In a nail biting climax Pakistan manages to win by 3 wickets against Afghanistan
Leeds, June 29: Pakistan survived a mighty scare to continue its surge towards the World Cup semifinals with Imad Wasim (49 not out) showing nerves of steel to guide them to a tense three-wicket win over Afghanistan, here Saturday.
In heart-stopping action, the gritty Afghanistan yet again came close to creating a big upset but were denied by Wasim, who emerged an unlikely batting hero along with Wahab Riaz (15 off 9), who hit a timely six off Rashid Khan to release the pressure.
Wasim had five half-centuries before this match but perhaps played the biggest knock of his life, soaking in tremendous pressure as Pakistan huffed and puffed to win with two balls to spare.
The Afghans after dominating the large part of the Pakistan innings, wilted under pressure, missing run outs and catches towards the dramatic end. They had come close to winning against India too but fell short.
The Afghanistan spinners turned the match on its head by reducing Pakistan to 156 for six and the modest 228-run target was now looking like a mountain to scale for the 1992 champions.
It was Mujeeb ur Rahman (2/34) and Mohammed Nabi (2/23) who saw off the Pakistan top-order to set it up nicely for Afghanistan.
When seasoned Rashid Khan got rid of Haris Sohail (27), Afghanistan sensed an upset and Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed (18) helped the Afghan cause by running himself out at crucial juncture.
There was no Babar Azam (45) or Sohail at the crease to rescue Pakistan, who required 46 from the last five overs.
Afghan skipper Gulbadin came to bowl the 46th over and ended up leaking 18 runs with Wasim finding three boundaries in that over. It titled the match heavily in favour of Pakistan.
With 16 needed off 12 balls, Riaz launched Rashid for a massive six in the second ball and eventually Pakistan needed six from last over.
Gulabdin brought himself again into the attack but Wasim steered him for a four in the fourth ball to finish it off for his side.
With this win, Pakistan have now jumped to the fourth spot with nine points, pushing hosts England to five. They would pray that India beat England tomorrow to enhance Pakistan's semi final chances.
Earlier, Pakistan bowlers did not exactly dominate the Afghanistan batsmen but pacer Shaheen Afridi's four-wicket haul helped them limit the gritty rivals to 227 for nine in their must-win game.
If Afghanistan finished with a below par total after electing to bat under sunny conditions, it was because the batsmen threw away their wickets with some poor shot selection.
Contributions from Asghar Afghan (42 off 35) and Najibullah Zadran (42 off 54) gave the bowlers something to bowl at.
Shaheen Afridi, who had starred in Pakistan's win over New Zealand, was impressive upfront as well as in the death overs, ending with figures of four for 47 in 10 overs.
Batting has been Afghanistan's weakest link in the competition in which they are yet to win a game in seven attempts. And the batsmen disappointed yet again.
Afridi put Pakistan on top with a double strike in his opening spell, removing skipper Gulbadin Naib (15) and Hashmatullah Shahidi off successive balls. Pakistan got the on-field call overturned to have Naib adjudged caught behind for their first wicket.
Afghanistan were in more trouble when a set Rahmat Shah (35) was dismissed by left-arm spinner Imad Wasim.
Asghar and wicket-keeper batsman Ikram Ali Khil (24) then tried to resurrect the innings with a 64-run stand with the former being the aggressor. Asghar went on the offensive against the spinners to limited success but in the end leggie Shadab Khan had the last laugh as he swept one on to his stumps.
The former Afghanistan captain's entertaining knock comprised three fours and couple of sixes.
Zadran came up with a handy innings towards the end to lend the total some respectability on a slow surface.
Besides Afridi's stellar showing, pacer Wahab Riaz and Imad Wasim picked up two wickets each.
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
