Sport
South Africa sink spirited US in WC Super 8
American opener Steven Taylor (24) underlined his intent when he smashed a boundary off the first ball, but after four fours and a six, he fell to Rabada when a mistimed shot was caught at mid-off.
South Africa beat the United States by 18 runs in the first T20 World Cup Super 8 game in Antigua on Wednesday as Kagiso Rabada’s experience came to the fore at the end of a tense game.
Having struggled on New York’s slow pitches in the group stage, South Africa scored freely at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, posting 194-4 on the back of Quinton de Kock’s fine knock of 74.
In response, U.S. opener Andries Gous (80 not out) provided the fireworks along with Harmeet Singh (38) down the order but fast bowler Rabada picked up crucial wickets in his spell of 3-18 and restricted the run rate as the U.S. fell short.
“We’ve had some tricky wickets coming up to this game and I think it’s just nice to spend some time out in the middle,” player of the match De Kock said.
The U.S. had won the toss and opted to field first, picking up the wicket of Reeza Hendricks early but De Kock cut loose as South Africa scored at over 10 runs per over during the powerplay.
De Kock reached his fifty in 26 balls and shared a 110-run partnership with skipper Aiden Markram off 60 deliveries.
Harmeet Singh dismissed De Kock when he mistimed a full toss and was caught near the boundary and the all-rounder was on a hat-trick when he had David Miller caught and bowled.
Markram fell four runs short of his fifty when he chased a wide loose ball and Ali Khan took a sharp diving catch to give Saurabh Netravalkar his second wicket.
SUPERB SPELL
Despite Netravalkar’s superb spell (2-21), the others failed to contain South Africa as Heinrich Klaasen dealt in sixes and scored a quick-fire 36 in an unbroken 53-run partnership with Tristan Stubbs (20) to propel them to 194-4.
American opener Steven Taylor (24) underlined his intent when he smashed a boundary off the first ball, but after four fours and a six, he fell to Rabada when a mistimed shot was caught at mid-off.
The fast bowler also dismissed Nitish Kumar, who was caught at deep square leg, and U.S. captain Aaron Jones fell for a duck to spinner Keshav Maharaj.
Gous continued to resist, bringing up his fifty with back-to-back sixes, but the required run rate continued to climb.
There was hope when Shamsi went for 22 runs in an expensive 18th over but Rabada returned to dismiss Harmeet, conceding only two runs in the penultimate over.
“It’s hard to take the defeat after getting so close. We could have been a little more disciplined bowling-wise,” Jones said.
“It could have been a closer game and we could have got over the line.” – Reuters
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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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