A large crowd gathered for the players’ funeral on Saturday
Afghanistan will no longer take part in an upcoming cricket series after three players in a local tournament were killed in an air strike, the nation’s cricketing body says.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said it would withdraw from November’s tri-nation T20 series out of respect for the dead, who it said were “targeted” in an “attack carried out by the Pakistani regime” on Friday. The three did not play for the national team.
The strike hit a home in Urgon district in Paktika province, where the players were eating dinner after a match, witnesses and local officials told the BBC.
Eight people were killed, the ACB said. Pakistan said the strike hit militants and denied targeting civilians.
The ACB named the three players who were killed as Kabeer Agha, Sibghatullah and Haroon, calling their deaths “a great loss for Afghanistan’s sports community, its athletes, and the cricketing family”.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) said it was “deeply saddened and appalled” by the “tragic deaths of three young and promising Afghan cricketers” in an air strike that also “claimed the lives of several civilians”.
“The ICC stands in solidarity with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and echoes their grief,” it said in a statement, adding that it “strongly condemns this act of violence”.
The attack came hours after a temporary truce between Afghanistan and Pakistan was due to expire following days of deadly clashes on the border between the two nations. Dozens of casualties have been reported.
Pakistan said it had targeted Afghan militants in the air strike and that at least 70 combatants had been killed.
Pakistan’s Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar said claims that the attack targeted civilians are “false and meant to generate support for terrorist groups operating from inside Afghanistan”.
Afghanistan Cricket Board/X
The Afghanistan Cricket Board shared this image of the three players who were killed
In a social media post, Afghan national team captain Rashid Khan paid tribute to the “aspiring young cricketers who dreamed of representing their nation on the world stage”.
Other players for the Afghan national side joined the tributes, including Fazalhaq Farooqi, who said the attack was a “heinous, unforgivable crime”.
On Saturday, large crowds of people were seen gathering at the funeral for the strike’s victims.
The strike came after Pakistani officials said seven soldiers were killed in a suicide attack near the Afghan border on Friday.
The 48-hour truce between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which began on Wednesday at 13:00 GMT, has reportedly been extended to allow for negotiations.
An Afghan delegation arrived in the Qatari capital of Doha on Saturday for peace talks with the Pakistani side.
The Taliban government said it would take part in the talks despite “Pakistani aggression”, which it says was Islamabad’s attempt to prolong the conflict.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Pakistan should “reconsider its policies, and pursue friendly and civilised relations” with Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Saturday that Defence Minister Khawaja Asif would lead the country’s delegation in Doha.
It said the talks will focus on ending cross-border terrorism and restoring peace and stability on the Pakistan-Afghan border.
Zimbabwe will now replace Afghanistan in the T20 series.
Sri Lanka and New Zealand were forced to settle for a point each after their Women’s World Cup match in Colombo was abandoned because of rain.
Co-hosts Sri Lanka had racked up 258-6 after opting to bat first, thanks to the fastest fifty of the tournament so far, coming up off 26 balls, from Nilakshi de Silva.
The 36-year-old finished unbeaten on 55 from 28 balls after captain Chamari Athapaththu had hit a classy 53 from 72 balls in an opening stand of 101 with Vishmi Gurunaratne, who made 42 from 83 balls.
That left New Zealand needing their highest second-innings total at a World Cup for victory, only for the rain to arrive before the chase could begin.
The umpires officially abandoned the match at 16:45 BST.
While Sri Lanka will be frustrated to be denied a chance to claim a first victory of the tournament, the result leaves New Zealand facing a real battle to reach the semi-finals.
Sophie Devine’s side are a point off the top four and take on Pakistan on Saturday before tough matches against India and England to finish the group stage.
That it took until Sunday’s three-wicket win over India for them to complete their first ODI chase over 300, taking back their record for the highest in the women’s 50-over format, is, in truth, a compliment to the bowlers that have worn canary yellow (OK, Australia gold) over the past 50 years.
It is hard for their batters to hold a record if never given the chance.
Ultimately, the result of Australia conceding 330 was captain Alyssa Healy being given an opportunity to produce her latest masterpiece.
Then best known as the 19-year-old niece of renowned former Aussie wicketkeeper Ian, she debuted in 2010 after her nation failed to win either of the 20 or 50-over World Cups held the previous year and has seen it all through 15 trophy-laden years since.
