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NAVI MUMBAI: South Africa have won the toss and decided to bowl first against India after a two-hour rain delay in the ICC Women’s World Cup final here at the DY Patil Stadium on Sunday.

South Africa and India are unchanged for the summit clash and will aim for history to secure their first World Cup title in the tournament’s 52-year history.

Playing XIs

India XI: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh

South Africa XI: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba

READ: Salah’s 250th Liverpool goal sinks Villa as Arsenal cruise at Burnley

Mohamed Salah’s 250th Liverpool goal ended the Premier League champions’ losing streak in a 2-0 win against Aston Villa, while leaders Arsenal beat Burnley to surge seven points clear on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Manchester United were held to a 2-2 draw at struggling Nottingham Forest, and Chelsea won 1-0 at London rivals Tottenham.

After losing their previous four league games and six of their last seven in all competitions, spluttering Liverpool finally showed signs of life at Anfield.

Arne Slot’s troubled team were gifted their opening goal in first-half stoppage time when Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez’s wayward pass was intercepted by Salah, who slotted into the empty net for his fifth goal this season.

The Egyptian forward’s milestone 250th goal in all competitions for Liverpool was followed by Ryan Gravenberch’s 58th-minute deflected strike, wrapping up the Reds’ first league victory since they beat Everton on September 20.

Liverpool’s win, which leaves them third but seven points behind Arsenal, was well-timed ahead of a crucial week featuring clashes with Real Madrid and Manchester City.

Arsenal eased past Burnley 2-0, creating a five-game winning streak in the league to position themselves as firm favourites to end their painful two-decade wait to be crowned English champions.

Viktor Gyokeres headed the Gunners ahead following a Declan Rice corner in the first half at Turf Moor for his first league goal since mid-September — yet more joy for the set-piece specialists.

England midfielder Rice himself headed home to double the visitors’ lead in the 35th minute and put them in total control.

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Arsenal, who have now won nine games in a row in all competitions, have enviable options in attack, but their team is built on a rock-solid defence that has conceded just three league goals in 10 games this season.

Manchester United, seeking their fourth straight league win, led 1-0 at the City Ground courtesy of Casemiro’s first-half opener.

But Forest, who had not scored a league goal since September 20, roared back after the break as their confidence flooded back.

Morgan Gibbs-White headed the home side level in the 48th minute before Nicolo Savona tapped in just two minutes later to complete a dramatic turnaround.

But Amad Diallo levelled with a sweet volley in the 81st minute to rescue a point for United, who have been much improved in recent weeks after a poor start to the season.

Ruben Amorim, marking a year since his appointment as United manager, was disappointed to drop points but encouraged by his team’s mentality.

Forest, who last month appointed Sean Dyche as manager to replace the sacked Ange Postecoglou, remain in the relegation zone, four points behind 17th-placed Burnley.

Chelsea maintained their impressive record against Tottenham, winning 1-0 courtesy of a goal from Joao Pedro for a fifth straight Premier League victory over the north Londoners.

Enzo Maresca’s fifth-placed side trails fourth-placed Tottenham on goal difference.

Rock-bottom Wolves, reduced to 10 men in the first half following the dismissal of Emmanuel Agbadou, are eight points from safety after a miserable 3-0 defeat at Fulham.

Crystal Palace beat Brentford 2-0 and Brighton pummelled Leeds 3-0.

READ: WATCH: CM Punk defeats Jey Uso to become World Heavyweight Champion

SALT LAKE: In a night packed with drama and redemption, CM Punk knocked out Jey Uso in Saturday Night’s Main Event here at the Delta Center to become the seventh-time WWE World Champion.

Punk successfully regained the Championship after defeating Uso and held it for more than five minutes.

 

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Earlier, Rollins was set to compete; however, he vacated the title because of injury. Punk came in the match on the back of winning the triple threat match, while Uso secured a victory in a battle royal to earn the spot in a bid to win the championship title.

The match remained competitive throughout, with Punk hitting his final Go to Sleep move, pinning Uso to win the title.

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Following a slow start, the game ended with a powerful finish. In the second half, there were numerous close calls, with both wrestlers utilizing their final moves. Eventually, Punk smashed several GTS finishers and pinned down his opponent.

After the match, CM Punk celebrated in style with Jey Uso looking on, experiencing the sting of defeat yet again.

Post-match, Punk celebrated with the pyro going off, while Uso was forced to watch on, feeling the agony of defeat yet again.

With this win, CM Punk is now a seven-time WWE World Champion and a ten-time World Champion overall in his career.

READ: Kane Williamson retires from T20Is

New Zealand batting great Kane Williamson announced his retirement from Twenty20 internationals on Sunday, saying the team needed “clarity” ahead of next year’s World Cup.

Williamson will depart the shortest format as his country’s second-highest run-scorer, tallying 2,575 runs from 93 matches, including 18 half-centuries, at an average of 33.4.

He captained New Zealand to the final of the 2021 T20 World Cup – where he scored 85 in a losing cause against Australia – and to semi-final appearances in 2016 and 2022.

