Latest News
The Women’s 100: Another Harris fifty gives Spirit three wins from three
Reigning champions London Spirit made it three from three as they downed Manchester Originals in a nail-biter at Emirates Old Trafford, Grace Harris’s beautifully paced unbeaten 50 the stand-out performance.
Brimming with confidence, Spirit won the toss and elected to bowl first, enjoying a dream start as Georgia Redmayne brilliantly caught Kathryn Bryce down the leg side before Melie Kerr was needlessly run out going for a non-existent second from a free hit.
Beth Mooney counterpunched briefly and from 46 for 4 after 39 balls and Originals batted sensibly, Deandra Dottin mixing solid defence with the occasional blazing strike. She was well supported by Fi Morris and Alice Monaghan to take the home side to 122 for 6, both Charles Dean and Sarah Glenn going for under a run a ball.
Mahika Gaur bowled 15 of the first 25 balls in reply, finding significant swing and ensuring Originals were still in the game before unleashing their own international class spinners. New Zealand leggie Kerr was at the heart of the action, taking catches to get rid of Kira Chathli and Redmayne and bowling Dani Gibson for a duck.
But Harris was they key, the big-hitting Aussie who struck 89 not out off 42 balls in Spirit’s first-up win against Oval Invincibles, starting steadily as the run rate climbed. A four off a no-ball, followed by a free hit six, took the equation to 30 off 21, which became 16 off the last 10, at which point Harris hit a six just past Monaghan’s outstretched fingers. But Bryce then dismissed Issy Wong and Dean lbw in successive balls to leave the game in the balance.
An edge for four first ball by Glenn made it five needed from the last five, and she hit another boundary off the 98th ball to seal the deal.
Meerkat Match Hero Harris said: “I just thought it was a bit of a trickier wicket to start on, and then once you got in, you could try and cash in at the back end. I thought that’s what Deandra Dottin did really well in that first innings. When we got to about needing 26 runs, I thought we’re pretty good. We’d got wickets in hand; we could try and take the game on a little bit more.
“Credit to our bowlers. I think we’re just really enjoying how we’re playing at the moment. I’m delighted with how I’m going. I think a lot of the principles that I’ve been working on within my game are paying off, and I just keep summing up conditions and whenever I’m injected into the game, I’m seeing what impact I can have.”
Brief scores:
London Spirit Women 124 for 7 in 98 balls (Kira Chathil 34, Georgia Redmayne 11, Grace Harris 50*, Sarah Glenn 10*; Mahika Gaur 1-16, Kathryn Bryce 2-26, Amelia Kerr 2-17, Deandra Dottin 1-32, Danielle Gregory 1-04) beat Manchester Originals Women 122 for 6 in 100 balls (Beth Mooney 26, Deandra Dottin 36, Fi Morris 20, Alice Monaghan 18*; Tarra Norris 1-10, Charlie Dean 2-18, Sarah Glenn 1-18, Charli Knott 1-13) by three wickets
[Cricinfo]
At least 21 people have been killed after a crash involving high-speed trains in southern Spain, as authorities warn the death toll could rise overnight.
More than 30 are being treated for serious injuries in hospital, Spain’s transport minister Oscar Puente said.
The incident happened near the town of Adamuz, close to the city of Cordoba, when a high-speed train travelling from Malaga to Madrid derailed and crossed over onto another track, the rail network operator Adif said.
The derailed train then collided with an oncoming train, travelling from Madrid to Huelva. Andalusian emergency services said at least 73 people in total were injured in the collision.
The incident appeared to be “extremely strange”, Puente added, because the train derailed on a straight stretch of track, which had been refurbished in May last year.
The official cause is not yet known. An investigation is not expected to determine what happened for at least a month.
Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, said the country will endure a “night of deep pain”.
Iryo, a private rail company that operated the journey from Malaga, said around 300 passengers were on board the train that first derailed, while the other train – operated by Renfe – had around 100 passengers.
The mayor of Adamuz, Rafael Moreno, was one of the first people on the scene of the accident. He described it as like “a nightmare”.
In a post on X, the Emergency Agency of Andalucía urged any crash survivors to post on social media that they are alive.
The twisted wreckage of the train made it difficult to recover survivors and bodies, rescue crews said.
Cordoba fire chief Francisco Carmona told Spanish public broadcaster RTVE: “We have even had to remove a dead person to be able to reach someone alive. It is hard, tricky work.”
According to Adif, the crash happened about ten minutes after the train left Malaga at 18:40 local time (17:40 GMT). The company said it was setting up spaces for relatives of victims at Atocha, Seville, Cordoba, Malaga and Huelva stations.
All rail services between Madrid and Andalusia were suspended following the accident and will remain close on Monday. The company said it will keep terminals open overnight for impacted passengers.
The type of train involved in the crash was a Freccia 1000, which can reach top speeds of 400 km/h (250 mph), a spokesperson for the Italian rail company Ferrovie dello Stato told the Reuters news agency.
The Spanish Red Cross has deployed emergency support services to the scene, while also offering counselling to families nearby.
Miguel Ángel Rodríguez from the Red Cross told RNE radio: “The families are going through a situation of great anxiety due to the lack of information. These are very distressing moments.”
Salvador Jimenez, a journalist with RTVE who was on one of the trains, said the impact felt like an “earthquake”.
