Sport

Australia edge South Africa to set up final against India

Published

5 months ago

November 17, 2023

(Last Updated On: November 17, 2023)

Five-time champions Australia battled through to Sunday’s final of the 50-over World Cup against India with a nervy three-wicket win against South Africa in the second semi-final on Thursday.

Australia laid the foundations for a place in the final after bowling out South Africa for a below-par 212 despite David Miller’s defiant 101 at the Eden Gardens, Reuters reported.

The chase, however, was not as straightforward as Pat Cummins and his team would have liked.

Man-of-the-match Travis Head (62) led their rollicking start before a mid-innings wobble put Australia in a spot of bother.

South Africa did not let big partnerships bloom but their inadequate total meant Australia eventually prevailed with 16 balls to spare to make the final for the eighth time.

“Nerve-wracking couple of hours but great effort and a great game,” said Cummins, who was especially pleased with his side’s fielding. “It’s something we talk a lot about. It wasn’t up to scratch at the start of the tournament.”

The chase has not been South Africa’s forte in the tournament and Temba Bavuma’s decision to bat first under an overcast sky seemed to be a no-brainer.

Bavuma played the match despite not having fully recovered from a hamstring strain and his four-ball duck suggested sitting out would probably have been a wiser decision for him.

Australia ramped up the pressure with their electric fielding and Cummins led by example, taking a brilliant catch to send back the other South African opener Quinton de Kock.

Australia were so dominant that South Africa had to wait until the ninth over for their first boundary and were 18-2 after their 10 powerplay overs.

It soon snowballed into a full-fledged crisis and South Africa slumped to 24-4 in the 12th over.

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Drizzle held up play after 14 overs and when the action resumed Heinrich Klaasen (47) and Miller rebuilt the innings, taking South Africa past the 100 mark in 28 overs.

Klaasen hit Adam Zampa for back-to-back sixes but Australia regained control after part-time spinner Head broke the 95-run stand, claiming two wickets in two balls.

Miller brought up his hundred with a six off Cummins but departed in the same over trying to clear the rope again.

In contrast, Australia got off to a flyer, plundering 60 runs from the first 10 overs with Warner smashing four sixes in his 29.

Bavuma introduced spin in the seventh over and the move immediately paid off as Aiden Markram bowled David Warner with his first delivery.

Kagiso Rabada dismissed Mitchell Marsh in the next over but South Africa’s catching was rather sloppy and Head was the beneficiary on two occasions either side of his fifty.

Just when Australia appeared to be cruising to a comprehensive victory, South Africa’s spinners injected fresh excitement into the contest.

Keshav Maharaj bowled Head through the gate and Tabraiz Shamsi dismissed Marnus Labuschagne and Glenn Maxwell to jolt Australia out of any complacency that might have crept in.

Steve Smith made 30 and Josh Inglis scored 28 but South Africa kept fighting back. However, Cummins and Starc combined to foil the Proteas and get Australia over the line.

“Quite hard to put into words,” a dejected Bavuma said. “Our character came through. It was a dog fight.

“The way we started with the bat and the ball was probably the turning point, we lost it quite badly there.”

Related Topics:#SouthAfrica #WorldCup Australia Cricket featured India

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Afghanistan qualify for FIFA Futsal World Cup for first time ever

Published

3 hours ago

April 28, 2024

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: April 28, 2024)

Afghanistan qualified for the 2024 Futsal World Cup after 5-3 victory against Kyrgyzstan in the Playoff 3 of AFC Futsal Asian Cup in Bangkok on Sunday.

This is the first time that Afghanistan qualifies for the Futsal World Cup.

The tenth edition of Futsal World Cup is scheduled to start on September 14, 2024 in Uzbekistan.

Twenty-four teams will participate in the tournament.

Afghanistan, France, New Zealand and Tajikistan will make their debuts.

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ACL: Mawj Sahil 2-1 Sarsabz Yashlar; Sorkh Poshan 6-0 Maiwand

Published

4 hours ago

April 28, 2024

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: April 28, 2024)

Mawj Sahil defeated Sarsabz Yashlar 2-1 in the 15th match of Afghanistan Champions League in Kabul on Saturday, while Sorkh Poshan hammered Maiwand 6-0 in the 16th match of the tournament on the same day.

Sanan Rahimi and Esmatullah Hadafmand scored the two goals for Mawj Sahil.

Yashlar’s only goal was scored by Mohammad Nasir Niazi.

Sorkh Poshan’s six goals against Maiwand were scored by Habibullah Hotak (1), Samir Mirzai (1), Hamir Amiri (1), Omid Rajabi (2) and captain Farhad Alizada (1).

Sunday’s matches will see Istiqlal Kabul take on Adalat Farah at 1:00 PM, and Khadim face Jawanan Wahedi at 3:30 PM.

The matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television.

Sport

Fraser-McGurk’s explosive 84 helps Delhi down Mumbai in IPL

Published

4 hours ago

April 28, 2024

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: April 28, 2024)

Australia’s Jake Fraser-McGurk smashed 84 off 27 deliveries to fire Delhi Capitals to 257-4 and a 10-run win over Mumbai Indians in another IPL high-scorer on Saturday.

Delhi, at their home Arun Jaitley Stadium, posted their best-ever total in the T20 tournament, a day after Punjab Kings chased down a record target of 262.

Delhi’s previous best was 231-4 in 2011 against Punjab Kings. This edition Sunrisers Hyderabad have twice smashed IPL records with totals of 277 and 287.

Bowlers kept five-time champions Mumbai down to 247-9 despite a valiant 32-ball 63 by Tilak Varma as Delhi boosted their play-off hopes with five wins in 10 matches.

Fraser-McGurk, a 22-year-old Australian batsman who has taken his IPL debut season by storm with three half-centuries in five matches, started with two fours and a six off England pace bowler Luke Wood in a 19-run first over.

“That’s my role, go out there and score as many as I can and get the team off to a nice start,” Fraser-McGurk, who has a strike-rate of 237.50, said after his blitz.

The youngster kept up the charge with sixes and fours to reach his fifty in 15 balls with a hit over the fence and put on 114 runs with opening partner Abishek Porel, who hit 36.

Piyush Chawla, a leg-spinner, finally denied Fraser-McGurk, who went unsold in the auction before Delhi got him as injury replacement, his century.

There was no stopping Delhi as Shai Hope hit a 17-ball 41, skipper Rishabh Pant 29 off 19 deliveries and Tristan Stubbs smashed an unbeaten 48 to pummel the opposition attack.

Stubbs hammered left-arm quick Wood for five fours and a six in a 26-run 18th over and helped Delhi finish strongly in his 25-ball blitz.

Mumbai lost regular wickets and despite skipper Hardik Pandya’s 46 off 24 balls.

The IPL heavyweights have endured a tough season after Pandya replaced veteran Rohit Sharma as captain and got booed across venues.

Pandya hit 46 off 16 balls but it was a 70-run partnership between Varma and Tim David, who hit 37 off 17 balls that raised Mumbai’s hopes, but Delhi kept calm.

David fell lbw to Mukesh Kumar after a four and a six and Varma was run out at the start of the final over as Mumbai remained ninth on the 10-team table with just three wins.

Kumar and fellow medium-pace bowler and impact substitute Rasikh Salam took three wickets each. – AFP