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Rashid, Farooqi and Gurbaz the stars as Afghanistan crush New Zealand

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Fazalhaq Farooqi ended with 4 for 17 [Cricinfo]

Afghanistan boosted their Super Eight chances with yet another dominating win, this time thumping New Zealand by 84 runs in Providence. Having beaten Uganda by 125 runs in their opening match, they are now at the top of Group C with a net run rate of 5.225.

After being sent in, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran gave Afghanistan a start of 103 in 14.3 overs. It came off the back of the 154 the pair added against Uganda, thus making them the first opening pair to register two successive century stands in the history of the T20 World Cup.

Afghanistan’s was an innings of two halves. They scored 55 for no loss in the first ten overs and 104 for 6 in the last ten, with Gurbaz contributing 80 off 56 balls. New Zealand, who had decided not to play any warm-up games, looked every bit rusty as their fielders dropped catches and missed run-out opportunities.

With the pitch assisting both seamers and spinners, chasing 160 was not going to be easy. But few would have expected New Zealand to collapse in the manner they did.

Fazalhaq Farooqi picked up three wickets in the powerplay and Rashid Khan three just after it. Eventually, both ended with identical figures of 4 for 17 as New Zealand were bowled out for 75 in the 15.2 overs. Glenn Phillips and Matt Henry were the only New Zealand batters to reach the double digits.

Trent Boult found some swing in the opening over but Gurbaz and Ibrahim showed their intent by picking up three fours off Henry from the other end. Both batters had luck on their side, too. Gurbaz got a second life when he skipped down the track to Santner and missed the ball, which went on to brush the leg stump but the bails did not budge. In the following over, Finn Allen dropped Ibrahim off Henry at the deep-square-leg boundary.

That was not all. Gurbaz got another reprieve after being involved in a miscommunication with Ibrahim. Having taken off for a single, Gurbaz had to retrace his steps and would have been run out had Conway not fumbled the throw.

Two balls later, New Zealand finally seemed to have found success when Santner pinged Ibrahim’s pads and umpire Kumar Dharmasena ruled it lbw. But the batter got the decision overturned on review as the ball was heading down the leg side. Immediately after that, Ibrahim hit Santner for an inside-out four as Afghanistan ended the powerplay on 44 for no loss.

New Zealand went against the prevailing wisdom of not bowling an offspinner when two right-hand batters at the crease, and Michael Bracewell repaid that faith by conceding only six off his first two overs.

Lockie Ferguson was even more frugal, going for five in his first two. He could have had Ibrahim off a slower full toss but a leaping Kane Williamson failed to pull off a one-handed stunner at mid-off. That meant while Afghanistan remained unscathed, they had only 55 on the board after ten overs.

Afghanistan had not hit a single six in the first ten overs, but there were five in the next three, including three in one Bracewell over as Gurbaz and Bracewell stepped on the accelerator. The pair took the side past 100 in the 14th over. New Zealand finally broke through when Ibrahim bottom-edged a short ball from Henry onto his stumps, after having been hit on the grille on the previous delivery.

Promoted to No. 3, Azmatullah Omarzai played his part with 22 off 13, which included two sixes in three balls off Henry. Mohammad Nabi fell for a first-ball duck but Gurbaz kept finding the boundary at regular intervals. However, a three-wicket, three-run final over by Boult kept Afghanistan to 159.

Farooqi gave Afghanistan a dream start with the ball. With the very first delivery of the innings, he uprooted Finn Allen’s leg stump as the ball moved in late. In the seamer’s next over, Conway pushed at one that seemed to come slower off the surface and was caught at extra cover.

The decision to give Farooqi a third over in the powerplay brought further rewards. This time, bowling around the wicket to Daryl Mitchell, he got a length delivery to just straighten and take the outside edge. Gurbaz took a regulation catch to complete the dismissal and leave New Zealand 28 for 3.

It could have been worse for New Zealand. In between, Naveen-ul-Haq had rapped Kane Williamson’s front pad after the batter had moved across to play a delivery. Afghanistan sent it upstairs for an lbw review but the umpire’s call saved the New Zealand captain.

