Sport
England clinches 5-wicket win over Afghanistan in first World Cup match
England’s Sam Curran delivered a memorable bowling performance in the Super 12 encounter of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup against Afghanistan in Perth on Saturday as England bowled out Mohammed Nabi’s men for a meager total of 112.
England chased it down later with five wickets and 11 deliveries to spare.
The England bowlers kept the Afghanistan batters under pressure right from the beginning of the match and restricted the Afghans to less than six runs per over in the powerplay.
But there was still some hope for Mohammad Nabi’s men as they had wickets in hand. However that didn’t matter in the end, as Curran bowled a superb spell to bundle them out for 112.
England got off to a steady start with Alex Hales and Jos Buttler putting on an opening stand of 35 runs. But they suffered a brief scare in the middle as they went on to lose four wickets in the space of just 46 runs. Afghanistan could also sense that they were back in the game.
But Liam Livingstone stepped up and scored an unbeaten 29 from 21 deliveries to guide England home.
This win also gave England a significant boost in their NRR, which stands at +0.620 right now. Afghanistan fought well with the ball but this loss has left them with a NRR of -0.620 and they will need to work really hard to improve it.
Speaking after the match, Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi said: “It’s not the best start to the tournament for us but we tried our best. We didn’t get a good enough total on the board in the first innings and everyone knows England are one of the best T20 teams in the world.
“The pitch was more suitable to them as well but there weren’t enough runs. I still think our boys played really well.
“They took some very good catches out there. We were thinking that something like 150 would be a good score to fight with.
“We do want to bat first and we know we have very good spinners with a lot of experience in Australia.
“We will learn from this game and from our mistakes. Hopefully we can improve on that in the next game,” he said.
Abu Muslim Farah beat Omar Zawak Herat 4-0 in the 30th match of the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League, delivering an impressive performance.
The match was played today (Wednesday) at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium.
Samiullah Naderi scored Abu Muslim Farah’s opening goal in the final minutes of the first half.
Abu Muslim Farah continued their attacking play in the second half, with Aman Sardari scoring the team’s second goal in the 69th minute with a spectacular header.
Omid Rajabi and Mirois Ghafouri then added two more goals to complete a 4-0 victory for Abu Muslim Farah.
Amanullah Sardari, captain of Abu Muslim Farah, was named Player of the Match against Omar Zawak Herat.
Abu Muslim Farah will face Ariana Khost in their next match on October 2, while Omar Zawak Herat will take on Istiqlal Kabul on the same day.
The sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League is being broadcast live on Ariana Television.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board’s High Performance Center is set to launch a nationwide fast-bowling talent identification program, titled “Afghan Thunder,” across several provinces throughout October.
According to the ACB, the program will begin in Kunduz on October 4, with assessments continuing in Herat, Kandahar, Kabul, Khost, Paktia and Kunar before concluding in Nangarhar on October 27.
The board says eligible participants must be between 19 and 26 years old, at least 180 centimeters tall, hold a valid electronic National ID (e-Tazkira) and be capable of bowling at speeds of at least 140 kilometers per hour.
The assessment schedule is as follows: Kunduz on October 4–5, Herat on October 9–10, Kandahar on October 12, Kabul on October 14–15, Khost on October 19, Paktia on October 21, Kunar on October 25 and Nangarhar on October 27.
The ACB has encouraged eligible players who believe they have the potential to develop into high-level fast bowlers to take part in the Afghan Thunder Fast-Bowling Talent Hunt Program on the designated dates.
The board says the initiative aims to identify promising fast-bowling talent from across Afghanistan and provide talented players with a pathway into the country’s high-performance cricket system.
Toofan Herat and Aino Mina Kandahar drew 1-1 in the 29th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan on Tuesday.
Enayatullah Koohi scored the opening goal for Toofan Herat in the first half, but Ahmad Nabi Moqaddas equalized for Aino Mina Kandahar in the 32nd minute.
Both teams created chances to score in the second half, but neither side was able to find the net, and the match ended 1-1.
Toofan Herat committed 12 fouls and received one yellow card, while Aino Mina Kandahar committed 16 fouls and received two yellow cards.
Toofan Herat will face Arman FC in their next match on October 1, while Aino Mina Kandahar will take on Abu Muslim Farah on October 2.
The sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League is being broadcast live on Ariana Television.
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