Washington: US Vice President Kamala Harris has called for a significant increase in aid to Gaza and urged Israel to open new border crossings without imposing unnecessary restrictions. She expressed concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, citing reports of malnutrition, lack of medical care, and deaths among children. Harris emphasized the need for Israel to ensure the safety of humanitarian personnel and aid convoys and criticized Hamas for its actions, stating that the group’s threat to Israel must be eliminated. She also urged Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and reunite hostages with their families while providing immediate relief to the people of Gaza.
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T20 WC: Spinners in focus as Pakistan face New Zealand in Super 8s opener (Preview)
Colombo, Feb 20 (IANS) Spinners will be in the limelight as Pakistan face New Zealand in the first match of the Super 8s stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 to be played at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday.
Historically, the Premadasa surface has helped spinners, with grip and turn coming into play as the match progresses. Spinners from both sides are expected to play a crucial role in deciding the outcome of the match.
The 2009 T20 World Cup champions, Pakistan, are coming to the competition after a good run in the Group Stage, where they won three matches out of four and lost only against the defending champions, India. The team possesses some quality spinners like Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, and skipper Salman Agha, who can challenge the New Zealand batters’ defence.
On the other side, New Zealand also had a similar outing in the group stage of the tournament. Mitchell Santner’s side won three matches out of four and lost only one — against the 2024 T20 World Cup runner-up South Africa.
Captain Santner missed the last match due to illness, but he is fit and likely to return to the side for the Super 8s stage. The Black Caps will also face an adaptability challenge as they are moving from India to Sri Lanka for the next round. However, they have to play all the matches in Colombo, which will be beneficial for the team.
Despite losing Bracewell to injury, the Black Caps have good spin options in their arsenal. With Captain Santner leading from the front, along with Ish Sodhi, Glenn Phillips, and Rachin Ravindra,
When: Saturday, February 21, 7:00 PM IST
Where: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
Where to watch: Star Sports Network for live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming.
Squads:
Pakistan: Salman Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq.
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (captain), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi.
–IANS
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Asian Games: Bangladesh women reach semis after QF washout
Nisshin, Sep 17 (IANS) Bangladesh secured a place in the semifinals of the women’s cricket competition at the Asian Games after their quarterfinal against China was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to wet outfield here on Thursday.
Despite the rain stopping early, persistent moisture on the outfield at Korogi Sports Park prevented any play. The officials conducted inspections before deciding that the conditions were not suitable for the match to go ahead.
With no result possible, Bangladesh progressed to the last four by virtue of their higher seeding in the tournament regulations. The Nigar Sultana Joty-led side is ranked 10th in the ICC Women’s T20I rankings, while China are placed 36th.
Bangladesh will now meet the winner of the quarterfinal between defending champions India and hosts Japan in the semifinal on September 20.
India, who won the women’s cricket gold medal at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, entered the knockout stage directly along with Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Hosts Japan also received direct entry into the quarterfinals.
Malaysia, Thailand and China secured their places in the last eight through the qualifying tournament.
The other quarterfinals will see Sri Lanka take on Malaysia, while Pakistan will face Thailand. The winners of those two matches will meet in the other semifinal.
The ongoing women’s cricket competition is being played in the T20 format and carries full international status. The tournament runs from September 17 to 22, with the men’s competition scheduled from September 24 to October 1.
Cricket is making its fourth appearance at the Asian Games, having previously featured at Guangzhou 2010, Incheon 2014 and Hangzhou 2023. India won both the men’s and women’s gold medals in Hangzhou.
The Asian Games competition also comes as cricket prepares for its return to the Olympic programme at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, which will mark the sport’s first Olympic appearance since 1900.
–IANS
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Gambhir visits Kalighat temple on eve of India-England 1st T20I
Kolkata, Jan 21 (IANS) India will begin the new year with a T20 series against England at Eden Gardens, which will be their first series after the embarrassing defeat to Australia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series Down Under. Before the series, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir visited the famous Kali Temple at the Kalighat here to pray for his team’s success.
Gambhir has always had a special connection with the city of Kolkata having captained and mentored the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their two Indian Premier League (IPL) titles in 2014 and 2024 respectively. The India head coach was seen taking blessings and praying at the holy temple on the eve of the first game.
The Kalighat Kali Temple in Kolkata is regarded as the holiest Shaktipeeth of the 51 Shakti Peethas of India, where the various parts of Devi Sati’s body are said to have fallen, in the course of Shiva’s Rudra Tandava. Kalighat represents the site where the toes of the right foot of Shakti or Sati fell.
The Suryakumar Yadav-led team will be bolstered with the return of pace veteran Mohammed Shami ahead of the all-important Champions Trophy, scheduled to start next month. Shami last played for India in the ODI World Cup final against Australia in November 2023. He underwent surgery for a heel injury that ruled him out of the action till November last year when he turned up for his state side Bengal in the Ranji Trophy.
On the other hand, pacer Mark Wood will make his return to the team for the first time since August. He will join Jofra Archer and Jamie Overton in England’s pace-attack as the visitors announced their playing XI for the series opener on Tuesday.
India and England have faced each other 24 times in T20Is, with India holding a slight advantage with 13 wins to England’s 11. However, India have won five of the last seven T20I encounters between the two teams since 2021. Their last T20I clash occurred in the semifinals of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup, where India secured a memorable victory.
The series will begin in Kolkata and then move to Chennai, Rajkot, Pune, and Mumbai for the remaining matches. The final T20I will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 2.
Following the T20I series, the two teams will compete in a three-match ODI series starting at Nagpur on February 6, which will give fans a peek into India’s preparation for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
–IANS
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