ICC Women's T20 World Cup: India beat Australia by 17 runs in opening match
Sydney: Wrist spinner Poonam Yadav returned with a four-wicket haul as India outwitted Australia by 17 runs in the opening match to make a resounding start to the Women's T20 World Cup here on Friday.
Put into bat, India posted a below-par 132 for four in their stipulated 20 overs, riding on Shafali Verma's 15-ball 29 and an unbeaten 46-ball 49 from Deepti Sharma.
However, the visitors then returned to bowl out the hosts for 115 in 19.5 overs.
Australia were off to a good start to their chase with opener Alyssa Healy (51) making a 35-ball 51 laced with six boundaries and a six to anchor the chase initially.
However, Indian spinners led by Poonam triggered a collapse as Australia suddenly slipped to 82 for six. Poonam (4/19) snapped four wickets, two in successive deliveries of the 12th over to break the backbone of Australia's chase.
Ashleigh Gardner (34 off 36) tried her bit but didn't get any support from the other end.
Earlier, India frittered away a flying start to post 132 for 4 against defending champions Australia at the Sydney Showground stadium here on Friday.
Sent into bat, opener Shafali blasted 29 off 15 balls studded with five fours and a six but Jess Jonassen (2/24) took two wickets to reduce India to 47 for three.
Deepti (49 not out) and Jemimah Rodrigues (26) then added 53 runs to bring up the hundred.
India will next take on Bangladesh at Perth on February 24.
Brief Score:
India: 132 for 4 in 20 overs (Deepti Sharma 49, Shafali 29; Jess Jonaseen 2/24).
Australia: 115 in 19.5 overs (Alyssa Healy 51; Poonam Yadav 4/19).
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Viral video claiming Australian PM cancelled Pakistani visas after Bondi Beach attack is fake
New Delhi: A video circulating on social media claiming that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the cancellation of all Pakistani visas following the recent terror attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach has been found to be false and digitally manipulated.
The six-second clip was widely shared on X and Facebook. The video allegedly showed Albanese making the announcement in the aftermath of the December 14 attack.
An X user Tyagi (@mktyaggi) had shared the video on December 14. He claimed that the Australian government had decided to revoke all Pakistani visas after the incident and the post received nearly 50,000 views. A similar claim was amplified by another X account, Tiger Raja Satire (@TigerRajaSinggh), whose post garnered over 82,000 views and without verification, the video was also shared by multiple Facebook users
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A closer examination of the clip by Alt News revealed that the visible lip-sync discrepancies and suspicion about its authenticity. No credible reports of any Australian government decision to cancel Pakistani visas following the attack were found on any platforms.
To verify the source of the visuals, a reverse image search was conducted by Alt News, using key frames from the viral video. This led to several news reports published in August 2022 by The Sydney Morning Herald, Brisbane Times and The Age, which featured Anthony Albanese wearing the same attire and standing against the same backdrop. Those reports related to a parliamentary discussion on the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament and had no connection to the Bondi Beach incident.
There was no announcement regarding Pakistani visa holders during the press conference and authorities have also clarified that no link to Pakistan has been established in connection with the attack.
Police said, with roots in Tolichowki in Hyderabad, the attacker Sajid Akram had Indian lineage and had migrated to Australia in 1998 on a student visa. He had visited India only on a few occasions for family-related reasons. Officials further stated that the factors leading to the radicalisation of Sajid and his son did not appear to have any connection with India or local influences in Telangana. While Sajid held an Indian passport, his children were born in Australia and were Australian citizens.
