England defeat India to seal semifinal berth in Women’s World Cup
Indore (PTI): England held their nerves to edge past India by four runs and book a place in the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup here on Sunday.
Electing to bat, England rode on skipper Heather Knight’s classy 109 off 91 balls (15x4, 1x6) -- in her 300th international appearance -- to post 288 for 8. Amy Jones contributed a solid 56 (68b, 8x4).
England were cruising at 249 for 3 in the 45th over before India’s bowlers, led by off-spinner Deepti Sharma (4/51) and debutant Shree Charani (2/68), triggered a collapse that saw them lose five wickets in the final five overs.
In reply, India mounted a strong chase through Smriti Mandhana (88), Harmanpreet Kaur (70) and Deepti Sharma (50), but fell agonisingly short at 284 for 6 in their 50 overs.
The result gave England their spot in the semifinals alongside Australia and South Africa, while India, having suffered their third straight defeat following losses to South Africa and Australia, are now in a do-or-die situation.
India will next face New Zealand in Navi Mumbai on Thursday.
Brief Scores:
England 288/8 in 50 overs (Heather Knight 109, Amy Jones 56; Deepti Sharma 4/51, Shree Charani 2/68) beat India 284/6 in 50 overs (Smriti Mandhana 88, Harmanpreet Kaur 70, Deepti Sharma 50; Nat Sciver-Brunt 2/47) by 4 runs.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
