India need to be wary of SA women in 1st T20I

Surat: The Indian women’s team cannot afford to take South African women lightly despite their recent domination of the visitors in T20Is. The two sides face off in the first game of the five-match T20I series here tomorrow. In the last five matches between the two sides, India have won three times and lost once, one game ending in no result. 

NEW DELHI
TNCA is misinterpreting SC order: CoA’s petition

The Committee of Administrators (CoA) has filed a 20-page petition in the Supreme Court seeking a clarification as they feel that the apex court's September 20 order is being “mischievously” misinterpreted. On September 20, the Supreme Court passed an interim order allowing TNCA to conduct elections. The order also stated that disqualification from contesting state body elections on completion of nine years would only be confined to office-bearers. The CoA in its submission has stated that SC's order is being “erroneously construed in such a manner so as to override principal judgement dated July 18th, 2016 and August 9, 2018.” The CoA has apprehension that this misinterpretation of order could lead to six possible situations of violations.

DHAKA
Oz tour of Bangladesh postponed: BCB

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said that Australia’s two-Test series against Bangladesh, which is part of the World Test Championship, has been postponed to June-July 2020. Australia’s tour of Bangladesh for a T20I series, which was slated to be held in October this year, will now take place in 2021 ahead of the eighth edition of the T20 World Cup in India.

London
Warne banned from driving for 12 months by court   

Australian spin legend Shane Warne has been banned from driving for 12 months after he was found guilty of over speeding for the sixth time in two years. The 50-year-old former leg-spinner pleaded guilty at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court for driving at 47mph in a 40mph zone in a hired Jaguar car in Kensington in August 2018. Warne, who was not in court for the hearing, already had 15 penalty points on his licence for five speeding offences from April 2016. Deputy District Judge Adrian Turner told the court: “It may well be that none on its own were particularly serious but for points disqualification purposes the triviality of the offences is not to be taken into account. A period of 12 months is necessary for the purposes I have mentioned.” 

Incheon
Sindhu gears up for Korea Open

World champion PV Sindhu (in pic) will seek to quickly get over the disappointment of an early exit in the China Open when she resumes her quest for a BWF World Tour title this season at the Korea Open badminton tournament here tomorrow. The 26-year-old Indian will face USA’s Beiwen Zhang in a tricky opener. The eighth seeded Saina Nehwal will open her campaign against South Korean Kim Ga Eun. — Agencies 

Jackson (US)
Lahiri finishes T-45th 

Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri rounded off the week with a 3-under 69 to end tied-45th at the Sanderson Farms Championship here. The PGA Tour got its first winner from Colombia as Sebastian Munoz made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to force a playoff, and then beat Sungjae Im with a par on the first extra hole to win the title. Munoz made it two straight weeks for South American winners, following Joaquin Niemann’s win last week.

Paris
Aditi tied-26 at French Open   

India’s Aditi Ashok was the best Indian at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France as she shot an even-par 71 in the final round to finish tied-26th here. Diksha Dagar (72) was tied-43rd and Tvesa Malik (74) was tied-63rd. American Nelly Korda won her first Ladies European Tour title. 

Milan
Racist abuse halts game    

A Serie A match between Atalanta and Fiorentina was halted for several minutes because of racist abuse of Brazilian Dalbert. The 26-year-0ld Fiorentina defender asked the referee to halt play until a warning statement was read out. Meanwhile, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia have been ordered to play their next home matches in Euro 2020 qualifying behind closed doors due to racist behaviour from their supporters.

Los Angeles
Biles seals Worlds berth  

Simone Biles won the all-around competition at the US selection camp to confirm her spot on a fifth straight gymnastics World Championships team. She tallied 58.55 points to prevail by .35 over Sunisa Lee. Biles will tie Kerri Strug as the only US women to compete at the Worlds in five different years at next month’s Championships.

Sydney
Oz Folau to play for Tonga  

Sacked Wallabies fullback Israel Folau is set to make a surprise return to rugby league with the Tonga national team. Folau’s four-year contract with Rugby Australia and the New South Wales Waratahs was torn up in May after he was found guilty of a breach of RA’s code of conduct for posting on social media that hell awaits drunks, homosexuals, adulterers and other groups. Agencies