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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]
Former Zimbabwe fast bowler and umpire Sarah Dambanevana passed away in Harare on Monday. She was 36.
A Zimbabwe Cricket release said Dambanevana was in hospital receiving care since undergoing a medical procedure in March.
Her senior international umpiring career began on 2 September 2023, and she went on to officiate at the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the UAE and the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 in India and Sri Lanka, where she was part of the tournament’s historic all-female panel of match officials.
Prior to that, Dambanevana officiated in the final between India and England at the 2023 Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa, becoming the first Zimbabwean woman to umpire a World Cup final.
Overall, she officiated in 63 senior internationals, comprising 42 women’s T20Is, 11 women’s ODIs and 10 men’s T20Is, alongside her assignments in domestic cricket and global youth tournaments.
Dambanevana also represented Zimbabwe as a player between 2009 and 2014, including at the World Cup Qualifier in 2011. She joined the ICC development panel of umpires in 2022.
“Sarah served Zimbabwe with distinction, first as a player and then as an umpire whose ability earned her a place on the world stage,” ZC chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said. “Watching her stand in a World Cup final was a moment of immense pride for our cricket community and our country. She showed young Zimbabwean women that they belong at the highest levels of the game, including in roles where opportunities had long been limited.
“Through her achievements, she opened doors and gave others the confidence to pursue their own ambitions. We will remember her dedication, her professionalism and her willingness to help others grow. Her passing leaves a painful void in our cricket family, but the example she set will continue to inspire those who follow in her footsteps.”
(Cricinfo)
Even counting the win against Bangladesh at the Asian Games Sri Lanka have lost 12 T20Is to the two they have won since their win against Australia in the 2026 T20 World Cup. There have been significant personnel changes in that period. Captains have changed. There is a new head coach. Various batting orders have been trialled. But on Sunday’s evidence, they are deeply outmatched by even this Pakistan side, who themselves are hardly world-beaters at the moment, having not made the World Cup semi-finals this year.
With as highly-rated a coach in Gary Kirsten and a new captain in Kusal Mendis still searching desperately for a stronger combination, expect Sri Lanka to be in flux for this match as well. In game two, spinner Maheesh Theekshana was taken apart, while the seamers struggled to threaten Pakistan’s batters on a flat Rawalpindi deck. The decks don’t look like they are going to be any better for bowling. Sri Lanka’s attack will have to find new gears.
Pakistan are in the rare position of being utterly dominant in a white-ball series against an opponent who even in their previous low ebbs have challenged them. Having sewn up the trophy 2-0, Pakistan are in a position to rest key players. But it is so rare that their batters get to dine out across a whole series, management will be mighty tempted to keep this tuneful band together.
Even if Sri Lanka’s bowlers get through the Pakistan top order this time, the middle order could do with a decent workout.
So far in this series, Maaz Sadaqat has thumped 50 off 29 balls, and 96 off 51, showcasing not only power against spin, but touch against pace when the ball has demanded it. Sri Lanka are going seam-heavy in this series, but Sadaqat has found ways to take down even the little spin he has come up against, particularly in the second T20I. Sri Lanka are likely to switch up their attack a little for the last match, so he may have new problems to solve on Tuesday.
A long-term performer in Sri Lanka’s domestic cricket, Lahiru Udara has finally made a mark in white-ball internationals, hitting 91 off 55 balls in the first match of this series. A good bouncer from Salman Mirza prevented him from making a similar impact in the second match. But at age 32, Udara will know he doesn’t have many chances to convert an excellent domestic record into a long run in the national side. Anotherood score in match three will shore up his place.
Rawalpindi surfaces have tended to be batting friendly, and the track for the third T20I will likely have plenty of runs in it. The weather on Tuesday evening is expected to be fine, with temperatures in the low 20s celsius.
As legspinner Abrar Ahmed has had a couple of modest outings in this series, Pakistan may bring in left-arm wristspinner Sufyan Moqim, whose T20I stats so far in a 21-match career are encouraging.
Pakistan XI (probable): Sahibzada Farhan (capt), Fakhar Zaman, Maaz Sadaqat, Hasan Nawaz, Saim Ayub, Khawaja Nafay (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Imran, Naseem Shah, Salman Mirza, Sufyan Moqim
Sri Lanka’s misfiring top order could do with a tweak or two, but there are not many spare batters on this tour. They could potentially bring back Kamil Mishara in place of an allrounder, however. With Maheesh Theekshana having been taken down on Sunday, Sri Lanka will also be tempted to try out legspinner V Viyaskanth. Dushmantha Chameera could also come back if he is fit.
Sri Lanka XI (probable): Lahiru Udara, Sineth Jayawardena, Kusal Mendis (capt, wk), Kamindu Mendis, Sahan Arachchige, Dasun Shanaka, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Maheesh Theekshana/V Viyaskanth, Eshan Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera/Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara
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Heavy showers about (100-150) mm are likely at some places in the Central, Sabaragamuwa, Uva and Southern provinces
WEATHER FORECAST FOR 13 October 2026
Issued at 2.00 p.m. on 12 October 2026 by the Department of Meteorology
A low-pressure area may form over the southeastern Bay of Bengal by 13 October.
Under the influence of this system, an increase in rainfall is expected over the island and the deep and shallow sea areas around the island during the next few days from tomorrow (13).
The general public, as well as the naval and fishing communities, are requested to be attentive to the future forecasts and bulletins issued by the Department of Meteorology in this regard.
Heavy showers about (100-150) mm are likely at some places in the Central, Sabaragamuwa, Uva and Southern provinces.
Fairly heavy showers above 75 mm are likely at some places in the other areas of the island. Showers or thundershowers will occur in most parts of the island.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
Misty conditions can be expected at some places in the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces during the early hours of the morning.
HRCSL issues recommendation on seizure of four books by B. Piratheepan by Sri Lanka Customs
Former Zimbabwe player and umpire Sarah Dambanevana dies aged 36
Deflated Sri Lanka look to prevent whitewash against dominant Pakistan
Heavy showers (100-150) mm likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva and Southern provinces showerss above 75 mm are likely in the other areas of the island.
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