T20 World Cup: India beat Afghanistan by 47 runs in first Super 8 game
Bridgetown, Jun 20: Suryakumar Yadav played fearlessly on a testing surface before India tightened the noose around Afghanistan with a clinical bowling performance to script a commanding 47-run win in their opening Super 8 fixture of the T20 World Cup here on Thursday.
Rashid Khan (3/26) improved his ordinary record against India before Suryakumar (53 off 28) played like he only can to take his team to 181 for 8 after India decided to bat on a surface where it was difficult to hit through the line.
Afghanistan were never in the run chase and folded up for 134 in exactly 20 overs. The questionable shot selection from the Afghan batters contributed to their downfall, extending their winless run against India.
Jasprit Bumrah (3/7 in four overs) was too good for the opposition again while Kuldeep Yadav (2/32), playing his first game of the tournament, also made an impact.
India’s next Super 8 fixture against Bangladesh will take place in in Antigua on Saturday.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (11 off 8), who announced his intent with a six and four off Arshdeep Singh, went for a rash shot against Bumrah in the second over of the innings to be caught behind.
Hazratullah Zazai, brought into the squad in place of the injured Mujeeb Zadran, was Bumrah’s next victim as his attempted flick off a cutter from the Indian pace spearhead went straight into the safe hands of Ravindra Jadeja at backward point.
Kuldeep, who replaced Mohammed Siraj in the playing eleven, operated in the middle overs and sent back Gulbadin Naib (17) with a wrong one in the 11th over.
Azmatullah Omarzai (26 off 20) was the top-scored for Afghanistan.
The fall of wickets through the innings did not allow Afghanistan to get back in the game.
Earlier, Suryakumar was back to his nonchalant best and picked the boundaries at will on a track where the other batters struggled to get going. The other notable contributions came from Rishabh Pant (20 off 11), who too found the boundaries from the word go and Hardik Pandya (32 off 24).
Virat Kohli (24 off 24) got into the double digits for the first time in this tournament but was dismissed just when he was getting set.
Rashid (3/26), who had not picked up a wicket against India prior to this game, struck in his first three overs to put pressure on the opposition.
India expectedly opt to bat at the Kensington Oval and the way the ball held up on the pitch early one, it seemed playing through the line will be tough.
Skipper Rohit Sharma (8) tried to push the scoring rate in third over from Fazalhaq Farooqi (3/33) but was caught at mid-on after finding the toe end of his bat.
Rashid brought himself on right after the Powerplay with India reaching 47 for one. The star spinner sent back the dangerous Pant in the seventh over. The southpaw once again was not afraid to employ the sweep and audacious reverse sweep against the spinners before eventually falling to Rashid.
After Kohli was caught at long-off in Rashid’s second over, India felt the heat. Suryarkumar eased the tension with a flurry of sweeps against Rashid before the spinner got his third scalp in the form of Shivam Dube (10), who was trapped in front after the ball turned back in sharply and crashed into his back leg.
Surya kept finding the big hits from the other end. He outrageously whipped a wide full toss from Azmatullah Omarzai to deep square-leg before a six and four off Farooqi took him to a well made half-century.
After Surya’s departure, Hardik then got into the act and hammered the ball into the stands on couple of occasions. His straight six off left-arm spinner Noor Ahmed was all brute power, almost shattering the window of the press box. In the end, India did well to post their highest total at the historic venue which in the end proved to be unassailable.
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UAE announces complete withdrawal of forces from Yemen amid rift with Saudi Arabia
Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday declared that it would withdraw its remaining forces from Yemen, bringing an end to what it described as its “counterterrorism” mission, amid escalating tensions with Saudi Arabia over developments in the country’s south.
The announcement followed a demand by Yemen’s internationally recognised government, led by the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council, that Emirati forces leave Yemeni territory within 24 hours. Riyadh publicly supported the call, deepening a rare public rift within the Saudi Arabia-led coalition that has been fighting Houthi rebels since 2015.
In a statement, the UAE Ministry of Defence said it had conducted a “comprehensive assessment” of its role in Yemen and decided to terminate the mission due to recent developments and their implications for the safety and effectiveness of its personnel. It said the withdrawal would be carried out in a manner ensuring the security of its forces.
Al Jazeera reported that the decision came hours after Saudi-led coalition aircraft struck the southern port city of Mukalla, targeting what Riyadh claimed was a weapons shipment linked to the UAE and intended for the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC). Saudi Arabia said it viewed recent STC advances in the Hadramout and Mahara provinces as a threat to its national security, accusing Abu Dhabi of exerting pressure on the group to carry out military operations.
The STC, which had earlier fought alongside the internationally recognised government against the Houthis, launched a major offensive this month, seizing control of large areas of southern Yemen, including provinces bordering Saudi Arabia. The advances ended years of relative stalemate and triggered sharp warnings from Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia said any threat to its security was a “red line” and that it would take all necessary measures to counter such risks. Its concerns were echoed by Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, who accused the UAE of directing and supporting the STC’s actions. Following the Mukalla strike, al-Alimi announced the dissolution of a defence pact with the UAE and ordered Emirati forces to leave within a day.
The UAE rejected the accusation, saying it was surprised by the Saudi air strike and maintaining that the shipment targeted in Mukalla did not contain weapons and was meant for Emirati forces, not the STC. It reiterated its commitment to Saudi Arabia’s security and said it was seeking a solution to prevent further escalation.
The Mukalla strike, which caused damage but no casualties, exposed widening fractures within the coalition formed nearly a decade ago to counter the Houthis. Emirati troops first deployed in Yemen in 2015, but the UAE had already drawn down most of its forces in 2019, retaining only a limited presence in government-held areas.
Saying both Saudi Arabia and the UAE reflected a commitment to regional stability and the principles of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Qatar welcomed their statements. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan also held calls with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar to discuss regional developments.
The STC spokesperson, Anwar al-Tamimi, said there was “no thinking about withdrawal” from areas it had seized, warning that any move against its forces would be met with a response. Meanwhile, Yemeni authorities imposed temporary air, sea and ground restrictions following the escalation, as uncertainty continued to surround the future balance of power in southern Yemen.
