International
England thrash Harmanpreet’s India by nine wickets in opening T20I

Despite the absence of stalwarts such as regular captain Heather Knight, veteran seamer Katherine Brunt and all-rounder Nat Sciver, England thrashed the Harmanpreet Kaur-led India by nine wickets in the opening Women’s T20I at the Riverside Ground here late on Saturday to take the lead in the three-match series.
Riding on an unbeaten half-century from Sophia Dunkley (61 off 41 balls), England overhauled the meagre target of 132/7 for the loss of just one wicket — Danni Wyatt (24) — in just 13 overs to complete the mauling of the visitors.
After leg-spinner Sarah Glenn wrecked India’s innings, returning figures of 4/23 — her best figures in T20Is — on a wet Durham ground, Dunkley anchored the chase, smashing eight boundaries and a six as the hosts cruised to victory with 42 balls to spare.
Dunkley, who was lucky to survive several calls, recorded her second half-century and the highest score in the format. She also shared partnerships of 60 and 74 with Wyatt and Alice Capsey respectively.
This was sweet revenge for England who lost to India in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Following a guard of honour and a minute’s silence in memory of Queen Elizabeth II, India came out to bat with Smriti Mandhana being the first to depart in the fourth over on 23. Three overs later charismatic young opener Shafali Verma too returned to the pavilion.
An unbeaten cameo from middle-order batter Deepti Sharma — 29 off 24 balls — gave some respectability to the total.
Later, Harmanpreet blamed the damp conditions for the below-par performance of the side.
“It was not 100 per cent, the conditions to play cricket, but still we put in the efforts,” Harmanpreet was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“The ground was too wet and there were so many chances to get injured — and one of our players (Radha) got injured also, she was our main bowler and that’s why we were one bowler short. But the way we were putting in the effort, I’m really happy,” she added.
Brief scores: India Women 132/7 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 23, Deepti Sharma 29 not out; Sarah Glenn 4/23) lost to England 134/1 in 13 overs (Sophia Dunkley 61 not out, Alice Capsey 32 not out) by nine wickets.
International
Mark Zuckerberg strikes gold against jiu jitsu fighters, posts pictures on Instagram

In the past, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has appeared helpless in front of the US Congress where he has been slapped by fines, and fired 11,000 vulnerable employees after being hit by falling revenues. But outside the business arena where Meta is facing tough competition from TikTok and other rivals, Zuckerberg is a huge mixed martial arts fan.
Contrary to setbacks in the tech sector, the Facebook founder has tasted victory in jiu jitsu.
Striking gold, but in a different arena
- The billionaire who has trained with UFC fighters, posted pictures after winning jiu jitsu matches for the first time.
- The billionaire who tried his hand at martial arts, revealed that he won a gold medal in the Gi categroy and a silver medal in the No-GI category.
- His post on Instagram received comments from UFC featherweight and bantamweight category champions, as well as jiu jitsu hall of fame member Bernardo Faria.
Competitive or short tempered?
- The entrepreneur turned sportsperson, who also enjoys surfing, was seen getting into a heated argument after losing a contest during the tournament in California as well.
- On the work front, Zuckerberg’s firm Meta also surprised the markets by bouncing back with strong earnings, after struggling with loss of ad revenue.
International
Al Hilal swoop in with bumper €400 million per year salary deal amid reports of Lionel Messi leaving PSG

Paris Saint Germain forward Lionel Messi is reportedly planning to cut short his time at FC Barcelona and eventually join Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. This comes after Messi was suspended for two weeks for travelling to the Kingdom without PSG’s Qatari owners’ permission.
End of Project Messi
Messi had hoped to stay at PSG beyond the end of the current season. However, with recent events, the situation has changed drastically. Given his incredible record with FC Barcelona and PSG, Messi’s potential move to Al-Hilal would undoubtedly shake the football world.
While Messi’s priority remains to play in Europe, transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano reported that Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal has offered the Argentine superstar a bumper contract with a record-breaking salary worth €400 million per year. The potential deal will lead to Messi surpassing his eternal rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, who earns €223 million per year at Al Nassr.
Hindrance to Messi’s Barcelona return
There is strong speculation that Messi may return to his former club, FC Barcelona. However, the club is facing difficulties in shedding the €200 million ($220 million) required from their wage bill to make the deal viable. Despite this challenge, Barcelona is trying to convince La Liga that they have a workable plan to make the numbers work for a potential deal with Messi.
Consequences of Messi’s Suspension
Messi’s suspension was imposed because he went to fulfill his duties as a tourism ambassador. The Argentine will also be docked two weeks’ pay, which Forbes’ recently-published list of the World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes 2023 estimated to be around $2.5 million. As a result, Messi will miss games against Troyes and Ajaccio.
In addition, PSG has reportedly cancelled a contract renewal offer to Messi, whose current agreement at the Parc des Princes expires on June 30. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner will be free to negotiate with other clubs starting in January 2023.
International
Saudi Arabia to host FIFA Club World Cup 2023

Saudi Arabia has been named the host of the FIFA Club World Cup 2023, scheduled to take place from December 12-22.
“In relation to the FIFA Club World Cup 2023�, which is due to be played under the current format with seven clubs, the FIFA Council unanimously appointed the Saudi Arabian Football Federation as tournament hosts from 12 to 22 December 2023,” the FIFA said in a statement on Tuesday night.
The unanimous decision was made at a FIFA Council meeting and came only a few days after Real Madrid lifted the trophy in Morocco, following a thrilling 5-3 win over Al-Hilal, the first Saudi club to reach the final of the tournament.
Saudi Arabia will be only the sixth host of the competition since its inception in 2000.
The Gulf nation, earlier this month, was awarded the hosting rights of the men’s Asian Cup 2027 and is also bidding to host the Women’s Asian Cup for the first time in 2026.
The FIFA Council also confirmed a change in the format of the tournament from June 2025 — to expand the FIFA Club World Cup from 24 to 32 teams — with 12 teams from Europe involved along six from CONMEBOL, while CONCACAF, CAF and the AFC will each have four, with one place for the OFC and another for the hosts.
In addition, the Council also confirmed that the hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2026, namely Canada, Mexico and the USA, will qualify automatically as the joint hosts of the tournament, with their slots, therefore, being deducted from the overall allocation of six assigned to Concacaf.
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