Indian team honour retiring England legends Knight, Beaumont with sig…

London [UK], July 14 (ANI): The Indian women’s cricket team paid a heartfelt tribute to England greats Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont by presenting them with signed jerseys after the duo brought the curtain down on their illustrious international careers following the conclusion of the historic one-off Women’s Test at Lord’s on Monday. extract-html.com

The touching moment took place in front of the iconic Lord’s honours board after India completed a commanding 270-run victory over England. England Cricket shared a video of the presentation on X, captioning it, “Wholesome moment as India present Tammy and Heather with a token of their appreciation."

Wholesome moment as India present Tammy and Heather with a token of their appreciation pic.twitter.com/GCNpMfDI4M

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— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 13, 2026

Handing over the jerseys on behalf of the Indian team, batter Jemimah Rodrigues congratulated the two stalwarts and wished them well for the future.

“You know cricket is all about making memories. And we, as the Indian team, just want to leave you with a small memory on your last match for England. Congratulations and all the best for everything," Jemimah said.

The Lord’s Test marked the end of two remarkable England careers. Knight announced her retirement during the match, while Beaumont had confirmed before the game that it would be her final international appearance.

Knight leaves the game as England Women’s most-capped cricketer, having represented her country in 320 international matches since making her debut in 2010. She amassed 8,017 international runs, including six centuries, and became the first England player to score centuries in all three international formats after her maiden T20I hundred in 2020.

Her nine-year tenure as England captain from 2016 to 2025 remains one of the most successful in the team’s history. Knight led England in 199 matches, winning 134 of them, with the highlight coming at Lord’s in 2017 when she captained the side to the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup title.

Beaumont also signed off after a distinguished 17-year international career. The 35-year-old retires as England Women’s leading ODI centurion with 12 hundreds and is one of only two English women to have scored international centuries across all three formats.

She scored 614 runs in 12 Tests, including a memorable double century against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2023, becoming the first England woman to achieve the feat. Beaumont also amassed 4,738 runs in 140 ODIs and 1,975 runs in 109 T20Is, establishing herself as one of England’s finest opening batters.

The emotional farewell came after India scripted history by winning the first-ever Women’s Test at Lord’s by 270 runs.

Yastika Bhatia etched her name into the record books by becoming the first woman to score a Test century at the iconic venue, while debutant pacer Kranti Gaud claimed a five-wicket haul in England’s first innings.

Smriti Mandhana contributed scores of 83 and 70 across the two innings, Deepti Sharma impressed with both bat and ball, and Richa Ghosh struck an unbeaten half-century as India set England a daunting target of 457.

England were eventually bowled out for 186 on the fourth day, with Deepti claiming four wickets to seal India’s seventh win in their last 11 Women’s Tests. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Spain wonderkid Lamine Yamal said he is embracing the biggest challenge of his career rather than feeling burdened by expectations as La Roja prepare to take on France in the first semi-final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Dallas Stadium on Tuesday (local time).

Spain are aiming to reach their first FIFA World Cup final since lifting the trophy in South Africa in 2010, while France are seeking a third consecutive appearance in the tournament’s summit clash after winning the title in 2018 and finishing runners-up in 2022.

Despite the magnitude of the occasion, the Barcelona forward insisted he feels no burden heading into the clash.

“We know how to cope with adversity. And as for pressure, well, I don’t feel it," said Yamal during the pre-match press conference, according to FIFA.

The Barcelona forward admitted the scrutiny over his recent performances but believes the semi-final presents the perfect opportunity to shine.

“You yourselves say I’m not at my best, so you shouldn’t expect anything from me, but I’m sure tomorrow is going to be a special day. It’s the most important match I’m ever going to play. And I’m glad to have made it this far. We’re all really excited, and me most of all. It’s undoubtedly the most important match I’m ever going to play," he said.

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente echoed his young star’s calm outlook, insisting his side has learned to balance responsibility with enjoyment throughout the tournament.

“Playing in the World Cup semi-final – after all the World Cups I’ve watched on the telly – now we’re the ones in the spotlight," said De la Fuente, as per FIFA.

