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Pathirana-inspired Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh in Asia Cup

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(Last Updated On: August 31, 2023)

Fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana returned impressive figures of 4-32 to help Sri Lanka to a comprehensive five-wicket win over Bangladesh in the Asia Cup match on Thursday.

Spinner Maheesh Theekshana struck early before Pathirana joined forces to dismiss Bangladesh for 164 in the opener of the Sri Lanka leg of the 50-over tournament, a precursor to October’s ODI World Cup in India, AFP reported.

Sadeera Samarawickrama, who made 54, and Charith Asalanka, unbeaten on 62, guided the chase in their key stand of 78 after Sri Lanka lost their openers early and slipped to 43-3.

Samarawickrama registered his fourth ODI half-century to raise the noise of the sparse crowd at the scenic venue.

He finally fell stumped off spinner Mahedi Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan soon sent back Dhananjaya de Silva, but the left-handed Asalanka pulled the team home in 39 overs with a winning boundary.

Asalanka reached his 50 in 85 balls to play a patient knock on a pitch where run-scoring did not seem easy. Skipper Dasun Shanaka stood unbeaten on 14.

The bowlers set up victory with Pathirana, whose yorkers have earned him comparisons to Lasith Malinga, picking up key wickets including skipper Shakib and wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim.

Top-order batsman Najmul Hossain Shanto made 89 to play a lone hand in Bangladesh’s innings after they elected to bat first but lasted for only 42.4 overs.

Theekshana struck first when he trapped debutant Tanzid Hasan lbw for nought while De Silva soon sent back fellow opener Mohammad Naim for 16.

Shanto, who bats at number three, stood calm after Bangladesh lost their openers and put on key partnerships including a 59-run fourth-wicket stand with Towhid Hridoy, who was next best with 20.

He registered his fourth ODI half-century and hit seven boundaries but the rest of the batting fell flat.

Pathirana got skipper Shakib caught behind for five with wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis taking a diving catch to his left.

Later he returned to wipe off the tail after Theekshana bowled Shanto with his mystery spin to end the left-hander’s 122-ball knock.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s run-out only added to Bangladesh’s woes, after a mix-up with Shanto.

Sri Lanka, who won the T20 edition of the tournament in Dubai last year, are co-hosting with Pakistan and will next play Afghanistan in Lahore.

Pakistan, who won the tournament opener against Nepal, will clash with arch-rivals India in Pallekele on Saturday.

AFP

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Day 2 Roundup: China’s medal momentum continues at Asian Games

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(Last Updated On: September 26, 2023)

Hosts China continued to dominate at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou on Monday, securing an impressive haul of 19 gold medals, while the shooting range had three world records shattered.

The Chinese rowers once again made a significant impact along the Fuchun River, earning five more gold medals on the last day of rowing action, Xinhua reported.

On Sunday, Chinese rowers also won the Men’s and Women’s Quadruple Sculls, Women’s Pair, and Eight.

In total, China has taken 11 out of the 14 gold medals available in the sport, including the first gold of these events in the Women’s Lightweight Double Sculls.

After a dominating performance in the pool on Sunday with seven gold medals, Chinese swimmers slightly slowed their momentum on Monday, clinching four out of the seven golds. Triple Breaststroke world champion Qin Haiyang won the 100m Breaststroke, setting a Games record of 57.76 seconds.

His compatriot Yan Zibei was second in 59.09 seconds, while Republic of Korea’s Choi Dongyeol placed third in 59.28.

Qin, flagbearer for the Chinese team at the opening ceremony, rose to stardom at the World Championships in Fukuoka in July, becoming the first man in history to win all three Breaststroke titles while also setting a world record in the 200m.

When asked about his plans to break the 50m Breaststroke world record, Qin said that he wouldn’t specifically prepare for it, as “it’s not an Olympic event.”

“I think I’ll need some luck to break the world record,” the 24-year-old added.

