Sport
Rankings joy for Afghanistan as Nabi crowned new No.1 all-rounder
A strong start to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 has seen a host of players from Afghanistan make good ground on the updated player rankings.
Afghanistan’s unbeaten start to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup has seen one of their star performers rise to the top of the ICC Men's T20I All-Rounder Rankings.
The team has won both of their contests in the 20-over showcase thus far and a host of their players have been in scintillating touch with bat and ball.
Veteran Mohammad Nabi is the big winner in the latest rankings update, with the 39-year-old rising to the No.1 spot on the list for all-rounders following his recent two-wicket haul against New Zealand in Guyana.
Nabi jumps up two places to first on the updated T20I rankings for all-rounders, with Australia's Marcus Stoinis rising three places to claim second spot and previous No.1-ranked player Shakib Al Hasan dropping four rungs to fifth as a result of the major shake-up at the top.
It's not just Nabi who is making the most of Afghanistan's impressive start to the T20 World Cup, with a trio of his teammates also making good ground on the latest rankings for T20I batters and bowlers.
Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz is the leading run-scorer at the T20 World Cup thus far with 156 runs from two innings and the in-form right-hander moves up eight places to 12th and reaches a new career-high rating on the updated list for T20I batters.
Afghanistan duo Rashid Khan (up four spots to third) and Fazalhaq Farooqi (up six places to equal fourth) make progress following excellent showings at the T20 World Cup.
Match update:
Afghanistan’s next World Cup match is scheduled for Friday, June 14 against Papua New Guinea.
The match starts at 5pm Kabul time and will be broadcast live by Ariana Television across the country. Fans can meanwhile tune in from 4.30pm Kabul time to watch the pre-match show.
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Nabi claims top spot in ODI rankings
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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