Sport
Rashid Khan’s ‘high point’; helping Gujarat Titans secure maiden IPL title
Thrilled with his team’s win on Sunday, Gujarat Titans’ star leg-spinner, Rashid Khan, posted pictures of himself with the IPL 2022 trophy on social media and thanked his fans for their good wishes and support.
Not wasting anytime, Rashid said on Facebook “we will see you in the [upcoming] match against Zimbabwe. Remember us in your prayers.”
Rashid, who could not hide his emotions after his team’s resounding win against Rajasthan Royals, with 7 wickets to spare, gave one of his best performances in an IPL season.
"Biggest achievement of your career is to be part of a winning IPL team. You always want to do well in big competitions like this.
“Winning tournaments like this, you'll need to put in a lot of hard work and this is certainly a high point of my career," Rashid told host broadcaster Star Sports.
Messages of congratulations also poured in from fans for the team.
Afghan cricket fans were meanwhile treated to an enthralling closing ceremony that was broadcast live on Ariana Television on Sunday evening ahead of the exciting final.
There was action, music, and fireworks at the packed Narendra Modi Stadium as the crowd was enthralled by the popular numbers of Rahman, which included the Oscar-winning ‘Jai Ho’.
The foot stomping music was followed by performances from Ranveer Singh and a special film chronicling the journey of Indian cricket over the last 75 years was screened.
The event was also attended by Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar and several former Indian national cricket players along with members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and other member nations.
After two years of holding the tournament in the United Arab Emirates due to the COVID pandemic, the BCCI managed to successfully hold the IPL back on home turf this year.
The electrifying atmosphere generated during the closing ceremony was then carried through to the final match, which saw Gujarat Titans turning up the heat from the outset by setting an achievable target of 131 runs.
Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to bat first, ending with 130 runs in 20 overs. Gujarat Titans, on the other hand, chased the target in only 19 overs and lost just three wickets to secure the trophy.
Gujarat captain Hardik Pandya led from the front with an all-round performance which powered his team to their maiden IPL title after a clinical 7-wicket victory.
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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