Sport
Back on top: Rashid reclaims top bowler ranking
Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan has overtaken Australia seamer Josh Hazlewood and re-claimed his place as the No.1 T20I bowler in the world following the latest update to the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Player Rankings on Wednesday.
Rashid earns top billing on the back of his strong start to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup for Afghanistan, where he bowled superbly during his side’s opening match against England in Perth.
Rashid took the key wicket of young gun Harry Brook and finished with tidy figures of 1/17 from his four overs as Afghanistan commenced their T20 World Cup campaign with a five-wicket loss to England.
Hazlewood has three wickets from two matches so far for Australia, but the 31-year-old has been uncharacteristically expensive during spells against New Zealand and Sri Lanka at the tournament.
Sri Lanka spinner Wanindu Hasaranga drops three places to sixth on the latest list for T20I bowlers, while England seamer Sam Curran moves up an eye-catching eight spots to eighth overall following his record-breaking five-wicket haul against Afghanistan.
Curran picked up England’s first ever five-wicket haul at a T20 World Cup and ended the match with brilliant figures of 5/10 to rise to a career high rating of 657 points.
Just 55 rating points separates the top 10 bowlers on the latest rankings update, with India veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar another new name slipping into contention following an impressive performance against Pakistan on Sunday.
The veteran seamer picked up the tidy figures of 1/22 from his four overs against Pakistan and has been rewarded with a two-spot jump to 10th on the updated rankings list.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan remains the top ranked all-rounder following the latest update to the rankings, with Afghanistan counterpart Mohammad Nabi staying in second and just 14 rating points behind.
Sport
Afghanistan, Uzbekistan set for friendly cricket clash in Khost
The match will be played during a cricket league, and is part of the Cricket Development Support Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the ACB and the Cricket Federation of Uzbekistan in December last year.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced that it will host Uzbekistan’s national cricket team for a one-off T20 international on July 10 at the Rahmat Wali Masroori Cricket Ground in Khost province.
According to the ACB, the match will be played during a cricket league, and is part of the Cricket Development Support Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the ACB and the Cricket Federation of Uzbekistan in December last year.
The friendly match is scheduled to begin at 9:00 AM, with an Afghan XI taking on the visiting Uzbek side. The game will be broadcast live across Afghanistan and internationally through various linear and digital platforms.
Quoted by the ACB, Chief Executive Officer Naseeb Khan said the board remains committed to supporting emerging cricket nations such as Uzbekistan and is ready to extend similar assistance to other countries seeking to develop the sport.
He noted that the ACB has already organized capacity-building programs and training workshops for members of the Cricket Federation of Uzbekistan, while several Uzbek fast bowlers also participated in the ACB’s specialized Fast Bowling Camp last year.
Khan added that Uzbekistan has consistently maintained a friendly policy toward Afghanistan and that the two countries have strengthened cooperation in healthcare, politics, and trade in recent years. He said closer collaboration in cricket development would further deepen relations between the two neighboring nations.
Sport
Serbian Dejan Dedovic appointed head coach of Afghanistan national futsal team
Dedovic will lead Afghanistan’s preparations for upcoming regional and international competitions, overseeing the team’s technical development and training programs.
The Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) has appointed Serbian coach Dejan Dedovic as the new head coach of the national futsal team on a two-year contract.
The agreement was signed during a ceremony attended by AFF officials, futsal committee members, technical staff, and sports journalists.
Dedovic will lead Afghanistan’s preparations for upcoming regional and international competitions, overseeing the team’s technical development and training programs.
The federation also announced several additions to the national team’s coaching staff. Iran’s Javad Asghari Moqaddam has been appointed technical director, while Morteza Mansour Samaei will serve as goalkeeping coach. Spain’s Uriel Masana has joined as assistant coach, Iran’s Sadeq Amani as fitness coach, and Brazil’s Joao Lira as team analyst.
In addition, the AFF renewed the contract of Mohammad Nasir Sedaqat as manager of the national futsal team.
The federation said it expects the newly assembled coaching staff to contribute to the continued development of Afghan futsal and strengthen the team’s competitiveness at the regional and international levels.
Sport
India clinch ODI series against Afghanistan
The India national cricket team defeated Afghanistan in the third and final One Day International (ODI), sealing the series with a 9-wicket victory and lifting the series trophy.
Afghanistan won the toss in the final match and opted to bat first.
Batting first, Afghanistan were bowled out for 218 in 44.2 overs, setting India a target of 219 runs.
Hashmatullah Shahidi played a superb innings, scoring 102 runs off 131 deliveries, anchoring the Afghan batting effort.
In reply, India made light work of the chase, reaching 219 for the loss of just one wicket in 28.4 overs, completing a dominant run chase.
India had already taken an unassailable lead in the series by winning the first ODI by 7 wickets and the second by 170 runs, before sealing a comprehensive 3–0 series sweep in the final match.
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