South Africa beat England enter maiden Women's T20 World Cup final, to face Australia in title clash
Cape Town, Feb 24: Pacers Shabnim Ismail and Ayabonga Khaka shared seven wickets between them as South Africa staged a spectacular fight-back to stun England by six runs and enter their maiden Women's T20 World Cup final here on Friday.
Openers Laura Wolvaardt (53) and Tazmin Britz (68) struck entertaining half-centuries to take South Africa to 164 for four in the second semifinal at Newlands.
The game went down to the wire thanks to the efforts of Ismail (3/27) and Khaka (4/29), who both came up with momentum changing overs. The 2009 champions England ended with 158 for eight in 20 overs.
Danielle Wyatt (34) and Sophia Dunkley (28) made a flying start to take England to 53 for no loss in five overs.
Star pacer Ismail brought back South Africa in the game with a double strike in the sixth over. Both Dunkley and incoming batter Alice Capsey (0) were caught at midwicket by Britz. The one-handed catch to dismiss Capsey off a short ball stood out among the four catches she took in the game.
With 81 needed off last 60 balls and eight wickets in hand, England were expected to complete the task before South Africa made a roaring comeback, egged on by a loud home crowd.
Medium pacer Khaka turned the game on its head by striking thrice in the 18th over, sending back Amy Jones, Sophie Ecclestone and Katherine Sciver-Brunt.
With 13 needed off the last over and England still had hope with skipper Heather Knight in the middle. Ismail got rid of her to seal a special result for South Africa.
Earlier, the hosts' star batter Wolvaardt and Britz shared a 96-run stand to lay the groundwork for a competitive total.
England's lead spinner Sophie Ecclestone was the pick of the bowlers taking three wickets for 22 runs in four overs.
It was a second successive fifty from the 23-year-old Wolvaardt whose innings comprised five fours and a glorious off-drive than went all the way for a six.
Ecclestone was the one to provide the breakthrough for England as Wolvaardt, trying to play on the on side, got a leading edge and was caught by Charlotte Dean.
Britz changed gears following her opening partner's dismissal. Her back to straight sixes off leggie Sarah Glenn was the highlight of her innings.
Ecclestone pulled things back in the death overs with wickets of Chloe Tyron and Nadine de Klerk in a three run over before Marizanne Kapp got a much needed 23 not out off 13 balls to take the total beyond 160.
Katherine Sciver-Brunt's last over went for 18 runs and included a boundary off a waist high full toss.
Kapp ended the innings on a high with back to back fours.
South Africa were able to collect 66 runs off the last six overs.
What a feeling for South Africa 🇿🇦#ENGvSA | #T20WorldCup | #TurnItUp pic.twitter.com/GW8y1tdvAv
— ICC (@ICC) February 24, 2023
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Bhojshala complex registered as 'mosque' in old revenue records: Muslim side to MP HC
Indore (PTI): The disputed Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex has historically been registered as a 'mosque' in revenue records and available sources don't clearly mention any Saraswati temple established by then-king Raja Bhoj, the Muslim side has told the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The Hindu community considers Bhojshala a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, while the Muslim side calls the 11th-century monument Kamal Maula Mosque. The disputed complex located in Dhar district is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
During the hearing before the HC's Indore bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi on Wednesday, Qazi Moinuddin questioned two PILs filed as intervenors in the Bhojshala case by an organisation named Hindu Front for Justice, one Kuldeep Tiwari and another individual.
Moinuddin claims to be a descendant of Sufi saint Maulana Kamaluddin Chishti and the 'Sajjadanashin' (spiritual head, guru, or successor of a Sufi shrine, khanqah, or religious site).
The PILs state that Bhojshala is actually a Saraswati temple and only Hindus should be granted the right to worship at the disputed complex.
Moinuddin's lawyer, Noor Ahmed Sheikh, claimed in the court that his client's ancestors, who are descendants of Maulana Kamaluddin Chishti, have historically held titles to the complex, and the site was also recorded as a "mosque" in government revenue records.
He contended that those associated with the management of the Kamal Maula Mosque, located within the complex, have been in "continuous and peaceful occupation" of the site for a long time.
Citing Muslim law, Sheikh argued that in the case of religious property, particularly a mosque or its related properties, officials such as the Sajjadanashin and Mutawalli (person entrusted with management, maintenance, and administration of a Waqf), and their descendants, not only have the right to intervene, but also have the right to manage and use such a structure.
Citing provisions of the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act 1904, the Muslim side's lawyer said the term "in-charge of the property" is used in this law, which makes it clear that the person or party who has been in charge of a property for a long time has rights over it.
During the hearing, Touseef Warsi, the lawyer representing the Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society of Dhar, claimed that Hindu parties in both PILs had made "misleading representations" regarding historical facts before the high court.
He further claimed that available historical sources do not clearly mention the existence of a Saraswati temple established by Raja Bhoj, the legendary king of the Parmar dynasty who ruled Dhar from 1010 to 1055.
The ASI, a central government agency, has adopted three different positions in the lawsuits filed regarding the Bhojshala dispute, changing its answers from time to time, and this situation raises serious questions about judicial scrutiny of the complex, Warsi submitted.
He raised objections regarding the ASI's process of scientific survey of the Bhojshala complex, carried out on the HC order in 2024, and the method of videography and requested the court to examine these objections.
The hearing in the Bhojshala case will continue on Thursday.
The HC has been regularly hearing four petitions and one writ appeal since April 6, contesting the religious nature of the monument.
