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Deadspin | Sunny Mehta returns to Devils as new general manager  Apr 5, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of a New Jersey Devils logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team during the second period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images   Sunny Mehta, who once served as director of hockey analytics for the Devils, was hired by New Jersey on Thursday to be its new general manager.   Mehta, 48, had worked with the Florida Panthers since 2020 as an assistant general manager and head of analytics, helping them win the past two Stanley Cups.  Per ESPN, Mehta will be in charge of all hockey operations. Head coach Sheldon Keefe and his coaching staff will be evaluated after the Devils missed the postseason for the second time in three seasons.  “This is a dream come true for a New Jersey kid, who grew up watching Devils’ practices just 20 minutes away in Totowa,” Mehta said. “New Jersey has a tremendous young core that will be looking to get back to being a contender, a complement of young assets and draft picks, and a passionate fan base hungry for success. I was fortunate enough to watch the New Jersey Devils raise three Stanley Cups and am excited to get to work to return to that level.”   Mehta grew up in New Jersey and played high school hockey there, then worked as a musician, professional poker player and derivatives trader before working for the Devils from 2014-18.  Metha fills the vacancy left by the dismissal of Tom Fitzgerald earlier this month. Fitzgerald, 57, is in the running for the same role with the Nashville Predators.   Led by Olympic hero Jack Hughes, along with Jesper Bratt, Simon Nemec and Hughes’ brother Luke, the Devils face a July 1 deadline on whether to offer captain Nico Hischier a contract extension. Hischier has one year left on his seven-year, .75 million deal. Per PuckPedia, the Devils will have .18 million in projected salary cap space this summer.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Sunny #Mehta #returns #Devils #general #manager

Deadspin | Sunny Mehta returns to Devils as new general manager
Deadspin | Sunny Mehta returns to Devils as new general manager  Apr 5, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of a New Jersey Devils logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team during the second period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images   Sunny Mehta, who once served as director of hockey analytics for the Devils, was hired by New Jersey on Thursday to be its new general manager.   Mehta, 48, had worked with the Florida Panthers since 2020 as an assistant general manager and head of analytics, helping them win the past two Stanley Cups.  Per ESPN, Mehta will be in charge of all hockey operations. Head coach Sheldon Keefe and his coaching staff will be evaluated after the Devils missed the postseason for the second time in three seasons.  “This is a dream come true for a New Jersey kid, who grew up watching Devils’ practices just 20 minutes away in Totowa,” Mehta said. “New Jersey has a tremendous young core that will be looking to get back to being a contender, a complement of young assets and draft picks, and a passionate fan base hungry for success. I was fortunate enough to watch the New Jersey Devils raise three Stanley Cups and am excited to get to work to return to that level.”   Mehta grew up in New Jersey and played high school hockey there, then worked as a musician, professional poker player and derivatives trader before working for the Devils from 2014-18.  Metha fills the vacancy left by the dismissal of Tom Fitzgerald earlier this month. Fitzgerald, 57, is in the running for the same role with the Nashville Predators.   Led by Olympic hero Jack Hughes, along with Jesper Bratt, Simon Nemec and Hughes’ brother Luke, the Devils face a July 1 deadline on whether to offer captain Nico Hischier a contract extension. Hischier has one year left on his seven-year, .75 million deal. Per PuckPedia, the Devils will have .18 million in projected salary cap space this summer.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Sunny #Mehta #returns #Devils #general #managerApr 5, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of a New Jersey Devils logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team during the second period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Sunny Mehta, who once served as director of hockey analytics for the Devils, was hired by New Jersey on Thursday to be its new general manager.

Mehta, 48, had worked with the Florida Panthers since 2020 as an assistant general manager and head of analytics, helping them win the past two Stanley Cups.

Per ESPN, Mehta will be in charge of all hockey operations. Head coach Sheldon Keefe and his coaching staff will be evaluated after the Devils missed the postseason for the second time in three seasons.


“This is a dream come true for a New Jersey kid, who grew up watching Devils’ practices just 20 minutes away in Totowa,” Mehta said. “New Jersey has a tremendous young core that will be looking to get back to being a contender, a complement of young assets and draft picks, and a passionate fan base hungry for success. I was fortunate enough to watch the New Jersey Devils raise three Stanley Cups and am excited to get to work to return to that level.”

Mehta grew up in New Jersey and played high school hockey there, then worked as a musician, professional poker player and derivatives trader before working for the Devils from 2014-18.

