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England flexed their muscles in their Women's World Cup opener with a ruthless 10-wicket demolition of South Africa in Guwahati on Friday.After bowling out the Proteas for a paltry 69 in just 20.4 overs, England's openers Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones made light work of the chase, cantering home in 14.1 overs.Electing to bowl first, England rolled the dice early by tossing the new ball to spin, a move captains often shy away from in the power play. But left-arm tweaker Linsey Smith turned out to be the ace up their sleeve, exploiting a tacky surface that had South Africa groping in the dark."To get that start was very special. I only found out Friday that I was opening the bowling and I was excited for the challenge. The conditions suited me well," said Smith.It was just Smith's fifth ODI, but the 30-year-old is no stranger to international cricket, having been part of England's T20 side since 2018. Now a permanent fixture in the 50-over team, her willingness to bowl in the danger zone of the power play could be a trump card for England going forward in this campaign.Smith struck in each of her first three overs and was unlucky not to bag a fourth when a stumping chance off Sinalo Jafta went begging. Jafta clung on grimly for 22, the lone South African to reach double figures in a sorry tale of collapse.It was the Proteas' third lowest total in ODIs and their worst against England.The chase was little more than a formality, though Jones survived a let-off on 31 when Masabata Klaas spilled a return catch. She finished unbeaten on 40 with Beaumont on 21 not out."Not the way we wanted to start the tournament. We've shown resilience in the past and we'll bounce back," South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt insisted as her batters were left searching for answers.England's dominance was such that Heather Knight, marking her 150th ODI appearance wasn't required to bat or bowl as her team-mates were so dominant against South Africa. She became only the second player from England to feature in 150 women's ODIs.The emphatic win vaulted England to the top of the points table with all eight teams now having played one game each.BRIEF SCORES:England 73 for 0 (Jones 40*) beat South Africa 69 (Jafta 22, Smith 3-7, Sciver-Brunt 2-5) by ten wickets

HE the Minister of Culture Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Thani met with the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan Adil Karimli, on the sidelines of Qatar's participation as Guest of Honor at the Baku International Book Fair, held from October 1st to 7th, in the capital, Baku.During the meeting, the two sides discussed aspects of joint cooperation between the two countries in cultural fields and ways to support and develop them.HE Sheikh Abdulrahman affirmed that Qatari-Azerbaijani cultural relations are strong and promising, considering Qatar's participation as Guest of Honor in the exhibition as a reflection of the great importance of cooperation between the two countries following the Qatar Culture Days in Azerbaijan, held from April 10th to 13th.For his part, the Azerbaijani Cultural Minister praised Qatar's valuable and rich participation in the exhibition, which greatly reflects the features of Qatari culture, affirming that this highlights the depth of bilateral relations between the two countries.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani sent a cable of congratulations to the President of the sisterly Republic of Iraq Dr. Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid on the occasion of his country's Independence Day. His Highness the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Thani also sent a cable of congratulations to Iraqi President Dr. Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid on Iraq's Independence Day and HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani sent a cable of congratulations to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani on the Independence Day.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani sent a cable of congratulations to the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the occasion of the German Unity Day. His Highness the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Thani also sent a similar cable of congratulations to the German President on the occasion of the German Unity Day and HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani sent a cable of congratulations to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani reaffirmed Qatar's support for peace efforts, expressing His Highness's confidence in the ability of countries backing the plan of President of the friendly US of America Donald Trump, to reach a just settlement that ensures security and stability in the region and safeguards the rights of the Palestinian people.This came during a phone call His Highness the Amir received Wednesday from the US president. During the call, the two sides discussed developments regarding President Trump's plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip.They also discussed the close strategic relations between the two countries across various fields of partnership and bilateral cooperation, in addition to exchanging views on a number of other regional and international developments of mutual interest.

