Sport
Australia edge South Africa to set up final against India
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.”
Sport
ILT20: Nissanka fires Gulf Giants to four-wicket win over Dubai Capitals
Azmatullah Omarzai dented the innings at crucial moments, finishing with 3/46 and tightening his grip on the White Belt for leading wicket-taker.
Pathum Nissanka produced his second consecutive half-century of the season on Saturday to guide Gulf Giants to a convincing four-wicket victory over Dubai Capitals, taking them to the top of the DP World ILT20 Season 4 standings.
Nissanka smashed 67 off just 31 deliveries in a dominant display that included six fours and five sixes. His 97-run stand with James Vince (50* off 45) proved decisive in the Giants’ chase of 161, which they completed with seven balls to spare at Dubai International Stadium.
Earlier, the Capitals posted 160/6 thanks to useful contributions from Sediqullah Atal (35), David Willey (29) and Jordan Cox (31). Captain Dasun Shanaka added late impetus with an unbeaten 23 off 9 balls, including two sixes in the final over.
But Azmatullah Omarzai dented the innings at crucial moments, finishing with 3/46 and tightening his grip on the White Belt for leading wicket-taker.
The Giants’ reply wobbled briefly after the early loss of Rahmanullah Gurbaz (9) but Nissanka took charge, hammering James Neesham for three sixes in the fourth over as the Giants cruised to 60/1 by the end of the powerplay. He reached his half-century in just 23 balls.
Mustafizur Rahman and Shanaka struck in back-to-back overs to remove Nissanka and Moeen Ali, but Vince held the chase together with a composed knock. Cameos from Omarzai (14 off 12) and Tom Moores (13 off 8) ensured the required rate never spiralled out of reach, and Vince sealed victory with a well-paced fifty.
In the first innings, after Omarzai removed Shayan Jahangir early, Atal and Willey stabilised the Capitals with a 61-run partnership. But the middle overs proved costly, producing only 18 runs between the 10th and 14th overs as wickets fell to Moeen Ali, Liam Dawson and Aayan Afzal Khan. Cox and Neesham revived the innings before Omarzai returned to snuff out the momentum by dismissing Cox and Rovman Powell in the 18th over.
Speaking after the match, Giants captain Moeen Ali praised his side’s all-round display: “Getting the points while knowing we can still play better is a good sign. We squeezed them well in the middle with the ball. Nissanka is a brilliant player, and Vince controlled the chase perfectly.”
Dubai Capitals skipper Dasun Shanaka admitted his team lost control through the middle overs: “Nissanka is in the form of his life — small guy, massive hitting. We lacked intent in the middle period. We waited too long to rotate strike. Powell and I probably should have gone earlier.”
Brief Scores:
Gulf Giants beat Dubai Capitals by 4 wickets
Dubai Capitals 160/6 (20 overs): Sediqullah Atal 35, Jordan Cox 31, David Willey 29, Dasun Shanaka 23*; Azmatullah Omarzai 3/46, Aayan Afzal Khan 1/3, Moeen Ali 1/23
Gulf Giants 161/6 (18.5 overs): Pathum Nissanka 67, James Vince 50*, Azmatullah Omarzai 14; Dasun Shanaka 2/16, Mustafizur Rahman 2/26
Player of the Match: Pathum Nissanka
In the 27th match of the fifth season of the Afghanistan Champions League, Sorkh Poshan Khafi edged out Arman FC 1-0 in a tightly contested clash.
On Saturday, Sarafan Herat secured a 1-0 victory over Ettifaq Khanzadah, keeping the league race intense and unpredictable.
Looking ahead to Monday, Sarsabz Yashlar will face Sorkh Poshan Khafi at 2:00 p.m., promising another thrilling showdown for fans.
All matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television, allowing football enthusiasts across Afghanistan to follow the action and enjoy the excitement of the Champions League season.
The groups and match-ups for the FIFA World Cup 2026, set to be the biggest sporting event in history, were unveiled on Friday during a high-profile Final Draw ceremony held in the United States capital, Washington DC.
In front of nearly 2,000 international guests and millions of viewers worldwide, FIFA revealed the 12 groups of four teams for the expanded 23rd edition of the tournament. The draw marks a major milestone as excitement continues to build across the three host nations — the United States, Canada, and Mexico — and the 16 host cities preparing for the event.
FIFA announced that the full schedule, including match venues and kick-off times for the tournament’s 104 games, will be released during a live global broadcast on Saturday, 6 December.
With nearly two million tickets already sold, FIFA says anticipation for the 2026 World Cup is rapidly rising.
There are 48 teams in next year’s World Cup — an expansion from the 32 teams of previous tournaments.
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