Phoebe Litchfield hammered an unbeaten 59 off 28 balls as Northern Superchargers cruised to a clinical eight-wicket win over Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred with 26 balls to spare.
Phoenix looked well positioned to post a challenging total at 44-1 off 30 balls after they had won the toss and decided to bat at Headingley.
However, poor shot selection largely proved their undoing as they lost five wickets for just 15 runs in the next 21 balls.
An unbroken 57-run stand between Emily Arlott, who top scored with an unbeaten 32, and Sterre Kalis ensured Phoenix managed to scrape themselves to a modest total of 116.
Superchargers lost talented 18-year-old opener Davina Perrin for a run-a-ball 14 off the 19th ball of their reply.
But Litchfield looked in good touch as she hammered a half-century off 25 balls and combined with Sutherland – unbeaten on 20 from 13 balls – to guide the Superchargers home in style.
Blast off for Litchfield
Following scores of four, 22 and five in her first three games, Litchfield had yet to really make much of an impression on this year’s tournament.
On a belting Headingley deck, in glorious sunshine, the 22-year-old Australian delivered a destructive batting display as she made her second career fifty in The Hundred.
Litchfield bristled with intent from ball one and produced some intelligent shots alongside some more unorthodox strokeplay.
Midway through her innings, a powerful reverse pull off Emma Lamb for four was followed by a more conventional chip over the top with the same result.
When Litchfield was joined by compatriot Sutherland at the crease, the outcome of the match became a formality.
Phoenix did help themselves with their fielding, though, as fumbles and poor judgement on the boundary cost them runs.
The game was effectively over by the time Hannah Baker spilled a routine catch in the deep as Phoenix squandered the chance to dismiss Litchfield on 49.
Salford’s Super League game against Wakefield on Sunday has been called off because of “significant” welfare concerns after discussions with the Rugby Football League.
The troubled Red Devils have “reluctantly” decided to cancel the match after being beaten 80-6 at Hull FC in a game where five players made their debuts for the club.
With most of the team’s senior professionals leaving this season because of their financial issues, Salford have had to rely on loanees from other Super League teams.
A club statement said that of the 17 players available for Sunday’s game, only two had appeared at Super League level in the past 12 months.
The RFL board will now decide on the outcome of the fixture next week.
Salford are bottom of the top flight with 19 defeats from their 21 matches this season.
Their owners released a statement on Monday to say the club would not be closing despite their money problems.
Chief operating officer Claire Bradbury resigned from her position on Thursday and alleged the club’s ownership suggested she “sleep with someone at the Rugby Football League” to ease their situation. Salford said they will be “conducting a thorough internal investigation”.
With five games now remaining this season, the club said they have 11 players unavailable through injury but “a number” are expected to be fit for their next fixture against Leigh, scheduled for Friday, 22 August.
Hollywood power couple Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet have been under everyone’s watchful eye since they first started dating; now people can’t help but notice their lack of public appearances both on and offline..
Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner haven’t been seen together in over five weeks (Image: Getty Images)
Billionaire businesswoman Kylie Jenner has not been seen out and about with her Hollywood heartthrob boyfriend Timothée Chalamet for quite some time, and fans are beginning to speculate if the two have called it quits.
The dynamic duo haven’t been spotted in over five weeks, since they were last seen on July 5 holidaying in St Tropez, at the height of celebrity yacht season. And yet Jenner has been anything but quiet on her social media, as she poses having fun with friends like Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber, drinking together in Los Angeles.
Followers can’t help but question whether the two have parted ways after two and a half years, since Kylie seems to be having all the fun without him. As she poses in bikinis and promotes her new cosmetic products with no signs of Chalamet, theories have begun to build.
The famous pair have been allegedly dating for two and a half years(Image: Getty Images)
The Daily Mail reported that the 29-year-old actor is in fact filming his next project, Dune: Messiah, in Hungary. His role as Paul Atreides is at the centre of the story and will take up a lot of his time as they film the third addition to the franchise.
A source told the publication: “Timothée is busy making a movie, and the schedule is gruelling because he is in so many scenes; he is the star. So he has to be very focused and together to do his best work.
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“She helps him out as much as she can, like giving him space to work and having her private jet on standby in case he needs to go somewhere fast. Kylie is a good girlfriend to him. She is always there and wants him to be happy, and if that means he has to be overseas for a few months, she is OK with it; she will wait.
Chalamet has been filming his next project, Dune: Messiah, in Hungary.(Image: Getty Images)
“She also secretly jets off to see him when she can. Of course she misses her man, and her heart hurts when he is not near, but she makes it work.”
Sightings of the film crew have been noted filming in Budapest, as the sequel is being shot entirely with IMAX cameras, ahead of its December 2026 release.
Starring in the blockbuster movie alongside Chalamet are the likes of Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson and Florence Pugh, with the introduction of Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy and Jason Momoa.
The last time they were seen together was on July 5 (Image: Instagram/ @kyliejenner)
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While Kylie boasts a mind-blowing almost 400 million Instagram followers, not one of them is her boyfriend, albeit the actor doesn’t follow anybody.
On the other hand, as the reality star continues to post drool-worthy pictures of her lavish lifestyle, she has yet to post a single photo of Chalamet, and the pair continue to keep their relationship low-key.
