BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah picked three wickets for just seven runs as India beat Afghanistan by 47 runs in their Super Eight clash at the Twenty20 World Cup on Thursday.
Bumrah’s four-over spell was aided by Arshdeep Singh, who finished with 3-36. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav (2-32) and Axar Patel (1-15) shared three wickets as Afghanistan were bowled out for 134 runs.
Earlier, Suryakumar Yadav scored 53 off 28 balls — his fifth T20 World Cup half-century — as India reached 181-8 in 20 overs after opting to bat.
Yadav hit three sixes and five fours, while Hardik Pandya scored 32 off 24 balls, including two sixes.
India’s next Super Eight game is on Saturday, against Bangladesh in Antigua. Afghanistan will play Australia in St. Vincent, also on Saturday.
Yadav was named player of the match.
“I am clear in my mind how I want to bat,” he said. “There’s a lot of hard work, process and routine involved in it. You just need to know your game plan and just play accordingly. When Hardik (Pandya) came in to bat, we discussed about batting with (aggressive) intent. In the end, we were happy with 180.”
On a slow-paced Barbados wicket, India had made a sluggish start. Skipper Rohit Sharma was out caught for eight, while star batter Virat Kohli only managed run-a-ball 24.
Rishabh Pant, batting at three, provided some acceleration — he scored 20 off 11 balls with four fours.
Afghanistan skipper and wrist spinner Rashid Khan did damage to India’s top order, dismissing both Kohli and Pant, the latter out lbw. It was the first time Khan picked up wickets against India in T20s.
India were down to 62-3 in 8.3 overs, when Yadav played a rescuing hand. He added 28 of 14 balls with Shivam Dube (10) and then the match-turning 60 runs with Pandya.
Yadav’s stand with Pandya came off only 37 balls as India scored 102 runs off the final 10 overs.
Rashid Khan finished with 3-26 in four overs.
Afghanistan’s chase got off to a poor start against Bumrah — he sent back both openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (11) and Haratullah Zazai (2) cheaply.
In between, Axar Patel struck in the fourth over as Ibrahim Zadran was out for eight, and Afghanistan slipped to 23-3 in 4.1 overs.
Gulbadin Naib and Azatullah Omarzai added 44 off 38 balls for the fourth wicket. Thereafter, India’s spinners struck at regular intervals to restrict their opponents.
Ravindra Jadeja picked 1-20 in three overs. Afghanistan lost their last five wickets for 32 runs across 28 deliveries as India crossed the finish line with ease.
Bumrah leads India to 47-run win over Afghanistan in Super Eight at T20 World Cup
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Bumrah leads India to 47-run win over Afghanistan in Super Eight at T20 World Cup
- Bumrah’s four-over spell was aided by Arshdeep Singh, who finished with 3-36
- Spinners Kuldeep Yadav (2-32) and Axar Patel (1-15) shared three wickets as Afghanistan were bowled out for 134 runs
Afghanistan women’s team gets funding from the International Cricket Council
- The International Cricket Council released a statement late Sunday saying it reached an agreement with the sport’s national associations in Australia, India and England to support the displaced Afghan women’s players
- An Afghanistan Women’s XI played a Cricket Without Borders XI at Melbourne’s Junction Oval in an exhibition match supported by the Australian government in January
MELBOURNE: Afghan women cricketers will finally get high-level support in a bid to rejoin international competition after the sport’s world governing body created a taskforce to coordinate direct funding, elite coaching and facilities for displaced players.
Dozens of players from Afghanistan’s national women’s team relocated to Australia after the Taliban retook control of the country in 2021 and enforced bans on women’s sports. The players have been seeking official support ever since.
The International Cricket Council released a statement late Sunday saying it reached an agreement with the sport’s national associations in Australia, India and England to support the displaced Afghan women’s players.
ICC chairman Jay Shah said his organization is “deeply committed to fostering inclusivity and ensuring every cricketer has the opportunity to shine, regardless of their circumstances.”
“The ICC believes this (support fund) will not only help preserve the sporting careers of Afghan women cricketers but also reinforce the sport’s role as a unifying force that transcends borders and adversity,” he said.
An Afghanistan Women’s XI played a Cricket Without Borders XI at Melbourne’s Junction Oval in an exhibition match supported by the Australian government in January, bringing together 21 female players who were formerly contracted to the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
Since leaving Afghanistan many of the women cricketers have been based in the Australian capital and in Melbourne and playing for club teams in local competitions.
Firooza Amiri said ahead of that exhibition match in January that her team “represents millions of women in Afghanistan who are denied their rights.”
Amiri fled her home country with her family and first traveled to Pakistan before being evacuated to Australia.
