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WWC 2025: Australia’s world champions take on New Zealand’s game raisers
If recent form is anything to go by, Australia have been bossing ODIs like, well, the world champions, whereas New Zealand, ranked fourth in ODIs, have a forgettable streak coming into this World Cup.
Australia have won their last nine ODI series, last going down in the ODI leg of the 2023 Ashes in England, brushing teams aside both at home and away. They have been touring India almost every year in recent times, their top players have been getting used to the conditions in the WPL for the last three years, and they even played a three-match series in north India as a warm-up for this World Cup, which they won 2-1.
New Zealand have no such records or achievements to show for. Jogging their memory back to the 2022 World Cup will only bring back disappointing recollections as they finished sixth out of eight teams in a home World Cup, they were rolled over for 128 by Australia for a 141-run thrashing in Wellington, and they haven’t played an ODI in six months.
But they had shown last year that form and records are not much to go by. New Zealand entered the T20 World Cup with 10 consecutive losses in the format but went on to lift their maiden T20 World Cup with a stellar all-round show in alien conditions in the UAE. And they have a big chunk of players from that campaign to turn things around this time: captain Sophie Devine, former captain Suzie Bates, leader of the pace attack Lea Tahuhu, ace allrounder Amelia Kerr, among others.
These two teams will clash it out at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, which is known for its flat tracks and will host its maiden women’s international on Wednesday.
The last time Alyssa Healy turned out in a World Cup, she finished the 2022 edition by smashing back-to-back centuries in the semis and final to help Australia lift their record seventh title. Things are a lot different this time; it’s her maiden ODI World Cup as captain, after Meg Lanning’s departure, and she has just returned to action after a long injury layoff of a stress fracture in the foot. She got in the groove of international cricket with modest scores of 1, 30 and 9 in the recent bilaterals in India, but would want to use the big stage to get some runs going on a flat pitch. She averages 31.40 against New Zealand with a strike rate of 89.97 against New Zealand much lower than her overall ODI strike rate of 97.90, and New Zealand would want to keeps those numbers down on Wednesday too.
This is going to be Sophie Devine ‘s farewell ODI series, only available for T20Is after this. Having led her side to T20 World Cup glory less than 12 months ago, she wants to end her ODI career with a double and her all-round skills could play a major role, starting Wednesday. She comes into the tournament after a rich run of form in the Hundred and bucket loads of experience of Indian conditions, having first toured the country back in 2007 when she was just 17.
Australia’s full squad trained on Tuesday evening under the lights after a few injury concerns to Phoebe Litchfield (low-grade quad strain), Annabel Sutherland (hip soreness) and Darcie Brown (back spasms) during the recent bilateral games against India, and Ellyse Perry was down with an illness during the warm-ups. Vice-captain Tahlia McGrath, however, confirmed on Tuesday that everyone in the squad will be available for selection. What mix of spinners and pace bowlers they finalise is the only question that remains, as Sophie Molineux returned to action after a knee surgery, in the warm-up against England, and Australia could think about leaving out one of the legspinners – Alana King or Georgia Wareham – to make place for her.
Australia (probable): Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Kim Garth, Alana King/Georgia Wareham, Megan Schutt
New Zealand have one injury concern and Devine intentionally kept her name under wraps at the press conference on Tuesday. Their line-up is otherwise a great blend of youth and experience and if that mysterious player with a niggle is also fit on Wednesday, they won’t have too many headaches for the final XI. Devine also didn’t rule out uncapped 22-year-old left-arm spinner Flora Devonshire making her ODI in their opener.
New Zealand (probable): Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (capt), 5 Brooke Halliday, 6 Maddy Green, 7 Isabella Gaze (wk), 8 Eden Carsen, 9 Jess Kerr, 10 Flora Devonshire, 11 Lea Tahuhu
At least 14 members of the press were detained in Venezuela on Monday as they were covering the aftermath of the seizure of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by US forces.
The union representing media workers in Venezuela said all but one of those detained were employed by foreign news organisations and were released later on Monday, with one reporter deported.
Foreign news media have long faced restrictions in Venezuela, with very few being granted visas to work in the country.
Their detention came as Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as the interim president and shortly after she said that she was willing to co-operate with the Trump administration, which has said it would “run” Venezuela.
The union said the media workers were detained by Venezuelan security forces at the National Assembly and its environs, and in the neighbourhood of Altamira – all in the capital, Caracas.
At least two of them were seized by agents working for Venezuela’s military counterintelligence agency, while others were detained by Venezuela’s intelligence service.
They said they had their equipment searched, their phones checked and their social media posts and messages read, the union statement added.
A Colombian and a Spanish reporter were also detained at Venezuela’s border with Colombia near Cúcuta.
The two reporters were held for hours incommunicado before being released back into Colombia, the statement said.
The union called the incidents “alarming” and called for the release of 23 media workers who remain in detention in the country.
(BBC)
South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung has called for a “new phase” in ties with China as he met its leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday.
Regional security and lifting Beijing’s unofficial ban on Korean pop culture is high on Lee’s agenda, as he continues his four-day trip in China. He is set to meet China’s Premier Li Qiang and the chairman of parliament, Zhao Leji on Tuesday.
