Sports World Today, December 30, 2023: India Women Lose To Australia By Three Runs In Wankhede; IND Squad For AFC Asian Cup Announced; Manchester City Beat Sheffield United In EPL - As It Happened

In cricket, India women's team lost the second ODI by a narrow margin of three runs and evetually the series to Australia despite the heroics of Richa Ghosh with the bat and Deepti Sharma with the ball. In football, Igor Stimac announced the 26-man squad for the AFC Asian Cup Doha tourney to be held next month. In the Premier League, Chelsea beat Luton Town 3-2 and Manchester City defeated Sheffield United 2-0. In PKL, U Mumbai beat Telugu Titans. Follow the scores and updates of all the action on Saturday, December 30, 2023, here. (IND-W Vs AUS-W Scorecard | Sports News) 

12:00 AM: Good Night

And good night everyone! It's adios from us now!

11:00 PM: Indian Football Team Off To Doha

10:33 PM: PL Full-Time Results

Manchester City have beaten Sheffield United 2-0 whereas Aston Villa beat Burnley 3-2 to gain advantage in the top 4. In other fixtures, Wolves beat Everton 3-0 and Crystal Palace beat a struggling Brentford 3-1.

9:31 PM: Novak Djokovic, Simone Biles Earn Big Honour

US gymnast star Simone Biles and Serbian number one tennis player, Novak Djokovic have been named AIPS Athletes of the Year for the 2023 edition. The results are from a poll that was run by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS), wherein a panel of 405 journalists from 107 countries voted for the Champions of 2023.

9:19 PM: Australia Women Beat India Women By Three Runs In 2nd ODI Despite Richa Ghosh Heroics

Richa Ghosh's efforts went in vain as India women's lost to Australia women's by three runs in the second ODI and eventually the series as the visiting bowlers scalped wickets at crucial intervals. Ghosh (96) fell four runs short of her century but nevertheless, the home side ran the champion team till the final delivery as Harmanpreet Kaur-led side look back as to what could have been if they had held on to the catches in the 1st innings.

8:54 PM: English Premier League Update

Brentford take early lead at Crystal Palace as holders Manchester City play hosts to Sheffield United while top-four chasing Aston Villa face  Burnley test at Villa Park. Busy Sunday also witness Wolves vs Everton clash. Also, Brazil celebrate it's fifth World Cup anniversary

8:45 PM: New Year Honours For England Women's Football Team, Stuart Broad

Millie Bright, England's captain at the FIFA Women's World Cup, will be appointed an OBE, while Mary Earps and Lauren Hemp have been honoured with MBEs. English cricketer Stuart Broad has been appointed a CBE.

8:30 PM: IND-W vs AUS-W, 31-40 Overs - 195/4

India lost the wickets of Jemimah Rodrigues (44) and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (5) as Australia staged a comeback in this phase. Despite the wickets, India were held together by Richa Ghosh, who was batting on 78 and was joined by Deepti Sharma. 

8:27 PM: Chelsea Beat Luton Town 3-2 In The Premier League

Chelsea fought off well as they warded off a late Luton Town comeback as they beat them 3-2 in the EPL. With the win, Mauricio Pochhetino's men have climbed to 10th in the table whereas Luton remain in the bottom three.

7:40 PM: IND-W vs AUS-W, 21-30 Overs - 141/2

With no wickets lost, India women's cricket team went in strong in their chase of 259 against Australia. Richa Ghosh and Jemimah Rodrigues have put up 50-plus stand as they toiled with the Aussie bowlers. Alyssa Healy's side were made to work hard for the wickets but Ghosh and Rodrigues made sure they put away the bad deliveries.

7:18 PM: IND-W vs AUS-W, 11-20 Overs - 94/2

India women's added 44 runs in this phase as they lost a wicket of Smriti Mandhana for 34 runs off Alana King's bowling. Richa Ghosh was later joined in by Jemimah Rodrigues as the duo look to chase down the target of 259 set by Australia to draw series level. As for Sneh Rana, she will miss the rest of the evening due to nausea. Harleen Deol will make play on as a concussion sub.

