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India’s cricket board on Monday announced a cash reward of $5.75 million for the women’s team after their triumphant World Cup campaign.Hosts India beat South Africa by 52 runs in front of a sell-out home crowd at Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium on Sunday to lift their first one-day international (ODI) World Cup.Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia told AFP that the money was awarded “as a token of appreciation for the women’s team”, and would be spread across the players, support staff and selectors involved.The Indian women, who triumphed at the third attempt after finishing runners-up in 2005 and 2017, have already received $4.48 million in prize money from the International Cricket Council (ICC) — a  239 percent increase from the $1.32 million awarded to Australia in 2022. This edition of the Women’s World Cup boasted an overall purse of $13.88 million, eclipsing the total $10 million for the last edition of the men’s championship.India toiled in the league phase and suffered three successive defeats, but clinched the last semi-final spot, before knocking out record seven-time champions and heavy favourites Australia.Fans celebrated the victory at home and on the streets, with crowds in Delhi waving Indian flags and setting off fireworks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the “historic win will motivate future champions to take up sports”.

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.

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said her team’s breakthrough Women’s World Cup triumph on Sunday was “just the beginning” as they beat South Africa by 52 runs to win the tournament for the first time.Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma starred with both bat and ball to propel India to the title in front of a jubilant home crowd at Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium.Hosts India posted 298-7 and then bowled South Africa out for 246 in 45.3 overs with spinner Sharma taking five wickets after earlier contributing a vital run-a-ball 58 in the middle order.Opener Verma top-scored with 87 as India posted a challenging total after they were put in to bat in a final delayed two hours by rain.South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt hit a valiant 101 but her departure off Sharma raised the noise at the 45,000-capacity stadium, which had turned into a sea of blue.Sharma took down Nadine de Klerk, for 18, for the final wicket as India celebrated with the thousands of supporters inside the ground and millions outside in the cricket-mad nation.”We wanted to break this barrier,” Kaur said.”And our next plan is to make this a habit. We were waiting for it, now this moment has come. So many big occasions are coming, and we want to keep improving. This is not the end, just the beginning.”The Indian women triumphed at the third attempt after finishing runners-up in 2005 and 2017.India toiled in the league phase and suffered three successive defeats but clinched the last semi-final spot, before knocking out record seven-time champions and heavy favourites Australia.For South Africa, it was a third straight loss in a World Cup final after they finished runners-up in back-to-back editions of the T20 showpiece in 2023 and 2024.South Africa made their first ODI World Cup final despite starting the competition with a 10-wicket thrashing by England after being bundled out for 69.- Verma’s golden arm -The Proteas had their revenge when they beat England in the semi-final with Wolvaardt scoring 169.”I could not be prouder of this team for the campaign we had,” said Wolvaardt, who led the tournament batting charts with 571 runs at an average of over 71.”Brilliant cricket throughout but outplayed today (by India). Unfortunate to be on the losing side but we will definitely grow from this.”Sharma struck key blows with her off-spin in the final, including the wicket of Annerie Dercksen, who hit 35 in a 61-run partnership with Wolvaardt that gave South Africa hope.But it was Sharma’s double-wicket over to dismiss Wolvaardt and then Chloe Tryon, for nine, that took India to the brink of victory.Kaur’s ploy of giving the ball to Verma, a part-time off-spinner, in the 20th over proved key as the youngster removed Sune Luus.Verma dislodged Marizanne Kapp in the next over to plunge South Africa into deeper trouble but Wolvaardt kept South Africa in the game until her departure in the 42nd over.Kaur said the decision to hand Verma, who was named player of the match, the ball proved to be the “turning point” of the game.Verma, who was brought into the team for the semi-final after fellow opener Pratika Rawal went down injured, gave India a fast start with the bat.She put on 104 runs with Smriti Mandhana (45) to lay solid foundations at a venue that has produced big runs, including India’s record chase of 339 in the semi-final against Australia.Sharma then added valuable runs with her 18th ODI fifty to crank up the pressure on South Africa despite three wickets for Ayabonga Khaka.Sharma took a tournament-best 22 wickets, also chipping in with 215 runs as a batter, and was named the best player of the World Cup. 

Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma starred with both bat and ball to propel India to their first Women’s World Cup title with a 52-run win over South Africa on Sunday.Hosts India posted 298-7 and then bowled South Africa out for 246 with spinner Sharma taking five wickets in front of a sell-out home crowd at Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium.Verma top-scored with 87 and Sharma hit 58 off as many balls as India posted a challenging total after they were put in to bat in a final delayed two hours by rain.South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt hit a valiant 101 but her departure off Sharma raised the noise at the 45,000-capacity stadium, which had turned into a sea of blue.Sharma took down Nadine de Klerk, for 18, as the final wicket as Harmanpreet Kaur’s India celebrated with the jubilant crowd inside the ground and millions outside in the cricket-mad nation.The Indian women triumphed at the third attempt after finishing runners-up in 2005 and 2017.Sharma struck key blows with her off-spin including Annerie Dercksen, who hit 35 in a 61-run partnership with in-form opener Wolvaardt.But it was Sharma’s double-wicket over to dismiss Wolvaardt and then Chloe Tryon, for nine, that took India to the brink of victory.Kaur’s ploy of giving the ball to Verma, an opening batter and a part-time off-spinner, in the 20th over proved key as the youngster removed Sune Luus.Verma dislodged Marizanne Kapp in the next over to plunge South Africa into deeper trouble but Wolvaardt kept South Africa in the game until her departure in the 42nd over.Verma, who was brought into the team for the semi-final after fellow opener Pratika Rawal went down injured, came out roaring with the bat.She put on 104 runs with Smriti Mandhana (45) to lay solid foundations at a venue that has produced big runs, including India’s record chase of 339 in the semi-final against Australia.Sharma then added valuable runs with her 18th ODI fifty to crank up the pressure on South Africa despite three wickets for Ayabonga Khaka.

Half-centuries by Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma helped India post a competitive 298-7 against South Africa in the Women’s World Cup final in Mumbai on Sunday.Put into bat in a rain-delayed match, India rode on an opening stand of 104 between Smriti Mandhana (45) and Verma, who top-scored with 87, to stay in the hunt for their first title in front of a sell-out home crowd.Sharma hit 58 off 58 balls at the 45,000-capacity DY Patil Stadium – a venue that has produced big runs, including India’s record chase of 339 in the semi-final against Australia.The ODI World Cup is awaiting a new champion with South Africa also eyeing their first crown.Rain held up the start of the match by two hours before South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt won the toss in her team’s first final in the tournament.Hosts India soon took charge with the left-handed Mandhana and Verma hitting regular boundaries to take the attack to the opposition bowlers.South Africa introduced spin in the 17th over and Chloe Tyron struck in the next over with her left-arm orthodox bowling to send back in-form Mandhana, caught behind.Swashbuckling opener Verma, who came in as replacement for injured Pratika Rawal in the semi-final, reached her fifty.Verma survived a reprieve on 56 when Anneke Bosch dropped a simple catch at deep mid-wicket off spinner Sune Luus, to the delight of the Indian fans.Medium-pace bowler Ayabonga Khaka dismissed Verma when she got the batter holed out at mid-off . In the next over took down semi-final hero Jemimah Rodrigues, for 24, to check India’s surge.Sharma and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur got down to the grind to rebuild the innings, in the face of tidy South African bowling.Harmanpreet and then Amanjot Kaur departed as India seemed to fall behind on a high-scoring pitch but Sharma was joined by Richa Ghosh, who hit 34, and the two took on the bowling.India, runners-up in 2005 and 2017, are playing their in third final.

