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India edge Pakistan in low-scoring nailbiter at T20 World Cup

India beat Pakistan by six runs in a low-scoring but tense T20 World Cup Group A encounter on Sunday at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium where more than 34,000 fans were in attendance at the temporary arena despite the early rain.

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India beat Pakistan by six runs in a low-scoring but tense T20 World Cup Group A encounter on Sunday at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium where more than 34,000 fans were in attendance at the temporary arena despite the early rain.

The result moved India to the top of Group A with two wins from their opening two matches while Pakistan have zero points from two defeats following their upset by the hosts, the United States.

Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl first on a two-paced pitch where rain interruptions made things difficult for India who struggled to get going and were dismissed for 119.

Mohammad Rizwan laid the platform for the chase with a patient knock of 31 but Pakistan fell short after losing wickets at regular intervals

In response, Mohammad Rizwan laid the platform for the chase with a patient knock of 31 but Pakistan fell short after losing wickets at regular intervals while India’s Jasprit Bumrah (3-14) made crucial breakthroughs and bowled 15 dot balls.

“We felt that we were a little under par and when the sun came out, the wicket did get a little better,” player of the match Bumrah said.

“So we had to be really disciplined with what we were trying to do and we are very happy with the win.”

Chasing a run-a-ball 120 to win, Pakistan lost skipper Babar Azam (13) when he edged Bumrah to the slips while Usman Khan and Fakhar Zaman also fell for 13.

But Rizwan, who was dropped in the third over by Shivam Dube near the boundary, made a patient knock of 31 before Bumrah made another crucial breakthrough when he had the opener bowled.

The game suddenly turned India’s way when Rishabh Pant took a second running catch to dismiss Shadab Khan as Pakistan’s required run rate crept up and left them needing 21 runs off the last two overs.

Bumrah was saved for the penultimate over where the pace spearhead conceded only three runs and finished his spell with his third wicket when Iftikhar Ahmed was caught in the deep.

Naseem Shah smashed two boundaries in the final over but Arshdeep Singh ensured there were no fireworks at the end as India held on for a narrow win.

 

WATCH: Fans in Jalalabad gather in the city to watch the match

HUGE ROAR

In the first innings, which was delayed by rain, Rohit set the tone in the first over when he launched a Shaheen Afridi delivery into the stands behind midwicket to draw a huge roar from the crowd.

Spirits were briefly dampened in the 34,000-capacity stadium when the rain returned and the players walked off but play restarted 35 minutes later with no overs lost.

Virat Kohli kicked things off with a boundary but he played a loose shot to fall to Naseem Shah when he smashed a wide ball straight to the covers before Afridi dismissed Rohit when he skied a ball to deep square leg.

Axar Patel and Pant accelerated the scoring rate, but Shah struck again to remove Axar when the all-rounder charged down the pitch only to see the ball crash into the stumps.

Pant continued to live dangerously as he refused to take his foot off the gas, throwing his body around the crease to play unorthodox yet trademark shots to all corners of the ground, but he was losing partners at the other end.

The wicketkeeper’s luck finally ran out when he fell for 42 while the middle and lower order collapsed, with none of the last seven batters getting into double digits as India were all out for 119.

“We didn’t bat well enough. At 10 overs we were in a good position and you expect the guys to stitch together partnerships. We fell 15-20 runs short, every run matters on a pitch like that,” Rohit said.

“The bowlers did the job for us… The never-say-die attitude in the team with 119 on the board, we didn’t make early inroads but we got together and said if it can happen to us, it could happen to them.” – Reuters

 

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Afghan cricket team arrives in Pakistan; Ghazanfar ruled out due to injury

The ICC meanwhile said on Wednesday that Afghanistan has confirmed its spinner swap for the event.

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Afghanistan’s national cricket team arrived in Lahore, Pakistan, on Wednesday, ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy which gets underway next week.

Players and support staff touched down in the country on Wednesday morning. The team will enjoy a day of rest before starting their practise sessions on Thursday.

Their first match is scheduled for Friday, February 21 at the National Stadium Karachi.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 marks the tournament’s return after an eight-year hiatus and is set to kick off on Wednesday February 19.

As the host nation and defending champions, Pakistan will compete against seven of the world’s best teams to retain their title.

The eight teams are divided into two groups for the tournament’s opening stage. Each team will play three group-stage matches, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals.

Group A features Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and New Zealand, while Group B includes Afghanistan, England, Australia, and South Africa.

The tournament opener will see the home team, Pakistan, face New Zealand on February 19th in Karachi. However, India will play all their matches in Dubai, citing security concerns as the reason for not traveling to Pakistan.

Afghanistan squad

The ICC meanwhile said on Wednesday that Afghanistan has confirmed its spinner swap for the event.

Teenage spinner AM Ghazanfar has been ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury. Left-armer Nangyal Kharoti has been drafted into the squad as a replacement.

Ghazanfar’s absence is a blow to Afghanistan’s spin department as they are already missing experienced spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

“Afghanistan’s young spin-bowling sensation, AM Ghazanfar, has been ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy due to a fracture in the L4 vertebra,” the team confirmed in a statement.