Afghanistan did not have to wait too long for Williamson’s wicket. Rashid brought himself on after the powerplay and struck straightaway as Williamson guided one to first slip. But Rashid was just warming up. In his next over, he dismissed Mark Chapman and Bracewell off successive deliveries to leave New Zealand on 43 for 6. Chapman went for a pull and got bowled; Bracewell was late to bring his bat down and was lbw.

Phillips was New Zealand’s last hope. He did hit a couple of boundaries but was soon caught at long-on when he tried to take on Nabi. That ended any hopes of revival New Zealand might have had.

Brief scores:
Afghanistan 159 for 6 in 20 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 80, Ibrahim Zadran 44, Azmatullah Omarzai 22; Trent Boult 2-22, Matt Henry 2-37, Lockie Fergusoan 1-28) beat  New Zealand 75 in 15.2 overs (Glenn Phillips 18;  Rashid Khan  4 for 17, Fazalhaq Farooqi 4 for 17, Mohammad Nabi 2-16) by 84 runs

[Cricinfo]



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Tamim Iqbal elected new BCB president

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Tamim Iqbal attended a press conference after being appointed BCB president [Cricinfo]

Tamim Iqbal has been elected as the new BCB president following the elections held in Dhaka on Sunday. Tamim was the only candidate, and he will serve a four-year term in total, having already completed two months as the ad-hoc committee’s head.

The Bangladesh government called for BCB elections under the interim body in April, following the dissolution of the previous elected body under Aminul Islam.

The day-long election, including physical votes and e-ballots, were held at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, which is also the board headquarters. A total of 23 directors were elected in three categories and two government representatives were announced later to form the 25-member body.

Tamim is one of the most prominent cricketers to have played for Bangladesh, having appeared in 391 internationals across three formats. He led Bangladesh to 21 wins in 38 matches across formats, including the 2-1 ODI series against South Africa in 2022. After his international retirement in early 2025, Tamim continued to play domestic tournaments but a heart attack during a Dhaka Premier League match that year put an abrupt end to his playing career.

The election commission said 88 votes were cast to elect 23 directors in two out of the three categories. The first category includes all the divisions and districts of the country, the second is the Dhaka clubs that participate in the league system, while the third consists of former cricketers, captains, education boards and others. Tamim was one of twelve directors elected from the second category.

The new 25-member body held an election among themselves to choose the president and two vice-presidents. After Tamim was elected as board president, Fahim Sinha was elected as one of the two vice-presidents. The other vice-president hasn’t been selected.

The previous board elections were held on October 6 last year. Aminul was re-elected BCB president under controversial circumstqnces when Tamim, leading one of the panels, withdrew from the polls alleging Aminul of “bias and malpractice”.

Category 1 directors: Sayeed Bin Zaman, Abdullah Al Fuad, Minhajul Abedin, Moyeen Uddin Chowdhury, Shantanu Islam, Shafiqul Alam, Mizanur Rahman, Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury, Shakrul Alam, Faisal Amin

Category 2 directors: Tamim Iqbal, Fahim Sinha, Asif Rabbani, Israfil Khasru, Dr Sarkar Mahbub Ahmed, Masuduzzaman, Rafiqul Islam, Sakeef Ahmed, Shanian Taneem, Syed Ibrahim Ahmed, Yasir Abbas, Yasir Faisal

Category 3 director: Sirajuddin Alamgir.

Government representative directors: Ruhul Amin, Sarfaraz Ahmed

[Cricinfo]

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West Indies look to level series in rainy Kingston

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Wanindu Hasaranga takes off after striking [Cricinfo]

With no play possible in the second ODI, both teams go into the third game well-rested. Perhaps this is a chance for the IPL returnees in particular to have caught their breath. The rain, though, may not have cleared in Kingston completely. According to the forecast, showers are likely in the afternoon and also possible in the evening, though there may be dry spells in between. There is a chance this will be a stop-start match in which DLS calculations come into play.

With a series win now beyond them, West Indies will be especially motivated to avoid being blanked at home. There is also the matter of their current 10th-placed ranking, which is not enough for them to gain automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup (cut-off is end of March next year). They need every ranking point they can get over the next two months. Sri Lanka are slightly more comfortable, at sixth position, and about 12 points clear of the current cut-off. But they’ll want to build more of a cushion themselves.

