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VISAKHAPATNAM: New Zealand captain Sophie Devine has called time on her One Day International (ODI) career following her last group-stage fixture against England in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.

Devine played her last match against the Three Lions here on Sunday, bringing the curtain down on a remarkable career spanning two decades.

The 36-year-old finished with the second-longest ODI career for Black Caps, both men and women. She made her debut in 2017 at 17.

Devine played 159th and final ODI against England at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam, scoring 23 off 35 balls and picking up a wicket.

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Following the match, Devine was given a guard of honour by both teams

“Not to make it about myself, but we wanted to go out on a high, but that didn’t happen today. Credit to England. I actually didn’t cry as much as I thought I would,” she said.

“Good thing about announcing retirement so early meant that I had time to deal with those emotions. It wasn’t about the result today but just finish it off with my mates. I’m just so humbled that I have been able to do this for 19 years,” Devine said after the match,” she continued.

Overall, she scored 4279 runs at an average of 32.66 with the help of nine centuries and 18 fifties.

Besides batting, she also delivered with the ball, scalping 111 wickets, with her best figures of 3/24 against West Indies in 2018.

However, her side had a poor run in the World Cup, finishing at sixth position ahead of Pakistan and Bangladesh.

READ: Women’s World Cup: England thrash New Zealand in final group match

RAWALPINDI: The trophy for the three-match T20I series between Pakistan and South Africa has been unveiled here on Sunday.

Both captains, Salman Ali Agha of Pakistan and South Africa’s stand-in skipper, Donovan Ferreira, posed with the trophy.

The Proteas will enter the field without their key player, David Miller, who was ruled out of the tour due to an injury. Miller was previously named as the captain for the Pakistan tour.

The T20I series will begin on October 28 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, followed by the remaining two matches held on October 31 and November 2 at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

Catch Pakistan vs South Africa news updates here!

Notably, Pakistan will wear a special pink-themed kit in the opening T20I against as part of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) initiative to support breast cancer awareness.

The home side will sport specially designed pink-themed kits, while South Africa’s players and match officials will wear pink ribbons in solidarity.

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Following the T20I series, the tour will then shift to Faisalabad, where both teams will contest a three-match ODI series from November 4 to 8 at the Iqbal Stadium, marking the city’s first international fixture in over 17 years.

For the unversed, Faisalabad last hosted an ODI on April 11, 2008, when Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets.

South Africa Squad

T20I squad: Donovan Ferreira (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi, Matthew Breetzke, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Tony de Zorzi, Andile Simelane, Lizaad Williams.

Pakistan Squad

Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wicket-keeper), Usman Tariq

Reserves: Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Moqim

READ: Women’s World Cup: England thrash New Zealand in final group match

VISAKHAPATNAM: Linsey Smith’s three-wicket haul, backed by a strong batting display, led England to a comfortable eight-wicket win over New Zealand here on Sunday in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.

Set a mere 169-run target, England hit the winning runs on the loss of two wickets with ease in 29.2 overs.

Amy Jones remained unbeaten with 86 from 92 balls, a knock peppered with 11 fours and a six, whereas Tammy Beaumont struck seven fours in her 38-ball 40.

For New Zealand, there was nothing much in the bowling charts like batting as Lea Tahuhu and Sophie Devine managed to scalp one wicket each.

Earlier, New Zealand could not capitalize on the decision to bat first as their innings folded on 168 all out in 38.2 overs.

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The Three Lions removed opener Suzie Bates in the fifth over, who departed after scoring just 10 from 16 balls.

Following the early wicket, Amelia Kerr and Georgia Plimmer added 68 runs for the second before the former’s wicket sparked a collapse that the White Ferns could not recover from.

The pair was removed on successive deliveries, reducing New Zealand to 89-3 in 19.1 overs. Kerr made 35 from 43 balls with the aid of five fours, and Plimmer scored 43 from 57 deliveries laced with seven fours.

Besides the pair, there were no significant contributions from the middle-order batters.

