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  PC- X/ BCCI Anjana Sasi India stormed into the Asian Games women’s cricket final with a commanding 114-run victory over Bangladesh on Sunday, but the evening belonged to Shafali Verma, whose unbeaten 100 off 49 balls powered India to 195/4 before Nandini Sharma and the bowling attack dismantled the Bangladesh chase. Bangladesh were bowled out for 81 in 15.4 overs, sending India into another final against Sri Lanka, just as in the recent Asia Cup. For Shafali, it was more than just a big score. It was a first century in women’s cricket at the Asian Games and her first T20I century. More importantly, it marked another milestone in her journey since she was left out of India’s original squad for the 2025 ODI World Cup. A year ago, Shafali was not even supposed to be part of India’s World Cup campaign. Pratika Rawal’s injury changed that. Called up as a replacement, Shafali walked into a tournament from which she had initially been excluded and went on to play a decisive role i...

Cricket West Indies have announced their squads for the upcoming limited-overs tour of India, with Shai Hope set to captain both the ODI and T20I sides. The tour will comprise three ODIs and five T20Is, with the first ODI scheduled for September 27 in Thiruvananthapuram. The series will run until October 17, with matches being played across eight Indian cities. The ODI squad retains the core group that featured in West Indies’ recent home series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. John Campbell returns after missing the final two ODIs against New Zealand due to a hamstring injury, while Jewel Andrew has been included after Ackeem Auguste was ruled out as he continues his rehabilitation following surgery. The T20I squad features several familiar names, including Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Akeal Hosein, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd. Hetmyer, who featured in the final two matches of the New Zealand series, will join the squad for the T20I le...

Zimbabwe vs South Africa, 5th WT20I (PC: Proteas Women) It was a much better all-round show from Zimbabwe, but it was still not enough to avoid another defeat in the five-match WT20I series against South Africa. The Proteas completed the clean sweep with a 14-run win in Bulawayo in the fifth match and secured a 5-0 series victory in the first-ever WT20I bilateral series between the two sides. Heading into the final game on September 19, the home side’s bowling form was concerning. Zimbabwe had conceded 190-plus in all three matches in which they bowled first – 193/3 in the second T20I, 200/1 in the third and 205/4 in the fourth. However, in the fifth game, their bowling unit produced a much-improved performance, restricting the visitors to 164/6. Michelle Mavunga, the 21-year-old medium-pacer, starred with a three-wicket haul. For South Africa, both openers, Miane Smit (30 off 22) and Faye Tunicliffe (25 off 13), got starts, but it was the fifth-wicket partnership of 75 between Kayl...

India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan in Asian Games 2026 (PC: BCCI Women, ACC, ICC) The semi-finals of women’s cricket at the Asian Games are scheduled for September 20, and it is an exact repeat of the semi-finals that took place in the recent Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai. At Korogi Sports Park, Sri Lanka will first take on Pakistan, followed by India facing Bangladesh. India vs Bangladesh The Women in Blue arrived at this event after winning the recent Asia Cup, their eighth time overall, and registered a convincing eight-wicket win over hosts Japan in the quarter-final. While chasing a target of just 58, India tried different options, sending G Kamalini to open the innings and Bharti Fulmali at No. 3. However, neither made a significant impact. Against Bangladesh, India are expected to return to their conventional approach in every department. The only question will be who bats at No. 3 if Pratika Rawal does not return to the playing XI. Will it be skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, k...

Devajit Saikia (Image: Assam Cricket Association) The BCCI has doubled down on its assertion of bringing the Asia Cup trophies — men’s and women’s — to India in the future. India are the reigning champions in both men’s and women’s categories. “(The) Asia Cup trophies, we hope it will come one day,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told reporters after the cricket board’s 95th Annual General Meeting on Friday. “I will not give you a timeline, but I can assure you that both the trophies will come and land up in this office (headquarters) of the BCCI.” Last Sunday, after winning the women’s Asia Cup in Dubai, Harmanpreet Kaur and her teammates followed the Indian men’s team and refused to accept the trophy. It came along expected lines. The BCCI had informed the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in advance that if the Asian body’s president Mohsin Naqvi attended the presentation ceremony and India won the title, the team wouldn’t accept the trophy from him. Apart from helming the ACC, Naqvi is...

PC- Left: ICT instagram account, Right: Sri Lankan Cricket instagram account In the women’s cricket quarter-final of the Asian Games, Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first, setting up a strong total before restricting Malaysia to 74/7. With the win, Sri Lanka booked their place in the semi-final, where they will face Pakistan. Sri Lanka posted 158/4, led by Chamari Athapaththu’s 63 off 37 balls. She rebuilt the innings after an early run-out and added 23 with Hasini Perera. Kavisha Dilhari’s 42 off 25 provided the late acceleration as Sri Lanka scored 58 in the final six overs. Malaysia’s chase struggled from the start, slipping to 25/3 by the sixth over. Winifred Duraisingam (28 off 47) and Mahirah Izzati Ismail (24 off 42) tried to rebuild, but the scoring rate remained low. Sri Lanka kept taking wickets at the death, restricting Malaysia to 74/7 in 20 overs. In the second quarterfinal of the day, India faced Japan and sealed a dominant victory by 8 wickets. Winning th...