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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

[embed]https://youtu.be/y2dsljgn9fc[/embed]

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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Shoaib Akhtar predicts Afghanistan will win semi-final spot in Champions Trophy

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Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has predicted that Afghanistan will be among the four semi-finalists of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy due to begin later this month in Pakistan.

Akhtar told the media that if the Afghan cricket team demonstrate ‘maturity’ and ‘patience’ then they can deliver surprising results in the upcoming mega event, Geo Super reported.

Akhtar also named hosts and defending champions Pakistan and arch-rivals India as his remaining semi-final contenders.

“I believe Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan will reach the semi-finals of the 2025 Champions Trophy,” said Akhtar.

“If Afghanistan’s team demonstrates maturity and their batsmen show patience, they could deliver surprising results,” he added.

The right-arm pacer further shared that he is hopeful for Pakistan to beat India before expressing his desire to see the fierce rivals colliding in the blockbuster final.

“I’m hopeful that Pakistan will defeat India on February 23. In fact, I believe that both Pakistan and India should also meet in the final of the tournament.

“If Pakistan defeats India and New Zealand in the Champions Trophy, the Green Shirts will have already won half the tournament.”

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will begin on February 19 with hosts Pakistan taking on New Zealand in Karachi.

 

 

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England will not boycott Afghanistan match at Champions Trophy: ECB

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England will play their Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan later this month, England's cricket board (ECB) said on Thursday, despite calls to boycott the game in response to the Islamic Emirate's restrictions on women.

Last month, a group of British lawmakers urged England to boycott the Champions Trophy group stage match against Afghanistan which will be held in Lahore on February 26.

South Africa Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie also supported calls for a boycott.

However, ECB chair Richard Thompson said they would play the match after discussions with the government, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the players, adding that the cricketing community alone cannot tackle Afghanistan's problems.

"We remain of the view that a co-ordinated international response by the cricketing community is the appropriate way forward and will achieve more than any unilateral action by the ECB in boycotting this match," Thompson said in a statement.

"We have also heard that for many ordinary Afghans, watching their cricket team is one of the few remaining sources of enjoyment. As such, we can confirm that we will play this fixture."

The Islamic Emirate says it respect women's rights in accordance with Islamic law and local customs and that they are internal matters that should be addressed locally.

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ILT20: Pakistan bowling great Akhtar backs Sharjah Warriorz to bag title

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With the DP World ILT20 Season 3 inching closer to the mega finale on Sunday, Pakistan bowling great Shoaib Akhtar says although Sharjah Warriorz got a late start this tournament they are now playing extremely well and could lift the trophy.

Impressed by their late surge in the league, with a sensational eight-wicket win against defending champions MI Emirates last week to become the third team to qualify for the play-offs, the DP World ILT20 ambassador and commentator Akhtar said: “I think my heart goes for Sharjah Warriorz because they have started off very late when it comes to playing the tournament well.

“They gained the momentum to be in the place where they are today.”

However, the Warriorz face a tough opponent in MI Emirates in the eliminator to be played Thursday at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

The winner of the eliminator will face Desert Vipers for a place in the Final. Backing the home team, Akhtar added: “While I don’t want to seem biased and wish to see all four teams play top quality cricket, I think it will be really good to see Sharjah go out there to claim the title.”

Speaking about his experience in the month-long league which has witnessed record-breaking performances such as Desert Vipers’ Alex Hales surpassing Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik to become the third highest run-getter in T20s with 13,511 runs after his swashbuckling 67 runs against Dubai Capitals on Wednesday. He is only behind West Indies’ Chris Gayle (14,562 runs) and Keiron Pollard (13,537 runs).

The league also saw MI Emirates’ Tom Banton score a double century this season while Dubai Capitals’ opener Shai Hope, who presently holds the green belt for highest (484) runs in the league so far also has a century to his name.

Talking about these standout performances, Akhtar said: “DP World ILT20 is getting bigger and better every year. I am honoured to be part of the league for the second time. I think the numbers tell the truth when it comes to the TRPs and reach of the tournament. You can see the quality of players performing here.”

He highlighted the depth of bowling talent in the league, and went on to underscore the performance of Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi from MI Emirates, who leads as the highest wicket-taker amassing 20 wickets this season.

“I think Fazalhaq Farooqi is one of the greatest finds for Afghanistan. He is very good when it comes to the new ball and he is learning fast. I think he should look at the bigger picture in terms of playing for his country,” expressed Akhtar.

“Aayan also has a bright future in UAE cricket. The vision behind this league is to promote UAE cricket and this has been successfully achieved seeing the standout performances this season. Khuzaima (from Faisalabad) has also shown a lot of promise.”

On being asked what he would advice the young and upcoming pacers, Akhtar said: “I would like to see them bowl more aggressively and mix up fast bowling with bouncers and make sure that the batters are staying on the backfoot.”

“I have bowled around 23,000 balls and about 10,000 bouncers in my playing career. The stats show you how much I love aggressive, fast bowling. It’s important to bowl in good areas, and in good length. That’s what matters, that’s what will make you take wickets,” he concluded.

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