For England, Linsey Smith remained the star bowler with three wickets to her name. Alice Capsey and Nat Sciver-Brunt supported her well with two scalps apiece.

Playing XIs

MOUNT MAUNGANUI: England ODI skipper Harry Brook sent an early warning for Australia ahead of the 2025 Ashes with an imperious 135 against New Zealand at Bay Oval here on Sunday.

With the Ashes starting in a month’s time, England’s Test vice-captain Brook appears in fine form— a positive sign for the Three Lions’ batting lineup.

Brook smashed 135 from just 101 balls, albeit England ended on the losing side. However, the right-hander earned the player of the match award for his rescuing act.

Harry Brook came in to bat when the Three Lions were in deep waters with 5-3 in just 1.6 overs. However, he struck 11 sixes and nine fours, powering his side to a respectable 223 run total.

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The 26-year-old shattered multiple records during his knock, including the most sixes as a captain batting at number five or below in ODIs. His 135 was also the fifth-highest by an England captain at this position or below.

He also scored the highest percentage of runs made by an England batter in a completed men’s ODI innings.

According to Wisden, Brook’s knock accounted for 60.53 percent of England’s runs, making it the highest of England’s all-time.

Moreover, only two other batters in ODI history have smashed tons when the team score was three down for less than 10 runs. The other players are Pakistan’s Sarfaraz Ahmed – 105 from 3 for 2 against England in 2016 at Lord’s- and India’s Yuvraj Singh – 103 from 3 for 5 against South Africa in 2005 at Hyderabad.

Despite his record-breaking knock, England lost the match by four wickets, courtesy of Daryl Mitchell’s unbeaten 78 from 91 balls.

Blackcaps chased down the target in 36.4 overs with Mithcell hitting seven fours and two maximums.

Playing XIs

England: 1 Jamie Smith, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Joe Root, 4 Jacob Bethell, 5 Harry Brook (capt), 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Sam Curran, 8 Jamie Overton, 9 Brydon Carse, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Luke Wood.

New Zealand: 1 Will Young, 2 Rachin Ravindra, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Michael Bracewell, 7 Mitchell Santner (capt), 8 Zak Foulkes, 9 Nathan Smith, 10 Jacob Duffy, 11 Matt Henry.

READ: Brook’s sublime 135 in vain as New Zealand beat England

Captain Harry Brook’s brilliant century wasn’t enough to rescue England as hosts New Zealand eased to a four-wicket win in the first one-day international on Sunday.

Brook struck 11 sixes on his way to 135 in England’s modest score of 223, before New Zealand reached 224-6 in response with more than 13 overs remaining.

Daryl Mitchell hit the winning runs to be unbeaten on 78 at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui and put the Black Caps ahead 1-0 in the three-match series.

Victory was set up by a lethal early spell from New Zealand seamer Zakary Foulkes (4-41), who scythed through the top order, reducing England to 10-4 and then 56-6.

Brook led the recovery with a scintillating career-best ODI score.

He raised his ton with three successive sixes off Jacob Duffy before he was last man out in a rearguard 101-ball knock.

The 26-year-old surpassed his previous best score of 110 not out, against Australia in Chester-le-Street last year.

All-rounder Jamie Overton was the only other England batter to reach double figures, posting a career-best 46 in a seventh-wicket stand of 87 with Brook.

Earlier, veteran seamer Matt Henry (2-53) clean-bowled Jamie Smith from the first ball of the innings after England were sent in.

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Foulkes followed up with the prized wickets of Ben Duckett and Joe Root in his first over as England lost six wickets in seam-friendly conditions inside the first hour.

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner praised his new-ball pair, particularly Foulkes, who was playing only his second ODI.

New Zealand’s innings also began poorly, with seamer Brydon Carse (3-45) removing Will Young and Kane Williamson in his first over to leave them teetering at 24-3.

It was a first golden duck in 166 ODIs for New Zealand batting great Williamson, who was playing his first international match in nearly eight months.

Mitchell combined with Tom Latham (24) and Michael Bracewell (51) in solid middle-order stands.

