Sport
Afghanistan A beat India A to reach final of Emerging Teams Asia Cup
Atal made 83 runs off 52 balls, while Akbari scored 64 off 41.
Afghanistan A defeated India A by 20 runs on Friday to advance to the final of ACC T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024.
Electing to bat first, Afghanistan A rode on half-centuries by Zubaid Akbari and Sediqullah Atal to post a massive 206/4 on the board, the highest total in the ongoing Emerging Teams Asia Cup edition.
Atal made 83 runs off 52 balls, while Akbari scored 64 off 41.
Karim Janat contributed 41 off 20, and Afghanistan A’s innings eventually ended at 206/4 in the 20 overs.
Needing a blistering start in order to chase down the big score, India A were dealt a double blow by Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, who removed both Indian openers - Abhishek Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh - in his first two overs.
Abdul Rahman also accounted for Indian captain Tilak Varma in the final over of powerplay as India were left reeling at 48/3 after six overs.
Ayush Badoni and Nehal Wadhera tried to steady the ship but the duo’s partnership added only 32 more to the board before Wadhera was run out.
Badoni, too, had to walk back just after helping India reach the 100-run mark.
Just when it seemed like it was only a matter of time before Afghanistan would wrap up the affair, in stepped Ramandeep Singh. Batting on five off seven when Badoni departed, Ramandeep took up the responsibility of keeping India in the contest and reached his half-century in just 26 balls.
He had good company from Nishant Sindhu, who scored a quickfire 23 off 13, before being run out.
Despite Ramandeep’s fortitude, though, India were still left with a tall yet doable task and needed to get 38 off the final two overs. However, a miserly penultimate over by Janat, which yielded just eight, gave Abdul Rahman 30 to defend off the last over.
Ramandeep managed two boundaries in the final over before being dismissed off the very last delivery. India’s chase stopped 20 short of the Afghan total.
The result means Afghanistan A have reached the final of the ACC T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup for the first time and will play Sri Lanka A, two-time champions, in the final. Sri Lanka A beat Pakistan A in the other semi-final clash earlier in the day.
The final will be played on Sunday.
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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