Metha fills the vacancy left by the dismissal of Tom Fitzgerald earlier this month. Fitzgerald, 57, is in the running for the same role with the Nashville Predators.

Led by Olympic hero Jack Hughes, along with Jesper Bratt, Simon Nemec and Hughes’ brother Luke, the Devils face a July 1 deadline on whether to offer captain Nico Hischier a contract extension. Hischier has one year left on his seven-year, $50.75 million deal. Per PuckPedia, the Devils will have $12.18 million in projected salary cap space this summer.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Sunny #Mehta #returns #Devils #general #manager

Apr 5, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of a New Jersey Devils logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team during the second period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Sunny Mehta, who once served as director of hockey analytics for the Devils, was hired by New Jersey on Thursday to be its new general manager.

Mehta, 48, had worked with the Florida Panthers since 2020 as an assistant general manager and head of analytics, helping them win the past two Stanley Cups.

Per ESPN, Mehta will be in charge of all hockey operations. Head coach Sheldon Keefe and his coaching staff will be evaluated after the Devils missed the postseason for the second time in three seasons.

“This is a dream come true for a New Jersey kid, who grew up watching Devils’ practices just 20 minutes away in Totowa,” Mehta said. “New Jersey has a tremendous young core that will be looking to get back to being a contender, a complement of young assets and draft picks, and a passionate fan base hungry for success. I was fortunate enough to watch the New Jersey Devils raise three Stanley Cups and am excited to get to work to return to that level.”

Mehta grew up in New Jersey and played high school hockey there, then worked as a musician, professional poker player and derivatives trader before working for the Devils from 2014-18.

Metha fills the vacancy left by the dismissal of Tom Fitzgerald earlier this month. Fitzgerald, 57, is in the running for the same role with the Nashville Predators.

Led by Olympic hero Jack Hughes, along with Jesper Bratt, Simon Nemec and Hughes’ brother Luke, the Devils face a July 1 deadline on whether to offer captain Nico Hischier a contract extension. Hischier has one year left on his seven-year, $50.75 million deal. Per PuckPedia, the Devils will have $12.18 million in projected salary cap space this summer.

–Field Level Media

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#Deadspin #Sunny #Mehta #returns #Devils #general #manager

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GT vs KKR Head-to-Head, IPL 2026: Stats, Most Runs & Wickets <div id="content-body-70869974" itemprop="articleBody"><p>Gujarat Titans will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. Gujarat will look for momentum winning and losing two matches each whereas Kolkata is yet to break its duck this season.</p><p>GT won the last encounter between these two teams by 39 runs at the Eden Gardens in the 2025 season.</p><p><i>Here’s their head-to-head record.</i></p><div class="fact-box"><h5 class="main-title"> GT vs KKR head-to-head record in IPL </h5><p> Matches played: 4 </p><p> GT won: 3 </p><p> KKR won: 1 </p></div><h4 class="sub_head">MOST RUNS IN KKR vs GT IPL MATCHES</h4><div class="article-table my-3"><table class="table"><tr><td> Batter</td><td> Innings</td><td> Runs</td><td> Average</td><td> Strike Rate</td><td> HS</td></tr><tr><td> Shubman Gill</td><td> 4</td><td> 185</td><td> 46.25</td><td> 146.82</td><td> 90</td></tr><tr><td> Venkatesh Iyer</td><td> 4</td><td> 125</td><td> 31.25</td><td> 138.88</td><td> 83</td></tr><tr><td> Rinku Singh</td><td> 4</td><td> 119</td><td> 39.66</td><td> 143.37</td><td> 48*</td></tr><tr><td> Vijay Shankar</td><td> 2</td><td> 114</td><td> –</td><td> 237.5</td><td> 63*</td></tr><tr><td> Sai Sudharsan</td><td> 2</td><td> 105</td><td> 52.5</td><td> 141.89</td><td> 53</td></tr></table></div><h4 class="sub_head">MOST WICKETS IN KKR vs GT IPL MATCHES</h4><div class="article-table my-3"><table class="table"><tr><td> Bowler</td><td> Innings</td><td> Wickets</td><td> Economy</td><td> Average</td><td> BBI</td></tr><tr><td> Rashid Khan</td><td> 4</td><td> 7</td><td> 8.62</td><td> 19.71</td><td> 3/37</td></tr><tr><td> Mohammed Shami</td><td> 3</td><td> 6</td><td> 6.75</td><td> 13.5</td><td> 3/33</td></tr><tr><td> Andre Russell</td><td> 3</td><td> 6</td><td> 9.4</td><td> 7.83</td><td> 4/5</td></tr><tr><td> Sunil Narine</td><td> 4</td><td> 4</td><td> 8.26</td><td> 31</td><td> 3/33</td></tr><tr><td> Alzarri Joseph</td><td> 2</td><td> 3</td><td> 7.25</td><td> 19.33</td><td> 2/27</td></tr></table></div><p class="publish-time" id="end-of-article">Published on Apr 17, 2026</p></div> #KKR #HeadtoHead #IPL #Stats #Runs #Wickets

