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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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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