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India crowned champions after pipping New Zealand in a tense final

Published

1 year ago

2025/03/9

Priyan

KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja closed out the game. [Cricbuzz]

Despite the stiff challenge posed by New Zealand, India clinched the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 by a four-wicket margin, marking the third time they won this title. Chasing 251 in the final on a tricky surface in Dubai, India were put under pressure both with the bat and ball but they managed to put in a collective effort that saw them get over the line to go through the tournament unbeaten, and add a seventh ICC senior trophy to their cabinet.

India got off to a rollicking start in the chase led by skipper Rohit Sharma. In a 105-run opening stand, Rohit dominated contributing 69 off 63 and setting the tone early. With the conditions favouring spin, both teams targeted the pacers well with Rohit’s assault nearly making a mockery of the chase. The first eight overs bowled by New Zealand’s pacers, sans their injured spearhead Matt Henry, saw Rohit race off to 47 in a team score of 59.

It forced Mitchell Santner to bring himself on but by and large the openers were able to keep the run-rate up even while toning down the aggression. Reaching 106 by 19 overs, India were firmly in the driver’s seat before New Zealand pulled things back.

Santner had Shubman Gill caught splendidly at cover by a leaping Glenn Phillips, who added to his highlights reel of eye-popping catches, while Michael Bracewell struck with his first ball turning one past Virat Kohli’s flick to trap him LBW for one. Losing two wickets in the space of four balls put the pressure back on India and New Zealand’s spinners began to apply the choke. Even a well-set Rohit had to cut the risks out while Shreyas Iyer settled in.

This brought about a phase of 11 dot balls in a row before Rohit gave charge to Rachin Ravindra only to be stumped. At 122/3, the game was tilting back to parity with India in need of another partnership.

Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer mixed caution with aggression to push things back. The latter got a life early on when Will Young made a valiant attempt at the deep mid-wicket boundary to take a catch but stepped onto the ropes while tossing it back into play.

Iyer and Patel went about a sedate stand but added 62 crucial runs with Kyle Jamieson dropping a sitter at long on when Iyer was on 44. But that did not prove too costly as Iyer took on Mitchell Santner soon after in an attempt to clear short fine leg only to be taken by Rachin Ravindra. With the asking rate hovering around the run-a-ball mark, KL Rahul came in and lofted Santner for a six early on easing some nerves. But there was another twist on course as a well-set Patel miscued a loft off Bracewell to hole out to long off.

Needing 48 in as many balls, the final was still firmly in balance. But Rahul and Hardik Pandya got boundaries ever so often at the back-end to keep India well within the asking rate. Pandya’s 18-ball 18 was ended by a bouncer from Jamieson but India needed only 11 off 15 by this point. Some smart batting from Jadeja and Rahul thereafter saw India home staving off a stiff fight from New Zealand.

Just as they did with the ball, New Zealand had made sure that India wouldn’t run away with the game with the ball as well. Despite a sustained effort from India’s spinners, they managed to get to a competitive total.

Daryl Mitchell fought his way to a 101-ball 63 as he absorbed and tried to revert the pressure exerted by India’s spin quartet. The four of them had not only dragged the game back in India’s favour after a rapid start in the powerplay but changed the colour of the innings overall on a slow surface sticking to straight lines largely.

Early on, it was New Zealand that did all the running thanks to an attacking Rachin Ravindra at the top. The leading run-scorer of the tournament showcased the form he was in with some delectable shots off the pacers. Hardik Pandya was picked up for 16 in an over while Mohammed Shami too was flicked elegantly making Rohit Sharma turn to his spin weapon earlier than at any point previously in the tournament.

Varun Chakaravarthy started with a googly that went for four byes first up but created the chance that India was after with Ravindra top-edging a slog-sweep. But Iyer, running across from deep midwicket, could not hold on to the opportunity. Ravindra now had two chances put down in as many overs with Shami failing to latch on to a tough return chance before. But Chakaravarthy still managed to break a 58-run opening stand in that over trapping Will Young plumb LBW while missing a flick. After 10 overs, Ravindra was looking in ominous form hitting 37 off the 69 they had raced to.

But Kuldeep Yadav turned the innings on its head with his first delivery of the game – a wrong ‘un that sneaked past Ravindra’s dab. He pulled things further towards India in his following over when he deceived Kane Williamson in the air and accepted a simple return-catch.