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Vaishali has worked hard, is confident now: coach Ramesh <div id="content-body-70872252" itemprop="articleBody"><p>Making history is probably easy for R. Vaishali and her brother Praggnanandhaa.</p><p>The siblings have achieved a few firsts as a duo and individually — the first to become Grandmasters and qualifying for the Candidates tournament.</p><p>The 24-year-old Vaishali, long in the shadow of her prodigiously talented brother, chose to make some history of her own after winning the women’s Candidates tournament on Wednesday, becoming the first Indian to do so.</p><p>She had endured a lean run in 2025 before finding form to claim the Grand Swiss title and book a spot in the Candidates. Following an epochal triumph in Cyprus, she will take on reigning champion Ju Wenjun of China for the Women’s World Chess Championship title later this year.</p><p>Vaishali’s long-time coach , R.B. Ramesh, is over the moon and told <i>Sportstar</i>, “Qualifying for the World Championship match is an amazing thing and I hope she’ll be able to win the title.”</p><p>Speaking about the Chennai GM’s loss of confidence last year, he said, “Yeah, she had some confidence issues earlier, especially after the Chennai GM tournament (last year), but she has been working hard on her game and is feeling much more confident now.”</p><p>The manner in which Vaishali played during the triumph in the Cypriot city of Paphos should stand her in good stead going forward. Often flying under the radar given her sibling’s achievements, Ramesh said, “Pragg and Vaishali have made peace with each other being very strong on their own terms. I don’t think Pragg’s performances have any negative impact on Vaishali anymore.”</p><p>He said Vaishali is very strong in attack and calculation skills and added, “Wish she can improve her time management a bit.”</p><p>Ramesh believes his ward has benefitted a lot from the support she gets from her family and feels she has a good chance at the World title.</p><p>More history beckons when Vaishali faces the Chinese with the prospect of becoming the first-ever Indian woman to win the World title.</p><p class="publish-time" id="end-of-article">Published on Apr 17, 2026</p></div> #Vaishalihas #worked #hard #confident #coach #Ramesh

INDIANAPOLIS — After a second straight game defined largely by non-basketball plays involving Caitlin Clark, Fever head coach Stephanie White hit her breaking point.

Wednesday’s 111-109 loss to the Mercury featured Clark leaving with an injury midway through the third quarter. Still plenty took place before then.

A pair of incidents in the second quarter saw Clark take a beating before eventually leaving the game with a back injury. White unloaded on the officials in her postgame press conference, calling the lack of calls “egregious” and “utterly disrespectful.”

“We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called,” White said. “And I just say again, absolutely unacceptable.

“We spent all offseason looking at officiating. All offseason. And I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency. She is not called the same way everybody else is called.”

First, Clark and Alyssa Thomas got tangled in the paint while battling for a loose ball in a sequence that saw Thomas push her fist into Clark’s neck, knee her in the stomach and then step over her. No foul was called and the play wasn’t reviewed.

One possession later, Clark was fouled on a 3-pointer, leading to an awkward landing. Clark, who has dealt with a back injury most of the season, was slow to get up and looked to be in discomfort. The officials reviewed the play, but not for a potential flagrant foul or a landing zone violation.

Instead, the review was for a potential hostile act by Clark for hitting her defender in the face.

She remained in the game and even started the second half. However, Clark left near the midway point of the quarter and was ruled out for the rest of the game due to the back injury. White did not have an update on Clark’s status after the game.

All of this came on the heels of these two teams having multiple scuffles in their meeting on Monday, resulting in a slew of technical fouls and plenty of bad blood.

“Number one, you got to call [the foul on Thomas],” White said. “It’s absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful. And then No. 2, you’re coming in here aware of what happened two nights ago and that s— still happens? Absolutely unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable.

“And the reckless closeout that they’ve actually reviewed, and the foot still comes down on top of the defender’s foot that wasn’t upgraded? Absolutely disrespectful.”

