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Former world No. 1 Srikanth, currently ranked 20th, defeated world No. 8 Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen 21-13, 21-13 in a round of 32 encounter, which lasted for 43 minutes. It was his second win over the Chinese Taipei shuttler in eight meetings.

Later, eighth seed HS Prannoy, 10th in the badminton rankings, defeated world No. 7 and reigning All England champion Li Shi Feng of China 21-17, 21-13 in 49 minutes. It was the Indian’s third straight win over the Chinese shuttler.

Now, Srikanth and Prannoy will face each other in the pre-quarterfinals of the BWF Super 750 tournament on Thursday.

In the women's singles opening round, Aakarshi Kashyap, world No. 42, went down 17-21, 17-21 to top-ranked Japanese shuttler Akane Yamaguchi in 34 minutes.

In the women's doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand staged a comeback to beat Japanese duo Sayaka Hobara and Yui Suizu Japan 11-21, 21-15, 21-14 in a little over an hour to advance to the pre-quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Rohan Kapoor and N Sikki Reddy were ousted from the mixed doubles after the Indian pair were defeated 21-18, 9-21, 18-21 by Chinese Taipei’s Hong Wei and Lee Chia Hsin in 53 minutes.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, currently ranked 17, will take the court on Wednesday. She will be up against world No. 18 Zhang Yiman of China in her opening match.

Notably, results at the Japan Open will count towards players' qualifying rankings for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The qualification window for badminton started on May 1 this year.

--IANS

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Raza had a rollicking start at Zim Afro T10 as he led his side to victory in the opening encounter against the Harare Hurricanes at the Harare Sports Club on the first day of the tournament on Friday. He scored an unbeaten half-century and then went on to bag three wickets, leading his side to an emphatic win.

The 37-year-old, who is an integral part of Zimbabwean cricket, is elated to see the Zim Afro T10, take place in Harare.

"It is fantastic to have Zim Afro T10 over here and it was a great opening ceremony also. Well done to the organisers and Zimbabwe Cricket. And like I have always said, it is our responsibility, the senior guys, it's our job to make sure we keep representing Zimbabwe cricket well and keep playing a brand of cricket that keeps bringing more and more fans to the ground," Raza was quoted as saying in a media release.

The T10 is the fastest and the most explosive format in the game of cricket, and Raza, who has taken to it like a fish does to water, explained decision-making needs to be faster in this format.

"The thing is, you got to make quick decisions and you have to think quicker on your feet whether you're fielding, batting or bowling," he said.

Talking further about the strength and the roster of players involved at the Zim Afro T10, Raza noted that there is an immense amount of quality on display in Harare, adding that this is the sort of tournament and platform that would eventually benefit the Zimbabwean national team.

"What I love about this tournament is that every single team is star-studded. There are a lot of experienced quality cricketers here. What I would say is this is a time when all local Zimbabwean players must speak to them, and spend time with them. Get experience, get knowledge. Ask them to enhance our skills as well so that we can get better. And that way we'll take those skills into our national team and our graph will keep going up," Raza said.

"Maybe try to speak to the overseas guys. Those guys possess a lot of skill and quality, so we want to use them, try and learn from them, not just in the park. Off the park as well, I've encouraged people to buy each other a round of coffee and sit down and maybe have a cricketing conversation. I mean any cricketing conversation we can have would be very fruitful because this is the first time we are rubbing shoulders with them," he added.

The all-rounder, who was in fine form in Bulawayo Braves' first match in the tournament, also said that he was keen on ensuring the team did well instead of focussing solely on how he performed.

"It's not my own performance that I'm putting emphasis on, but I'm putting emphasis on the crowd enjoying the brand of cricket the Braves play. So that is what I'm really looking at, making sure that when the crowd is coming to the ground, they're excited, they're happy, there's cricket, good quality cricket that's been played," said Raza.

"And it doesn't matter who plays. Whether it's me or anybody from my team with a bat or ball in hand, I'm equally happy as long as our crowd is enjoying, and we are winning," he signed off.

