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WWC 2025: Radha shines in washout between India and Bangladesh
Unseasonal rain washed out the final group stage match of the Women’s World Cup with India well-poised to complete a big win over Bangladesh. The weather played more games than the cricketers after the start of play was delayed for two hours, which initially reduced the match to 43-overs-a-side. A further two-hour stoppage 12.2 overs into Bangladesh’s innings made it a 27-overs-a-side match and India were set a revised target of 126.
They were on track at 57 for 0 in the ninth over but more showers meant the minimum 20 overs could not be completed.
With more rain forecast for the rest of the week in Mumbai, this match may have been a taste of things to come, especially for India’s semi-final against Australia on Thursday but that could be the least of their concerns. Opening batter Pratika Rawal suffered an injury to her knee and ankle while fielding and could not take her place at the top of the line-up in the chase. With a three-day turnaround before the knockout, she is being monitored by the Indian medical staff. In Rawal’s absence, Amanjot Kaur partnered Smriti Mandhana in the chase.
That India had such a modest target was largely due to their left-arm spinners, who shared five wickets between them. Radha Yadav, playing in her first match of the tournament, picked up 3 for 30 while Shree Charani iced the cake with 2 for 23 included. Only four Bangladesh batters got into double-figures as they stumbled to 119 for 9 in 27 overs.
Bangladesh were under pressure from the first ball when Renuka Singh produced an inswinging yorker that tested Sumaiya Akter’s defence. She finished the over with a wide ball outside off that Sumaiya slashed at, only to find Charani at short third. Deepti Sharma opened the bowling from the other end but had to wait until the tenth over to break through. She went around the wicket to Rubya Haider and induced a leading edge which was caught at mid-off.
There were 17 more balls bowled as the drizzle became a downpour and players were taken off the field at 5.50pm. Heavy rain followed and it looked increasingly unlikely the game could go ahead by 8.05pm, but the weather cleared leaving the players to deal with a wet ball.
Sharmin Akhter should have been run out when she thought a single was on even as Nigar Sultana sent her back from more than halfway down. Jemimah Rodrigues’ throw was good but Charani could not collect cleanly. Four overs later, Radha made no mistake. Sharmin hit the ball to her at point. Nigar, from the non-striker’s end, ran and Radha’s clean pick-up and throw found her short of her ground.
Bangladesh also struggled to find the boundary on resumption and it took 41 balls before they breached it with Sobhana Mostary taking advantage of a hint of width to cut Deepti for four. She stayed on the back foot to pull Radha through midwicket and inject some intent into the innings. Bangladesh were 73 for 3 after 20 overs and set up to go big.
Mostary took back-to-back boundaries off Deepti at the start of the 21st over and then Sharmin joined in. She swung hard and sent the ball towards long-on, where Rawal ran to collect but injured herself and had to be helped off the field.
Harleen Deol took a simple catch at mid-off when Mostary attempted to force the issue and hit Radha over the top. She was dismissed for a 21-ball 26 and featured in Bangladesh’s highest partnership of 38.
Shorna Akter was bowled by Amanjot before Nahida Akter swiped across the line and was bowled by Radha. Substitute fielder Arundhati Reddy sprinted in from deep midwicket when Sharmin slog-swept Charani, then flung herself forward as she took the catch. Later in the over, Radha over-ran trying to field the ball and also seemed to tweak an ankle. It didn’t stop her bowling the penultimate over and picking up her third wicket as Rabeya Khan was bowled.
Bangladesh collapsed from 91 for 3 to 117 or 9, which meant their total could hardly be considered competitive, even with Rawal unavailable. Marufa Akter found swing, and sometimes too much, but India established their chase when Amanjot short-arm pulled her with exquisite timing for the first boundary. Mandhana helped herself to a series of fours off Nishita Akter, using her feet well against the spin. After they had each faced 15 balls, Mandhana was on 23, and Amanjot just 7. They were both also dropped by Sultana, who could not hold on to difficult chances: Mandhana on 28 off Nahida, Amanjot on 15 off Rabeya.
The rain returned after that chance and the captains shook hands at 10.20pm. Bangladesh gained a point, which allowed them leapfrog Pakistan into seventh place, on net run-rate.
Brief scores: Match abandoned
India Women 57 for 0 in 8.4 overs (Mandhana Ismail 34*, Amanjot Kaur 15*) vs Bangladesh Women 119 for 9 in 27 overs (Sharmin Akhter 36, Sobhana Mostray 26; Radha Yadav 3-30, Shree Charani 2-23)
[Cricinfo]
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called anti-government protesters “troublemakers” and “a bunch of vandals” just trying “to please the president of the US”.
He accused crowds of destroying buildings because Donald Trump said he “supports you”. Trump has warned Iran that if it kills protesters, the US would “hit” the country “very hard”.
The protests, in their 13th day, erupted over the economy and have grown into the largest in years – leading to calls for an end to the Islamic Republic and some urging the restoration of the monarchy.
At least 48 protesters and 14 security personnel, have been killed, according to human rights groups. An internet blackout is in place.
Khamenei remained defiant in a televised address on Friday.
“Let everyone know that the Islamic Republic came to power through the blood of several hundred thousand honourable people and it will not back down in the face of those who deny this,” the 86-year-old said.
Since protests began on 28 December, in addition to the 48 protesters killed, more than 2,277 individuals have also been arrested, the US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) said.
The Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) said at least 51 protesters, including nine children, had been killed.
BBC Persian has spoken to the families of 22 of them and confirmed their identities. The BBC and most other international news organisations are barred from reporting inside Iran.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement on Friday saying it would not tolerate the continuation of the current situation in the country.
Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah who was overthrown by the 1979 Islamic revolution, called on Trump on Friday to “be prepared to intervene to help the people of Iran”.
Pahlavi, who lives close to Washington DC, had urged protesters to take to the streets on Thursday and Friday.
Protests have taken place across the country, with BBC Verify verifying videos from 67 locations.
On Friday, protesters amassed after weekly prayers in the south-eastern city of Zahedan, videos verified by BBC Persian and BBC Verify show. In one of the videos, people can be heard chanting “death to the dictator”, referencing Khamenei.
In another, protesters gather near a local mosque, when several loud bangs can be heard.
Another verified video from Thursday showed a fire at the office of the Young Journalists Club, a subsidiary of state broadcaster Irib, in the city of Isfahan. It is unclear what caused the fire and if anyone was injured.
Photos received by the BBC from Thursday night also show cars overturned and set alight at Tehran’s Kaaj roundabout.
The country has been under a near-total internet blackout since Thursday evening, with minor amounts of traffic returning on Friday, internet monitoring groups Cloudfare and Netblocks said. That means less information is emerging from Iran.
IHRNGO director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said in a statement that “the extent of the government’s use of force against protesters has been increasing, and the risk of intensified violence and the widespread killing of protesters after the internet shutdown is very serious”.
Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi has warned of a possible “massacre” during the internet shutdown.
One person who was able to send a message to the BBC said he was in Shiraz, in southern Iran. He reported a run on supermarkets by residents trying to stock up on food and other essentials, expecting worse days to come.
(BBC)
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