Shubman Gill’s India will be heavy favourites when they play a home two-Test series starting Thursday against a West Indies side struggling with injuries and a pale shadow of the team that once dominated cricket.The Caribbean team have endured years of decline and their T20 team registered a new low this week with a series defeat to non-Test playing nation Nepal.In the longest format the West Indies were swept 3-0 at home by Australia this year and were bowled out for 27 in the third match - the second-lowest score in Test history.The debacle prompted West Indies cricket boss Kishore Shallow to call for an emergency meeting involving past greats.West Indies, led by Roston Chase, have been forced into late changes after injuries ruled out pace bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph ahead of the first Test in Ahmedabad.They have been replaced by the uncapped pair of seamer Johann Layne and left-arm quick Jediah Blades, who has only played white-ball cricket for the West Indies.Jayden Seales is the only pace bowler in an inexperienced attack who has played more than 10 Tests.In contrast, India are full of confidence after securing a thrilling 2-2 draw in their five-Test series in England which ended in August.The series was Gill’s first as captain and the first without greats Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin, who have all retired.The tour was a personal triumph for the new skipper, who scored 754 runs, the most ever by an Indian batsman in a series in England.Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will make a quick turnaround from playing in the T20 Asia Cup, where he took two wickets in Sunday’s final win in Dubai over Pakistan.Bumrah’s workload is being managed carefully after an injury in Australia earlier this year.He was rested for two of the five Tests in England, where fellow quick Mohammed Siraj was the leading bowler with 23 wickets.For the West Indies, Chase is joined in the spin bowling department by Jomel Warrican and Khary Pierre, who is set for a long-awaited Test debut.“I always want to do more... hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard,” said Pierre, 34, after a domestic season where he claimed 41 wickets.“I leave everything on the cricket field - blood, sweat, tears - and that was my trademark this season and it paid off.”The second and final Test will be played in New Delhi from October 10-14.SQUADSIndia (from): Shubman Gill (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Reddy, Prasidh Krishna, Axar Patel, N. JagadeesanWest Indies (from): Roston Chase (capt), Kevlon Anderson, Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Johann Layne, Jediah Blades, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales, Jomel Warrican.

Khalil bin Ahmed al-Mohannadi, President of the Qatar, Arab and Asian Table Tennis Federations and First Vice-President of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), has officially filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, to contest the ITTF presidential elections.Al-Mohannadi described the case as one of “fraud and violation of democratic legitimacy”, echoing media reports that labelled the election outcome the “steal of the century”.The elections, held in Doha in May, ended with al-Mohannadi leading 98–87 in votes cast by national federation representatives present in the hall. However, Swedish candidate Petra Sorling gained an unexpected 17-4 advantage through remote electronic voting, tipping the final result. Al-Mohannadi rejected the validity of the 21 electronic ballots, noting that the number had originally been set at 16. The sudden increase, he said, shocked the General Assembly.In a statement released by the Qatar Table Tennis Association (QTTA) Tuesday, al-Mohannadi emphasised that the 2022 General Assembly in Doha — where 185 federations voted in person — reflected the true will of the membership. He stressed that administrative decisions or internal ITTF procedures should not override the democratic mandate, calling any such move “a violation of the essence of the electoral process and its credibility before the international sports community.”Responding to ITTF President Sorling’s recent remarks that “the file has been closed” and “the elections have been decided”, al-Mohannadi called the statements “misleading and inaccurate”. He pointed out that the ITTF’s internal arbitration decision is not final and remains under review by CAS.Al-Mohannadi underlined that the legal process will remain open until the ITTF General Assembly in London in 2026, where federations will again have the chance to vote. He pledged to pursue all available legal avenues “to defend transparency and protect the rights of member federations”, stressing that the dispute is not personal but “a legal and moral duty toward the global table tennis family”.He also warned against attempts to mislead federations into believing the case is settled, calling such claims a “deliberate distortion of legal reality”. He reaffirmed that the QTTA, alongside allied federations, will continue efforts until CAS delivers its final ruling.“Table tennis is bigger than any administrative or political dispute,” al-Mohannadi concluded, adding that safeguarding democratic legitimacy within the ITTF is “a collective responsibility to protect the future of the sport and its global reputation”.

