Sport
Oman shock Ireland in Cricket World Cup Qualifier
Cricketing minnows Oman pulled off a massive upset by beating Ireland by five wickets in their opening World Cup Qualifier in Bulawayo on Monday, the Gulf sultanate’s first-ever victory over a Test nation in an ODI.
The other Group B match saw Sri Lanka crush the United Arab Emirates by 175 runs.
George Dockrell hit 91 not out and Harry Tector 52 as Ireland reached a respectable 281 for seven wickets in their allotted 50 overs, AFP reported.
But they hadn’t counted on the fighting qualities of an Omani side for whom opener Kashyap Prajapati hit 72, while skipper Zeeshan Maqsood pitched in with 59, Aqib Ilyas 52 and Mohammad Nadeem 46 not out.
A triumphant Maqsood said it was an “honor” to have beaten Ireland, eventually by five wickets with 11 balls remaining.
“If we continue like this, some more results will be in our favor. It was a collective and combined performance, which we need to beat a good side. We came here to go there (to India) and play.”
Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie called the defeat “very disappointing”.
“We felt like we had a pretty good score,” he said. “280 in a one-day game is pretty good. They were hard to bowl to at times. We felt right in the game.
“Oman’s win didn’t take us by surprise… it’s a long tournament. We need to get back into it pretty quickly.”
The second Group B game was much more academic, Sri Lanka racking up a massive 355 for six wickets off their 50 overs.
There were four half-centuries thanks to Kusal Mendis (78), Sadeera Samarawickrama (73), Pathum Nissanka (57) and Dimuth Karunaratne (52), while Charith Asalanka chipped in with 48 not out.
The UAE were in the chase for the first 30 overs, but the tail collapsed, the last five wickets falling for just 13 runs.
Wanindu Hasaranga claimed a first ODI five-wicket haul with 6-24 off eight overs as Sri Lanka bowled the UAE out for 180.
“We know he is going to do the job always,” Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said of Hasaranga.
“We’ve been playing well in the recent past. Playing qualifiers is always special but we don’t take pressure when we play cricket.”
The action continues Tuesday, with hosts Zimbabwe facing the Netherlands and Nepal taking on the United States in the second round of Group A matches at Harare.
Only two of the 10 teams taking part in the three-week qualifier will make the World Cup to be played in India in October and November.
Ariana Television Network will broadcast the matches daily live on TV and Website.
Pre-match shows will start at 11am (Kabul time), while the day’s match will start at 11.30am (Kabul time).
Matches are streamed live on Ariana Television websites simultaneously:
www.arianatelevision.com/live and www.arianatelevision.com/icc-live
CLICK HERE for the broadcast schedule on Ariana Television
Sport
Sorkh Poshan Khafi rout Istiqlal Kabul 6-0 in ACL season six
Sorkh Poshan Khafi secured a convincing 6-0 victory over Esteqlal Kabul today (Friday) in the 23rd match of the sixth season of the Afghanistan Champions League at the Football Federation Stadium in Kabul.
Reza Gholami opened the scoring for Sorkh Poshan Khafi in the fourth minute with a header before Sohrab Afghan doubled the lead in the 21st minute.
Afghan struck again four minutes into the second half to make it 3-0, while Yar Mohammad added the fourth goal in the 52nd minute.
Sorkh Poshan Khafi completed the rout with two further goals in the 68th and 70th minutes, securing a 6-0 win.
The sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League is being broadcast live on Ariana Television.
Sport
Afghanistan Champions League: Arman FC and Aino Mina play out goalless draw
Arman FC will return to action on September 28, when they face Sarsabz Yashlar. Aino Mina Kandahar will play their next match on September 29 against Toofan Herat.
Arman FC and Aino Mina Kandahar played out a goalless draw on Friday in the 22nd match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium in Kabul.
Both sides started the match with an attacking approach, creating several opportunities and making efforts to break the deadlock. However, neither team was able to convert their chances as the first half ended without a goal.
The attacking contest continued after the restart, with both Arman FC and Aino Mina looking for an opening goal. Arman FC continued to push forward in search of a breakthrough, while Aino Mina also created opportunities of their own.
Despite the efforts from both sides and several attempts to find the decisive goal, neither team managed to unlock the opposition defense. The match ultimately ended 0–0, with both teams taking a point from the encounter.
The match also saw Aino Mina commit 15 fouls and receive one yellow card. Arman FC committed eight fouls and finished the game without receiving either a yellow or a red card.
Arman FC will return to action on September 28, when they face Sarsabz Yashlar. Aino Mina Kandahar will play their next match on September 29 against Toofan Herat.
Matches in the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League are broadcast live on Ariana Television.
Sport
Nepal beat Afghanistan in Asian Games cricket
Nepal made a strong start to their Asian Games campaign on Friday, defeating Afghanistan by six wickets after bowling them out for 102.
Afghanistan, who had beaten Japan in their opening match, struggled against Nepal’s disciplined bowling attack after choosing to bat first.
Afghanistan lost their first three wickets for just 16 runs. Faisal Shinozada then steadied the innings with 30 runs from 33 balls, putting together a 39-run partnership with Najibullah Zadran.
However, Shinozada’s dismissal triggered another collapse, with Afghanistan falling from 55 for four to 65 for six. Zadran remained at the crease and scored 30, while Nangeyalia Kharote added 17 runs to help Afghanistan pass 100.
Nepal’s bowlers Lalit Rajbanshi and Kushal Bhurtel were the main contributors. Rajbanshi took three wickets for 13 runs, while Bhurtel claimed four for 21 and came close to a hat-trick.
Chasing 103, Nepal also lost two early wickets to slip to 12 for two. Captain Rohit Paudel and Sundeep Jora then steadied the innings.
Paudel remained unbeaten on 33, while Jora scored 34 as Nepal comfortably moved towards the target and completed the chase with six wickets in hand.
The victory gives Nepal a winning start to their Asian Games campaign, while Afghanistan now have one win and one defeat from their opening two matches.
Nepal will face Japan on September 26, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.
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