New Zealand completed a stunning chase to beat Afghanistan by two wickets in their final one-day international (ODI) warm-up before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz top scored with 110 off 107 deliveries, while Sediqullah Atal hit 52, as Afghanistan posted 305-9, batting first at the National Stadium in Karachi, Pakistan on Sunday evening.

The Kiwis, who open the tournament on Wednesday against hosts Pakistan,  looked in trouble when they were reduced to 152-5 in the 30th over as Rashid Khan snared two of the wickets. Dean Conway (66), thereafter, and Glenn Phillips (46), previously, were, however, both able to retire out to offer match practice for those following.

Daryl Mitchell, who ranks seventh on the list of ICC ODI batters, made full use of the opportunity, proving the ever-reliable finisher for the Black Caps as he and Matt Henry saw their team over the line with an unbeaten 74-run partnership for the ninth wicket.

Mitchell’s 36 off 25 balls was heavily complimented by Henry’s 31 off 20.

Both sides used 15-man teams on rotation for the 11-a-side match, which substantially helped to the aggregate total of 613 runs as batter after batter was sent to the middle.

It was still a close call for New Zealand, though, with Henry having to play his part to seal the victory with the highest strike rate of the match by anyone reaching double figures.

Hashmat Shahidi (40) and Ibrahim Zadran (32) helped to top up the Afghan total before their Champions Trophy debut against South Africa on Friday. Zadran shared an opening stand of 96 with Gurbaz, who was eventually removed by a combination of Mitchell with the ball and Henry in the field.

The latter claimed two wickets, as did Jacob Duffy and Mitchell Santner. Afghanistan had reached 234-3 in a dominant start before Mitchell’s intervention to remove Gurbaz slowed matters.

The chase played out in reverse fashion with the slow start from the Kiwis, but cameos from Mark Chapman (47) and Santner (33) ensured there was at least a foundation upon which Mitchell and Henry were able to launch.

The Kiwi victory was achieved with 13 balls to spare and was a considerable marker laid down by a side considered dark horses for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy.

Mitchell Santner’s side already warmed up for their opener by beating hosts – and second favourites – Pakistan by five wickets in their tri-series on Friday. New Zealand will play Pakistan again in the opening match of the Champions Trophy in Karachi on Wednesday.

The Champions Trophy, regarded as second only to the World Cup in the one-day game, runs until March 9 and is the first global cricket tournament hosted by Pakistan in nearly three decades.

[Aljazeera]

A Delta Air Lines jet carrying 80 people has flipped upside down upon landing at one of the busiest airports in Canada, injuring at least 18 people but causing no deaths.

The plane carrying 76 passengers and four crew turned over onto its roof as it landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport at about 3:30pm (20:30 GMT) on Monday.

Deborah Flint, the CEO of Greater Toronto Airports Authority, said there had been no loss of life and those on board had suffered only “relatively minor injuries”.

“17 injured passengers were taken to local area hospitals. At this time, we do not know of any of those passengers having critical injuries,” Flint told reporters at a news conference.

“No airport CEO wants to have these types of press conferences but this is exactly what our emergency, our operations and our first responders are all practised and trained for,” Flint added.

“And again, this outcome is in due part to their heroic work and I thank them profusely.”

Toronto Pearson International Airport said in a later update that an 18th passenger had been transported to hospital after the others.

Ornge, an air ambulance service in the province of Ontario, said earlier on Monday that a child, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 40s had all been transported to hospital with critical injuries.

The reason for the differing accounts of the patients’ condition was not immediately clear.

Footage shared on social media showed passengers exiting the upside-down CRJ-900 plane, which had been travelling from Minneapolis in the United States, while shielding their faces from strong wind and falling snow.

“We just landed. Our plane crashed. It’s upside down,” one passenger, identified as John Nelson, explained on a cellphone video he recorded and posted as he walked away from the upturned aircraft. “Most people appear to be OK.”

While authorities have not provided a cause for the crash, the botched landing came as Toronto was reeling from back-to-back winter storms.

Over the weekend, an estimated 22cm (8.7 inches) of snow blanketed the airport, in addition to snowfall from the week before.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the Peel Regional Police in Ontario said they were investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.

The US National Transportation Safety Board said a team of its investigators would also assist the investigation.

The Association of Flight Attendants urged the public against speculating about the cause of the incident while “everyone works to gather information and support those involved”.

The crash is the fourth aviation accident to occur in North America in less than a month, the most serious of which – a midair collision between a commercial jetliner and a US Army helicopter near Washington, DC – killed 67 people.

The incident also comes as the US aviation sector is reeling from mass layoffs at the Federal Aviation Administration.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has maintained that thinning the federal government workforce is necessary to reduce spending and peel back waste.

The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, a union of air traffic control employees, has warned that the “draconian” job cuts will increase the workload of a workforce that is “already stretched thin”.

[Aljazeera]

The Colombo High Court has served indictments against Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa.over alleged misappropriation of Rs. 70 million provided by Krrish Company for development of rugby in Sri Lanka.