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Scotland stuns Zimbabwe, secures clash with Dutch for World Cup spot

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Michael Leask helped Scotland to a stunning 31-run victory over Zimbabwe on Tuesday to set up a winner-takes-all clash with the Netherlands for a place at the World Cup.

Sri Lanka became the first of the top two teams in the Super Six table to have qualified for the October-November World Cup in India when they beat Zimbabwe on Sunday.

The hosts could have clinched the second spot with victory over Scotland in Bulawayo, but it was not to be after Scottish quick Chris Sole (3-33) ripped through their top order, eventually bowled out for 203 chasing down 234.

“Our boys have been fantastic. Credit to the way the lads played today,” said Scotland captain Richie Berrington.

“The way we came out and showed faith in the second innings and get those early wickets was fantastic.”

Berrington added: “It’s a quick turnaround to the game against the Netherlands. We’ll take a lot of confidence but it’s going to be a tough game.”

“It’s a very difficult pill to swallow,” Berrington’s Zimbabwe counterpart Craig Ervine acknowledged.

“I thought we did well to restrict them to 230. Unfortunately that first initial spell from Sole really put us on the back foot and just made it hard for us to recover from that position.”

Leask top scored with a 34-ball 48 as Scotland racked up 234 runs for eight wickets off their allotted 50 overs.

Coming in at number eight, he combined with Mark Watt (21 not out) for an invaluable eighth-wicket partnership of 46 after the Scots had been left reeling at 170-7.

Three other batsmen – Matthew Cross (38), Brandon McMullen (34) and George Munsey (31) – all got into the 30s, but failed to build on their time at the crease.

Sean Williams grabbed 3-41 off his 10 overs, but failed to shine with the bat as Zimbabwe were quickly reduced to 37/4 in the run chase, under intense pressure from Sole.

Wessly Madhevere hit 40 and the dangerous Sikandar Raza 34 as Zimbabwe fought back.

Ryan Burl gave the host nation most hope, however, hitting 83 off 84 balls.

But Burl crucially fell to the offbreak of Leask, who also had a smart catch off his own bowling to dismiss Richard Ngarava.

The Scotsman ended with 2-33 off six overs and his team left the field knowing that a victory over the Dutch on Thursday would see them headed for India in the Autumn.

For Zimbabwe it was a case of deja vu after a similar failure in 2018 qualifiers when they also needed to win only one of their last two matches to qualify for the World Cup. They lost in both games in both 2018 and 2023.

“It’s always nice to put those demons from 2018 behind us and had we gotten over the line today, nobody would have been asking about that but unfortunately, we didn’t,” said Ervine.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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India clinch ODI series against Afghanistan

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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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