In the first ODI, Sri Lanka’s dominance in the middle overs is what had won them the match. Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga were economical on a helpful surface, where West Indies’ frontline spinner Gudakesh Motie had been hit out of the attack. And Sri Lanka’s top six also showed serious hustle, picking up the tempo and keeping the runs flowing after Sri Lanka had had a poor powerplay with the bat.

These remain two relatively evenly-matched teams, however. With a little more discipline from their bowlers, West Indies are capable of leveling the series.

Although his Test average remains outstanding, Kamindu Mendis is yet to find a home in limited-overs cricket. Partly this is because his batting is so versatile, coaches and selectors have tended to yank him up and down the order as the team’s needs evolve. So far in ODIs, he has done his best work at No. 7 and 8, but he has now been asked to open the innings alongside Pathum Nissanka. His first innings at the top of the order brought only 12, but Sri Lanka are unlikely to ditch the strategy after one game. Can batting in the powerplay be the change he needs to kick his white ball career into high gear?

Over a fledgling international career, Keacy Carty has demonstrated promise at No. 3, where he averages 45.18. What he doesn’t have, so far, however, is the kind of body of work a long-term No. 3 should ideally built. So far, he has two tons apiece against England and Ireland, but is yet to put up serious numbers against other oppositions. Runs against an attack of Sri Lanka’s quality would add to his confidence.

Rain will potentially dictate conditions on Monday. If there’s rain around, teams tend to prefer to chase. Not only do they prefer to be batting while DLS calculations are in play, but a wetter ball is also more difficult for bowlers to grip, particularly spinners.

West Indies may think about bringing Shimron Hetmyer into the XI to shake up the batting a little.

West Indies (possible): John Campbell, Justin Greaves,  Keacy Carty,  Shai Hope (capt.)(wk),  Shimron Hetmyer/Sherfane Rutherford,  Roston Chase, Matthew Forde,  Gudakesh Motie,  Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph,  Jayden Seales

Sri Lanka may keep their winning XI, but with so many quicks to choose from, may be tempted to give Eshan Malinga a run, especially if it’s a shortened match.

Sri Lanka (possible): Pathum Nissanka,  Kamindu Mendis,  Kusal Mendis (capt.)(wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage,  Wanindu Hasaranga,  Milan Rathnayake,  Dushmantha Chameera,  Asitha Fernando/Eshan Malinga

[Cricinfo]

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Huge crowds throng Madrid streets for Pope’s open-air mass

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Pope Leo held the service on the second day of his official visit to Spain (BBC)

More than a million people lined the streets of Madrid on Sunday as Pope Leo XIV held an open-air mass in the Spanish capital, the Vatican said.

Crowds descended on the city as the pontiff arrived for the service on the second day of his official visit to the country at the Plaza de Cibeles, with King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia among the congregants.

The pair welcomed the pontiff to the royal palace on Saturday, as he began his trip by praising the Spanish government’s opposition to global conflicts and its support for migrants.

The Pope waved as he made his way through the city early on Sunday, where authorities mounted a major security operation for the mass and subsequent procession through central Madrid.

People waved flags and shouted “long live the Pope”, with some throwing petals as he arrived at the square.

Large crowds had similarly gathered in the city as he began his trip on Saturday. He was later joined by some 500,000 congregants – most of whom were young people – for a prayer vigil near Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium which stretched into the night.

“In the face of the emptiness of indifference and compliance, before the violence of war and lies, you must be the sparks of a new humanity,” he told those gathered.

EPA/Shutterstock Pope Leo XIV waves to faithful from his popemobile as arrives to Cibeles Square to celebrate mass
The Vatican said 1.2m people lined Madrid’s streets (BBC) 
Reuters Faithful wait ahead of a Holy Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV at Plaza de Cibeles
Large crowds could be seen hours before the Pope’s arrival (BBC)

His remarks echoed those he delivered during his royal reception, in which he praised Spain’s commitment to peace and its “faithful adherence to international law”.

The country’s socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has clashed with US President Donald Trump over the US and Israel’s war against Iran, and with Israel over the war in Gaza. The Chicago-born pope has also drawn criticism from the president over his anti-war views.

His trip to Spain – the first by a pope in some 15 years – will also feature an unprecedented address before the Spanish parliament and a meeting with victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.

Pope Leo is also due to visit the Canary Islands with Prime Minister Sánchez later in the week, where they will honour thousands of migrants who have died trying to reach Europe.

(BBC)

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