Mitchell’s 91-ball knock should have ended on 33 when he lobbed a simple chance, but was dropped.

The remaining matches are in Hamilton on Wednesday and Wellington on Saturday.

England won the three-match T20 series 1-0 after two games were washed out by wet New Zealand weather.

READ: Virat Kohli surpasses Sangakkara to achieve THIS ODI milestone

LAHORE: The Pakistan wrestling team is set to participate in the Asian Youth Games 2025, currently underway in Bahrain from October 22 to 31, 2025

The team left from Allama Iqbal International Airport via a connecting flight through Dubai, accompanied by coach Inam Butt. The players include Abdul Rehman and Hasan Ali.

During the 3rd edition of the games, Pakistan wrestlers will compete in both Mat and Beach Wrestling on 28, 29, and 30 October.

Before the team’s departure, the Secretary General of Pakistan Wrestling Federation (PWF) extended his best wishes and expressed confidence in their success.

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Ahead of the event, PWF organized a two-month preparatory camp, during which elite wrestlers from across the country participated.

For the unversed, the 2025 Asian Youth Games are underway in Bahrain from October 22 to 31, 2025. It is the third edition of the event, and this is the first time Bahrain has hosted.

The event hosts various medal sports, including athletics, badminton, and boxing.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has already secured a bronze in the boys’ kabaddi event after beating Bangladesh in their fixture.

Besides, Kabaddi, the boys’ volleyball has started strong and continued their winning run with a 3-1 victory over Saudi Arabia in their second match in Group ‘E’ of the 1-8 Classification Round.

READ: Liverpool suffer fourth consecutive Premier League defeat at Brentford

Liverpool slumped to a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat as Brentford bullied the defending champions in a 3-2 win on Saturday.

Goals from Dango Ouattara, Kevin Schade, and Igor Thiago secured victory for the Bees, who climb to 10th in the table.

Liverpool slip to sixth and could be seven points adrift of leaders Arsenal by Sunday as their title defence has collapsed in spectacular style over the past month.

The Reds have lost five of their last six games in all competitions as Arne Slot appears lost for answers in how to develop a cohesive team from a Premier League record spend of nearly £450 million ($600 million) in the transfer window.

Liverpool struggled to deal with the flight of Michael Kayode’s throw-ins all night and one was the source of the opening goal.

Kristoffer Ajer flicked on the Italian’s wicked delivery and Ouattara volleyed in.

Despite Brentford’s lack of possession they continued to pose the greater goal threat.

Giorgi Mamardashvili tipped over Mikkel Damsgaard’s dipping strike.

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Damsgaard then created Brentford’s second with a brilliant through ball that saw Schade leave Ibrahima Konate trailing before firing low past Mamardashvili.

Liverpool have conceded at least twice in six of their nine league games this season.

Milos Kerkez’s struggles since a £40 million move from Bournemouth have played a major part in Liverpool’s implosion.

The Hungarian made amends for another shaky display when he turned in Conor Bradley’s cross five minutes into first half stoppage time.

Brentford were furious as the referee had signalled for only three minutes to be added.

However, the home side benefitted when a VAR intervention awarded a penalty for Virgil van Dijk’s kick on Ouattara on the hour mark.

A free-kick had initially been given, but replays showed the Liverpool captain made contact just inside the area.

Thiago sent Mamardashvili the wrong way and there was no way back for Liverpool after another disjointed and dispirited display from the defending champions.

Salah was denied by Sepp van den Berg’s desire to throw his body in the way of his shot with the chance to pull a goal back immediately.

The Egyptian did eventually end his six-game goal drought at club level in spectacular fashion by controlling Dominik Szoboszlai’s cross and smashing in off the underside of the bar in the 89th minute.

But it was too little, too late to slow Liverpool’s dramatic decline since the disruption of a squad overhaul in the summer and the grief caused by the shock death of Diogo Jota in a car accident in July.

READ: Virat Kohli surpasses Sangakkara to achieve THIS ODI milestone

SYDNEY: Virat Kohli added another milestone to his glittering career as he surpassed Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara to become the second-highest run-scorer in ODI history on Saturday.

