Khurasan Faryab defeated Maiwand 2-1 in the 21st match of Afghanistan Champions League (ACL) in Kabul on Tuesday, while Sarsabz Yashlat thrashed Adalat Farah 2-0 in the 22nd match of the tournament on the same day.

Khurasan’s two goals against Maiwand were scored by Hayatullah Salimi and Murtaza Jafari who was declared man of the match.

Maiwand’s only goal was scored by Rahimullah Hamasi.

In the second match of the day, Sarsabz Yahhlar’s Ahmad Farhad Adil and Enayatullah Kohi scored goals in their 2-0 victory against Adalat Farah. Kohi received the man of the match award.

Wednesday’s matches will see Sorkh Poshan Khafi take on Jawanan Wahedi at 1 PM, while Istiqlal Kabul play Khadim at 3:30 PM.

The matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television.

Phil Salt’s attacking 68 and bowling figures of 3-16 by Varun Chakravarthy helped Kolkata Knight Riders hammer Delhi Capitals by seven wickets at a hot and humid Eden Gardens in the IPL on Monday.

Chakravarthy, a mystery spinner, led Kolkata’s disciplined bowling to restrict Delhi to 153-9 as players, who remained drenched in sweat, and fans braved the intense heat in the colonial-era capital.

Players from all the 10 IPL teams are keen to impress their national selectors with just one day left for countries to name their teams for the T20 World Cup in June.

The in-form Salt, an England wicketkeeper-batsman, led the chase with an opening stand of 79 with Sunil Narine and the two-time champions reached their target with 3.3 overs to spare.

“It is high-risk but it is also about putting the odds in your favor and not taking the risks you don’t want to,” Salt said of his attacking game.

“You just have to keep backing yourself and keep taking the right options.”

The mercury in the afternoon soared above 41 degrees Celsius for the third time this month, forcing the normally bustling streets to stay empty at noon.

But the sports-mad city witnessed a near-packed house at the 66,000 capacity stadium for the evening game and their home team did not disappoint with their sixth win in nine matches to move closer to booking a play-off spot.

Most of India’s eastern states and southern peninsula have remained under government heatwave alerts since last week, with relief not expected for several more days.

‘Learn from mistakes’
Delhi elected to bat first but lost regular wickets including Prithvi Shaw for 13 and fellow opener Jake Fraser-McGurk, out for 12 off let-arm quick Mitchell Starc.

Skipper Rishabh Pant attempted to resist the slide in his unconvincing knock of 27 before he was dismissed by man of the Chakravarthy.

Chakravarthy rattled the middle and lower-order to make Delhi slip to 111-8 before number nine Kuldeep Yadav claimed an unbeaten 35.

“I think that (batting first) was a good option but as a batting unit, we did not bat well enough. 150 was definitely below par,” said Pant.

“That is part and parcel of cricket. We have a long break ahead, where we can learn from our mistakes.”

Salt, who moved into the top five batsmen this IPL season with 392 runs, put the chase on track along with fellow opener Narine as the two clobbered 23 runs off the first over from Lizaad Williams.

He reached his fourth half-century of the season in 26 balls with a six off Khaleel Ahmed but fell to spinner Axar Patel after his 33-ball knock laced with seven fours and five sixes.

Skipper Shreyas Iyer, who made 33, and Venkatesh Iyer, who hit the winning six in his 23, steered the team home in an unbeaten stand of 57.

The match was a complete contrast to the previous game at the venue when Punjab Kings chased down an IPL record of 262 on another hot day. – AFP

Attack Energy defeated Abu Muslim 4-0 in the 19th match of Afghanistan Champions League (ACL) in Kabul on Monday. In the 20th match of the tournament on the same day, Mawj Sahil downed Aino Mina 3-0.

Attack Energy’s three goals were scored by Khalil Ahmad (2) and Yar Mohammad Zakarkhel (1).

The fourth goal came in the form of Abu Muslim’s own goal headed by Abdullah Shah.

In the next match of day, Esmatullah Hadafmand, Mohammad Nazir Azizi and Yasar Salam scored goals as Mawj Sahil defeated Aino Mina 3-0.

Tuesday’s matches will see Khurasan Faryab take on Maiwand at 1pm while Sarsabz Yashlar meet Adalat Farah at 3:30pm.

The matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television.