White is not new to calling out officials. Last season, she also called the officiating “disrespectful” following a controversial late play against the Liberty. Nearly a month later, following a game that saw multiple technicals, flagrants and ejections against the Sun, White again criticized the officials for not improving along with the rest of the league.

White has also defended her star player this season, but never as passionately as she did on Wednesday.

“Because they were so egregious,” White said of what was different this time. “I mean, the fist in the throat is crazy. It’s crazy. It’s dangerous. The landing spot, when you went to review it and she still comes down on top of another foot. Like, I don’t know, cause to me, that’s like a do-over on a test. How do you screw it up again?

”When you have these things continue to happen time and time and time and time and time again, eventually it gets frustrating, but I thought those were just more egregious.”

Frustration this season has piled up for the Fever, who fell to 10-7 with the loss. Indiana has struggled to string together wins and set the league record for most losses when scoring 100+ points in a season on Wednesday.

But, too often, the game itself is taking a back seat to moments like Wednesday’s. And for White, enough was enough.

#Stephanie #White #blasts #officials #cheap #shots #Caitlin #Clark">Stephanie White blasts officials after ‘cheap shots’ on Caitlin Clark  INDIANAPOLIS — After a second straight game defined largely by non-basketball plays involving Caitlin Clark, Fever head coach Stephanie White hit her breaking point.Wednesday’s 111-109 loss to the Mercury featured Clark leaving with an injury midway through the third quarter. Still plenty took place before then.A pair of incidents in the second quarter saw Clark take a beating before eventually leaving the game with a back injury. White unloaded on the officials in her postgame press conference, calling the lack of calls “egregious” and “utterly disrespectful.”“We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called,” White said. “And I just say again, absolutely unacceptable.“We spent all offseason looking at officiating. All offseason. And I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency. She is not called the same way everybody else is called.”First, Clark and Alyssa Thomas got tangled in the paint while battling for a loose ball in a sequence that saw Thomas push her fist into Clark’s neck, knee her in the stomach and then step over her. No foul was called and the play wasn’t reviewed.One possession later, Clark was fouled on a 3-pointer, leading to an awkward landing. Clark, who has dealt with a back injury most of the season, was slow to get up and looked to be in discomfort. The officials reviewed the play, but not for a potential flagrant foul or a landing zone violation.Instead, the review was for a potential hostile act by Clark for hitting her defender in the face.She remained in the game and even started the second half. However, Clark left near the midway point of the quarter and was ruled out for the rest of the game due to the back injury. White did not have an update on Clark’s status after the game.All of this came on the heels of these two teams having multiple scuffles in their meeting on Monday, resulting in a slew of technical fouls and plenty of bad blood.“Number one, you got to call [the foul on Thomas],” White said. “It’s absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful. And then No. 2, you’re coming in here aware of what happened two nights ago and that s— still happens? Absolutely unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable.“And the reckless closeout that they’ve actually reviewed, and the foot still comes down on top of the defender’s foot that wasn’t upgraded? Absolutely disrespectful.”White is not new to calling out officials. Last season, she also called the officiating “disrespectful” following a controversial late play against the Liberty. Nearly a month later, following a game that saw multiple technicals, flagrants and ejections against the Sun, White again criticized the officials for not improving along with the rest of the league.White has also defended her star player this season, but never as passionately as she did on Wednesday.“Because they were so egregious,” White said of what was different this time. “I mean, the fist in the throat is crazy. It’s crazy. It’s dangerous. The landing spot, when you went to review it and she still comes down on top of another foot. Like, I don’t know, cause to me, that’s like a do-over on a test. How do you screw it up again?”When you have these things continue to happen time and time and time and time and time again, eventually it gets frustrating, but I thought those were just more egregious.”Frustration this season has piled up for the Fever, who fell to 10-7 with the loss. Indiana has struggled to string together wins and set the league record for most losses when scoring 100+ points in a season on Wednesday.But, too often, the game itself is taking a back seat to moments like Wednesday’s. And for White, enough was enough.  #Stephanie #White #blasts #officials #cheap #shots #Caitlin #Clark

having multiple scuffles in their meeting on Monday, resulting in a slew of technical fouls and plenty of bad blood.

“Number one, you got to call [the foul on Thomas],” White said. “It’s absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful. And then No. 2, you’re coming in here aware of what happened two nights ago and that s— still happens? Absolutely unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable.

