Sport
Big hitters Chris Lynn and Shimron Hetmyer power Gulf Giants to another win
Aggressive knocks from Chris Lynn and Shimron Hetmyer helped Gulf Giants chase down Desert Vipers’ mammoth score of 195 for 4 to extend their winning streak in the 12th match of the DP World International League T20 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
Gulf Giants recorded their fourth successive victory through a five-wicket win while Desert Vipers crashed to their first defeat despite Alex Hales’ scintillating knock of 99 off 57 balls with 10 boundaries and five sixes. Lynn cracked 71 off 42 balls with eight boundaries and three sixes while Hetmyer smashed 70 off 35 balls with five boundaries and five sixes to win the match with three balls to spare.
Gulf Giants had won the toss and elected to bowl.
Speaking about their performance, Gulf Giants’ Shiron Hetmyer said after the match: “We have to remember what we are doing well and continue to keep doing that in the future. My mind was clear when I walked into bat. I thought that if we could get 40 runs in the powerplay then we would get to our target. I knew that anything could have happened with just one good partnership.”
Meanwhile, Desert Vipers’ head coach James Foster said: “The Gulf Giants bowled exceptionally well during the last four overs of our innings. They used the big boundary to their advantage. I thought Gleeson was outstanding. We showed high levels of quality today, but ended up on the wrong side of the result. They put us under pressure with the bat and at times you just have to tell the opposition well played.”
Rovman Powell and Joe Root power Dubai Capitals to a 16-run victory
In the second match of the day on Sunday, the Dubai Capitals produced a scintillating performance to defeat MI Emirates by 16 runs at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
The Capitals put a whopping 222 for three, riding on Rovman Powell and Joe Root’s spectacular half-centuries. Kieron Pollard batted out of his skin to score 86 runs off 38 balls, but the MI Emirates couldn’t find a way to cross the line.
The MI Emirates didn’t get off to the best of starts as they lost Muhammad Waseem, Will Smeed and Nicholas Pooran with just 26 runs on the board. However, the MI Emirates captain Kieron Pollard didn’t lose hope. He smashed Akif Raja for a six and a four and kept the MI team in the game at 83 for three at the end of the twelfth over. Pollard got on a roll and kept striking boundaries as he brought up his half-century in just 27 balls.
After the match, Dubai Capitals’ Pravin Amre said: “It was a really good wicket to bat on. We knew that we needed to get 20 extra runs. Rovman played very well and his innings was so crucial for us. His innings was a treat to watch. It was important for us to get the win and we played special cricket today.”
Meanwhile, Nicholas Pooran said, “It was always going to be challenging to chase down 222. Pollard and Najibullah Zadran played wonderfully, but it was always going to be tough. But if we are going to lose like this, we really don’t mind it.”
The DP World ILT20 made its debut at the Dubai International Stadium on 13 January 2023 and some of the greatest cricketing superstars have made their way to the UAE to play in the inaugural edition of the league. The tournament will be played in a 34-match format across the UAE’s exemplary, world-class cricket facilities in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
Franchise teams, comprising over 100 International and 24 UAE-based players, include Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (Knight Riders Group), Desert Vipers (Lancer Capital), Dubai Capitals (GMR), Gulf Giants (Adani Sportsline), MI Emirates (Reliance Industries), and Sharjah Warriors (Capri Global).
Cricket fans across Afghanistan can catch the LIVE telecast of this exciting cricket league on Ariana Television.
For the full broadcast schedule CLICK HERE
Afghanistan defeated Iraq 5-3 on Friday and moved closer to the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup qualification.
Afghanistan’s goals were scored by Akbar Kazemi (1), Farzad Mahmoodi (1), Mehran Ghulami (1), and Jawad Safari (2).
In the other match of playoff in Thailand on Friday, Kyrgyzstan beat Vietnam 3-2.
Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan will face off for a spot at the Futsal World Cup on Sunday at the Playoff final.
Rishabh Pant smashed an unbeaten 88 as he led Delhi Capitals to a tense IPL win over Gujarat Titans on Wednesday, boosting his chances of playing for India at the T20 World Cup.
Delhi posted 224-4 courtesy of a 113-run stand between Pant and fellow left-hander Axar Patel, who hit 66, after they slipped to 44-3 inside six overs at their home Arun Jaitley Stadium, AFP reported.
The hosts kept Gujarat down to 220-8 to win by four runs after David Miller’s 23-ball 55 and an unbeaten 21 off 11 deliveries by Rashid Khan.
Mukesh Kumar kept his nerve in the final over for Delhi’s fourth win in nine matches as they kept their playoff hopes alive in the T20 tournament.
Pant, 26, struck his third half-century of this season after 14 months away from top level cricket following a frightening car accident when his Mercedes rammed into a barrier, flipped and caught fire in December 2022.
Pant, a wicketkeeper-batsman, suffered multiple injuries and was rushed to hospital before being airlifted to Mumbai for further treatment and surgery.
“Everyday that I’m in the middle, I feel better,” man of the match Pant said after his 43-ball blitz studded with five fours and eight sixes.
“Every hour on the field matters, I love being on the field. I try to give it my 100 percent. I think the first six in the match gives me the confidence in a game.”
Pant has not only fired with the bat in the IPL but his sharp work behind the stumps prompted Delhi’s director of cricket Sourav Ganguly and coach Ricky Ponting to back the India star for making the national team for the World Cup in June, AFP reported.
– ‘Great fight’ –
Up and coming Australian batsman Jake Fraser-McGurk gave Delhi a strong start with his 14-ball 23 but medium-pace bowler Sandeep Warrier took three wickets including two in one over.
Patel, a bowling all-rounder promoted to number three in the batting, brought up his fifty with a boundary off Rashid before another Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad had him caught at long-on.
Pant reached his fifty in style with a six off Mohit Sharma and then hammered the medium-pace bowler in a 31-run 20th over when he finished with a six, four and three hits over the fence to raise the roof.
South African Tristan Stubbs watched the blitz from the other end after he smashed Sai Kishore in the 19th over, which went for 22 runs, for his unbeaten seven-ball 26.
In reply, Gujarat lost skipper Shubman Gill for six off Anrich Nortje before impact substitute Sai Sudarshan smashed 65 off 39 balls.
Gujarat lost regular wickets but the left-handed Miller smashed Nortje for three sixes and a four to give Delhi a scare before his departure in the 18th over.
Rashid kept up the fight till the end as Gujarat needed 19 off the final over and five on the last ball.
“I think we played some really good cricket, disappointing to lose in the end, but great character shown by everyone,” said Gill. “Great fight till the end and we never thought we were out of the game at any point.”
Attack Energy FC defeated Sorkh Poshan Khafi 1-0 in the 9th match of Afghanistan Champions League (ACL) in Kabul on Wednesday.
Hasib Ahadi scored the only goal and was named man of the match.
“I congratulate this victory to the Attack Energy team. It was a good game. There were some problems that, unfortunately, we couldn’t score in the first half of the match. Thank god we finally won the game,” said Ahadi.
In the 10th ACL match, played on Wednesday, Istiqlal Kabul FC beat Mawj Sahil FC 2-1.
Shadab Malikzada was named man of the match and awarded the trophy.
Tomorrow’s matches will see Khadim FC take on Maiwand FC at 1:00 PM, while Jawanan Wahedi FC face Adalat Farah FC at 3:30 PM.
The matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television every day.
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