BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: Unbeaten throughout almost a month of cricket across the USA and the Caribbean, India and South Africa will face off at the Kensington Oval on Saturday in the T20 World Cup final both looking to end long waits for glory.
A tournament which has been a mixed bag in terms of quality, entertainment and attendances, has certainly succeeded in setting up a final between the two best teams in the shortest format.
India crushed defending champions England by 68 runs in Guyana on Thursday, the day after South Africa thrashed Afghanistan by nine wickets in Trinidad to end a long and agonizing wait for a title game.
This will be South Africa’s first senior men’s final since the inaugural Champions Trophy in Bangladesh in 1998 when the Proteas beat the West Indies in the title match.
Over the years they have been labelled ‘chokers’ by their critics and had many question how a nation that has produced so many talented players, hasn’t been able to make a final for 26 years.
Skipper Aiden Markram was part of the team which were beaten by Australia in the ODI World Cup last year but says the players haven’t reflected much on the years of near-misses and disappointments.
“We haven’t spoken about it to be honest. I think it’s a personal and individual motivation that you get to a final; to earn the opportunity to hopefully lift the trophy,” he said after the win over the Afghans.
“So you reflect back to five months ago we couldn’t get over the line in that semifinal and you look at (here) a few things went our way. We managed to win the game and we found ourselves in the final.”
Certainly there has been no hint that South Africa have lacked belief in this tournament — they topped group D with a 100 percent record including wins over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Then in the Super Eights, they won all three games with victories over England and co-hosts West Indies and the USA.
“This team’s been together for a long time now as a white ball group, both formats. We feel and we believe that we can compete with the best in the world and we can win trophies. And it’s nice for us to now have that opportunity,” Markram said.
“You do get belief though from winning close games and potentially winning games that you thought you weren’t going to win. It does a lot for your changing room and the vibe in the changing room. So, we’ll take a little bit of confidence from that and see if we can put it to any use in the final,” he added.
India have the chance to banish the memory of their loss to Australia in the final of the 50-over World Cup on home soil last year.
Despite India being the epicenter of the T20 game, through the hugely successful Indian Premier League competition, their only triumph in this competition came 17 years ago.
India’s last trophy of any kind was the Champions Trophy in 2013.
But the team have taken care of their business with little drama, beating arch-rivals Pakistan in New York and going on to win their group before a key win over Australia in the Super Eights.
“We’ve been very calm,” said captain Rohit Sharma.
“We understand the occasion of the final. It’s important we stay composed, because that helps you make good decisions. We have been very steady, calm, and that has been the key for us,” he added.
It was India’s spinners who were the heroes against England with left-armers Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel taking three wickets each.
But they also possess one of the most effective quick bowlers in the format in Jasprit Bumrah.
Rohit, 37, and fellow opener Virat Kohli, 35, came into this tournament looking for glory in what could well be their final tournament.
While Rohit has made more runs, 248, than any player in the final, Kohli has disappointed with just 75 runs in seven innings but has the perfect stage on which to make that form irrelevant.
The historic home of West Indies cricket, should produce the right atmosphere with a large contingent of Indian supporters, as always, expected at the game.
Unbeaten India and South Africa ready to end glory waits in T20 World Cup final
https://arab.news/rx7cd
Unbeaten India and South Africa ready to end glory waits in T20 World Cup final
- India crushed defending champions England by 68 runs a day after South Africa thrashed Afghanistan by nine wickets
- This will be South Africa’s first senior men’s final since the inaugural Champions Trophy played in Bangladesh in 1998
Saudi Arabia opening doors for women athletes, says expert
- Lina Al-Maeena, chairperson of Jeddah United Club, lauds progress
- Focus on female development at World Football Summit in Riyadh
RIYADH: The World Football Summit which ended here on Thursday has once again placed women’s football at the center of its global agenda, highlighting initiatives, insights, and the achievements of trailblazers shaping the sport’s future.
One of the summit’s standout moments was the Female Leaders Awards that celebrated individuals and organizations driving progress, innovation, and equity in the women’s game.
Another anchor of the summit was the Female Leaders Gathering, which in its third year has become a vital platform for discussing leadership pathways and gender equity.
The gathering was led by Farkhunda Muhtaj, captain of the Afghanistan women’s national team, who said she hoped the initiative “continues empowering women to lead and influence the game at every level.”
Among the year’s award winners was Lina Al-Maeena, chairperson of Jeddah United Club, who expressed pride in the rapid transformation taking place within the Kingdom.
“We have come a long way in a very short time,” she said. “Our under-17 girls’ football team is now competing across the country under the Saudi Football Federation, and it shows how fast the sport is evolving.”
She added that “women are now participating in international events, something that felt impossible only a few years ago.”
Al-Maeena emphasized that equal opportunity was a cornerstone of Saudi Vision 2030. “The Ministry of Sports has opened doors for girls and boys across more than 100 federations and committees,” she said.
She highlighted the power of grassroots involvement. “It starts with the community,” she said. “That’s where you find the everyday champions who then rise to clubs and national teams.”
Across multiple sessions at the WFS, experts emphasized that women’s football was entering a new phase marked by global expansion and the rise of nontraditional markets.
The country had launched a professional women’s league, hosted international tournaments, expanded youth programs, and introduced the region’s first Women’s Champions League.
Eileen Gleeson, who has worked extensively in international women’s football, said that emerging markets like Saudi Arabia were “changing the map of where the women’s game can grow.”
She explained that the needs of these regions differed from those of established football nations. “The ambition is there,” she said, “but it’s not always matched with resources. You might want to win, but you can’t invest equally in every area. So the question becomes: where do you put that money?”
For Gleeson, long-term sustainability had to be the guiding principle. “Your starting point is different,” she said. “You’re introducing women’s football while also trying to professionalize it. For long-term growth, investment must go into the developing areas.”
She cited Saudi Arabia’s progress, noting that “in just four years, they’ve moved into professional structures with real commitment.” Still, she cautioned that nurturing homegrown players had to remain a priority.
“You have to protect your domestic league,” she said. “You can’t let it become an international league for its own sake.”
Muhtaj echoed this point, offering her perspective as a player who grew up without a domestic league in Canada. “Many Canadian players had to go abroad,” she said.
“But when you go abroad, you’re not always given the best opportunities because domestic players take precedence.”
She argued that investment should focus on markets with high talent but limited infrastructure. “There is so much talent in Asia and Africa,” she said. “The only thing missing is opportunity.”
She also emphasized how investment could stretch further in developing regions.
She said $400 million in Canada’s National Women’s Soccer League “might get you two or three franchises. But that same amount in developing regions could build an entire league with strong infrastructure.”
Muhtaj pointed to Saudi Arabia as “an example of how quickly opportunity can transform the environment for women players.”
