Sport
Australia edge South Africa to set up final against India
Five-time champions Australia battled through to Sunday’s final of the 50-over World Cup against India with a nervy three-wicket win against South Africa in the second semi-final on Thursday.
Australia laid the foundations for a place in the final after bowling out South Africa for a below-par 212 despite David Miller’s defiant 101 at the Eden Gardens, Reuters reported.
The chase, however, was not as straightforward as Pat Cummins and his team would have liked.
Man-of-the-match Travis Head (62) led their rollicking start before a mid-innings wobble put Australia in a spot of bother.
South Africa did not let big partnerships bloom but their inadequate total meant Australia eventually prevailed with 16 balls to spare to make the final for the eighth time.
“Nerve-wracking couple of hours but great effort and a great game,” said Cummins, who was especially pleased with his side’s fielding. “It’s something we talk a lot about. It wasn’t up to scratch at the start of the tournament.”
The chase has not been South Africa’s forte in the tournament and Temba Bavuma’s decision to bat first under an overcast sky seemed to be a no-brainer.
Bavuma played the match despite not having fully recovered from a hamstring strain and his four-ball duck suggested sitting out would probably have been a wiser decision for him.
Australia ramped up the pressure with their electric fielding and Cummins led by example, taking a brilliant catch to send back the other South African opener Quinton de Kock.
Australia were so dominant that South Africa had to wait until the ninth over for their first boundary and were 18-2 after their 10 powerplay overs.
It soon snowballed into a full-fledged crisis and South Africa slumped to 24-4 in the 12th over.
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Drizzle held up play after 14 overs and when the action resumed Heinrich Klaasen (47) and Miller rebuilt the innings, taking South Africa past the 100 mark in 28 overs.
Klaasen hit Adam Zampa for back-to-back sixes but Australia regained control after part-time spinner Head broke the 95-run stand, claiming two wickets in two balls.
Miller brought up his hundred with a six off Cummins but departed in the same over trying to clear the rope again.
In contrast, Australia got off to a flyer, plundering 60 runs from the first 10 overs with Warner smashing four sixes in his 29.
Bavuma introduced spin in the seventh over and the move immediately paid off as Aiden Markram bowled David Warner with his first delivery.
Kagiso Rabada dismissed Mitchell Marsh in the next over but South Africa’s catching was rather sloppy and Head was the beneficiary on two occasions either side of his fifty.
Just when Australia appeared to be cruising to a comprehensive victory, South Africa’s spinners injected fresh excitement into the contest.
Keshav Maharaj bowled Head through the gate and Tabraiz Shamsi dismissed Marnus Labuschagne and Glenn Maxwell to jolt Australia out of any complacency that might have crept in.
Steve Smith made 30 and Josh Inglis scored 28 but South Africa kept fighting back. However, Cummins and Starc combined to foil the Proteas and get Australia over the line.
“Quite hard to put into words,” a dejected Bavuma said. “Our character came through. It was a dog fight.
“The way we started with the bat and the ball was probably the turning point, we lost it quite badly there.”
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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