Sport
Farooq Khan Ahmadzai makes international umpiring debut
He was recently promoted to the ACB’s elite umpiring panel following a competitive selection process.
Afghanistan’s Farooq Khan Ahmadzai made his international umpiring debut during the first T20I between Afghanistan and India, becoming the seventh Afghan umpire to officiate at international level.
Ahmadzai, one of the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s leading domestic umpires, took charge of his first international match in the opening game of the three-match series in New Delhi on Sunday, September 14.
He was recently promoted to the ACB’s elite umpiring panel following a competitive selection process.
Ahmadzai joins a growing group of Afghan officials who have officiated in international cricket, including Ahmad Shah Durrani, Ahmad Shah Pakteen and Izatullah Safi, who are among the Afghan umpires currently listed on the ICC’s international umpire panel.
Pakteen is the most experienced of the group, having officiated in Tests, ODIs and T20Is.
Ahmadzai has built considerable experience in Afghanistan’s domestic game, having officiated in 38 first-class matches, 59 List A matches and 74 T20s before making the step up to international cricket.
His international debut came during a significant fixture, with Afghanistan facing India in the opening match of their T20I series.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board congratulated Ahmadzai on the milestone and wished him success in his international umpiring career.
Afghanistan’s U-15 national football team defeated India 2-1 in the quarter-finals of Tier C at the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan on Thursday.
The match marked Afghanistan’s eighth appearance in the competition, with the young Afghan side recording their fifth victory.
Afghanistan will face Hungary in the semi-finals of the placement competition for positions 81 to 88 later on Thursday.
Afghanistan’s U-15 national football team secured a convincing 6-2 victory over Namibia in the Round of 16 of the lower bracket in Tier C at the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan on Wednesday.
Afghanistan will now face India in the quarter-finals for positions 81 to 88, today (Thursday).
Afghanistan defeated Zimbabwe by 37 runs in the opening match of their three-match T20I series in Sharjah on Tuesday, thanks to a blistering half-century from Ijaz Ahmadzai and impressive all-round performances from Rashid Khan and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Afghanistan were struggling at 66 for 5 in the 12th over before Ahmadzai turned the innings around with an explosive knock. He reached his half-century off just 20 balls, putting Zimbabwe’s bowlers under pressure with a series of powerful shots.
Ahmadzai combined with Shahidullah, who scored 46 off 42 balls, to rebuild the innings. The pair added 61 runs in just 4.5 overs, helping Afghanistan recover from their early setbacks.
Rashid Khan provided another late surge, smashing 30 runs off just 10 deliveries, including four sixes and a four. Afghanistan were eventually bowled out with one ball remaining in their innings but managed to post a competitive total of 177.
Newman Nyamhuri was Zimbabwe’s leading bowler, claiming four wickets for 31 runs.
In reply, Zimbabwe struggled against Afghanistan’s disciplined bowling attack and were bowled out for 140, handing Afghanistan a comfortable victory.
Rashid played a key role with the ball, taking two wickets for 20 runs, while Fazalhaq Farooqi also claimed three wickets to restrict Zimbabwe’s chase.
Afghanistan tightened their grip during the middle overs as Rashid and Mujeeb Ur Rahman struck crucial blows. Mujeeb finished with two wickets, while Zimbabwe continued to lose batters at regular intervals and failed to build the partnerships needed to challenge the target.
The victory marked Afghanistan’s sixth consecutive T20I win against Zimbabwe and improved their overall record in the format to 20 wins against two defeats.
The sides will meet again for their next T20I on Thursday.
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