Under Taliban rule, the Afghanistan Cricket Board cannot field a national women’s team because the country’s laws forbid women from playing sport, studying and medical education, moves that have been criticized by world groups including the International Criminal Court.
Afghanistan is a full member of the International Cricket Council and a condition of that status should require it to have a women’s national team.
England and Australia have refused to participate in direct series against Afghanistan in protest, but continue to play against the Afghan men in ICC events.
It was the Afghanistan men’s historic run to the semifinals of the Twenty20 World Cup last year that sparked the women’s team members to again approach the ICC about funding.
The group first approached the ICC in 2023, asking for support for a refugee team based in Australia to rejoin international cricket.
Abhishek plunders 141 as Hyderabad pull off second-highest IPL chase
- 24-year-old Abhishek put on the best stand so far this season of 171 with opening partner Travis Head
HYDERABAD: Abhishek Sharma lit up the IPL on Saturday with a spectacular 141 off 55 balls to steer Sunrisers Hyderabad to the second-highest successful chase in tournament history of 246 as they downed Punjab Kings by eight wickets.
Earlier, Nicholas Pooran continued his incredible form with 61 to help Lucknow Super Giants end Gujarat Titans’ winning streak of four matches, coming out on top by six wickets.
The 24-year-old Abhishek put on the best stand so far this season of 171 with opening partner Travis Head, who hit 66, in a chase achieved with nine balls to spare.
“We didn’t talk (about) anything,” Abhishek said of the mood ahead of the chase. “It was just natural play for us. The partnership boosted me up.”
Punjab hold the record winning chase of 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens last year.
Abhishek’s individual score is the third highest in IPL history behind Chris Gayle (175 not out for Bengaluru) and Brendon McCullum (158 not out for Kolkata) and the largest in 12 years.
“This one is very special, because I wanted to break that losing streak,” added Abhishek. “Losing four matches back to back was very tough. But we never talked about it in the team.”
Shreyas Iyer’s 82 and a late blitz of 34 by Marcus Stoinis steered Punjab to 245-6, but the total proved inadequate as the Sunrisers openers took their team off the bottom of the 10-team table with just a second win in six matches.
Abhishek started as he meant to go on, reaching his fifty in 19 balls.
Australia’s Head fell to leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal after hitting nine fours and three sixes in his 37-ball knock.
But Abhishek raised his century in only 40 balls as he roared, punched the air and waved a piece of paper with a message reading “this one for the orange army,” referencing the Sunrisers fans.
Arshdeep Singh eventually dismissed Abhishek, who hit 14 fours and 10 sixes, with 24 to win and Heinrich Klaasen saw Hyderabad home with an unbeaten 21 off 14 balls.
Earlier in Lucknow, opener Aiden Markram, who hit 58, and the in-form Pooran set up the home team’s chase of 181 before they secured victory over Gujarat with three balls to spare.
Markram shared partnerships of 65 with fellow opener Rishabh Pant and 58 with Pooran, who struck his fourth half-century of the campaign to go past Gujarat opener Sai Sudharsan as the leading runscorer this season with 349, at a remarkable strike-rate of 215.
“I think one thing is for sure is that we are happy to have Nicholas Pooran in our team,” said Pant of the West Indies star.
“You want someone like him on your side and not batting against you. The way he is reading the game right now, the way he is batting is phenomenal.”
Gujarat lost top spot in the 10-team table, with Lucknow behind in third with four wins from six matches.
South Africa’s Markram stepped up in the absence of his in-form opening partner Mitchell Marsh, who missed the match due to the illness of his daughter.
Skipper Pant was promoted to open but failed to strike form despite an early reprieve when Gujarat wicketkeeper Jos Buttler dropped a catch down the leg-side.
Pant hit four boundaries before he lofted fast bowler Prasidh Krishna to deep third man, falling for 21 from 18 balls.
Pant is still waiting to justify his record auction price of $3.21 million and has only managed 40 runs in five innings.
Pooran hammered his fifty in 23 balls before falling to Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan.
But he had already done the damage with one four and seven sixes in his 34-ball blitz.
Impact substitute Ayush Badoni hit an unbeaten 28 and sealed the win with a four and six after a late wobble.
Rahul shines as Delhi Capitals bag fourth straight win in IPL
- Delhi now sit second in the table while Bengaluru are third in the 10-team competition
BENGALURU: KL Rahul smashed an unbeaten 93 as Delhi Capitals beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets to maintain their winning streak in the Indian Premier League on Thursday.
Rahul, 32, hit six sixes and seven fours in his scintillating 53-ball knock to help Delhi overhaul Bengaluru’s 163-7 with 13 balls to spare at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Tristan Stubbs chipped in with 38 not out and shared 111 runs with Rahul off just 56 balls to steer Delhi to their fourth consecutive win.