Qatari player Abdullah al-Tamimi on Tuesday reached the quarter-finals of the Q-Terminals Qatar Classic 2025 at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. Al-Tamimi beat Frenchman Sebastien Bonmalais 8-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-7.In the quarter-finals, al-Tamimi will meet England’s Jonah Bryant, who defeated Egypt’s Mohamed Zakaria 3-2 (6-11, 16-14, 10-12, 11-9, 11-7).The day began with a roar as the local hope, al-Tamimi, stepped onto the glass court. Pitted against Bonmalais, al-Tamimi had to dig deep.Losing the first game 8-11, the Qatari refused to wilt. Fuelled by the home crowd’s fervour, he wrestled back control, securing the next three tight games (11-9, 11-7, 11-7) in a focused 56-minute display, ensuring the flag of Qatar flew high into the next round.“I’m feeling amazing, it’s been a good season and I always enjoy playing here at home,” said al-Tamimi.“Nobody gives up and everyone is fighting to win the match, there are a lot of opportunities with a lot of the seeds being out and you can see the fight in people’s eyes. I knew I had the edge, but he surprised me with his movement today.“It’s been a long time since I’ve reached the quarter-finals here. I’m looking forward to playing Jonah again after losing 3-0 to him in Egypt (earlier this month). I wasn’t happy about that, but hopefully we give a good show for the crowd.”England’s World No 20 Bryant came out on top in a gripping five-game battle with World No 14 Zakaria.Bryant, 20, and Zakaria, 18, have been touted as future World No.1s by fans and SQUASHTV pundits alike and Tuesday’s match gave a tantalising glimpse into what could be yet to come, with Bryant prevailing after a 109-minute thriller.The pair had one win each against each other on the PSA Squash Tour, while Zakaria got the better of Bryant in the final of the 2024 British Junior Open last year. However, things went the way of the Englishman Tuesday in Doha as he completed an 6-11, 16-14, 10-12, 11-9, 11-7 victory to reach his first Platinum-level quarter-final.“I put a lot of work in, in the background, to be able to perform like this physically,” said Bryant afterwards.“It all seems worthwhile when you then go out and do it on the court for 109 minutes. I started off fairly well, I was controlling a lot of the rallies, there were a few too many errors early on, but then I settled. I saw he was dropping off physically, so I stepped up and started attacking more. He’s as tough as they come, so I was pleased with the result.“He shot himself in the foot, they (referees) are hot on players taking their space, they can slow it down and review it. A lot of the shots he hit would have been winners, if he let me go through it would have been harder for me to win rallies.“He gave me free points, it’s up to him if he wants to keep doing it, it might work for him, but today it worked against him.”World No 3 Paul Coll and Egypt’s World No 23 Mohamed Abouelghar will face off in the other quarter-final match on the bottom half of the men’s draw following respective wins over Switzerland’s Dimitri Steinmann and Spain’s Iker Pajares.France’s Melissa Alves has reached her first Platinum quarter-final since the 2021 US Open after going through at the expense of Malaysia’s Aira Azman, who was forced to retire due to a concussion.Azman was looking to join compatriots Sivasangari Subramaniam and sister Aira in the next round but fell and hit her head on the floor while chasing a ball into the back of the court when 2-1 ahead. Azman was unable to continue the match.

Substitute Mohammed al-Khalaf scored a goal and made an assist as Saudi Arabia beat hosts Qatar 2-1 in the semi-finals of the U-17 Gulf Cup in Doha Tuesday.Despite an early goal from Qatar’s Adam Friakh in the 28th minute, Saudi Arabia, reduced to ten men after a red card, fought back. Al-Khalaf, coming as a sub in the 77th minute, scored and assisted, securing the win.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani sent a written message to the President of the Republic of Lebanon General Joseph Aoun pertaining to bilateral relations and ways to support and develop them.HE the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Lebanon Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani delivered the message during a meeting on Tuesday with the Lebanese President.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and President of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria Abdelmadjid Tebboune discussed the strong bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to support and enhance them.This came during a phone call His Highness received Tuesday from President Tebboune. During the call, the Algerian president expressed his appreciation for the efforts made by His Highness the Amir and Qatar to support the Palestinian cause.A number of regional issues of common interest were also discussed during the call.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani discussed with the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, the bilateral cooperation relations between the two countries and ways to enhance them.This came during a phone call His Highness the Amir received Tuesday from the French President.The call also included discussions on the most prominent regional and international developments of mutual interest, particularly the latest situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.