Australia’s premier all-rounder Annabel Sutherland has once again stamped her authority at the top of world cricket, reclaiming the No.1 position in the latest ICC Women’s T20I Bowling Rankings. The updated list, released on Tuesday, sees India’s Deepti Sharma slip to second, marking another significant twist in an intense battle for supremacy among elite bowlers in the shortest format.

A familiar peak for Annabel Sutherland

Sutherland returned to the top with a rating of 736, mirroring the exact tally she held when she first ascended to No.1 in August 2025. The achievement underlines her remarkable consistency across conditions and opposition. Known for her ability to strike at crucial moments and maintain control through the middle overs, the Australian all-rounder continues to set the benchmark in T20I bowling.

While Deepti’s time at the summit was brief, her drop does little to dent her standing among the world’s best. The Indian off-spinner remains a vital cog in India’s white-ball setup and firmly entrenched in the upper echelon of the rankings.

India vs Sri Lanka clash drives batting gains

The latest rankings update has been influenced heavily by the recent Women’s T20I in Thiruvananthapuram on December 30, where India posted a competitive 175 for 7. The match saw three Indian batters cross the fifty-run mark, highlighting the depth and form of the home side’s batting unit.

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur played a defining role with a commanding 68 off 43 deliveries. Her knock, blending power with composure, helped her climb two places to 13th in the T20I batting rankings, taking her rating to 634 points and reinforcing her status as one of the format’s most influential batters.

Also READ: Aakash Chopra predicts the winner and Orange Cap holder for WPL 2026 edition

Sri Lankan batters make rapid strides

Despite Sri Lanka falling short in the chase, the visitors found major positives with the bat. Opener Hasini Perera led the resistance with a fluent 65 from 42 balls. Her performance resulted in a dramatic jump of 31 places, lifting her to 40th in the batting rankings with 490 points, one of the biggest gains in the latest update.

Perera received strong support from Imesh Dulani, who impressed with an assured 50 off 39 balls, laced with eight boundaries. Remarkably, just six matches into her international T20 career, Dulani surged 77 places to enter the top 100 batters for the first time, signalling a promising future.

All-round impact of Deepti Sharma

Although Deepti lost the No.1 bowling ranking, she enjoyed a solid outing, returning figures of 1 for 28 from her four overs. That display ensured she retained third place in the T20I all-rounder rankings with 382 points. Fellow Indian Arundhati Reddy also made notable progress, jumping 21 places to 44th in the all-rounder list after scoring a brisk 27 not out off 11 balls and picking up a wicket. Away from international rankings, Sutherland will miss the upcoming Women’s Premier League (WPL) season after withdrawing from the tournament. Her franchise, Delhi Capitals, have named Alana King as her replacement, adding another experienced Australian to their squad.

Also READ: From emerging player to WPL 2026 winner: Deepti Sharma shares bold predictions for the Women’s Premier League

This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.

MUMBAI: The era of the high-stakes, “do-or-die” final exam may soon be a thing of the past. Educationists, policymakers, and parents who gathered at the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre on Sunday called for a radical shift from the current marks-centric evaluation to a continuous, year-long assessment of a student’s true potential.Speaking at the 16th state-level education conference, themed “National Education Policy 2020: New Directions in Assessment,” experts warned that the obsession with scores is creating a “mental health crisis” among city students.‘Focus on Journey, Not Just Grades’Addressing the gathering, MP and Yashwantrao Chavan Centre executive president Supriya Sule emphasized that education must move beyond the narrow lens of grading. “Assessment is about understanding a student’s learning journey and overall development, not just awarding marks,” she said.Sule flagged the rising stress levels caused by cut-throat competition and parental expectations. She urged schools to adopt “ability-based” education, reminding the audience that every child learns at a different pace.Continuous Tracking via PARAKHThe keynote address by MKCL chief mentor Vivek Sawant struck a similar chord, describing conventional exams as a “terminal exercise” that kills the joy of learning. “When marks become the sole objective, education itself suffers,” Sawant noted.He highlighted national-level reforms like PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), which aims to replace the traditional report card with a multidimensional progress evaluation.The ChallengesWhile the conference celebrated the move toward critical thinking and value-oriented learning, attendees raised concerns about ground-level implementation. Key hurdles such as the digital divide which means ensuring algorithms and digital tools don’t replace the human touch in classrooms. Teacher training which is the urgent need for capacity-building to help educators transition from checking answer sheets to evaluating “learning outcomes.” And lastly critical thinking which should serve as a call for schools to prioritize logic and analysis over rote memorization.

