Sport
Oman shock Ireland in Cricket World Cup Qualifier
Cricketing minnows Oman pulled off a massive upset by beating Ireland by five wickets in their opening World Cup Qualifier in Bulawayo on Monday, the Gulf sultanate’s first-ever victory over a Test nation in an ODI.
The other Group B match saw Sri Lanka crush the United Arab Emirates by 175 runs.
George Dockrell hit 91 not out and Harry Tector 52 as Ireland reached a respectable 281 for seven wickets in their allotted 50 overs, AFP reported.
But they hadn’t counted on the fighting qualities of an Omani side for whom opener Kashyap Prajapati hit 72, while skipper Zeeshan Maqsood pitched in with 59, Aqib Ilyas 52 and Mohammad Nadeem 46 not out.
A triumphant Maqsood said it was an “honor” to have beaten Ireland, eventually by five wickets with 11 balls remaining.
“If we continue like this, some more results will be in our favor. It was a collective and combined performance, which we need to beat a good side. We came here to go there (to India) and play.”
Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie called the defeat “very disappointing”.
“We felt like we had a pretty good score,” he said. “280 in a one-day game is pretty good. They were hard to bowl to at times. We felt right in the game.
“Oman’s win didn’t take us by surprise… it’s a long tournament. We need to get back into it pretty quickly.”
The second Group B game was much more academic, Sri Lanka racking up a massive 355 for six wickets off their 50 overs.
There were four half-centuries thanks to Kusal Mendis (78), Sadeera Samarawickrama (73), Pathum Nissanka (57) and Dimuth Karunaratne (52), while Charith Asalanka chipped in with 48 not out.
The UAE were in the chase for the first 30 overs, but the tail collapsed, the last five wickets falling for just 13 runs.
Wanindu Hasaranga claimed a first ODI five-wicket haul with 6-24 off eight overs as Sri Lanka bowled the UAE out for 180.
“We know he is going to do the job always,” Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said of Hasaranga.
“We’ve been playing well in the recent past. Playing qualifiers is always special but we don’t take pressure when we play cricket.”
The action continues Tuesday, with hosts Zimbabwe facing the Netherlands and Nepal taking on the United States in the second round of Group A matches at Harare.
Only two of the 10 teams taking part in the three-week qualifier will make the World Cup to be played in India in October and November.
Ariana Television Network will broadcast the matches daily live on TV and Website.
Pre-match shows will start at 11am (Kabul time), while the day’s match will start at 11.30am (Kabul time).
Matches are streamed live on Ariana Television websites simultaneously:
www.arianatelevision.com/live and www.arianatelevision.com/icc-live
CLICK HERE for the broadcast schedule on Ariana Television
Afghanistan’s national cricket team defeated Ireland by three wickets on Monday in the third ODI of the five-match series in Belfast.
Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bowl first.
Ireland were bowled out for 206 runs in 46.3 overs, setting Afghanistan a target of 207 runs.
Rashid Khan and Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar claimed three wickets each for Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s batters then produced a solid performance in the second innings, chasing down the target for the loss of seven wickets in 44.5 overs.
Afghanistan had also won the second match by 92 runs.
The fourth match between the two teams will be played on Wednesday, August 12, in Belfast, Ireland.
Fans can watch the fourth match live and exclusively in Afghanistan on Ariana Television.
Sorkh Poshan Khawafi are leading the Afghanistan Champions League U17 standings after week six, having collected 15 points from six matches.
According to the latest standings released by the Afghanistan Football Federation, Sorkh Poshan Khawafi have won five of their six matches and suffered one defeat. They have scored 22 goals and conceded just two, giving them a +20 goal difference.
Sarsabz Yashlar sit second with 14 points, following four wins and two draws, while Aino Mina are third, also on 14 points but with an inferior goal difference.
Arman FC are fourth with 12 points, followed by Khurasan Faryab with 10 points and Toofan Herat with eight.
In the lower half of the table, Ettifaq Khanzadah have six points, Abu Muslim FC have five, while Jawanan Perozi and Istiqlal Kabul are yet to earn a point after six matches.
Istiqlal Kabul have conceded 35 goals, the most in the competition so far, while Sorkh Poshan Khawafi have the tournament’s strongest attack with 22 goals.
The Afghanistan Champions League U17 is being contested by 10 teams and is being held at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium in Kabul.
Abasin Defenders produced a dominant bowling performance to defeat Kabul Zalmi in the second match of the Kabul Premier League on Saturday, August 8, at the Ayoubi Cricket Ground in Kabul.
Kabul Zalmi won the toss and elected to bat first, but their innings quickly unravelled as Abasin Defenders’ bowlers struck regularly.
Kabul Zalmi were bowled out for 63 in 7.2 overs, leaving Abasin Defenders with a modest target to chase.
Sediqullah Pacha was the standout performer for Abasin Defenders, claiming the Player of the Match award for his match-winning bowling performance.
Abasin Defenders chased down the target comfortably to secure a convincing victory and get their Kabul Premier League campaign off to a winning start.
The result followed the opening match of the tournament earlier on Saturday, when Pamir Stars defeated Shamshad Eagles by 116 runs.
The Kabul Premier League features six teams — Pamir Stars, Shamshad Eagles, Kabul Zalmi, Speenghar Warriors, Abasin Defenders and Band-e-Amir — competing in the 2026 tournament.
All matches are being broadcast live and exclusively on Ariana Television, allowing cricket fans across Afghanistan to follow the competition.
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