A T20 World Cup win came three months after her bow and seven world titles have followed from 10 attempts across formats.
The gritty keeper was also there in Derby in 2017 when a semi-final defeat by India briefly halted the run of success.
That loss “drove us to rethink our standards,” Healy said this week.
At the next 50-over World Cup in New Zealand, Healy made 170 against England in the final and was named player of the tournament. She ensured her country would not fall short again.
Whether this latest epic knock topped that previous effort can be debated.
Some will argue the case for the pressure of a final. Others can counter with the challenge that comes when facing a record target and a raucous India-supporting crowd of 20,000.
What is certain is this century was far harder to see coming.
The Christchurch carnage in 2022 came as she topped the run-scoring charts, but this knock followed six innings in India since the start of last month in which she had failed to pass 30.
“If you’ve been watching me in the nets, it’s been a frustrating experience because I feel like I’ve had no rhythm whatsoever,” said Healy.
“But once you step out on the field, your competitive instincts kick in and you just lock into the contest.”
It was a run chase set up by an Alyssa Healy century and sealed with an Ellyse Perry six as Australia beat India by three wickets to remain undefeated in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.
Facing a record run-chase target of 331, Australia’s captain took on the Indian bowlers from the start to build the perfect foundation for her team, and an injured Perry returned to bat to complete the task against the hosts at the YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
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Healy, who opened the innings alongside Phoebe Litchfield, took on the role of the aggressor as she hit three sixes and 21 fours in her 107-ball epic innings of 142.
Litchfield and her captain shared a partnership of 85 before the left-handed batter was dismissed for 40 off 39 balls in the 12th over by slow left-arm bowler Shree Charani.
Healy kept going, though, and built another partnership with experienced all-rounder Ellyse Perry. The pair took Australia to 154 in the 25th over, when Perry retired hurt after suffering an undisclosed injury.
India pounced on the opportunity and were quick to dismiss in-form Beth Mooney for four, followed by Annabel Sutherland for zero in successive overs of spin bowling by Deepti Sharma and Charani.
The fall of wickets did little to slow down Healy, who ensured Australia kept up with the required run rate as she found gaps with little problem and caused several issues for India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
She completed her century off 84 balls in the 31st over and went on to add 56 runs before falling to a soft dismissal off Charani’s bowling. She sliced a ball to point, where a diving Sneh Rana took a catch that had to be double-checked with the television umpire.
However, even as Healy walked off, Australia seemed in control of the run chase. Then three quick wickets in the next six overs brought India back into the match.
When Australia went seven wickets down, Perry walked back onto the field, although with hindered mobility.
The veteran all-rounder combined with Kim Garth to keep the target within reach and finally sealed the win with a trademark six over the bowler’s head to ensure the seven-time champions remain unbeaten in the tournament.
Unsurprisingly, Healy was named player of the match and credited the team for chasing the record total.
“To chase down 330 in a 50-over game is new territory for us,” she said in her post-match comments. “Hopefully, we don’t have to do it again.”
Ellyse Perry hits a six to finish the cricket match [Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images]
Kaur blames poor end-of-innings batting
India suffered their second consecutive defeat in three days, leaving plenty to ponder for captain Kaur, who blamed the loss on India’s poor batting in the last few overs.
“We knew it was a good batting wicket, but not batting well in the last six overs cost us,” she said after the match.
“The openers have been outstanding, but in the last three games, we were not able to bat in the middle overs.”
The result helped the defending champions return to the top of the points table with seven from their four matches, while India remain unmoved in third despite losing their second match of the tournament.
England are second with six points, and South Africa fourth with four.
The top four teams in the eight-nation tournament will qualify for the semifinals.
India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur, centre, and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, left, will have plenty to ponder over before their next game [Aijaz Rahi/AP]
Mandhana breaks more records
Earlier, India’s star batter Smriti Mandhana brushed off her low-scoring start to the tournament by hitting a 66-ball 80 in a 155-run opening partnership with Pratika Rawal, who contributed with 75 runs off 96 balls.
Mandhana, who had not gone past 23 in her previous three innings in the World Cup, broke the shackles as she hit three sixes and nine fours in her dominant innings. In the process, she became the fastest player to 5,000 runs in women’s ODIs, having achieved the feat in 112 innings.
