Zimbabwe to face Namibia in three-match T20 series
HARARE, Sep 8: Zimbabwe is set to host Namibia in a three-match T20I series, to be held this month, as part of crucial preparation for both teams ahead of the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifiers. The matches are scheduled to be held on September 15, 16, and 18 in Bulawayo, with fans to be charged no fee for watching games in the stadium. Zimbabwe and Namibia are among the eight teams to participate in the T20 World Cup qualifiers, set to be held in Harare from September 26 to October 4.The top two teams in the Africa Qualifier will book their places for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, to be held in India and Sri Lanka. Zimbabwe will go into the series against Namibia with the same squad that recently pushed Sri Lanka all the way in a thrilling T20I contest at Harare Sports Club, though they lost the series 2-1.(IANS)
Sanya, Unnati advance in Indian Squash Tour-2
MUMBAI, Sep 8: Indian wild cards Sanya Vats and Unnati Tripathi defeated higher-ranked compatriots in the women’s opening round of the Indian Squash Tour-2, a PSA Challenger event, here on Monday.While Sanya got the better of Nirupama Dubey 11-7, 11-9, 11-7, Unnati rallied to beat Anjali Semwal 2-11, 11-7, 11-7, 14-12 here at the Otters Club.Tanishka Jain and Janet Vidhi also advanced to the round of 16.The tournament is supported by HCL and the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and the Sports Authority of India.
Results (Indian players round of 32):
Men’s: Shamil Wakeel (SL) bt Yusha Nafees 3-1; Seif Shenawy (EGY) bt Adarsh Banodha 3-0; Marwan Mahmoud Assal (EGY) bt Om Semwal 3-1; Ming Hong Tang (HK) bt Rounak Yadav 3-0; Shing Fung Lam (HK) bt Rahul Baitha 3-0; Md Hafiz Abdul Harif (MAS) bt Diwakar Singh 3-1. Women’s: Unnati Tripathi bt Anjali Semwal 3-1; Sze Wing Wai (HK) bt Sunita Patel 3-0; Bobo Lam (HK) bt Eesha Shrivastava 3-0; Sanya Vats bt Nirupama Dubey 3-0; Rana El Sayed (EGY) bt Shameena Riaz 3-1; Tanishka Jain bt Mahak Talati 3-0; Janet Vidhi bt Vyomika Khandelwal 3-0. (PTI)
Before Tri-series, Pak to host Lanka for ODIs in November
LAHORE, Sep 8: Before the T20I Tri-series, Pakistan will host Sri Lanka for a three-match ODI series at the Rawalpindi from November 11-15. The ODI leg of Sri Lanka’s trip to Pakistan comes before the two teams feature in the T20I Tri-series from November 17-29, with Afghanistan as the third team. It will also mark Pakistan playing their first-ever T20I tri-series at home. This will be Sri Lanka’s first bilateral ODI assignment in Pakistan since 2019, when they toured for a three-match series that Sarfaraz Ahmed’s side won 2-0, after the opening game in Karachi washed out. Sri Lanka last played in Pakistan during the 2023 Men’s ODI Asia Cup, when they faced Afghanistan in Lahore.Following the Test series, South Africa and Pakistan will meet in three T20Is to be held from October 28 to November 1, with the first game in Rawalpindi and the remaining two matches in Lahore.The tour will conclude with three ODIs to be played at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium from November 4-8. The ground will host an ODI game after 17 years, after having last staged one in April 2008 when Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets. (IANS)
Pranavi finishes modest 50th as Nuria wins her fifth LET title
HOUSTON, Sep 8: Pranavi Urs went 2-over par on the third and final day of the 2025 Aramco Houston Championship and finished a modest Tied-50th in the event. Pranavi, a multiple winner on her home tour, the Women’s Pro Golf Tour, is returning from an injury and shot rounds of 72-69-74 for an up-and-down week.The other two Indians in the field, Avani Prashanth and Tvesa Malik missed the cut.Pranavi had just one birdie on the final day and three bogeys on the second, fourth and the 13th.Spain’s Nuria Iturrioz fired a final round of 68 (-4) to secure her fifth Ladies European Tour (LET) title. She won by two strokes.England’s Hull (67) and Spain’s Ciganda (71) ended the week in a tie for second place on 11-under-par in Houston. (IANS)