Sport

Afghanistan down PNG to reach Super Eight, end NZ hopes

Rashid and his left-arm wrist spinning partner Noor Ahmad took over after the power play, consistently bamboozling the batsmen as they swung hopefully but ineffectually at the ball.

Published

10 months ago

June 14, 2024

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

Afghanistan beat Papua New Guinea by seven wickets in Trinidad on Thursday to reach the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup with a game to spare and end New Zealand’s slim hopes of progressing.

The Afghans had already effectively eliminated New Zealand after defeating them by 84 runs in Georgetown, and on Thursday they confirmed that they pose a threat to any opponent with another accomplished all-round display.

Spearheaded by standout left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi, the Afghan bowlers kept opponents under 100 runs for the third time in their three matches in the tournament, dismissing the Papuans, who had four batsmen run out, for 95.

Penetrating bowling from Alei Nao and Semo Kamea on a lively surface ensured the run chase was not straightforward but Gulbadin Naib’s 49 from 36 deliveries steered the Afghans safely to their target at 101-3 inside 16 overs.

“I want to congratulate all the people of Afghanistan because we have now officially qualified for the Super Eight and I feel proud,” said Farooqi, who was named Player of the Match for his 3-16.

“We just keep it simple and give 100%.”

After Rashid Khan had won the toss and opted to field first, his opposite number Assad Vala was the first man dismissed, run out for three after committing the elementary error of making his ground but leaving his bat in the air.

Farooqi, the tournament’s leading wicket taker, increased his tally by two from consecutive balls and Naveen-ul-Haq struck immediately from the other end to reduce Papua New Guinea to 17 for four.

Rashid and his left-arm wrist spinning partner Noor Ahmad took over after the power play, consistently bamboozling the batsmen as they swung hopefully but ineffectually at the ball.

The result was a second run out with both batsmen stranded at the same end and it was Chad Soper (9) who was forced to leave.

A third run out followed when Norman Vanua departed for a duck when his bat got stuck in the pitch as he tried to slide it past the crease.

Kiplin Doriga offered some resistance, hitting two fours to reach 27, but almost inevitably the innings ended with a final runout when Semo Kamea (2) was stranded with a ball remaining.

Papua New Guinea struck swiftly, dismissing openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (11) and Ibrahim Zadran (0), who had shared century partnerships against Uganda and New Zealand.

But Naib and Mohammad Nabi calmed their team’s nerves by rotating the strike with a series of quick singles, taking Afghanistan past the 50 mark when they began to play more expansively, Naib ending the match in style with a six.

The Afghans progressed along with co-hosts West Indies, who they meet in their final round-robin match in St Lucia on Monday to decide who tops Group C.

Rankings joy for Afghanistan as Nabi crowned new No.1 all-rounder

Sport

Afghanistan U-19 cricket team defeats UAE

Published

3 days ago

April 16, 2025

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

Afghanistan’s national under-19 cricket team defeated the United Arab Emirates by 180 runs on Wednesday, maintaining their unbeaten streak in the group stage at the ICC Men’s U19 CWC Asia Qualifiers.

In this match, Afghanistan scored 359 runs for the loss of only 4 wickets at the end of 50 overs.

This marks Afghanistan’s third consecutive victory in the regional group stage.

Previously, they had defeated Hong Kong and Oman by 8 wickets each.

Afghanistan is set to face the host nation, Nepal, on Saturday (April 19) in what will be their final group-stage match.

The winner of that game is likely to secure a spot in the 2026 ICC Men’s U19 World Cup.

Sport

IPL 2025 Orange and Purple Cap leaderboards: Kuldeep moves up to No. 3

Here’s how things look on the run-scorers’ and wicket-takers’ tables after Sunday’s matches

Published

5 days ago

April 14, 2025

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

Following Sunday’s double-header in this year’s Indian Premier League, a few batters have gained places in the Purple Cap leaderboard. No change was made in the Orange Cap leaderboard.

Orange Cap leaderboard

There is no change in the top three on the run-scorers’ table but a few batters have gained places. Nicholas Pooran is still the No. 1, having accumulated 349 runs in six innings.

This is followed by Gujarat Titans’ B Sai Sudharsan, who has 329 runs, and Mitchell Marsh, at No. 3 with 265 runs despite missing LSG’s last game.

Beyond the top three, 11 other batters have crossed the 200-mark.

Notably, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) Virat Kohli who has advanced places to be fifth behind Shreyas Iyer (250 runs) after his 62 not out off 45 balls against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Sunday’s afternoon game.

He is two runs shy of Shreyas.

Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav’s 28-ball 40 in Mumbai Indians’ 12-run win over Delhi Capitals (DC) has taken his tally to 239.

Purple Cap leaderboard

Noor Ahmad and Shardul Thakur remain the top two in the list but there’s a new bowler at No. 3: Kuldeep Yadav.

Kuldeep was DC’s best bowler on Sunday, picking up two wickets and leaking just 5.75 an over as MI posted 205 for 5. He now has ten wickets and an overall economy rate of 5.60, better than the other bowlers with same number of wickets in the list.

Hardik Pandya, Prasidh Krishna, R Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj and Khaleel Ahmed also stay on ten wickets.

Hardik couldn’t move up after going wicketless for the first time in this IPL, against DC.

Monday’s match

Today’s match, Monday April 14, will see Lucknow Super Giants take on Chennai Super Kings in Lucknow. This match is expected to deliver a thrilling battle for fans as MS Dhoni will lead the Chennai Super Kings team – much to the fans’ pleasure.
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Dhoni is however poised to hit a batting milestone, which could be reached today. Dhoni needs only 39 runs to reach a 4,000 T20 run tally in India. Commentators expect thunderous celebrations by Dhoni’s fans in the stadium if he hits the mark.

For fans across Afghanistan, this exciting match will be broadcast live and exclusively in the country by Ariana Television. Fans can tune in from 5:30 pm.

Sport

Afghanistan A registers massive win over Ireland A in 4-day match

Published

1 week ago

April 10, 2025

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

Afghanistan A cricket team defeated Ireland A by an innings and 194 runs in a four-day Test match that ended on Thursday.

Choosing to bat first after winning the toss in Abu Dhabi, Afghanistan A team scored 612 runs in their first innings for the loss of seven wickets.

Bahir Shah (187), Riaz Hassan (94), Imran (85), Shams-ur-Rahman (84), Afsar Zazai (55) and Darwish Rasooli (53) were the major contributors for the total.

The Irish team scored 309 runs in their first innings, before being asked by Afghanistan to follow on.

Ireland A were bowled out for only 109 runs in their second innings.

Arab Gul was the pick of the bowlers for Afghanistan A as he took 10 wickets. Zia-ur-Rehman followed with five wickets.