Sport
Dubai Capitals knock out Knight Riders in the Eliminator by 85 runs
Dubai Capitals eliminated Abu Dhabi Knight Riders by 85 runs through a clinical all-round show in the Eliminator of the DP World ILT20 season 2 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday night.
Invaluable and timely knocks from opener Tom Banton, who scored 44 off 31 balls with seven boundaries, Tom Abell, who contributed 41 off 29 balls with six boundaries, and skipper Sam Billings, who remained unbeaten on 46 off 26 balls with two boundaries and two sixes, as well as Sikandar Raza’s breezy 40 off 19 balls with five boundaries and one six, gave Dubai Capitals a winning total of 188 for 5.
Knight Riders failed to rise to the challenge and were bowled out for a paltry 103 runs. As a result, Capitals booked their slot for the Qualifier 2.
Sikandar Raza emerged the hero once again for Capitals to bag the Player of the Match award.
Receiving the award, he said: “Any time a role is given to me, I will try to give my best. As long as I am prepared, I am happy to do it. We thought that if we get 160, they have to bat really well to win.
“Once we got 188, all we had to do was to get wickets in the powerplay. And once we did that, we were always in the game,” he said.
A happy Capitals’ skipper Sam Billings, meanwhile said after the match: “We have played a couple of games here. But getting yourself in is always tricky. If you can get past 10-15, you can get going.
“We thought 160+ would be a very good score, and we were very happy with that score. They (Kuggeleijn and Stone) complement each other brilliantly. I am really happy with the way we have gone in the last three games. We are in a very good shape.”
Sunil Narine, captain of Knight Riders, was sporting despite the defeat: “In this tournament, powerplay is the key. Losing three wickets, we were always on the back foot. Reaching the second round was our first goal. We had a decent tournament. There were some positives. A lovely team bonding.”
Wednesday’s match:
Fans can tune in to Ariana Television from 6.30pm local time to watch the Qualifier 1 round live.
This critical match will see defending champions Gulf Giants take on MI Emirates at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Arman FC suffered a 1-0 defeat against Abu Muslim Farah in the 83rd match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan in Kabul on Wednesday.
Abu Muslim Farah found the back of the net once in the first half, taking a 1-0 lead into the break.
Despite efforts from both sides in the second half, neither team managed to score, and the match ended in a 1-0 victory for Abu Muslim Farah.
Arman FC will face Kabul Istiqlal on November 15 in their final match of the competition, while Abu Muslim Farah will take on Toofan Herat on November 14.
All matches of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan are broadcast live on Ariana Television.
Sorkh Poshan Khafi have mathematically secured the sixth-season Roshan Afghanistan Champions League title after recording a commanding 7-0 victory over Khurasan Faryab in the competition’s 82nd match on Wednesday.
The Herat-based side moved to 47 points from 17 matches, putting the championship beyond the reach of their closest rivals with one fixture still remaining in their campaign.
The title was effectively decided by the result, rather than the conclusion of the competition, as other teams still have matches to play.
Before Wednesday’s encounter, Sorkh Poshan had 44 points, six ahead of second-placed Abu Muslim Farah. Even if Abu Muslim win both of their remaining matches, they can reach only 44 points, leaving Sorkh Poshan uncatchable.
Sorkh Poshan took a 1-0 lead into half-time in Wednesday’s match before producing a devastating second-half display, scoring six additional goals to complete the 7-0 rout.
The victory also confirmed the club’s outstanding consistency throughout the campaign, establishing them as the season’s dominant side.
Sorkh Poshan will play their final league fixture against Omar Zawak on November 15, giving the team an opportunity to finish their campaign on another high note.
Khurasan Faryab, meanwhile, are scheduled to face Sarsabz Yashlar on November 14 as the remaining league fixtures continue.
The sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League features 10 clubs competing in a league format, with the title now decided ahead of the final round of matches.
Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN) broadcasts all matches of the competition live on Ariana Television.
Sport
Historic first for Rahmat Shah after ICC rankings update
It was Rahmat’s fifth Test century of his career and second this year and it helped the 33-year-old jump in front of the likes of India captain Shubman Gill.
Afghanistan captain Rahmat Shah has created history by becoming the first player from his country to enter the top 10 in any category of the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings.
Rahmat climbs six spots to seventh on the rankings for Test batters following his innings of 173 in the opening match of Afghanistan’s two-game series with Zimbabwe in Sharjah, with the in-form right-hander reaching a new career-high rating in the process.
It was Rahmat’s fifth Test century of his career and second this year and it helped the 33-year-old jump in front of the likes of India captain Shubman Gill, South Africa opener Aiden Markram and Sri Lanka left-hander Kamindu Mendis and earn a spot inside the top 10 for the very first time.
It caps off a good fortnight for Afghanistan, who earlier this month achieved their highest-ever spot on the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings when they rose to sixth on the back of a tri-series triumph over Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.
Abu Muslim Farah edge Arman FC with 1-0 victory in ACL match
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