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Harjinder Kaur wins bronze in women’s 71kg weightlifting

Harjinder, egged on by fellow weightlifters Mirabai Chanu, Punam Yadav, Bindiya and some male lifters, managed to do enough in the end to claim a bronze medal…reports Asian Lite News

Indian weightlifter Harjinder Kaur claimed a bronze medal in the women’s 71 kg competition at the Commonwealth Games here despite not lifting her best in an event in which England’s Sarah Davies broke a plethora of records to storm to the gold medal.

The 25-year-old from Mehas village near Nabha in Punjab lifted 93 in snatch and 119 in clean and jerk for a below-par total of 212 kg in the competition and at one time thought that she had lost out on a medal as Alexis Ashworth of Canada, the eventual silver medallist, lifted her season’s best of 123 kg in clean and jerk to shoot up to 214 in the standings.

Harjinder was also lucky as Joy Ogbonne Eze of Nigeria suffered a washout, failing to lift 125 kg in clean and jerk in three attempts. As she had lifted 100 kg, seven kilos more than Harjinder, the Indian would have been relegated to the fourth position if the Nigerian had succeeded.

Harjinder’s bronze medal was the third medal for India on Monday at the Commonwealth Games adding to the silver and bronze won by judokas Shushila Devi and Vikas Yadav. This took India’s overall tally to nine medals — three gold, three silver and three bronze. Harjinder’s bronze medal was the seventh medal India had won in the weightlifting arena so far in this Games.

However, it looked like India would have a barren day in weightlifting after bagging six medals in the previous two days. Earlier in the morning, Ajay Singh lost out a bronze medal by one kilogram and the way Harjinder started with a no lift in her first attempt in snatch, it looked like India was in for another setback in the final medal event of the day at the National/Exhibition Centre (NEC) here.

Harjinder, who hails from a farming family and has built up her muscles by working on the chaffing machine at home, started with 90 kg for her first attempt but she failed. She lifted it in her second attempt and raised her tally to 93 kg in her third and final attempt.

That put her in the fourth position behind Sarah Davies (103 — a Commonwealth Games record in the snatch), Eze of Nigeria at 100, and Australia’s Kiana Rose Elliott, who totalled 94. Alexis Ashworth was also in the mix at 91 kg after failing to lift 94.

Harjinder waited for things to settle down in the clean and jerk and opened with 113 in her first attempt while Davies missed 120kg as did Eze at 125. She jumped to the top position but was pushed down soon as /Sarah Davies lifted 120 in her second attempt. Harjinder succeeded at 116 as did Ashworth. Eze again failed to lift 125.

Things became tighter for Harjinder as she added three more kgs to her total after lifting 119 on her third attempt but Canada’s Ashworth upped the ante by lifting 123, thus jumping to second with 214 kgs behind Davies with 229.

If Eze of Nigeria had managed to lift 125 in her third attempt, her total would have shot up to 225, pushing Harjinder to fourth position.

Harjinder, egged on by fellow weightlifters Mirabai Chanu, Punam Yadav, Bindiya and some male lifters, managed to do enough in the end to claim a bronze medal.

“I am happy with the bronze because I did not have a good day today and could not perform to the best of my ability. Somehow things did not look good initially but in the end luck favoured me as one lifter had a washout,” said Harjinder after the medal ceremony.

She said the support from her fellow lifters and the Indian spectators in the crowd egged her on and encouraged her to motivate her.

“We all lifters share a good camaraderie in the team and we all come to the stadium to support each other. I was there along with others to support Mirabai when she participated in her event. So, its nice to have your teammates shouting for you, encouraging you. Today it pushed me to put in that extra ounce of effort,” said Harjinder.

ALSO READ-All 6 Indian teams win matches on 3rd day of Chess Olympiad

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Tania shines in Indian women team’s win at Chess Olympiad

In the other open section fourth round matches, India B emerged victorious by 3-1 against Italy. Gukesh and Nihal Sarin scored victories while R Praggnanandhaa and Raunak Sadhwani conceded draws…reports Asian Lite News

Tania Sachdev battled long and hard to rake in a precious point as India A registered a sensational 2.5-1.5 win against Hungary in the fourth-round match of women section at the 44th Chess Olympiad in Mamallapuram, Chennai on Monday.