India launched its heaviest ever communication satellite on Sunday, the latest step in the country’s ambitious space programme. The CMS-03 satellite blasted off from Sriharikota in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh at 5:26 pm (1156 GMT).”Our space sector continues to make us proud!” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who wants to send an Indian astronaut to the Moon by 2040.Weighing about 4,410 kilograms (9,722 pounds), it is “the heaviest communication satellite” launched in the country, the Indian Space Research Organisation said Thursday. The Indian Navy said the satellite would help “secure communication links between ships, aircraft, submarines”.The CMS-03 satellite was sent into orbit from the towering 43.5 metre (143 foot) tall LVM3-M5 launch vehicle.It is an upgraded version of the rocket that launched India’s unmanned craft that landed on the Moon in August 2023.Only Russia, the United States and China have previously achieved a controlled landing on the lunar surface.The country has flexed its spacefaring ambitions in the last decade, with its space programme growing considerably in size and momentum.Shubhanshu Shukla, a test pilot with the Indian Air Force, this year became the second Indian to travel to space and the first to reach the International Space Station — a key step towards India’s own crewed mission planned for 2027.

South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt elected to field first against India in a rain-delayed Women’s World Cup final with both teams seeking to win their first title on Sunday.Thousands of fans In Indian jerseys waited patiently ahead of the start on a wet afternoon with a full house expected at Mumbai’s 45,000-capacity DY Patil stadium.Rain delayed the toss by two hours but no overs have been lost in the 50-over contest.South Africa’s women are into their first ODI World Cup final after they beat four-time winners England in the first semi-final and come in unchanged.”Bit of rain around and there might be dew later on, hoping for a bit of slippiness early on with all the rain around,” said Wolvaardt, who hit 169 in the first semi-final.India have been runners-up twice, in 2005 and 2017, and reached their third final by beating seven-time champions Australia in a thriller.Captain Harmanpreet Kaur said she would have also bowled first had she won the toss.The hosts come in unchanged from their record chase of 339 against Australia.”We will try to bat well and put up a decent score,” said Kaur. “I don’t think there will be much on the pitch after five, six overs.”TeamsIndia women: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Amanjot Kaur, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Kranti Gaud, N Shree Charani, Renuka Singh.South Africa women: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Tazmin Brits, Sune Luus, Annerie Dercksen, Anneke Bosch, Marizanne Kapp, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba.Umpires: Eloise Sheridan (AUS), Jacqueline Williams (WIS)TV Umpire: Sue Redfern (ENG)Match Referee: Michell Pereira (SRI)

Hosts India face South Africa in the Women’s World Cup final in Mumbai on Sunday, with the one-day showpiece crowning a new champion.India have been runners-up twice, in 2005 and 2017, and reached their third final after beating seven-time champions Australia in a thriller.South Africa’s women are into their first ODI World Cup final.Speaking ahead of the decider, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said winning the World Cup could be a turning point for the women’s game in the cricket-crazy country.”Last time when we reached the final and came back to India we saw a big change,” Kaur told reporters on Saturday.”Women’s cricket moved ahead and we saw many girls on the ground. “So I am sure that if we win this final, we will see many more changes and we will see more cricket, not only on the international level but also on the domestic level.””So I think we are really looking forward to that moment when we will see women’s cricket in a more serious manner and we will see more girls (playing),” she said.Indian players like Kaur and Smriti Mandhana have become household names in the world’s most populous nation since the Women’s Premier League T20 tournament began in 2023.Jemimah Rodrigues played a champion’s knock with an unbeaten 127 to help India chase down a record 339 against holders Australia in the semi-finals.”I think it’s a proud moment for me and the entire team,” Kaur said.”I am sure the entire country must be also very proud of the way we have played the last two games and, yeah, it’s a big day.”South Africa, led by Laura Wolvaardt, beat four-time winners England to reach their first ODI World Cup final.Wolvaardt said the pressure on the home team could work in South Africa’s favour at DY Patil Stadium, which has a capacity of 45,000.”I think with the whole crowd behind India, probably a sold-out stadium, it’s going to be a very exciting opportunity,” Wolvaardt said.”But at the same time, I think it puts a lot of pressure on them as well. So yeah, I think it sort of plays in our favour, hopefully.”Only Australia, England and New Zealand have ever won the tournament since it began in 1973.Kaur said a new champion will be good for the sport.”Because of that we are seeing more excitement,” she said. “And for us to reach the final is also very special, not only for us but for the Indian fans who have been a big support for us.”