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Afghanistan can learn to control pressure and emotions only by playing top teams regularly: Ahmadzai

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(Last Updated On: September 9, 2022)

Raees Ahmadzai, Afghanistan’s assistant coach, has implored the ICC and other Full Members to play them often to help develop quality, improved game sense and the ability to close out matches under pressure.

Since 2021, Afghanistan have only played Ireland, Netherlands, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in bilateral series. Their maiden tour to Australia, which was first postponed because of Covid-19 in 2020, was called off late last year.

Afghanistan defeated Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the group stage of the ongoing Asia Cup T20I tournament, but lost their Super Four matches against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India.

“It’s important for a team like us to play against top-level teams,” Ahmadzai said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.com. “It’s not easy. I can’t remember when we last played India or Pakistan. Playing one or two matches against them in top-level tournaments is not enough. It will help if we play them more often.

“Only then can our players learn to control their emotions, control pressure and learn from [the experience]. I feel we deserve that. The way we started in the Asia Cup, giving a tough time to the other teams, I think we did well. Our win over Sri Lanka was a one-sided win, we beat Bangladesh. But we have to improve on the basics. Our players realise where we should be more focused so that we can finish the way we started.”

Defending 130 against Pakistan, Afghanistan restricted 118 for 9 with seven balls left. Then Naseem Shah smashed two sixes off full tosses to secure win for Pakistan. The next day on Thursday, Afghanistan suffered a 101-run loss against India.

Ahmadzai revealed the team had been “sleepless” following the Pakistan loss, because of how much it took out of them mentally, having lost a game they believed was theirs.

“To be honest, everyone panicked in that situation [when Pakistan were nine down],” Ahmadzai revealed. But then we played back-to-back games, and we tried our best. The way we looked at the wicket, I thought we could restrict India to 170 or 180. But if you drop a catch of a good player like Kohli, he won’t give you too many opportunities.”

According to Ahmadzai, some individual performances were source of encouragement as Afghanistan build towards the T20 World Cup in Australia.

“If you’re playing against the big names, the big stars, you always get to learn a lot. During the tournament we spent some time with the Pakistani and Sri Lankan players also. It was a good experience, something our players can learn [from] and apply at the World Cup.”

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FIFA World Cup Qualifier: Afghanistan beat India 2-1

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(Last Updated On: March 26, 2024)

In a thrilling match that doubled as a qualifier for both the FIFA World Cup and the 2027 Asian Nations Cup, Afghanistan’s national football team secured a 2-1 victory over India.

The contest saw India taking an early lead, ending the first half ahead 1-0.

However, Afghanistan’s resolve shone in the second half, with Rahmat Akbari leveling the score at 1-1 in the 69th minute.

The decisive moment came when Sharif Mohammad converted a penalty in the 88th minute, propelling Afghanistan to a late lead.

The two teams had previously ended the first leg of their matchup in a goalless draw.

Looking ahead, Afghanistan is scheduled to face Qatar and Kuwait in upcoming matches on June 6 and 11, respectively.

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IPL: RCB register first win against Punjab Kings

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(Last Updated On: March 26, 2024)

Virat Kohli’s authoritative 77(49) helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru register their first win of the TATA IPL 2024 as they beat Punjab Kings by 4 wickets with four balls remaining at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday.

Kohli made PBKS pay with some delightful strokeplay to set the platform.

Dinesh Karthik (28 off 10) and Impact Player Mahipal Lomror (17 off 8) then provided the final flourish, stitching an unbeaten 48-run stand off 18 balls, to help RCB chase down 177 in the final over.

Earlier, a disciplined bowling display had helped the home side restrict PBKS to 176/6.

Earlier, Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and elected to field.

Tuesday, March 26, will see Chennai Super Kings take on Gujarat Titans.

In this highly anticipated rematch of last season’s final, defending champions Chennai lock horns with runners-up Gujarat in what promises to be a scintillating encounter at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

IPL fans in Afghanistan can tune in to Ariana Television at 6.30pm Tuesday, or stream live at www.arianatelevision.com, to watch this exciting match.

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Chennai to host IPL 2024 final scheduled for May 26

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(Last Updated On: March 25, 2024)

The BCCI on Monday released the full schedule of the IPL 2024, after only having released details on the first phase (two weeks) before the start of the tournament.

The second part of the IPL schedule, comprising 52 matches including the playoffs, will begin on April 8, with CSK hosting Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai.

All playoff matches will be evening games.

Like the season opener, the final will take place in Chennai, home ground for reigning champions Chennai Super Kings.

The Qualifier 2 will also take place in Chennai. This will be played between the loser of Qualifier 1 and the winner of the Eliminator, on Friday, May 24.

The final will be on Sunday, May 26th.

The MA Chidambaram Stadium, or the Chepauk, the home venue of Chennai Super Kings, has hosted two previous IPL finals, in 2011 and 2012.

Once the teams have moved into the second phase, Delhi Capitals will play all their remaining five home matches in front of their enthusiastic home crowd at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi after opting to play their first two home matches in Visakhapatnam.

Punjab Kings, who started their season at the PCA New International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, will culminate their home campaign in Dharamsala.

PBKS will host two matches on May 5 and 9 against Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, respectively.

Rajasthan Royals have opted for a second venue in Guwahati and will play their final two home matches in Assam.

They will first host Punjab Kings on May 15 and later play Kolkata Knight Riders on May 19. This match will mark the conclusion of the league stage of the IPL.

From here, the spotlight will shift to Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium which will host the Qualifier 1 clash featuring the two top-ranked sides on Tuesday, May 21, followed by the Eliminator on Wednesday, May 22.

On February 22, the IPL released a partial schedule of an initial set of 21 matches from March 22 to April 7.

A complete schedule could not be put out since, at the time, the IPL was waiting for the Election Commission of India to announce the dates for the country’s general elections, which have since been made public.

They will take place in seven phases from April 19 to June 1.

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