--IANS

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In India’s chase of 226, Harmanpreet went for a sweep off Nahida Akter in the 34th over. But the Indian skipper missed the delivery and the ball seemingly went to slip off the pads. On Nahida’s appeal, the umpire raised his finger, leaving Harmanpreet furious.

In anger, she hit the stumps with her bat and exchanged a few angry words with the umpire before walking towards the pavilion. On the way, she showed a thumbs up to the crowd when she reached the boundary ropes.

"They (Bangladesh) batted really well, batted according to the situation. They were taking those singles which were very crucial. In between we leaked a few runs but when we were batting, we controlled the game very well. But as I mentioned earlier, some pathetic umpiring was done and we are really disappointed about some decisions given by the umpires," said Harmanpreet in the post-match presentation ceremony.

Apart from her, Yastika Bhatia also fell to a controversial lbw decision off Sultana Khatun, but with no DRS for the series, she had to walk back for five and expressed displeasure at the decision by the umpire. Amanjot Kaur was also left unhappy over an lbw decision she received against Rabeya Khan.

Harmanpreet went on to add that the Indian team will be better prepared to deal with the umpires’ questionable decision-making whenever they are in Bangladesh next time.

"I think a lot of learning for us from the game. Even apart from the cricket, the kind of umpiring that was happening we were very surprised. The next time when we come to Bangladesh we will make sure we have to deal with this type of umpiring and prepare ourselves accordingly."

Harmanpreet was in praise of Harleen Deol’s 77 keeping India in the hunt of chasing 226, before a dramatic collapse saw them lose six wickets for just 34 runs and end up being 225 all out in 49.3 overs, with the series shared at 1-1.

"My hand is fine. She (Harleen) looked very promising in the last game, so we promoted her to bat freely and she took the opportunity with both hands. Jemi was really good throughout the innings. She played that crucial inning for us."

"Good game, lot of learnings and lastly our High Commission from India is also there and I hope you could have invited him here, but that is also fine. And thank you sir for coming here."

Harleen, named Player of the Match for notching up her second ODI fifty, stated that she wants to take the confidence from this knock into upcoming games.

"Actually it was a good wicket to bat on. Initially, we were struggling because we didn't know the conditions that well. We were ahead of the game and we got out and then the game turned."

"Game plan was the same as last game -- our players got settled (in the last game), so Harry di went to bat. Today, we lost early wickets so I came in to bat. A lot of confidence comes in after a good knock. Want to take it forward."

--IANS

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This victory propelled tournament favorite England to a temporary top spot in Group D with three points, ahead of a match between China and Denmark later that Saturday.

Participating in the World Cup for the first time, Haiti lost central defender Jennyfer Limage early in the game due to injury. The team faced another setback in the 29th minute when they were penalised for a handball in the penalty area, a Xinhua report said.

Stanway, a midfielder, accurately dispatched the retaken penalty to the bottom corner, securing England, the world's fourth-ranked team, a 1-0 lead.

Despite ranking lowest in the group, Haiti demonstrated their determination to fight for a last-16 berth, threatening England with swift counterattacks and clear opportunities.

Melchie Dumornay, who recently joined French league titleholder Lyon, assumed a No. 10 role in Haiti's 4-2-3-1 formation. She guided the team with assured ball control, expansive vision and judicious distribution.

The 19-year-old star engineered the majority of Haiti's dangerous chances, forming an effective partnership with forward Roselord Borgella and left midfielder Nerilia Mondesir, who both play in the top division of the French league.

Haiti, ranked 53rd in the FIFA rankings, nearly leveled the score with nine minutes remaining when substitute Roseline Eloissaint squandered a one-on-one opportunity from close range, her shot blocked by a fantastic left-foot save from England goalkeeper Mary Earps.

The 2023 World Cup, hosted jointly by Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20, will see only the top two teams from each of the eight groups progress to the round of 16. This marks the inaugural instance of the women's football's premier tournament expanding to a 32-team format.

--IANS

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And with Pakistan failing to qualify for the Rio 16 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games editions, Continental events are the only avenues left for the two countries to meet.