In the Women’s 200m Individual Medley final, a competitive duel unfolded between rising star Yu Yiting and London Olympic champion Ye Shiwen. Yu set a Games record of 2:07.75 to claim the title, with Ye finishing second in 2:10.34. Republic of Korea’s Kim Seoyeong was third with a time of 2:10.36.

China’s world champion Xu Jiayu secured the top spot in the Men’s 50m Backstroke with a time of 24.38 seconds, while Wang Xue’er narrowly outpaced teammate Wan Letian to win the Women’s 50m Backstroke in 27.35 seconds.

In a historic moment for Hong Kong, China, Siobhan Bernadette Haughey earned Hong Kong’s first-ever gold medal in Swimming at the Asian Games. Haughey, the Olympic silver medalist in the Women’s 100m Freestyle, cruised to victory in the 200m, beating defending champion Li Bingjie of China in a Games record of 1:54.12.

The shooting range also provided cause for celebration as China’s shooters claimed 3 gold medals, breaking 2 of the 3 world records on the day.

In other events, China’s women gymnasts extended their remarkable streak by winning their 13th consecutive team title at the Asian Games, scoring 161.896 points. Japan was second with 157.229 points, while DPR Korea placed third with 156.829 points.

China also claimed gold medals in Cycling, Taekwondo, Skateboarding, Fencing and Wushu to lead the medal table with 39 gold, 21 silver, and 9 bronze medals. The Republic of Korea was second with 10 golds and Japan third with 5.

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ACB announce Amul as the National Team’s Sponsor for the ICC Men’s CWC 2023

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(Last Updated On: September 26, 2023)

The Afghanistan Cricket Board has signed Amul as the Afghanistan National Team’s Principal Sponsor for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, starting October 5 in India.

Amul is India’s largest FMCG brand and one of India’s most iconic and trusted dairy brands, which will appear on the Afghanistan team’s jerseys as well as on the training kits throughout the World Cup.

Jayen Mehta, Managing Director of Amul said: “Sports is an important medium for Amul to connect with today’s generation. Milk is the world’s original energy drink and is consumed by all sports persons. We also celebrate the values of milk which are imbibed by today’s youth with our BeMoreMilk initiative which will feature the Afghanistan team.”

Amul exports its milk powders and baby food to Afghanistan and has done so for the last 20 years. “We are proud to build our association with the Afghanistan Men’s Cricket Team and wish them all the best for the World Cup,” Mehta said.

Naseeb Khan, the ACB’s CEO said: “Amul has been ACB’s commercial partner in the past and we are pleased to have them on board again for this year’s event as well.” T

The Afghanistan National Cricket Team will arrive in India on September 25 and will begin their preparations for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. They will first face South Africa and Sri Lanka in the two warm up games ahead of their first game at the mega event against Bangladesh on October 7, 2023 in Dharamsala.

Afghan players have meanwhile arrived in Thiruvananthapuram, India, ahead of their first warm up match against South Africa on Friday.

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Afghanistan scoops Bronze Medal at Asian Games 2023

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(Last Updated On: September 25, 2023)

Mohsen Rezaei, the captain of the country’s national taekwondo team, won bronze on Sunday after losing in the semi-final to Jang Jun from South Korea.

Rezaei won the first round against world champion Jang Jun with a close score of 7-5 but lost 14-12 in the second round and settled for a historic and valuable bronze medal.

Reports indicate Rezaei broke his hand in the first stage of the competition, but still managed to register the first medal for Afghanistan at this year’s Games.

According to officials of the Taekwondo Federation, Afghanistan won bronze by defeating opponents from Tajikistan, Japan, and Kazakhstan and South Korea.

Early in the day Afghanistan’s national rugby team lost in its last match.

After beating Nepal, the team went through to the next round and faced the United Arab Emirates. However the team suffered a defeat, despite their best efforts.

Other Afghans were also unlucky on Monday, including swimmer Fahim Anwari who took part in the 50m freestyle and 100 m breaststroke but failed to qualify for the next rounds.

Afghan boxer, in the 71kg weight division Mohammad Khyber Nooristani also fell out following an injury during his bout against his Mongolian opponent.

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