Sport
Afghanistan fans send wishes to team ahead of T20 World Cup opener vs England
Afghanistan cricket fans have wished the national team luck ahead of their first match in the T20 World Cup 2022 against England on Saturday.
Afghanistan have played in four T20 World Cups, and have beaten some of the top teams, but have never advanced to the semi-final stage.
“I hope Afghanistan national cricket team will shine well in this World Cup, and will have good achievements for Afghanistan,” an Afghan fan said.
“I want the national cricket team to play well in the World Cup,” another fan said.
Afghanistan will play England, New Zealand, Ireland and Sri Lanka and Australia in the Super 12 stage of the tournament. They directly qualified to the Super 12 from the previous tournament.
Ahead of the World Cup campaign, Afghanistan played two warm up matches – against Bangladesh and Pakistan. They beat Bangladesh by 62 runs. They made 154 against Pakistan, but the match was called off due to rain.
Afghanistan fans were dismayed when the wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz was struck on foot by a Yorker during the warm-up game.
However, he will play in the tournament opener.
“I assure all the fans that I am absolutely fit for the coming matches, and will play,” Gurbaz said in a video message.
Nabi and Rashid are two quality all-rounders who can do damage with both and ball. Along with providing some late-order hitting, the duo will also be expected to lead the bowling attack with their canny tricks. They will be backed by Mujeeb Ur Rahman, completing a highly dangerous spin trio.
“Any team that has Rashid Khan in will be a really strong team,” England captain Joe Buttler said. “T20 is one of those games when an individual can win it on their own on a day.”
Afghanistan’s match against England is expected to kick off at 15:30 (AFT) and will be broadcast live on Ariana Television.
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Afghanistan ended the second day of the second Test against Zimbabwe at 159 for six after 48 overs, trailing by 180 runs at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Zimbabwe, who resumed day two with a strong position after reaching 250 for five on the opening day, were bowled out for 339 in 114.5 overs in their first innings.
Afghanistan faced a challenging task in reply but managed to score 159 runs while losing six wickets by the close of play.
With a deficit of 180 runs and four wickets remaining, Afghanistan will look to build a stronger batting performance on day three and reduce the gap.
The second Test remains finely poised, with Zimbabwe holding the advantage heading into the third day.
Sport
Debutant Naseer Khan strikes four as Afghanistan fight back against Zimbabwe in second Test
Zimbabwe were well placed at 201 for one after nearly 58 overs, but Naseer triggered a middle-order collapse, taking three wickets in eight overs. Zimbabwe lost 3 for 12 during that period, and slipped from 201 for 1 to 250 for 5 at stumps.
Afghanistan fought back against Zimbabwe on the opening day of the second Test in Sharjah, with debutant left-arm spinner Naseer Khan Maroofkhil claiming four wickets to halt Zimbabwe’s strong start.
Zimbabwe were well placed at 201 for one after nearly 58 overs, but Naseer triggered a middle-order collapse, taking three wickets in eight overs. Zimbabwe lost 3 for 12 during that period, and slipped from 201 for 1 to 250 for 5 at stumps.
After winning the toss and opting to bat, Zimbabwe made a solid start through Innocent Kaia and Ben Curran, who put together a 98-run opening partnership. Naseer broke the stand with his first delivery after lunch, trapping Curran lbw for 44.
Kaia then combined with Brendan Taylor for another strong partnership, adding 102 runs for the second wicket. Both batters reached half-centuries before Naseer turned the game around.
Kaia, batting on 96, was trapped lbw while attempting a slog sweep. In his next over, Naseer dismissed Zimbabwe captain Brian Bennett for a duck before Ziaur Rahman took a tumbling catch to remove Wessly Madhevere, who was caught at long-off after attempting to loft a delivery that stayed low.
Zimbabwe lost further momentum as Taylor and Antum Naqvi adopted a cautious approach following the three quick wickets. The pair added just 21 runs in nine overs before Naqvi struck a six off Naseer.
Taylor moved into the 90s with a boundary off Naseer, but Ziaur Rahman ended Naqvi’s 44-ball stay on eight runs, having him caught at first slip.
Taylor remained unbeaten on 96 at stumps, while Tafadzwa Tsiga was not out as Zimbabwe closed the day at 250 for five, leaving the second Test finely poised.
Argentina claimed their first-ever men’s futsal gold medal at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games after securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Portugal in the final.
The closely contested match at Dakar Arena saw both teams enter the final with perfect records, having won all three of their group-stage matches. However, Argentina emerged victorious, with captain Lorenzo Sampedro scoring the decisive goal six minutes before the end of regular time.
Argentina’s triumph adds another chapter to the country’s Olympic football success, following the gold medals won by its men’s football team at the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Argentina head coach Mariano Alberto Gomez praised his players for their performance, saying they had represented their country with pride after a lengthy preparation and participation in several tournaments.
Portugal’s Joao Carvalho expressed disappointment at missing out on gold but praised his team’s journey, saying the final was decided by small mistakes.
Earlier, Morocco secured the bronze medal after defeating Afghanistan 2-1 in the third-place playoff.
Afghanistan came close to forcing a late comeback, scoring with just 13 seconds remaining, but Morocco held on to secure third place.
Morocco coach Zakaria Kairi said winning an Olympic medal was a significant achievement for his young players, despite the team falling short of its original target of reaching the final and winning gold.
The results confirmed Argentina as futsal champions, Portugal as runners-up and Morocco in third place at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
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