Pakistan captain Fatima Sana has been fined 10% of her match fee for making “disparaging gestures” after dismissing India opener Shafali Verma during their Women’s Asia Cup match, the ICC said on Monday (September 7, 2026).

The incident occurred in the second over of India’s innings when Fatima, after dismissing Shafali, gestured in the direction of the pavilion on Saturday.

She was found to have breached Level 1 Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage, or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an International Match.” In addition, one demerit point has been added to Fatima’s disciplinary record as it was her second offence in a 24-month period, taking her tally to two demerit points inside a year.

Fatima received her earlier demerit point during the first match of a T20I series against Ireland in Dublin on August 6, 2025.

Fatima admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Supriya Rani Das of the Emirates ICC International Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

On-field umpires Nimali Perera and Shathira Jakir Jesy, third umpire Rokeya Sultana and fourth umpire Rabab Ahsan levelled the charge.

Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

Left-arm spinner Shree Charani was the star performer, returning brilliant figures of 3 for 7, with able support from young leg-spinner Prema Rawat, as India dismantled Pakistan for a paltry 55 in 18.1 overs without breaking much sweat in an inconsequential Group A league game of the Women’s Asia Cup here on Saturday (September 5, 2026).

This was Pakistan’s lowest score in history of T20 Internationals.

Opting to bat, Pakistan did start confidently, reaching 27 for no loss in little over four overs with openers Muneeba Ali (13) and Shawaal Zulfiqar (14) facing the seamers with ease, but none of the other batters was able to reach double figures in an embarrassing display of ineptitude.

The two wrist spinners Shafali Verma (1/10 in 3 overs) and Prema (3/9 in 4 overs) didn’t try to turn and kept attacking the stumps with relentless accuracy. By the time, Deepti Sharma (2/5 in 3.1 overs) came into bowl, Pakistan women had already thrown in the towel. In 18.1 overs, Indian bowlers delivered an astounding 78 dot balls.

Once, Harmanpreet Kaur, captaining the country for the 150th time in T2Ois, gauged that the pitch is offering turn, she introduced the spinners right away and got due dividends. Suddenly Pakistan lost six wickets for addition of 9 runs to totter at 36 for 6 after end of 10 overs.

Strangled for runs, Muneeba tried to shuffle towards leg stump to make room and was beaten all ends up.

Charani then got into the act as she extracted appreciable turn and bounce at the same time. Gull Feroza (0) tried to hit her against the turn to get caught at short third while Zulfiqar missed a sweep shot to be adjudged plumb in-front.

Ayesha Zafar (2) was strangled and she tried to break the shackles only to lob an easy catch to Harmanpreet at mid-on.

Sadaf Shamas (3) tried to hit her way out on a difficult track and against Rawat, who bowled straight and hit the stumps.

Pakistan’s biggest hope, skipper Fatima Sana (0) got a classical off-break from Deepti Sharma that hit her flush on the pads and could have hit the leg-middle line. She didn’t even ask for a review.

Eyman Fatima (5) and Umm-e Hani (6) were involved in a horrible mix-up leading to the former being run-out at non-striker’s end.

Hani also perished like many of her teammates trying a sweep without even having an iota of idea about the length of the delivery.

Hockey India on Friday (August 28, 2026) announced a cash award of ₹50 lakh for the Indian women’s team in recognition of their historic fifth-place finish at the FIH Hockey World Cup.

Salima Tete’s side sealed the milestone with a 3-1 win over World No. 5 Germany in the 5th/6th place classification match in Amstelveen on Thursday (August 27, 2026), marking India’s best result at the tournament since they finished fourth at the inaugural edition in 1974.

The team went through the campaign with just one defeat, holding higher-ranked sides China, England and Australia to draws and recording a 6-1 win over South Africa, before completing their run under Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne with the win over Germany.

Congratulating the team on the achievement, Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey said, “This is a historic result for Indian women’s hockey. To finish fifth at a World Cup after 52 years is a testament to the hard work, resilience and fighting spirit this team has shown throughout the tournament.”

“On behalf of Hockey India, I am pleased to announce a cash award of ₹50 lakh for the team as a token of our appreciation, and I hope this inspires the players to keep raising the bar,” he added.

Sunelita Toppo had a sleepless night after India narrowly crashed out of the World Cup. A goalless draw against Australia in Pool E of the second round pushed India to the third spot and its semifinal dream came crashing.

“We came so close and worked so hard to come here, but we couldn’t achieve it. I know we finished the match in a draw, but our thinking was that we have to reach the semifinals,” Sunelita, one of the youngest members of the team, playing her maiden World Cup, told the Hindu.

For senior midfielder Neha, participating in her third World Cup, the result brought back painful memories of previous setbacks —loss in the bronze medal game at 2020 Olympics and defeat to Australia in the 2022 Commonwealth Games semifinal.

“The same thing happened here… everyone was very sad, crying and concerned that we had come so close and missed an [opportunity to fight for a] medal. It’s very difficult, but the team is coming out of it,” said Neha, as the team targets a rare fifth place finish in the classification game against Germany here on Thursday.

“Everyone is saying that we have created history [finish in the top six]. But a medal is a medal, so that sadness will always be there.”

Sunelita, 19, believes this high-level tournament experience will stand her in good stead. “I got a lot of learning points. There is not much pressure in a normal tournament. But in the World Cup, there was a lot of pressure. They [seniors] helped me to cope with it, which I will be able to use in the future,” said the midfielder.

Neha hailed this current crop, calling it the ‘the best combination’ with five seniors making a third appearance and 11 tournament debutants.

“But it didn’t feel like their first World Cup and our third World Cup. The whole team was playing equally,” said the 32-year-old.