After Koneru Humpy, Dronavalli Harika and R Vaishali ended with a draw in their respective encounters, Sachdev rose brilliantly to the occasion. She thrashed Zsoka Gaal to earn a decisive point as well as the match for the team.

“It was a tough position and I was aware that our two boards had ended in a draw. We had a strong opponent and now it is the time we have to play stronger teams. So, I think we need to be ready for the competition. We are looking forward to the next game,” Sachdev said after the match.

“The teams are well balanced and it is very important to take one round at a time. All the games today were well fought,” said Abhijit Kunte, coach of India women’s A team.

The 11th seeded Indian women B team also edged past Estonia with a similar 2.5-1.5 score. Vantika Agrawal, extending her winning run, clinched the winning point for the team while the other three games ended in draws.

Meanwhile in a major upset of Day 4, former World Championship Challenger Fabiano Caruana of USA was beaten by Nodirbek Abdusattaarov of Uzbekistan. With the help of the 17-year-old prodigy Abdusattaarov’s efforts, Uzbekistan held the top-seeded star-studded USA to a 2-2 draw.

In the other open section fourth round matches, India B emerged victorious by 3-1 against Italy. Gukesh and Nihal Sarin scored victories while R Praggnanandhaa and Raunak Sadhwani conceded draws.

Gukesh played a fantastic game against Daniele Vocaturo, who had held Magnus Carlsen to a draw on Sunday. In a Queen’s Gambit Declined game, Gukesh went on a pawn grabbing spree with tactical strokes and pocketed the point after 34 moves when his Queen, rook and bishop surrounded his opponent’s king.

The second-seeded India A, on the other hand, held to a 2-2 draw by France with all the four board splitting points while India C lost to Spain by a 1.5-2.5 score.

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EURO CHAMPIONS!

The Lionesses beat Germany 2-1 at Wembley to win Euro 2022 thanks to goals from substitutes Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly…reports Asian Lite News

The Queen has led the tributes to England’s Euro 2022 winners, sending a message of congratulations in which she called them “an inspiration”.

The Lionesses beat Germany 2-1 at Wembley thanks to goals from substitutes Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly.

It is England’s first major tournament success since the 1966 men’s World Cup.

“My warmest congratulations, and those of my family, go to you all on winning the European Women’s Championships,” a statement from the UK monarch said.

The Queen’s message added: “It is a significant achievement for the entire team, including your support staff.

“The Championships and your performance in them have rightly won praise. However, your success goes far beyond the trophy you have so deservedly earned. You have all set an example that will be an inspiration for girls and women today, and for future generations. It is my hope that you will be as proud of the impact you have had on your sport as you are of the result today.”

Prince William, writing on his Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Twitter account, said: “Sensational. An incredible win. The whole nation couldn’t be prouder of you all. Wonderful to see history in the making tonight at Wembley, congratulations!”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised Sarina Wiegman’s side on social media, writing: “Football has come home! A stunning victory by the Lionesses.

“Huge congratulations to Sarina [Wiegman, manager], Leah [Williamson, captain] and the whole team. Football pitches across the country will be filled as never before by girls and women inspired by your triumph.”

In front of a record crowd of 87,192 for any match in the history of the European Championships, Kelly prodded home a loose ball from close range to end English football’s 56-year wait for a World Cup or Euro victory.

England looked set for victory in the 90 minutes when substitute Ella Toone’s sublime chip over Merle Frohms put the hosts in front.

Germany showed remarkable resilience to bounce back as Lina Magull levelled 11 minutes from time.

But for once, England were not to be denied a major tournament success.

Kelly fought back from an anterior cruciate ligament tear to be fit in time for the tournament and made herself a national hero by being in the right place to pounce when Germany failed to clear a corner in the 110th minute.

Fortune did not favour Germany, who lost captain and top goalscorer Alexandra Popp to a muscle injury in the warm-up.

But England will feel their time for some luck was due as 12 months on from the Three Lions’ defeat on penalties to Italy in the Euro 2020 men’s final, the nation’s women went one better.

England manager Sarina Wiegman has now led the home nation to the title in back-to-back women’s Euros after leading the Netherlands to victory five years ago.

Under Wiegman, England are unbeaten in 20 games but were pushed to the limit by the eight-time winners despite missing the massive presence of Popp.

