Sport
World Cup: Afghanistan stun England in major upset win
Afghanistan registered a stunning 69-run win over England in the first major upset of the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Afghanistan bundled England out for 215 to script just their second Cricket World Cup win, eight years since their last against Scotland in Australia. This time, it was the defending champions at the receiving end.
Put in to bat on a wicket that had yielded big runs recently, Afghanistan mustered a decent total, but then outdid the England bowlers with their spin trio reigning over the famed English batting line-up.
After putting on a decent total on the board, Afghanistan needed early breakthroughs to really push England onto the backfoot and Fazalhaq Farooqi did just that by shaping one back into Jonny Bairstow to trap him in front for two.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman added to England’s panic when a quicker one slid through quicker to nip out Joe Root’s stumps. At 33/2, England were in early trouble and Afghanistan had their eyes set on something special.
With Dawid Malan gifting a simple catch to cover off Mohammad Nabi and Jos Buttler cleaned up by Naveen-ul-Haq after a jittery time in the middle, Afghanistan were well and truly on top before the 20th over.
They pressed England further immediately after with Rashid Khan snaring the big scalp of Liam Livingstone in the 21st over, leaving the defending champions reeling at 117/5.
Harry Brook held the England innings together, compiling his second ODI fifty and warding off the Rashid threat admirably, but he kept running out of partners. When Nabi sent back Sam Curran, caught at slip, with the score still under 150, Afghanistan had truly stamped their authority on the game.
Chris Woakes and Brook promised a revival with a secure stand, but Mujeeb broke through with a tight over at the end of which Woakes’ stumps were pegged back.
Mujeeb came back to dismiss Brook and the rest of the line-up failed to counter the Afghanistan spinners as Afghanistan pulled off a memorable upset win.
Put in to bat, England were treated to a rampant Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who put the defending champions in defensive mode with an onslaught that saw Afghanistan race to 45 inside the first six overs.
With boundaries flooding from one end and Ibrahim Zadran blocking his end out pretty well on a flat wicket, the breakthrough just didn’t come for England.
Flaying criticism around their slow powerplay starts, Afghanistan dug into England’s bowling attack with Sam Curran being at the receiving end of Gurbaz’s fury. The opener smashed him for two fours and a six in the ninth over that saw 20 runs coming.
Gurbaz soon completed a 33-ball fifty and celebrated it next over by upper-cutting Mark Wood over the third man fence with a sublime shot.
Adil Rashid eventually broke through for England, sending back Zadran in the 17th over. The batter’s heave the leg-side was safely pouched by Joe Root at mid-wicket.
One brought another as Rahmat Shah was out stumped off Rashid in his next over. What was turning out to be a slight blip on their course soon turned into a mini-collapse as Gurbaz was run out the very next ball with skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi erring in his judgment of a single.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz played one of the shots of the tournament when he uppercut Mark Wood for a six during his fast-paced 80 in Delhi.
With Gurbaz gone for 80 and Afghanistan losing three wickets in three overs, England sensed an opening to come back into the game.
Part-time spinners Liam Livingstone and Joe Root struck in between some lusty hits from Azmatullah Omarzai and Ikram Ali Khil as Afghanistan lost half their side in the 33rd over with the score still under 200.
If England hoped to run through the lower middle-order, that didn’t quite materialise with Ali Khil holding his end up quite well. Mark Wood bounced out Mohammad Nabi, but Rashid Khan curbed his instincts to ensure Ali Khil had decent company heading into the death overs.
It took a gem of a catch from Root near the ropes for England to break the 43-run stand between Ali Khil and Rashid with the latter falling to his namesake from the England side.
Mujeeb ur Rahman, though, got going for Afghanistan, slamming a sequence of four, four and six off Sam Curran to push Afghanistan late in the innings. Ali Khil joined him with some cracking shots too after his half-century.
England broke the stand before the final two overs with the wicket of Ali Khil and also prized out Mujeeb the first ball next over, but a competitive total had already been compiled. The 284 put on is Afghanistan’s second-highest score in the Cricket World Cup.
Sport
Afghanistan to host India for three-match T20I series in Delhi
Afghanistan most recently toured India for a Test and three-match ODI series in June, while the two teams also played a three-match T20I series in January 2024.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has confirmed that Afghanistan will host India for a three-match T20 International series in Delhi from September 13 to 17.
