Shafali Verma, right, celebrates the wicket of Netherlands Sterre Kalis during the Women’s T20 World Cup cricket match in Leeds, England, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP)

India opener Shafali Verma believes India should keep things simple when they face Australia in a must-win match in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.Sunday’s matches will decide which teams from Group A reach the semi-finals. South Africa, on six points, will face Bangladesh, who have four points. India, also on six points, will then take on unbeaten Australia, who have eight points.

If South Africa beat Bangladesh, India will need to defeat Australia to qualify for the semi-finals. Australia, however, can still go through even if they lose because they already have eight points and a much better net run rate.Speaking on JioStar, Shafali said India have the confidence to beat Australia after winning a T20I series there before the World Cup.“Everyone knows Australia are a world-class team. But it’s not like we haven’t beaten them before. We recently beat them in a T20 series in Australia, and that gives us confidence,” she said.India had beaten Australia 2-1 in the three-match series, and Shafali believes that knowing the opposition well will help.“We have been playing against them for years now. We know their bowlers, their strengths, and their plans. So, we will keep things straightforward, which is important, and back our own strengths. The more you overthink, the harder it gets.”The opener, who has scored two fifties in her last three innings, said she changed her mindset after the match against Pakistan.“A lot of things have improved in my batting. Before the Pakistan match, I was overthinking. I was planning too much, how I would play the first ball, what shot I would play off the second ball,” she said.“But after that game, I realised that I don’t need to complicate things. I just need to keep it simple. When I bat, I watch the ball and react. I don’t plan too far ahead. That has helped me score runs more freely.”Apart from batting, Shafali has also contributed with the ball. She has bowled with the new ball in recent matches, returning figures of 1 for 22 against South Africa, including the wicket of Tazmin Brits, after taking 3 for 20 against the Netherlands.She said captain Harmanpreet Kaur has given her a clear role.“Harman di has kept my role very clear. She told me that I will have to bowl in the powerplay. So, I work on that in the nets as well. I bowl with the new ball, focus on hitting the right areas, and try to keep the ball around the stumps.“As an opener, I know that if you bowl outside the stumps, you give the batter room to score. So, I always try to bowl according to what I would expect as an opener, what line and length would trouble me. I bowl keeping that in mind; tight lines, stump-to-stump, and making the batter work for runs,” she said.India’s fielding has come under scrutiny after several dropped catches during the tournament, but Shafali backed her teammates.“Everyone is thinking of giving their 100 per cent. No one is dropping catches or misfielding on purpose. Sometimes it’s just not your day, the ball doesn’t stick, the timing is off, or the bounce surprises you.”“But we always back the player who is having a tough day, both on and off the field. Our preparation has been good. We had two days of practice before this match against Bangladesh. We did fielding drills together as a team, half an hour of focused catching and ground fielding.“So, I will not say that we are not preparing well. We are doing everything we can. It’s just about the day. Some days things click, some days they don’t. That’s part of the game,” she said.

Wimbledon recorded its hottest opening day at last year’s Championship and the heat could be a significant factor once again across the fortnight at the grand slam tournament.

The start of last year’s Wimbledon was played out in temperatures reaching 33C and brought the sight of players attempting to cool themselves with ice towels.

Extreme heat has played a part in both of this season’s grand slams, with temperatures of 46C at the Australian Open and a heatwave hitting the French Open, too.

Defending Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner has at times struggled in the heat, and was knocked out of the French Open during a sweltering second round.

It means there is likely to be renewed focus on Wimbledon’s heat rules, as well as an eye on the upcoming forecasts at SW19.

What is Wimbledon’s heat rule?

Wimbledon has a heat rule in place for this year’s tournament and players are allowed to request a 10-minute break when the heat stress index is at or above 30.1C.

The heat stress index accounts for air temperature, humidity and surface temperature – creating a ‘feels-like’ reading that is also known as the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature [WGBT].

The heat stress index will be measured 30 minutes before the start of play, then at 2pm and then at 5pm. The 10-minute break would take place between the second and third sets for women’s singles matches and between the third and fourth sets for men’s matches.

Wimbledon states once a match has started with the heat rule in place, it cannot be lifted if the weather conditions change. It adds that the heat rule cannot be introduced for matches that were suspended overnight and are midway through.

The heat rule was triggered during Wimbledon qualifying, as London experienced an “extreme heat” red weather warning and the hottest June day on record. The high temperature may have had a part in a brief power outage at the qualifying tournament.

