Sport
Gill and Shami help India edge past Bangladesh in Champions Trophy
Gill’s ton trumped Towhid Hridoy’s heroic 100 while battling cramps that helped Bangladesh, who were 35-5 at one stage, reach 228 before being all out with two deliveries left in their innings.
India began their Champions Trophy campaign with a six-wicket victory against Bangladesh after opener Shubman Gill anchored their nervy chase with a classy hundred in the Group A contest on Thursday.
A victory target of 229 looked inadequate to test India’s vaunted batting but Rohit Sharma’s men faltered in their chase and owed their tense victory, even if it came with 21 balls to spare, largely to Gill’s unbeaten 101.
Gill’s ton trumped Towhid Hridoy’s heroic 100 while battling cramps that helped Bangladesh, who were 35-5 at one stage, reach 228 before being all out with two deliveries left in their innings.
Seamer Mohammed Shami claimed 5-53, signalling he was ready to lead India’s pace attack in the absence of the injured Jasprit Bumrah.
“We have been in that kind of situation many a time,” India captain Rohit Sharma said of their chase.
“There’s a lot of experience in that dressing room to handle that… KL (Rahul) and Gill at the end were quite composed.”
Najmul Hossain Shanto was left to regret his decision to bat as Bangladesh lost the top half of their batting half inside nine overs.
While India’s new ball pair of Shami and Harshit Rana (3-31) struck in their first overs, spinner Axar Patel nearly claimed a hat-trick.
The left-arm spinner removed Tanzid Hasan (25) and Mushfiqur Rahim – both caught behind – off successive deliveries.
Axar’s next delivery produced an edge from new man in Jaker Ali (68) but Rohit spilled a simple catch in the slip and was seen apologising to Axar for denying him a hat-trick.
Jaker also survived a missed stumping opportunity while Hardik Pandya dropped Hridoy to let Bangladesh off the hook.
The batters forged a 154-run stand but Hridoy developed cramps and was practically batting on one leg towards the end of his stellar hundred that included six fours and two sixes.
Rohit (41) and Gill got India off to a flying start adding 69 runs for the opening stand.
Rohit could not initially middle the ball but boundaries soon started to flow from his bat as he crossed 11,000 runs in ODIs.
Taskin Ahmed removed Rohit in the 10th over and suddenly the boundary flow stopped.
Virat Kohli (22) could not convert the start while Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel fell cheaply as Bangladesh fought back with their spinners.
Jaker dropped Rahul when the Indian was on nine and it proved a costly mistake as the batter went on to make 41 not out and sealing India’s victory with a six.
India next face defending champions Pakistan in a Sunday blockbuster in Dubai.
In the third match of Champions Trophy, Afghanistan will face South Africa in Karachi on Friday. The match will begin at 1:30 p.m.
Cricket fans across the country can watch all Champions Trophy matches live on Ariana Television.
For updates, fixtures and schedules be sure to follow Ariana Television and Ariana News’ digital platforms.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Sport
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.
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.
Sport
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.
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.
Sport
India clinch ODI series against Afghanistan
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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