It was an attempted slog that became her undoing in the 25th over, when she was caught in deep off the bowling of left-arm spin bowler Sophie Molineux.
Despite the vice-captain’s loss, India continued in their swift-scoring ways as Harleen Deol joined Rawal and resumed the big shots where Mandhana had left off.
However, Rawal was dismissed in the 31st over by Sutherland, and once again, it was an attempted big shot that led to the dismissal at fine leg. India’s captain Kaur, who has also been in search of runs in the tournament, attacked the bowling straight away but was soon dismissed for 22 by Megan Schutt.
The rest of India’s middle and lower-middle order kept the scoring rate up as Jemimah Rodrigues (33), Richa Ghosh (32) and Amanjot Kaur (16) helped India cross the 300-run mark.
Sutherland caused some late damage to help bowl out the hosts for 330 in 48.5 overs and finished with a five-wicket haul.
Molineux finished with 3-75 in her comeback game.
Australia face Bangladesh at the same venue on Thursday, while India resume their campaign after a week-long break when they host England in Indore on Sunday.
Australia’s Ellyse Perry and Kim Garth celebrate their team’s win [Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images]
Who: India vs Australia What: ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 group stage When: Sunday, October 12 at 3pm (09:30 GMT) Where: Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam, India How to follow:Al Jazeera Sport will have live build-up from 07:00 GMT before our text commentary stream for the action.
India will hope for a quick return to winning ways when they meet defending champions Australia in a blockbuster clash at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 on Sunday.
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Both teams began the tournament as favourites, but Australia hold a definite edge in the match as record seven-time world champions and the only undefeated team after the first three group-stage matches.
Meanwhile, India were handed their first loss of the World Cup when South Africa pulled off a stunning turnaround in a three-wicket win on Thursday.
All 15,087 tickets for the eagerly awaited clash were sold out earlier in the week, indicating huge interest in what is now seen as one of the top rivalries in women’s cricket.
India vs Australia rivalry ‘continues to grow’
Australia’s captain Alyssa Healy admitted the interest in the Australia-India rivalry “continues to grow”, and that Australia will be taking on the “sleeping giant” of women’s cricket.
“They’ve [India] been a sleeping giant in the women’s game for a long period of time,” Healy said on Saturday.
The wicketkeeper-batter highlighted the role of the Women’s Premier League T20 franchise tournament in helping India unearth talent and figure out a style of play that suits them.
While Australia haven’t lost a match in the tournament, they have recovered from wobbly situations to post two wins in their two completed matches.
“You’re going to be put under the pump in unfamiliar conditions, against unfamiliar sides at times,” Healy explained.
“We’re allowed to lose games of cricket and be put under pressure in World Cups, and I really back the depth in our side,” she said when asked to comment on Australia’s batting slump against Pakistan on Wednesday.
“We’re fortunate that it’s been a different person every time that stuck their hand up and said, yep, I’ve got this, I can get us to a total or I can take the wickets to restrict the team.”
Despite their unmatched record in women’s cricket, Healy said India will be “a real threat” playing in their home conditions.
India beat Australia in the semifinal of the Women’s World Cup 2017 in England [File: Rui Vieira/AP]
India not dwelling on loss
India’s all-rounder Sneh Rana believes her team can bounce back quickly after the loss to South Africa, as they don’t dwell on losses and focus on the next challenge instead.
“We regroup, we study the match, plan how to improve, take the positives, and look forward to the next game,” Rana said on the eve of the Australia match.
She termed the Australians “one of the strongest competitors” but was quick to highlight the fact that India have beaten the world champions in the (2017) World Cup as well as their recent bilateral series.
For the hosts, one of the major areas of concern will be the lack of big scores from their top-rated batter Smriti Mandhana.
The left-handed opener has scored a world record 972 runs in women’s one-day internationals (ODIs) in 2025, but her top score in the tournament stands at 23.
In fact, none of India’s top batters feature among the tournament’s top five run-scorers thus far, with wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh in fourth spot with 131 runs.
Rana, however, said the team is not worried about the lack of runs from the top.
“We have some of the best batters in the world, and it’s just a matter of one good knock [before they score big].”
Smriti Mandhana has scored 54 runs in her three innings in the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 [Anupam Nath/AP]
India vs Australia: Head-to-head in ODIs
Despite the relatively low frequency of women’s international matches in past decades, India and Australia have faced each other in 59 ODIs.