“And the reckless closeout that they’ve actually reviewed, and the foot still comes down on top of the defender’s foot that wasn’t upgraded? Absolutely disrespectful.”

White is not new to calling out officials. Last season, she also called the officiating “disrespectful” following a controversial late play against the Liberty. Nearly a month later, following a game that saw multiple technicals, flagrants and ejections against the Sun, White again criticized the officials for not improving along with the rest of the league.

White has also defended her star player this season, but never as passionately as she did on Wednesday.

“Because they were so egregious,” White said of what was different this time. “I mean, the fist in the throat is crazy. It’s crazy. It’s dangerous. The landing spot, when you went to review it and she still comes down on top of another foot. Like, I don’t know, cause to me, that’s like a do-over on a test. How do you screw it up again?

”When you have these things continue to happen time and time and time and time and time again, eventually it gets frustrating, but I thought those were just more egregious.”

Frustration this season has piled up for the Fever, who fell to 10-7 with the loss. Indiana has struggled to string together wins and set the league record for most losses when scoring 100+ points in a season on Wednesday.

But, too often, the game itself is taking a back seat to moments like Wednesday’s. And for White, enough was enough.

#Stephanie #White #blasts #officials #cheap #shots #Caitlin #Clark">Stephanie White blasts officials after ‘cheap shots’ on Caitlin Clark

INDIANAPOLIS — After a second straight game defined largely by non-basketball plays involving Caitlin Clark, Fever head coach Stephanie White hit her breaking point.

Wednesday’s 111-109 loss to the Mercury featured Clark leaving with an injury midway through the third quarter. Still plenty took place before then.

A pair of incidents in the second quarter saw Clark take a beating before eventually leaving the game with a back injury. White unloaded on the officials in her postgame press conference, calling the lack of calls “egregious” and “utterly disrespectful.”

“We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called,” White said. “And I just say again, absolutely unacceptable.

“We spent all offseason looking at officiating. All offseason. And I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency. She is not called the same way everybody else is called.”

First, Clark and Alyssa Thomas got tangled in the paint while battling for a loose ball in a sequence that saw Thomas push her fist into Clark’s neck, knee her in the stomach and then step over her. No foul was called and the play wasn’t reviewed.

One possession later, Clark was fouled on a 3-pointer, leading to an awkward landing. Clark, who has dealt with a back injury most of the season, was slow to get up and looked to be in discomfort. The officials reviewed the play, but not for a potential flagrant foul or a landing zone violation.

Instead, the review was for a potential hostile act by Clark for hitting her defender in the face.

She remained in the game and even started the second half. However, Clark left near the midway point of the quarter and was ruled out for the rest of the game due to the back injury. White did not have an update on Clark’s status after the game.

All of this came on the heels of these two teams having multiple scuffles in their meeting on Monday, resulting in a slew of technical fouls and plenty of bad blood.

“Number one, you got to call [the foul on Thomas],” White said. “It’s absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful. And then No. 2, you’re coming in here aware of what happened two nights ago and that s— still happens? Absolutely unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable.

“And the reckless closeout that they’ve actually reviewed, and the foot still comes down on top of the defender’s foot that wasn’t upgraded? Absolutely disrespectful.”

White is not new to calling out officials. Last season, she also called the officiating “disrespectful” following a controversial late play against the Liberty. Nearly a month later, following a game that saw multiple technicals, flagrants and ejections against the Sun, White again criticized the officials for not improving along with the rest of the league.

White has also defended her star player this season, but never as passionately as she did on Wednesday.

“Because they were so egregious,” White said of what was different this time. “I mean, the fist in the throat is crazy. It’s crazy. It’s dangerous. The landing spot, when you went to review it and she still comes down on top of another foot. Like, I don’t know, cause to me, that’s like a do-over on a test. How do you screw it up again?

”When you have these things continue to happen time and time and time and time and time again, eventually it gets frustrating, but I thought those were just more egregious.”

Frustration this season has piled up for the Fever, who fell to 10-7 with the loss. Indiana has struggled to string together wins and set the league record for most losses when scoring 100+ points in a season on Wednesday.

But, too often, the game itself is taking a back seat to moments like Wednesday’s. And for White, enough was enough.

#Stephanie #White #blasts #officials #cheap #shots #Caitlin #Clark

Host England became the first team to qualify for the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup semifinals with a group match to spare after beating West Indies by 38 runs at a sweltering Lord’s on Wednesday.

