Sport
Afghanistan to ‘sort out’ batting, fielding lineup ahead of first World Cup match
Afghanistan is set to face West Indies in its 2nd warmup match prior to the start of their first match in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 on October 25.
The warm up match is set to be played in ICCA Oval 1, Dubai on Wednesday evening.
Afghanistan lost its first warmup match to South Africa as they were reduced to only 104/8 in their 20 overs and lost the match by 41 runs. Although Afghanistan’s bowling attack started well, with Nabi and Mujeeb turning things around, the South African batsmen targeted Afghanistan’s bowlers which caused to them to lose at least 30 runs.
The batters were also restricted and felt the heat as the South Africans ended up controlling the match.
The Afghan team has high hopes of defeating the Windies on Wednesday in what they hope will be a confidence booster before embarking on their official journey at the World Cup.
Afghanistan will look to strengthen their batting by sorting out the batting order. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Shahzad and Hazratullah Zazai are the men who have had some impressive performances over the last two years for the national team and in franchise cricket.
If Afghanistan are to prove on their batting, they will need two of these batters to do well and at least one other batter to support them.
A middle order which includes captain Mohammad Nabi, Najeebullah Zadran and Asghar Afghan will also try to post a big score.
In the bowling department, Mohammad Nabi will look to bowl Rashid Khan Wednesday to observe where and how to utilize him at the main event; while Rashid will need to assess the conditions and prepare himself for the next event.
Hamid Hassan however did not complete his full quota and injured his finger, but will be looking to bowl some overs and mark his presence before their first official match.
Mohammad Nabi will also be looking to test the medium pace of Karim Jannat in the middle overs as an additional seam bowling option in the line-up, while Fareed or Gulbadin Naib will also be kept in check to test their medium fast bowling abilities before going to the first match against B1 on Oct 25.
Said Rahman Ahmadzai, fielding coach of the National U19 team said Wednesday that the warm up match was important and must be considered as the final opportunity to select the best XI for the first match.
“The batters focused on big hitting in the first inning (against South African) which was not right” said Ahmadzai.
He added: “The mistakes that we made in the first match must not be repeated, good batting, bowling and fielding must be done which is very important for the team’s performance”.
Ahmadzai also pointed out that the spin bowling attack approach could prove beneficial in these conditions.
“UAE pitches are spin bowling friendly; the ball is not coming good on the bat and sometimes the wickets make it difficult for the batsmen to read the ball well”.
He also added that around 150 runs are a defendable score in these conditions but while bowling first, the team must restrict the opposition to around 130 runs to be able to chase the target down.
Afghanistan defeated West Indies 2-1 in a 3-match T20I series in Lucknow two years ago and will be mentally ready going into this match.
In the twenty-ninth match of the fifth season of the Afghanistan Champions League, Aino Mina edged past Jawanan Perozi 1–0.
In Tuesday’s thirtieth fixture, Abu Muslim Farah claimed a 2–1 victory over Khurasan Faryab.
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s thirty-first match, Arman FC will take on Istiqlal Kabul at 10:00 a.m. Meanwhile, in the thirty-second encounter, Sarsabz Yashlar will face Ettifaq Khanzadah at 1:30 p.m.
All matches are being broadcast live on Ariana Television, giving fans across the country the chance to follow all the excitement and drama of the Afghanistan Champions League throughout the season.
Sport
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.
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
Sorkh Poshan Khafi secured a commanding 4-0 victory over Sarsabz Yashlar in the Afghanistan Champions League (ACL) on Monday in Kabul.
The fifth match of the tournament had originally been scheduled for November 24 but was postponed following the death of former player Farhad Adil. Adil, who previously served as captain of Sarsabz Yashlar and also played for Sorkh Poshan Khafi, was found dead in Herat on November 23.
In Monday’s match, Sorkh Poshan Khafi’s goals were scored by Yasir Safi (1), Khalil Tajik (1), and Khalil Ahmad Ahmadi (2), leading their team to a decisive win.
All ACL matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television Network, giving football fans across Afghanistan the opportunity to follow the season’s action.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, Aino Mina will face Jawanan Perozi, while Abu Muslim Farah will take on Khurasan Faryab.
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