India beat South Africa in thriller to win T20 title,

 T20 World Cup final, Barbados

India 176-7 (20 overs): Kohli 76 (59), Axar 47 (31); Maharaj 2-23, Nortje 2-26

South Africa 169-8 (20 overs): Klaasen 52 (27)

India won by seven runs,

ndia ended their 13-year wait for a world title by fighting back to beat South Africa in a thrilling T20 World Cup final.

The Proteas needed 26 from 24 balls in pursuit of 177, but the wicket of Heinrich Klaasen for 52 from 27 swung a dramatic game in India’s favour.

Arshdeep Singh conceded only four from the penultimate over, leaving Hardik Pandya to defend 16 from the last.

David Miller was sensationally caught by Suryakumar Yadav at long-off for 21 from the first ball before India closed out a seven-run win.

It sparked jubilant scenes among the India players and fans in Barbados, including superstar Virat Kohli, who dragged his side to 176-7 with 76 off 59.

For South Africa it was a horrible defeat that brought back all of the pain of World Cups past.

In the end Hardik was in tears.

He was part of the India side that lost the 50-over World Cup final to Australia on home soil eight months ago. This was their glorious redemption in the Caribbean.

The game looked done during Klaasen’s onslaught but Hardik removed him by finding a thin edge through to wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant.

Even as Klaasen slumped off, South Africa remained favourites.

They have done so much to banish the one cruel reputation of choking that follows their cricket team around.

In the end, up against some superb bowling from Jasprit Bumrah, who took 2-18 in a high-scoring game, they faltered again at the last.

In the final moments, Kagiso Rabada edged a four and Hardik bowled a wide, leaving eight needed from the last two balls before Radaba was caught at long-off.

India have so much in their favour – a team of superstars chosen from population of 1.4 billion and the largest proportion of the revenue generated in the game.

As they celebrated, none of that mattered. It was an occasion of pure sporting drama and relief.

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June 29, 2024

South Africa thrash Afghanistan to reach first men's World Cup final,

 T20 World Cup, Trinidad

Afghanistan 56 (11.5 overs): Omarzai 10 (12); Shamsi 3-6, Jansen 3-16

South Africa 60-1 (8.5 overs): Hendricks 29 (25), Markram 23 (21)

South Africa won by nine wickets.

South Africa ended their run of semi-final heartache by thrashing Afghanistan to reach their first men's T20 World Cup final.

The Proteas, who had failed to progress from all seven of their previous World Cup semi-finals across formats, dismissed Afghanistan for 56 in 11.5 overs on a difficult pitch on their way to a nine-wicket win in Trinidad.

Marco Jansen removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the tournament's leading run-scorer in Afghanistan's dramatic run to their first semi-final, and the score was soon 28-6.

It offered excessive seam movement and bounce to the pace bowlers, at times dangerously so, with South Africa also struggling in their chase.

Quinton de Kock was bowled having been hit on the body but, with little pressure to score quickly, the Proteas were able to complete their chase in 8.5 overs.

They now progress to Saturday's final in Barbados unbeaten as they look to win a World Cup for the first time.

They will play England or India, who meet in the second semi-final on Thursday in Guyana at 15:30 BST.

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan: "It was a tough, tough match for us as a team. We might have done a bit better than that, but the conditions didn't let us. That's what T20 is about, you've got to be ready for any situation. They bowled exceptionally well, we couldn't bat well."

"But I do think South Africa would have prevailed on a flat surface and deserve to be through to the final."

South Africa captain Aiden Markram: "It feels good. It's not really the captain that gets you to this stage of the competition, it's a massive squad effort and people behind the scenes. I'm chuffed we have one more crack at winning a trophy."

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June 27, 2024

Afghanistan qualify for first World Cup semi-final,

 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Super 8s Group 1, St Vincent

Afghanistan 115-5 (20 overs): Gurbaz 43 (55); Rishad 3-26

Bangladesh 105 all out (17.5 overs): Das 54* (49); Rashid 4-23, Naveen 4-26

Afghanistan won by eight runs (DLS method),

Afghanistan qualified for the semi-finals of a World Cup for the first time by beating Bangladesh by eight runs in a tense low-scoring classic in St Vincent.

