Shafali Verma was initially dropped from India’s Women’s World Cup squad but the opener returned as an injury replacement to star in the title win and etch her name in history.The 21-year-old batter scored an attacking 87 and took two crucial wickets with her part-time off-spin against South Africa in Sunday’s final in Mumbai.She was named player of the match for her all-round blitz as India won their maiden Women’s World Cup title at a packed DY Patil Stadium. Verma has given India many blazing starts since her international debut aged just 16 but fell out of favour with the selectors in the 50-over format because of patchy form.However, fate had different plans and an injury to in-form opener Pratika Rawal in the last league match forced India to replace her with Verma.Verma made just 10 in India’s stunning victory over holders Australia in the semi-finals but rose to the occasion in the title clash with her career-best ODI score.”I said at the start that God has sent me here to do something nice, and that reflected today,” Verma said.”It was difficult but I had confidence in myself — that if I can stay calm, I could achieve everything.”On a day when Verma could do no wrong, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur handed her the ball in the 20th over and she delivered immediately with the wicket of Sune Luus, caught and bowled for 25.She then got Marizanne Kapp caught behind on a ball sliding down the leg side in her next over.”We had spoken to her that if needed she will bowl one or two overs and in reply she said, ‘I am ready to bowl 10 overs’,” Kaur revealed.”That showed her confidence in bowling. I gave her the bowl at a crucial time and the back-to-back breakthroughs was the turning point for us.”- Next superstar -It has been a roller-coaster ride for Verma, who is from the conservative northern state of Haryana.As a nine-year-old she played in a boys’ tournament after cutting her hair short so she could get a game.”I told my father that I will go and play disguised as my brother (who was sick) and even had his name on my back,” Verma told AFP in 2020.”I played and became man of the match and series.”She also described how her father Sanjeev was cheated out of all the family’s money by an imposter who promised him a job.Fast forward to the present, and her ODI average was modest at 22.55 before Sunday’s heroics when she surpassed her previous 50-over best score of 71 not out.The 49-ball 50 was Verma’s first in three years, but at 21 years and 278 days she was the youngest to hit a half-century in a Women’s ODI World Cup final.In 2019, Verma was picked for the Velocity team in the women’s T20 Challenge — a precursor to the Women’s Premier League — and walked onto the field with Indian cricket great Mithali Raj.She shared the dressing room with international stars including England’s World Cup-winning all-rounder Danielle Wyatt, who called her the next “superstar” of Indian cricket.

A strong earthquake killed at least 20 people in northern Afghanistan, authorities said Monday, just months after another deadly tremor that left the country reeling.The 6.3-magnitude quake struck overnight at a depth of 28 kilometers (17 miles) with the epicentre near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, according to the US Geological Survey.More than 20 people were killed and around 320 were injured in the provinces of Balkh and Samangan, health ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman told journalists on Monday morning, stressing that this was a preliminary toll.He did not provide a province-wide breakdown of the casualties.Residents of Mazar-i-Sharif, one of Afghanistan’s largest northern cities, scrambled into the streets due to fears their homes would collapse, an AFP correspondent observed.The city’s famed Blue Mosque, a 15th-century landmark known for its vibrant tiles, was also damaged, an AFP journalist witnessed.Pieces of the structure, particularly from one of its minarets, broke off and lay scattered across the mosque’s grounds, one of the country’s few remaining tourist spots.Correspondents in the capital Kabul, around 420 kilometres to the south, also said they felt shaking.Poor communication networks and infrastructure in mountainous Afghanistan have hampered disaster responses in the past, preventing authorities for hours or even days from reaching far-flung villages to assess the extent of the damage.It is the latest natural disaster for the Taliban government, which has faced three major deadly earthquakes since taking over Afghanistan in 2021, even as the foreign aid that formed the backbone of the country’s economy has dramatically dropped.In August, a shallow 6.0-magnitude quake in the country’s east wiped out mountainside villages and killed more than 2,200 people.Large tremors in western Herat, near the Iranian border, in 2023, and in eastern Nangarhar province in 2022 killed hundreds and destroyed thousands of homes.The United Nations and aid agencies have warned hunger is rising among the Afghan population.The isolated country is suffering from a humanitarian crisis compounded by drought, economic restrictions on the banking sector, and the pushback of millions of Afghan citizens from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan.Earthquakes are common in Afghanistan, particularly along the Hindu Kush mountain range, near where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet.Many homes in the predominantly rural country — devastated by decades of war — are shoddily built.It often takes hours or days to travel by steep roads and paths to remote villages, which are often cut off from help during disasters or poor weather.

India celebrated a watershed moment in its sporting history Monday after the women’s cricket team won their first World Cup crown, with greats of the game saying it would inspire future generations.A packed DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai saw hosts India defeat South Africa by 52 runs on Sunday, adding a women’s trophy to the country’s four men’s World Cup titles, starting with the first in 1983.”1983 inspired an entire generation to dream big and chase those dreams. Today, our women’s cricket team has done something truly special,” batting legend Sachin Tendulkar posted on social media.”They have inspired countless young girls across the country to pick up a bat and ball, take the field and believe that they too can lift that trophy one day.””This is a defining moment in the journey of Indian women’s cricket,” he added.Fans celebrated at home and on the streets, with crowds in the capital Delhi waving Indian flags and setting off fireworks.Virat Kohli, the star batsman from the men’s team, described the triumph as “an inspiration for generations to come”.”You’ve made every Indian proud with your fearless cricket and belief throughout,” Kohli wrote on X.Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the “historic win will motivate future champions to take up sports”.India posted 298-7, with Shafali Verma smashing a quickfire 87 and Deepti Sharma making a run-a-ball 58. South Africa’s chase was led by captain Laura Wolvaardt’s fighting 101 but regular wickets, including Sharma’s match-winning 5-39, saw them dismissed for 246 off 45.3 overs.A few members of the team which played in India’s first Women’s World Cup appearance in 1978, including captain Diana Edulji, were in attendance when India lifted the trophy shortly after midnight to deafening cheers from a 45,000 crowd.The scenes of jubilation contrasted sharply with 2005, when India’s runners-up position merited only a small mention in newspapers. “It’s just that there were ups and downs, but the team had self-belief,” India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur told reporters after the win.”I’ve been saying this since day one. We weren’t looking to the left or right. We were only looking at our main end goal.”India reached the final after bouncing back from three defeats in a row in the league stage.Kaur now joins the ranks of World Cup-winning India captains such as Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.