Ghazanfar sustained the injury during Afghanistan’s recent tour to Zimbabwe and is expected to be sidelined for at least four months.

“Nangyal Kharoti, who was part of the reserves pool, has been promoted to the main squad for the Champions Trophy. Additionally, Mujeeb Ur Rahman continues to miss the ODI action, until he has fully recovered,” the statement read.

Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran. Reserves: Darwish Rasooli, Bilal Sami

Afghanistan’s Group Stage Fixtures:

  • 21 February – Afghanistan vs South Africa, Karachi
  • 26 February – Afghanistan vs England, Lahore
  • 28 February – Afghanistan vs Australia, Lahore
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Ariana Snooker Championship 2025: Day 1 Highlights

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The Ariana Snooker Championship 2025 kicked off in Afghanistan today, Tuesday February 11, with thrilling matches at the top level.

In the opening match, Afghanistan’s No. 1 ranking player Saleh Mohammad Mohammadi dominated the game, defeating Sahil Ebrahimi 4-1 to secure a spot in the next round.

The second match saw the country’s No. 2, Naweed Naderi, showcase his skills, effortlessly beating Iqbal Hasas 4-0.

Ali Ahmad followed suit, overcoming Mohammad Sadeq Mohammadi 4-2 in a well-fought contest.

The day’s final match saw Mohammad Rais Hotak deliver a commanding performance, dispatching Ali Sakhi with a 4-0 victory.

The week-long tournament, which runs from February 11 to 17, features the country’s top 16 snooker players who are competing for the prestigious title.

The matches will be broadcast live on Ariana Television in Afghanistan and will be live streamed on arianatelevision.com; Ariana Sport Facebook page and Ariana Sport YouTube Channel.

Match line up for Wednesday, February 12

ATN will start broadcasting the event live and exclusively from 3pm on Wednesday.

Match 1, 2, 3 and 4 took place on Tuesday.

Match 5 will see Zulmai Salamkhil play Ismail Mohammadi at 3pm.

Match 6 is between Ajmal Yousofzai and Haseebullah Sultani.

Match 7 will feature Mohammad Mir Noorzai and Ibrahim Mohammadi.

Match 8, the last in the group stage, will be between Nadir Khan Rohani and M. Usman Mohammadi.

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All you need to know about Ariana Snooker Champs, which kicks off tomorrow

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Sports lovers across the country will be thrilled to hear that yet another exciting event will be broadcast live by Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN) across the country from Tuesday, February 11.

This time it’s the Ariana Snooker Championship.

As part of ATN’s commitment to the development of sport and the sport community in Afghanistan, the tournament will be played in Kabul. The tournament has been organized by ATN, in partnership with Afghanistan Billiards & Snooker Federation.

Sixteen of the country’s top snooker players will battle it out for the title in the week-long event.

The group stage will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday, with four matches each day. All players will then move on to the knockout stage, which will take place on Thursday and Friday this week.

The quarter finals are scheduled for Saturday, February 15, the semi-finals on Sunday. Capping the week off will be the finals, scheduled for Sunday, February 17.

Who is taking part

Among the players to look out for is Saleh Mohammadi, who at 53 years of age, is ranked number 1 in the country.

This right-handed player has been playing competitively since 1990 and has over 50 international tournaments under his belt.

Another heavyweight player to watch will be 35-year-old right hander Naweed Naderi who is ranked 2nd in the country.

At number 3 in the country is Ali Ahmad, who is also in the line up and will play in Match 3 on Tuesday. He is also a right handed player.

Tournament format

The group stage will see players competing in seven frames. The knockout stage and the quarter finals will both be nine frames; the semi-finals 11 frames, and the final will be 13 frames.

Players and Match lineup

ATN will start broadcasting the event live and exclusively from 3pm on Tuesday, Feb. 11 and Wednesday, Feb. 12.

Match 1: Tuesday – M. Saleh Mohammadi vs Sahel Ebrahimi. Match starts just after 3:00pm.

Match 2: Tuesday – M. Iqbal Hasas vs Naweed Naderi. Match starts at 4:25pm.
Match 3: Tuesday – Ali Ahmad vs M. Sadiq Mohammadi. Match starts at 5:35pm
Match 4: Tuesday – M. Rayees Hotak vs Ali Sakhi. Broadcast starts at 6:50pm
Match 5: Wednesday – Zulmai Salamkhil vs Ismail Mohammadi. Match starts at 3:00pm.
Match 6: Wednesday – Ajmal Yousofzai vs Haseebullah Sultani. Match starts at 4:25pm.
Match 7: Wednesday – Mohammad Mir Noorzai vs Ibrahim Mohammadi. Match starts at 5:35pm.
Match 8: Wednesday – Nadir Khan Rohani vs M. Usman Mohammadi. Match starts at 6:50pm.

See table below on viewing options available for fans.

For snooker fans across the country, be sure to follow Ariana Television and Ariana News’ social media platforms for the latest news on this exciting event.

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