Sport
U.S. stun Pakistan in Super Over to seal famous win

The United States beat Pakistan in a Super Over in Dallas on Thursday to achieve one of the biggest upsets in Twenty20 World Cup history and secure their second win of the tournament.
Pakistan, the 2009 champions, recovered from a poor start to score 159-7 but the U.S. plundered 14 runs from their final over to finish on 159-3 and send the match to a Super Over, Reuters reported.
The tournament co-hosts made 18-1, helped by two wides from Pakistan, before restricting their opponents to 13-1 to seal a famous victory.
“It’s a big achievement beating Pakistan and playing for the first time,” U.S. captain and player of the match Monank Patel said.
“The way we played today I’m really proud of the boys and it was a complete team effort from ball one to the last ball.”
Pakistan captain Babar Azam bemoaned his side’s batting performance.
“We didn’t capitalise with the bat and they took a lot of momentum. Credit to USA, they performed so well today. They were better than us in all aspects of the game,” Babar said.
BLUE SKIES
The match began under blue skies on a sweltering day in Texas with Pakistan soon reeling at 30 for three against an attack including five bowlers born either on the Indian sub-continent or to parents from there.
Mohammad Rizwan (9), Usman Khan (3) and Fakhar Zaman (11) quickly perished and only Babar stood firm to reach 44 before he was caught off medium-pacer Jasdeep Singh.
Left-arm orthodox spinner Nosthush Kenjige, born in Alabama, dismissed Shadab Khan (40) and Azam Khan (0) off successive balls to finish with three for 30 from his four overs.
Tall left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi brought respectability to the scorecard by hitting two sixes and a four to finish on 23 not out.
Afridi took the new ball, conceding three boundaries in his first two overs as the U.S. batsmen went for their shots to reach 44 for one at the end of the powerplay.
South African-born Andries Gous, who scored 65 in his team’s opening win over Canada, was quickly into his stride, driving Rauf through the covers for four.
Gous struck leg-spinner Shadab Khan, Pakistan’s most successful T20 bowler, for six and Patel hit consecutive boundaries off Iftikhar Ahmed and lofted Afridi for six to bring up his 50.
Gaus was bowled by Rauf for 35 and Patel caught behind off Mohammad Amir before Aaron Jones took over with an unbeaten 36.
The U.S. needed 15 runs off their final over to overhaul Pakistan’s 159 for seven with the powerful Jones at the crease facing experienced paceman Haris Rauf.
Jones struck the fourth ball over long-on for six but could squeeze only a single off the fifth to put Nitish Kumar on strike with five needed for victory and four to take the match to a Super Over.
Kumar was up to the challenge, however, stepping outside his leg stump and chipping a full toss over mid-off to the boundary.
Jones and Harmeet Singh collected 18 runs in the Super Over by running hard between the wickets and although Pakistan collected two boundaries, they needed six off the last ball to force another Super Over and could manage only a single.
Sport
Ariana Snooker Championship 2025: Naderi and Hotak through to final

Ariana Snooker Championship semi-finals wrapped up on Sunday with Naveed Naderi and Raees Khan Hotak both moving on to the final on Monday.
In the first semi-final on Sunday, Naveed Naderi, who is ranked number 2 in Afghanistan, beat Zulmai Salamkhil 5-3.
Later in the day, Raees Khan Hotak, who is ranked number 4 in Afghanistan, defeated Nader Khan Rohani 5-4 in a fiercely contested match.
Hotak, who at 42 years of age, has over 40 domestic tournaments under his belt and has played in 30 international matches.
Naderi is 32 years old and while not as experienced as Hotak, he does have 35 domestic games to his name. He has also played in one international event.
Both players however have their eye on the title. Their match will get underway at 4pm Kabul time on Monday.
Snooker enthusiasts across Afghanistan can watch the exciting final on Monday live on Ariana Television, the Ariana Sports Facebook page, the Ariana Sports YouTube channel, and the Ariana Television website.
The match will start at 4pm but a preview show will be broadcast from 3pm. Stay tuned!
Sport
Mujeeb Ur Rahman replaces injured Ghazanfar in Mumbai Indians’ squad for IPL 2025
Mujeeb had gone unsold at the IPL 2025 auction, but now joined MI at a fee of INR 2 crore ($230,000).

Afghanistan offspinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman has replaced his countryman AM Ghazanfar in Mumbai Indians’ (MI) squad for IPL 2025 after an injured Ghazanfar was ruled out of the Champions Trophy, and the IPL that follows.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said recently that Ghazanfar had been ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy due to a fractured vertebra sustained during Afghanistan’s tour of Zimbabwe last month.
Ghazanfar, who will be out of cricket for at least four months, will also miss out on IPL this year, his first contract with the league.
Mujeeb meanwhile last played at the IPL in 2021, for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Most recently, he was with Paarl Royals at the SA20, where his side lost to finalists Sunrisers Eastern Cape in Qualifier 2. However, he was Royals’ highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with 14 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 23.14.
He wasn’t picked by Afghanistan for the Champions Trophy, as according to Ahmad Suliman Khil, their interim chief selector, “he has been advised by his doctor to focus on T20s for a while to ensure his full recovery before returning to ODIs”.
This was after he sustained a hand injury that left him out of cricket for five months. Only in November last year was he able to return.
Mujeeb had gone unsold at the IPL 2025 auction, but now joined MI at a fee of INR 2 crore ($230,000).
The ICC Champions Trophy gets underway on Wednesday, February 19, in Pakistan when the hosts take on New Zealand. Afghanistan will play their first match on Friday, February 21, when they take on South Africa.
IPL will start on Friday, March 21 and run through to Sunday May 25.
Cricket fans meanwhile can stay tuned with Ariana Radio & Television Network (ATN) as all Champions Trophy matches will be broadcast live across the country.
Sport
Ariana Snooker Championship 2025: Quarterfinals conclude with thrilling matches

Zulmai Salamkhil clinched a 5-3 victory over Zarif Afzali in a gripping quarterfinal match on Saturday, securing his spot in the semifinals of the Ariana Snooker Championship.
In another electrifying encounter, Naweed Naderi edged out Mohammad Mir Noorzai 5-4, advancing to the semifinals after a fiercely contested game.
The day wrapped up with Nader Rohani delivering a dominant 5-1 win against Saleh Mohammad Mohammadi, solidifying his place in the semifinals.
Snooker enthusiasts across Afghanistan can watch the exciting semifinal matches, starting this Sunday, live on Ariana Television, the Ariana Sports Facebook page, the Ariana Sports YouTube channel, and the Ariana Television website. Stay tuned!
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