Australia skipper Alyssa Healy revealed that rupturing her plantar fasciitis in both feet mid-tournament meant she "only had one game in her" for the rest of the Women's T20 World Cup 2024, and probably took the wrong punt by deciding to sit out Thursday's semifinal against South Africa. Australia's T20 reign, that dates back to 2018 title victory in the Caribbean, came to an screeching halt with the 8-wicket defeat at the hands of last edition's runners-up South Africa in the first semifinal in Dubai on Thursday (October 17). "I ruptured my plantar fascia - completely ruptured one and partially ruptured the other," Healy said of her injury. "It was just a matter of function and pain and what I could handle and ultimately, probably, only had one game in me. Probably took the wrong risk at the end of the day," the 34-year-old noted after South Africa made their second successive World Cup final, at the expense of Australia. As the teams' arrived in the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday for essentially a re-match of the 2023 World Cup final, Healy was the first one to walk out the Australian dressing room for a pitch inspection in full playing kit and spikes - the absence of the moon boot garnering keen interest. However, as more of her Australian teammates stepped out the dugout it became abundantly clear that the captain had only suited up for the team picture ahead of the knockout game. After hobbling off the field retired hurt, and in excruciating pain, during Australia's chase of 83 against Pakistan in their only group game in Dubai on Friday, the Australian skipper was walking on crutches and in a moon-boot on her right foot as a precautionary measure in Sharjah, where the defending champions beat India by 9 runs to effectively knock them out of the semis race on Sunday. Pacer Tayla Vlamenick, who dislocated her shoulder earlier in the same game as Healy, had already been replaced by Heather Graham in Australia's World Cup squad by then. Despite not revealing the exact nature or extent of Healy's injury, the fact that Australia didn't seek the captain's replacement was indication enough that the management remained hopeful of her return for the knockouts. Healy did not train with the team on the semifinal-eve with stand-in vice-captain Ellyse Perry noting that the team was willing to take a late call on her availability. Healy said she herself wasn't sure exactly how close she was to feeling fully match-ready yet. "I don't really know - it's a hard one to answer, but hopefully I don't regret giving it a crack. But, you never know what was going to unfold out there." Tahlia McGrath led the team once again in an unchanged XI from Sharjah, potentially to allow Healy more time to be as close to 100 per cent fitness as she could for what would have been Australia's eighth successive final in nine editions if not for South Africa. "It was a really hard decision to make last night as to whether or not we were going to give it a punt or not. I tried to make the team decision and sat myself down instead of taking the risk. "It was hard to watch knowing that you can't really go out there and help, but like I said, it was good to see so many positives throughout the tournament. It hasn't ended the way we wanted, but I think we've done some amazing cricket throughout this tournament." A proper assessment to determine the extent of damage and the rehab course ahead is due one the team returns to Australia ahead of the 10th edition of the WBBL that kicks off next Sunday (October 27). Australia had previously never lost a T20 World cup game to South Africa in seven attempts, and their first-ever defeat in the shortest format to their semifinal opponents had come earlier this year during the multi-format series against Laura Wolvaardt & Co at home. While the South African skipper admitted the Canberra victory a few months ago gave her side a lot of belief coming into Thursday's shootout for a place in the World Cup final, her counterpart Healy conceded their intent, especially in the chase, proved to be the point of difference. "If you don't quite turn up on the night and it doesn't go your way, then you're out. It's pretty cut-throat. We've been in similar positions before and we've got ourselves over the line. So it wasn't to be tonight, but we'll learn from that and get better. "They're a team full of confidence, which I think they played with that tonight. They out-intended us. I don't know if that's a word, but you can make something out of that. "They came out ready to go and ready to fire, in particular with the bat... [and] made it look like a completely different wicket. But yeah, they're a team full of confidence. "They've improved a hell of a lot and they've got a lot of different contributors probably for the first time in a little while. So it's been pleasing to see and I wish them all the luck in the final." The eight-wicket drubbing ended Australia's second gutsy attempt at a 'four-peat'. After failing to make it to the final of the inaugural edition in 2009, which England won, Australia went on to claim two hat-tricks of T20 titles, their streak punctuated by free-spirited West Indies in 2016. With the Caribbean outfit due to play their semifinal against New Zealand on Friday in Sharjah, the prospect of a new T20 champion looms. "I think the prospect of potentially a new winner of this tournament is hugely exciting for the world game," Healy said. "The investment and the opportunities there is now to play cricket right around the world, different conditions and all times of the year have done great things for the world game. And we're seeing teams really benefit from that, which is awesome. "So if it turns out to be a New Zealand-South Africa final, it's going to be really cool to see a fresh winner of that trophy and just show how far the women's game has come," she concluded.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) found Chandika Hathurusingha's response to their show-cause letter "unsatisfactory and unacceptable" and, as a result, terminated his contract as head coach of the national cricket team "on grounds of misconduct and breach of employment terms" with immediate effect. The BCB had and issued a show-cause letter, to which the Sri Lankan coach responded via his lawyer through an email to the board's Chief Executive on October 16. "The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has officially terminated the contract of National Team Head Coach Chandika Hathurusingha on grounds of misconduct and breach of employment terms. Hathurusingha, who began his second tenure with the Bangladesh team in January 2023, had five months remaining on his contract," the BCB said in a statement on Thursday. "On Tuesday (15 October), the BCB served a notice to Hathurusingha, seeking an explanation, and following the receipt of his response on Wednesday (16 October), an emergency meeting of the board was convened today to review the situation," it further stated. "After considering all factors, the Board deemed Hathurusingha's explanation unsatisfactory and unacceptable and found his actions consistent with misconduct and dereliction of duty. His termination comes into immediate effect," it added. As previously revealed, the BCB also confirmed Phil Simmons as the new coach until the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan, scheduled for February-March 2025.

