WPL: Gardner, Hemalatha partnership guides Gujarat Giants to 178/6 against UP Warriorz
Mumbai, Mar 20: A brilliant 93-run partnership between Dayalan Hemalatha (57 off 33 balls) and the second costliest player Ashleigh Gardner (60 off 39 balls) helped Gujarat Giants post 178 for six in their crucial Women's Premier League match against UP Warriorz here on Monday.
The authority and attacking ways with which the duo played indicated they were on a mission, given the do-or-die nature of the contest as the tournament enters its business end.
By the time the partnership ended, with Hemalatha dismissed by Parshavi Chopra in the 17th over with the team total on 143, the stand had put the team on course for a big total.
South African opener Laura Wolvaardt and Sophia Dunkley went about their task of scoring runs in powerplay with a lot of urgency. Runs flowed freely while the two batting stalwarts were at the crease, with Wolvaardt smacking a fine boundary off just the third ball of the opening over bowled by left-arm pacer Anjali Sarvani.
The 23-year-old used the width on offer to steer it past backward point, making her intentions clear. Just two overs into the match and Gujarat Giants were in overdrive, with the team having scored 26 runs.
The powerful six by the South African off a length delivery outside off stump from left-arm India spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad in the second over had class and power written all over it.
Soon England batter Dunkley took charge, giving a further fillip to the scoring rate.
By the time Wolvaardt was dismissed for 17, knocked down by a length delivery from Sarvani, the pair had put up an opening partnership of 41 in just four overs.
The UP side recovered from the initial onslaught as they reduced the Giants to 50 for three at the end of powerplay.
Dunkley was the next batter to depart on the first ball of the sixth over, slicing a flighted delivery from Gayakwad to third man where Sarvani did the rest.
Harleen Deol (4), after threading one past point for a boundary, was dismissed on the last ball of the same over as the young India batter was caught by Simran Shaikh at cover point.
With such a flourishing start, 50/3 in powerplay overs looked mediocre. But new batters, Hemalatha and Gardner ensured a quick flow of runs.
The Giants' 100 came in the 11th over with Gardner clearing deep midwicket to deposit a big six into the cow corner.
The flurry of boundaries and sixes continued with monotonous regularity with the pair dispatching virtually every loose delivery to the ropes.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Israel, Hamas agree to ceasefire deal to pause Gaza war, release some hostages: Mediators
Doha, Jan 15 (AP): Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal, mediators announced Wednesday, pausing a devastating 15-month war in the Gaza Strip and raising the possibility of winding down the the deadliest and most destructive fighting between the bitter enemies.
The deal, coming after weeks of painstaking negotiations in the Qatari capital, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases, the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel and would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes. It also would flood badly needed humanitarian aid into a devastated territory.
Officials from Qatar and Hamas confirmed that a deal had been reached, while Israel hasn't yet commented.
The agreement still needs to be approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Cabinet, but is expected to go into effect in the coming days.
The deal is expected to deliver an initial six-week halt to fighting that is to be accompanied by the opening of negotiations on ending the war altogether.
Over six weeks, 33 of the nearly 100 hostages are to be reunited with their loved ones after months in in captivity with no contact with the outside world, though it's unclear if all are alive.
It remained unclear exactly when and how many displaced Palestinians would be able to return to what remains of their homes and whether the agreement would lead to a complete end to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza — key Hamas demands for releasing the remaining captives.
Many longer-term questions about postwar Gaza remain, including who will rule the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction.
Still, the announcement offered the first sign of hope in months that Israel and Hamas may be winding down the most deadly and destructive war they've ever fought, a conflict that has destabilised the broader Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.
Hamas triggered the war with its October 7, 2023, cross-border attack, which killed some 1,200 Israelis and took 250 others hostage. Israel responded with a fierce offensive that has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, displaced an estimated 90 per cent of Gaza's population and sparked a humanitarian crisis.
More than 100 hostages were freed from Gaza in a week-long truce in November 2023.
