Sport
Gulf Giants power through to ILT20 final after beating MI Emirates
Gulf Giants made a giant leap over MI Emirates through James Vince’s knock of 83 in Qualifier 2 of the DP World ILT20 at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday to book their place in the final.
They will now meet Desert Vipers in the title clash at the same venue on Sunday February 12.
Opening the innings, Vince virtually carried the team on his shoulders through an unbeaten 83 which came off 56 balls with ten boundaries and one six.
MI Emirates had posted a challenging 167 for 5 through their skipper Kieron Pollard’s unbeaten 57 runs from 35 balls with three boundaries and four sixes.
Vince, despite wickets falling at the other end, carried his team to the target with 11 balls to spare.
The race for the place in the final began with Gulf Giants winning the toss and electing to bowl.
Afghanistan’s star legspinner Rashid Khan meanwhile joined MI Emirates in Dubai for the ILT20 playoffs after South Africa’s SA20 wrapped up. He was named in the line-up of MI Emirates on Thursday.
But despite registering a comprehensive eight-wicket win against Dubai Capitals on Thursday, MI Emirates lost to Gulf Giants by four wickets on Friday.
Apart from the race to the DP World ILT20 trophy, another interesting and exciting race is being run on the side. The cricketing superstars have focused on taking their team over the line, but have also kept an eye on the unique set of individual awards throughout the month-long tournament being held in the UAE.
The DP World ILT20 will present the Green (top scorer), White (top wicket-taker), Red (Most Valuable Player), Blue (Most Valuable UAE Player) as well as Black (owner of the winning team) Belts at the end of the competition.
Afghanistan’s national football team went down 2-1 to Myanmar in their first match of the third round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.
The match was held on Tuesday at the stadium in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar.
The only goal for Afghanistan was scored in the 14th minute by Omid Popalzay.
Afghanistan is in Group E along with Myanmar, Pakistan, and Syria.
The national team’s next match will be on June 10 against Syria. The venue is still to be decided.
Afghanistan’s national beach soccer team was defeated 6-4 by Indonesia in their third and final match of the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup 2025, resulting in their elimination from the tournament.
The match took place on Tuesday in Thailand.
In their first and second games, Afghanistan lost to the United Arab Emirates and Iran, respectively.
Afghanistan Cricket Board’s National Selection Committee this week finalized the Afghanistan National U19 team squad for the upcoming Youth ODI Series against Nepal, as well as the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers scheduled for next month in Nepal.
The selection process for the National U19 Team included rigorous training and preparation camps over the past five months.
The final phase of the team’s training concluded in Khost province, where the top 19 players engaged in skill development, fitness training, and multiple practice matches.
The squad is set to depart for Nepal later this month, where they will meet the home U19 side in three Youth ODIs from April 3 to 9 in Mulpani.
The team will then proceed to the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers, which will take place from April 13 to 19 in the same country.
The Future Stars are scheduled to face Oman, Hong Kong, the UAE, and the host nation Nepal in a round-robin format.
The team that finishes at the top of the table will qualify for the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup 2026 in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Interim Chief Selector, Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil: “Qualification for the U19 World Cup is our ultimate goal. Keeping this in mind, we have prepared our squad through rigorous training and multiple preparation phases, which helped us finalize the 17-man squad.
“The boys have shown great enthusiasm and readiness to perform at the international level, and we are confident that they will do well in both events.”
Afghanistan Squad for the Nepal Youth ODI Series and the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers: Mehboob Khan (Captain & Wicket-Keeper), Khalid Ahmadzai (WK), Uzair Khan, Faisal Khan, Barakatullah Ibrahimzai, Nazeef Amiri, Aziz Miakhil, Wahidullah Zadran, Zaitullah Shaheen, Hafeez Zadran, Abdul Aziz Khan, Nasratullah Nooristani, Khatir Stanikzai, Salam Khan, Izat Noor Shirzad, Kamal Khan and Rohullah Arab.
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