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WWC 2025: Epic contest awaits as bruised India come up against mighty Australia
Batting collapses and low totals on slow pitches, catches put down, questionable umpiring decisions, mostly one-sided matches…if there is a contest the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 needed to kick it alive and make it a blockbuster spectacle, it’s India vs Australia. Australia clean-swept the Women’s Ashes earlier this year, winning all seven games across formats. India have won all 12 of their ODIs against Pakistan. As a result, the face-off between India and Australia has the makings of an epic on the biggest stage.
All 15,087 tickets have been sold out for India vs Australia – obviously scheduled for a Sunday – and the ACA-VDCA Stadium’s near-26,000 capacity is set to break the record for the highest attendance at an ICC women’s T20I or ODI World Cup league match, current held by the ACA Stadium in Guwahati, which had a crowd of 22,843 in the opening game of this World Cup.
As the competition nears its halfway stage, India have a lot at stake. While both teams have stumbled their way to Visakhapatnam after collapses in all their respective games, it cost India two points when their five bowling options and the batting-friendly conditions couldn’t put the brakes om South Africa and Nadine de Klerk.
India’s concerns don’t stop at their five bowlers though; their top five, especially the senior trio of Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues, is yet to fire, the fielding hasn’t been as good as it can be and their batters have been perishing to left-arm spinners more than anyone else this tournament, with 12 dismissals in three innings.
The washout against Sri Lanka aside, Australia also collapsed in their two outings, but even 128 for 5 and 76 for 7 weren’t enough to keep them down, as Ashleigh Gardner and Beth Mooney reminded us of their depth and quality with their centuries. In their recent bilateral series against India, they did however get bowled out for 190 in the second game, and the high-scoring decider also gave a glimpse of how oppositions could create chances against the world champions.
India have also run Australia close in some high-stakes T20 clashes in recent years – the Commonwealth Games 2022 final, the 2023 T20 World Cup semi-final and last year’s T20 World Cup league match. But to take Australia down in ODIs will require a sustained top-level performance from India, which they haven’t come close to so far.
You wouldn’t normally expect a big score from a No. 7 now and then but Australia have collapsed in three of their last four outings, which have given Tahlia McGrath the overs to go out and chip in with notable contributions. When Australia were reeling against New Zealand and Pakistan, she walked out in the 22nd and 16th over respectively but chipped catches to midwicket and extra cover for 26 and a 20-ball 5 which might put some pressure on her. “I’m hoping I don’t have to play much of a role with the bat” she had joked before their opening game in Indore and even though Australia wouldn’t want another collapse, McGrath will hope more runs come off her bat soon.
There won’t be as many eyes on anyone as there will be on Harmanpreet Kaur on today. The wrecker-in-chief of the historic 2017 semi-final, which made India – and perhaps other teams – believe that Australia are also mortal in World Cups, that too in knockouts, will be itching to get a big one against the world champions after her 9, 19 and 21 in this campaign so far. Even in the bilaterals recently, she scored over 20 just once in three outings, although that came soon after her seventh ODI century, in England. A sell-out crowd in Visakhapatnam will keep their fingers crossed that there’s another big score coming on Sunday.
The batting conditions in Visakhapatnam and the loss to South Africa will make India wonder if they need to bolster their attack of five bowlers. But they will need to drop a batter for that and their batting has been stuttering anyway, which makes the solution far from straightforward.
India (probable): Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani
Australia would have kept their eyes on how India lost wickets to left-arm spinners every game and will be tempted to bring in Sophie Molineux for that reason after she missed their last match, against Pakistan.
Australia (probable): Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahila McGrath, Georgia Wareham/Sophie Molineux, Kim Garth, Alana King, Megan Schutt
[Cricinfo]
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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed, state media says
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in his office on Saturday morning during US-Israeli air strikes, state media confirms.
President Trump said Khamenei was “one of the most evil people in History” and urged Iranians “take back their Country”
In Iran, there are celebrations in several cities, while others are mourning on the streets – one local tells BBC Persian that Khameni’s death is “such a good news”
More than 200 people have been killed across Iran, the Red Crescent says. At least 108 were killed when US and Israeli strikes hit a girls’ school, Iran says
Sources have told the BBC’s US partner CBS that around 40 Iranian officials are dead. Israel said it killed several top officials, including the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has vowed to unleash “the most devastating offensive operation” against US bases and Israel
This is a defining moment in Iran’s turbulent history – but its most powerful clerics and commanders have been preparing for it, writes the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent.
