Page 4 - Afghanistan

Naib's cramp during Afghanistan vs Bangladesh match sparks controversy

Gulbadin Naib dramatically falling on his back, clutching his thigh after Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott signalled his players to slow things down in the T20 World Cup match against Bangladesh caused both amusement and annoyance as former players questioned the genuineness of his discomfort. Naib, who was fielding in the slip cordon, complained of cramps during the 12th over bowled by spinner Noor Ahmad, after Trott was seen on camera asking his players to slow down as Bangladesh had fallen behind on the Duckworth-Lewis par score in the rain-hit Super 8 clash. The match saw frequent rain interruptions and Bangladesh, at that stage, were 81 for 7, two runs behind on the DLS par score in a revised chase of 114 in 19 overs. Afghans eventually prevailed by eight runs to enter their maiden World Cup semifinal. "The coach sends a message out to say slow it down, slow it down and the first slip just dives on the ground needlessly. That is unacceptable. Gone off anyway. I get that might .

Rashid's bravehearts show fortitude, hunger in inspiring T20 WC campaign

Ravaged by war, almost no infrastructure or stadium of their own, also weighed down by the politics of sports and yet Afghanistan have managed to punch way above their weight in the ongoing T20 World Cup in the West Indies. Though the Afghanistan Cricket Board was formed in 1995, it became an affiliate member of ICC in 2001, and a decade later, earned Test status and a full ICC membership in 2017. Cut to the 2024 T20 World Cup and the Afghans have not only announced their arrival -- taking the tournament by storm by reaching the Super 8 stage --, they are now on the verge of making the semi-finals after stunning former champions Australia. This has been primarily due to some audacious and electrifying individual and collective performances. So, what has been the reason for their sudden rise? Is it the format that allows them the freedom to excel, or is it due to their full utilisation of the recent international exposure in different T20 leagues? Former India cricketer Vijay Dahiya

Williamson uncertain about his future in T20s following NZ's World Cup exit

New Zealand will require some time to regroup after their shock early exit from the T20 World Cup, said skipper Kane Williamson, who was non-committal regarding his return for the 2026 edition of the marquee event. An all-format player who is considered one of the greats of modern day cricket, Williamson has been the BlackCaps batting mainstay for over a decade. New Zealand reached three finals with Williamson in the side -- the 2015 and 2019 ODI World Cups, the 2021 T20 World Cup and the inaugural World Test Championship final, which they won. Williamson led the BlackCaps in three of those four tournaments. "When asked if he'd return for the 2026 edition, Williamson said: "Oh, I don't know." New Zealand's campaign ended with a facile seven-wicket win over minnows Papua New Guinea. They finished outside of the semifinals for the first time in 10 years. Pace spearhead Trent Boult has already confirmed that the ongoing T20 World Cup was his last. "There's a bit of time between now a

Pooran's explosive 98 take WI to 104-run win over Afghanistan in T20 WC

Nicholas Pooran displayed his incredible six-hitting prowess as West Indies geared up for the Super 8 with a dominating 104-run win over Afghanistan in their final Group C match of the T20 World Cup here on Tuesday. With both teams assured of a Super 8 berth, it was the two-time champions WI who displayed their batting might, amassing a formidable 218 for five, with Pooran going on a six-hitting spree during his 53-ball 98. It was the highest total for the hosts in men's T20 World Cups. In reply, Afghanistan succumbed to scoreboard pressure, managing just 114 in 16.2 overs. Afghanistan had bundled out their opponents for sub-100 totals in their first three games but skipper Rashid Khan's decision to bowl first here backfired as Pooran put on a ruthless display, hitting as many as 8 maximums and 6 fours during his stay. Opener Johnson Charles (43)Shai Hope (25) and Rovman Powell (26) also contributed with the bat as WI posted the highest total of this edition of T20 World Cup. Gulb

Amnesty Int'l urges Taliban to reopen secondary schools for Afghan girls

A month after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, the group reopened schools that were shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Taliban publicly flogs 63 including women accused of crimes; UN condemns it

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan on Wednesday condemned the public flogging of more than 60 people, including more than a dozen women, by the Taliban in northern Sari Pul province. At least 63 people were lashed on Tuesday by Afghanistan's de facto authorities, UNAMA said in a statement on social platform X. The U.N. office condemned corporal punishment and called for respect for international human rights obligations. Taliban's supreme court in a statement confirmed the public flogging of 63 people including 14 women who had been accused of crimes including sodomy, theft and immoral relations. They were flogged at a sports stadium. The Taliban, despite initial promises of a more moderate rule, began carrying out severe punishments in public executions, floggings and stonings shortly after coming to power again in 2021. The punishments are similar to those during the Taliban's previous rule in the late 1990s. Separate statements by the supreme court said a man

Emirati leader meets Taliban official facing $10 mn US bounty for attacks

The leader of the United Arab Emirates met on Tuesday with an official in the Taliban government still wanted by the United States on an up-to USD 10 million bounty over his involvement in an attack that killed an American citizen and other assaults. The meeting highlights the growing divide internationally on how to deal with the Taliban, who seized control of Afghanistan in 2021 and since have barred girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade and otherwise restricted women's role in public life. While the West still doesn't recognise the Taliban as Kabul's government, nations in the Mideast and elsewhere have reached out to them. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, met Sirajuddin Haqqani at the Qasr Al Shati palace in the Emirati capital, the state-run WAM news agency reported. It published an image of Sheikh Mohammed shaking hands with Haqqani, the Taliban's interior minister who also heads the Haqqani network, a powerful network within the group .

