Hayley Jensen, an all-rounder for New Zealand, announced her retirement from international cricket on Friday after representing her country in five ICC championships, according to the ICC official website.

Throughout her 11-year international career, Jensen played 88 matches for New Zealand (35 ODIs and 53 T20Is), achieving a total of 76 wickets across all formats. She participated in four ICC Women’s T20 World Cups in 2014, 2018, 2020, and 2023, as well as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup on home soil in 2022.

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Her standout performance came in 2020, when she emerged as New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament with seven wickets, including a three-wicket haul that earned her the Player of the Match title against Sri Lanka. At 32, Jensen decided to retire from international cricket following her last game in February 2023. “I’ve dreamed of being a White Fern since I was ten, when I returned home from my first cricket match. I will always treasure the chance to live that dream,” Jensen remarked, as reported by ICC.

“It’s been an incredible journey filled with growth, challenges, and unforgettable moments, all shared with the most remarkable people. Leaving something that has meant so much is never easy, but I know deep down that the time has come. I am proud of what we’ve achieved together and even prouder to have been a part of the White Ferns family,” she added.

New Zealand’s coach, Ben Sawyer, praised Jensen’s significant contributions throughout her career.

Wriddhiman Saha, the former batsman and wicketkeeper for Bengal and India, has been named the mentor for the Siliguri Strikers (SS) as they gear up for the second season of the Bengal Pro T20 League in June 2025.

Saha will oversee both the men’s and women’s teams while also offering talent development guidance to Servotech Sports. He has extensive experience, having played 40 Test matches, 9 ODIs, and 255 T20s.

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As the Siliguri Strikers aim to excel in the upcoming season, Saha’s wealth of experience will be invaluable. In a statement from SS, he expressed his excitement about joining the team, saying, “I’m thrilled to join the Siliguri Strikers as a mentor. I look forward to sharing my insights with the talented players and helping them shine on the big stage.”

Rishabh Bhatia, director of Servotech Sports, stated, “His technical expertise and leadership will significantly benefit our team. We are excited to welcome him to the Strikers family, as his dedication resonates with our objectives for Season 2.”

During the women’s player draft earlier this month, the Siliguri Strikers built a formidable women’s team, signing Indian cricketer Priyanka Bala as their marquee player. Bala has previously played for the Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League (WPL).

From a selection pool of 188 players, 128 female cricketers were chosen in the draft, and SS succeeded in assembling a strong team.

Representing the pride and cricketing spirit of North Bengal, the Strikers will encompass the districts of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, and Kalimpong.

With a solid foundation established in Season 1, the franchise now aims to enhance its performance and take it a step further this year.

China’s table tennis team will not achieve a gold-medal sweep at the upcoming Paris Olympics, as third-seeded Lin Gaoyuan and Lin Shidong faced elimination in the men’s doubles at the World Table Tennis Championships on Thursday.

The sixth-seeded duo from Chinese Taipei, Kao Cheng-Jui and Lin Yun-Ju, defeated Lin Gaoyuan and Lin Shidong with scores of 11-5, 11-9, 5-11, 11-8. The Chinese pair struggled to establish a rhythm and displayed limited creativity throughout the match.

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Earlier in the tournament, Kao and Lin also eliminated China’s Liang Jingkun and Huang Youzheng with a 3-1 victory in the second round.

This marks the first time since 1975 that China has failed to reach the semifinals in the men’s doubles event at the World Championships.

Meanwhile, Olympic champions Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha overcame a sluggish start to defeat Japan 3-1 in the mixed doubles quarterfinals.

The second-seeded Chinese pair managed to excel during crucial moments, beating fifth seeds Sora Matsushima and Miwa Harimoto 6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9, according to reports from Xinhua.

Matsushima remarked, “I thought we would lose this match easily. We played better than we expected and felt the depth and tenacity from each of the Chinese players. The gap between us is quite significant.”

He also noted that at one point, he and Harimoto saw a potential opportunity: “If we had secured the third set, we might have had a chance to win. However, we fell short. That highlights the difference between the Chinese players and us.”

On Wednesday, Lin Shidong bounced back from an unexpected morning defeat to win both his singles and doubles matches. He and Kuai Man, the top seeds in mixed doubles, were upset 3-1 (8-11, 11-5, 13-11, 12-10) by Japan’s 16th-seeded pair Maharu Yoshimura and Satsuki Odo, leaving Olympic champions Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha as the only Chinese duo still in the competition.

The third-seeded Chinese pair achieved a convincing 3-0 victory over South Korea’s Jang Woo-jin and Cho Dae-seong (11-5, 11-9, 11-9). Earlier, world No. 1 Lin Shidong rebounded from a slow start to defeat 74th-ranked Kristian Karlsson of Sweden in a five-set match (8-11, 11-1, 11-6, 11-5, 11-9).