“We’ve never shirked the responsibility that this entails. We’ve always played with that responsibility, and we know what we represent, but we’ve also enjoyed something as wonderful and important as playing football on these stages. It’s a question of striking a balance, but we mustn’t let the responsibility make us nervous," he added.

The European champions have grown stronger as the tournament has progressed. After opening their campaign with a goalless draw against Cape Verde, Spain topped Group H before knocking out Austria, Portugal and Belgium, with Mikel Merino scoring dramatic late winners in each of the last two knockout rounds.

Spain have now gone 36 matches without defeat in regulation time since March 2024 and could equal Italy’s all-time record of 37 if they avoid defeat against France.

De la Fuente also urged his players to enjoy the privilege of playing on football’s biggest stage, recalling the spirit that carried Spain to their only World Cup title in 2010.

“I’m very romantic; I like Julio Iglesias… how could I not be romantic?" said De la Fuente with a smile, as per FIFA.

“I tell [the players] to enjoy what they have today. You’re privileged. We’re privileged. We’re going to play football, and we have exceptional footballing potential. Let’s do what we know how to do. That’s the pressure I put on them – look how soft I am – so that they can fulfil their full footballing potential," he added.

France, meanwhile, heads into the semi-final in dominant form. Didier Deschamps’ side won all three of their group-stage matches before eliminating Sweden, Paraguay and Morocco in the knockout rounds without conceding a goal. The French side will also mark a significant milestone, with Deschamps set to oversee his record 26th FIFA World Cup match as head coach.

The head-to-head record offers encouragement for Spain ahead of the contest. La Roja have won 18 of their 38 meetings against France and have emerged victorious in seven of the last 10 encounters between the two sides, including victories in the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2024 and the 2025 UEFA Nations League Finals.

With a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final on the line, the highly anticipated clash is set to pit Spain’s fearless young generation against the experience, consistency and pedigree of one of international football’s most successful teams.

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

The Indian women's cricket team paid tribute to England greats Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont by presenting them with signed jerseys after the duo brought the curtain down on their international careers following the historic one-off Women's Test at Lord's.

This warm post-game gesture took place in front of the legendary Lord's honours board shortly after the visitors wrapped up an emphatic 270-run triumph.

Sharing the presentation footage on social media, England Cricket posted a clip on X, captioning it, 'Wholesome moment as India present Tammy and Heather with a token of their appreciation.'

Wholesome moment as India present Tammy and Heather with a token of their appreciation 🤝 pic.twitter.com/GCNpMfDI4M

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 13, 2026

Handing over the jerseys on behalf of the Indian team, batter Jemimah Rodrigues congratulated the two stalwarts and wished them well for the future.

"You know cricket is all about making memories. And we, as the Indian team, just want to leave you with a small memory on your last match for England. Congratulations and all the best for everything," Jemimah said.

The Test match at the Home of Cricket was the last for two of England's most celebrated players. Knight chose to declare her retirement while the match was underway, whereas Beaumont had announced ahead of the coin toss that this fixture would mark the end of her international career.

Knight and Beaumont were two stalwarts in English cricket

Heather Knight concludes her journey as the most-capped female player in England's history, securing 320 appearances across all formats since her international debut back in 2010. Over her career, she scored 8,017 runs, including six hundreds. She became the first female player from her country to register a century in all three formats of the game following her first T20I hundred in 2020.

Beaumont also walked away from international cricket after an extraordinary 17-year career. The 35-year-old hangs up her boots as her country's leading centurion in One Day Internationals with 12 tons, and she remains one of only two English women to secure hundreds in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.

This farewell unfolded alongside a sporting milestone as the visiting Indian side clinched the inaugural Women's Test match played at Lord's by a margin of 270 runs.

(With inputs from ANI)

New Delhi [India], July 14 (ANI): Indian table tennis stars Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah created history on Monday by climbing to World No. 2 in the latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) men’s doubles rankings, becoming the highest-ranked Indian players or pair ever in the senior world rankings.

