'No Need To Make...': Pratika Rawal's First Reaction After Being Punished By ICC
India batter Pratika Rawal clarified on Friday that her shoulder contact with England cricketers during the first Women's ODI was 'not intentional" after being fined and handed one demerit point by the ICC.
The ICC had earlier imposed a 10 per cent match fee fine and a demerit point on Rawal for breaching its Code of Conduct, stating that the Indian batter engaged in 'avoidable physical contact" with England's Lauren Filer and Sophie Ecclestone in the 18th and 19th overs.
'It was not intentional. I was just running my way, and that shoulder barge was completely unintentional," Rawal told the media ahead of the second ODI.
'I don't think there is a need for a reaction or to make a fuss about it. It was not intentional," she added, referring to the incident in Southampton.
England were also fined five per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate during the opening ODI, which India won by four wickets.
The ICC said both Rawal and England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt 'accepted their respective sanctions" imposed by the match referee.
Rawal mentioned that India are focusing on one game at a time, coming off a 3-2 win in the five-match T20I series and needing only one win from the next two matches to clinch the ODI series.
'We are taking it one game at a time. Currently, our main focus is to win this series. Winning the next match would be great as it puts us ahead in the series. Our aim is to win this series 3-0," she said.
'Also, I feel that focusing on one thing at a time helps with better concentration and focus, so we are sticking to that approach," she added.
The right-handed top-order batter noted that scoring against teams like England and Australia — with whom India will play three ODIs before the World Cup at home — boosts her confidence.
Rawal scored 36 off 51 balls in the first match that India won by four wickets.
'Scoring well against teams like England and Australia gives you a lot of confidence, and playing more matches against them builds the confidence required for upcoming series and matches," Rawal said.
'It's a great initiative to play as many matches as we can. The way our team is progressing right now is amazing, with significant contributions from all players," she added.
view comments
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
15 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Deja vu: England, Spain to clash again in Women's Euro Championship final
There's a sense of deja vu about the Women's European Championship final that pits defending champion England against World Cup winner Spain. The two nations faced off in the World Cup final two years ago with Spain edging an open match 1-0. I think obviously that was a massive disappointment and I feel like from a collective we probably feel like we didn't have our best performance that day, but I think if you're trying to pull on that too much then you're going to be too emotional with too many things going on, England midfielder Keira Walsh said on Thursday. Obviously you think about it a little bit but I think for us, put it to the side and focus on the game on Sunday. We've got so many new players in this team who are really confident and bring so many things to this team, so it's exciting and we can just focus on the positives. Both teams needed 120 minutes to get through their gruelling semifinals. England's super-subs had their part to play again on Tuesday with late goals first taking the match to extra time and then securing a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Italy. Spain needed a moment of magic from two-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati to get past a resilient German side 1-0 on Wednesday. It will be a first Euros final for Spain but even before the tournament it had been the favorite to add the European title to its collection after winning the World Cup and Nations League in the past two years. Spain's triumph at the World Cup was marred by the Luis Rubiales scandal, after the-then head of the Spanish soccer federation kissed player Jenni Hermoso during the awards ceremony. Rubiales was subsequently charged with sexual assault and convicted a few months before the start of Euro 2025, bringing an end to one of the worst chapters in the history of Spanish soccer. Walsh, who made 100 appearances for Barcelona over two-and-a-half seasons, was playing in Spain at the time and witnessed the fallout first hand. I think the most important thing for them is that they can enjoy this final, there's not the controversy surrounding it, she said. I think just for the girls this time and as a friend and another football player, for them just to go and enjoy it. They play incredible football and they deserve to be there, so as a human being I just want them to go out and enjoy the game of football. Walsh doesn't feel Spain's star-packed squad received enough credit after the World Cup triumph. Obviously after the game there was a lot of controversy and I don't think for them there was enough spotlight on how incredible they played and how incredible some of their players were, it was all about the other stuff that had gone on, she said. I think as a professional that was disappointing to see. Obviously I have a lot of friends in that team and I think they probably deserved a little bit more than what they got. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
15 minutes ago
- Business Standard
IOA panel to urge ministry for criminal law on doping substance peddlers