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No More Free Hajj: Egypt Changes the Rules for Pilgrims Ahead of 2026 Pilgrimage

Ahead of the 1447 AH/2026 Hajj season, the Egyptian government has announced that it will stop providing state-funded free pilgrimage slots. Instead, it will use electronic lottery systems and licensed paid pilgrimage packages. This is a significant change for millions of potential pilgrims and indicates reforms in Egypt’s public spending and Hajj logistics before the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s upcoming Hajj season.

No more free state-sponsored slots

Egypt’s Ministry of Social Solidarity and the National Foundation for Facilitating Hajj announced the results of the public electronic Hajj lottery for 2026 pilgrims, selecting approximately 12,000 applicants from across Egyptian governorates through a fully digital draw aimed at promoting transparency. Successful applicants must now pay for their pilgrimage arrangements through official channels. The confirmation of the lottery result was done through a press conference by Minister Maya Morsi. This highlights the fact that the lottery has currently become the main means for Egyptians, as opposed to a subsidized state sponsorship, for Egyptian Hajj visas.

Hajj 2026 Explained: Egypt’s New Lottery System, Paid Packages and Visa Rules

This is part of a bigger trend that has been underway for the past few years. During economic strains in 2022 and 2023, Egypt cancelled Hajj at state expense for the second consecutive year, opting not to use government resources to underwrite pilgrimages amid budgetary pressures.

Tourism ministry opens paid Hajj registration

Separately, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities opened Hajj registration via licensed tourism companies for the 2026 season, with applications accepted from mid-October and results published in early November. These packages are presented in economy, mid-range and premier options. They are fully paid pilgrim services, requiring applicants to cover costs ranging from accommodation to transport, managed through officially accredited tour operators. Government data showed that tourism Hajj packages this year were priced across categories to accommodate different budgets and that the ministry even reduced some prices slightly compared to the previous season to ease financial burdens. Here’s what this means for Egyptian pilgrims –

No Hajj visa, no pilgrimage: Egypt sets mandatory health and registration conditions

In addition to changes in government support and lottery systems for the Hajj 2026, Egyptian authorities have made it clear that Muslims going for Hajj must submit certain requirements regarding visas and health documents. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has confirmed that pilgrims are required to present a “Health Fitness Certificate” before they can be given a Hajj visa. The health certificate is a medical document that verifies the pilgrims’ ability to carry out the Hajj rituals.

No Hajj Visa Without It: Egypt Introduces Mandatory Health Rule for 2026 Pilgrims

All other official registration formalities have been conducted through the designated channels. The move is a part of the general procedural updates being undertaken to ensure that this is done in an orderly manner and in line with the rules established by the Saudi government, relating to visas as well as safety regulations among the crowds attendant at the annual pilgrimage. Notably, the process of visa application for tourism category Hajj pilgrims is put on hold until this certificate is submitted.

Bottom line

Hajj is one of Islam’s five pillars and essential for Muslims who can afford it but rising costs and economic reforms have made traditional free or subsidised government sponsorships less viable. Egypt’s updated model meets the rising demand and Saudi Arabia’s logistical changes for managing the annual pilgrimage. It prioritises transparency, fairness and controlled access through digital lotteries and regulated tourism channels.For potential pilgrims and their families, the message is clear. Hajj in 2026 will rely on paid, structured packages and lottery allocations instead of blanket government sponsorship. This approach sets a new standard for one of the largest religious migrations on Earth.