The Taliban’s leader has warned that Afghans ungrateful for its hardline rule will be severely punished by God in a statement marking the fourth anniversary of the group’s return to power.
The statement from Haibatullah Akhunzada was made in a social media post on Friday to commemorate “Victory Day”, four years on from the chaotic United States and NATO withdrawal from the country after more than 20 years of war as the Taliban retook the capital, Kabul.
The threat was a stark reminder of the sweeping restrictions and repression of rights, especially of women and girls, that has taken place under the Taliban’s rule, which is based on its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
In his statement, Akhunzada said Afghans had faced hardships for decades in the name of establishing religious law in the country, which he said had saved citizens from “corruption, oppression, usurpation, drugs, theft, robbery and plunder”.
“These are great divine blessings that our people should not forget and, during the commemoration of Victory Day, express great gratitude to Allah Almighty so that the blessings will increase,” his statement said.
“If, against God’s will, we fail to express gratitude for blessings and are ungrateful for them, we will be subjected to the severe punishment of Allah Almighty.”
He also advised government ministers to remove the word “acting” from their job titles, signalling the consolidation of his administration’s rule in the country amid a lack of internal opposition.
Victory Day
Four years on from its return to power, the Taliban government remains largely isolated in the international arena over the severe rights restrictions imposed under its rule although Russia became the first country to officially recognise the Taliban administration in early July.
It also has close ties with China, the United Arab Emirates and a number of Central Asian states although none of these officially recognises the Taliban administration.
Victory Day parades were planned in several Afghan cities on Friday, and in Kabul, helicopters were scheduled to drop flowers across the city. Photographs of an official ceremony in Kabul to open the commemorations showed a hall filled exclusively with male delegates.
A man shouts during a meeting of delegates that opens Victory Day celebrations at the Loya Jirga Hall in Kabul [Siddiqullah Alizai/AP]
‘An open wound of history’
Rather than celebrating, members of the activist group United Afghan Women’s Movement for Freedom staged an indoor protest in the northeastern province of Takhar against the Taliban’s oppressive rule, The Associated Press news agency reported.
“This day marked the beginning of a black domination that excluded women from work, education and social life,” the group said in a statement to the agency.
“We, the protesting women, remember this day not as a memory, but as an open wound of history, a wound that has not yet healed. The fall of Afghanistan was not the fall of our will. We stand, even in the darkness.”
Afghan women also held an indoor protest in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, the agency reported.
Repression and death threats
The United Nations, foreign governments and human rights groups have condemned the Taliban for their treatment of women and girls, who are banned from most education and work, as well as parks, gyms and travelling without a male guardian.
Inspectors from the Vice and Virtue Ministry require women to wear a chador, a full-body cloak covering the head, while a law announced a year ago ordered women not to sing or recite poetry in public and for their voices and bodies to be “concealed” outside the home.
Last month, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against Akhunzada and the country’s chief justice on charges of committing gender-based persecution against women and girls.
ICC judges said the Taliban had “severely deprived” girls and women of the rights to education, privacy, family life and the freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience and religion.
At least 1.4 million girls have been “deliberately deprived” of their right to an education by the Taliban government, a UN report from August 2024 found.
Among the restrictions imposed on women is a ban on working for nongovernmental groups, among other jobs. A UN report this month revealed that dozens of Afghan women working for the organisation in the country had received direct death threats.
The report said the Taliban had told the UN mission that its cadres were not responsible for the threats and a Ministry of Interior Affairs investigation is under way. An Interior Ministry spokesman, Abdul Mateen Qani, later told The Associated Press news agency that no threats had been made.
Nigeria’s D’Tigers’ quest for a second Afrobasket title received another boost following the team’s emphatic win over Tunisia in the 2025 men’s Afrobasket, beating the North Africans 87-66 in a one-sided encounter on Friday.
The victory came on the back of a victory over Madagascar earlier in the week.
Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has appointed a Chinese national, Li Zhensheng, as Economic Adviser to the state government.
Mohammed announced this on Thursday during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the China Global Promotion Cooperation Research Centre in Bauchi.
The move, according to the governor, is aimed at positioning Bauchi as a rising hub of international cooperation, with the long-term partnership expected to accelerate investment, infrastructure development, and bilateral collaboration across sectors such as agriculture, education, healthcare, manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, and trade facilitation.
“As part of the deal, a Bauchi State Representative Office will be established in China to oversee project implementation and ensure timely delivery,” he said.
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The MoU outlines a framework for cooperation, with specific project agreements to be developed on a case-by-case basis.
The governor noted that the partnership aligns with the diplomatic framework between President Xi Jinping of China and President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, designed to strengthen relations at both national and subnational levels.
“This agreement is not just about infrastructure—it’s about transforming lives. We are opening Bauchi to the world,” he said, adding that the collaboration would boost foreign direct investment, create jobs, enhance skills, modernise key sectors, and improve Bauchi’s global visibility.
In his remarks, Zhensheng, who is the Chairman of the China Global Promotion Cooperation Research Centre, pledged the Centre’s commitment to mobilising global resources to support Bauchi’s economic transformation.
“We are committed to helping Bauchi achieve sustainable growth, modern infrastructure, and improved livelihoods,” he said.
See the photos below:
Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, shakes a Chinese national, Li Zhensheng, as Economic Adviser to the state government.