Australia dominate the head-to-head count with 48 wins compared with India’s 11.
Form guide: India
The hosts won their first two matches of the World Cup comprehensively before crashing to a loss against South Africa. Their pre-tournament form has been mixed, with a series loss to Australia at home and an away series win against England.
Last five matches (latest result first): L W W L W
Form guide: Australia
Australia have won two of their three matches in the World Cup, with their fixture against Sri Lanka abandoned due to poor weather.
Apart from the one loss against India in September, Australia have not lost an ODI since September 2024.
Last five matches (latest result first): W W W L W
Team news: India
India may want to swap a spinner for a pace bowler, in which case Shree Charani could make way for Renuka Singh Thakur.
Brooke Halliday puts in a player of the match performance, with a 69 run knock to help New Zealand on their way to a comfortable 100-run win over Bangladesh to get their first win of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
Nadine de Klerk hits 84 off 54 balls as South Africa recover from 81-5 to chase down their target of 252 with seven balls to spare, securing a famous three wicket win against hosts India at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
Richa Ghosh’s 94 runs off 77 balls, including 15 boundaries, helps save India’s innings as they recover from 102-6 to reach 251-8 against South Africa in their ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup match.
A vital century from Beth Mooney helped Australia fight back from an early batting collapse as they recovered from 76-7 to score 221 against Pakistan, before the defending champions bowled their opponents out for just 114 to secure a big victory at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
Beth Mooney produces a brilliant innings, making 109, to save Australia’s innings against Pakistan as her side recover from 76-7 to 221-9 at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
South Africa responded to their crushing defeat by England with an impressive six-wicket victory over New Zealand at the World Cup in Indore.
Having been skittled for 69 and beaten by 10 wickets in their tournament opener on Friday, the Proteas dismissed New Zealand for 241 and cruised to their target in 40.5 overs in a remarkable turnaround in fortunes.
Tazmin Brits, one of the 10 South Africa players to make a single-figure score last week, hit a brilliant 101 – her fourth one-day international century in five innings and fifth this year.
Brits was bowled two balls after reaching her century with 47 runs needed, and Marizanne Kapp and Anneke Bosch also departed chasing a net run-rate boost, but Sune Luus, who put on 159 for the second wicket with Brits, finished 81 not out to seal a commanding victory.
New Zealand, in contrast, were lacklustre, with bat, ball and in the field.
After choosing to bat rather than inserting South Africa on the back of their England collapse, Suzie Bates was out lbw to the first ball and they chewed by 48 dot balls in a timid powerplay.
Sophie Devine and Brooke Halliday upped the ante with a partnership of 86 from 75 balls through the middle but the dismissal of Halliday in the 39th over sparked a collapse of seven wickets for 44 runs in 59 balls from 187-3 as left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba took 4-40.
Devine was bowled for 85 in the 45th over, ending hope of a big finish, while her side later gifted 19 wides and leaked runs with misfields.
It leaves New Zealand, last year’s T20 World Cup champions, off the pace set by Australia, India and England early in this competition, with only the top four progressing from the group stage.
Goud and Sharma star with the ball in Colombo to give the tournament hosts their second win in two games, while Pakistan lose two in two.
India stormed to an 88-run win against Pakistan in their highly anticipated ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 encounter in Colombo, and moved to the top of the points table with four points.
Tournament hosts India posted 247 in their 50 overs, having been bowled out on the last ball of their innings on Sunday in bowler-friendly conditions in the Sri Lankan capital, which is hosting all of Pakistan’s matches as a neutral venue.
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Pakistan stuttered and collapsed in reply and were put under pressure right away by young Indian seam bowler Kranti Goud, who took three wickets for 20 runs in her 10 overs.
The team in green struggled with the conditions and the weight of the opposition, who have now beaten them in all 12 of their meetings in one-day internationals.
The match drew more than the usual attention due to the ongoing political tensions between the South Asian neighbours, who were involved in a four-day armed and aerial conflict in May.
Much like the men’s fixtures between the nations at the recent Asia Cup, there were no handshakes at the toss nor at the end of the match between the sides.
The toss went Pakistan’s way and, having been put in, India mostly laboured to their total after a strong bowling performance on a pitch that had spent two days under covers due to the recent rain in Colombo.