6:58 PM: Sneh Rana Taken To Hospital, Harleen Deol Confirmed As Concussion Substitute

Indian cricketer Sneh Rana has been taken to the hospital for a check up after complaining of nausea. Harleen Deol confirmed as concussion substitute. BCCI update: "Sneh Rana complained of headache after a collision while fielding during the second ODI against Australia. She has been taken for scans and she will not take any further part in the match"

6:22 PM: IND-W vs AUS-W, 1-10 Overs - 50/1

In their chase of 259, Indian women's cricket team lost the wicket of Yastika Bhatia as they amassed 50 runs in this phase. Smrit Mandhana was still batting on 27 whereas she was later joined by Richa Ghosh. Bhatia was dismissed by Kim Garth for 14 runs as Aussies look to seal the series in Mumbai.

6:07 PM: India Reveal Their 16-Member Squad For AFC Asian Cup Qatar 

The Indian senior men's team head coach Igor Stimac, on Saturday, announced India's 26-member squad for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023.

Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Vishal Kaith.
Defenders: Akash Mishra, Lalchungnunga, Mehtab Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose.
Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia Ralte, Liston Colaco, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Udanta Singh.
Forwards: Ishan Pandita, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, Rahul Kannoly Praveen, Sunil Chhetri, Vikram Partap Singh.

5:00 PM: IND-W vs AUS-W, 41-50 Overs 

The Australian innings have reached their conclusion, with the visitors stacking up a 259-run target for India. The Aussies started slowly but steadily before Phoebe Litchfield and Ellyse Perry propelled them toward the 200-run mark. India fought back with star bowler Deepti Sharma proving consequential yet again, just days after her starring role in the Test win against England, while debutant Shreyanka Patil, too, had an enjoyable day out on the Wankhede field. The onus now shifts to the Indian batters with a significant win on offer. 

Score: AUS 258/8, 50 Overs

4:25 PM: IND-W vs AUS-W, 31-40 Overs 

Shreyanka Patil had some debut out there in Wankhede, with the Indian bowler dismissing the dangerous Phoebe Litchfield and taking the catch of Ellyse Perry. Australia, after a positive start, are stuttering on the cusp of 200, with Deepti Sharma's masterful bowling proving to be their undoing. 

Sharma has claimed three wickets thus far, one of those being Tahlia McGrath, who was thwarted in her attempt to reach a high score like the last time in the 40th over. Annabel Sutherland and Georgia Wareham persist for the Aussies on the pitch, aiming to take them past the 250-run mark. 

Score: AUS 185/6, 40 Overs

3:45 PM: IND-W vs AUS-W, 21-30 Overs 

India hit back at the runaway Aussies between overs 21 and 30, thanks in large parts to Deepti Sharma, whose reintroduction in the Indian bowling attack proved to be a masterstroke by captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Sharma removed the dangerous Perry, the Australian batter having reached her half-century by then, and also scalped Beth Mooney in double-quick time. 

Phoebe Litchfield, meanwhile, continued to persist on one end of the crease and was joined by the dangerous Tahlia McGrath, starting from over 29. 

Score: AUS 143/3, 30 Overs

3:05 PM: IND-W vs AUS-W, 11-20 Overs

With Phoebe Litchfield and Ellyse Perry set on the crease, Australia are cruising toward a big total - and a potential victory - in Wankhede. India managed to get the breakthrough in the tenth over by returning Alyssa Healy to the pavilion, only for Litchfield and Perry to cancel their advantage immediately. 

Both Australian batters are edging toward their half-centuries, mere days after registering high scores in their team's win over India in the first ODI. 

Scores: AUS 112/1, 22 Overs

3:00 PM: Coetzee To Miss Second Test 

South Africa will be without pacer Gerald Coetzee for their second Test against India after the pacer suffered from pelvic inflammation. South Africa beat India by an innings and 32 runs in the first Test at Centurion, with Dean Elgar playing a significant role. 

Read more here. 

2:20 PM: IND-W vs AUS-W, 1-10 Overs 

Slow to get out of the blogs, Australia women's national cricket team paid the price for their sluggish run rate when Pooja Vastrakar claimed the wicket of the under-pressure Alyssa Healy in the tenth over. Prior to that, Healy and Phoebe Litchfield had steadily taken the visitors up on the scoreboard, careful not to surrender the early advantage to India. 

