Sport
Afghanistan dominate Ireland to win T20I series
Afghanistan proved too strong with bat and ball against Ireland as they claimed a 57-run victory in Sharjah on Monday to edge the T20I series 2-1.
A superb 72 not out from Ibrahim Zadran, backed up by the bowling of Azmatullah Omarzai, gave the hosts victory in the final match of Ireland's tour against Afghanistan.
"It is a great series win for us," said Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan, going on to praise the performance of his young side.
The Irish were unable to chase down a target of 156, with Omarzai's four wickets for just nine runs helping bowl the tourists out for 98 inside 18 overs.
Ireland won the first T20I of the mini-series last week but consecutive wins on Sunday and Monday ensured Afghanistan recovered to take the three-game series, after earlier winning the ODI series 2-0.
For the third consecutive time, Khan won the toss against Ireland and as he did in Monday's 10-run win, he elected to bat first.
Batting at three, 22-year-old Zadran anchored Afghanistan's innings with his career-best T20I score of 72, which boosted the hosts to a total Ireland could not match.
Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz rounded off a T20I series he will hope to forget on a personal level, after scores of zero and three in the first two matches, when Harry Tector took a superb diving catch to dismiss him for six at the start of the third over.
Afghanistan were then ticking along nicely with Zadran and Sediqullah Atal at the crease, until Atal chipped a turning ball straight back to Gareth Delany.
In the very next over, Omarzai, on back-to-back golden ducks, was dropped by Delany on one but departed just two deliveries later, after lobbing Curtis Campher to Josh Little.
Mohammad Ishaq's arrival steadied the ship for Afghanistan as he mounted a crucial fourth-wicket stand of 54 with Zadran, until the No 5 mistimed a lob on 27 and Paul Stirling snaffled up the ball.
With just over five overs left, Zadran kept the scoreboard moving along for Afghanistan.
Ijaz Ahmadzai ably deputized him at the end with 10 runs from three balls, including a monster six in the last over, before he was run out trying to get his partner back on strike for the final delivery.
Ireland's run chase never really got underway, especially after Naveen-ul-Haq bowled both Andy Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker with consecutive deliveries in the second over.
Some resistance came from Campher and Delany's 36-run sixth-wicket stand but the visitors were never really allowed to form any partnership of great merit by Afghanistan's pace attack.
Omarzai, 23, claimed the key wickets of Tector and George Dockrell, before removing Mark Adair and Barry McCarthy as Afghanistan took apart the Irish batting line-up.
Naveen-ul-Haq then bowled Ben White with a slower ball, bringing a close to affairs and securing Afghanistan a tight series win ahead of this summer's T20 World Cup.
Despite defeat, Ireland will still view the tour as an historic success after they won their very first test match on March 1. - AFP
Sport
IPL auction records tumble as Pant and Iyer break $3 million mark
Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad had a big pay day as he went to five-time champions Chennai Super Kings for $1.18 million
Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in Indian Premier League history on Sunday when he sold for a record $3.2 million, as teams splashed out on world-class cricketers for the lucrative Twenty20 tournament.
A total of 577 players are up for grabs at the two-day auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with Pant, England veteran James Anderson and New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra among the top names.
Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad meanwhile had a big pay day as he went to five-time champions Chennai Super Kings for $1.18 million.
The 2023 record of 247.5 million rupees Kolkata paid to Australian Mitchell Starc was first breached by Punjab Kings, who the IPL said snapped up Shreyas Iyer for a "handsome" 267.5 million rupees ($3.17 million).
Iyer, 29, captained Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL crown this year, AFP reported.
New Punjab coach Ricky Ponting, who left Delhi Capitals after this season, said they will make Shreyas captain if he agrees.
"I have worked with him three or four years at Delhi and obviously he is a championship winning captain from last season," Ponting said.
"We have got someone there that can do the job if that's the way we decide to go, so I am delighted to have him back."
Shreyas' record rapidly tumbled.
The IPL reported Lucknow Super Giants paid a "gigantic" 270 million rupees for 27-year-old star keeper Pant.
"Rishabh's history in the IPL and in the sport of cricket is unparallelled in terms of his skill, what he brings to the table," Lucknow owner Shashwat Goenka, said of the record buy.