Bright and sunny for New Zealand. Cloudy and overcast for India. For large parts of what was a forgettable day out for India, the overhead conditions mirrored the moods of both teams. It's not often that you see a visiting team have India on the mat like New Zealand did over the first two sessions bowling India out for their lowest-ever Test total (46) at home. Then again, it's not often that you get conditions like these in India. With the pitch being under covers for nearly two days, a reasonable school of thought was to pick a pace pack that could exploit the conditions and let them have the first go. India did neither, New Zealand did one of those in picking three pacers and found themselves in a delightful position. Whatever India tried simply did not work. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli tried to counter the seam movement by walking down, Yashasvi Jaiswal went the more traditional route of playing on merit, Rishabh Pant was being Rishabh Pant. But none of it clicked. Tim Southee got one to dart in sharply, Will O'Rourke got some awkward bounce while Matt Henry succeeded with his plan of peppering on offstump. At 10/3, there was a chance that they could still turn this around or so it felt. For there were still in-form batters and a lower-order that has bailed them out from such situations. Only recently against Bangladesh in Chennai, they had recovered from a top-order collapse to go on and win the match. And they were still fresh out of a peak hit in Kanpur. But this was no Chennai, nor Kanpur. It swiftly headed towards Adelaide. There, the 36/9 had left them contemplating the . Today, was not such a day. For each wicket or beaten bat instead left them ruing a crucial decision at the toss. Why would India pick three spinners on a pitch that had been under covers for so long and then choose to bat first? Closer to toss time was when the sun finally made an appearance after two gloomy days, but no sooner had Rohit Sharma made his call that it quickly gave way to dark clouds, forcing even the floodlights to be turned on. The pitch was spicy, the bounce was spongy and India played into New Zealand's hands with a few shots that would leave them grimacing on second-viewing. "As I said, there was not much grass. So we felt the reason to add Kuldeep was because he has bowled on flat pitches and he is taking wickets. So we expected the pitch to be little flatter than what it turned out to be. So clearly, misjudgment of the pitch. Obviously, I did not read the pitch well enough. And we sit in that situation today," admitted Rohit at the end of the day. While being candid about his mistake, Rohit added that "it hurts". Additionally, New Zealand caught almost everything that came their way. In contrast, the first genuine edge that India produced saw KL Rahul befuddled as it flew past his face and allowed the visitors to take the lead. Soon enough, there were edges that flew past fielders, runouts missed, stumping chances fluffed and catches dropped. To make it worse, Pant had to go off the field after copping a blow to his knee. It was a day that would find a comfortably high ranking in the believe-it-or-not lists. The day was a debacle for India clearly and was further accentuated with New Zealand making the most of their fortune. They too, like Rohit, were preparing to bat first as Tom Latham had said at the toss. Matt Henry, who ended up with a five-wicket haul too was left surprised by the amount of movement on offer. Henry was in the side once again because of all the rain that Bengaluru had seen in the days leading up to the game. The rain had in fact hampered most of their practice sessions, leaving them little time to get acclimatized. Thankfully for them, it didn't seem too different from home. For Henry, this was only his 26th Test in a career that started nine years ago. Fifteen of those have all been at home. Earlier this year, he had five-fers in back-to-back home Tests against Australia but wasn't picked in the eleven in Sri Lanka. He said he has made peace with the selection calls and for New Zealand. For it's days like these that would make it all worthwhile. He produced enough sideways movement to put batters under pressure, constantly. It didn't take him long to hit the right lengths, producing a close LBW call and beating the bat early in the day. The sustained pressure complemented his partner Will O'Rourke, who is three inches taller. Their bowling styles were contrasting. ORourke hit the deck harder and shorter, kept making front foot play difficult with his awkward bounce while Henry needled away with his seam movement. There was enough in the pitch for both styles of bowling, which meant they combined for 15.2 overs to share 9 wickets. "They made us play every second or third ball. That is what you want to do as a bowling unit when you see conditions like that. You want to try and challenge the batter to play as much as possible," complimented Rohit. Days like might not come often for India. There, they went with an approach that could maximize their World Test Championship points. Days like Thursday in Bengaluru too might not come often, and it may not be all doom and gloom yet, but for now has put another cloud over those ambitions.