If India beats Germany, it will be able to ride the momentum into the Asian Games next month, where the team is chasing its first gold in 48 years.

“I think we will carry this team to the Asian Games. We will try to give our best. But we have to win the gold medal. No matter what happens, we will give our best. We will win the gold medal,” said Neha.

As India looks to regain the women’s T20 Asia Cup, former head coach W.V. Raman backed the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side to triumph in the continental event that starts in the UAE on Friday.

India had a disappointing campaign in the ICC T20 World Cup earlier this year, crashing out in the group stage.

“I think that will spur them on to try and regain the Asia Cup because they are smarting from a performance that was unexpected given the squad and the expectations that everybody had,” said Raman.

“I think this is a tournament that they will win because they have the wherewithal. This will also be a chance for them to start preparations for the next T20 World Cup.”

On the squad, the former India opener reckoned that the batting looks slightly weak compared to the World Cup squad in the absence of Jemimah Rodrigues.

“Maybe they could have thought of bringing in a couple of new medium-pacers, but that hasn’t happened. They’ve gone in heavily with spinners. You have Bharti Fulmali coming back, and she’s yet to prove her credentials, even though she’s got the reputation of being a big hitter of a cricket ball,” he added.

While India won the ODI World Cup last year, the team has been inconsistent in T20Is, and the 61-year-old felt that it hasn’t clicked as a unit.

“I have felt that Deepti Sharma has to deliver more as a batter because she’s got the ability. She does that in other leagues across the world. Also, maybe Harmanpreet can bat at No. 3. If she can get more time, it will help her pace her innings better. It’s just a question of them succeeding as a unit. I think that’s what has not, perhaps, happened,” said Raman.

(Watch Women’s Asia Cup 2026 live on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD and Sony LIV).

On Saturday, in her final year as a junior, she buried it. Anahat won in straight games in the final against Ruqayya Salem, ended Egypt’s run of 13 straight titles, and secured a first for Indian squash.

“The score says 3-0, but it was definitely not comfortable. In a final, every single point feels like it’s the last,” she told The Hindu, in a virtual interaction facilitated by JSW Sports, on Monday.

Anahat felt she had a real shot at the title after the first two games — until things got tight in the third game.

She caught herself just in time, before the ghosts stirred again.

In the end, she lost just two games in the entire tournament and showed why she was the top seed and India’s No. 1 ranked player.

“The mental strength was always there, but I’ve not used it well. So I told myself to focus, get it done and then enjoy it all. Following a set routine really helped, and I think I have to follow it going forward.”

That said, her nerves actually eased as the competition wore on.

“I was more stressed out in my first few rounds because you really need to get the momentum right. I knew I was playing well and I was quite confident [going into the final]. I just wanted to get it over with because it was too stressful in the build-up to the tournament.”

Yet even history has its blind spots. The 18-year-old’s one regret? The winning moment itself.

“My celebration was really bad! Winning the title felt unreal, and so I couldn’t think of anything in the moment,” she added with a laugh.

One of the finest careers in international women’s cricket came to an end with the first-ever Women’s Test at Lord’s. Heather Knight, who led England to the 2017 World Cup victory at the same venue, admitted it wasn’t a perfect end. England suffered a 270-run defeat to India.

“Life isn’t perfect, cricket isn’t perfect and it wasn’t the perfect ending, but so happy to be involved in a Test match at Lord’s,” Knight said. “That was one of the reasons I wanted to finish here. To do it at Lord’s, a ground so special for me and I have had so many amazing memories here – and I guess it is my new place of work (as general manager of London Spirit), so that is cool and I think it has been an amazing occasion.”

She pointed out England didn’t have much time to prepare for the Test. “It was an incredibly quick turnaround from the T20 World Cup, two days to prepare, which is a really hard thing to do, but it has been an immense occasion,” she said. “I have tried to take it in, look around and it has been super special to have a lot of friends and family here who knew it was my last game.”

About her decision to retire, she said she had been contemplating it since the start of the year. “I was thinking this may be the case,” Knight, who has to her credit more than 8,000 international runs. “This has been a really exciting summer to be involved in, home World Cup and the Test match. I knew I had probably had one big shift to give and whether I had the energy to give any more, I wasn’t totally sure. I am super happy and I am really excited for what is next.”

Smriti Mandhana struck an aggressive unbeaten 56 as India overcame regular jolts to post 122 for three against England at lunch on the opening day of the one-off Women’s Test here on Friday (July 10, 2026).

England elected to field once they won the toss, and the decision seemed vindicated as they reduced India to 37 for two, dismissing Shafali Verma and Yastika Bhatia inside seven overs.

But from that point, Mandhana, who remained unbeaten off 67 balls, and Jemimah Rodrigues (35, 38 balls) added 64 runs for the third wicket to lift India.

It was double barrel firing as Mandhana and Rodrigues tore into the English attack in their own inimitable styles.

Mandhana was severe on pacer Lauren Filer, carting her for two fours in a row, before smashing spinner Sophie Ecclestone for a six, a slog-sweep over mid-wicket.

Filer, however, had a wonderful moment when she induced a snick from Verma with a beauty of a delivery that shaped in before moving away to take the corner of her bat in the second over of the day.

Rodrigues sent Ecclestone twice to the ropes in succession as India motored at over six runs an over during their alliance, and it also helped the tourists to maintain a run-rate of over five at the end of first session.

But Rodrigues’ attempt to reach out to a wide delivery off pacer Issy Wong had disastrous consequences, as the ball disturbed the stumps after taking her bat’s edge.

But Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur (14 batting, 25 balls) ensured that India will end the first session without further damage, looking to take decisive control in the middle phase.