Sport
Afghan U19 cricket team trounce Zimbabwe by 109 runs

Afghanistan thrashed Zimbabwe by 109 runs in the ICC U-19 Men's Cricket World Cup 2022 on Saturday at the Diego Martin Sporting Complex in Trinidad & Tobago.
The win saw Afghanistan finish in second spot in Group C, with Pakistan taking the top spot.
Both Afghanistan and Zimbabwe had identical results in the tournament in their previous two matches as both sides had won against Papua New Guinea but lost to Pakistan in their group matches before Saturday's game.
Following their win, Afghanistan has now advanced to the quarterfinals of the West Indies World Cup.
Sport
Shoaib Akhtar predicts Afghanistan will win semi-final spot in Champions Trophy

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has predicted that Afghanistan will be among the four semi-finalists of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy due to begin later this month in Pakistan.
Akhtar told the media that if the Afghan cricket team demonstrate ‘maturity’ and ‘patience’ then they can deliver surprising results in the upcoming mega event, Geo Super reported.
Akhtar also named hosts and defending champions Pakistan and arch-rivals India as his remaining semi-final contenders.
“I believe Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan will reach the semi-finals of the 2025 Champions Trophy,” said Akhtar.
“If Afghanistan’s team demonstrates maturity and their batsmen show patience, they could deliver surprising results,” he added.
The right-arm pacer further shared that he is hopeful for Pakistan to beat India before expressing his desire to see the fierce rivals colliding in the blockbuster final.
“I’m hopeful that Pakistan will defeat India on February 23. In fact, I believe that both Pakistan and India should also meet in the final of the tournament.
“If Pakistan defeats India and New Zealand in the Champions Trophy, the Green Shirts will have already won half the tournament.”
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will begin on February 19 with hosts Pakistan taking on New Zealand in Karachi.
Sport
England will not boycott Afghanistan match at Champions Trophy: ECB

England will play their Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan later this month, England's cricket board (ECB) said on Thursday, despite calls to boycott the game in response to the Islamic Emirate's restrictions on women.
Last month, a group of British lawmakers urged England to boycott the Champions Trophy group stage match against Afghanistan which will be held in Lahore on February 26.
South Africa Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie also supported calls for a boycott.
However, ECB chair Richard Thompson said they would play the match after discussions with the government, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the players, adding that the cricketing community alone cannot tackle Afghanistan's problems.
"We remain of the view that a co-ordinated international response by the cricketing community is the appropriate way forward and will achieve more than any unilateral action by the ECB in boycotting this match," Thompson said in a statement.
"We have also heard that for many ordinary Afghans, watching their cricket team is one of the few remaining sources of enjoyment. As such, we can confirm that we will play this fixture."
The Islamic Emirate says it respect women's rights in accordance with Islamic law and local customs and that they are internal matters that should be addressed locally.
Sport
ILT20: Pakistan bowling great Akhtar backs Sharjah Warriorz to bag title

With the DP World ILT20 Season 3 inching closer to the mega finale on Sunday, Pakistan bowling great Shoaib Akhtar says although Sharjah Warriorz got a late start this tournament they are now playing extremely well and could lift the trophy.
Impressed by their late surge in the league, with a sensational eight-wicket win against defending champions MI Emirates last week to become the third team to qualify for the play-offs, the DP World ILT20 ambassador and commentator Akhtar said: “I think my heart goes for Sharjah Warriorz because they have started off very late when it comes to playing the tournament well.
“They gained the momentum to be in the place where they are today.”
However, the Warriorz face a tough opponent in MI Emirates in the eliminator to be played Thursday at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
The winner of the eliminator will face Desert Vipers for a place in the Final. Backing the home team, Akhtar added: “While I don’t want to seem biased and wish to see all four teams play top quality cricket, I think it will be really good to see Sharjah go out there to claim the title.”
Speaking about his experience in the month-long league which has witnessed record-breaking performances such as Desert Vipers’ Alex Hales surpassing Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik to become the third highest run-getter in T20s with 13,511 runs after his swashbuckling 67 runs against Dubai Capitals on Wednesday. He is only behind West Indies’ Chris Gayle (14,562 runs) and Keiron Pollard (13,537 runs).
The league also saw MI Emirates’ Tom Banton score a double century this season while Dubai Capitals’ opener Shai Hope, who presently holds the green belt for highest (484) runs in the league so far also has a century to his name.
Talking about these standout performances, Akhtar said: “DP World ILT20 is getting bigger and better every year. I am honoured to be part of the league for the second time. I think the numbers tell the truth when it comes to the TRPs and reach of the tournament. You can see the quality of players performing here.”
He highlighted the depth of bowling talent in the league, and went on to underscore the performance of Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi from MI Emirates, who leads as the highest wicket-taker amassing 20 wickets this season.
“I think Fazalhaq Farooqi is one of the greatest finds for Afghanistan. He is very good when it comes to the new ball and he is learning fast. I think he should look at the bigger picture in terms of playing for his country,” expressed Akhtar.
“Aayan also has a bright future in UAE cricket. The vision behind this league is to promote UAE cricket and this has been successfully achieved seeing the standout performances this season. Khuzaima (from Faisalabad) has also shown a lot of promise.”
On being asked what he would advice the young and upcoming pacers, Akhtar said: “I would like to see them bowl more aggressively and mix up fast bowling with bouncers and make sure that the batters are staying on the backfoot.”
“I have bowled around 23,000 balls and about 10,000 bouncers in my playing career. The stats show you how much I love aggressive, fast bowling. It’s important to bowl in good areas, and in good length. That’s what matters, that’s what will make you take wickets,” he concluded.
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