There was a fair share of grass still on the top, but it was the amount of moisture, through sweating under the covers and the rainfall, which was the most noticeable aspect of the surface.
India’s batter Jemimah Rodrigues, who hit 32, noted at the interval that the ball was “stopping” in the surface.
Pratika Rawal (23) and Smriti Mandhana (31) gave India a solid, if slow, start in a 48-run partnership that came to an end off the last ball of the ninth over as the former was trapped lbw by Fatima Sana (2-39).
Harleen Deol appeared to be anchoring the innings with a fine 45, but holed out to long-on, handing Rameen Shamim (1-39) her only wicket and perhaps looking for a big shot to reach the milestone.
India’s total was their highest in ODI cricket without a batter reaching fifty. Richa Ghosh’s unbeaten 35 off 20 threatened to prevent that stat, and her strike rate left many baffled as to why the wicketkeeper-batter only came in at eight.
Seamer Diana Baig’s 4-69 was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan, albeit at a high economy rate.
The innings was also elongated by 20 minutes when the players were asked to leave the field as a fumigator was brought in due to the number of flies affecting the play. To what extent the measure worked was arguable, as players continued to battle the bugs throughout.
The reply couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start for Pakistan, as they were reduced to 26-3 in the 12th over. The swing for Renuka Singh Thakur and Goud was proving near unplayable.
Thakur was unlucky to end her spell wicketless, partly due to dropped catches and the rest due to leg before wicket (LBW) decisions that didn’t go her way or were not reviewed by India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
Sidra Amin and Natalia Pervaiz began the fightback with a partnership of 69 for the fourth wicket coming in 16 overs. The slow start was hurting Pakistan, and when Fatima – in at six – managed only 2 off 14 balls, India’s grip on the game tightened.
The fall of Amin’s wicket in the 40th over proved to be a fatal blow for Pakistan, who were then bowled out in the next three overs.
Pakistan’s captain Sana rued the missed run-out opportunities and misfields as she believed her team should have restricted India to a sub-200 total.
“In the start of the powerplay, we gave away a lot of runs,” she said after the match. “In the death overs, we also gave away some extra runs.”
India’s captain Kaur, meanwhile, was full of praise for her bowling attack.
“Kranti [Goud] was outstanding,” Kaur said in her post-match comments. “The spinners also helped to get breakthroughs. We created so many chances, but we dropped a few. In the end, we are happy.”
India travel back home for the remaining leg of their group matches and face South Africa on Thursday.
Pakistan will play their remaining games in Colombo, where they meet defending champions Australia on Wednesday.
Neither nation has ever won an ICC ODI or T20 World Cup.
Perhaps the biggest talking point came from an incident early in Pakistan’s innings when opener Muneeba Ali was controversially run out.
The left-hander was struck on the pad by Goud and as the India bowler appealed unsuccessfully for lbw, Deepti Sharma collected the loose ball and threw at the stumps.
She hit but replays showed Muneeba had grounded her bat before the ball was even in the picture and a ‘not out’ decision from the third umpire Kerrin Klaaste went up on the big screen in the ground.
However, before the game restarted, the decision was looked at again and it transpired that when the ball hit the stumps and dislodged the bails, Muneeba had lifted her bat and was still stood out of her crease.
While the batter had already grounded her bat and was not trying to sneak a single, the third umpire changed her decision to ‘out’ and despite Pakistan protests, which saw captain Fatima Sana tell her batter not to leave the field for a short time, Muneeba had to go.
In a further twist, had India simply reviewed the lbw decision, the whole controversy would have been avoided because ball-tracking showed Muneeba was plumb lbw.
Watch the moment play is interrupted following a large swarm of files distracting the players in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup match between India and Pakistan in Columbo.
Who: India vs Pakistan What: ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 When: Sunday, October 5 at 09:30 GMT Where: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka How to follow:Al Jazeera Sport will have live build-up from 06:30 GMT ahead of our text commentary stream.
Cricket could take the backseat on yet another Sunday when India meet Pakistan in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 in Colombo amid lingering political tension between the South Asian neighbours.
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The eagerly awaited group-stage fixture will likely be bookended by questions surrounding the now-infamous handshakes between both sides as the captains meet at the pre-match coin toss, and at the end of the match, when both squads traditionally step back on the field.