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has once again opened up on Virat Kohli’s decision to step away from Test cricket, this time after watching Joe Root register his 41st hundred in the format. The milestone reignited the long-running comparison between the modern greats, with Root, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Kohli once grouped together as the celebrated ‘Fab Four’. Among them, Kohli remains the only one to have exited Test cricket. In a video shared on Instagram, Manjrekar expressed disappointment over Kohli’s choice, especially given the prolonged lean phase that preceded his retirement from red-ball cricket. “Well, as Joe Root attains new heights in Test cricket, my mind goes to Virat Kohli. He’s walked away from Tests, and it’s unfortunate that in the five years that he struggled before retiring, he didn’t quite put his heart and soul into finding out the problems as to why he was averaging 31 for five years in Tests,” Manjrekar said. Manjrekar stressed that the concern was not about Kohli retiring, but about the selective nature of that decision. According to him, walking away from all formats would have been easier to accept. “It was okay, Virat Kohli just walked away from cricket, retired from all cricket. But that he’s chosen to play one-day cricket actually disappoints me more, because this is a format which, for a top-order batter, I’ve said before as well, is the easiest format,” he said. He went on to underline why Test cricket still matters the most in his view. “The format that really tests you is first, obviously, Test Cricket, and T20 cricket has its different challenges,” Manjrekar added. Manjrekar also pointed to Kohli’s fitness and discipline, suggesting that a comeback route was always available if the desire was there. “Because he’s so fit, supremely fit, you feel even more that he could have maybe continued his fight, you know, to get back into form. Even if he was left out of a series, he could have maybe gone down to first-class cricket, played in Australia, England, more matches in India, tried to make another comeback,” he said. The video concluded on an emotional note, with Manjrekar admitting that every big Test innings from Root, Smith or Williamson now brings a sense of loss. “When Joe Root gets hundreds or gets runs, or Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, my mind goes to Virat Kohli with a sense of disappointment and a little bit of sadness, because he cared so much for Test Cricket, didn’t he?”

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) stock tumbled 5% on Tuesday, falling to an intraday low of Rs 1,497.05 on the Bombay Stock Exchange. The share price plunged after RIL denied a Bloomberg report claiming that its Jamnagar refinery will be receiving three ships of Russian crude oil.Today’s session recorded the stock’s steepest intraday decline since June 4, 2024. RIL shares slipped below their 50-day moving average, wiping out more than Rs 1 lakh crore from the company’s market capitalisation. Reliance also emerged as the single biggest drag on the Nifty 50, pulling the benchmark index down by about 82 points.Responding to the Bloomberg report, Reliance clarified that its Jamnagar refinery has not received any Russian crude cargo over the past three weeks and is not expecting any such deliveries in January.Taking to X, the company wrote, “A news report in Bloomberg claiming “three vessels laden with Russian Oil are heading for Reliance Industries Limited’s Jamnagar refinery” is blatantly untrue. Reliance Industries’s Jamnagar refinery has not received any cargo of Russian oil at its refinery in the past three weeks approx. and is not expecting any Russian crude oil deliveries in January.”The company further added, “We are deeply pained that those claiming to be at the forefront of fair journalism chose to ignore the denial by RIL of buying any Russian oil to be delivered in January and published a wrong report tarnishing our image.”The Bloomberg report, which cited data from Kpler, alleged that three vessels loaded with Russian crude were en route to the Jamnagar refinery. Reliance, which had earlier emerged as India’s largest buyer of discounted Russian oil following the Russia-Ukraine war, has paused the purchasing, ET reported.However, despite the company’s clarification, its shares continued to trade in red with heavy volumes reflecting investor reaction to the news and broader weakness in the market.India’s oil imports from Russia, according to a Reuters report, are expected to fall further in January after Reliance’s decision to halt intake of Russian crude. Moscow’s oil inflows to the country have already slowed amid tighter US and European Union sanctions, with imports dropping to a three-year low of around 1.2 million barrels per day in December, down about 40% from the peak of nearly 2 million barrels per day in June.