How does it compare to other grand slams?

The Australian Open uses a heat stress scale. A 10-minute cooling break is enforced if the scale reaches 4.0, while play was suspended at this year’s tournament when the scale reached 5.0, its highest level.

The French Open uses Wet Bulb Globe Temperature and the heat rule is enforced when it hits 30.1C, triggering a 10-minute cooling break. There is then a suspension if the WGBT reaches 32C.

Despite cramping and suffering a physical breakdown during his shock French Open defeat to Juan Manuel Cerundolo, the WGBT did not reach the threshold required to trigger a stoppage during Jannik Sinner’s exit.

Afterwards, Sinner did not blame the heat and said he felt ill earlier in the day. “It was warm, but not crazy warm,” Sinner said. “I feel like it was quite OK to play. It was nothing against the heat, nothing against the weather. It was just me today, but it happens.”

What about the fans at Wimbledon?

Wimbledon has worked to introduce more shaded areas and water points around the grounds. Fans are also advised to keep hydrated, apply sunscreen, wear light clothing and a hat, as well as taking time off court if sitting directly under the sun.

There were several instances of fans struggling in the heat last year. Both Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka brought water over to fans who had to receive medical attention during their matches.

Pakistan Women vs Netherlands Women Live: Final Opportunity for Pakistan and Netherlands to Salvage Pride

Pakistan and the Netherlands meet in Bristol with both teams still searching for their first win of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Pakistan have endured a difficult campaign, losing all four matches despite some impressive individual displays from captain Fatima Sana. The Netherlands have shown glimpses of promise but remain without a victory in Women’s T20 World Cup history. With both sides eager to avoid finishing the tournament empty-handed, the match represents an important opportunity to build confidence and end their respective campaigns positively before turning attention to future international assignments.

Phoenix Mercury All-Star Alyssa Thomas is the latest villain to Caitlin Clark fans after punching Clark in the throat during a game on Wednesday night.

The referees missed the punch in real time, but fans and the league office did not.

A viral clip of the punch in slow motion spread across social media, pouring gasoline on the ongoing culture war surrounding Clark’s physical treatment by opposing players, which has been a controversial issue dating back to Clark’s rookie season in 2024.

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And Less than 24 hours after the incident, the WNBA slapped Thomas with a one-game suspension for what was deemed a “reckless” and “non-basketball act.”

Who is the woman behind the punch?

If Thomas wasn’t in the WNBA, she says she would go pro in combat sports

In a 2019 interview with Nike PLAYlist, Thomas answered what sport she would have gone pro in if she didn’t go pro in basketball.

“Either boxing or MMA,” Thomas said.

If Thomas never went pro in any sport, she said she would have gotten into dentistry.

“Since I was a kid, I loved going to the dentist. I just was fascinated with teeth and still am. I’m passionate about that whole process of cleaning,” according to a profile on WNBA.com.

The first time Thomas stepped on a basketball court, she threw a ‘hissy fit’

Thomas was signed up to try basketball for the first time at the age of five by her mother, Tina, per the WNBA.

Thomas said she “Threw myself all down the stairs, down the hallway,” while her mom said “She just threw an absolute hissy fit.”

WNBA SUSPENDS ALYSSA THOMAS FOR ‘RECKLESSLY’ HITTING CAITLIN CLARK IN THROAT DURING SCRAMBLE

Her parents didn’t let her win a popular board game

Thomas’ parents never took it easy on her when they played “Candyland” as she was growing up.

“We weren’t the parents that were just going to let you win,” Tina said, per the WNBA.

“In life, you have to fight, and how are you going to fight if you don’t teach your kids to fight? So if she fell over, ‘get up, you’re alright,’ and if she didn’t get up, you knew something was wrong.”

It was a parenting tactic also used by the father of New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter, who famously never let Jeter win in board games or card games when he was growing up, to instill harsh competitiveness at an early age.

Thomas added that her mom was especially hard on her and helped develop her toughness.

“By no means was it easy, and it’s still not easy,” Thomas said.

Thomas plays more physically because shoulder issues hinder her shooting ability

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas scrambles to get up over Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on June 24, 2026. The Phoenix Mercury defeated the Indiana Fever 111-109. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

Thomas currently plays basketball with torn labrums in both of her shoulders.

The injuries are so severe that she completely lacks the structural integrity to lift her arms and shoot a traditional, fluid jump shot. Instead, she is forced to use a rigid, one-handed pushing motion from her chest just to get the ball to the rim.