At 75/3, New Zealand were now made to take the foot off the accelerator as they risked a crash and burn. Both Tom Latham and Daryl Mitchell went the conservative way even as the boundaries dried up against the spinners. Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel kept the pressure up through the middle overs allowing no freebies even when there was no extravagant turn on offer. The final saw India’s spinners being required to bowl more than they did in any game in the tournament, and that they managed to collectively bowl within stump lines for 37% of the time meant that New Zealand’s risk-taking always came with a greater threat than usual.

Their 33-run stand off 66 balls contained only one boundary before Latham missed a sweep to be LBW against Jadeja. Mitchell, however, did not deviate from the template that he had for himself and stitched together another dour 57-run stand with Glenn Phillips for the fifth wicket. Both batters were also dropped once each against an uncharacteristically poor day on the field for India’s catchers. But Phillips couldn’t make the most of it as he was bowled by a googly from Chakaravarthy for 34.

Mitchell, meanwhile, brought up a hard-fought fifty and began to switch gears alongside an adventurous Michael Bracewell. Their 45-run stand powered New Zealand past 200 but just when they were sizing up for a big finish, Mitchell ended up spooning Shami to cover. But Bracewell was able to keep the momentum going with some smart batting against the pacers in the death overs. He brought up his fifty in the final over and dragged New Zealand past the 250-mark with 35 coming in the last three overs bowled by pace.

Brief Scores:
New Zealand 251/7 in 50 overs (Daryl Mitchell 63, Michael Bracewell 53*; Varun Chakaravarthy 2-45, Kuldeep Yadav 2-40) lost to India 254/6 in 4 overs (Rohit Sharma 76, Shreyas Iyer 48) by 4 wickets

[Cricbuzz]

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Trump slaps 50% tariffs on Canada and Carney vows to ‘intensify’ trade talks

Published

5 hours ago

2026/07/21

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US President Donald Trump (L), Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney (R).

US President Donald Trump has imposed a 50% tariff on a wide range of goods imported from Canada, in retaliation for what he called “unequal treatment” of US cars, dairy and alcohol.

Everyday consumer items like wine and hockey sticks and industrial goods such as cement are among the goods targeted. However, several key exports will be spared, such as energy, potash, critical minerals and fish.

Prime Minister Mark Carney responded by saying Canada stood ready to “intensify” trade talks with US in the coming weeks.

The White House said the duties would take effect in 30 days and mark a major escalation in trade tensions between the North American neighbours.

The new duties apply to all covered goods regardless of whether the product was included under the existing free trade agreement between Canada, the US and Mexico, known as the USMCA.

“This is the latest in a series of unilateral US trade actions that began with the US imposing a series of tariffs in direct violation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement,” Carney said in a statement on X.

He also cited “threats to Canadian sovereignty”, a possible reference to Trump’s calls to make America’s northern neighbour the 51st US state.

Monday’s import taxes build on trade barriers already in place between the two nations.

The US has been maintaining active tariffs ranging from 15% to 50% on Canadian steel, aluminum and copper. Washington also charges a 35% tariff on Canadian softwood lumber, alongside a 25% tax on non-US parts in cars.

Canada has its own 25% counter-tariff on selected imports of American steel, aluminium and vehicles.

Monday’s duties come in the wake of President Trump’s threat to impose tariffs over Canadian wildfire smoke drifting into US cities.

But there is no mention of wildfires in the executive orders that Trump signed on Monday.

Instead, the three proclamations list US trade irritants that were previously known to Canada related to cars, dairy and alcohol – signalling a breakdown of trade negotiations between the two countries.

On cars, Trump is accusing Canada of charging a tax on US motor vehicles and parts that are not covered under USMCA.

He argues it is “unreasonable” and that Canada has discriminated against the US by not charging other countries a similar tax.

Automotive manufacturing in North America is highly integrated between Canada, the US and Mexico.

But Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said in the past that he believes Canada should “come second” to the US.

Trump has also named cars in the past as one issue where the two countries have competing interests.

Dairy, meanwhile, has long been a problem for the US, specifically Canada’s supply management system, which sets limits on foreign imports. Those that exceed the limit are charged a tariff upwards of 300%.

And lastly, the enduring boycott of US booze by most Canadian provinces has become a major sore point for the Americans since it was imposed last year.

Canadian premiers have said repeatedly that the boycott will be lifted if the US removes its tariffs on key Canadian sectors, including metals and automobiles.

Canadian trade negotiators have been working on trying to secure a deal that would at least reduce some of the current US tariffs.