That is the reason why there is a bit of excitement as the two sides are scheduled to meet in the Asian Champions Trophy, which will be held in Chennai from August 3.

There is palpable excitement among hockey fans as international hockey returns to Chennai after 16 long years, with the Asian Champions Trophy to be played at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Egmore.

In the fourth episode of the ‘Chennai Chronicles Series’, the legendary Vasudevan Baskaran, under whose leadership the Indian team won its eighth and last gold medal in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, took a trip down memory lane recalling some magic moments from hockey in Chennai and the Indo-Pak rivalry.

Expressing his delight about the prestigious Asian Champions Trophy 2023 being hosted in his hometown, Baskaran said, “I and a lot of veterans in Chennai were all starved of a major international tournament. In fact, that made most of the players start Masters Hockey which usually gets about 5000 spectators. One can imagine the turnout for international matches with stars of Indian hockey."

Chennai last hosted an international hockey event in 2007 when the prestigious Asia Cup was held and it saw thrilling matches that have left a lasting impact on fans. Nostalgic about India’s successful outing in 2007,

“In 2007, Asia Cup was played here and we beat Korea 7-2 in the final to lift the trophy. As usual, a crowd of around 10,000 fans attended the match in the stadium. It was raining by half-time during the Final but no one left the stadium. I can't forget those moments," Baskaran was quoted as saying by Hockey India in a release on Saturday.

The upcoming Asian Champions Trophy has rekindled the passion for hockey in Chennai. Bhaskaran shared his excitement about the event being held at Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium, which he fondly referred to as “Eden Gardens of Chennai" as fans turn out in large numbers in the stadium even to witness local games.

"In normal league matches, about 5,000 fans are present in the stadium. So that is the interest and fan following in Hockey in Chennai," Baskaran said.

Baskaran expressed his appreciation for the decision to host the tournament in his hometown, saying, "I think it's very right on Hockey India's part to give this event to Chennai. Egmore Stadium is very close to my heart. I used to play here as a 17-year-old and back then it was on gravel and then it was developed into a grass stadium. I must have played about 5000 matches here. Although by the time an Astroturf was laid here, I had quit playing hockey but I have some very fond memories as a Coach."

The prestigious tournament will also witness remarkable infrastructural improvements at Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium, enhancing the players' experience and spectators' enjoyment. Baskaran noted, "New turf is coming up in the stadium and the entire gallery is being spruced up. And the dressing rooms are being upgraded."

The India-Pakistan league match is a highly anticipated encounter in the upcoming tournament, sure to draw a full house. “I think that's going to be a very, very vital match. The ground will be full, I know,” Baskaran said.

"I remember, in 1998, when I was a coach, the last match played with India-Pakistan was at the same ground. We could gather a crowd of about 11,000 fans. Two extra galleries were made. An entire Egmore roundabout was blocked for half a day," he added.

Talking about the importance of the Asian Champions Trophy 2023, Baskaran said, “The importance of this tournament is very, very high. Also, it will serve as a precursor to the all-important Asian Games to be played in China in September.”

--IANS

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Nineteen-year-old John Kariko from PNG stole the show on his T20I debut, claiming 3-6 off four overs to send the crowd home happy on a warm day.

The left-arm orthodox spinner claimed Nalin Nipiko with a fuller delivery to beat the outside edge, before claiming fellow Vanuatu opener Junior Kaltapau with the help of a sharp Tony Ura catch at cover.

Kariko returned to dismiss Apolinaire Stephen (7) for his third, though his early work set up Papua New Guinea’s assault with the ball, largely through fellow spinner C.J. Amini. The leg-spinner found his lengths early in his spell, removing the well-credentialed Andrew Mansale (3) and Vanuatu captain Patrick Matautaava (0) in successive overs to finish with 2/10 from his four-over allotment.

At the other end, quick Norman Vanua steamed in despite the prevailing breeze against him from the Boroko End and took 2-13 (4), stranding Vanuatu at 71/8 from their 20 overs.

Outside of the early departure for Tony Ura (4), the hosts were emphatic in the chase, with opener Kiplin Doriga (32 not out off 18 balls) joined by skipper Assad Vala (34 not out off 17) to wrap the win in 6.3 overs with nine wickets in hand to get a net run rate-boost.