The victory sees them progress as runners-up from Super 8s Group 1, while knocking Bangladesh as well as heavyweights Australia out of the tournament.

They will now play South Africa in Trinidad on Thursday (01:30 BST), and are one match away from facing either defending T20 champions England or India in Saturday's final.

Needing a win to advance to the knockout stage, Afghanistan underperformed with the bat, scoring 115-5.

A rollercoaster, rain-interrupted run chase ensued, in which both sides and then Australia looked to be favourites to progress at different stages.

Ultimately it was Afghanistan who emerged triumphant, with captain Rashid Khan and Naveen-ul-Haq taking four wickets apiece to secure a famous victory.

Bangladesh, who were also seeking to reach their first World Cup semi-final, needed to win by a large margin to qualify on net run-rate (NRR).

They successfully throttled the dangerous Afghanistan opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, who both fell to leg-spinner Rishad Hossain (3-26), but skipper Rashid hit three late sixes to boost the total.

Bangladesh's target was revised to 114 off 19 overs, but they knew they had to knock off the runs in 12.1 overs to turn their overall NRR in the group in their favour.

Opener Litton Das anchored the innings, ending on 54 not out, but they lost veteran Shakib al Hasan and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto to successive balls from Naveen in the third over.

Despite failing with their own quest, the Tigers remained in contention for a consolation win that would have seen Australia qualify ahead of Afghanistan on NRR.

But Naveen took the final two Bangladesh wickets in successive deliveries, either side of a short rain delay, to begin rapturous celebrations.

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June 25, 2024

Cricket is the only source of happiness back home': Afghans celebrate big win,

 Afghans have been celebrating their country's surprise cricketing victory over Australia at the T20 World Cup in the West Indies.

Footage from the city of Khost near the border with Pakistan showed hundreds of people celebrating in the streets.

It was the first time Afghanistan has triumphed over the cricketing superpower - and all the more surprising given that at the turn of the century, the country didn't even have a national team.

Collecting the player-of-the-match award, Afghanistan's Gulbadin Naib said: “It is a great moment, not only for me but my nation, my people."

Meanwhile captain Rashid Khan said the win would "give people back home so much hope".

"Cricket is the only source of happiness back home, you all know that," he said.

The first recorded cricket match in Afghanistan took place in 1839 when imperial British troops took a break from the Anglo-Afghan War to crack leather on willow in Kabul.

However, it wasn't until the mid 1990s that cricket really began to take root in Afghanistan, cultivated by Afghans who had been in refugee camps in Pakistan and returned to their birthplace with passion for the game.

The Afghan Cricket Board (ACB) was set up in 1995, the year before the Taliban began its first stint in power.

The national team was established after the Taliban was ousted by the US-led invasion of 2001 and became a member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2017.

The team play wearing the black, red and green flag rather than the white flag adopted by the country's Taliban government after it swept back to power in 2021. They play home matches in the United Arab Emirates under a five-year agreement.

Many countries do not recognise the Taliban government, which has restricted Afghan women's ability to work, learn and go out in public. However in January Chinese President Xi Jinping accepted ambassador credentials from the Taliban-appointed representative of Afghanistan.

The Taliban also appointed its own head of the ACB, Naseeb Khan, after taking power.

The country's restrictions on women have seen the national team boycotted by some countries. In March Australia pulled out of a three-match series that was scheduled to take place in the UAE in August - the third time it has declined to play Afghanistan.

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June 23, 2024

Afghanistan shock Australia to keep semi-final hopes alive,

 T20 World Cup, Super 8s, St Vincent

Afghanistan 148-6 (20 overs): Gurbaz 60 (49); Cummins 3-28

Australia 127 all out (19.2 overs): Maxwell 59 (41); Gulbadin 4-20

Afghanistan won by 21 runs,

Afghanistan shocked Australia to keep their T20 World Cup hopes alive with a historic 21-run win in St Vincent.