The Wolfsburg striker, who missed the entirety of Euro 2013 and 2017 through injury, had scored six goals in five games on route to the final.

Despite losing their major goal threat and facing the intimidating atmosphere of a full Wembley waiting to party, Germany showed remarkable resilience.

England were saved by desperate defending from a combination of Mary Earps, Leah Williamson and Millie Bright then prevented Marina Hegering from turning in a corner.

Wiegman did not make a change to the England starting line-up throughout the whole tournament as she resisted the clamour for Alessia Russo to start ahead of Ellen White up front.

White, England women’s all-time leading goalscorer, had the hosts best chance before the break but blazed Beth Mead’s cut-back over.

Germany started the second half even stronger and were inches away from the vital opening goal when Magull prodded just wide at the end of a flowing team move.

Strength in depth has been one of the key features of England’s success under Wiegman and the Dutch coach turned to Russo and Toone to turn the tide as they did in the quarter-final win over Spain.

The changes worked to perfection once more as Toone timed her run through the heart of the German defence to latch onto Keira Walsh’s through ball and showed the composure to coolly lift the ball over Frohms.

Lesser sides than the eight-time champions would have been broken, but Germany immediately pushed forward in search of an equaliser.

The excellent Magull smashed a shot off the post and Popp’s replacement Lea Schueller should have converted the rebound rather than rolling the ball into the arms of the grateful Earps.

Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s side were not to be denied, though, and fittingly it was Magull who sent the game to extra-time as the Bayern Munich midfielder slotted Tabea Wassmuth’s cross into the roof of the net.

The German attack was further blunted by Magull’s withdrawal at the end of 90 minutes due to a knock and both sides felt the pace of a physical encounter in the extra 30 minutes.

England just had enough left in the tank to finally get the job done as Germany failed to deal with the second ball from a corner and Kelly’s telescopic right leg flicked the ball home.

ALSO READ-Smriti shines as India beat Pakistan in CWG 2022

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Smriti shines as India beat Pakistan in CWG 2022

While his captain R B Ramesh was more pragmatic. He said, “In any professional sport, one has to be ready for any type of position and situations.”…reports Asian Lite News

All the six Indian Teams in fray in both sections of the 44th Chess Olympiad being played here won their matches to maintain a clean slate.

The India A Team ranked second beat Greece with a 3-1 score, Team B trounced Switzerland 4-0 and Team C beat Iceland 3-1. The Indian women won their third-round matches to keep up perfect scores. India A defeated England 3-1, India B scored over Indonesia 3-1 and India C beat Austria 2.5-1.5.

The highlight of Sunday’s round was Ramesh Babu Praggnanandhaa playing for Team B and wriggling out of an inferior position, which appeared totally lost at one point against Swiss grandmaster Yannick Pelletier.

The teenager, without giving up, continued to pose problems, making it difficult for his opponent to find the winning way. Pelletier fell short on time, missed his way and ended on the losing side on the 67th turn.

Pragg wasn’t satisfied despite winning a point as he said, “I have played badly and this point doesn’t give me any joy and I struggled throughout this game in a bad position”.

While his captain R B Ramesh was more pragmatic. He said, “In any professional sport, one has to be ready for any type of position and situations.”

Last minute entrant Indian women c team defeated Austria by a narrow 2.5-1.5 score to win their third-round match.

The women’s A Team also looked poised to win their match against England.

In the Open section, all the three Indian teams clinched their third-round matches against Greece, Switzerland and Iceland respectively even though one game in each team was still in progress.

Koneru Humpy was rested today and Harika took over on the top board for her first game at this Olympiad which incidentally is her 9th one along with two virtual ones.

The 31-year-old Harika is in the advanced stages of her first pregnancy and was playing Jovanka Houska of England on the top board for India A team. Harika opted for the Queen’s gambit and declined variation against Jovanka as fortunes fluctuated throughout this game.

The players indulged in a spate of exchanges at regular intervals to enter a rook and three pawn each ending and with no progress possible, decided to split the point on the 40th turn.

A disappointed Harika quipped, “The game was balanced with the position fluctuating only slightly and I never had enough advantage to press.”

WGM Nandhidhaa P V representing team c was the first player to gain a point, courtesy a walkover by Chiara Polterauer who is unwell.