Because she cannot rely on outside shooting, Thomas adapted by leaning entirely into her physical frame. She drives directly into the teeth of opposing defenses, absorbing heavy contact in the paint to score closer to the basket.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark shown after falling in the lane while Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas watches the ball at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indianapolis, Indiana on June 24, 2026. (Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

That brutal, driving style requires her to initiate intense physical collisions on nearly every single possession.

Despite the mechanical limitations and constant pain, the tactical shift worked. She transformed herself into a six-time All-Star, three-time First-Team All-WNBA, an Olympic gold medalist and the undisputed triple-double queen of the WNBA.

Thomas has been the center of immense criticism this week

The throat punch on Clark ignited a fierce wave of backlash.

Indiana Fever Head Coach Stephanie White led the charge, completely unloading on Thomas and the league’s officials during her postgame press conference.

“We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called,” White said, pointing directly at Thomas’s actions. “Absolutely unacceptable.”

White argued that Thomas regularly crosses the line from playing physical defense into inflicting dangerous, non-basketball contact.

“It’s absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful,” White continued to fume to reporters. “The fist in the throat is crazy. It’s crazy. It’s dangerous.”

On Thursday, Fever President Kelly Krauskopf released a statement praising the decision to suspend Thomas.

“Player safety should be paramount in our league. We appreciate the WNBA’s review of last night’s incident and the action taken. Right now our focus is on Caitlin and our entire team as we prepare for Saturday,” Krauskopf wrote.

Former Minnesota Vikings captain and prominent conservative activist Jack Brewer said the punch would be considered a “hate crime” if the roles were reversed.

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“This would be considered a hate crime if it were the other way around,” Brewer told Fox News Digital.

Other critics have expressed their own outrage on social media.

John Cena has opened up about how reality TV shows have helped in his marriage to Shay Shariatzadeh. He said that they ask each other internal questions and talk about things after watching these shows.

John Cena and Eric Andre gave an interview with Entertainment Tonight, published on Friday, June 26. They have worked on a movie titled Little Brother, which was released on Friday. They also spoke about reality TV shows during the interview, with Cena naming some of his favorite shows.

When asked if the former WWE superstar was a fan of the reality TV shows, he said:

“So, I love this.. The.. Secret Millionaire [Million Dollar Secret]. I keep getting the title wrong.”

The interviewer and Andre asked him if he watched dating reality shows, and Cena responded:

“I don’t do the dating show. I will say the wife does the dating shows. She loves ‘Love is Blind’. And I constantly get to get caught up on that. And it’s weird, because I use her perspective to start conversations about our relationship and make sure, like, Hey, it’s not just cannon fodder for, ‘I saw this while you were asleep’, and ‘Can you believe these people’, or ‘I like this trait about this person?’”

“I’m like, ‘Okay, well, let’s look inward and see, like, are… Are we a mirror of what you saw that you didn’t like? Can we do better?’ So, uh, amazingly enough, reality TV is guiding my relationship.”

John Cena has been married to Shay Shariatzadeh since October 2020. They first met when the former was filming Playing with Fire, and they were first linked in March 2019.

Shariatzadeh is an engineer with a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering from the University of British Columbia. She has worked in companies like Motorola Solutions and Sonatype. She and John Cena have made numerous public appearances together, but Shariatzadeh prefers to keep her life private in general.

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How did John Cena meet Shay Shariatzadeh?

John Cena revealed how he met Shay Shariatzadeh during an episode of The Howard Stern Show, released in February 2024. He revealed that he met her in February 2019 at a bar in Vancouver, Canada, when he was there to watch the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Cena revealed that he was in this restaurant, where Shariatzadeh also arrived with her friends. One of her friends asked the actor for a picture, as he explained:

“So I got a picture with her, and then she brought by my wife-to-be over, we have our first fan photo, which we hang proudly where we hang our hats. It’s awesome.”

“I asked her for her number and she gave me her number, and I didn’t wait like the two days [to reach out]. I left the restaurant and on my walk home I [texted], ‘It was so nice to meet you, you’re beautiful, I’d like to get to know you more if you have any free time coming up I’ll make time for you.’ She’s like, ‘You want to go out this weekend?’ I said, ‘Sure’,” he added.

John Cena revealed that he knew within three months that he wanted to marry Shay Shariatzadeh.

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