Ireland script maiden Test win, defeat Afghanistan by six wickets
Abu Dhabi, Mar 1: Nearly seven years after they were granted Test status, Ireland secured their maiden win in the longest format, defeating Afghanistan by six wickets in a one-off Test here on Friday.
Ireland skipper Andy Balbirne anchored the 111-run chase in their second essay with an unbeaten 58 off 96 balls after pacer Mark Adair's eight-wicket match haul (5/39 and 3/56) to secure their first-ever win in eight Tests.
Opting to bat, Afghanistan's first innings had lasted just 54.5 overs, folding up for 155 with Adair returning with his maiden five-wicket haul, taking advantage of the swinging conditions at the Tolerance Oval here.
He was ably supported by Craig Young (2/31), Curtis Campher (2/13) and Barry McCarthy (1/28).
If not for the patient opening knock of 53 by Ibrahim Zadran and the resistance shown by Karim Janat (41 not out) towards the end, Afghanistan would have ended up with a much lower first-innings score.
In reply, Ireland stuttered at the start before Campher (49) and Harry Tector (32) stabilised the innings.
Despite a brief comeback by Afghanistan, Ireland's middle and lower order put up a solid performance. Aided by mature knocks from Paul Stirling (52), Lorcan Tucker (46) and Andy McBrine (38) Ireland made 263, giving them a handy first-innings lead of 108 runs.
In reply, Afghanistan managed 218 runs in the second innings with Adair and McCarthy claiming three wickets each to set an easy 111-run target.
Afghanistan's top and middle order offered some resistance with crucial knocks from captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (55) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (46). But Adair removed Shahidi and, along with McCarthy and Craig Young, strangled the scoring rate, returning with 3/24.
Afghanistan, however, reduced Ireland to 13/3, thanks to a stunning opening spell from Naveed Zadran (2/31) and Nijat Masood (1/27).
But Balbirnie held fort in his two-hour knock, combining first with Paul Stirling (14) and then with Lorcan Tucker (27 not out) to eke out the win with two days to spare.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) had on June 22, 2017 confirmed Ireland as Full Member, according them the Test status. But since then, the team has lost seven matches -- twice to England and Sri Lanka, and one each to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
Incidentally, Afghanistan had also secured their first win in Tests against Ireland in 2019.
Brief Scores:
Afghanistan 155 (Ibrahim Zadran 53; Mark Adair 5/39) and 218 (Hashmatullah Shahidi 55; Craig Young 3/24, Barry McCarthy 3/48, Adair 3/56)
Ireland 263 (Paul Stirling 52; Zia-ur-Rahman 5/64) and 111/4 (Andy Balbirnie 58 not out).
A historic moment for Irish cricket as they claim their first-ever Test victory, beating Afghanistan by six wickets in Abu Dhabi ☘👏
— ICC (@ICC) March 1, 2024
Details 👉 https://t.co/DDB4xXWTR9 pic.twitter.com/1gvCM8RUM7
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Blast at railway track in Patiala was attempted detonation, killed operator: Punjab Police
Chandigarh (PTI): A blast that took place at a railway track near the Shambhu area in Punjab's Patiala was an attempted detonation, a senior police officer said on Tuesday.
The person who was trying to carry out the detonation on Monday has died, Patiala SSP Varun Sharma said.
The blast took place near the Shambhu-Ambala rail track. Police earlier said that an unidentified body, which was blown into pieces, was recovered from the spot.
Initially, it was considered a low-intensity blast. However, investigation has revealed that it was an attempted detonation.
The explosion occurred at around 10 pm at the rail track dedicated for freight trains, police said.
The explosion also caused some damage to the track.
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"Late night, we had received information about a low intensity explosion at a railway track near Shambhu-Haryana border. Immediately, I, along with the deputy inspector general of police and other senior officials, rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation.
"We found that it was not a low intensity explosion but an attempted detonation," the SSP said.
During the attempt, the person who was trying to carry out the detonation died, and his body has been recovered, he said.
Police said they have recovered a SIM card from the spot.
"After getting whatever scientific evidence including a SIM card from the spot, police have launched technical investigation," Sharma said.
"We expect that we will soon unravel the whole conspiracy," he said.
He further said the Government Railway Police, the Railway Protection Force and other agencies are involved in investigation.
Earlier in January, a blast on a dedicated freight corridor railway track in the Fatehgarh Sahib district's Sirhind had damaged the engine of a train and left a loco pilot injured.