Nadhidhaa who has notched 3 points in 3 outings said, “This is my first Olympiad and I am playing in my home town Chennai and this is enough to give me extra energy. In my opinion ratings and seedings don’t matter. Even our team has a chance to be amongst the medals and we are ready to give our best.”

Eesha Karavade enhanced her space advantage in a Sicilian Defence game against Katharina Newrkla with the latter playing passively.

A centralised knight and well posted pieces indicated winning possibilities for Eesha but the game abruptly ended in a draw after 27 moves with most pieces still gracing the board.

Representing Team A, Harikrishna played an exciting game in a Catalan Opening against Dimitri Mastrovasilis, one which was replete with fireworks. Harikrishna was at his tactical best and launched an attack with a bishop sacrifice on the 24th turn. Black’s castle was ripped open and a well posted knight in enemy territory started creating problems for the black King, especially with the queen also joining the action.

Harikrishna then offered the sacrifice of his second bishop on the 28th turn which was promptly rejected.

However, with Harikrishna’s pieces swarming around the Black King, Dimitri decided to resign on the 29th turn.

Harikrishna was happy with the proceedings and summed up, “I gave a lot of thought before sacrificing the double bishops as I wanted to ensure my calculations were right and reckoned that if it didn’t work out in a checkmating position, I held sufficient advantage to walk towards victory.”

ALSO READ-India’s Harika targets medal at 44th Chess Olympiad

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All 6 Indian teams win matches on 3rd day of Chess Olympiad

Fox News says that Americans are already looking forward to 2024, and the majority of voters revealed they do not want either Biden or Trump to run for President, and so does a recent Suffolk University/USA Today…reports Asian Lite News

Amid predictions of a Trump vs Biden rematch in 2024, polls suggest voters want neither, but a new face with a focused agenda to repair the economy, the job market and control rising prices of groceries and gas, and eventually the 40-year-high inflation ahead of the winter.

Odds seem stacked against the Democrats in the upcoming Nov mid-term polls, with President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ ratings plummeting by the day and Donald Trump with a wafer-thin edge over the incumbent President.

The battle of the ballot is going to be over the Biden administration’s efforts to rejuvenate the economy and rid it of inflation, fears of recession, control soaring house rentals, properties, grocery prices, shortage of raw materials, scarcity of baby food formulas vs Trump’s ability to survive the tearing pieces of evidence of his alleged collaboration in assembling and inciting a riotous mob at the Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021 to not to certify Biden’s election.

However, how much of this is going to weigh in with the voters in midterms and in the primaries with the party members and funders for both the ex and incumbent is the big question.

Most Democrats want someone other than Biden to run for president in 2024 – but he could still beat Trump, says CNBC quoting a poll. Only 26 per cent of Democrats said they would prefer him to be their party’s candidate in the 2024 election, and 64 per cent want someone else, a new poll survey has found. Biden’s age (82 in November this year) and job performance were the top reasons cited by Democrats on why they wanted a candidate other than Biden to be the party nominee, The New York Times/Siena College poll found.

Just 13 per cent of voters of all kinds say the US is “on the right track”, while 77 per cent said it was “headed in the wrong direction”. However, Biden would likely defeat Trump again if the election were held now, the survey suggested, with 44 per cent of voters selecting him, compared to 41 per cent for Trump.

While that finding is potentially very bad news for Biden’s reelection hopes, the poll has even worse news when it comes to younger Democratic voters and for how all voters see the country’s direction. A whopping 94 per cent of Democrats who are less than 30 years old said they want someone besides Biden, the survey found.

A Gallup poll last week that found that just 33 per cent of respondents believe Biden deserves to be reelected, while 67 per cent said he does not deserve a second term. That is 4 percentage points lower than the level of support for reelection Trump saw in an April 2018 poll, which came more than two years before he faced Biden.

In the Times/Siena poll, the top problems that voters believe are facing the US were the economy, which 20 per cent of respondents identified as the most important problem, followed by “inflation and the cost of living”, which 15 per cent identified. Eleven per cent of respondents identified “the state of democracy” or “political division” as their top concern, while 10 per cent said gun policies were the most important problem.

Abortion and women’s rights were cited as the top concern for 5 per cent of respondents. The Supreme Court in a major ruling on June 24 said there is no federal right to abortion, reversing a nearly half-century-old opinion that it issued in the Roe v. Wade case. The decision is expected to ultimately result in abortion being banned or more severely restricted than it previously was in nearly half of the US states.