Williamson relinquished the captaincy in both white ball formats when signing a “casual” contract with NZ Cricket, allowing him to pick and choose his availability.

Last week, the 35-year-old confirmed that he would be cutting back on his international commitments to focus more time on his young family and playing in professional white-ball leagues.

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“It’s the right time for myself and the team. It gives the team clarity for the series moving forward and ahead of their next major focus, which is the T20 World Cup,” Williamson said in a statement.

“There’s so much T20 talent there, and the next period will be important to get cricket into these guys and get them ready for the World Cup.”

Williamson will miss the home T20 series against the West Indies starting on Wednesday and has also made himself unavailable for the subsequent ODI series.

However, he will be available for three Tests against the tourists in December, where he will look to add to his New Zealand record 9276 runs in the longest format.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Scott Weenink said Williamson had earned the right to determine how he plays out the rest of his international career.

“We’ve made it clear to Kane he has our full support as he reaches the back end of his illustrious career,” Weenink said.

“We would, of course, love to see him play for as long as possible, but there’s no doubt whenever he does decide to finally call time, he will go down as a legend of New Zealand cricket.”

READ: Babar Azam steers Pakistan to series-clinching win over South Africa

WELLINGTON: Blair Tickner and Zakary Foulkes made decisive contributions with bat and ball to secure a tense two-wicket win for New Zealand over England on Saturday and a clean sweep of the three-match ODI series.

The two tailenders put on an unbroken stand of 30 for the ninth wicket to lift the home side to 226-8 in the 45th over after England had once again struggled with the bat to be dismissed for 222.

Seamers Tickner and Foulkes took six wickets between them after England collapsed to 44-5, the visitors’ top-order failing once again.

The dismal form of Test batsmen Ben Duckett and Joe Root will be of concern less than three weeks from the start of the Ashes Test series in Australia.

England’s top four made a total of 84 runs across the three matches, the fewest by any team in a comparable men’s ODI series or tournament.

England were dismissed for 223 in the opening match and 175 in the second.

Captain Harry Brook said his players never adjusted to the movement extracted by New Zealand’s pace bowlers in seam-friendly conditions.

“We didn’t quite get big enough scores to be able to defend them and give the bowlers the best chance to win us the game,” Brook said.

“New Zealand are the second-best team in the world for a reason. They’ve outplayed us in this series. We just haven’t been good enough.”

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Tickner (4-64) claimed four wickets for the second successive game, while Foulkes (2-27) removed Jamie Smith and Root inside the first four overs.

Foulkes’ new-ball partner Jacob Duffy (3-56) then accounted for Duckett, Brook and Jacob Bethell.

Jamie Overton’s maiden ODI half-century was the foundation of an England recovery, with the all-rounder the last man out for 68 in the 41st over.

Brydon Carse also achieved a career-best score in the format, blasting four sixes on his way to 36.

New Zealand opener Rachin Ravindra scored a bright 46 and Daryl Mitchell continued his fine form with 44, but a steady loss of wickets set up an exciting finish.

Overton and Sam Curran took two wickets each, while the home side lost two batsmen to the same unfortunate means of dismissal.

Devon Conway and Tom Latham were both run out, caught short of their crease at the bowler’s end following the deflection of straight drives from another batsman.

Foulkes was unbeaten on 14 and Tickner not out 18, with their late heroics extending New Zealand’s exceptional run of ODI results on home soil.

New Zealand have won 25 of 29 ODI matches on home turf since February 2019, with two losses and two no-results.

READ: 13-year-old Mahnoor Ali creates history in Pakistan Squash

KARACHI: Pakistan’s 13-year-old Mahnoor Ali etched her name into the record books by becoming the youngest player in the country’s history to qualify for an international squash event.

She has qualified for the 3rd Chief of Naval Staff International PSA Satellite Championship ($3000) on Saturday.

The tournament, currently underway at the RK JK Squash Complex in Karachi, has drawn top local and international players.

But it’s the young prodigy from Pakistan who has stolen the spotlight, earning her place through sheer talent, composure, and grit beyond her years.

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This achievement not only cements Mahnoor’s place as one of Pakistan’s most promising young athletes but also signals a powerful resurgence for the country’s long-celebrated squash legacy.

Earlier this year, Mahnoor Ali had already made waves on the international circuit when she clinched a silver medal at the 32nd Asian Junior Squash Championships held in Gimcheon, South Korea.

Seeded 3/4 in the Girls’ U-13 category, she displayed remarkable control and dominance, defeating India’s Anika Kalanki 11-6, 11-2, 11-3 in the quarterfinals before advancing to the final with ease.

READ: Social media fooled by AI video of ‘sky stadium’ for Saudi World Cup

An AI-generated video claiming to show one of the football stadiums for the 2034 FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia made waves on social media this week, but it has nothing to do with the kingdom’s official plans.

The video of a glowing arena built atop a towering skyscraper was shared by thousands of social media accounts, with millions of users believing it was the official visual revealed by Saudi Arabia.