It has taken Matt Henry just 26 Tests to reach 100 wickets, making him the second-fastest New Zealander to achieve the feat, behind only Richard Hadlee. His 5/15 found a place in history condemning India to their . While it came about rather rapidly, even Henry was left surprised by the amount of movement on offer on the second day. "Well, I think we were going to bat first too, so probably a good toss to lose. It was quite nice when those clouds started coming in after the toss was done, but I think we were expecting it to be probably a flatter wicket, but there was plenty of assistance this morning, so it was great that we could make the most of it," said Henry after the day's play. While he beat the bat consistently, his first close shout for LBW was not upheld on review. Meanwhile, he saw both his pace bowling partners picking a wicket apiece under helpful conditions. He got his first only in his fifth over before the floodgates opened giving him four more in eight overs. "We talked about being relentless with the ball, and being patient, and I think that was probably something that we looked to do, and thankfully it came off," he said about the bowling approach in India. "When you come here, you're watching how the best in the world operate, and usually discipline is second to none. The accuracy, they're just relentless. It may not happen in the first spell or the second spell, but they keep coming back, and the same as India have done it for a number of years. And watching how they go about their work here, they bring the stumps in play, and they're able to make themselves a threat throughout, whether it's a flat wicket or not. So coming here, that was something we discussed, was making sure that we are relentless and try to apply as much pressure as long as we can," he further explained. Joining hands to build that pressure alongside Henry was the 6'6" Will O'Rourke. Playing his first Test in India, O'Rourke bowled a similarly testing spell that earned him four wickets. "I think his height's the X factor right there, isn't it? He gets a lot of bounce and he uses that height at the crease as well, so as you see, he gets a lot of steep bounce off quite a full length as well, making it really uncomfortable, especially with the ball coming into the right-hander," felt Henry about his partner-in-crime. "I think something that is great about him is that he keeps his pace up as well, he keeps coming in for the team, and he's done that for Canterbury, and there's no surprise that he'll do the same when he came up to New Zealand. He's just had a fantastic start, and I'm absolutely stoked for him," he said. There was a lot for Henry and New Zealand to be stoked about on the day. Their impeccable catching made a "big difference" to the bowling group, felt Henry who got his first first five-fer in India. "Yeah, obviously it's a pretty special achievement to get a five-fer in India, they're pretty tough to get. But I think more importantly we've put our team in a good position leading forward into the Test match. It has been a rain-affected already, and I think it's important to have a day like today where we can hopefully keep applying pressure. Things happen fast in India, so we can't be complacent at all, we've just got to keep mounting pressure."

Following India's group-stage exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup, attention will immediately shift to next year's ODI World Cup with India hosting New Zealand for a three-match series in Ahmedabad starting October 24. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead a 16-member squad with three notable absentees in Richa Ghosh, Pooja Vastrakar and Asha Sobhana. Keeper-bat Ghosh was unavailable for selection owing to her Grade 12 board exams. Legspinner Sobhana, who missed out on India's T20 World Cup game against Australia after suffering a knee injury right after the toss, will continue to be monitored by BCCI's medical team. Meanwhile, fast bowler Vastrakar, who also picked up a niggle early in India's World Cup campaign, has been granted a rest from the series. Among other changes to the side that beat South Africa 3-0 in its last ODI assignment in July is the return of keeper-bat Yastika Bhatia, who returned from injury at the T20 World Cup. Priya Puniya, Saika Ishaque and Shabnam Shakil are the others to make way from the last ODI squad. The selection committee has instead rewarded Maharashtra's Tejal Hasabnis following her strong returns for India A in Australia where she hit three half-centuries. Gujarat Giants' Sayali Satgare and Priya Mishra and UP Warriorz seamer Saima Thakor are the others handed call-ups to the squad.

It has become a usual sight for Pakistan cricket fans of late. But, it was the sheer audacity with which he had hopped down the pitch against Jack Leach that stunned many. Not many had ventured down the pitch all day and those who did, did it without much success. Remember Jamie Smith miscuing one to long off at the start of the day? Agha Salman bossing the opposition under a setting sun has become a sight too familiar. He walks in at No.7 with his side usually desperate for a resurgence. Soon, the only other recognised batter leaves him stranded amidst the chaos. Yet, somehow, he manages to avert the impending disaster. Despite the most hostile settings that he finds himself in, Salman has been one of the most consistent performers for Pakistan. Remember the 104 that he scored last week after walking in at 393 for six or that 54 and 47 not out in the second Rawalpindi Test? He averages 54.25 with five 50-plus scores - including a century in the first innings of the first Multan Test - in 10 innings this year. England pacers were on a roll when Salman arrived at the crease on the third afternoon of the second Multan Test. A searing burst of reverse swing had just accounted for Mohammad Rizwan as Pakistan lost their fifth wicket for 114 runs. They had begun the innings 75 runs ahead of the opposition, but Pakistan, who seem to have forgotten the fundamentals of winning a Test, needed many more runs in the bank to feel confident about their chances. Salman scores his runs quickly. He is scoring 70 runs per 100 balls on average this year, but this unprecedented pitch was going to throw unprecedented challenges at him. To add to his woes, Brydon