UK’s The Guardian says on the Republican side of the ledger, “Someone else” (than Trump) also led, with 38.1 per cent of the vote.

Florida Governor Rino DeSantis has attracted 23.4 per cent support and Mike Pence, Trump’s Vice President, received 20.5 per cent.

Also attracting support were the former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, and Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton.

Fox News says that Americans are already looking forward to 2024, and the majority of voters revealed they do not want either Biden or Trump to run for President, and so does a recent Suffolk University/USA Today.

Roughly 68 per cent of voters said they do not want Biden to run again and 65 per cent do not want to see Trump make another run for the White House. Asked who in the Democratic Party voters would rather see run for President in 2024, Harris and Senator Bernie Sanders, tied for first place, with nearly 18 per cent support for each. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg received 16 per cent.

Among the other rumoured 2024 contenders, Senator Amy Klobuchar received 11 per cent, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez clocked in at 10 per cent, and California Governor Gavin Newsom garnered just 8 per cent.

DeSantis appears to be Trump’s toughest competition in 2024. But reports also suggest that Trump has been unbeatable head-to-head in any of the earlier bids at his presidency and 3rd bid will not buck the trend.

Trump received the most support with 43 per cent choosing him as their 2024 pick. DeSantis came in second place with 34 per cent support. While 8 per cent still remain undecided, 7 per cent said Pence would be their choice. Representative Liz Cheney, who is a member of the Jan 6 Committee, Haley and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie all received under 3 per cent of the vote.

Biden, who sees himself as the Democrat with the best chance of beating Trump, is suffering from anaemic approval ratings. Yet one top Democratic donor said the poll showing Biden beating Trump, who could announce a new run for the White House any day, is giving the President “some life at a time when he really needs it”.

Biden ran in the 2020 contest to end Trump’s presidency, saying no other Democrat could take him on and win after the Republican’s shocking win over Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016. Biden, Barack Obama’s Vice President for the previous eight years, didn’t run in 2016. Given Biden’s political problems, the 2024 scenario is setting itself up as quite the conundrum for Democrats.

“Trump is like a steroid boost for Democrats,” said Jim Kessler, Executive Vice President for policy at the centrist Democratic think tank Third Way.

He acknowledged that the November midterms are likely to be difficult for Democrats but said that a Trump reelection announcement could help boost turnout among the base.

ALSO READ-Asia Cup shifted from Sri Lanka to the UAE

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Asia Cup shifted from Sri Lanka to the UAE

The six-team Asia Cup will be played in the T20 format this year as a precursor to the T20 World Cup in Australia. The UAE also hosted the previous edition of the tournament, in the ODI format in 2018, an event that was won by India…reports Asian Lite News

The 2022 edition of the Asia Cup was on Wednesday officially shifted from Sri Lanka to the UAE. However, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will remain the hosts of the marquee multi-nation tournament, which will be played in middle-east Asia between August 27 and September 11.

The decision to move the tournament out of Sri Lanka was taken due to the ongoing political turmoil in the island nation.

“The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is eagerly looking forward to conducting its much-awaited Asia Cup tournament from August 27 th to September 11 th , 2022, as scheduled,” a Asian Cricket Council statement said.

“However, considering the prevailing situation in Sri Lanka, the ACC after extensive deliberation has unanimously concluded that it would be appropriate to relocate the tournament from Sri Lanka to the UAE,” it added.

Sri Lanka is going through one of its worst crisis with supplies of food and fuel drying up. The country has still been able to host bilateral cricket, with Australia and Pakistan making the trip over, but with the Asia Cup being a multi-team tournament, the challenges of hosting it in the midst of economic turmoil were considered a tough task.

BCCi secretary and ACC President Jay Shah said that every effort was made to host the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and the decision to shift the venue to the UAE was taken after much deliberation.

“Every effort was made to host the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and the decision to shift the venue to the UAE was taken after much deliberation. The UAE will be the new venue while Sri Lanka will continue to retain hosting rights. This edition of the Asia Cup is extremely important as it will help Asian nations prepare for the ICC World Cup, and I thank the SLC and the Emirates Cricket Board for their understanding and cooperation,” said Shah.

The six-team Asia Cup will be played in the T20 format this year as a precursor to the T20 World Cup in Australia. The UAE also hosted the previous edition of the tournament, in the ODI format in 2018, an event that was won by India.