Iranian retaliatory strikes were earlier reported in Dubai, Doha, Bahrain and Kuwait – places with US military bases, or that are allied to the US.
[BBC]
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Can West Indies make up for bowling gulf in virtual quarter-final against India?
This fixture was, of course, known in advance, but the stakes are somewhat surprising. Neither was it expected that India could be knocked out of their own party if they lose to West Indies nor was it expected that West Indies could go to the semi-finals if they win this match.
The expected result still is for India to overcome that one blip against South Africa and make it to the semi-finals. Then again, jeopardy and unpredictability are at the heart of this format.
The path to get here has been similar for both teams: a thumping loss to South Africa and a resounding win over Zimbabwe. Even their scores against Zimbabwe were nearly identical.
West Indies are one team India haven’t faced in their dominant run starting with the 2024 T20 World Cup. They are, in fact, the last team to have beaten India in a series way back in August 2023.
Both sides have improved since then. India are a well-oiled domination machine, West Indies have put together scary six-hitters who have happened to hit form. They have hit more sixes than any side at any T20 World Cup, and India are three behind them with 63 so far.
It is with the ball that India hold an advantage. India’s bowlers are match-winners. They have pace and mystery. It gives them room for error. West Indies are a strictly defensive bowling unit. They’ll need everything to go their way to get the better of India.
He might have taken just 26 balls to get there against Zimbabwe, but it was Abhishek Sharma’s second-slowest fifty in T20Is. That’s because he had scored just 15 runs in the first four matches, which made him take his time against offspin, scoring just 13 off 17 balls against that style of bowling. That makes Roston Chase an important player even though he went for 46 against South Africa. He is the only spinner in the West Indies squad who takes his stock ball away from left-hand batters; India have five of them in their top eight.
Rinku Singh lost his father after the match against Zimbabwe, which he missed with India bringing in Sanju Samson to break up the left-hand batters in the top order. He is expected to join the squad on Saturday night but isn’t expected to play.
India (probable): Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.
Brandon King, who had sustained an injury against South Africa, is fit and available, which should suggest no changes for West Indies.
West Indies (probable): Brandon King, Shai Hope (capt & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph.
[Cricinfo]
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Flights cancelled as travel warnings issued after strikes on Iran
Airlines serving the Middle East cancelled and diverted flights on Saturday after the US and Israel launched deadly strikes against on Iran, including its capital Tehran.
British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Wizz Air were among carriers to pare back their schedules to destinations in the Middle East, citing safety concerns.
Iran responded by launching a series of attacks, with Israel and four Gulf Arab countries that host US military bases – Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE – targeted by strikes.
The UK Foreign Office urged British nationals in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to immediately shelter in place following explosions.
US President Donald Trump cited a failure to reach an agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear programme and regime change as among the reasons for launching the attack.
Iranian and Israeli airspace were both closed on Saturday, with flight tracking showed international air traffic avoiding the region.
All flights in and out of Dubai International and Al Maktoum International airport in Dubai were suspended on Saturday afternoon.
On Saturday evening, the media office for Dubai International said the airport had sustained “minor damage in an incident” and that four members of staff had been injured.
Qatar Airways confirmed the temporary suspension of flights to and from its capital Doha due to the closure of Qatari airspace, later saying operations would resume 19:00 Doha time on Sunday (16:00 GMT).
British Airways cancelled services to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until Wednesday.
Virgin Atlantic cancelled a Heathrow to Dubai flight and warned its flights to India, Saudi Arabia and the Maldives may take longer due to being rerouted.
Wizz Air suspended all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman up until and including next Saturday.
Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, urged travellers to check with their airline for updates.
Passengers on the 20:00 flight to Doha on Friday returned to Heathrow after it turned back part way through the journey, but this was due to a technical issue with the aircraft and unrelated to the military action.
[BBC]
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