Afghanistan’s blazing run to the final of the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, last month has given them a taste of success and now they are gunning for the cricket big time.
The team is training in Dubai for the Intercontinental Cup final against Scotland this week and has its eyes on bigger things.
“The silver medal has inspired us to try even harder in the International Cup Final. We want to play as much as possible, wherever possible. The aim is to join the big league,” captain Mohammad Nabi said.
“It is the passion for the game and our country that keeps us going,” he added. “Cricket is the fastest growing sport in our country with many thousands of people playing the game or following it on radio and TV. Cricket is now the biggest peaceful movement in Afghanistan.”
The Afghans were beaten in the Asian Games final earlier last month by Bangladesh, but beat Pakistan earlier in the tournament.
In September, Afghanistan romped to victory in a Twenty20 tournament in Pakistan, beating a team that included Imran Nazir and Rana Naved and underlining Afghanistan’s emergence as a serious cricket-playing nation.
The International Cup Final is a five-day match which begins tomorrow and runs until Monday and is the conclusion of a two-year first-class competition among the leading International Cricket Council associate and affiliate nations.
The Afghan team will return home on Dec. 8 to a heroes’ -welcome, regardless.
“They are a living national treasure and when they return home, Afghanistan will show how much we love them all,” CEO of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) Hamid Shinwari said in an ACB statement.
The US’ bid for a fourth consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title came to a stunning end as they fell 1-0 to Panama after a stoppage-time goal from Cecilio Waterman on Thursday in Inglewood, California. Despite dominating possession, the US struggled to break down a resilient Panama side for long periods. Panama spent the bulk of the match defending, but pounced on a giveaway by the US before substitute forward Waterman sent a shot from the right side of the area to the bottom left corner late in stoppage time. Up next for Panama in tomorrow’s final is to be Mexico, who beat
DOMINATION: McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris took the first two spots as Mercedes’ George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen followed them Australian Oscar Piastri yesterday roared back from season-opening disappointment in his home race by winning the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix from pole position in a McLaren one-two with championship-leading teammate Lando Norris. George Russell finished third for Mercedes, ahead of Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Saturday’s sprint winner Lewis Hamilton fifth and sixth respectively. Piastri’s win denied Norris a third victory in a row, including last year’s Abu Dhabi season-ender, but left champions McLaren unbeaten in two races so far this year. “Mega job guys. The car was very, very lovely,” Piastri said
TO FINAL FOUR: France had 22 chances and scored two goals, while Croatia could not manage a single shot on target in 120 minutes. Les Bleus won 5-4 on penalties France on Sunday overturned a two-goal deficit to qualify for the UEFA Nations League Final Four by eliminating Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a 2-0 victory in their quarter-final second leg at the Stade de France. Dayot Upamecano scored the winning spot kick in a nail-biting shootout in which France keeper Mike Maignan made two saves, sending Les Bleus into the semi-finals against Spain. Michael Olise opened the scoring and Ousmane Dembele doubled their lead 10 minutes from time to send the tie into extra time after their 2-0 loss in Split, Croatia, on Thursday. France had a total of
BRING THE NOISE: Brazil’s Fonseca attracted a boisterous crowd that brought such dominant soccer-style energy the referee switched to Portuguese to ask for quiet Australia’s Alex de Minaur on Monday put an end to Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca’s challenge at the Miami Open, outlasting the 18-year-old 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in an enthralling contest. Attendance on stadium court had been sparse throughout the day, but the Hard Rock Stadium turned into a mini-Maracana Stadium for Fonseca’s match, complete with Brazilian flags and soccer-style chanting. Fonseca brought his energetic brand of ultra-attacking tennis, but De Minaur was up to the challenge, coping with blistering forehands and a partisan crowd. Such was the dominance of Fonseca’s raucous support that the referee switched to Portuguese for his appeals for quiet. However, De
RSS