When India and Pakistan’s men’s teams met in the Asia Cup 2025, the Indian team and its captain did not shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts in all three fixtures at the tournament, leading to furore and backlash that marred the tournament.
A top official of the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has not ruled out a “no handshake” policy for the Women’s World Cup fixture, as well.
“Whether there will be handshakes, whether there will be hugging, I cannot assure you of anything,” BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia told the BBC’s Stumped podcast.
“I cannot forecast anything, but our relationship with that particular hostile country is the same. There is no change in the last week.”
‘Focus on the game’
While it may seem that cricket has been, once again, pushed into the background, both teams want to overlook the controversial build-up and focus on the game instead.
“Obviously, we know what’s happening around us, but we try to stay focused on the game because the World Cup is an event every player waits for,” Pakistan’s captain Fatima Sana said on Saturday.
Sana, whose team were comprehensively beaten by Bangladesh in their opening match, said Pakistan will “focus on the tournament and on what we have come here for” when asked to comment on the “outside noise”.
The last time India played Pakistan at the Women’s World Cup, the players’ off-field interactions left an indelible mark on the game and earned widespread praise from the fans.
At the 2022 tournament in New Zealand, Pakistan’s then-captain Bismah Maroof was surrounded by a group of Indian players as they cooed over her six-month-old daughter Fatima.
Jokes were shared, selfies were taken, and memories were made as players from the rival nations bonded outside their dressing rooms well after the match was over.
Sana, who was part of the Pakistan squad in 2022, was asked whether the players will miss the spirit and camaraderie from three years ago.
“We try to maintain healthy relationships with every team,” Sana replied.
“What happened with Bismah’s daughter, when everyone mingled and enjoyed together – as players, we all like such moments, but the main thing is to stay focused [on the game].”
When the same question was posed to India’s bowling coach Aavishankar Salvi, the journalist was notified that India will not answer it.
However, Salvi did say that India – who beat Sri Lanka in their opening game by 59 runs – will also “focus on the cricket” on Sunday.
“We want our girls to take it just as a game because the World Cup is a long campaign and there will be a lot of games coming our way,” he said.
“When you enter a big tournament, the area of focus is only cricket, and it’s good to have the players into a good [head] space.”
The fixture is expected to draw huge viewing figures and organisers will expect a sizeable crowd at the ground, as well.
Sana, who also led Pakistan in their match against India in the T20 World Cup 2024, admitted such factors make it a high-pressure fixture and one that “the whole world will be watching”.
“There is pressure but the main thing is how we handle it. We’ll try to focus on our game, execute our plans, and play the way we’ve prepared.”
What happened in the last India vs Pakistan women’s cricket match?
The teams last met in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in Dubai, where India emerged victorious by six wickets.
When was the last time Pakistan beat India in women’s cricket?
Pakistan have only beaten India on three occasions, the last of which came on October 7 at the T20 Women’s Asia Cup 2022. Nida Dar’s all-round performance sealed Pakistan’s 13-run win in Bangladesh.
Will it rain in Colombo during the India vs Pakistan match?
Rain is expected in the early hours of Sunday in Khettarama, the neighbourhood that houses the R Premadasa Stadium in Sri Lanka’s capital.
The weather will remain cloudy throughout the day, with light showers expected to return later in the evening, as well. This could lead to delays or disruption of play.
There was plenty of rainfall on Saturday before Sri Lanka’s match against Australia at the same venue. The persistent rain led to the match being called off without any play.
The ground at the R Premadasa Stadium remained covered on Saturday as Sri Lanka vs Australia was abandoned due to rain [Ishara S Kodikara/AFP]
India vs Pakistan: Head-to-head in women’s ODIs
India hold an 11-0 lead over their neighbours in women’s ODIs. All of India’s wins have come with comfortable margins, including the 107-run victory at the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 in New Zealand.
Players to watch: India
Smriti Mandhana: Widely regarded as the best limited-over batters in present-day women’s cricket, Mandhana has swept most women’s ODI records in the past two years. She is the top-ranked ODI batter by a distance and was the leading run-scorer in the format in 2024. The Indian vice-captain has scored four ODI centuries in 2025, the most by any player in the current year.