T20 World Cup Match 5: AFG vs UGA Playing 11, live streaming and telecast

Afghanistan vs Uganda T20 World Cup 2024 Playing 11: This was the the first-ever game for the Ugandan cricket team in their T20 World Cup history

Thousands of children in Afghanistan affected by ongoing floods: UNICEF

Tens of thousands of children in Afghanistan remain affected by ongoing flash floods, especially in the north and west, the UN children's agency said Monday. Unusually heavy seasonal rains have been wreaking havoc on multiple parts of the country, killing hundreds of people and destroying property and crops. The UN food agency has warned that many survivors are unable to make a living. UNICEF, the UN children's agency, said the extreme weather has all of the hallmarks of an intensifying climate crisis, with some of the affected areas having experienced drought last year. The World Food Programme said the exceptionally heavy rains in Afghanistan killed more than 300 people and destroyed thousands of houses in May, mostly in the northern province of Baghlan. Survivors have been left with no homes, no land, and no source of livelihood, WFP said. UNICEF said in a statement Monday that tens of thousands of children remain affected by ongoing floods. The international community must ...

Pakistan asks Afghanistan to hand over perpetrators of March terror attack

Pakistan confirmed on Friday that it had formally asked Afghanistan to hand over the alleged perpetrators of a recent terrorist attack that killed five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver. Their vehicle was targeted in the Besham area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on March 26. Pakistan's probe showed that the attack was planned and executed by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from its hideouts in Afghanistan. Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch was asked at the weekly press briefing if Pakistan officials in a meeting in Kabul on Thursday had demanded the Afghan Interim Government to hand over the perpetrators of the March 26 Besham attack. The spokesperson responded by saying yes, the answer is in the affirmative. Pakistan shared the findings into the Besham attack and sought Afghanistan's assistance in apprehending the perpetrators, she said. She said the Afghan side had committed to prevent the use of their soil for any terrorist activity and agre

16 people killed in floods in Afghanistan's Baghlan, Badakhshan provinces

According to local officials in these provinces, 500 houses have been completely or partially destroyed in the floods

Hand over terrorists involved in Chinese workers attack: Pak to Afghanistan

Pakistan on Sunday asked Afghanistan's Taliban government to hand over banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's (TTP) terrorists involved in a deadly attack on Chinese workers to Islamabad, according to a media report. Five Chinese were among six persons killed when an explosives-packed vehicle rammed into their bus in the troubled province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in March, in the second suicide attack on the personnel working on the China-backed hydropower project since 2021. The Chinese were working on the Dasu hydropower project, which is about 300 km to the north of Islamabad. The 4,320 MW project is being constructed by China Gezhouba with funding from the World Bank. "Whether Afghanistan try the terrorists (in the court of law) or not, it should hand over the militants to Pakistan," Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said while addressing a joint press conference flanked by officials of the National Counter-Terrorism Authority. In view of the investigation report, the minister said that

Restrictions on Afghan girls will increase child marriages by 25%: UN

According to the two-page brief, the continuation of restrictions by Taliban on women and girls will impact child marriages by an increase of 25 per cent, increase early childbearing by 45 per cent

Heavy rain, flash floods claim 50 lives in Afghanistan's Ghor province

Thousands of livestock have perished, and tens of vehicles have been swept away by the floods

Flash floods due to heavy rains kill 68 people in western Afghanistan

Flash floods from heavy seasonal rains in the province of Ghor in western Afghanistan have killed at least 50 people, a Taliban official said on Saturday, adding the death toll was based on preliminary reports and might rise. Dozens others remain missing, said Abdul Wahid Hamas, spokesman for Ghor's provincial governor. He also said the province suffered significant financial losses after thousands of homes and properties were damaged and hundreds of hectares of agricultural land destroyed following Friday's floods, including the capital city Feroz Koh. Last week, the UN food agency said the unusually heavy seasonal rains in Afghanistan have killed more than 300 people and destroyed thousands of houses, mostly in the northern province of Baghlan, which bore the brunt of floods on May 10th. Survivors have been left with no home, no land, and no source of livelihood, the World Food Organisation said. Most of Baghlan is inaccessible by trucks, said WFP, adding that it is resorting to

Timeline: 21-year-long effort by India to set up port in Chabahar

Monday's agreement is expected to finally realise efforts by India to gain a strategic foothold in the region

Why is Afghanistan facing deadly flash floods

Over 300 dead in Afghanistan floods as humanitarian crisis unfolds

"Flash floods ravage Afghanistan, killing more than 300 people in Baghlan and destroying more than 1000 houses," the WFP said in a post on X

Over 300 killed as flash floods, heavy rains wreak havoc in Afghanistan: UN

The UN food agency says more than 300 Afghans have died in flash floods that also destroyed more than 1,000 houses in the northern province of Baghlan. The World Food Agency said Saturday it was distributing fortified biscuits to the survivors of one of the many floods that hit Afghanistan over the last few weeks following unusually heavy rainfall.

'Attack controlled from Afghanistan': Pak on death of 5 Chinese engineers

An attack on a convoy in the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on March 26 led to the death of five Chinese engineers