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ILT20: Desert Vipers edge Gulf Giants in historic super over thriller

Gurbaz and James Vince (25 off 22) added another 54, but the scoring slowed dramatically. Only 38 runs came off the final five overs, with the Giants finishing on 179/5.

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The Desert Vipers clinched a dramatic victory over the Gulf Giants in the DP World ILT20’s first-ever Super Over, extending their dominance with a sixth straight win over the Giants.

Chasing 180, the Vipers were rescued by a superb partnership between Dan Lawrence (56 off 31) and Sam Curran (44 off 36), who dragged the innings back from early trouble and levelled the scores off the final ball to force a Super Over.

Despite Azmatullah Omarzai’s impressive 4 for 32 and early blows that left the Vipers reeling at 14/2, the lower order held firm. Khuzaima Tanveer struck a crucial six in the final over before Vriitya Aravind guided the game into the tie-breaker.

Giants set the tone early

Batting first, the Gulf Giants made a strong start as Pathum Nissanka (56 off 29) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (41 off 31) blasted 58 in the powerplay. Their 73-run opening stand put the Giants in control before Noor Ahmad struck back, removing Nissanka immediately after his fourth six.

Gurbaz and James Vince (25 off 22) added another 54, but the scoring slowed dramatically. Only 38 runs came off the final five overs, with the Giants finishing on 179/5.

Vipers fight back

Omarzai and Mark Adair dismantled the top order, but Curran and Lawrence rebuilt with a 60-run stand. Lawrence brought up a brisk half-century, while late cameos from Shimron Hetmyer (16 off 8) and Hasan Nawaz (11 off 4) kept the chase alive. Omarzai again swung momentum back in the 18th over, dismissing both Hetmyer and Lawrence.

With 13 needed off the last over, Tanveer’s six and Aravind’s nerveless batting carried the match into the Super Over.

Vipers dominate the tie-breaker

Lawrence smashed 10 runs as the Vipers posted 13/1 in the Super Over. Naseem Shah then bowled a tight over, restricting the Giants to just nine and sealing the Vipers’ third consecutive win of the season.

Reactions

Sam Curran, the Vipers’ stand-in captain, praised his side’s resilience:

“Three wins from three — I’m not complaining. Tanveer has worked incredibly hard. To hit a six under pressure and then bowl well shows how far he has come.”

Giants’ stand-in skipper Moeen Ali lamented missed opportunities:

“We made mistakes at the wrong time and let them back in. In this format, the game is never over — this was one we could easily have won.”

Brief Scores

Desert Vipers beat Gulf Giants (Super Over)

Gulf Giants 179/5 (20 ov): Nissanka 56, Gurbaz 41; Tanveer 2/23, Noor 2/47

Desert Vipers 179/9 (20 ov): Lawrence 56, Curran 44; Omarzai 4/32, Thushara 2/33

Super Over

Vipers 13/1: Lawrence 10, Hetmyer 3*; Thushara 1/13

Giants 9/0: Moeen 5*, Moores 1*; Naseem 0/9

Player of the Match: Dan Lawrence

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Arman FC secure 3-1 victory over Sarsabz Yashlar in ACL

Arman FC will face Toofan Herat in their next fixture on November 7, while Sarsabz Yashlar are scheduled to take on Sorkh Poshan Khafi on the same day.

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Arman FC defeated Sarsabz Yashlar 3-1 in the 70th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan on Tuesday at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium.

Sarsabz Yashlar took the lead in the 17th minute, but Arman FC equalized through Fardin Azizi in the closing stages of the first half to make it 1-1 at the break.

Arman FC took the lead in the second half when Malcolm Isaiah Shaw scored directly from a long-range free kick in the 65th minute.

Shaw added his second goal of the match in the 80th minute, extending Arman FC’s lead to 3-1 and securing all three points for his side.

Shaw was named Man of the Match for his two-goal performance.

Arman FC will face Toofan Herat in their next fixture on November 7, while Sarsabz Yashlar are scheduled to take on Sorkh Poshan Khafi on the same day.

All matches of the sixth season of the Roshan Afghan Champions League are broadcast live on Ariana Television.

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Afghanistan futsal team thrash Panama 5-0 in flying start to Dakar Youth Olympics

Under the Dakar 2026 men’s futsal format, eight teams are divided into two groups of four, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the knockout stage.

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Afghanistan got their men’s futsal campaign at the Dakar 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games off to a flying start, defeating Panama 5-0 in their opening Group A match on Monday, November 2.

The Afghan side delivered an impressive performance, scoring twice in the first half and adding three more goals after the break to complete a convincing five-goal victory.

Reza Karimi, Hussain Hassani, Mohammad Akbari, Farhad Nazari and Ali Ahmadi were all on target, with each player scoring once.

Hassani and Zakir Hussain Abdullahi registered two assists, and Akbari registered one.

The emphatic result gives Afghanistan three valuable points and an excellent start to their bid for a place in the semi-finals.

Under the Dakar 2026 men’s futsal format, eight teams are divided into two groups of four, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the knockout stage.

Afghanistan will next face Argentina on November 4 before concluding their Group A campaign against Senegal on November 7.

The five-goal victory provides an early boost for Afghanistan as they look to progress through the group stage and challenge for a medal at the Youth Olympic Games.

Fans can meanwhile tune in and watch the Dakar Youth Olympic Games exclusively on Ariana Radio and Television Network.

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Afghanistan achieve their highest ICC Men’s ODI team ranking

They have won 96 of their 191 matches in the ODI format with an impressive win-loss ratio of 1.09.

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Afghanistan have climbed to the sixth spot in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings, surpassing Sri Lanka to secure their highest-ever position.

Since making their ODI debut in 2009, Afghanistan have been ever-rising across formats, with historic feats such as wins over Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2023 and a maiden ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semi-final appearance in 2024.

They have won 96 of their 191 matches in the ODI format with an impressive win-loss ratio of 1.09.

Afghanistan were already above experienced teams like Bangladesh, England and West Indies, and have now also overtaken Sri Lanka to achieve their highest-ever position in the Men’s ODI Team Rankings.

Their recent successes include a 4-0 series win over Ireland away from home and an unbeaten run in the recently concluded tri-series against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

They recently clean swept Zimbabwe in the T20I format as well, and are now all set to face Zimbabwe in a two-match Test series.

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