Four killed in China building fire

Johannesburg, Dec 23 (IANS) Despite suffering a 3-0 ODI series defeat to Pakistan, South Africa head coach Rob Walter said he is confident of the team shining in major tournaments like next year’s Champions Trophy, citing his team’s track record in last two World Cups.

Pakistan winning the final ODI by 36 runs via DLS method at Johannesburg confirmed South Africa being clean-swept in a home series for the first time. “I know they’ll shine through when it comes to these world events, these marquee events. The guys tend to step up. They tend to bring their best cricket. We’ve seen that for two World Cups in a row,” Walter was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

In the run-up to the Champions Trophy, South Africa are scheduled to play a tri-series in Pakistan. But they might be without some of their first-choice players for the tri-series as it clashes with the ending stages of SA20, which Walter believes would pose a challenge.

“The reality is the lead up into the Champions Trophy won’t be anything, like the lead up to the World Cup. That’s the reality of the way the schedule is stacked up. But at the end of the day, I’ve just got to trust in the quality of the players.”

“Obviously, the switching in codes will potentially pose a little bit of a challenge to us. But again, it’s not like the guys have not played 50-odd cricket. So I trust that when the time comes, we’ll be there.”

In their ODI series defeat to Pakistan, barring Heinrich Klaasen’s three fifties, none of the other batters stepped up in the line-up, which has left Walter concerned.

“As a batting unit, we’ve spoken about someone taking pride in getting in and getting a big hundred. And to be fair, we just haven’t been able to convert anything into really substantial knocks or partnerships in this series. It’s not like we’re unaware. Some of it is down to batting error and others down to bowling quality and we also have to acknowledge that,” he concluded.

–IANS

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Muscat, Dec 15 (IANS) Indian hockey team beat China 3-2 in penalty shootout in the final of the Women’s Junior Asia Cup, here on Sunday, to lift the title for the second time in a row.

After a 1-1 draw in regulation time, the title clash went to a shootout which saw the defending champion come out victorious.

Hockey India (HI), on the occasion, announced the cash reward for the team.

“Team India secured an epic victory over China in the Junior Women’s Asia Cup 2024 Final, winning a thrilling penalty shootout. As a reward for their outstanding performance, Hockey India announces a cash prize of Rs2 lakhs for each player and Rs1 lakh for the support staff,” the HI wrote on X.

Jinzhuang Tan (30’) scored the first goal for China but Kanika Siwach (41’) bagged the equaliser in the third quarter for India as the match went into a penalty shootout. India’s goalkeeper Nidhi made three crucial saves during the penalty shootout to help her side lift the title.

Both sides were equal stride for stride in the first quarter as they tried to find an opening goal. The possession was shared and both teams created good opportunities but couldn’t break the deadlock. India received two penalty corners but they were defended well by the Chinese to keep it all square.

India started the second quarter strong by dictating the play but couldn’t create a good scoring chance in the shooting circle. China gained the upper hand towards the end of second quarter and pressurised the Indian backline. With just 14 seconds left on the clock, China received a golden opportunity in the form of a penalty stroke. Jinzhuang Tan stepped up to the spot and scored past the Indian goalkeeper to give China a slim lead heading into the second half.

The third quarter saw India aggressively attack and dominate the game. Deepika broke into a solid dribble, broke through the Chinese defense and won a penalty corner for her side. Deepika attempted a drag flick towards goal which was met by a string of saves by the Chinese goalkeeper. Moments later in the 41st minute, Sunelita Toppo and Deepika progressed the ball ahead with some clinical passes and found Kanika Siwach inside the shooting circle, who scored a beautiful field goal to get back on level terms. The score was 1-1 as both sides entered the fourth quarter.

It was all to play for in the final fifteen minutes of the game as both sides went hammer and tongs in search of a winning goal. India received a penalty corner with ten minutes left on the clock but the chance went begging and Deepika’s shot went narrowly wide. Moments later, China too squandered a penalty corner in a similar fashion. Despite both sides going all out on the field, they couldn’t be separated in the four quarters played and the final went into a penalty shootout.

Sakshi Rana, Ishika and Sunelita Toppo scored for India in the penalty shootout. Goalkeeper Nidhi made three brilliant saves against Lihang Wang, Jingyi Li and Dandan Zuo to ensure India defended its title.

–IANS

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