Sport
England route Iran 6-2 in World Cup match
England defeated Iran 6-2 in their first FIFA World Cup match in Qatar on Monday.
The goalfest started when Jude Bellingham leaped high and headed a Luke Shaw cross into the net to give favored England the lead in the 35th minute. Harry Maguire headed down a corner, and Bukayo Saka drove the ball home for goal No. 2 in the 43rd minute.
Raheem Sterling picked up the third goal off a Harry Kane pinpoint assist in added time. The goals were a fair representation of the first half, in which England consistently bossed Iran.
The second half was a little different. Saka got the ball in the box, did some dribbling, then kicked the ball in, once he found an opening. It seemed almost too easy.
Unexpectedly, Iran pulled one back in the 65th minute, with a goal from its star, Mehdi Taremi, a late-bloomer who has been knocking them in at Porto in Portugal. Taremi got behind the defense and picked up a nice pass from Ali Gholizadeh before chipping the ball in.
Normal service resumed minutes later as England broke forward with numbers and Marcus Rashford, who had come on just a minute earlier, coolly knocked home another past the back-pedalling Iran defense. Another sub, Jack Grealish, got Goal No. 6 on the break.
Deep into extra time, Iran, which to its credit kept trying throughout the game, earned a penalty. Taremi converted it to make the final score 6-2.
In the first half, Iran keeper Alireza Beiranvand had collided hard with his own defender, suffering a head injury. After extended treatment on the turf, he returned to the game briefly before being carried out on a stretcher.
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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