It marks the first visit by a South Korean leader since 2019. Bilateral ties had soured under Lee’s predecessor, impeached ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol, who was very critical of China.
Xi, meanwhile, has appeared keen to shore up ties with South Korea amid a diplomatic row between China and Japan.
South Korea is a US security ally – like Japan – but also relies on China for trade. Experts say Lee is expected to keep walking a diplomatic tightrope between Beijing and Tokyo.
The visit marks the second time the two leaders have met since November when Xi visited South Korea for a regional economic summit.
On Monday Lee stated that the visit was “a crucial opportunity” for the “full-scale restoration of South Korea-China relations”, reported South Korean newspaper Chosun. “We want to usher in a new phase in the development of South Korea-China relations.”
Government officials and companies from both countries signed a series of cooperation agreements on technology, trade and environment.
Lee also took selfies with Xi, using a Xiaomi phone that the Chinese president had gifted him last year.
“The image quality is certainly good, right?” Lee posted on X along with the photos.
Xi noted that the “international situation is becoming more turbulent and complex”.
The meeting followed the US’s capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro over the weekend.
Xi urged Lee to “firmly stand on the right side of history and make correct strategic choices”, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported.
He also brought up the two countries’ shared history of resisting Japan militarism, saying that China and South Korea should now “work hand in hand to safeguard the outcomes of the victory of World War Two and uphold peace and stability in Northeast Asia”.
Xi’s eagerness to meet Lee signals the pressure he faces in finding a regional ally, Park Seung-chan, professor of China studies at Yongin University told the BBC.
“China may beat around the bush but its demand is clear: side with China and denounce Japan.”
During his four-day trip to China, Lee is expected to hold a memorial service in Shanghai for activists who fought for Korea’s independence from Japan.
But while South Korea is “still showing all its deference towards China”, it wants to “strengthen its relationships with both Japan and China”, Mr Park said.
Lee is reportedly planning to visit Japan later this month to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Security on the Korean Peninsula has also been part of the discussions. Lee has sought to engage North Korea diplomatically, but there has been little progress so far. He needs Chinese cooperation in pressuring the North’s Kim Jong Un to give up his nuclear weapons. Beijing is one of Pyongyang’s biggest supporters, economically and diplomatically.
Lee vowed on Monday to work with China on “viable alternatives for peace on the Korean Peninsula”.
On Sunday Seoul’s military said Pyongyang fired ballistic missiles off its east coast. And on Monday the North’s state news agency said the country test-fired hypersonic missiles to assess deterrence capabilities following recent developments, in an apparent reference to the US’s seizure of Maduro.
It remains unclear how much Lee will be able to push China on North Korea. In September, Xi had pledged to strengthen Beijing’s “traditional friendship” with Pyongyang.
And Seoul and Beijing are not natural allies.
US troops have been stationed in South Korea for decades in case of an attack from the North, and last year the two sides agreed to cooperate on building nuclear-powered submarines. The announcement drew warnings from China.
Lee has also sought to put a stop to China’s build-up of maritime structures in waters between the two countries. Beijing says the structures are fish-farming equipment, but they have sparked security concerns in Seoul.
The two leaders agreed on Monday to continue “constructive” dialogue on the matter, South Korea’s presidential spokesperson said.
Another item high on Lee’s agenda is China’s unofficial restrictions on South Korean music and dramas that have been in place for a decade. K-pop and K-dramas are either unavailable or difficult to access on Chinese media platforms.
While China has never acknowledged a ban on Korean artists, it’s believed to be a protest against South Korea’s decision to deploy a US anti-missile system in 2016, which China sees as a threat to its military operations in the region.
China is a massive market for Korean entertainment, which is already a huge global success.
At a Korea-China business forum on Sunday, Lee encouraged deeper bilateral collaboration in beauty products, food and cultural content including movies and music.
A South Korean presidential spokesperson said on Monday that the two leaders agreed to discuss the gradual expansion of cultural exchanges – without specifying concrete commitments on K-dramas or K-pop.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson similarly told reporters on Tuesday that both sides have agreed to “carry out orderly, healthy, and beneficial cultural exchanges”.
Speaking before Korean residents in Beijing on Sunday, Lee said his visit would “serve as a new starting point to fill in the gaps in Korea-China relations, restore them to normal and upgrade them to a new level”.
The Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the proposal forwarded by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation to appoint Mrs. P. K. L. S. Panduwawala, the officer
in the special grade of Sri Lanka Surveyors’ Service currently serving as the Additional Surveyor General (Central) to the post of Surveyor General with effect from 02.02.2026.
Venezuelan security forces detain journalists as armed police patrol streets
Selfies and smiles: South Korea seeks ‘new phase’ in ties with China
M/s South Asian Technologies awarded contract to supply vehicle number plates
A new act for National Lotteries Board to be introduced
Motor Vehicles (Driving License Levy) Regulations No. 3 of 2022 to be amended
Mrs. P. K. L. S. Panduwawala appointed to the post of Surveyor General
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