The former Indian captain achieved this milestone during India’s third ODI against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

The Indian maestro crafted a composed 74 off 81 balls in a comfortable run chase that sealed a thumping win for India.

With this innings, Kohli took his tally to 14,255 runs in 305 matches, moving past Sangakkara’s 14,234 runs in 404 games.

Kohli now stands second only to Sachin Tendulkar, who leads the all-time list with 18,426 runs in 463 ODIs.

The 36-year-old’s ODI record remains phenomenal, with an average of 57.71, a strike rate of 93.26, and an astonishing 51 centuries along with 75 half-centuries.

Among the top ten run-getters in ODI cricket, he is the only batter with an average above 50.

With his latest knock, Kohli also went past Tendulkar’s tally for most white-ball runs in international cricket, further cementing his place among the modern greats.

Top five run-scorers in ODIs

• Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 18,426 runs
• Virat Kohli (India) – 14,255 runs
• Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) – 14,234 runs
• Ricky Ponting (Australia) – 13,704 runs
• Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) – 13,430 runs

READ: Australian Women’s cricketers harassed in Indore during World Cup 2025

Two players from the Australia women’s cricket team were reportedly subjected to inappropriate behaviour and harassment by a motorcyclist in Indore during the ongoing ICC World Cup 2025.

The incident took place on Thursday morning when the players were walking to a nearby cafe, a day after Australia’s win over England.

According to Cricket Australia (CA), the motorcyclist approached and inappropriately touched the players before fleeing the scene.

Catch ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 news updates here!

“CA can confirm two members of the Australian Women’s team were approached and touched inappropriately by a motorcyclist while walking to a café in Indore,” the board said in a statement, adding that the matter was promptly reported to local authorities.

The players immediately informed their team security officer, Danny Simmons, who coordinated with local security personnel to dispatch a vehicle to the location.

Indore police later confirmed that a suspect has been taken into custody in connection with the case.

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The incident has cast a shadow over Australia’s preparations for their final group-stage clash against South Africa on Saturday.

The defending champions currently top the table and need a win to cement their position and set up a semi-final showdown with India in Navi Mumbai on October 30.

If they falter, however, South Africa would leapfrog them to first place, meaning Australia would face England in the opening semi-final in Guwahati on October 29.

READ: Rohit, Kohli masterclass powers India to victory over Australia

SYDNEY: Veteran duo Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli rolled back the years with a vintage partnership as India cruised to a comprehensive victory over Australia in the third ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.

Chasing a modest target of 237, the visitors made light work of the pursuit, reaching 238-1 with 69 balls to spare in front of a packed SCG crowd.

Notably, Australia won the series 2-1, having won the first two games of the three-match series at Adelaide and Perth.

Rohit struck a magnificent unbeaten 121 off 125 balls, laced with 13 boundaries and three sixes, while Kohli provided steady support with a fluent 74 not out off 81 deliveries.

India got off to a strong start as Rohit and skipper Shubman Gill added 69 runs for the opening wicket before Josh Hazlewood dismissed Gill for 24.

From there, it was all about India’s two modern-day greats, who batted with authority and ease against an Australian attack that struggled for answers.

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Rohit reached his 33rd ODI century, timing the ball beautifully and barely offering a chance, while Kohli’s elegant strokeplay ensured there were no further hiccups as India wrapped up the win comfortably.

Earlier, Australia’s innings imploded after a steady start. From a promising 183/3, the hosts collapsed to 236 all out, losing their final seven wickets for just 53 runs.

Harshit Rana was the chief destroyer with 4-39, while Matt Renshaw top-scored with a patient 56.

Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh had earlier given Australia a brisk start before the Indian spinners applied the brakes. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar claimed two wickets apiece, triggering the middle-order collapse.

Renshaw fought hard to register his maiden ODI fifty but ran out of partners as India turned the screws. Cooper Connolly chipped in with 23 late on, but it was too little too late.

READ: Pakistan stars cleared to feature in BBL 15: Cricket Australia chief