Saika Ishaque's 3/33 helps MI restrict UP Warriorz to 159/6 in WPL
Mumbai, Mar 12: Saika Ishaque (3/33) once again led Mumbai Indians' bowling charge as they restricted UP Warriorz to 159 for 6 in their Women's Premier League (WPL) match here on Sunday.
UP Warriorz looked set for a challenging total at the Brabourne Stadium with an 82-run stand for the third wicket between captain Alyssa Healy (58) and Tahlia McGrath (50), but WPL's highest wicket-taker Ishaque dismissed both the set batters in the 17th over to help her side bounce back.
In the process, Ishaque took her wickets tally to 12 in four matches, once again emerging as Mumbai Indians' go-to weapon in the competition.
Ishaque provided the first breakthrough early on, trapping Devika Vaidya (6) to take her wickets tally in WPL into double-digit figures (10).
However, after an early blow and sedate start, Healy got into the act and hit four boundaries against Ishaque in the fourth over to make her intentions clear.
At the end of the powerplay, UP Warriorz had raced to 48 for 1 with Healy doing the bulk of scoring.
Kiran Navgire also displayed aggressive intentions by hitting Amelia Kerr for a four and a towering six, but she was soon dismissed by the Kiwi spinner, caught by Yastika Bhatia for 17.
Healy and Navgire added 50 runs for the second wicket from only 28 balls to lay a strong platform, and the UP Warriorz captain found immense support from the other end from compatriot McGrath.
McGrath, at No. 4, began with a flurry of boundaries as the UP Warriorz continued to attack the Mumbai bowlers, putting them under real pressure for the first time in the tournament.
McGrath played some exquisite strokes on the off side with immaculate timing and placement to get her runs, and when Mumbai spinners tried to dry up the runs, she found gaps at will to keep rotating the strike.
Ishaque, off whom the UP Warriorz batters hit a total of 10 fours, finally broke the third-wicket stand by dismissing Healy leg-before with the batter missing to connect on a reverse sweep.
The left-arm Mumbai bowler indeed did well upon her return in the 17th over, as after removing Healy, Ishaque claimed the big wicket of McGrath. The lanky Australian all-rounder was stumped by Yastika Bhatia as Mumbai Indians managed to pull things back. Healy and McGrath faced 61 balls to add 82 runs.
Another key bowler for Mumbai, all-rounder Hayley Matthews played her part well by giving away only 27 runs from her four overs while taking the wicket of Sophie Ecclestone (1).
Amelia Kerr took 2/33 from her four overs, also accounting for Deepti Sharma (7) in the final over.
Mumbai Indians replaced the injured right-arm India pacer Pooja Vastrakar with Dhara Gujjar while UP Warriorz replaced Grace Harris with veteran South African bowler Shabnim Ismail.
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