Carse and Matt Potts had just began their most recent bursts after being left to pasture in the field following short spells almost an hour back. Salman is not as fluent against pace as he is against spin. He made 25 off 51 balls from Carse, Potts, and Ben Stokes. His partner at the other end, Saud Shakeel, has been going through a lean patch against fast bowlers since the three Tests in Australia. Despite that 80-odd in the first innings, Shakeel has looked out of shape. So Salman, who has carried Pakistan through most of this Test, farmed most of the strike, facing 49 off the 66 balls in their 31-run partnership. Stokes made sure Salman remained under the pump by keeping Carse and Potts on. On a dodgy wicket that kept low more often than not and with the ball reversing, Salman cracked twice in three balls when Carse got him to edge to wicketkeeper and second slip. But, as he had said after his maiden century against England last week that the fate has to go your way to do big things, he got a reprieve each time. Salman had gathered only 25 runs from 57 balls when Shakeel was trapped LBW by Leach. It shifted the onus of carrying Pakistan to a safe score entirely on Salman. But, by then, Stokes and his fast bowlers had ran out of fuel and the touring captain had to introduce spin from both ends. He capitalised by hitting 30 runs in 19 balls against Leach and Shoaib Bashir. The onslaught began with the boundary over mid off and successive slog-sweeps off Leach for fours. He swept the ball on both sides of the square regularly to gather singles and twos that frustrated England. He often shouldered arms after switching for a reverse sweep when Bashir tried to trap him down the leg, leaving the England's catchers behind stumps perplexed to gather byes. After all, Test cricket is about mentally exhausting the opponents too and each run on such rank-turners is of great significance. But, it was his ninth-wicket stand of 65 off 73 balls with Sajid Khan that must have caused the most anguish to England as it continued to pushed them towards the brink boundary after boundary and run after run. Salman has often spoke about the necessity of scoring at a quicker rate when batting with tail and today, he raced to 38 off 32 during the partnership. "Since I arrived in the team I have been batting at seven. I initially used to complain, but now I have come to accept this as my role and I have to do well," he said. "We have scored 100-plus run in both innings [in the lower-order] and we talk about how vital they are. We were aiming at the target of 230, but that partnership helped us put the target of 300." He jumped out of the crease to hit Leach for a six over long off to bring up his ninth half-century. It was his fourth this year and second consecutive in as many second innings of his side. Pakistan have largely struggled to post decent enough second innings scores this year. That they have been able to put something has been because of Salman, who now has the most runs, the best average, and the best strike rate in the second innings for Pakistan in 2024. Salman has carried Pakistan in more than one ways in this Test. It was because of him that Pakistan got their first breakthrough on day two when he compelled his captain to review Zak Crawley's caught behind, which nobody around the batter has seemed to hear. He could be heard suggesting Shan Masood about the field sets and passing on feedback to the spinners after every ball. When he was at the non-striker's end, Salman notified the batters about the frantic field changes that Stokes made. Yesterday we reflected on how Pakistan had never taken two dinners in as many nights feeling confident about themselves. Today, Pakistan went to their team hotels confident that they have a sure shot at the victory on a minefield of a surface. England have never been successful in a chase of 250 or more in Asia and after 11 overs into their innings they need 261 more with both of their openers dismissed. "It's going to be massive," Salman replied when he was asked what it meant to be nearing a certain win? "We haven't won a Test at home for God knows how many years now. So it's going to be very big thing for us and we will make sure we put all the efforts there and make sure we win this game because that's very important." That Pakistan are on the verge of ending their embarrassing six-Test defeat is because of Salman who had orchestrated their last Test series win back in July 2023 in Sri Lanka. He has carried Pakistan for some time now.

Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera hit commanding, unbeaten half-centuries to power Sri Lanka to their first-ever bilateral T20I series victory over West Indies, adding to an already exceptional 2024 for the side across formats. On a dry Dambulla surface, West Indies opted to bat and suffered an instant setback when Maheesh Theekshana cleaned up Evin Lewis with a delivery that pitched on middle and leg stump and straightened to hit his back pad on the way to the stumps. Brandon King plotted a quick move on the company of Shai Hope, even as the other spin tormentor Dunith Wellalage was brought into the attack early. That push however, lasted only till the sixth over when Theekshana struck once more - his carrom ball befuddling King to hit the middle-stump. West Indies lost two more by the half-way stage, not helped by a soft dismissal of Roston Chase who offered Kamindu Mendis a tame return-catch. Shai Hope fell to a sharp catch by Pathum Nissanka at first slip - one that needed third umpire's affirmation to send the West Indian packing. There was doubt regarding the catch being clean but the TV umpire saw enough in the replays to rule in favour of the bowling side. With spin once again being West Indies' Achilles heel, Charith Asalanka brought himself on and struck first ball - in the 12th over - to remove Sherfane Rutherford and leave the visitors down to 83/5. Skipper Rovman Powell and Gudakesh Motie pushed back with a show of resurgence that included a 25-run 15th over off Wellalage, where the latter hit one four and three sixes. In just the next over, Hasaranga got the better of Motie with a googly, getting him stumped for 32 off 15. West Indies smashed 39 off the last three overs through Powell and Romario Shepherd to take the team to 162/8, which seemed a reasonable total at the halfway stage. Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera however, proceeded to make a mockery of that effort with a series-winning partnership of 106* as Sri Lanka completed the chase in just 18 overs. Sri Lanka continued to be devastating in the PowerPlay as openers Pathum Nissanka and Mendis brought up the 50 in just 4.1 overs. West Indies started off with spin in Fabien Allen in the hope of making similarly early inroads, only to be smashed for three fours. The ball flew to all parts of the ground as Alzarri Joseph conceded 15 in the second over. Motie earned the first - and only - breakthrough with the wicket of Nissanka but the carnage didn't stop. Perera joined Mendis in the sixth over to keep the team well on course. They took the team to 98 by the halfway stage as West Indies looked bereft of ideas with the ball. The only push back from West Indies came through three overs between Roston Chase and Romario Shepherd where they conceded just 14 runs. But there were no missteps from the two Sri Lankan batters as they took charge and shifted gears at the death. After Mendis got to a 37-ball half-century in the 14th over, Perera got to his off 34 in the 18th over. In that same over, he sealed the chase with a four. : West Indies162/8 in 20 overs (Rovman Powell 37, Gudakesh Motie 32; Maheesh Theekshana 2-19, Wanindu Hasaranga 2-24) lost to Sri Lanka 166/1 in 18 overs (Kusal Mendis 68*, Kusal Perera 55*; Gudakesh Motie 1-32) by 9 wickets

Anneke Bosch produced the innings of the World Cup so far as South Africa knocked the six-time and defending champions Australia out of the tournament in . And it needed a knock like the one Bosch produced at the Dubai International Stadium to backup a fine bowling performance and end Australia's six-year hold on the trophy. Bosch scored 74* off just 48 balls, scoring eight fours and a six as South Africa chased down 135 with eight wickets and 16 balls to spare. It was South Africa's first win over Australia in women's T20 World Cups, making up for the heartbreaks of and . In her endeavour, Bosch was ably supported and complemented by captain Laura Wolvaardt, who made 42 in a 96-run second-wicket partnership that had an answer to every question posed by the holders. Interestingly enough, for once the usually unflappable Australia didn't have many questions to pose and were left playing reactive cricket in the face of this double-barrelled assault. They perhaps didn't see this coming after they'd broken the Wolvaardt-Tazmin Brits association in the fifth over of the chase. But South Africa have been strewing warnings to Australia, in last year's final, in that in Canberra in January this year. But there wers still some doubts about South Africa's cred, particularly with their decision to play Bosch at one-drop, one they'd taken as recently as the Pakistan series, considering her early struggles on the slow wickets in this tournament. Given South Africa weren't chasing too many, there could have been a temptation for Bosch to ease her way into the innings and allow her senior partner and captain to drive the initiative while she found her form. Instead, off the second ball she faced, Bosch charged out towards Annabel Sutherland and middled a pull shot that needed a diving stop from Georgia Wareham to prevent a boundary. Australia threw the left-arm spin - a perceived weakness - at her and Bosch's response was to shuffle across beyond her off-stump to sweep a four and then follow that by charging out and lofting over mid-off for another boundary. It was a combination she would use throughout the course of her knock. She was busy at the crease, imposing herself on every new bowler introduced into the attack. It was only after her initial triggers, vertically or horizontally, when there was absolutely no way to find a boundary did Bosch attempt to turn over strike. There was no respite for Australia when that did happen. Wolvaardt, at the other end, made arguably the most emphatic statement of the changing guard by lifting Darcie Brown through the line and over long-on for a six, and holding her pose in the followthrough. All the early enterprise meant South Africa needed only 61 in the second half of their innings. And the chase was effectively closed out for all practical purposes after the 12th and 13th overs, which chopped off 27 runs from the remaining target. Bosch slog-swept Wareham for a four and a six and took two more boundaries off Ash Gardner in the next over to complete a 31-ball half-century. Wolvaardt fell eight short of her own half-century, but when she was dismissed in the 15th over, her team was only 14 runs away and Bosch was about to complete the giant-killing act. Bereft of ideas they might have been by the end, this Healy-less Australia were also strangely insipid and lacking in attacking fervour at the start of this encounter, so much so that even getting to 135 was an arduous journey. Beth Mooney, as is her wont in knockout games at T20 World Cups, provided the spine of the innings that stayed below a run-a-ball for the first 15 overs. Around her, Australia struggled for the kind of tempo they've been used to. The PowerPlay brought only 35 runs. At the half-way point, they were 53 for 2, having played as many as 31 dots. Reduced to 18 for 2 early on by some excellent South African bowling, the pair of Mooney and stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath were tasked with putting Australia's innings back on track, which they did with a 50-run stand. However, their partnership also saw a rather unproductive post-PowerPlay period against South Africa's slow spin, a phase that brought only 18 runs and a solitary boundary between overs six and 10. No sooner had McGrath found a boundary off Sune Luus than their opponents pegged Australia back, just when they appeared to have broken the shackles. With the first ball of her second over - the 13th of the innings - Nonkululeko Mlaba slowed down her pace even further and the over-eager McGrath was yanked out of shape in her attempted big hit and Annerie Dercksen completed a simple catch at backward point. It was the left-arm spinner's 10th wicket of the tournament and she would claim the top spot in the charts with one more wicket before the end of the innings. Mooney, who hit only two