The seven-member committee of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), set up to tackle doping in the country, will recommend the sports ministry to pass a law that will make peddling of performance-enhancing drugs and selling banned substances in open market a criminal activity. IOA executive council member Rohit Rajpal, who is heading the panel, said organised drug rackets have been playing a part in the dope menace and the committee will make guidelines and recommendations to deal with the matter in a very aggressive manner. "The IOA is very serious about the doping menace. We (the panel) want to recommend the sports ministry to make a law so that peddling of performance-enhancing drugs and selling these banned substances in open market become a criminal activity. Let's see," Rajpal, a former India tennis player, told PTI on Thursday. The panel was formed after India's poor doping record was flagged by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) during a national delegation's visit to push for the 2036 Olympic bid. India had last month topped the World Anti-Doping Agency's 2023 testing figures among countries which analysed 5,000 or more samples with a high positivity rate of 3.8 per cent for banned substances. Former Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adille Sumariwalla was the one who had advocated making use of performance-enhancing substances a criminal offence, but drug cheats are still not liable for penal action under existing Indian laws. Rajpal, a former Davis Cupper, made it clear that he was not talking about making athletes liable to penal action for doping. "I am not talking about the athletes but about the drug peddlers. The amount of banned and performance-enhancing drugs available in the market is too high. And organised rackets pushed these drugs all over the country," he said. "Many of our athletes are from humble backgrounds and don't have much awareness about which drug is permissible to be used and which is banned. That is a problem and we have to work on that aspect also," added Rajpal, who is also the IOA Anti-Doping chairman. He said that coaches also play a big role in this menace. Earlier, while addressing an IOA press conference, Rajpal talked about "holistic doping prevention programme" that his committee will look at. "In recent months there has been growing global spotlight on doping and the challenges athletes face in navigating complex anti-doping rules. While India has made significant strides in the fight against doping through the efforts of NADA, federations and athlete support teams, it is clear that much more needs to be done at grassroots and education level. "People who are pushing these kind of supplements or performance enhancing drugs, which are second and third generation in this country, it's become an organised racket pushing these drugs all over the country and the athletes mostly don't even know what they are having. "So, all these areas are going to be attacked by all of us in a very aggressive manner and hopefully we will have a free and fair sport going forward," he said. He said the IOA is launching a dedicated anti-doping education programme with immediate effect. "The committee will be responsible for designing and rolling out a sustained anti-doping education and awareness campaign targeting athletes at all levels from grassroots to elite, coaches and support staff, federation administrators and sports officials and most importantly parents and guardians of young athletes. "The idea here is that through education and awareness, we are going to try to reach the last corner of this country to educate athletes as to what they are using. "At the same time, there are labs that are being at the moment looked into and analysed. When they can come, more and more testing can happen and those labs can be accredited for this programme," said Rajpal who has earlier served at NADA Anti-Doping Panels. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
15 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Pakistan hockey faces cash crunch, uncertain about Pro League participation
The Pakistan hockey team's participation in the 2025-26 FIH Pro League lies in jeopardy because of financial crunch, derailing the three-time Olympic champions' much-anticipated comeback at the international stage. The Pakistan men's hockey team, which has won the World Cup four times, has been invited to compete in the FIH Pro League 2025-26 after New Zealand, who had earned direct qualification by winning the 2024-25 Nations Cup, decided not to participate in the upcoming season. The International Hockey Federation (FIH), the game's governing body, formally extended the invitation to Pakistan on Wednesday and had given them a deadline till August 12 to inform their confirmation. Pakistan, which has failed to qualify for the last three Olympics and also World Cup, has been given an opportunity by the FIH to compete against top tier teams Argentina, Australia, Belgium, England, Germany, India, Netherlands and Spain in the competition that will be held from December, 2025 till June, 2026. But the problem is that the cash-strapped Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) doesn't have funds to send the team for the Pro League. The PHF have now requested the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) to release 700 million rupees (around USD 2.5 million) for the entire campaign. The state run PSB, at its recent annual meeting, made it clear that it doesn't have the funds to ensure Pakistan's participation in the Pro League. The PSB, in fact, has already directed the PHF to submit detailed accounts of the funds allocated to them since last year and have flatly refused to release more funds to the national federation to pay daily and travel allowances of players and officials, who went to the recent FIH Nations Cup. Pakistan lost in the final of the FIH Nations Cup to New Zealand, who automatically qualified for the Pro League. But New Zealand have informed the FIH that they wouldn't be sending their team, as a result of which second-best Pakistan have got a chance to compete against the top tier teams. "But whether this will be possible has to be seen as the PSB will send a summary to the Prime Minister for allocation of special funds to allow the PHF to send the team to the Pro League," an official in the PSB said. He made it clear that because of the failure of the PHF to update the PSB on how they had spent funds released to them since last year the Prime Minister, who is patron-in-chief of the PHF might opt for a change in the top leadership of the federation before approving special funds of 700 million rupees. Rasheedul Hassan, an Olympic gold medallist who has launched a campaign against the PHF, said unfortunately the officials who had managed the federation affairs for last many years had failed to keep a clean image. When the inaugural Pro League was held, the PHF had initially confirmed participation in the event but later backed out citing lack of funds as a result it ended up paying a fine of 170,000 euros to the FIH. For record, Pakistan is the most successful national team in the Asian Games history, with eight gold medals -- 1958, 1962, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1990, and 2010, the highest number of times a country has become Asian Champion. Pakistan is also the only Asian team to have won the prestigious Champions Trophy thrice -- 1978, 1980 and 1994. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
