Jemimah stars in India's seven-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan in Women's T20 WC
Cape Town, Feb 12: Experienced batter Jemimah Rodrigues produced a master class of an innings as she and youngster Richa Ghosh held their nerves under pressure to guide India to a seven-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening match of the Women's T20 World Cup here on Saturday.
Jemimah (53 not out off 38 balls) and Richa (31 not out off 20 balls) stitched 58 runs for the unconquered fourth wicket as India chased down a challenging target of 150 with six balls to spare.
Jemimah struck eight boundaries while Richa hit five fours during their unbeaten knocks as India reached 151 for 3 in 19 overs, their highest successful chase in the T20 World Cup.
Shafali Verma (33 off 25 balls) and Yastika Bhatia (17) gave a good start to the Indian run chase, stitching 38 runs in 5.3 overs. The powerplay overs yielded 43 runs for one wicket.
Shafali, who successfully reviewed a LBW decision in the fourth over, was going strong as she took the attack to the opposition bowlers. But her dismissal in the 10th over with Sidra Ameen taking a fine catch near the boundary off the bowling of Nashra Sandhu set India on the back-foot.
One-down Jemimah survived a close stumping call as India reached 67 for 2 at the halfway mark with the experienced captain Harmanpreet Kaur having arrived at the crease.
Harmanpreet struck a boundary from the third delivery she faced and repeated it in the same 11th over to swell the Indian total. But she was guilty of trying to slog-sweep across the line and against the turn off the bowling of Fatima Sana.
The top edge was easily taken by Bismah Maroof as India were reduced to 93 for 3 in 13.3 overs.
India needed 83 runs from the last 10 overs and despite the fall of crucial wickets, the good start and batting depth kept India in the hunt. But run rate kept climbing for India as they needed 47 from the last five overs.
With Jemimah and new batter Richa getting the boundaries often, the equation became 28 runs from three overs.
Richa turned the match on its head as she hit three successive boundaries in the first three balls of the 18th over bowled by Aiman Anwer. Ghosh was smart enough to send two widish deliveries to the fence.
Needing 14 from the last two overs, Jemimah struck three fours in the penultimate over to end the match in a jiffy.
Earlier, Pakistan posted 149 for 4 after electing to bat, their highest T20 World Cup total.
Pakistan were reduced to 43 for 3 in the eighth over but they made a brilliant recovery, scoring 91 runs in the second half of their innings with captain Bismah Maroof (68 not out) and Ayesha Naseem (43 not out) stitching 81 runs for the unconquered fifth wicket.
Maroof struck seven fours during her 55-ball unbeaten knock while Naseem hit two fours and two sixes from 25 balls during her unbeaten innings.
Pakistan scored 91 runs from the second half of their innings and 58 from the last five overs, as Maroof and Naseem frustrated the Indian bowlers for more than eight overs to take their side to a challenging total.
For India, left-arm spinner Radha Yadav was the most successful bowler with figures of 2/21 while Deepti Sharma and Pooja Vastrakar got one wicket each.
India did not take long to get the breakthrough, with in-form off-spinner Deepti Sharma dismissing Pakistan opener Javeria Khan (8) in the second over with India captain Harmanpreet Kaur taking an easy catch at short fine leg after the batter had struck a boundary in the previous ball.
Pakistan showed attacking intent even after the early jolt as captain and one-down Bismah Maroof hit two consecutive boundaries in the fourth over. Pakistan were 39 for one at the end of powerplay overs.
A change in bowling yielded success for the Indians as left-arm spinner Radha Yadav removed the other opener Muneeba Ali (12) in the seventh over. A smart review by the Indians in the next over resulted to another wicket as Nida Dar was ruled out as there was a slight touch of the ball on her gloves off Pooja Vastrakar.
The two quick wickets set Pakistan on the back-foot from a promising position as they were reduced to 58 for 3 at the halfway mark.
The experienced Maroof was going strong and held one end together but wickets fell around her, including that of Sidra Ameen (11) who became Yadav's second victim in the 13th over.
With the arrival of Ayesha Naseem in the 13th over, Pakistan pressed the accelerator as she made scoring look easy with a six and four off Renuka Singh in the 16th over.
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Bidar: Quresh Conference holds 3rd national convention, focuses on community issues
Bidar, April 12: The Third National Convention of the Quresh Conference was successfully organized on a large scale in Bidar on Saturday, bringing together over 270 community representatives from across India to deliberate on the pressing social, economic, and educational challenges faced by the Qureshi community.
The event was held at the SM Hangargi Function Hall under the chairmanship of advocate Sanobar Qureshi, the national president of the Quresh Conference. Leaders and delegates from Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi attended the convention and presented issues from their respective regions.
Addressing the gathering, Sanobar Qureshi emphasized that despite the Qureshi community comprising over 6.5 crore people in India, they continue to face exclusion from key government schemes and opportunities. He urged the government to grant the same status to the Qureshi community and meat traders as it does to farmers, stating that meat trading is also a legitimate source of livelihood that supports many families across the country.
He criticized the closure of slaughterhouses in several parts of the country, calling it a blow to employment and a contradiction to the government’s stated goal of promoting job creation. He stressed the need for modern, hygienic, and government-supported slaughterhouses to be constructed in every district, enabling the community to conduct its trade within lawful frameworks and with dignity. Sanobar also underlined the importance of promoting education among community members to build awareness and social empowerment.
Several community leaders addressed the convention and shared insights. Among them were Afsar Qureshi from Jharkhand, Muhammad Ashiqeen Qureshi from Delhi, Sadiq Qureshi from Maharashtra, Mukhtar Qureshi from Bombay, Abdul Qayyum Qureshi from Rajasthan, and Moin Khalil Qureshi and Munira Qureshi from Pune. They raised issues ranging from lack of representation to the negative impact of current laws on the community’s traditional business of meat trading.
Karnataka state president Muhammad Nabi Qureshi, who organized the event, welcomed the attendees and emphasized the need for collective action to address the various challenges confronting the Qureshi community. He said that the primary aim of the convention was to bring together the community across the country, confront internal social issues, promote education, and work on strategies to protect and support traditional businesses. He added that coordinated representation before the government is essential to secure the community’s rights.
One of the notable moments of the convention was the felicitation of Majid Bilal, a well-known social worker from Bidar, recognized for his service of burying more than 3,000 unclaimed and unidentified bodies over the years, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of caste or religion.
The conference concluded with a strong call for unity and sustained engagement with the state and central governments to ensure that the Qureshi community is given its due place in society. The organizers received appreciation from the participants for hosting the convention in an orderly and impactful manner.
