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Brazilian football legend Pele dies at 82

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(Last Updated On: December 30, 2022)

Pele, the legendary Brazilian soccer player who rose from barefoot poverty to become one of the greatest and best-known athletes in modern history, died on Thursday at the age of 82, Reuters reported.

Sao Paulo’s Albert Einstein hospital, where Pele was undergoing treatment, said he died at 3:27 p.m. “due to multiple organ failures resulting from the progression of colon cancer associated with his previous medical condition.”

The death of the only man to win the World Cup three times as a player was confirmed on his Instagram account.

“Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pele, who peacefully passed away today,” it read, adding he had “enchanted the world with his genius in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all over the world and spread what he most believed to be the cure for all our problems: love.”

Tributes poured in from across the worlds of sport, politics and popular culture for a figure who epitomized Brazil’s dominance of the beautiful game, read the report.

The government of President Jair Bolsonaro, who leaves office on Sunday, declared three days of mourning, and said in a statement that Pele was “a great citizen and patriot, raising the name of Brazil wherever he went.”

Bolsonaro’s successor, President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, wrote on Twitter that “few Brazilians carried the name of our country as far as he did.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said Pele’s legacy would live forever. “The game. The king. Eternity,” Macron tweeted.

Pele had been undergoing chemotherapy since he had a tumor removed from his colon in September 2021, Reuters reported.

He also had difficulty walking unaided since an unsuccessful hip operation in 2012. In February 2020, on the eve of the coronavirus pandemic, his son Edinho said Pele’s ailing physical state had left him depressed.

On Monday, a 24-hour wake will be held for Pele in the center of the field at the stadium of Santos, his hometown club where he started playing as a teenager and quickly rose to fame.

The next day, a procession carrying his coffin will pass through the streets of Santos, passing the neighborhood where his 100-year-old mother lives, and ending at the Ecumenical Memorial Necropolis cemetery, where he will be buried in a private ceremony, Reuters reported.

US President Joe Biden said on his Twitter that Pele’s rise from humble beginnings to soccer legend was a story of “what is possible.”

Pele, whose given name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, joined Santos in 1956 and turned the small coastal club into one of the most famous names in football.

In addition to a host of regional and national titles, Pele won two Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of the Champions League, and two Intercontinental Cups, the annual tournament held between the best teams in Europe and South America, read the report.

He took home three World Cup winner’s medals, the first time as a 17-year-old in Sweden in 1958, the second in Chile four years later – even though he missed most of the tournament through injury – and the third in Mexico in 1970, when he led what is considered to be one of the greatest sides ever to play the game, Reuters reported.

He retired from Santos in 1974 but a year later made a surprise comeback by signing a lucrative deal to join the New York Cosmos in the then nascent North American Soccer League.

In a glorious 21-year career he scored between 1,281 and 1,283 goals, depending on how matches are counted.

Pele, though, transcended soccer, like no player before or since, and he became one of the first global icons of the 20th century.

With his winning smile and an aw-shucks humility that charmed legions of fans, he was better known than many Hollywood stars, popes or presidents – many if not most of whom he met during a six-decade-long career as player and corporate pitchman.

“I am sad, but I am also proud to be Brazilian, to be from Pele’s country, a guy who was a great athlete,” said Ciro Campos, a 49-year-old biologist in Rio de Janeiro. “And also off the field, he was a cool person, not an arrogant athlete.”

Pele credited his one-of-a-kind mix of talent, creative genius and technical skill to a youth spent playing pick-up games in small-town Brazil, often using grapefruit or wadded-up rags because his family could not afford a real ball.

Pele was named “Athlete of the Century” by the International Olympic Committee, co-“Football Player of the Century” by world soccer body FIFA, and a “national treasure” by Brazil’s government, read the report.

His celebrity was often overwhelming. Grown adults broke down crying in his presence with regularity. When he was a player, souvenir-seeking fans rushed the field following games and tore off his shorts, socks and even underwear.

His house in Brazil was less than a mile from a beach, but he didn’t go there for some two decades because of fear of crowds.

Yet even in unguarded moments among friends, he rarely complained. He believed that his talent was a divine gift, and he spoke movingly about how soccer allowed him to travel the world, bring cheer to cancer patients and survivors of wars and famine, and provide for a family that, growing up, often did not know the source of their next meal.

“God gave me this ability for one reason: To make people happy,” he said during a 2013 interview with Reuters. “No matter what I did, I tried not to forget that.”

Brazil’s CBF soccer federation said “Pele was much more than the greatest sportsman of all time… The King of Soccer was the ultimate exponent of a victorious Brazil.”

Kylian Mbappé, the French star many view as the current best soccer player in the world, also offered his condolences.

“The king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten,” he wrote on Twitter. “RIP KING.”

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Afghanistan’s T20 squad against Pakistan announced

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(Last Updated On: March 21, 2023)

Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Tuesday named a 17-member squad, led by Rashid Khan, for the three-match T20I series against Pakistan, which starts in Sharjah later this week.

According to the ACB, Mohammad Nabi, the team’s former captain, has been recalled while left-handed opener Sediqullah Atal has been added to the squad.

Atal could be a potential debutant for Afghanistan in the series, said ACB.

Nijat Masoud and Zahir Khan who were part of the Afghanistan squad during the UAE tour last month have been kept as reserves, while Rahmat Shah and Hazratullah Zazai have been excluded.

“Our team has been working hard in training camp and selectors have selected the best available players for the series. I am confident that our team will perform at their best and make our nation proud. We wish our team the best of luck for the series and hope to see them emerge victorious,” ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said.

“In addition, we look forward to an exciting competition between two great teams. Both nations have passionate fans who support their teams with enthusiasm and pride. As neighbors, we have a special bond and we hope to showcase not only our cricketing skills but also the spirit of friendship and sportsmanship. We wish both teams the best of luck and hope that cricket fans around the world will enjoy the games,” he added.

Afghanistan Squad: Rashid Khan (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Sediqullah Atal, Najibullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Fareed Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi and Naveen Ul Haq.

Reserve players include Nangyal Kharoti, Zahir Khan and Nijat Masoud.

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Afghanistan beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets in U-19 Tri-Series opener

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(Last Updated On: March 18, 2023)

Afghanistan defeated Bangladesh by 7 wickets in the first match of Under-19 Tri-Series in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Batting first after winning the toss, Bangladesh made 75 runs before they were bowled out in the 22.5 overs.

Bashir Ahmad picked up four wickets while Kamran Hotak took three. Khalil Ahmad followed with two wickets.

Afghanistan chased down the target in the 9.5 overs, as Suhail Khan made 33 and Mohammad Haroon added 21.

Afghanistan will face Sri Lanka in their next match of the series on Wednesday.

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Bangladesh U19s levels ODI series 1-1 against Afghanistan U19s

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(Last Updated On: March 15, 2023)

Bangladesh Under-19s defeated Afghanistan Under-19s by 63 runs in the second ODI in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday to end the two-match series 1-1.

Batting first after winning the toss, Bangladesh posted 231 runs before they were all out after 49.3 overs in Abu Dhabi.

Mohammad Shihab James was their top-scorer with 98. He was followed by Paevez Rahman Jibon who made 48.

Yama Arab picked up four wickets for Afghanistan, while Faraidoon Dawoodzai took two.

In reply, Afghanistan made 168 before they were all out in the 45.4 overs. 88 of their total was scored by Sohail Khan.

Both teams along with the Sri Lanka U19s will now feature in a Tri-Series starting this Saturday in Abu Dhabi.

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