Sport
Gurbaz smashes century as Afghanistan win World Cup warm-up against Sri Lanka
Kusal Mendis’ sparkling century was not enough to earn Sri Lanka victory as a Rahmanullah Gurbaz-inspired Afghanistan won a rain-affected clash in Guwahati.
Batting first, Mendis arrived at the crease following the early departure of Dimuth Karunaratne and was quickly into his stride, AFP reported.
The 18th over was particularly punishing, Mendis taking 18 from it including three consecutive boundaries, and he quickly moved to a 59-ball century.
With his score on 158, including 19 fours and six sixes, Mendis retired at the end of the 30th over and Afghanistan fought back with the ball thereafter, Mohammad Nabi claiming four for 44 – including two in two balls in the 39th over – as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 294 with 22 balls unused.
Kasun Rajitha claimed the scalp of Ibrahim Zadran amid a miserly opening spell which saw his five overs cost just two runs, but Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rahmat Shah proved much tougher to dislodge.
The pair’s century stand came either side of a rain delay, after which the target was adjusted to 257 from 42 overs, and kicked on in style as the target loomed into view.
Rahmanullah was first to three figures, hitting three sixes in the 31st over before clearing the ropes three times in succession in the next, which also saw him bring up his century.
He and Rahmat both retired shortly after, as Azmatullah Omarzai hit the winning runs with 23 balls to spare.
Sri Lanka v Afghanistan at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati – Afghanistan won by six wickets (DLS method)
Brief Scores:
Sri Lanka 294 in 46.2 overs (Kusal Mendis 158, Pathum Nissanka 30; Mohammad Nabi 4/44, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 1/25)
Afghanistan 261/4 in 38.1 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 119, Rahmat Shah 93; Kasun Rajitha 1/18, Lahiru Kumara 1/58)
Result: Afghanistan won by six wickets (DLS method)
Afghanistan’s cricket stars Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai have maintained their positions at the top of the latest ICC Men’s ODI rankings.
Rashid Khan remains the No. 1 ODI bowler in the world with 714 rating points.
Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed is second with 675 points, while South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj has moved up to third with 667 points.
New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner is fourth with 644 points, followed by India’s Kuldeep Yadav on 623.
Meanwhile, Azmatullah Omarzai continues to hold the top position in the ICC ODI all-rounder rankings with 337 points, giving Afghanistan two players at No. 1 in different ODI categories. Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe and Mehidy Hasan Miraz of Bangladesh follow him in the list.
Abu Muslim Farah beat Omar Zawak Herat 4-0 in the 30th match of the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League, delivering an impressive performance.
The match was played today (Wednesday) at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium.
Samiullah Naderi scored Abu Muslim Farah’s opening goal in the final minutes of the first half.
Abu Muslim Farah continued their attacking play in the second half, with Aman Sardari scoring the team’s second goal in the 69th minute with a spectacular header.
Omid Rajabi and Mirois Ghafouri then added two more goals to complete a 4-0 victory for Abu Muslim Farah.
Amanullah Sardari, captain of Abu Muslim Farah, was named Player of the Match against Omar Zawak Herat.
Abu Muslim Farah will face Ariana Khost in their next match on October 2, while Omar Zawak Herat will take on Istiqlal Kabul on the same day.
The sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League is being broadcast live on Ariana Television.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board’s High Performance Center is set to launch a nationwide fast-bowling talent identification program, titled “Afghan Thunder,” across several provinces throughout October.
According to the ACB, the program will begin in Kunduz on October 4, with assessments continuing in Herat, Kandahar, Kabul, Khost, Paktia and Kunar before concluding in Nangarhar on October 27.
The board says eligible participants must be between 19 and 26 years old, at least 180 centimeters tall, hold a valid electronic National ID (e-Tazkira) and be capable of bowling at speeds of at least 140 kilometers per hour.
The assessment schedule is as follows: Kunduz on October 4–5, Herat on October 9–10, Kandahar on October 12, Kabul on October 14–15, Khost on October 19, Paktia on October 21, Kunar on October 25 and Nangarhar on October 27.
The ACB has encouraged eligible players who believe they have the potential to develop into high-level fast bowlers to take part in the Afghan Thunder Fast-Bowling Talent Hunt Program on the designated dates.
The board says the initiative aims to identify promising fast-bowling talent from across Afghanistan and provide talented players with a pathway into the country’s high-performance cricket system.
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