“We were really looking forward to hosting our Asian neighbours in Sri Lanka for the much-anticipated Asia Cup,” SLC President Shammi Silva said.

“While I fully stand by the ACC’s decision to shift the Asia Cup to UAE considering the current context and magnitude of the event, Sri Lanka cricket will work closely with the ACC and the Emirates Cricket Board to ensure that we still have an exciting edition of the Asia Cup,” he added.

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India’s Harika targets medal at 44th Chess Olympiad

Pregnant in the advanced stages, Harika said she is still in the best possible shape mentally and is determined to give her best…reports Asian Lite News

Star India chess player Dronavalli Harika is raring to go all out and give her best shot to win a medal at the 44th Chess Olympiad, starting on Thursday in Mamallapurm, Chennai.

The 31-year-old has been the backbone of the Indian women’s team at the Olympiad for the last 18 years. Playing her eighth Olympiad in a row, Harika is in the process of setting the national record of continuous successive Olympiad appearances since she made her debut in 2004.

“I am optimistic about our chances but don’t want to put any pressure on ourselves. Of course, we are the top seeds on paper but at the end of the day, it matters on how we perform collectively,” Harika said.

Pregnant in the advanced stages, Harika said she is still in the best possible shape mentally and is determined to give her best.

“Off board I have tried to keep myself in the best shape possible and chess-wise have kept up my practice and played in some online chess events till last week to stay in touch. I am very happy with the Team composition and I am sure that we will be aspiring to perform above our capacity.”

The combination of Koneru Humpy on the top board and Harika on the second board offers an almost insurmountable barrier for their opponents and eases the pressure on the lower boards.

Aware of the challenges lying ahead of the team, Harika named Ukraine, Georgia, Poland, USA and Kazakhstan amongst the teams to watch out for at the event.

“All of us are intent on performing well so that sponsors get motivated to host more and more prestigious tournaments in India. The perception of chess has changed for the positive in India and hosting this Olympiad will have a big impact in all aspects of chess,” she added.

India’s best effort has been a fourth place in 2012 Olympiad in Turkey where Harika had secured an individual silver medal on the second board.

Harika is one of the most decorated Indian players having won numerous medals at age categories and in open categories. She is a ‘Padmashree’ awardee and one of the most solid and consistent players on the Indian chess scene and this time too she promises, “I have mentally willed to give my best.”

India is hosting the prestigious event for the first-time ever and it will go on till August 10.

ALSO READ-India to host 2025 Women’s World Cup

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India to host 2025 Women’s World Cup

Speaking of India as host for the 2025 grand event, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said it’s a step in the right direction for the popularity of women’s cricket…reports Asian Lite News

India will host the 2025 Women’s World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Tuesday.

Apart from India, Bangladesh and England will host T20 World Cups in 2024 and 2026 respectively, while Sri Lanka, subject to their qualifying for the tournament, will host the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy in 2027.

The venues for the four marquee women’s global events, which are part of the next cycle of the ICC’s Future Tours Programme, were ratified by the ICC Board on Tuesday in Birmingham, on the final day of the global cricket body’s annual conference.

The ICC said that the hosts were finalized through a “competitive bidding process” and each bid was reviewed by the board sub-committee chaired by Martin Snedden along with Clare Connor, Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Skerritt.

“We are delighted to have awarded ICC women’s white ball events to Bangladesh, India, England and Sri Lanka. Accelerating the growth of the women’s game is one of the ICC’s strategic priorities and taking these events to some of our sport’s biggest markets give us a fantastic opportunity to do that and deepen its connection with cricket’s one billion plus fans,” said ICC Chairman Greg Barclay in a statement.

India will host the Women’s ODI World Cup for the fifth time, in 2025, and its first global women’s tournament since 2016 when the T20 World Cup ran parallel to the men’s event. The 2025 edition is set to be similar to the 2022 edition, with eight teams taking part and playing a total of 31 matches.

Speaking of India as host for the 2025 grand event, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said it’s a step in the right direction for the popularity of women’s cricket.

“India hosted the 50-over women’s World Cup in 2013 and the sport has undergone tremendous transformation since then. The popularity of women’s cricket is rapidly rising, and this is a step in the right direction. The BCCI will work closely with the ICC and fulfil all the requirements,” said Ganguly.

