Sport
Champions Trophy: Williamson praised for propelling New Zealand to semi-final win
New Zealand players Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra have showered Kane Williamson with praise, after the Kiwi legend reached yet another impressive mark in their semi-final win against South Africa on Wednesday.
New Zealand set a steep target in their ICC Champions Trophy semi-final – one that would prove to be too tricky to chase.
Their 362 runs became a new high mark for totals in Champions Trophy matches played in Lahore, moving past Australia’s score (356/5) from earlier in the tournament.
But in doing so, an even greater record was etched into the history books. Kiwi legend Kane Williamson became just the 16th player of all time to reach 19,000 international runs and the first New Zealander to do so.
That milestone came early in an innings that would go on to become his 48th century, across all formats, and his 15th in One-Day Internationals.
Williamson’s career as a run-scorer has been emphatic, reaching the mark of 19,000 international runs fourth-fastest of all time (440 innings), behind only Virat Kohli (399), Sachin Tendulkar (432) and Brian Lara (433).
The 34-year-old proved yet again he’s still at the peak of his powers, scoring 102 runs from 94 balls, highlighted by a mix of perfectly-timed traditional strokes and expansive new age shots that both proved equally as effective.
He came to the crease with the Kiwis at 48/1 in the eighth over and built a win-assisting partnership of 164 runs for the second wicket with Rachin Ravindra, who also made it to three figures, scoring 108 off 101 balls.
Ravindra relished the cool-headed help of Williamson, as the pair looked to take the game away from their opponents.
“It was nice to build a partnership first with Youngy (Will Young) and then Kane,” he said post-game.
“That is what helped me the most, being able to work with the guys in the team. Kane started accelerating so nicely.”
Captain Mitchell Santner, who also spoke after their win, continues to be in awe of Williamson’s feats, both as a batter and a leader.
“(Kane) keeps doing it,” Santner said post-game.
“That partnership (with Ravindra), that was massive for us and it looked like he might’ve been frustrated at times, but he was able to keep going and get through little periods where South Africa challenged us.
Celebrations will be short-lived for the Kiwis as they will now head back to Dubai, having played India at the same venue only a matter of days ago.
Fans across Afghanistan can tune in to Ariana Television on Sunday, March 9, from 1:30pm to watch the final.
Sport
Afghan bodybuilder Ali Bilal finishes runner-up at Mr Olympia for third straight year
Bilal took silver behind Britain’s Ryan Terry, while American Kieron Holden finished third.
Afghan bodybuilder Ali Bilal has finished runner-up in the Men’s Physique category at the Mr Olympia competition for the third consecutive year.
Bilal took silver behind Britain’s Ryan Terry, while American Kieron Holden finished third.
The result adds to Bilal’s growing record on the international bodybuilding stage. He previously won the New York Pro and finished runner-up at the Pittsburgh Pro, two major events on the professional bodybuilding circuit.
The Mr Olympia, held in Las Vegas, Nevada, brings together leading professional bodybuilders from around the world across multiple categories. The Men’s Physique division focuses on muscularity, symmetry and overall presentation, with competitors judged on their physique and stage presentation.
Bilal’s latest podium finish continues a remarkable run at one of bodybuilding’s biggest global events and further raises Afghanistan’s profile in professional bodybuilding.
Abu Muslim Farah defeated Khurasan Faryab 2-0 in the 25th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan.
The match was played on Saturday at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium in Kabul.
Both teams pushed for an opening goal in the first half, but neither side managed to find the net, and the teams went into the break goalless.
Just two minutes into the second half, Abu Muslim Farah broke the deadlock to take a 1-0 lead.
Alireza Panahi later doubled Abu Muslim Farah’s advantage, sealing a 2-0 victory for the Farah side.
Abu Muslim Farah committed 13 fouls and received two yellow cards, while Khorasan Faryab committed seven fouls and received one yellow card.
Matches from the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League are being broadcast live and exclusively on Ariana Television.
Omar Zawak Herat secured a 1-0 victory over Toofan Herat in the 24th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan in Kabul.
The match was played on Saturday at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium.
Both sides created scoring opportunities in the first half, but neither team managed to find the net before the break.
Omar Zawak Herat broke the deadlock in the 86th minute when Shadab Malikzadah scored with a fine strike to give his side the lead.
Toofan Herat committed eight fouls and received two yellow cards, while Omar Zawak Herat recorded six fouls and received one yellow card and one red card.
Toofan Herat will face Aino Mina Kandahar on September 29, while Omar Zawak Herat will take on Abu Muslim Farah on September 30.
Matches from the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League are being broadcast live on Ariana Television.
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