boundaries in her knock, dealt in a diet of twos before she was run-out by a Marizanne Kapp, the South African veteran quick on the uptake to under-arm a direct hit at the striker's end on her follow through. At 99 for 4 and with a set batter back in the hut, Australia were in dire need of a flourish in the final three overs. Like in the India game, they were rescued by the pair of Ellyse Perry and Phoebe Litchfield. Having hit her first ball for four, the 21-year-old Litchfield brought much-needed energy to the innings, playing a pair of lovely against-the-turn, inside-out lofted drives off Mlaba for fours. At the other end of the experience spectrum, Perry continued to show her class. She and Litchfield managed 31 runs for the champions in the final three overs, but even they were not enough for Australia to hold on to that tag. Australia 134/5 in 20 overs (Beth Mooney 44, Ellyse Perry 31; Ayabonga Khaka 2-24) lost to South Africa 135/2 in 17.2 overs (Anneke Bosch 74*, Laura Wolvaardt 42; Annabel Sutherland 2-26) by eight wickets

Pakistan continued to tighten their grip on the second Test in Multan, extending their lead to 209 in another dominant session on Day 3. Pakistan added 91 runs on the third afternoon for the loss of two wickets, one of them being that of Mohammad Rizwan on 23. It was Brydon Carse, running in with a dodgy left leg, who had Rizwan's number for the third time in three innings in this series, the mode of dismissal this time being a simple catch to slip. Carse came close to dismissing Agha Salman twice in the same over, but Jamie Smith and Joe Root put down both chances. Jack Leach needed no such support fortunately, pinning Kamran Ghulam in front to deliver the first breakthrough for England in the afternoon session. Earlier in the morning, Sajid Khan's second best figures in Test cricket - 7 for 111 - ensured a quick end to England's innings as the visitors were bowled out for 291. Starting the day at 239/6, they managed to add some useful runs thanks to 20s from Jamie Smith and Jack Leach but Pakistan picked up a handy lead to 75. The hosts stretched the lead to 118 at Lunch but lost three wickets in the process as they went into the break at 43/3. Brydon Carse had a couple of lucky breaks early in the day, with Sajid Khan putting down a tough chance off his own bowling and then surviving a Pakistan review for leg-before off the same bowler. Sajid eventually bagged the wicket of Carse, who became the spinner's fifth victim after miscuing one to long-on. In his next over, the spinner picked up his sixth as he had Matthew Potts bowled after being swept for a four. Smith didn't last long, becoming another batter to be dismissed looking to play a big one, as he handed a catch to long-off to give Noman Ali his third wicket. Leach and Shoaib Bashir struck a few boundaries in a last wicket partnership that kept Pakistan waiting. Sajid finally ended the stand, having Bashir caught at short mid wicket as England's innings ended inside the first hour of the day's play. England started with spin straightaway, with Leach and Bashir bowling in tandem. They found some help from the wicket but the Pakistan openers were up to the task, negotiating them for the first five overs. But Bashir provided the breakthrough, having Abdullah Shafique caught down the leg-side, with England having to use the DRS to get the decision in their favour. Shan Masood struck a boundary off Bashir but was soon caught at gully off the same bowler, having closed the face of his bat early. Bashir bagged his third, off the last ball before Lunch, when he found the outside edge of Saim Ayub's bat. : Pakistan 366 & 134/5 (Saud Shakeel 30; Shoaib Bashir 3-46) lead England 291 (Ben Duckett 114; Sajid Khan 7-111, Noman Ali 3-101) by 209 runs

is India's lowest total in an innings at home. Their previous lowest was 75 against the West Indies at Delhi 1987. It is also the lowest by any team in India, surpassing New Zealand's 62 runs at Wankhede on their last tour in 2021. total in India's Test history, their 46 all out ranks behind only the 36 against Australia in Adelaide 2020 and 42 against England at Lord's 1974. It also happens to be their lowest against New Zealand, lower than the 81 they got at Wellington in 1976, and the lowest total by any team against New Zealand in Tests. The previous lowest was Zimbabwe's 51 in Napier 2012. r3LZ6QP4rM0 the 46 all out replaces the previous record of 53 by West Indies against Pakistan in Faisalabad 1986 and Pakistan against Australia in Sharjah 2002. ym3X2k2wW2r by any team opting to bat in a home Test, with India's 46 all out only behind New Zealand's 42 against Australia in Wellington (1946). It also ranks as the fourth-lowest first-innings total by any team after choosing to bat first in Test cricket. India lost three-plus wickets for 10 runs or fewer at home since 1990 and accidentally all the instances have come against New Zealand. They were 7/3 in Mohali 1999 and 2/3 against New Zealand at Ahmedabad 2010. is India's sixth-lowest total at the fall of the sixth wicket in Tests and their second-lowest at home after 27 runs against New Zealand at Hyderabad 1969. Indian batters scored ducks, the joint second-most for India in an innings. This is also the third time overall and the first time in a home Test that four of the top-seven Indian batters have got out for ducks. rJkPo4MkBr in a Test innings that five out of the top-eight batters were dismissed for ducks. The previous instance was by Australia against England at Manchester in 1888. in the innings fell to pacers, only the second instance since 2010 when the visiting pacers have pulled that off against India. The only other instance in the aforementioned period was also by New Zealand, back in 2012 at the same venue. for Matt Henry, his first five-wicket haul against India and the most economical five-wicket haul by a New Zealand bowler in Test cricket. It is the fourth-best figures for a New Zealand pacer in India. Tim Southee's 7 for 64 in Bengaluru 2012 remains top of the list, followed by Doin Nash's 6/27 at Mohali 1999 and Richard Hadlee's 6/49 at Wankhede 1988. for Henry, who became the joint second-quickest to the milestone for New Zealand in terms of matches taken after Sir Richard Hadlee (25). Neil Wagner also took 26 matches for his 100 Test wickets.