Japan vs Philippines

Meanwhile, Japan captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming led from the front in a 53-run win over the Philippines.

Despite a tight Philippines powerplay with the ball and in the field, leading to captain Daniel Smith's run out of Alex Shirai-Patmore, Japan consolidated through Kadowaki-Fleming (60 off 37 balls) and Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake (41 from 44).

The pair profited from life each in the field in their partnership of 75, though it was the hitting of all-rounder Ibrahim Takahashi that put Japan into the ascendancy. Takahashi hit three sixes to finish with 31 from 13 deliveries, with the work of Reo Sakurano-Thomas (14 from 9) not to be discounted in the total of 166.

Finding lateral movement in the air, Sakurano-Thomas then claimed the key wicket of Philippines skipper Smith (12), setting up Japan's attack with the ball.

Piyush Kumbhare was miserly with his left-arm orthodox at the other end, going for just eight runs in three overs across the powerplay, while leg-spinner Sabaorish Ravichandran found his rhythm early, going for just 13 from his four overs.

The required rate proved out of reach for the Philippines despite the best efforts of Jordan Alegre (33) and Josef Doctora (28), and Kumbhare returned to pick up two deserved wickets to finish with 2/11 (4).

The second day of the Men's T20 World Cup East Asia Pacific Qualifier on Sunday will see Japan face Vanuatu in the morning match, with PNG taking on the Philippines in the afternoon fixture.

Brief scores:

PNG vs Vanuatu: Vanuatu 71/8 in 20 overs (Ronald Tari 21, Jarryd Allan 14; John Kariko 3-6, Charles Amini 2/10) lost to Papua New Guinea 75/1 in 6.3 overs (Assad Vala 34 not out, Kiplin Doriga 32; Patrick Matautaava 1-14) by 9 wickets.

Japan vs Philippines: Japan 166/7 in 20 overs (Kendel Fleming 60, Lachlan Lake 41; Miggy Podosky 2-21) beat Philippines 113-5 in 20 overs (Jordan Alegra 33, Josef Doctora 28; Piyush Kumbhare 2-11) by 53 runs.

--IANS

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Opener Fargana Hoque scored 107, her first ODI hundred, and also became the first centurion from Bangladesh in women's 50-over International cricket. Her efforts, along with Shamima Sultana’s 52 helped Bangladesh post a respectable 225 for 4 on a spin-friendly pitch.

In reply, knocks of 77 and 59 from Harleen Deol and Smriti Mandhana respectively kept India in the hunt for winning the match and series.

But from 191 for four, India lost their next five wickets dramatically for just 34 runs, including two in the 48th over, to be all out for 225 in 49.3 overs. With no super held due to the scheduled time being over, India and Bangladesh will be sharing the ODI series trophy.

Brief scores:

Bangladesh 225/4 in 50 overs (Fargana Hoque 107, Shamima Sultana 52, Sneh Rana 2-45) tied with India 225 all out in 49.3 overs (Harleen Deol 77, Smriti Mandhana 59; Nahida Akter 3-37, Marufa Akter 2-55)

--IANS

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Langer will replace Andy Flower, whose two-year contract with the franchise came to an end after the IPL 2023 season.

"Lucknow Super Giants are on the journey of building a great story in the IPL. We all have a role to play in that journey and I am excited to be a part of the team moving forward," said Langer in a statement issued by the franchise.

The 52-year old Langer has rich experience of coaching in T20 cricket, but he will be coaching in the IPL for the first time. He coached Perth Scorchers to three Big Bash League titles, apart from being at the helm when Australia won the Men’s T20 World Cup title in 2021 in the UAE.

Franchise owner Dr Sanjiv Goenka revealed that team mentor Gautam Gambhir had recommended Langer's name to him as new head coach of LSG.

Notably, Gambhir in 2015 had trained extensively under Langer in Perth, in a bid to revive his international career, which briefly led to him returning to the Indian Test team in 2016 in the home series against England.