The matches will be played at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium, with the first T20I scheduled for September 13, followed by the second on September 15 and the third on September 17.
The series is part of Afghanistan’s Future Tours Program and will be played in India, where the ACB has hosted its home fixtures in recent years.
Afghanistan most recently toured India for a Test and three-match ODI series in June, while the two teams also played a three-match T20I series in January 2024.
The upcoming series marks the first bilateral event to be hosted by the ACB in India.
ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf described the series as a significant milestone for Afghanistan cricket and praised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for its cooperation and support.
“Hosting India for a bilateral series in India is a significant milestone for us,” Ashraf said. He added that the series would create opportunities in commercial, technical and cricketing areas while further strengthening the relationship between the two boards.
BCCI President Mithun Manhas said the BCCI remained committed to supporting the growth of cricket in Afghanistan and providing its players with opportunities to compete against quality opposition.
BCCI Honorary Secretary Devajit Saikia said the series would complete the two teams’ bilateral competition across all three formats following their recent Test and ODI series.
“India hosting Afghanistan for their historic first Test in 2018 was another significant milestone in this journey,” Saikia said.
Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) President Rohan Jaitley said the Arun Jaitley Stadium was ready to welcome both teams and provide fans with an exciting international cricket series.
The series will be titled the “E& Afghanistan vs India T20I Series 2026, powered by Super Cola”.
Series schedule:
September 13 — 1st T20I, Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium, Delhi
September 15 — 2nd T20I, Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium, Delhi
September 17 — 3rd T20I, Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium, Delhi
Abasin Defenders chased down a target of 155 to beat Shamshad Eagles by four wickets in the fourth match of the Kabul Premier League at Ayoubi Cricket Ground in Kabul on Sunday night.
Shamshad Eagles, who won the toss and elected to bat first, were bowled out for 154 in 15.5 overs.
Mohammad Shahzad top-scored for the Eagles with 57 from 39 balls, while Muslim Musa provided a powerful late contribution with 50 off just 22 deliveries.
Abdollah Ahmadzai was the standout bowler for the Defenders, claiming five wickets for 19 runs from three overs. His spell earned him Player of the Match honours.
Rohed Janzai also took three wickets for 53 runs as the Defenders dismissed the Eagles with 25 balls still remaining in their innings.
The Defenders made a confident start to the chase but lost wickets at regular intervals. Waleed Miakhil anchored the innings, remaining unbeaten on 37 from 29 balls, including two fours and two sixes.
Mohammad Akram added a crucial 25 from just nine balls to keep the chase on track, while Mohammad Amin finished the match in style, hitting an unbeaten seven from three deliveries, including a six.
The Defenders reached 158 for six in 18.1 overs, sealing victory with 11 balls to spare.
Mohammad Gul Alizai was the Eagles’ most successful bowler, taking three wickets for 38 runs from four overs.
The victory gave Abasin Defenders two points, while Shamshad Eagles finished the match without a point.
The result marked the Defenders’ first victory of the Kabul Premier League season.
Sport
Kabul Zalmi cruise to seven-wicket win over Pamir Stars
Masood Gurbaz was the star of the match, smashing a brilliant unbeaten 107 from just 46 deliveries to power Kabul Zalmi’s successful chase.
Kabul Zalmi produced a dominant batting display to beat Pamir Stars by seven wickets in the third match of the Kabul Premier League Season 4 on Sunday.
Batting first, Pamir Stars posted 190 for nine from their 20 overs, setting Kabul Zalmi a challenging target of 191.
Kabul Zalmi, however, chased down the target with ease, reaching 191 for three in just 16.3 overs to secure victory with 21 balls to spare.
Masood Gurbaz was the star of the match, smashing a brilliant unbeaten 107 from just 46 deliveries to power Kabul Zalmi’s successful chase.
His explosive innings ensured Kabul Zalmi remained in control throughout the run chase and secured an emphatic seven-wicket victory.
Gurbaz was named Player of the Match for his outstanding century.
The result gives Kabul Zalmi an impressive start to their Kabul Premier League campaign, while Pamir Stars will look to bounce back in their next match.
All matches are being broadcast exclusively across Afghanistan on Ariana Television.
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