Meanwhile, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said that the board “will leave no stone unturned to make it a memorable event” and how they are expecting the ICC tournament to boost the popularity of the sport further.

“We are taking several steps to raise the profile of the sport right from the grassroots level and hosting the World Cup will further boost the popularity of the sport in the country. The BCCI remains committed to women’s cricket in India. We have the infrastructure in place, and I am confident we will have a very successful edition of the World Cup,” said Shah.

England will be hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time since 2009.

“We saw back in 2017 how hosting the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup captured people’s imagination and I’ll never forget watching Heather Knight lift the trophy on that magical day at a sold-out Lord’s,” ECB Interim CEO Clare Connor said.

“Women’s cricket has developed rapidly since then, from the numbers of girls picking up bats through All Stars and Dynamos, joining clubs, and being able to progress on a pathway to the highest levels of performance. We’re seeing right now the positive impact that the Women’s Euros is having for football, and hosting this global cricket event will give us another incredible opportunity to inspire even more girls to pick up a bat and ball,” she added.

Bangladesh in turn will be hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup for the second time around.

As per ICC, the inaugural edition of the Women’s ICC Champions Trophy, set to be held by Sri Lanka, will be based on the T20 format. It will be held in February 2026, with six teams competing for the trophy across 16 matches.

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Paddy Upton joins India support staff under Dravid

The 53-year-old has already joined Team India ahead of their five-match T20I series against the two-time champions, a Cricbuzz report said…reports Asian Lite News

Paddy Upton has joined India’s support staff under head coach Rahul Dravid in the West Indies as the mental conditioning coach, ahead of the Men’s T20 World Cup later this year.

Between 2008 and 2011, Upton was part of India’s support staff as assistant to Gary Kirsten – the then coach – in a similar capacity, a stint that culminated in Team India’s World Cup win under MS Dhoni. Upton then teamed up with Kirsten with the South Africa team that went on to become the No. 1 Test team in 2013.

The 53-year-old has already joined Team India ahead of their five-match T20I series against the two-time champions, a Cricbuzz report said.

It has been learnt that Upton’s appointment has been done on the recommendation of Dravid. The pair have worked together previously, in early 2010s during the latter’s playing career and subsequently at Rajasthan Royals and the erstwhile Delhi Daredevils, where they served as mentor and coach respectively.

Upton has also served as Performance Director of the South Africa team and later as head coach on the T20 circuit with stints at Sydney Thunder (BBL) and Lahore Qalandars (PSL) besides his role in the IPL. Most recently, he served as the ‘Team Catalyst’ at Rajasthan Royals, who reached their first IPL final since the 2008 season.

Notably, India have a packed schedule ahead of them before the T20 World Cup in Australia. Post the five-match series against the West Indies, they will play a short ODI series in Zimbabwe, the Asia Cup in August before subsequent white-ball assignments at home against Australia and South Africa.

ALSO READ-Boxer Lovlina alleges mental harassment at CWG Village

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Boxer Lovlina alleges mental harassment at CWG Village

The BFI said that the federation is closely working with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) so that Sandhya Gurung, coach of Lovlina Lovlina Borgohain, could be a part of the team in Birmingham…reports Asian Lite News

With just three days left for the Commonwealth Games to kick-start, Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist boxer Lovlina Borgohain on Monday took to social media to share her ordeal where she alleged that she had been going through ‘mental harassment’ due to her coaches being frequently changed.

The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has issued a statement on Monday, saying that the federation is trying to give her all kinds of support.

Reacting to the post of Lovlina Borgohain, the Sports Ministry tweeted, “We have urged the Indian Olympic Association to immediately arrange for the accreditation of the coach of Lovlina Borgohain.”

The BFI said that the federation is closely working with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) so that Sandhya Gurung, coach of Lovlina Lovlina Borgohain, could be a part of the team in Birmingham.

“Only 33 per cent of the playing contingent is allowed as ‘Support Staff’ which in BFI’s case for the 12 boxers (8 men and 4 women) stands to be 4 support staff, (including coaches) who were to travel with the Team to Burmingham,” BFI said.

“Boxing Federation of India ensured that Sandhya Gurung was at the training camp in Ireland. BFI is closely working with IOA so that Sandhya Gurung could be a part of the team in Birmingham. In the meanwhile, delegate transport and accommodation at ETO’s hotel has been already provided to her,” BFI said in a release.

