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Afghanistan braced for more ‘passionate’ rivalry with Pakistan

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(Last Updated On: October 22, 2023)

Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott said Sunday that his team are looking forward to renewing a “passionate” rivalry with Pakistan which has often reflected the stormy political relationship between the two neighbors.

Both sides are in desperate need of a win at the World Cup.

Pakistan have lost their last two games after a pair of opening wins while Afghanistan pulled off a shock victory over defending champions England but have also slumped to three defeats, AFP reported.

At the 2019 World Cup match in Leeds, which Pakistan won by three wickets, riots between the two sets of fans erupted outside the stadium.

Afghanistan fast bowler Fareed Malik and Pakistan batsman Asif Ali almost came to blows in a Twenty20 game at Sharjah last year.

“I think for them (Afghanistan players) it’s a rivalry that excites them,” said Trott on Sunday.

“I think it’s a rivalry that sometimes in the past has been very passionate.

“We’ve had very close games as well. Hopefully tomorrow isn’t very exciting and we win by a lot. It’s just the nature of the rivalry, I should say.”

He added: “Both teams, I think, respect each other, but are very desperate to win.”

Trott said he wasn’t aware that Pakistan had unsuccessfully demanded the International Cricket Council switch Sunday’s game to another venue.

Reports claimed that Pakistan was keen to dent the threat posed by Afghanistan’s world-class spin attack.

“I didn’t know about them wanting to (change the venue), but I think Pakistan have got good spinners themselves and the thing with spinners, there are only two or three of them playing a game,” said Trott.

Afghanistan’s spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi will pose a threat for Pakistan as they did against England, sharing eight wickets in an upset 69-run win.

That game, however, took place in New Delhi.

“It’s everybody’s job, not just the spinners, to win games. There’s batsmen who’ve got to put runs on the board or batsmen who’ve got to chase down a total,” added former England batsman Trott.

“Chennai is normally a good wicket. So, with regards to the mindset, it’s important, as I said, the mindset we have there is that it’s a team game. It’s not just a spinner’s game.”

Afghanistan have lost all seven ODIs against Pakistan but can take a degree of satisfaction from knowing that they clinched three of the teams’ last four Twenty20 meetings.

“We always look to put the opposition under pressure straight away so we’ll be looking to do that tomorrow obviously, and I don’t think there’s any thoughts with regards to previous matches,” said Trott.

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Pandya’s Mumbai Indians first to exit IPL play-off race

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(Last Updated On: May 9, 2024)

IPL heavyweights Mumbai Indians became the first team to be knocked out of the play-off race after Sunrisers Hyderabad hammered Lucknow Super Giants by 10 wickets.

Five-time winners Mumbai are ninth in the 10-team table on eight points after only four wins in 12 matches, AFP reported.

Hyderabad, led by Pat Cummins, moved third on 14 points after they chased down 166 in 9.4 overs on Wednesday night, courtesy Travis Head’s 89 and 75 by Abhishek Sharma.

Lucknow and Delhi Capitals are both on 12 points and face each other on 14 May meaning Mumbai cannot qualify for the top four to contest the playoffs, even if Hardik Pandya’s side win their two remaining matches.

Mumbai lost their first three games with Pandya booed after he replaced the popular Rohit Sharma as skipper this season.

Table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals both have 16 points each.

The final will be on 26 May in Chennai.

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Abu Muslim and Adalat Farah draw 0-0 while Maiwand beat Jawanan Wahedi 2-0 in ACL

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(Last Updated On: May 9, 2024)

The 37th match of Afghanistan Champions League (ACL) between Abu Muslim Farah and Adalat Farah FC on Wednesday ended in a draw.

Much to their disappointment, neither team scored a goal.

In the second match of the day, the 38th game, Maiwand FC defeated Jawanan Wahedi FC 2-0.

Thursday’s ACL matches will see Mawj Sahil take on Khadim at 1 PM and Attack Energy face Istiqlal Kabul at 3:30 PM.

The matches are being broadcast live on Ariana Television.

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Delhi down Rajasthan to stay in IPL play-off race

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(Last Updated On: May 8, 2024)

Skipper Sanju Samson’s 86 went in vain as Delhi Capitals beat Rajasthan Royals by 20 runs on Tuesday to stay in the hunt for an IPL play-off berth.

Delhi posted 221-8 courtesy of Jake Fraser-McGurk’s 20-ball 50 and an attacking 65 by Abishek Porel at their home Feroz Shah Kotla ground, AFP reported.

Rajasthan looked good in their chase after Samson’s fifth half-century of this season but his dismissal, a catch in the deep which was ruled clean by the third umpire, turned the match in Delhi’s favor.

Rajasthan, who are yet to confirm their play-off spot, lost three more wickets in the next two overs and Delhi restricted the opposition to 201-8 for their sixth win in 12 matches.

“We had it in our hands, it was 10-11 runs per over which was achievable but these things happen in the IPL,” Samson said after the loss.

Inaugural champions Rajasthan, placed second behind toppers Kolkata Knight Riders, have eight wins in 11 matches and are still favorites to make the top two in the play-offs, reported AFP.

Top four teams will make the play-offs but number one and two will have the advantage of getting an extra match to enter the final on May 26 in Chennai.

Spinner Kuldeep Yadav returned impressive figures of 2-25. Fast bowlers Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Kumar also took two wickets.

But the batters set up victory after Fraser-McGurk, who raised his 50 in 19 balls, and Porel attacked in an opening stand of 60.

Rajasthan lost wickets after the openers departed but Tristan Stubbs hammered 41 off 20 balls in a late charge to take the total to 221-8.

Stubbs was helped by Gulbadin Naib, who hit 19, and Rasikh Salam, who hit two sixes in his nine runs, as Delhi got 53 runs from the last three overs.

The in-form Samson, a wicketkeeper-batsman who has amassed 459 runs, attempted to set up the chase only to depart in the 16th over when Shai Hope caught the batsman off Kumar.

Hope’s foot was parallel to the boundary rope but the third umpire ruled it out and a disappointed Samson walked back after a chat with the on-field officials.

Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin led the Rajasthan bowling with figures of 3-24.

Yuzvendra Chahal took his 350th T20 wicket — first Indian to achieve the feat — when he got skipper Rishabh Pant, a left-hand batsman, caught out at fine leg for 15.

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