Needing a victory to avoid elimination, Afghanistan posted 148-6 on a challenging surface on the back of a superb opening stand of 118 between Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran.

They quickly reduced Australia to 32-3 in the chase before Glenn Maxwell’s 35-ball half-century recovered the situation for the 2021 champions.

But just when Australia seemed to have the advantage, Gulbadin Naib removed Marcus Stoinis and Tim David before taking the prize wicket of Maxwell.

From there, Australia collapsed from 106-6 to 113-9 and Afghanistan sealed the win - their first over Australia in any form of cricket - in the final over.

"We've been waiting for a long time, it's a great moment for me, my nation, my people," said player of the match Gulbadin.

Pat Cummins had earlier taken his second hat-trick in as many games - the first player to achieve the feat in T20 internationals - but despite Australia's fightback with the ball, Afghanistan's total proved to be beyond them.

Rashid Khan's side are now firmly back in contention to reach the semi-finals and face Bangladesh in their last Super 8s game (Tuesday, 01:30 BST).

"It's a massive win for us as a team and as a nation," added Rashid. In a World Cup, to beat champions [Australia are 50-over world champions] is a great feeling and it is something we have missed.

It's just the beginning for us and we have every chance of making the semis."

Meanwhile, Australia take on India in St Lucia (Monday, 15:30 BST) and will likely need to win to progress to the last four.

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June 23, 2024

Cummins takes hat-trick as Australia beat Bangladesh,

 T20 World Cup, Super 8s, Antigua

Bangladesh 140-8 (20 overs): Shanto 41 (36); Cummins 3-29

Australia 100-2 (11.2 overs): Warner 53* (35); Rishad 2-23

Australia won by 28 runs (DLS),

Pat Cummins took a hat-trick as Australia beat Bangladesh by 28 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method to start their Super 8s with a win and maintain a 100% record at the T20 World Cup.

Having restricted Bangladesh to 140-8, David Warner's unbeaten 53 from 35 balls took Australia to 100-2 when rain arrived to bring the match in Antigua to a premature end.

Cummins is just the second man to take a T20 World Cup hat-trick for Australia after Brett Lee, also against Bangladesh, in 2007.

The Australia Test captain removed Mahmudullah and Mahedi Hasan at the end of the 18th over and then had Towhid Hridoy caught from the first ball of the 20th.

Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto top-scored for Bangladesh with 41 before falling to Adam Zampa, who impressed again in taking 2-24, while Hridoy's 40 from 28 balls gave the Tigers' total a boost.

However, they were a long way short of a competitive total and the Australia openers quickly broke the back of the chase with a stand of 65.

Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain took two quick wickets following a brief rain delay to give Bangladesh hope but Warner had extinguished that by the time a further downpour arrived to end the game.

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June 21, 2024

India impress in Super 8s victory over Afghanistan,

 T20 World Cup, Super 8s, Barbados

India 181-8 (20 overs): Suryakumar 53 (28); Rashid 3-26, Farooqi 3-33

Afghanistan 134 all out (20 overs): Bumrah 3-7, Arshdeep 3-36

India won by 47 runs,

ndia underlined their title credentials with a comprehensive 47-run victory over Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup Super 8s in Barbados.

Suryakumar Yadav struck a sublime 53 off 28 balls to lead India to an imposing 181-8 despite their acclaimed top order failing to fire.

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan and tournament leading wicket-taker Fazalhaq Farooqi impressed, claiming three wickets each, but a loose end to the innings left their batters little room for error in the chase.

They slipped to 23-3 early on in their reply, with India's supreme fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah removing both openers on his way to figures of 3-7.

India kept the pressure on to ensure Afghanistan fell far behind the required rate, before they were dismissed for 134 off the final ball, with Arshdeep Singh taking 3-36.

The other two sides in Group One, Australia and Bangladesh, play in Antigua later on Thursday night (01:30 BST).

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June 21, 2024