for Australia series:

Temba Bavuma (capt), Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs

–IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS) European football will pay tribute to the victims of the devastating flash floods that struck Nepal last month, with UEFA arranging a moment of silence before every Champions League fixture as a gesture of solidarity with those affected by the tragedy.

The tribute will be accompanied by a banner carrying the message “You are not alone Nepal,”, which will be displayed ahead of the matches across the continent.

“A moment of silence will be held, and a banner will be displayed as a sign of solidarity and support ahead of all UEFA Champions League matches this week. The banner will carry the message “You are not alone Nepal,” UEFA said in a statement.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said the gesture reflected the football community’s support for Nepal as the country continues to deal with the aftermath of the floods that struck on August 26.

“The entire European football family will stand together before this week’s matches to express our deepest condolences and our support to the people of Nepal. We wish them strength and resilience as they continue to recover from this tragedy and its aftermath,” Aleksander said.

The disaster has claimed 1,355 lives, with rescue and recovery operations continuing in several affected areas. According to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), 4,996 people, including at least 589 foreign nationals, remain missing, while 13,396 people have been rescued.

UEFA’s tribute will be observed as the Champions League returns to the spotlight this week, with 14 matches scheduled across Europe from Tuesday.

Among the headline fixtures, Barcelona will host Feyenoord at Camp Nou on September 9, while Liverpool will welcome Atletico Madrid to Anfield the following day. Paris Saint-Germain will face Slovan Bratislava, Manchester United will take on Sabah FK and Arsenal will meet Napoli in other notable games.

–IANS

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Dubai, Sep 7 (IANS) Pakistan captain Fatima Sana has been fined 10 per cent of her match fee and handed a demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during her side’s Women’s Asia Cup Group A clash against India, which they lost by seven wickets at the Dubai International Stadium on Saturday.

In a statement, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday that Fatima was found guilty of breaching Article 2.5 of the its Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to ‘using language, actions or gestures which disparage, or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match.’

The incident occurred on the last ball of the second over of India’s chase of 56, when Fatima gestured towards the pavilion after dismissing opener Shafali Verma through a caught-and-bowled dismissal.

This marks Fatima’s second offence within a 24-month window, bringing her total tally of demerit points to two. Her previous demerit point was handed down during the opening T20 International against Ireland in Dublin on August 6, 2025.

“Fatima admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Supriya Rani Das of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing,” further said the ICC.

The charges against the Pakistan skipper were levelled by on-field umpires Nimali Perera and Shathira Jakir Jesy, alongside third umpire Rokeya Sultana and fourth umpire Rabab Ahsan. Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

Despite the off-field sanction, Fatima will remain available to lead Pakistan in their clash against Hong Kong China to be played on Tuesday. A victory for Pakistan would take them into the semi-finals, with seven-time winners India and defending champions Sri Lanka already sealing their spots there.

–IANS

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Windhoek, Sep 7 (IANS) Right-handed batter Matthew Breetzke and seam-bowling all-rounder Corbin Bosch have been drafted into the South Africa squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Namibia after Lhuan-dré Pretorius and Andile Simelane were ruled out due to injuries, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said on Monday.

Pretorius, who finished as the leading run-scorer in the recent T20I tri-series win at the Namibia Cricket Ground, sustained a right adductor muscle injury, while pace-bowling all-rounder Simelane suffered a left abdominal muscle strain. The injuries led to the duo being ruled out from the title clash held on Sunday, which South Africa won by 48 runs.

“Lhuan-dre Pretorius (right adductor muscle injury) and Andile Simelane (left abdominal muscle strain) have been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Namibia, starting on Wednesday. Corbin Bosch and Matthew Breetzke have been called up as replacements,” CSA said in its official statement.

The twin injury blows forced South Africa to adjust their combination ahead of the T20I tri-series final against Zimbabwe. In the absence of Pretorius, Connor Esterhuizen retained his spot at the top of the batting order alongside Jordan Hermann, while left-hander Tony de Zorzi was drafted into the middle order to bolster the batting lineup.

Meanwhile, middle-order batter Jason Smith, who missed the earlier matches due to an adductor strain, has fully recovered and joined the squad in Namibia. Although held back from the tri-series decider, Smith remains available for selection for the three-match ODI series starting on Wednesday.

With Simelane sidelined, the Proteas rely on a young pace unit comprising Nqobani Mokoena, Kwena Maphaka, Eathan Bosch, and Duan Jansen to shoulder the seam-bowling duties in the series.

The addition of Bosch and Breetzke, who are capped for the Proteas in all three formats and are coming off playing franchise T20 cricket games in the USA and the West Indies, will help them experiment with combinations ahead of the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup, which they are co-hosting with Zimbabwe and Namibia.

–IANS

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