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Don’t make me run,’ says Dhoni as Chennai down Delhi in IPL

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A late cameo by skipper MS Dhoni and disciplined bowling helped Chennai Super Kings edge closer to an IPL play-off berth with a 27-run win over Delhi Capitals on Wednesday.

Dhoni, who hit a nine-ball 20, put on a key seventh-wicket stand of 38 with Ravindra Jadeja, who hit 21, to steer Chennai to 167/8.

“This is what my job is, I have told them this is what I am supposed to do, don’t make me run a lot and it has been working,” Dhoni said of his role at No 8.

“This is what I need to do, happy to contribute.”

Sri Lankan quick Matheesha Pathirana took three wickets to help limit Delhi to 140/8 as Chennai consolidated their second spot in the 10-team table with seven wins in 12 matches, AFP reported.

The David Warner-led Delhi, who started the season with five losses, remain rooted to the bottom of the standings and all but out of the play-off race.

The top four teams qualify for the play-offs.

Delhi began the chase with left-handed Warner out for a duck on the second ball to Deepak Chahar, who also sent back previous-match winner Phil Salt, for 17.

Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh was run out for five but impact sub Manish Pandey and Rilee Rossouw attempted to revive the chase in their 59-run stand before impact player Pathirana broke through.

“This is the fifth or sixth time we have lost a wicket in the first over,” Warner said after his team’s seventh loss.

“And it was us throwing our wickets away. We lost a wicket to a run out. We threw wickets away.”

Pathirana, an up and coming Sri Lankan speedster nicknamed “Baby Malinga” for his slinging action similar to former pace ace Lasith Malinga, pinned down Pandey lbw with his trademark yorker and ended with figures of 3/37.

Jadeja took down Rossouw with his left-arm spin to dent the chase and was named Man of the Match.

Earlier Chennai lost regular wickets before Shivam Dube, who smashed 25 off 12 balls, and Ambati Rayudu, who hit 23, stood out in an attacking stand of 36.

But it was Dhoni and the left-handed Jadeja who took the attack to the opposition with their late blitz that got Chennai 39 runs from the final three overs.

The 41-year-old Dhoni, who many suspect is playing his final IPL as player, raised the noise at a near-capacity crowd with his two sixes off left-arm quick Khaleel Ahmed.

Dhoni has led Chennai to four IPL titles and is attracting large crowds at all the venues across India.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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India clinch ODI series against Afghanistan

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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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