Pakistan Women to Play 2025 World Cup Matches in Colombo
PAKISTAN will play their matches at this year's Women's Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka under an International Cricket Council deal that allows them to avoid playing in host nation India.
The refusal of India to travel to Pakistan for the men's Champions Trophy earlier this year resulted in the ICC introducing neutral venues to tournaments hosted by either of the neighbouring countries.
Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan were last month involved in a four-day military conflict, their worst since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed.
Sri Lanka's Colombo will join Indian host cities Bengaluru, Guwahati, Indore and Visakhapatnam in staging matches from September 30 until the final of the 50-over tournament on November 2, the ICC announced late on Monday.
Colombo will be Pakistan's home for seven group games.
The first semi-final will take place in either Guwahati or Colombo, if Pakistan progress that far, on October 29 with the second semi-final a day later in Bengaluru.
The final will be in either Bengaluru or Colombo on Sunday, November 2.
'The venues for the knockouts are dependent on Pakistan qualifying', the ICC said in a statement.
'Two alternative venues have been identified for one semi-final and the final.'
Eight teams will contest the World Cup -- Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka.
Australia beat England by 71 runs in the final of the last Women's World Cup, hosted by New Zealand in 2022.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Brazil need to get the best out of Vinicius: Ancelotti
Brazil must help striker Vinicius Jr rediscover the form he has displayed at Real Madrid, new national team coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Wednesday. Ancelotti, who guided the Spanish giants to several titles alongside the Brazilian forward, including two Champions League triumphs and two LaLiga crowns, said that his unique ability to unsettle opposing defences made him a vital asset. "I don't know if he's been at his best here, but he has time to do what he does at Real Madrid," Ancelotti told reporters ahead of Brazil's World Cup qualifying match against Ecuador on Thursday — his first match in charge of the national team. "For us, he's a fundamental player. We have to work to ensure he performs at his best here," the manager added. Vinicius made his World Cup debut in Qatar in 2022 and has been a regular during their qualifying campaign for the 2026 tournament. However, he has struggled for form with the national team, falling short of his usual standards at Real Madrid. Regarding his tactical approach, Ancelotti stated that he aims to field a compact, balanced team. "I don't want a team with a clear identity. We have to defend well, whether it's 4-3-3 or 4-4-2. We have to defend together and use creativity with the ball," he said. "Individual quality is not enough today; you have to combine it with attitude, drive and commitment." He didn't reveal his starting line-up for his debut as coach, but he did have words of praise for 18-year-old Estevao, who is leaving Palmeiras for Chelsea and has been tipped for a bright future with the national team. "He's got a special talent... he's got character, he's a good person, he's humble, and he seems fine to me, but with a young player we have to be patient and careful. He has the characteristics to be very important for the future of the national team," the coach said. Brazil are fourth in the standings for the South American World Cup qualifiers, while their opponents Ecuador are second, behind world champions Argentina. The top six qualify directly for the World Cup. They will host Paraguay in Sao Paulo next week and could secure an early spot at next year's World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. --REUTERS
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
11 killed, dozens injured as India cricket victory celebration turns deadly
ELEVEN people were killed and many injured in a stampede in Indian city Bengaluru on Wednesday outside a stadium where cricket fans had gathered to celebrate the local team's victory. The southern state of Karnataka erupted in joy after Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) beat Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament final on Tuesday night. The victory celebration was organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) inside the stadium in Bengaluru after the winning RCB squad returned from Gujarat state's Ahmedabad city where the final match was held. Fireworks lit the skies of Bengaluru on Tuesday night as RCB scored their maiden title win in the 18-year-old IPL, a contest that keeps hundreds of millions of Indians fixated to T20 cricket. Eleven people were killed and dozens injured as the crowds swelled outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The celebration event was called off after the stampede. The stadium's capacity is 35,000, but about 300,000 people gathered for the victory celebration, local media reported, citing Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah. 'Deeply shocked by the tragic loss of lives in the stampede during the RCB victory celebrations near Chinnaswamy Stadium. A moment of joy has been eclipsed by sorrow,' Siddaramaiah said in a post on social media platform X. 'Precautionary measures were taken by not allowing a victory parade, but the crowd surge near the stadium led to this tragedy. I urge everyone to always prioritise safety -- above excitement, celebration, or crowd fervour,' he said. More than 100,000 people also gathered at the state assembly but no untoward incident was reported from there.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Newell's Criticized for Suspending Kids Over Rival Photo
AN Argentine football club has sparked outrage by suspending six nine-year-olds from training and stripping them of scholarships after they posed for a photograph with a professional player from a rival team. The kids, enrolled in the youth academy of Newell's Old Boys club, had posed with Ignacio Malcorra of Rosario Central when he came to watch his son play in a tournament in March. The boys had posed in their Newell's jerseys, which some interpreted as an act of disloyalty to star Lionel Messi's boyhood team. The rivalry between the two first division clubs from the populous city of Rosario is one of the fiercest in football-crazy Argentina, and has at times degenerated into fan violence. Newell's denied the children were being punished, saying in a statement the measure was taken to protect them against 'potential harassment.' But Lionel Scaloni, a World Cup-winning Argentine coach and former Newell's player, criticized the move. 'We should value that these kids wanted to take a picture with a first-division player,' he said at a press conference Wednesday. 'If we want to eradicate violence, we must do the exact opposite: tell them to take the picture and, if their dream is to one day play in the first division, it doesn't matter with' which team, he said. Newell's president Ignacio Astore said some parents had asked for their children not to play after receiving threats from other parents. Carlos Panciroli, coordinator of Newell's football academy, who had earlier defended the boys' suspension out of 'respect' of the Newell's jersey, later conceded to La Capital newspaper that 'maybe we made a mistake.'