The Indian duo improved one place from last week’s career-best World No. 3, surpassing the previous national record held by Archana Kamath and Manika Batra, who had reached World No. 4 in the women’s doubles rankings in 2022, according to Olympics.com.

China’s Lin Shidong and Huang Youzheng continue to occupy the top spot with 5,160 ranking points, while Thakkar and Shah are second with 3,390 points. France’s celebrated Lebrun brothers, Alexis and Felix, who were ranked second last week, slipped to fifth, paving the way for the Indian pair’s rise.

The landmark achievement is the latest reward for a remarkable run of consistency by Thakkar and Shah over the past year. Guided by Indian table tennis legend Sharath Kamal, the duo have established themselves among the world’s elite through a series of impressive performances on the WTT circuit.

Their campaign includes a semi-final finish at the 2026 Singapore Smash, a runners-up finish at the 2025 WTT Star Contender Foz do Iguacu and the title at the 2026 WTT Contender Lagos, results that significantly boosted their world ranking.

The rise comes at an ideal time for Indian table tennis, with the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, less than three months away. Thakkar and Shah are expected to spearhead India’s men’s doubles challenge after narrowly missing out on a medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, where they lost in the quarter-finals to South Korea’s then World No. 1 pair of Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon.

India heads into the 2026 Asian Games with strong representation across the doubles events. Diya Chitale and Manush Shah are currently ranked World No. 5 in mixed doubles, while Diya Chitale and Yashaswini Ghorpade occupy the World No. 10 spot in women’s doubles.

In the singles rankings, Thakkar remains India’s highest-ranked men’s player at World No. 38, followed closely by Shah at World No. 40. Manika Batra continues to be India’s top-ranked women’s singles player at World No. 51, although the former Commonwealth Games champion has been named among the reserves for the upcoming Asian Games.

The latest rankings underline India’s growing stature in international table tennis and provide a timely boost as the country prepares for another major multi-sport event later this year. (ANI)

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Former India captains Diana Edulji and Shubhangi Kulkarni hailed Harmanpreet Kaur & Co’s 270-run win over Nat Sciver-Brunt’s England at Lord’s Test for being a complete team effort.

Young pacer Kranti Gaud (5-37 and 2-54), wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia (113), opener Smriti Mandhana (83 and 70) and offie Sneh Rana (2-41 and 4-42) emerged as the top contributors in India’s triumph in the first-ever women’s Test at the iconic venue.

Shubhangi Kulkarni and Diana Edulji

“It’s a very good win at the historic Lord’s ground. India has never lost a Test match in England [played 10, India won three and three were draws], so it’s a great feeling. I remember, when we played a Test against England in 2006, we had eight girls making their debut, and we still beat them. Charlotte Edwards, their current coach, was in their team then,” Edulji, who represented the country in 20 Tests and 34 ODIs, told mid-day on Monday.

Kulkarni, who played 19 Tests and 27 ODIs, felt India’s aggressive mindset helped. “It’s a brilliant performance to win the first-ever women’s Test at Lord’s. Everybody did well in this match. While batting first, we laid a strong foundation with a positive and aggressive approach, and then our bowlers followed it up with a disciplined effort. Our batting, bowling and fielding, everything was top class. We didn’t allow England to come back in the game at all. It’s a dominant performance,” Kulkarni told mid-day from Pune on Monday.

Edulji went on to list the heroes for Team India at Lord’s: “The way Kranti, Sayali [2-40 & 2-24] and the other bowlers performed is good. I think they have proved themselves.

Yastika’s batting was excellent. This performance will do wonders to her career and I hope she stays injury free. I’m sad that Smriti missed out on a 100 in both innings. Even she could have had her name on the Lord’s Honours Board. Sneh too [4-42 in the second innings].”

24
No. of years since ex-India skipper Sourav Ganguly’s shirt-waving celebration at Lord’s on this very day (July 13)

Brief scores
India 285 all out and 341-7 declared beat England 170 all out and 186 all out (A Jones 54, S Ecclestone 50; S Rana 4-42, S Satghare 2-24, D Sharma 2-36, K Gaud 2-54) by 270 runs