Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi yesterday said that his team were targeting another big scalp in the form of Australia after knocking England out of the ICC Champions Trophy, with a semi-final spot the prize.
The Champions Trophy debutants sent England crashing out of the 50-over tournament with a thrilling eight-run victory in Lahore on Wednesday.
Afghanistan similarly stunned then-holders England at the Cricket World Cup in India in 2023.
Photo: EPA-EFE
They face world champions Australia at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium today in their final group match and must win to reach the last four of the eight-nation tournament.
“Obviously a win like this boosts every team’s confidence and strengthens them,” Shahidi said after Afghanistan sent England packing. “Our morale has increased even more.”
“The upcoming match will be crucial for both teams in the race for the semi-finals,” Shahidi said. “Australia is a tough and good team. I have said this in previous conferences as well — that we came here to play good cricket.”
“We will try to play a positive game,” he said. “Just like we defeated England ... we hope to beat Australia as well.”
“We won’t put that pressure on ourselves by thinking too much about the semi-final qualification,” he added.
Rain is forecast in Lahore, but even a washout would keep Afghanistan in contention of reaching the semi-finals, but they will then have to depend on other results or net run rate.
Afghanistan, a growing force in white-ball cricket, and Australia have played four ODIs previously, with Australia winning all of them.
They posted 325-7 against England on Wednesday. Ibrahim Zadran smashed 177, the highest individual innings in Champions Trophy history, after Afghanistan chose to bat and were struggling at 37-3.
In reply, England were all out for 317 to suffer their second straight defeat.
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Japan yesterday secured a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance with a 2-1 win over 2023 champions Canada, thanks to Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama’s 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino in the qualifying doubles decider. Shibahara and Aoyama powered through the opening set 6-3, breaking twice for a quick 3-0 lead. Cross and Marino hit back in the second, edging it 7-5 to level the match, before the Japanese pair regained control in the third. Canada’s 18-year-old Victoria Mboko edged Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5 in a marathon opening clash. Mboko fired eight aces to
DAY OF BLOWOUTS: Elsewhere, the Lakers clinched the third seed in the Western Conference with a 140-109 pounding of the under-strength Houston Rockets The Denver Nuggets on Friday improved their playoff position, with a triple double from Nikola Jokic helping them to a 117-109 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Serbian put up 26 points, 13 assists and 16 rebounds. The triple-double performance, his 34th this season, ensured that he will finish the regular season as just the third NBA player to average a triple double across an entire season. The win meant the Nuggets improved to 49-32 on the season and gave them a real chance of grabbing fourth place and home-court advantage in the playoffs. Aaron Gordon top scored with 33 points for Denver,
RSS