"I think he came at what we had anticipated for him. We are very excited to have him as part of the squad."
Pant made an impressive return to competitive cricket in this year's IPL after a serious car crash in December 2022, AFP reported.
He came in as captain of Delhi Capitals but he and the team parted ways.
Later on day one Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer hit the jackpot when he went to Kolkata for a whopping $2.81 million after a fierce bidding war with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Venkatesh, a left-hand batter and right-arm medium pace bowler who was released by Kolkata only to be bought back, became the third-highest buy of the day.
Sizzling start
The auction started on a sizzling note when Indian quick Arshdeep Singh began a bidding war, which ended with Punjab getting the left-arm pace bowler for $2.13 million.
This year, Australian left-arm quick Starc was not retained by Kolkata -- and went to Delhi for $1.39 million.
Fellow quick Josh Hazlewood went for $1.48 million to Bengaluru, while England fast bowler Jofra Archer cost the same amount for the Rajasthan Royals.
New Zealand quick Trent Boult returned to five-time winners Mumbai Indians for $1.48 million.
Gujarat Titans paid $1.87 million for England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler, while India pace bowler Mohammed Shami went to Sunrisers Hyderabad for $1.18 million.
Australian David Warner and England's Jonny Bairstow went unsold, but could be brought back later in the auction.
The IPL has generated billions in revenue since its inception in 2008, turning the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) into one of the richest governing bodies in sport, AFP reported.
In June 2022 it sold the broadcast rights for five IPL seasons to global media giants for $6.2 billion.
The BCCI has sought to broaden the tournament's profile by staging the auction abroad.
Last year it was held in Dubai, a regular host for international cricket tournaments.
Like Saudi Arabia, it has a large base of prospective fans among its migrant worker population.
Putting the auction on in Jeddah is seen as a win-win for a tournament expanding its global reach and a kingdom using sports to improve its image.
The IPL is a huge earner for Indian cricket and the tournament makes more than $11 billion for the economy each year.
The pioneering IPL helped make Twenty20 cricket hugely popular, spawning copycat events worldwide.
Dates for next year's IPL have not been released but seasons usually run from March to May.
Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad had a big pay day as he went to five-time champions Chennai Super Kings for $1.18 million
Sport
Afghanistan beat UAE by 8 wickets in U19 tri-nation series
Afghans bowled out the hosts for 88 runs in the 36.3 overs
Afghanistan Under-19 cricket team defeated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) U19 by eight wickets in the sixth match of the tri-nation series in Dubai on Sunday.
Asked to field first by UAE U19 who won the toss, Afghans bowled out the hosts for 88 runs in the 36.3 overs.
Afghanistan U19 chased down the target in the 21.2 overs.
Naseer Khan Maroofkhil claimed three wickets. Abdul Aziz Khatir Stanikzai and Rohaullah Arab picked up three wickets each.
Afghanistan U19 will play final against Pakistan U19 on Tuesday.
Sport
Faf du Plessis smashes 75 off 32 balls in Abu Dhabi T10 League
South African player Faf du Plessis showcased his batting brilliance by blasting a blistering 75 for Morrisville Samp Army against New York Strikers in the fifth game of the 2024 Abu Dhabi T10 League on Friday.
The 40-year-old reached his fifty in just 22 balls. He remained unbeaten on 75 off 32 balls, hitting five boundaries and six sixes.
Samp Army posted 135-1 in 10 overs, 41 of it coming from Adndries Gous’s bat, and they won the match by 36 runs.
It was one of the four matches played on Friday.
In the other matches, Northern Warriors defeated Delhi Bulls by 7 wickets, with Jonson Charles hitting a fifty.
Team Abu Dhabi thrashed UP Nawabs by 8 wickets after bowling them out for just 51. Mark Adair claimed four wickets. Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar and Zeeshan Naseer picked up two wickets each.
In the last match of the day, Deccan Gladiators beat Ajman Bolts by 20 runs. Gladiators set a target of 138 runs, with Jos Buttler making 60 runs off 22 balls.
In reply, Ajman Bolts fell short on 117 despite captain Mohammad Nabi blasting 43 off 13 balls.
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