Sport
Ireland beat Afghanistan in the fifth match to win 3-2
Ireland clinched the series 3-2 against Afghanistan on Wednesday night when they secured a seven-wicket victory over the visitors.
Mark Adair saw his first two deliveries flayed to the off side boundary only to respond with two wickets in as many balls in the game’s second over. Hazratullah Zazai sliced one to mid off where Simi Singh took a good over the shoulder catch while Rahmanullah Gurbaz nicked off the next ball.
Afghanistan wrested back some momentum when Usman Ghahu bludgeoned 20 off Singh’s solitary over, but a double strike from Josh Little — the second via a stunning Lorcan Tucker catch behind the stumps — put Ireland back in control before the rain came.
That brought the Afghanistan innings to a close. Ireland were eventually given seven overs to chase just 56. Andrew Balbirnie launched an early boundary over mid off while Paul Stirling also found the rope on two occasions to ensure Ireland kept up with the rate.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman did remove the openers to give Afghanistan a sniff but Harry Tector combined with George Dockrell to see the side home.
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan says his team’s dramatic Super Over loss to South Africa in Ahmedabad has reopened memories of their painful defeat to Australia at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023—a result he admits “never goes out of the mind.”
Rashid, speaking in Delhi ahead of Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 match against UAE, said the team tried to unwind after the nail-biting defeat by ordering Peshawari food late at night, Espncricinfo reported.
”We were in Ahmedabad and we told the manager to order food. Peshawari food: their dal bukhara, dal makhani, I told him to order that and bring some tandoori chicken so that we can vent our anger on that,” Rashid said.
“No one should say that he did this or he did that because it brings negativity in the team,” he said. “No one has lost, just our team has lost. We put in a lot of effort, but we never blame any player for being in a Super Over. I always tell everyone that as a captain I don’t want to hear any of these things. It disappoints me more than the game when you’re blaming the players. We all put in the effort.”
Rashid admitted the loss has been difficult to shake.
“To be honest, it’s pretty hard,” he said. “It’s very, very hard to lose that game where we had it in our hand a couple of times and then it just slips off your hand and it disappoints you. It doesn’t go away from your mind. Like, the game we played against Australia in the 2023 World Cup at Wankhede, it never goes out of the mind, until we won against them in the 2024 World Cup. And then slowly it got out of the mind.”
He recalled gathering the team that night in Mumbai for a late dinner and a message of unity. “We had a good dinner and just talked positively, just to keep supporting each other. I feel like this is so important.”
Rashid said maintaining performance levels despite setbacks is part of the challenge. “It is quite challenging, I feel like out of 100 times, if you got the success 99 times, the one time you don’t get it, people will talk about that one time, and they forget (the good results) and that’s something which is more challenging.”
A reporter’s suggestion that he visit Lajpat Nagar for Afghan food brought a final smile. “Before, we used to go when we weren’t very famous,” Rashid joked. “Now it’s a bit difficult.”
Afghanistan national cricket team kept their T20 World Cup 2026 hopes alive with a hard-fought five-wicket victory over the United Arab Emirates national cricket team in Delhi on Monday, chasing down 161 with four balls to spare.
Batting first, UAE posted 160 for 9, anchored by an impressive 68 from Sohaib Khan, whose counterattacking innings held the innings together. Alishan Sharafu added a valuable 40, helping UAE recover from early setbacks. For Afghanistan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Azmatullah Omarzai claimed two wickets each, while disciplined spells from the rest of the attack kept the total within reach.
Afghanistan’s chase began poorly as Rahmanullah Gurbaz departed for a duck, but Ibrahim Zadran steadied the innings with a composed 53 off 41 balls. Darwish Rasooli’s 33 ensured the target remained manageable before Omarzai delivered the decisive blow.
Completing a standout all-round performance, Azmatullah Omarzai smashed an unbeaten 40 off 21 deliveries, guiding Afghanistan to 162 for 5 and sealing a much-needed victory. Mohammad Nabi supported him at the other end as Afghanistan crossed the line comfortably in the end.
The win puts Afghanistan on two points—still facing long odds of reaching the Super Eights. To go through, they now depend on a combination of favourable results elsewhere in the group. But for the moment, the team has kept its World Cup campaign alive, doing just enough under pressure in Delhi to remain in contention.
Afghanistan will face Canada in their next game on Thursday.
Sport
Afghanistan face UAE in must-win T20 World Cup clash
The UAE, meanwhile, will be aiming to capitalize on the opportunity and strengthen their position in the group.
Afghanistan will take on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today, Monday February 16, in a crucial group-stage match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The match is scheduled to begin at 10:00am local time at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Afghanistan head into the contest under pressure after suffering defeats against New Zealand and South Africa in their opening two group-stage matches, leaving them in urgent need of a win to keep their qualification hopes alive.
The UAE, meanwhile, will be aiming to capitalize on the opportunity and strengthen their position in the group.
The encounter is seen as a key test for Afghanistan, who are known for their strength in the shortest format of the game, particularly through their spin attack and aggressive batting – and victory would certainly revive their World Cup campaign.
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