Sport
ILT20: MI Emirates beats Sharjah Warriors by 6 wickets
Imran Tahir of MI Emirates helped drive his team to a second win over Sharjah Warriors in just four days in Tuesday’s International League T20 (ILT20) match in the UAE.
In MI Emirates’ opening fixture at the weekend, which was against the same opposition – Sharjah Warriors – Tahir took three for 26 in Abu Dhabi.
But his two for 17 on Tuesday evening, after Sharjah had got off to a flier in their first match at their home ground, was even better.
His victims were the Sharjah captain, Moeen Ali, and their top-scoring opener, Tom Kohler-Cadmore. Once Tahir had made his incisions, a target that looked set to be in the region of 200 was scaled down to 146, The National reported.
Easy for a side who have Will Smeed, Muhammad Waseem, Andre Fletcher, Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard making up their top five. MI Emirates were six-wicket winners by the end.
“I have said many times before, I just have a huge respect for the game,” Tahir said between innings, after being handed the white belt which is given to the leading bowler in the ILT20.
“For my son and my family, I want to show it is never too late. I just respect the game and want to play in a good manner,” he said.
Tournament organizers meanwhile gave away thousands of tickets ahead of Tuesday’s fixture as the stadium would have been short on fans given that it was a week night match.
A dream come true
Meanwhile, one of the most exciting young players in the UAE national team, Muhammad Waseem, fulfilled a major goal of his promising career – to play with some of the big stars involved with the Mumbai Indians family.
His dream was fulfilled when he got the opportunity to represent MI Emirates in the inaugural edition of the ILT20. “Since this league was announced I always wanted to play for MI Emirates,” he said.
Mumbai Indians (MI) “is the biggest franchise in the world. It is a successful franchise. When I got to know that I had got a chance to play for MI Emirates under Kieron Pollard as captain, my happiness doubled,” he said.
West Indies star Kieron Pollard is one of the most feared batters in the T20 format and, according to Waseem, “the kind of captain Pollard is, he treats everyone well and gives us all confidence.”
Wednesday’s fixture
The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders will take on Desert Vipers in Wednesday’s match which will be played in Dubai from 14:30 Kabul time.
While both teams look strong on paper the Knight Riders have been atrocious with bat in hand and have lost their last 2 matches.
Desert Vipers meanwhile won their last match.
Cricket fans in Afghanistan can watch this match live by tuning in to Ariana Television, which has the exclusive rights to broadcast the tournament in the country.
For the full broadcasting schedule CLICK HERE
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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