Delhi now sit second in the table while Bengaluru are third in the 10-team competition.
Bengaluru bowlers picked some early wickets but ran into the in-form Rahul who batted with composure and ease.
Delhi had a wobbly start, losing openers Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk cheaply with just 10 runs on the board.
Captain Axar Patel tried to steady the innings but holed out to Tim David off impact sub Suyash Sharma for 15.
Stubbs said the win was “really satisfying.”
“I came in a tricky situation, but the run-rate never got out of hand,” he said.
“I did not need to do much — KL played the way he did.”
Earlier, Bengaluru were off to a flier, with openers Virat Kohli and Phil Salt taking the attack to the opposition.
The duo smashed 30 runs in the third over off Mitchell Starc before guiding Bengaluru to the fastest team 50 of the season.
The batting assault ended when Salt (37) was run-out after a mix-up and Kohli (22) lobbed a catch to Starc who dived forward to take a fine catch at long-off.
Salt hit three sixes and four fours in his 17-ball knock.
Bengaluru lost regular wickets after the twin setbacks, with Delhi left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav picking two, including the scalp of captain Rajat Patidar for 25.
David provided a late flourish with an unbeaten 20-ball 37, studded with four sixes and two fours.
Patidar conceded his team did not bat well despite showing “nice intent.”
“We were lacking in assessing the conditions and the situation. (But) the way David accelerated at the end, it was really amazing,” he said.
Cricket’s old fashioned virtues kept alive in Thailand
- The Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes tournament has been held every year since 1988, apart from during the pandemic
Please excuse me for a touch of indulgence this week. As regular readers will know, I play each year in the Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes tournament in northern Thailand. This has been held in late March/early April every year since 1988, apart from 2020-22, during the pandemic. This year, the 35th edition, so nearly did not happen.
In early October last year, the Gymkhana Club, where the tournament is hosted, was covered in 20 centimeters of mud and silt when the adjacent River Ping overflowed for a second time. The waters swept all before them from one end of the area to the other. Over the course of the next two months, the monumental task of clearing up was undertaken by a combination of golf caddies, local volunteers, tournament committee members and hired machinery.
Then came the returfing of the playing area. By the time the tournament opened, only a small area of the ground lacked turf — for some reason, I found myself fielding there. It has been an outstanding effort by everyone concerned to ensure the 2025 Chiang Mai Sixes could be held. Donations are still being received from friends and supporters to support the recovery program.
In its early days, the tournament attracted an impressive array of former international cricketers, including Dennis Lillie in 1994. England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka were always well represented. The latter continued to be involved until 2012; then, in a sign of cricket’s changing nature, their successors had many more options for their post cricket careers.
However, not all contact has been lost. One of those who last played in Chiang Mai in 2012, Amal Silva, paid a visit this year. He scored a century for Sri Lanka at Lords in his country’s first ever Test match in England in 1984. He recalls being motivated by a jibe from Ian Botham, who said Sri Lanka would be “a piece of cake for him.” England ought to have been wary, given that in the first ever Test between the two countries in Colombo in 2012 Sri Lanka had put in a competitive performance after sharing the spoils in a two-match One Day International series.
Another former player with a tale to tell also visited Chiang Mai this year, in support of the New Zealand-based team, the Divine Felons. John Morrison played 17 Test matches and 18 ODIs for New Zealand between 1973 and 1983. In the second of a three-match series against Australia at Sydney in January 1974, he scored a century in the second innings and was the highest run scorer on either side in the series, which Australia won 2-0. At Sydney, New Zealand was in a strong position but rain on the last day ruined the chance to square the series. Morrison points out that no New Zealand player has scored a Test match century at Sydney since 1974.
After cricket, Morrison went into commentating. He was also active in Wellington city politics between 1998 and 2013. When chatting to him, he remarked that the latter felt stranger than sitting in a cricket dressing room and he would love to have been good enough to write a script on what happens in debates. It is a shame his dry, understated wit has not had such a stage.
In 2025, the Chiang Mai Sixes consisted of 28 men’s teams and three women’s teams. Based on estimates of playing strength, the men were divided into a Players section of the strongest 12 and a Gentlemen’s section of 16 teams. In Round One, teams played three matches against teams in their section to generate a league table for Players and Gentlemen. This provided a basis to divide teams into five descending levels — Cup, Shield, Bowl, Plate and Spoon.
My team, the Drifters, is one of only three which has participated in every edition of the tournament. The other two are the Red Lion Wombats from Australia and Darjeeling Cricket Club of Dubai, which was formed in 1969. It is the oldest amateur cricket club in the UAE, consisting primarily of western expatriates. In both 2023 and 2024, the team finished third in the Cup.
