WPL: Gujarat Giants hobble to 142/5 against UP Warriorz
Bengaluru, Mar 1: Gujarat Giants batters struggled to get going against spinners on a slow surface, settling for a slightly below-par 142 for five against UP Warriorz in their Women's Premier League match here on Friday.
After being asked to bat first, the Gujarat outfit, in fact, made a fine start as Lara Wolvaardt (28, 26b, 4x4) helped them reach 41 in the Power Play for the loss of skipper Beth Mooney.
Wolvaardt smashed Anjali Sarvani for three fours in a row through the off-side as the pacer erred in line outside the off-stump.
But once the Power Play ended, the Giants slipped into a period of hibernation, going without a boundary for 23 balls, and the dismissal of Wolvaardt too did not help their cause.
Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone was the pick of UP bowlers with a three-wicket haul.
It required a forceful 52-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Phoebe Litchfield (35, 26 balls) and Asheligh Gardner (30, 17 balls) to add a touch of respectability to their total.
Litchfield, who was dropped on 19 by Deepti Sharma off Sophie Ebrought, brought her hockey background into her batting, using those supple wrists to manoeuvre the ball into the corners behind the wicketkeeper.
Her reverse scoop off left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad for a boundary was a treat to watch.
At the other end, Gardner was all about raw power and smart placement. Gardener muscled her Australian teammate Grace Harris over mid-wicket for six as the Giants tried to make up for the lost time.
But the flowering alliance was snapped when Gardner's attempt to reverse-scoop ended in the hands of debutant Chamari Athapaththu near short fine leg.
In the same over, Litchfield was run out while trying to steal a quick single, as Saima Thakor's direct throw beat her to the crease.
Litchfield's dismissal also ended the Giant's hopes of raking in some quick runs in the last couple of overs.
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Iran foreign minister Araghchi meets Pakistan Army chief Munir
Islamabad (PTI): Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday met Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir here, as Islamabad continued its efforts to facilitate engagement between the US and Iran.
The meeting, according to a short video posted by the Iranian embassy on social media, was also attended by Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, and Iran's ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam.
Araghchi calls on Munir, the embassy said in the video caption.
It did not provide further details about the discussions.
Araghchi arrived here late Friday for engagements with the Pakistani leadership. He was received by senior officials, including Munir, foreign minister Ishaq Dar and interior minister Mohsin Naqvi.
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However, there is no clarity on whether direct talks between Washington and Tehran will take place during the visit.
"No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the US. Iran's observations would be conveyed to Pakistan," Baqaei said in a social media post on Saturday.
Araghchi, before leaving for Islamabad, said that he was embarking on a timely tour of Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow, and the purpose of his visits is to "closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments".
"Our neighbours are our priority," he said.
As the Iranian team landed in Islamabad, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that US Special Envoy on the Middle East Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's adviser Jared Kushner would be leaving for Pakistan on Saturday "to engage in direct talks" with representatives of the Iranian delegation.
However, the US team has not yet arrived.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dar, in a social media post, expressed hope for "meaningful engagements" between the two warring parties to promote regional peace and stability.
The first round of US-Iran talks held on April 11 and 12 failed to produce a breakthrough, prompting a flurry of diplomatic efforts by host Pakistan to cool tensions and revive hopes for another round of dialogue.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The Iran war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes.
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