“The requirements of boxing with respect to coaches and support staff is a little different as there are multiple bouts, which could be one after another. The IOA understood BFI’s point of view and therefore, extended help with maximum possible additional support staff. With IOA’s help the number of support staff went up from 4 to 8 for the entire contingent of 12 boxers,” the BFI said.

The star boxer said that her preparations for the major events have been constantly impacted because of her coaches, who helped her to a historic medal in Tokyo, being removed without explanations.

In a tweet, the 24-year-old boxer from Assam said that she has been facing problems in training after authorities denied entry to her coaches in the Commonwealth Games Village.

Lovlina said that one of her coaches has been sent home and another has been denied entry to the Commonwealth Games Village.

“Today with great sorrow I want to reveal that harassment is going on with me. The coaches who helped me win the Olympic medal were removed which hindered my training process. One of the coaches is Sandhya Gurungji, who is a Dronacharya awardee. Both of my coaches have to plead to be included in the training camp and they are added quite late,” Lovlina said in a tweet.

“Right now my coach Sandhya Gurungji is outside Commonwealth Village. With all this, my training process has stopped exactly 8 days before the games. My second coach has also been sent back to India. This happened even after I made many requests, due to which I have suffered a lot of mental harassment. I don’t know how to focus in the game. Due to this my last world championship was also spoiled. And because of this politics I do not want to spoil my CWG. I hope that I could break this politics and win a medal for my country. Jai Hind,” she wrote.

The boxer sealed the berth in the Indian team for the CWG in the 70 kg event with a dominating 7-0 win against Railways Pooja in the selection trials held in Delhi.

Lovlina scripted history when she won the women’s 69 kg bronze medal at Tokyo 2020, becoming the third Indian boxer to win a medal at the Olympics after Vijender Singh (bronze at Beijing 2008) and Mary Kom (bronze at London 2012).

IOA, Sports ministry take note of Lovlina’s tweet

The Sports Ministry and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) were quick to take note of the allegations made by Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist boxer Lovlina Borgohain against the authorities for derailing her preparations for the Commonwealth Games.

Responding to Lovlina’s tweet, the IOA said in a statement that it has taken cognizance of the concern raised by team India boxer Lovlina on social media regarding her coach Sandhya Gurung’s accreditation at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“The matter of Ms. Gurung’s accreditation was a late request received following the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee’s Delegation Registration Meeting with the national delegations. However, given the 1OA places the convenience of the Indian athletes at the highest level, a special request has been made to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee on a priority basis to provide Ms. Gurung with the requisite accreditation,” the IOA said in a release.

Earlier, the sports ministry had directed the IOA to arrange the accreditation for Lovlina’s coach Sandhya Gurung.

“We have urged the Indian Olympic Association to immediately arrange for the accreditation of the coach of Lovlina Borgohain,” the tweet read.

The Indian boxing squad arrived at the Games Village in Birmingham on Sunday night, following a 15-day training camp in Ireland.

However, Lovlina’s personal coach Sandhya Gurung was not allowed entry after she failed to produce an accreditation. Lovlina then took to Twitter and shared her plight in a long post.

The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has also issued a statement on Monday, saying that the federation is trying to give her all kinds of support.

The BFI said that the federation is closely working with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) so that Sandhya Gurung, coach of Lovlina Lovlina Borgohain, could be a part of the team in Birmingham.

“Only 33 per cent of the playing contingent is allowed as ‘Support Staff’ which in BFI’s case for the 12 boxers (8 men and 4 women) stands to be 4 support staff, (including coaches) who were to travel with the Team to Burmingham,” BFI said in a release.

“The Boxing Federation of India ensured that Sandhya Gurung was at the training camp in Ireland. BFI is closely working with IOA so that Sandhya Gurung could be a part of the team in Birmingham. In the meanwhile, delegate transport and accommodation at ETO’s hotel has been already provided to her.”

“The requirements of boxing with respect to coaches and support staff is a little different as there are multiple bouts, which could be one after another. The IOA understood BFI’s point of view and therefore, extended help with maximum possible additional support staff. With IOA’s help the number of support staff went up from 4 to 8 for the entire contingent of 12 boxers,” BFI said.

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