Vastrakar and Renuka Singh split the bowling duties in their entirety for the first ten overs of the match, each conceding 24 runs in five overs. At the closing of the tenth over, Australia stood at 49 for the loss of a single wicket, with Litchfield and Ellyse Perry on the crease. 

Scores: AUS-W 49/1; 10 Overs

2:00 PM: Ronaldo Unhappy With IFFHS Snub 

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner showed his displeasure by responding with laughing emojis at a social media post concerning the IFFHS Men's World Best Player 2023 list. 

See his reaction here. 

1:30 PM: Match Begins! 

India vs Australia women's ODI at Wankhede is underway with Phoebe Litchfield and Alyssa Healy on the crease. 

1:15 PM: India Women To Field First 

India women's national team will field first in the second ODI against Australia in Mumbai after their opponents won the toss and chose to bat. Debuting for India will be 21-year-bowler, Shreyanka Patil. 

Playing XIs

Australia: Alyssa Healy(wk/c), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Alana King, Kim Garth, Darcie Brown.

India: Smriti Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Richa Ghosh, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, Shreyanka Patil, Renuka Singh

12:00 PM: IFFHS Men's World Best Player 2023 Revealed 

Manchester City star Erling Haaland has been named the best player in the world by IFFHS, ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. Here's the full list: 

1. Erling Haaland

2. Kylian Mbappe

3. Lionel Messi

4. Rodri

5. Jude Bellingham 

6. Kevin De Bruyne

7. Harry Kane 

8. Bernardo Silva 

9. Vinicius Jr 

10. Lautaro Martinez 

11:00 AM: IND-W vs AUS-W 2nd ODI

India women's national cricket team will play Australia in the second of their three-ODI series at Wankhede on December 30, 2023. The Women in Blue are looking to level the series after suffering a narrow loss the last time around, with their opponents successfully chasing a 283-run target in 46.3 overs. 

The second ODI between the two rivals will begin at 1:30 PM and will be followed by live updates here. 

10:00 AM: Cummins Hits Back 

Australian skipper Pat Cummins was not having any of Mohammad Hafeez's comments stating that Pakistan were the better of the two teams when they met at MCG for the second Test. Australia beat Pakistan to take an unassailable lead in their ongoing Test series. 

Read more here. 

9:00 AM: Serie A Recap

Genoa 1-1 Inter Milan - A goal apiece on the stroke of half-time meant that Genoa and Inter Milan, two teams with very distinct agendas this season, split the points on Friday night. Marko Arnautovic put Inter ahead in the 42nd minute, only for Radu Dragusin - who might have played his final game for Genoa after being approached by Tottenham Hotspur - to equalize minutes later. As such, league leaders Inter dropped crucial points, presenting Juventus with the opportunity to close the gap between them. 

Lazio 3-1 Frosinone - Three goals in the final 20 minutes of the match allowed Lazio to come from a goal down and beat Frosinone 3-1. The visitors took the lead minutes before the hour-mark through Juventus loanee Matias Soule. However, Lazio hit back twice in two minutes, with Valentin Castellanos levelling the score in minute 70 and Gustav Isaksen putting his team ahead in minute 72. Patric sealed the points with a third goal late on. 

Fiorentina 1-0 Torino - A goal from centreback Luca Ranieri, seven minutes from the end, helped Fiorentina beat Torino, 1-0, and maintain their UEFA Champions League qualification charge. La Viola dominated proceedings, attempting twice as many shots as the visitors before they were rewarded for their persistence. With four wins and a draw in their last five, they are, along with Inter and Bologna, the division's most in-form team. 

Napoli 0-0 Monza - Wasteful Napoli spurned the chance to close the gap between them and the final UEFA Champions League spot on Friday night, after being thwarted by ten-man Monza. Napoli attempted 25 shots across the 90-minute match, with nine hitting the target, but none were able to find their way past Monza's imperious custodian Michele Di Gregorio. The reigning champions remained seventh, merely four points ahead of 11th-placed Monza.

Hello and welcome to our blog coverage of sports world live today. After being at the receiving end of a chasing masterclass from Australia in the first ODI, the Indian women's national cricket team will look to restore parity in the three-match series with a victory in the second game in Mumbai. In football, the English Premier League action will move on to match day 20, with Manchester United locking horns with Nottingham Forest and Chelsea taking on Luton Town in the evening.