Both former champions entered the contest unbeaten, but Danni Wyatt-Hodge batted England out of West Indies’ reach with a 65 off 42 balls. Wyatt-Hodge is now the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 193 runs at an average of 65.

West Indies can still reach the semifinals if it beats winless Ireland in its final group-stage match on Saturday.

On the hottest June day ever recorded in Britain, the evening match began in 35 degrees Celsius, with the on-field temperature reaching 41 C. England posted an imposing 186 for 7, the highest women’s T20 total at Lord’s and the second highest by either a men’s or women’s side at the venue.

No team has successfully chased 187 in a Women’s T20 World Cup, and West Indies was restricted to 148 for 5. The required run rate climbed to 10 an over after just two overs and, at 69 for 4 in the 11th over, the chase had all but fizzled out despite England producing a sloppy fielding display.

Wyatt-Hodge, who opened the tournament with a century against Sri Lanka, raced to a 32-ball half-century. She survived a missed run-out on 58 and a dropped catch on 59 before eventually being run out for 65 after a mix-up with batting partner Heather Knight. Her innings included eight boundaries.

“I’m happy it was my night tonight,” Wyatt-Hodge said. “That was the hottest I’ve played in here in England. It felt like Dubai a couple of years ago (2024 T20 World Cup). But I enjoyed it, we came out all guns blazing.”

Knight, who was dropped on 14, chipped in with 43 off 26 balls before she, too, was run out.

West Indies captain Hayley Matthews was left furious after being given out on review for 14 in the fourth over. UltraEdge showed a spike despite a visible gap between bat and ball, prompting Matthews to argue with the umpire before eventually accepting the decision.

Deandra Dottin fell for 19, caught in the deep, while Shemaine Campbelle was bowled for 20. From there, West Indies appeared to retreat into its shell. Chinelle Henry struck an unbeaten 51 off 30 balls, but her late flourish came with the outcome already beyond doubt.

Henry was dropped on 10, 28 and 45 as England spilled six catches, its most in a Women’s T20 international in the last two years.

Published on Jun 25, 2026

#England #beats #West #Indies #reach #Womens #T20 #World #Cup #semifinals">England beats West Indies to reach Women’s T20 World Cup semifinals  Host England became the first team to qualify for the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup semifinals with a group match to spare after beating West Indies by 38 runs at a sweltering Lord’s on Wednesday.Both former champions entered the contest unbeaten, but Danni Wyatt-Hodge batted England out of West Indies’ reach with a 65 off 42 balls. Wyatt-Hodge is now the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 193 runs at an average of 65.West Indies can still reach the semifinals if it beats winless Ireland in its final group-stage match on Saturday.On the hottest June day ever recorded in Britain, the evening match began in 35 degrees Celsius, with the on-field temperature reaching 41 C. England posted an imposing 186 for 7, the highest women’s T20 total at Lord’s and the second highest by either a men’s or women’s side at the venue.No team has successfully chased 187 in a Women’s T20 World Cup, and West Indies was restricted to 148 for 5. The required run rate climbed to 10 an over after just two overs and, at 69 for 4 in the 11th over, the chase had all but fizzled out despite England producing a sloppy fielding display.Wyatt-Hodge, who opened the tournament with a century against Sri Lanka, raced to a 32-ball half-century. She survived a missed run-out on 58 and a dropped catch on 59 before eventually being run out for 65 after a mix-up with batting partner Heather Knight. Her innings included eight boundaries.“I’m happy it was my night tonight,” Wyatt-Hodge said. “That was the hottest I’ve played in here in England. It felt like Dubai a couple of years ago (2024 T20 World Cup). But I enjoyed it, we came out all guns blazing.”Knight, who was dropped on 14, chipped in with 43 off 26 balls before she, too, was run out.West Indies captain Hayley Matthews was left furious after being given out on review for 14 in the fourth over. UltraEdge showed a spike despite a visible gap between bat and ball, prompting Matthews to argue with the umpire before eventually accepting the decision.Deandra Dottin fell for 19, caught in the deep, while Shemaine Campbelle was bowled for 20. From there, West Indies appeared to retreat into its shell. Chinelle Henry struck an unbeaten 51 off 30 balls, but her late flourish came with the outcome already beyond doubt.Henry was dropped on 10, 28 and 45 as England spilled six catches, its most in a Women’s T20 international in the last two years.Published on Jun 25, 2026  #England #beats #West #Indies #reach #Womens #T20 #World #Cup #semifinals

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