Deepti Sharma: The all-rounder poses an equal threat with bat and ball, and has performed well against Pakistan in previous encounters. Sharma’s right-arm off-break bowling will be a big threat for Pakistan’s batters. She took three wickets and scored 54 runs in India’s World Cup opening win against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
Players to watch: Pakistan
Sidra Amin: The veteran batter recently became the top ODI century-maker for her country with her sixth ton in the series against South Africa. She comes into the crucial match with good run-scoring form and is regarded as the mainstay of Pakistan’s batting attack against a strong Indian bowling line-up.
Nashra Sandhu: The unassuming slow left-arm bowler has been Pakistan’s go-to spin option in recent years and is third on the list of top ODI wicket-takers for her country. Sandhu has taken 16 wickets in Pakistan’s nine ODIs in 2025, including six in a match against South Africa on September 22.
Form guide: India
India entered the World Cup with a home series loss and an away series win in the bag. They were tested by Sri Lanka in the tournament’s opening game, but recovered well to begin their World Cup campaign with a win.
Last five ODIs (latest result first): W L W L W L
Form guide: Pakistan
Pakistan’s form has dipped after their five-match unbeaten run at home in the World Cup qualifiers, where they beat Bangladesh, Thailand and the West Indies to book a place in this tournament. Sana’s team lost a home ODI series to South Africa and then suffered a dramatic batting collapse in their opening World Cup game against Bangladesh.
Last five ODIs (latest result first): L W L L W
Team news: India
India are expected to name an unchanged XI for their second match of the tournament.
Pakistan are likely to field the same XI that lost to Bangladesh, but there could be a case for replacing Natalia Pervaiz with in-form all-rounder Aroob Shah.
Test captain Gill takes over the 50-over leadership role ahead of the ODI series against Australia.
Published On 4 Oct 20254 Oct 2025
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Rohit Sharma has been replaced by Shubman Gill as India’s one-day international (ODI) men’s captain, says the country’s cricket board.
Rohit was India’s all-format captain until June 2024 and has been included in India’s 15-man squad for the ODI series against Australia, along with star batter Virat Kohli, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement on Saturday.
Gill, who took over as the Test captain after Rohit’s retirement from the format in May, will take over the role ahead of the ODI series away in Australia starting on October 19.
Rohit has led India in the ODI format at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in February and March, when his team won the title in the final against New Zealand in Dubai.
The 38-year-old also led India to their second ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title in 2024 in Barbados, following which he announced his retirement from the 20-over format along with Kohli.
The stalwarts of Indian cricket have also hung up their boots in the longest form of the game following the 2024-25 Test tour of Australia.
Kohli, who turns 37 in November, has also retired from Test cricket.
Suryakumar Yadav replaced Rohit as the T20 international captain in July and led India’s triumphant run at the T20 Asia Cup 2025.
There were no surprises in India’s squad for the five-match T20I series against Australia.
Linsey Smith takes the wickets of Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp, as South Africa fall to 19-4 in just the sixth over of England’s opening match of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
Cricketing wisdom would tell you that you can’t win a 100-over game in the first over, but you can go a long way to losing it.
That is certainly how Pakistan will view it with two of their top three – Omaima Sohail and Ameen – gone for golden ducks thanks to the new-ball brilliance of Marufa Akter.
The 20-year-old had the ball hooping from the off and with just her fifth delivery she produced a superb swinging delivery that beat Omaima through the gate and crashed into middle and leg.
Next ball she was at it again. Slightly wider this time, but the same prodigious swing back into the right-hander – with a bit of help from Ameen’s inside edge – made a mess of the stumps once more.
“How Marufa bowled in the powerplay – she stole the show!” Joty said after the match.
“She’s very young, but she’s very mature and she knows her role very well. Everyone backed her up very well, but she was incredible.”
It was Ameen’s first duck in a one-day international since February 2019 and, given the form she has been in, it seemed to shock Pakistan.
With scores of 121 not out, 122, 50 not out and 37 not out in her past four innings, the significance of Ameen’s wicket for Bangladesh was huge.
Marufa’s impact lessened once the swing diminished, but the Bangladesh spinners were ready and waiting to do their part.
All six bowlers used claimed at least one wicket, with leg-spinner Shorna Akter taking 3-5 and left-armer Nahida Akter 2-19.
There was no respite for Pakistan, and any hopes they had of defending such a low total were scuppered by the class and coolness of Jhilik on debut.
BBC
Afghanistan Cricket Board/X
