Sport
New Zealand crush England in Cricket World Cup opener
New Zealand crushed defending champions England by nine wickets in the opening match of the 50-over World Cup on Thursday, demonstrating again their knack of punching above their weight in showpiece events.
Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra smashed rapid unbeaten centuries to set up New Zealand’s successful pursuit of a 283-run victory target, which they reached with 13.4 overs to spare, Reuters reported.
It was a rematch of the heart-stopping 2019 final at Lord’s in which England were declared winners via a now-scrapped boundary countback rule after the game had ended in a tie.
Ravindra’s unbeaten 123 off 96 balls, studded with 11 fours and five sixes, earned the 23-year-old player-of-the-match award on his World Cup debut.
Electing to field, New Zealand’s bowlers restricted their opponents to 282-9, a modest total considering the firepower in England’s usually formidable batting lineup.
England’s batters did not really fire but Joe Root (77), Jos Buttler (43) and Jonny Bairstow (33) provided some resistance.
However, England could not string together enough partnerships and kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
Matt Henry claimed 3-48 for New Zealand and their three spinners shared five wickets on a hot afternoon at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
All 11 England batters made double figures — the first time any side have managed that in ODIs — but it was a patchy batting display.
“Very much outplayed by New Zealand and a tough defeat to take,” Buttler said.
“I thought we were well below-par. We were aiming for somewhere around 330 and the pitch somewhat played better under lights.”
New Zealand lost Will Young for nought in the first over but Conway, who smashed a career-best 152 not out, and Ravindra turned the heat back on England with their free scoring.
The left-handers appeared to be competing with each other to reach the 50-mark quickest — both getting there in 36 balls.
Conway, who hit 19 fours and three sixes, brought up his hundred off 83 balls.
Ravindra, who shared unbroken 273-run partnership with Conway, took one delivery fewer to notch up his maiden ODI hundred.
“Obviously, a fantastic partnership between Rachin and Devon,” Tom Latham, who led New Zealand in the absence of Kane Williamson, said.
“Probably the most pleasing thing was Devon and Rachin just reacted to what was being bowled.
“Rachin played a fantastic innings and (we are) proud of him.”
New Zealand rested Williamson (knee) and fast bowler Tim Southee (thumb) to give them more time to recover from surgery.
England left out Ben Stokes, who is nursing a minor hip injury, replacing him with Harry Brook who made a brisk 25 before falling to Ravindra.
Afghanistan’s wheelchair basketball team earned its second consecutive victory at the 2025 IWBF Asia Oceania Championships on Monday, defeating India 93–26.
Earlier, Afghanistan had triumphed over New Zealand in their opening match.
The tournament features men’s teams from 14 countries, including Australia, China, Iran, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.
Afghanistan is set to play Iraq next on Tuesday.
Sport
Türkiye leads Riyadh 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games medal table
Uzbekistan sits in second place with a total of 16 medals – 4 gold, 8 silver and 4 bronze.
Türkiye is currently dominating the medal table at the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games – Riyadh 2025, with 36 in total, including 26 gold medals, 6 silvers and 4 bronze
Uzbekistan sits in second place with a total of 16 medals – 4 gold, 8 silver and 4 bronze.
Nigeria, Indonesia and Kazakhstan are in third, fourth and fifth place respectively.
Afghanistan has not yet clinched a medal but with 69 athletes representing the country, across 13 sports, spirits are high that some medals will be brought home with the team.
Afghanistan’s athletes at the Games will participate in in athletics (2), boxing (2), futsal (14), ju-jitsu (7), karate (3), muay thai (2), swimming (4), table tennis (2), taekwondo (5), volleyball (12), weightlifting (4), wrestling (9), and wushu (3).
This marks Afghanistan’s largest-ever team at the Islamic Solidarity Games, reflecting renewed national investment in sports development and international competition.
The 2025 edition of the Games will also mark the 25th anniversary of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Association, underscoring the event’s role in promoting unity, cultural exchange, and peace among Muslim nations.
Ariana Television Network (ATN) is Afghanistan’s official broadcaster for the Games, and fans across the country can tune in daily to watch this exciting tournament live.
The Islamic Solidarity Games 2025 officially got underway in Riyadh on Friday, November 7, and will close on November 21.
The games will feature approximately 3,500 athletes from 57 member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation competing in 21 sports and 2 para sports. The event returns to Saudi Arabia after 20 years, as the inaugural games were held there in 2005.
The Morocco national futsal team defeated Afghanistan 4–0 in the ongoing Islamic Solidarity Games held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.
This was Afghanistan’s third match in the tournament. Earlier, the Afghan team defeated Tajikistan and held Iran to a draw, showing strong form before facing Morocco.
Despite the loss, Afghanistan remains a competitive side in the regional futsal championship, demonstrating growing potential in the sport.
The Islamic Solidarity Games features more than 3,000 athletes from 57 Islamic countries competing across 19 sporting disciplines.
Ariana Television Network (ATN) holds the exclusive broadcasting rights in Afghanistan for the Riyadh 2025 Games.
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