The Wombats are an eclectic group, consisting mainly of Australians. Its composition has changed much over the years, but it still has the services of the only person to have played in every single edition of the tournament — Peter Nitschke. In 2024, the Wombats won the Plate but relinquished it in the 2025 semifinals. The composition of the Drifters has also morphed over time. Originally, it consisted of players from the UK. Now, it is largely made up of players who play for Pattaya Cricket Club in Thailand. The link has been forged by a Drifter, Simon Philbrook, as player and chair of that club over several years.
As a result, a strong set of younger players has supplemented those with years of experience. Last year, the team finished third in the Cup, alongside Darjeeling. In 2025, neither the 2024 Cup winners, the Bangladesh team, NCL Thunders, or the runners-up, St Francis de Sales of Australia, were present. Both Darjeeling and the Drifters knew this was their chance. The former have never won the Cup, whilst the last victory for the latter was in 1996. The Drifters were able to secure the services of Abaidullah, last year’s player of the tournament, from NCL.
In the Players section, the Drifters finished top with Darjeeling second. Both teams topped their Cup groups to progress to the semifinals, which both successfully negotiated to set up the Final. Going into that, the Drifters’ average score was 85 per innings compared with Darjeeling’s 63. However, the Drifters had conceded 65 runs per over compared with 50 by Darjeeling. The question was whether Darjeeling could rein in the Drifters’ prolific batting.
Their strategy to do so was revealed when, on winning the toss, they elected to bowl. Abaidullah was not given freedom to hit legside sixes and was out, caught at long off for 19. Luke Stokes, voted player of the tournament, continued his imperious form, striking another unbeaten 30 before having to retire. When the mercurial Habby Singh was out the very next ball, 59 for three at the end of over four was below the Drifters normal strike rate. Mike Gerits added a valuable 14 from the final over to post a final score of 74. This was not an unimpregnable target but Darjeeling fell to 39 for three in the fourth over, Gerits and Stokes holding onto excellent catches in the deep.
Darjeeling had no option but to attack, which they did to good effect, entering the final over needing 18 to win. Drama then ensued. Philbrook, the Drifters wicketkeeper, suffered a tweaked hamstring and retired. He was replaced by your columnist, who watched as the batter struck the next ball sweetly, seemingly for six. After review, four runs were awarded, much to the angst of the opposition. Tim Peters, entrusted to bowl the last over, held his nerve and Darjeeling failed to level the scores by a single run in a thrilling conclusion.
Such an exciting finish was a fitting end to a well contested and organized tournament. After the initial disappointment of defeat, the Darjeeling cohort recovered its poise, chatting amiably with the Drifters in post-match revelry. Celebrations of a long-awaited Cup triumph continued for the Drifters, all of whom were grateful for the Arab News shirt sponsorship.
Arya ton powers Punjab to IPL win over Chennai
- Spotted by Punjab after hitting six sixes in an over in Delhi Premier League T20 match last year, 24-year-old bought by franchise for $440,000 in November auction
CHANDIGARH: Up and coming Indian batter Priyansh Arya struck his first century in the IPL to lead Punjab Kings to an 18-run win over Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday.
Arya, a left-hand batter known for his six-hitting in domestic cricket, smashed 103 off 42 balls to steer Punjab to 219-6 at Mullanpur, near Chandigarh, where Chennai managed 201-5.
Spotted by Punjab after hitting six sixes in an over in a Delhi Premier League T20 match last year, the 24-year-old Arya was bought by the franchise for $440,000 in the November auction.
The big-hitter did not disappoint as he smashed the second ton of this season in his fourth match in the T20 tournament. He raced to his hundred in 39 balls as he pummelled the opposition attack with seven fours and nine sixes.
The ton was the fastest against five-time champions Chennai and the joint fourth-fastest ever in the IPL. Chris Gayle holds the record with a century in 30 balls.
Opener Arya found little support at the start as Punjab slipped to 83-5. After Shashank Singh joined the rising star and the two put together 71 runs in 34 balls.
Arya finally fell to Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad, but Shashank, with his 52, and South African Marco Jansen, who smashed 34, finished with a flourish in an unbeaten stand of 65.
Chennai attempted to make a fist of the chase as New Zealand left-handers Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway put on 61 runs for the opening wicket.
Australia spinner Glenn Maxwell got Ravindra stumped on 36. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad fell for one off fast bowler Lockie Ferguson.
Conway powered on with impact substitute Shivam Dube as the two put on 89 runs but Ferguson broke through to get the left-handed Dube bowled for 42.
Veteran M.S. Dhoni walked out to loud cheers but even though Conway retired out, Chennai’s batters failed to keep up to the ever-increasing run-rate.
Dhoni, 43, raised faint hopes of getting the target in his 12-ball 27 but departed at the start of the last over and Chennai went down to their fourth loss in five matches.
