Sport
Pakistan down Bangladesh to stay alive at World Cup
Shaheen Shah Afridi grabbed three wickets while openers Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique cracked half-centuries as Pakistan stormed to a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Tuesday to stay afloat in the race for a World Cup semi-final place.
Shaheen's 3-23 helped Pakistan dismiss Bangladesh for just 204 in 45.1 overs before Zaman's 74-ball 81 and Shafique's 69-ball 68 guided Pakistan over the line for the loss of three wickets with 105 balls to spare, AFP reported.
The victory revived Pakistan's outside hopes of reaching the semi-finals with six points from seven matches.
They still need to win against New Zealand (November 4 in Bengaluru) and England (Kolkata on November 11) and also hope other results go their way if they are to stay in the tournament.
In contrast, Bangladesh became the first side to crash out of the 10-team event with just one win from seven games.
"We are trying to win our next two matches and let's see where we stand. We will take a lot of confidence into those matches," said Pakistan skipper Babar Azam who singled out Zaman for special praise.
"We know when Fahkar plays the way he can for 20-30 overs it is a different ball game. So we let him play his natural game and it is good to see."
Needing to improve their net run-rate, Zaman and Shafique cruised to 128 by the 22nd over.
Shafique hit nine boundaries and two sixes as he made his third half century in addition to a hundred in the tournament.
He fell leg-before to spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz while Azam holed out to the same bowler for nine.
Zaman, who recovered from a knee injury to replace Imam-ul-Haq in one of three changes for Pakistan, smashed seven sixes and three boundaries, his 16th ODI fifty, but first after 11 innings.
He holed out to Miraz in the 28th over but Mohammad Rizwan (26) and Iftikhar Ahmed (17) remained undefeated to complete the modest chase.
Miraz finished with 3-60, the only bright spot in Bangladesh's bowling.
"Two more matches hopefully we can bounce back. The fans supported us and are behind us whether we are doing well or not," said Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan.
"We have to give something back to them so they can smile."
Sport
Afghanistan raring to go ahead of Futsal World Cup match against Angola
Twenty-four teams will take part in the tournament, with Afghanistan, Tajikistan, New Zealand and France making their debut
Afghanistan will meet Angola later Sunday, September 15, in their first FIFA Futsal World Cup match in Uzbekistan.
The match will kick off at 4.30pm and will be broadcast live on Ariana Television.
Players have spent the past week in practise, preparing for their matches, and said Saturday they are well prepared for their debut at this year’s Futsal World Cup.
The World Cup got underway on Saturday, September 14, in Uzbekistan.
Twenty-four teams will take part in the tournament, with Afghanistan, Tajikistan, New Zealand and France making their debut and Portugal defending the title they won three years ago in Lithuania.
The first-ever FIFA tournament in Central Asia kicked off on 14 September in Bukhara and the capital, Tashkent. The eastern city of Andijan will complete the trio of venues for the 24-team competition.
The 2024 edition will be the tenth in the history of the FIFA Futsal World Cup and will run until October 6.
Uzbekistan will be joined in the competition by four former champions - Argentina, Brazil, Portugal and Spain - and four debutantes: Afghanistan, France, New Zealand and Tajikistan.
Angola, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Guatemala, Iran, Kazakhstan, Libya, Morocco, Netherlands, Panama, Paraguay, Thailand, Ukraine and Venezuela complete the line-up after successfully completing the 121-team qualifying process.
Sport
Rashid returns as Afghanistan call up fresh faces for South Africa ODIs
Gulbadin Naib, and Mohammad Nabi also feature in an heavily experienced squad. However, injuries to a couple of known faces has paved a way for the addition of two young contenders.
Afghanistan have announced a 17-member squad for three-game ODI series against South Africa.
Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead Afghanistan in their historic bilateral ODI series against South Africa, while Rahmat Shah will be his deputy. The side also sees the return of Rashid Khan, who missed their previous ODI series against Ireland because of an injury.
Gulbadin Naib, and Mohammad Nabi also feature in an heavily experienced squad. However, injuries to a couple of known faces has paved a way for the addition of two young contenders.
Afghanistan will be without the services of Ibrahim Zadran, who was ruled out due to an ankle sprain, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who is yet to recover from a right phalanx sprain. This opens up doors for Abdul Malik, the talented right-handed top-order batter who recently impressed in the domestic List A competition, and Darwish Rasooli, another top-order option with the experience of seven T20Is to his name.
Afghanistan Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Abdul Malik, Riaz Hassan, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik.
“Hosting South Africa for the first time in our cricketing history is a huge milestone for Afghanistan Cricket," ACB CEO Mr. Naseeb Khan said. "They are a top-quality side, and playing against them in an ODI series is something we are all excited about.
"Our team has shown great performances in ICC events over the past two-three years, and we are focused on making our team equally competitive in bilateral cricket."
This ODI series will be the first meeting between Afghanistan and South Africa outside of ICC tournaments, with all three games set to be hosted by ACB at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
The teams last met at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, where the Proteas overcame Afghanistan in the semi-finals with ease.
ODI Series Schedule:
Wednesday, 18 September
1st ODI, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE
Friday, 20 September
2nd ODI, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE
Sunday, 22 September
3rd ODI, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE
Sport
Afghanistan v NZ test abandoned without a ball bowled
Afghanistan will play their first of the three-match ODI series against South Africa on Wednesday.
Afghanistan's one-off test against New Zealand became just the eighth match in the format's history to be abandoned without a ball being bowled after rain washed out the fifth and final day in India's Greater Noida region on Friday.
The first ever test scheduled between the sides looked doomed from the start due to steady rain for over two weeks in the region. It was also the first test to be scheduled at the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sport Complex near Delhi.
Afghanistan will play their first of the three-match ODI series against South Africa on Wednesday.
New Zealand will fly to Sri Lanka on Saturday for a two-test series in Galle from the same day.
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