The BBC has contacted the White House and the Canadian government for comment.

Earlier this year, the US chose not to renew the USMCA in its current form.

Canada and Mexico sought a renewal of the trade agreement, but the US wants to make changes to the deal, which was negotiated during Trump’s first term in office.

As it stands, the treaty will continue to govern North American trade over the next decade on a rolling basis, requiring annual reviews.

In February, the US Supreme Court struck down sweeping international tariffs imposed by Trump through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977.

The justices ruled that the president had exceeded his authority when he announced the duties under a law reserved for national emergencies.

The White House vowed at the time that it would invoke other mechanisms to impose import taxes.

(BBC)

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Rare identical quadruplets born in Australia

Published

14 hours ago

2026/07/20

Priyan

(Pic BBC)

An Australian woman has given birth to rare, naturally-conceived identical quadruplets after a pregnancy described as “extremely high risk” by the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

The four girls, who were delivered via caesarean section at 28 weeks and four days on 14 July, were monozygotic quadruplets – where a single fertilised egg splits into four embryos.

The hospital said the girls’ mother, 34-year-old Jenitar Na’amoana, and her husband Jortham, already had four children and were taken by “immense surprise” when told to expect quadruplets.

Dr Alexa Bendall, who cared for the mother from the start of her pregnancy, estimated identical quadruplets occur “at one in every 15 million pregnancies” and said “but to share the same placenta – this is unheard of”.

Bendall, who is a maternal foetal medicine specialist and obstetrician, said such a pregnancy was very high-risk, with the hospital admitting Na’amoana as an inpatient at 25 weeks so she could be monitored.

“We always said that if we could get her to 28 weeks, we would be doing well,” Bendall said.

“So the fact that we’ve got four beautiful, healthy babies born at 28 weeks and four days is incredible and we’re very happy to be a part of it,” she added.

“Jenitar has taken everything in her stride from day one… she has somehow dodged every complication and risk for both herself and her babies,” Bendall said.

The newborn girls have been named Emily, Harriet, Catherine, and also Alexa, after Alexa Bendall, who described it as “a beautiful tribute”.

Metro North Health The side of a baby incubator with a laminated sign attached to it that reads 'Quad Two 'Alexa'' — One of the girls has been named after Dr Alexa Bendall, who cared for Na’amoana from the start of her pregnancy

The babies will stay in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit until they grow to full term and are “currently doing extremely well”, Bendall added.

The parents’ other children are between one and 10 years old and the mother has recently launched an online fundraising campaign to help buy a van with at least 10 seats.

In a message alongside the fundraiser, which has already received over A$37,000 (£19,261) in donations, Na’amoana wrote: “Our four precious miracles have arrived safely, and while our hearts are overflowing with gratitude, the reality of caring for four newborns at once has brought challenges we never could have imagined.”

Naturally conceived quadruplets are extremely rare, with doctors estimating the odds at about one in 700,000 births.

(BBC)

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Spain battle past 10-man Argentina 1-0 in extra time to win 2026 World Cup

Published

1 day ago

2026/07/20

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Torres scores the only goal of the game for Spain (Aljazeera)

Ferran Torres scored ‌in the 106th minute to lift Spain to their second World Cup title with ⁠a 1-0 win im extra time over 10-man Argentina in the final.

Torres’s deserved winner on Sunday came 16 years and eight days after Andres Iniesta also scored in extra time ⁠to lift the Spaniards to their first World Championship with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands.

It came on La Roja’s 20th shot in the contest against defending champions Argentina ⁠that failed to manage any to that point and struggled to wrest possession away from their superior Iberian opponents.

That was true at even strength and became more difficult when La Albiceleste’s numbers were reduced when Enzo Fernandez’s late challenge on Pau Cubarsi left referee Slavko Vincic no ‌choice but to produce a second caution just before the end of normal time.

Spain remain the only nation ever to win a European Championship and World Cup in successive tournaments, having now done so a second time. They are also the first World Cup champions ever to concede only once across an entire tournament.

Lionel Messi’s Argentina failed to earn a title for the first time in three major tournaments, having also captured the ⁠2021 and 2024 Copa Americas either side of their 2022 World ⁠Cup triumph.

The 39-year-old eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi finished the competition with eight goals and four assists, but had little time on the ball in the final until Spain finally took the lead. And he never seriously looked like he would lift his ⁠side to another great moment as he has so many times in the last two World Cup cycles.