“I was in the first carriage. There was a moment when it felt like an earthquake and the train had indeed derailed,” Jimenez said.
In his latest update on X, he said he was among a group of passengers waiting in the “freezing cold night” for buses to transport them to a local sports centre.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia said they were following news of the disaster with “with great concern”.
“We extend our most heartfelt condolences to the relatives and loved ones of the dead, as well as our love and wishes for a swift recovery to the injured,” the royal palace said on X.
French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen have both offered condolences in statements.
“My thoughts are with the victims, their families and the entire Spanish people. France stands by your side,” Macron wrote on social media.
In 2013, Spain suffered its worst high-speed train derailment in Galicia, north-west Spain, which left 80 people dead and 140 others injured.
[BBC]
Contrasting half-centuries from Oman Sadat and Mahboob Khan set up Afghanistan’s 13 run win over West Indies. They wrapped up the win when Nooristani Omarzai bagged his fourth wicket. With two wins in as many games, Afghanistan have locked in their Super Sixes spot.
After Afghanistan opted to bat, Sadat and Khalid Ahmadzai put on 86 for the opening wicket before Vitel Lawes, the sixth bowler West Indies used in 18 overs, created a brief stutter. He struck three times in eight overs as Afghanistan lost 3 for 24. Mahboob then steadied the ship in Sadat’s company, adding 77 for the fourth wicket. While Sadat took 68 balls to get to his fifty, Mahboob got there in 54, before accelerating. Mahboob scored 36 off his next 15 balls as Afghanistan scored 79 off the last ten overs to post 262 for 7.
In reply, only Jewel Andrew, who has played eight internationals for West Indies’ senior side, and 15 CPL matches, offered some resistance. He scored 57 off 70 balls, laced with four fours and three sixes, and was the eighth wicket to fall with the score on 101.
West Indies had lost their first four wickets inside 11 overs. While Wahidullah Zadran started the slide in the first powerplay with his offspin, seamer Omarzai’s strikes through the middle overs was too much for West Indies, who were bowled out for 124.
Brief scores:
Afghanistan Under 19s 262 for 6 in 50 overs (Osman Sadat 88, Mahboob Khan 86; Jakeem Pollard 3-39, Vitel Lawes 3-48) beat West Indies Under 19s 124 in 33.2 overs (Jewel Andrew 57; Nooristani Omarzai 4-16, Khatir Stanikzai 3-20, Wahidullah Zadran 3-36) by 138 runs
[Cricinfo]
England have confirmed their place in the Super Sixes of the Under 19 World Cup 2026 after crushing hosts Zimbabwe to register successive wins in the group stage. Captain Thomas Rew (86*) and Ben Mayes (77*) led the chase of 209 in Harare. England asked Zimbabwe to bat first, and struck third ball as Alex French got Nathaniel Hlabangana for a duck.
From there onwards, each time a partnership looked stable for Zimbabwe, England hit back to disrupt their momentum. There were stands of 30, 45 and 32 for the second, third and fourth wickets, respectively, with Luke Hands, Farhan Ahmed and Ralphie Albert among the wickets.
All Zimbabwe batters from Nos. 3-6 scored at least 30 but none passed captain Simbarashe Mudzengerere’s 45 not out. England’s Manny Lumsden got three wickets.
In reply, England got off to a quick start. They were two down within seven overs, but had also scored 48. Rew and Mayes had got together on the fifth ball of that over, and their union remained unbroken on 167. Rew was the first to get to fifty off 30 balls by smashing Dhruv Patel for a six in the 18th over. Mayes got a run-a-ball half-century in the 22nd over, as England clubbed the final 64 runs in seven overs to win with a whopping 22 overs to spare.
Zimbabwe’s loss came after their first game, against Scotland, was washed out. They face Pakistan next, and could find it tough to enter the next round.
Brief scores:
England Under 19s 209 for 2 in 28 overs (Thomas Rew 86*, Ben Mayes 77*; Shelton Mazvitorera 2-54) beat Zimbabwe Under 19a 208 for 9 in 50 overs (Simbarashe Mudzengerere 45*; Manny Lumsden 3-38, Farhan Ahmed 2-33, Ralphie Albert 2-49) by eight wickets
[Cricinfo]
At least six killed in Pakistan as fire rips through Karachi shopping mall
Chile declares ‘state of catastrophe’ as deadly wildfires menace cities
At least 21 killed in Spain after crash involving high-speed trains
U – 19 World Cup: Mahboob, Sadat star for Afghanistan against West Indies
U – 19 World Cup: Rew, Mayes lead England to victory
Mitchell, Phillips centuries trump Kohli’s as New Zealand win first-ever ODI series in India
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Editorial1 day agoIllusory rule of law
-
News2 days agoUNDP’s assessment confirms widespread economic fallout from Cyclone Ditwah
-
Business4 days agoKoaloo.Fi and Stredge forge strategic partnership to offer businesses sustainable supply chain solutions
-
Editorial2 days agoCrime and cops
-
Features1 day agoDaydreams on a winter’s day
-
Editorial3 days agoThe Chakka Clash
-
Features1 day agoSurprise move of both the Minister and myself from Agriculture to Education
-
Business4 days agoSLT MOBITEL and Fintelex empower farmers with the launch of Yaya Agro App