Karim Sadiq was the unlikely hero on Wednesday as giantkillers Afghanistan nudged closer to a first Cricket World Cup appearance.
Forced by a finger injury to abandon wicketkeeping at Vaal University south of Johannesburg, Sadiq turned to bowling and instead snatched four Denmark wickets for the loss of 27 runs in a five-wicket 2011 World Cup qualifier triumph.
Sadiq proved useful with the bat, too, hitting 39 runs as the Afghans reached their 205-run target in 46.2 overs after Denmark amassed 204-9 in their 50 overs.
“It was bad luck for Denmark that I injured my finger, which meant I stopped keeping wicket. My captain trusted me with the ball and I bowled wicket to wicket and ended with four and a run out,” man-of-the-match Sadiq said.
“My coach was very happy with my bowling today and I am hoping he will let me bowl in other games during this tournament,” Sadiq said. “Bermuda is a big game for us on Thursday as they have played one-day international cricket, but if we win my country will be close to qualification for the Super Eights phase of the competition.”
In other Group B matches, a Ryan ten Doeschate century steered the Netherlands to a surprisingly easy seven-wicket victory over Kenya and the United Arab Emirates overcame Bermuda by four wickets.
Ireland won by seven wickets against Scotland in the feature Group A match and avenged a loss to their old rivals in the 2005 final of the competition, then called the ICC Trophy.
An unbeaten 121 from Neil McCullum lifted the Scots to 232-7, but the title holders could not contain William Porterfield, who hit an 87-ball century, including three sixes and 12 fours.
Uganda upset Namibia by six runs in the closest contest of the opening series of matches and an unbeaten 100 from Sunil Dhaniram helped Cananda to a 103-run win over Oman.
Jonas Vingegaard on Tuesday claimed the overall Vuelta a Espana lead while Jay Vine earned the stage 10 victory for his second triumph of the race. Two-time Tour de France winner Vingegaard overhauled Torstein Traen’s lead to head the general classification by 26 seconds from the Norwegian, with Joao Almeida third and trailing the Dane by 38 seconds. Vine put in an unmatchable performance on the final climb to finish ahead of Spanish Movistar riders Pablo Castrillo and Javier Romo. “Back in red, I’m happy with it, it’s a beautiful jersey,” Vingegaard said. “I’m happy with how the day went,
The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up a brief visit to Brazil on Friday with a season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, but despite the defeat, the team outshone their divisional rivals in the fight for the hearts and minds of Brazilian fans. In Sao Paulo for just the second-ever NFL game in the city, Chiefs players — especially quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce — were treated as major celebrities throughout their stay, turning Corinthians Arena into a scene reminiscent of the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium. Before kickoff, crowds of fans gathered around the Chiefs’ tunnel, eager to catch a
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