Fast and furious: The Indian cricket team will have to face two particularly dangerous-looking English bowlers shaping up. For a start, Ollie Robinson, the England bowler suspended for some racist tweets he posted when he was a teenager, is potentially back. He has been suspended for eight matches, but suspension for three is already considered served, and suspension for the other five has been put off for two years. And then there is Sam Curran, the lethal-looking bowler reducing the Sri Lankan batting to rubble. The untested Indian team has four weeks to prepare.
Shafali is the one to watch: The most exciting Indian sportsperson in Britain this summer is not Virat Kohli or Sania Mirza. It is the Indian cricketer Shafali Verma, even if she hasn’t quite scored as effusively as expected. The Indian women found their overdue win against England in the third ODI on the back of a steady knock by captain Mithali Raj, who scored above 50 in each ODI. But there are T20 matches still to go, and everyone is looking for fireworks from Shafali Verma.
Labour’s slim victory mired in controversy: So Labour has scraped through in the Batley and Spen by-election by 323 votes, a seriously thin margin, even by the standards of Britain’s small constituencies. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer announced triumphantly on this basis that Labour is back. That might well turn out to be an overstatement. Over this election, Labour could face a complaint to the Electoral Commission over unfair campaigning through suggesting that the Conservative candidate could not be trusted because of meetings between the prime ministers of India and Britain.
Carving out their own space: Dr Sheila Kanani of the Royal Astronomical Society has won the Sir Arthur Clarke Award along with Aine O’Brien, Asian Voice reports. She won the Space Achievement Award for Education and Outreach for work in space and astronomy both before and during the pandemic. Sheila and Aine are reported to have been connected throughout their time in the space industry after meeting at Space School UK at the University of Leicester in 2008. Royal Astronomical Society President Professor Emma Bunce said, “Many congratulations to our team members Sheila and Aine on their Sir Arthur Clarke Awards. It is always a great pleasure to see our own team recognised within the space industry, and for such excellent work in outreach and engagement."
A woman of many talents: Miss England finalist Dhwani Kothari due to represent Surrey county at the final on August 27 has taken up a number of causes, Asian Voice reports. Mumbai-born Dhwani is studying medicine at the University of Leicester. She is raising funds for the Alzheimer’s Association and supports The Brain Tumour Charity. Currently, she is reported to be jogging 100 miles to raise funds for a charity backing beauty with a purpose. She is also joining a campaign to support the hospitality and tourism sectors post the pandemic.
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