Both sides entered the competition with few backing them to advance beyond the first round. Against the odds, they've quieted early skepticism by toppling the heavyweights in their groups, and now face a crucial showdown to earn a spot in the final. For New Zealand, this is their first semifinal since making the last four in 2016 while West Indies are in a semifinal for the first time since 2018. New Zealand have never entered a final since finishing runners-up in the first two editions in 2009 and 2010. West Indies have never made the final barring the title victory in 2016. There is some history between these two teams as well, with West Indies' 2016 championship run including a semifinal victory against New Zealand. The White Ferns will be keen to reverse the result of that encounter and set things up for a memorable farewell for their senior players. Meanwhile, West Indies have a few seniors too who the team will hope to bid farewell to on a winning note, starting with this semifinal clash. New Zealand brought out their 'A' game in their tournament opener against India, replete with tactics, match-ups, and fool-proof plans made more than a year ago. In a group of death, beating one of the top teams - India or Australia - was of utmost importance and New Zealand started on the right note. Despite a reversal against Australia, they regrouped quickly to defeat Sri Lanka and won a must-win game against Pakistan to enter the last-four stage. West Indies, on the other hand, did not start the tournament well, losing by 10 wickets to South Africa in their first match. Pretty much written off at that stage, West Indies bounced back with a hat-trick of victories. First Scotland and then Bangladesh, the Caribbean team breezed past them before their vital clash against England, who they hadn't defeated in T20Is for 13 straight games since 2019. But West Indies came with the belief, "a lot of hearts and a lot of fights" to set foot in the next round. New Zealand have been well-served by collective contributions. Georgia Plimmer and Suzie Bates at the top have been providing good starts while the likes of Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine and Brooke Halliday have provided the finishing touches in their batting. New Zealand have been on the mark with the ball, again with good contributions from all their bowlers. They will be determined to maintain this momentum and propel themselves further in the tournament. For West Indies, they've had different people putting their hands up for the team's cause. Stafanie Taylor, Shemaine Campbelle and Deandra Dottin have contributed well while skipper Hayley Matthews, after failing in the first two matches, has regained form and come up with an important half-century against England. But it was Qiana Joseph's exhilarating fifty against England that came as a bolt out of the blue as the 23-year old proved she could handle the pressure at the top despite limited experience and being moved around the batting order. Afy Fletcher has led West Indies' bowling effort, with the others supporting her well. Like New Zealand, West Indies also have a well-balanced side which will be looking to go the distance. Second Semifinal - Friday, October 18 at 6:00 PM Local Time Sharjah Cricket Stadium Australia are the only team to post more than 145 twice at this venue while India got to 142 in a losing cause against the former. Barring these, teams have struggled to go past 125, with the slow and low conditions aiding the bowlers. What should encourage the teams, though, is that the 150-plus posted by Australia came in the previous game here, and they will be hoping the pitch has something for the batters. Stafanie Taylor, struggling with a knee problem, missed the previous game and the status of her fitness is still unclear. West Indies could stick to the same team that got them into the semifinal. : Hayley Matthews (c), Qiana Joseph, Shemaine Campbelle (wk), Deandra Dottin, Chinelle Henry, Chedean Nation, Zaida James, Ashmini Munisar, Aaliyah Alleyne, Afy Fletcher, Karishma Ramharack It might be a toss up between offspinner Leigh Kasperek and left-arm spinner Fran Jonas. The latter might get the nod considering limited left-handed batting options for West Indies. : Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (c), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze (wk), Rosemary Mair, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson, Fran Jonas - New Zealand have a 17-5 win-loss record against West Indies in 22 completed T20Is, and they are on a 4-match winning streak as well. But the ratio is an even 2-2 in T20 World Cups - Deandra Dottin has an average record in the knockouts of T20 World Cup, with 91 runs in 6 innings and a highest of 40 - Sophie Devine has scored 122 runs in six innings in T20 World Cup knockouts, with a highest of 38*, and has picked 8 wickets "Steph [Stafanie Taylor] and Deandra [Dottin] are two giants of the game and it is cool to be able to see them have success, and you know, to empathise with them and to know what it means to them as well. It's sort of been a bit similar for me and some of the old girls in the Kiwi team" - , New Zealand captain

The captains and head coaches of Pakistan's Test and limited overs sides have been removed from the men's national selection committee, it has emerged. The development comes less than a week after the panel underwent an overhaul. In the immediate aftermath of Pakistan's embarrassing defeat by an innings and 47 runs to England in the first Multan Test, the PCB announced the of Aleem Dar, Aaqib Javed, and Azhar Ali in the selection panel that, by then, comprised captains and head coaches of the Pakistan sides as well as Asad Shafiq, Hasan Cheema, and various other PCB officials. In the latest development, however, the panel has been trimmed to only five people - Dar, Javed, Ali, Shafiq, and Cheema with the other names removed from the selection committee's page on the PCB's official website. The move comes after Shan Masood and Jason Gillespie had backed Babar Azam to keep his place in the side despite his lean patch. Masood had even expressed his desire to continue with the former Pakistan captain after his scores of 30 and 5 on a benign pitch during the first Multan Test. Azam, however, from the side two days out of the start of the second Test and the squad announcement came after a lengthy discussion between the selection committee, Masood, Gillespie, and Usman Wahla (PCB's director for international cricket operations) during Pakistan's training session. The new selectors have earned praises for the changes that they brought because of the noteworthy performances from debutant Kamran Ghulam and off-spinner Sajid Khan, who was recalled to the side after being discarded for the two Bangladesh Tests. Ghulam made a century on debut and Khan took seven wickets in an innings to record the best figures for a bowler in Tests in Multan. The selection committee's next task is to announce Pakistan's squads for the ODI and T20Is in Australia next month.