While Riyadh has unveiled plans to build a football area on top of a real estate complex in The Line, a futuristic new megacity project, the official plans bear no resemblance to the clip that went viral in recent days.

“This design is completely fake and bears no resemblance to anything Saudi Arabia is planning. It appears in no official sources,” a source close to the matter told AFP.

Several French media outlets, which had referred to the viral video as a representation of the kingdom’s official project, have since deleted or updated their articles.

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AFP’s digital investigation team traced the video to the Instagram account “hyporaultraworks”, which regularly posts AI-generated content of futuristic stadiums.

The video was described as “an aerial flyby of a skyscraper stadium design” in the caption. The account holder told AFP on Friday that they were the original creator of the viral clip.

“What started as a simple AI concept has taken on a life of its own; over 50 million views later, our ‘Sky Stadium’ design has gone global (and slightly off the rails),” the user also wrote on their Facebook page.

“I had no idea about any Saudi project when I made this,” they said, adding it was “purely an imaginative AI concept, exploring what a vertical, skyscraper-style football stadium could look like.”

Saudi Arabia is spending big on infrastructure as the desert nation prepares to host the world’s biggest football event in 2034.

READ: Pakistan’s Rashid Naseem sets four World Records in Romania

Pakistan’s Rashid Naseem delivered a stunning performance in Romania, setting four new world records in the famous international TV show “The Ticket.”

Known for his unmatched precision, speed, and raw power, Rashid stunned the live audience and judges alike as he broke multiple records back-to-back.

He began by breaking concrete blocks with his elbow, then crushed cans blindfolded, hammered a nail with his head, and smashed coconuts and soda cans, earning a standing ovation from the crowd.

Beyond his record-breaking display, Rashid also showcased Pakistan’s culture by presenting Sindhi Ajraks to the judges and fellow participants, a gesture that drew warm applause and admiration.

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Having already represented Pakistan in countries like Italy, Germany, Spain, Korea, China, Singapore, and now Romania, Rashid continues to wave the national flag high, without any government backing.

“It’s not easy to set world records and appear on international shows without support, but I never gave up. I just hope one day my hard work will be recognised at the national level,” he said.

Rashid Naseem remains Pakistan’s most decorated martial artist, holding the most individual world records not just in the country but across the globe.

He has surpassed over 40 Indian records and broken benchmarks previously held by athletes from England, China, Italy, Iran, Egypt, Germany, Serbia, and Switzerland.

Explained: Why second India-South Africa Test will have Tea before Lunch?

The upcoming second Test between India and South Africa in Guwahati is reportedly set to feature a tea interval before the lunch break.

The Test, starting November 22 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, will not only mark the venue’s debut as India’s newest Test ground but will also see the tea interval preceding the lunch break.

This unusual arrangement stems from Guwahati’s geographical location on India’s eastern edge, where daylight fades much earlier than in the western parts of the country.

Since India follows a single time zone, the early sunset has forced match officials to tweak the playing hours.

As a result, the day’s play will begin at 9:00 AM local time and end by 4:00 PM, with sessions divided as follows:

• First session: 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
• Second session: 11:20 AM – 1:20 PM
• Final session: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM (extendable till 4:30 PM if needed)

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Unlike the usual order of lunch followed by tea, the Guwahati Test will have a 20-minute tea interval first, followed by a 40-minute lunch break, a first in international cricket.

Interestingly, the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Test Match Playing Conditions do not prohibit the reversal.

Section 11.2.1 only specifies the duration of the two intervals, 40 minutes for lunch and 20 minutes for tea, and allows flexibility in timing with mutual agreement between boards and ICC approval.

There’s no clause mandating that lunch must precede tea.

READ: Shreyas Iyer discharged from hospital in Sydney

SYDNEY: India’s ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer was discharged from the Sydney hospital on Saturday following a spleen laceration he sustained during the third ODI against Australia on October 25.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Saturday that Iyer is now “stable and recovering well” after undergoing a minor procedure to stop internal bleeding.

He will remain in Sydney for further medical evaluation before returning to India once cleared fit to travel.

“The injury was promptly identified, and the bleeding was immediately arrested following a minor procedure,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said in a statement.

“He has undergone appropriate medical management for the same. The BCCI medical team, along with specialists in Sydney and India, are pleased with his recovery, and he has been discharged from the hospital today.”

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The 30-year-old was treated by Dr Koroush Haghighi and his team in Sydney, with assistance from Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala in India.

Iyer’s injury occurred when he completed a diving catch to dismiss Alex Carey during the Sydney ODI.

He was seen clutching his rib cage and signaling for medical attention before being taken off the field.

Subsequent scans revealed internal bleeding caused by a spleen laceration, leading to his ICU admission for observation.

India went on to win the final ODI by nine wickets but lost the three-match series 2–1. The visitors trail 1–0 in the T20I series currently underway in Australia.

READ: Salman Mirza reflects on match-winning spell against South Africa