Sport
Zimbabwe move closer to World Cup with Oman win
Zimbabwe claimed a tense 14-run win over Oman on Thursday to start the Super Six stage of the World Cup Qualifier on a high, after Sean Williams’ third hundred of the event.
The African side racked up 332 for seven from their 50 overs batting first in Bulawayo before a brave chase from Oman came up just short on 318 for nine, AFP reported.
The hosts moved top of the table after adding to the two wins, over the West Indies and the Netherlands, they carried over from the group stage.
“When I first saw the wicket, I thought 270 would be a very good score,” said Williams. “Thankfully everyone chipped in there and we got up to that total.”
Zimbabwe are bidding to qualify for the global one-day showpiece following an eight-year absence after missing out on the 2019 edition in England and Wales.
The top two sides in the Super Six standings will secure places at the World Cup.
Oman are all but out of contention in the race to reach the main tournament to be held in India from October 5 until November 19.
The underdogs, who started the match on zero points in the Super Six, pushed Zimbabwe all the way in a dramatic chase.
Opener Kashyap Prajapati crashed 103 off 97 balls to help them stay within touching distance.
Blessing Muzarabani’s three wickets appeared to have put Zimbabwe on the brink of victory, helped by some brilliant fielding including a remarkable catch by Luke Jongwe as he juggled the ball on the boundary while repeatedly hopping over the rope.
But some late blows from the lower order left a manageable 39 needed from the final 17 balls when Fayyaz Butt was trapped lbw by Tendai Chatara.
Captain Zeeshan Maqsood hobbled back out to join Mohammad Nadeem at the crease having earlier retired injured.
Richard Ngarava’s excellent penultimate over which conceded just two runs and a bye left Oman with too much to do as Maqsood fell to Chatara from the final ball.
Nadeem ended 30 not out from 18 balls as Muzarabani finished with 3-57 from nine overs and Chatara with 3-73 from eight.
Earlier, Williams’ wonderful 142 off 103 deliveries, featuring 14 fours and three sixes, provided the backbone of Zimbabwe’s innings.
Sikandar Raza added 42 and Jongwe some late impetus with a 28-ball 43 not out.
Zimbabwe, depending on other results, could secure a place in India when they face Sri Lanka on Sunday.
Oman are next in action the following day against the Netherlands.
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
Competing in their first AFC Futsal Asian Cup, Afghanistan have concluded a fairy tale tournament by edging the Kyrgyz Republic to reach the FIFA Futsal World Cup.
Four second-half goals guided Afghanistan to a 5-3 win and the final 24-strong field for Uzbekistan 2024 is now set.
Unknown at continental level at the start of the month, Afghanistan have scripted one of the great futsal fairy tales by reaching the global showpiece for the very first time.
After raising eyebrows by pushing powerhouse Iran in their opening match and then progressing from the group, the Afghans were involved in a triple Central Asian tangle that ultimately saw them reach the FIFA Futsal World Cup.
Defeat at the hands of Tajikistan in the first of the quarter-finals looked to have marked the end for the daring debutantes only for World Cup hosts Uzbekistan to see off Vietnam in the last of the final eight match-ups to necessitate a play-off to determine the final slot at the sport’s showpiece event.
A 5-3 win against Iraq in the first round of the play-offs set up this winner-takes-all affair with a Kyrgyz Republic outfit also eyeing a maiden World Cup berth.
Settling the better of the two teams, it was a ninth-minute Omid Qanbari effort that sent Afghanistan to the break with a narrow lead; one that they would double nine minutes after the restart as an own goal from Mukhamed Askarbekov made it 2-0.
A frantic ten-minute period then produced six goals but with the Kyrgyz Republic always chasing the match, the Afghans never looked too troubled, with two late, long-range, goals from captain Mahdi Norowzi and Mehran Gholami capping off the impressive 5-3 win.
The FIFA Futsal World Cup is an international futsal competition contested by the senior men’s national teams of the member associations of FIFA, the sport’s global governing body.
Since the first edition that took place in 1989 in the Netherlands, the tournament has been held every four years since 1992.
The current champions are Portugal, who won their first world title after beating the 2016 defending champions Argentina in the final of the 2021 tournament in Lithuania.
Afghanistan qualified for the 2024 Futsal World Cup after 5-3 victory against Kyrgyzstan in the Playoff 3 of AFC Futsal Asian Cup in Bangkok on Sunday.
This is the first time that Afghanistan qualifies for the Futsal World Cup.
The tenth edition of Futsal World Cup is scheduled to start on September 14, 2024 in Uzbekistan.
Twenty-four teams will participate in the tournament.
Afghanistan, France, New Zealand and Tajikistan will make their debuts.
Mawj Sahil defeated Sarsabz Yashlar 2-1 in the 15th match of Afghanistan Champions League in Kabul on Saturday, while Sorkh Poshan hammered Maiwand 6-0 in the 16th match of the tournament on the same day.
Sanan Rahimi and Esmatullah Hadafmand scored the two goals for Mawj Sahil.
Yashlar’s only goal was scored by Mohammad Nasir Niazi.
Sorkh Poshan’s six goals against Maiwand were scored by Habibullah Hotak (1), Samir Mirzai (1), Hamir Amiri (1), Omid Rajabi (2) and captain Farhad Alizada (1).
Sunday’s matches will see Istiqlal Kabul take on Adalat Farah at 1:00 PM, and Khadim face Jawanan Wahedi at 3:30 PM.
The matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television.
Tahawol: Efforts to start immense regional projects discussed
Underdogs Afghanistan qualify for Futsal World Cup
Ghori State Cement in Baghlan increases production
Saar: US diplomat’s trip to Qatar, Pakistan on Afghanistan discussed
Regional countries should jointly expand stability and development: Deputy PM
Dead body of Quran-burner found in Norway
ATN secures rights to produce, broadcast second season of KPL
Yadav hits 156.7 km/h as Lucknow trump Bengaluru in IPL match
Afghanistan’s national futsal team ‘ready for’ group stage of Asian Cup
Indian foreign ministry advises against travel to Iran, Israel
Tahawol: Efforts to start immense regional projects discussed
Saar: US diplomat’s trip to Qatar, Pakistan on Afghanistan discussed
Tahawol: 32nd anniversary of Mujahidin’s Victory Day discussed
Saar: 32nd anniversary of Mujahidin’s Victory Day discussed
Saar: 46th anniversary of 7th Saur coup in Afghanistan discussed
-
World5 days agoNorth Korea officials visit Iran in a rare public trip
-
Sport4 days ago‘Serious talent’ Fraser-McGurk bonds with Warner to light up IPL
-
Latest News4 days agoOver 1,000 Afghan refugees forced out of Pakistan in one day
-
Sport2 days agoAfghanistan beat Iraq 5-3, inch closer to Futsal World Cup berth
-
Regional2 days agoNew UK sanctions target Iranian drone industry
-
Regional4 days agoTurkey accuses U.S. of double standards over Gaza in rights report
-
Latest News2 days agoEU allocates 17 million euros to support Afghans on the move
-
Latest News2 days agoPakistan extends registered Afghan refugees’ stay till June 30