Sport
India beat Afghanistan by 47 runs in Super 8 match of T20 World Cup
Fast bowler Bumrah proved virtually unplayable, taking three for seven runs from his four overs.
India swept to a 47-run victory over Afghanistan in their T20 World Cup Super Eight clash after Suryakumar Yadav struck his second successive half-century and Jasprit Bumrah proved his worth with the ball on Thursday.
Player-of-the-match Suryakumar's audacious 53 from 28 balls propelled India to a daunting 181-8. In reply, Afghanistan were always behind the required run rate and finished on 134 all out from the final ball of the match, Reuters reported.
Fast bowler Bumrah proved virtually unplayable, taking three for seven runs from his four overs.
Afghanistan left-arm paceman Fazalhaq Farooqi and off-spinner Mohammad Nabi opened the bowling on a hot, humid day at Kensington Oval.
India captain Rohit Sharma survived an impassioned appeal for lbw off Farooqi when he missed with an ungainly heave to the leg side but he lasted only five balls more before skying a catch to Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan at mid-on to be out for eight.
Naveen-ul-Haq replaced Farooqi and Virat Kohli, who had scored only five runs in his previous three matches, whipped him imperiously through the covers and lofted a six straight over the bowler’s head which hit the sight screen.
Rishabh Pant reverse swept Nabi for four and was then dropped on the boundary by Naveen. The ball crossed the boundary and at the end of the powerplay India were 47 for one.
Rashid took the ball and struck in his first over, dismissing Pant for 20 with his final delivery, lbw attempting a reverse sweep.
He struck again in his second over when Kohli on 24 lofted the ball straight to Nabi on the long-off boundary and then dismissed Shivam Dube lbw for 10.
Suryakumar seized the initiative back for India with two boundaries off Azmatullah Omarzai and a straight six.
Hardik Pandya (32) joined in with a four and a straight six off successive balls from Noor Ahmed.
The pair raised their 50 partnership before Suryakumar was caught but Hardik hit a six on to the top of the Terrace Stand to maintain India's momentum.
Afghanistan lost three wickets in the powerplay, including opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz caught behind for 11 off Bumrah who also dismissed Hazratullah Zazai for two.
They fell steadily behind the required run and still needed 81 off five overs when Bumrah returned.
He struck immediately by dismissing Najibullah Zadran caught for 19 to quash any Afghanistan hopes of an unlikely victory.
"We adapted well and got 180 which was a great effort from the bowlers," Rohit said as India remained unbeaten in the tournament.
"We had class bowlers who defended it perfectly. We know Bumrah's class and what he can do."
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Afghanistan down PNG to reach Super Eight, end NZ hopes
Sport
Afghanistan clinches ODI series victory against Zimbabwe
Afghanistan's national cricket team triumphed over Zimbabwe by 8 wickets in the third and final One-Day International (ODI) to claim the series victory.
In a dominant bowling display, Afghanistan dismissed Zimbabwe for just 127 runs in 30.1 overs. The Afghan batsmen then chased down the target comfortably in 26.5 overs, losing only 2 wickets along the way.
The standout performer of the match was Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, who took a remarkable 5 wickets, while Rashid Khan supported with 3 wickets. Azmatullah Omarzai and Farid Ahmad each claimed 1 wicket.
The first match of the series was abandoned due to rain, but Afghanistan bounced back strongly in the second match, securing a commanding 232-run victory.
This series win follows Afghanistan's earlier success in the T20I series against Zimbabwe, further cementing their dominance in international cricket.
Sport
Bangla Tigers lift Lanka T10 Super League title
Player of the match and player of the series was Titan’s skipper Dasun Shanaka.
Hambantota Bangla Tigers beat favorites Jaffna Titans by 26 runs in Thursday’s Lanka T10 Super League final at the Pallekele Stadium in Kandy.
The Tigers produced a fine all-round performance to beat the Titans, who had won all their matches in the lead up to the final.
Player of the match and player of the series was Titan’s skipper Dasun Shanaka.
Hambantota Bangla Tigers, put into bat first, posted 133 for seven from their allotted 10 overs through some useful contributions from their top order batsmen.
The openers Mohammad Shahzad and Kusal Perera added 35 runs from 2.4 overs before they suffered a middle order collapse and reached 59 for three at the halfway stage of the innings.
However, skipper Dasun Shanaka and Shevon Daniel revived the innings with a fourth-wicket partnership of 44 runs in three overs.
Shanaka made 21 with two sixes and two boundaries while Daniel struck 26 with one six and three boundaries before Kennar Lewis and Dhananjaya Lakshan added the finishing touches.
Chasing 133 runs for victory, Jaffna Titans lost wickets at regular intervals and they eventually finished at 107 for six despite a fighting unbeaten half century from middle order batsman Tom Abell.
Richard Gleeson wrecked the Hambantota Bangla Tigers’ innings with excellent figures of three wickets for 21 while Shanaka captured two wickets for four runs.
Sport
Afghanistan crush Zimbabwe by 232 runs in second ODI
Afghanistan defeated Zimbabwe by 232 runs in the second ODI on Thursday to secure a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Sent to bat first by Zimbabwe who won the toss, Afghanistan posted 286-6 in Harare.
Sediqullah Atal scored 104, his first hundred in an international match. Abdul Malik followed with 84.
In reply, Zimbabwe scored 54 runs before being bowled out in the 17.5 overs.
Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar and Naweed Zadran took three wickets each. Fazlullah Farooqi picked up two wickets and Azmatullah Omarzai one.
This was the second match of the ODI series between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe. The first was abandoned due to rain.
The third and final game of the series will be played on Saturday.
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