Sport
Samad hits last-ball six after no ball in IPL thriller
Abdul Samad smashed a last-ball six as Sunrisers Hyderabad chased down 215 to beat Rajasthan Royals by four wickets in a dramatic IPL match on Sunday.
With Hyderabad needing 17 off the final over, Samad was dropped off fast bowler Sandeep Sharma’s first ball.
Samad was caught off the sixth delivery but it turned out to be a no ball, which abruptly cut short Rajasthan’s victory celebrations.
With four needed to win on the final ball, and three to take the game into the super over, Hyderabad had the last laugh as Samad smashed a straight six in his seven-ball 17, AFP reported.
Hyderabad had slipped to 174-5 when New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips turned the game on its head with a seven-ball 25 that infused life into the chase.
Phillips smashed left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav for three sixes and a four before he was caught by Shimron Hetmyer off the fifth ball of the penultimate over.
“That was the ball I should have hit the most. I was disappointed the actual slot ball didn’t go over the fence,” Phillips said after being named man of the match.
“I felt I left a lot out there with 17 needed off the final over, but then Samad did what he did and obviously we got that little bit of luck with the no ball.”
Phillips had come into the Hyderabad team for the under-performing big signing Harry Brook while England’s Joe Root played his first game of the season for Rajasthan.
The victory was set up by key knocks from Abhishek Sharma (55), Rahul Tripathi (47) and Heinrich Klaasen (26) as the team made its highest ever run chase. Yuzvendra Chahal’s bowling figures of 4-29 went in vain.
Rajasthan posted 214-2 after a destructive second-wicket stand of 138 between Jos Buttler, who smashed 95 off 59 deliveries, and skipper Sanju Samson, who hit a 38-ball 66.
Buttler started slowly with his first 20 coming at a run a ball but changed gears to bring up his fifty.
Seam bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar denied Buttler a century to get him out lbw.
Samson finished off the innings in a 17-run over but it wasn’t enough in the end.
“To be honest life is never easy playing this format, especially this tournament,” said Samson.
In the first match of the day, Hardik Pandya got the better of big brother Krunal as holders Gujarat Titans thrashed Lucknow Super Giants by 56 runs.
In the first ever IPL match between teams captained by brothers, Lucknow’s Krunal won the toss and elected to field at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.
The brothers joked and hugged at the start but things turned serious when a destructive opening stand of 142 between Wriddhiman Saha (81) and Shubman Gill (94 not out) powered Gujarat to their highest ever IPL total of 227-2.
Lucknow put up a spirited reply with Kyle Mayers (48) and Quinton de Kock (70) leading the charge but they ended on 171-7 to allow Gujarat to consolidate their top spot in the 10-team table.
Sport
Afghanistan, Uzbekistan set for friendly cricket clash in Khost
The match will be played during a cricket league, and is part of the Cricket Development Support Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the ACB and the Cricket Federation of Uzbekistan in December last year.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced that it will host Uzbekistan’s national cricket team for a one-off T20 international on July 10 at the Rahmat Wali Masroori Cricket Ground in Khost province.
According to the ACB, the match will be played during a cricket league, and is part of the Cricket Development Support Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the ACB and the Cricket Federation of Uzbekistan in December last year.
The friendly match is scheduled to begin at 9:00 AM, with an Afghan XI taking on the visiting Uzbek side. The game will be broadcast live across Afghanistan and internationally through various linear and digital platforms.
Quoted by the ACB, Chief Executive Officer Naseeb Khan said the board remains committed to supporting emerging cricket nations such as Uzbekistan and is ready to extend similar assistance to other countries seeking to develop the sport.
He noted that the ACB has already organized capacity-building programs and training workshops for members of the Cricket Federation of Uzbekistan, while several Uzbek fast bowlers also participated in the ACB’s specialized Fast Bowling Camp last year.
Khan added that Uzbekistan has consistently maintained a friendly policy toward Afghanistan and that the two countries have strengthened cooperation in healthcare, politics, and trade in recent years. He said closer collaboration in cricket development would further deepen relations between the two neighboring nations.
Sport
Serbian Dejan Dedovic appointed head coach of Afghanistan national futsal team
Dedovic will lead Afghanistan’s preparations for upcoming regional and international competitions, overseeing the team’s technical development and training programs.
The Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) has appointed Serbian coach Dejan Dedovic as the new head coach of the national futsal team on a two-year contract.
The agreement was signed during a ceremony attended by AFF officials, futsal committee members, technical staff, and sports journalists.
Dedovic will lead Afghanistan’s preparations for upcoming regional and international competitions, overseeing the team’s technical development and training programs.
The federation also announced several additions to the national team’s coaching staff. Iran’s Javad Asghari Moqaddam has been appointed technical director, while Morteza Mansour Samaei will serve as goalkeeping coach. Spain’s Uriel Masana has joined as assistant coach, Iran’s Sadeq Amani as fitness coach, and Brazil’s Joao Lira as team analyst.
In addition, the AFF renewed the contract of Mohammad Nasir Sedaqat as manager of the national futsal team.
The federation said it expects the newly assembled coaching staff to contribute to the continued development of Afghan futsal and strengthen the team’s competitiveness at the regional and international levels.
Sport
India clinch ODI series against Afghanistan
The India national cricket team defeated Afghanistan in the third and final One Day International (ODI), sealing the series with a 9-wicket victory and lifting the series trophy.
Afghanistan won the toss in the final match and opted to bat first.
Batting first, Afghanistan were bowled out for 218 in 44.2 overs, setting India a target of 219 runs.
Hashmatullah Shahidi played a superb innings, scoring 102 runs off 131 deliveries, anchoring the Afghan batting effort.
In reply, India made light work of the chase, reaching 219 for the loss of just one wicket in 28.4 overs, completing a dominant run chase.
India had already taken an unassailable lead in the series by winning the first ODI by 7 wickets and the second by 170 runs, before sealing a comprehensive 3–0 series sweep in the final match.
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