Indian women's team suffers 18-run loss to New Zealand in one-off T20 International
Queenstown(PTI): Batting let India down as they suffered an 18-run defeat to hosts New Zealand in the one-off women's T20 International here on Wednesday.
Senior opener and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana did not play and her absence was felt badly as India fell short by 18 runs while chasing 156 for a win.
Rookie Yastika Bhatia, who opened in place of Mandhana along with young Shafali Verma, did reasonably well with a run-a-ball 26 (2x4; 1x6) but India never looked like they could chase down the target against an impressive New Zealand bowling attack.
The opening stand was worth 41 runs in 6.3 overs and that was the highest partnership for India.
Shafali was not at her best as she contributed just 13 runs from 14 balls with the help of two boundaries. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who made 12 from 13 balls, also looked off colour.
The onus was then on the lower order to give a push for the target. Inexperienced Sabbhineni Meghana, who top-scored for India, did well with a 30-ball 37, which had six fours in it, stitching 34 runs with Richa Gosh (12) for the fourth wicket.
That stand was the last flicker of hope for India and once Meghana was out, there was a batting collapse and the visiting side could only reach 137 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs.
When Meghana was out, India needed 55 runs from 5.1 overs which proved a tough ask for the lower order.
Jess Kerr, Amelia Kerr and Hayley Jensen took two wickets apiece for New Zealand, while Lea Tahuhu and Sophie Devine got one each.
Earlier, experienced all-rounder Deepti Sharma and Pooja Vastrakar scalped two wickets apiece to help India restrict New Zealand to 155 for 5 after Harmanpreet opted to field after winning the toss.
Vastrakar was tidy with her medium pace as she conceded just 16 runs from her four overs, while Sharma gave away 26 runs from her four overs of off-spin.
Senior left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad leaked 39 runs for one wicket in her four overs.
For New Zealand, captain Sophie Devine (31 off 23 balls) and her opening partner Suzie Bates (36 off 34) scored the bulk of the runs. The duo gave the home side a flying start, stitching 60 runs for the opening wicket.
India handed debuts to Simran and Meghana, while Mandhana did not start.
Simran Bahadur dropped Devine off her own bowling in her first ball of her international career in the second over of the New Zealand innings and that proved costly for the visiting side. Devine was on 1 at the time.
The New Zealand captain celebrated the reprieve by hitting Simran for two sixes in the fifth over as the home side took 20 runs from that over.
The Indian bowlers took wickets at the regular intervals but failed to stop the hosts from crossing the 150-run mark.
The two sides will begin their five-match ODI contest here on Saturday.
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Syria says Israeli strikes leave 18 dead in the biggest toll since the war in Gaza began
Masyaf (Syria), Sep 9: The number of people killed in overnight Israeli strikes in Syria has risen to 18 with dozens more wounded, Syria's health minister said on Monday — the largest death toll in such an attack since the beginning of the war in Gaza.
One of the sites targeted was a research centre used in the development of weapons, a war monitor said. Syrian officials said civilian sites were targeted.
Israel regularly targets military sites in Syria linked to Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Those strikes have become more frequent as Hezbollah has exchanged fire with Israeli forces for the past 11 months against the backdrop of Israel's war against Hamas — a Hezbollah ally — in Gaza.
However, the intensity and death toll of Sunday night's strikes were unusual.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years, but it rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations. The strikes often target Syrian forces or Iranian-backed groups.
Israel has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment in Syria, particularly since Syria is a key route for Iran to send weapons to Hezbollah.
Israeli strikes hit several areas in central Syria, damaging a highway in Hama province and sparking fires, Syrian state news agency SANA said.
Speaking to reporters, Syrian Health Minister Hassan al-Ghabbash described the strikes as a “brutal and barbaric aggression”. He said the death toll had risen to 18 with nearly 40 wounded.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said 25 were killed, including at least five civilians, while the others included Syrian army soldiers and members of Hezbollah and other Iran-linked armed groups.
One strike targeted a scientific research centre in Masyaf, and others struck sites where “Iranian militias and experts are stationed to develop weapons in Syria”, the observatory said. It said the research centre was reportedly used for developing weapons, including short- and medium-range precision missiles and drones.
Minister of Electricity Mohammad al-Zamel said the strikes had caused “truly significant” damage to water and electricity infrastructure.
“This brutal attack targeted civilian targets, and the martyrs were mostly civilians, as were the wounded,” he said.
Local media also reported strikes around the coastal city of Tartous, which the observatory said were the result of air defense missiles falling.
On Monday afternoon, a charred car remained at the scene of one strike and smoke was still rising from some spots where fires had been put out.