"I have enjoyed my interactions with Justin Langer. He seems to bring in a huge amount of aggression and a lot of clarity. His name was suggested to me by Gautam Gambhir and when I interacted with Justin, I was very impressed. I am very happy that he is a part of LSG," Goenka said.

Langer was appointed as the coach of Australia men's team in May 2018, in the aftermath of the sandpaper scandal in Cape Town involving Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.

During Langer’s coaching tenure, Australia retained the Ashes in England in 2019, before capturing the urn by winning 4-0 at home, apart from a semi-final finish in 2019 ODI World Cup, before stepping down from the role in February 2022.

On the other hand, under Flower's coaching, LSG had reached the playoffs after finishing third in points table twice, before crashing out in the eliminator in IPL 2022 and 2023.

"Dear Andy, Today it’s farewell, but it’ll never be goodbye because you’ll always be one of our own. Thank you for everything!," wrote LSG on their twitter handle.

Flower worked as assistant coach for Punjab Kings in the IPL for two seasons before joining the newly-created Lucknow franchise. He also served as head coach of Gulf Giants in UAE's ILT20 competition and of Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) earlier this year, apart from coaching Trent Rockets to the Men's Hundred title last year.

More recently, Flower had joined the Australian camp ahead of the World Test Championship final against India and for the ongoing Ashes in England in a consultancy role, apart from commentating on the Men's ODI World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe.

Since his international cricket playing days with Zimbabwe came to an end, Flower has made a name for himself in the coaching circuit. He guided England to Ashes wins in 2009 and 2013 at home, and more importantly, in Australia in 2010-11.

Flower was also the head coach of England winning the 2010 Men's T20 World Cup title in the West Indies, before stepping down from the role in 2014. He moved towards working in England's pathway systems for next five years, before moving on to coach in various franchise leagues.

--IANS

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Under Flower's coaching, LSG had reached the playoffs after finishing third in points table twice, before crashing out in the eliminator in IPL 2022 and 2023.

"Dear Andy, Today it’s farewell, but it’ll never be goodbye because you’ll always be one of our own. Thank you for everything!," wrote LSG on their twitter handle.

Since his international cricket playing days with Zimbabwe came to an end, Flower has made a name for himself in the coaching circuit. He guided England to Ashes wins in 2009 and 2013 at home, and more importantly, in Australia in 2010-11.

Flower was also the head coach of England winning the 2010 Men's T20 World Cup title in the West Indies, before stepping down from the role in 2014, and moved towards working in England's pathway systems for next five years.

He then worked as assistant coach for Punjab Kings in the IPL for two seasons before joining the newly-created Lucknow franchise in 2022.

The former Zimbabwe cricketer also served as head coach of Gulf Giants in UAE's ILT20 competition and of Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) earlier this year, apart from coaching Trent Rockets to the Men's Hundred title last year.

More recently, Flower had joined the Australian camp ahead of the World Test Championship final against India and for the ongoing Ashes in England in a consultancy role, apart from commentating on the Men’s ODI World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe.

According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, former Australia men's head coach Justin Langer is the front-runner to replace Flower as LSG head coach.

Langer coached Perth Scorchers to three Big Bash League titles, apart from being at the helm when Australia won the Men's T20 World Cup title in 2021 in the UAE.

--IANS

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In the girls' doubles pre-quarter final match, Taneesha and Karnika displayed a tough fight against the duo of Chen Fan Shu Tian and Jiang Pei Xi from China.

The Indian pair started off brilliantly in the first game and showed great coordination enroute their 21-17 victory but their opponents mounted a comeback in the last two games to win the tie with a scoreline of 21-17, 13-21, 13-21 in a match that lasted 50 minutes.

In the girls' singles round of 16 match, Rakshitha Sree S was up against China's Huang Lin Ran. The Indian shuttler started well but could not find sustained rhythm throughout the match before eventually losing with a score of 15-21, 13-21.

In the other girls' singles pre-quarter final match, Tara Shah failed to find any momentum and went down 13-21, 8-21 against China's XU Wen Jing in a one-sided affair.

--IANS

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