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is unlikely to take part in the upcoming home series against South Africa. Shakib wished to end his Test journey at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium by playing the opening Test against South Africa. It appeared that his wish was turning to reality before he changed his mind due to security reason. A top BCB confirmed the development to Cricbuzz on request of anonymity. "He( Shakib) is not coming today that is for sure," said the official on Thursday regarding Shakib, who was expected to arrive tonight to join the preparation camp for the upcoming home series against South Africa, which is scheduled to start from October 18. Shakib was included in the Bangladesh squad for the first Test, which was going to be his final appearance in the format. Earlier, Shakib expressed concern about his safety, who was named among the 156 people in an FIR for an alleged murder during the unrest that eventually brought down the Awami League government that he represented in the parliament after being elected from his home town Magura in the last election. Selectors included Shakib in the Test squad after getting green signal from the board but things changed drastically since a group of people protested about Shakib in front of Mirpur recently. When contacted Shakib insisted that he is concerned with his security. "I am advised by my close quarter that my security is a concern," he said. Shakib was reportedly informed to wait in Dubai where he was transiting from New York late into Wednesday evening after his security turned out to be concern. "I think if any untoward scene happens during the Test due to Shakib's appearance in that case, that will give a wrong message to the world and that is probably the reason no one can guarantee his security as the whole stadium cannot be kept under watch," said an official involved with the development.

A dogged half-century from Devon Conway (91) complemented New Zealand's excellent bowling display led by Matt Henry (5-15) and William ORourke (4-22) as the visitors bossed the second day of the first Test against India in Bengaluru. The tempo was set by the pacers as Rohit Sharma's decision to bat at the toss backfired. Overhead conditions and a damp surface were the ideal foil for the Black Caps pacers who felt at ease as they exploited the conditions to good effect. The initial 30 minutes were frustrating for the visitors as they beat the bat regularly but weren't rewarded with a wicket. Eventually, Tim Southee broke through with a cracking nipbacker to castle Rohit Sharma and it started a procession that never stopped for India. O'Rourke then took over along with Henry to make a mockery of India's batters. The former, fresh off an impressive series in Sri Lanka, relished the favourable conditions on offer to nip out Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan for ducks. Kohli, who moved up to No.3, fell to a lifter that he gloved to leg slip, Sarfaraz was guilty of a poor shot that was brilliantly taken one-handed by Conway at mid-off. New Zealand's catching was arguably as good as their seam bowling, if not better and that is saying something, given what the quicks dished out. KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin all registered ducks with the ball continuing to nip around appreciably. Rishabh Pant led a charmed life and was also dropped once before he eventually ran out of luck. Henry and O'Rourke ensured that India's trademark lower order defiance in home conditions never came to the fore as they sliced through the batting line-up. It's another matter, though, that the conditions were anything but 'home' like. Once the bowlers put New Zealand in pole position, it was over to Conway who dominated the scoring, even if he wasn't always at his fluent best. The left-hander struggled against Jasprit Bumrah's new ball spell but found ways to hang in there. Skipper Tom Latham ironically looked much more compact but wasn't able to score as fluently as Conway who was severe on the spinners, especially Ravichandran Ashwin. As the sun came out, batting looked relatively easier although the quicks still had some help on offer. What was encouraging for India is that their spinners were also able to get some purchase. Unfortunately for the home side, their mediocre batting effort, by any side, meant that the bowlers had too much pressure to deal with. The pacers tried a lot too quickly with the new ball and even Bumrah appeared off-color at times. As the day progressed, the spinners managed to gain control as each of them picked up a wicket apiece. Kuldeep Yadav broke the 67-run opening stand by trapping Latham (33) LBW after a successful review. Will Young (33) then dug in and his 75-run stand put New Zealand well into the lead. Just when it seemed like New Zealand were going great guns, Ashwin and Jadeja struck late in the day. The latter induced a top-edge off Young's slog sweep and Ashwin then picked up the big wicket of Conway off the first ball of his new spell to give India some momentum. The hosts would have loved to get another wicket or two before stumps but Rachin Ravindra along with Daryl Mitchell prevented further damage with a solid unbroken partnership. The left-hander continued from his impressive Sri Lanka tour where he handled the spinners impressively. Ravindra and Mitchell were proactive at the crease, and ensured that the scoring rate didn't dip considerably. It helped that Conway's counterattacking knock earlier on had already pushed the tourists into the driving seat. The lead is now 134 and New Zealand would want to add another 100 runs at least, as batting could get really difficult in the fourth innings at this venue. It means that the first two sessions on the third day will be paramount, weather permitting. The forecast for the next days is dicey but there should be enough passages of play to keep the game moving forward. India 46 (Matt Henry 5-15, William ORourke 4-22) trail New Zealand 82/1 (Devon Conway 91; Ravindra Jadeja 1-28) by 134 runs

Rishabh Pant, India's wicket-keeper, copped a blow on his right knee that forced him off the field on the second day of the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand. The incident occurred in the 37th over of New Zealand's innings when a ball from Ravindra Jadeja turned, kept a little low and struck Pant on the leg where he recently had surgery done. It left him hobbling off the field with support from two others while Dhruv Jurel kept wickets for the rest of the day. After a road accident in December 2022, Pant was required to undergo surgery in 2023 and returned to competitive cricket only earlier this year. The most recent blow appears to be a setback for the wicket-keeper who now has some swelling on the same knee. "Yeah, unfortunately, the ball hit straight on his kneecap. The same leg which he has done a surgery on. So he has got a little bit of swelling on it," said India's captain Rohit Sharma after the end of the day's play. " [It is] tender at this point in time. So it is a precautionary measure. You know, he has gone through a massive surgery on that particular leg. So that was the reason for him to go inside. Hopefully, he can recover," he added. India went into the Test match with an injury to another frontline player in Shuman Gill who was ruled out due to a stiffness in the neck. Pant's injury now, if it keeps him out, compounds India's woes after they were bowled out for 46 - .