Sports
Champions Trophy: Ibrahim Zadran’s record 177 powers Afghanistan to 325/7 vs England

Lahore, Feb 26: Ibrahim Zadran’s stunning 177 – the highest individual score in Champions Trophy history – propelled Afghanistan to a formidable 325/7 in 50 overs in their must-win Group B clash against England at the Gaddafi Stadium.
This is also the highest total for Afghanistan in ICC events. With the threat of elimination looming, England have a huge task ahead of them as the highest target ever chased against Afghanistan in an ODI is 314 by Sri Lanka in Pallekele in 2022.
England made early inroads with Jofra Archer’s fiery new-ball spell, reducing Afghanistan to 37/3, but a crucial 103-run stand between Zadran and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi steadied the innings. Late cameos from Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi powered Afghanistan to a strong finish, as England’s attack struggled, conceding 113 runs in the final 10 overs.
After opting to bat first, Afghanistan’s top order showed resilience and endured early struggles but fought back to post a competitive total by the 40-over mark. England’s fast bowlers, particularly Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, set the tone early with fiery spells. Afghanistan’s openers made a watchful start, navigating through a testing powerplay where England applied relentless pressure.
Archer was the star of the opening overs, striking twice in quick succession. He first dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz (6), who inside-edged an inswinger onto his stumps, before trapping Sediqullah Atal (4) lbw in the same over. Rahmat Shah (4) soon followed, top-edging a pull shot to Adil Rashid, giving Archer his third wicket– enroute becoming the fastest England bowler to reach 50 in 30 matches surpassing James Anderson’s record of 31 matches.
At 37 for 3, Afghanistan were in deep trouble, but Ibrahim Zadran and Hashmatullah Shahidi spearheaded a recovery. The duo played cautiously at first, ensuring no further setbacks. Ibrahim reached his fifty off 65 balls, striking three fours and two sixes. Hashmatullah provided valuable support, and their partnership brought much-needed stability.
The turning point came in the 25th over when Afghanistan’s batters shifted gears. Jamie Overton’s reintroduction into the attack was met with aggression from Zadran, who dispatched him for a six and two fours in the space of an over. The 103-run partnership between Zadran and Hashmatullah was a crucial milestone, but England found a breakthrough soon after as Adil Rashid dismissed Hashmatullah for 40 with a well-disguised slider that rattled the stumps.
Mark Wood, who had earlier limped off with a knee issue, made a determined return in the 34th over. Though he looked slightly restricted in movement, his pace remained threatening, clocking over 140kph in a tidy comeback spell. Despite England’s efforts, Afghanistan continued their recovery, with Ibrahim bringing up his century off 106 balls—his sixth ODI hundred—anchoring the innings superbly.
Azmatullah Omarzai provided a crucial boost in the middle overs, striking a straight-driven six and accelerating the scoring rate. His partnership of 72 with Zadran helped Afghanistan cross 200 in the 37th over. However, his aggressive approach led to his downfall, as he miscued a slower ball from Overton to long-on, departing for 41.
Wood, already battling through visible discomfort, finally succumbed to knee injury after sending down his eighth over, leaving England even more depleted in their bowling resources. Moments later, Liam Livingstone, a crucial all-round option, hobbled off after tweaking his knee while fielding.
Ibrahim Zadran, in stellar form, continued his onslaught, collecting a trio of twos and reaching a magnificent 150, with plenty more to come. Ben Duckett’s tournament-best 165 against Australia was suddenly in danger of being eclipsed. Mohammad Nabi then launched Joe Root for back-to-back sixes over deep midwicket before a misfield from Duckett at point gifted Afghanistan four more runs. Root’s over ended with a commanding drive through the covers from Ibrahim Zadran, capping off a massive 23-run over.
Livingstone’s return to the field provided England with a much-needed boost, but Jos Buttler would not have expected him to bowl the final over of the innings. To his credit, Livingstone held his nerve, inducing a slog-sweep from Ibrahim Zadran that ended a breathtaking knock of 177 from 146 balls—Afghanistan’s highest individual ODI score. Mohammad Nabi followed soon after, holing out for a crucial 40 off 24 balls, as England wrapped up the innings with a semblance of control.
Brief scores: Afghanistan 325/7 in 50 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 177, Azmatullah Omarzai 41 ; Jofra Archer 3-64, Adil Rashid 1-60) against England
Sports
IPL 2025: Langer confirms Mayank Yadav bowling at ’90-95 percent’

Lucknow, April 5: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) head coach Justin Langer has offered a promising update on tearaway pacer Mayank Yadav, revealing that the speedster is bowling at “90 to 95 percent” intensity at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and could return to the squad in the coming weeks.
Speaking after LSG’s thrilling win over Mumbai Indians on Friday night, Langer sounded upbeat about Mayank’s recovery. “Mayank is up and running, which is really great for Indian cricket and for the IPL. I saw some video of him bowling yesterday at the NCA. He was bowling at about 90 to 95%,” Langer said in the post-match press conference.
“We saw the impact he had last year. I don’t think there’s been a bowler in India who’s bowled faster than Mayank Yadav — that’s why there’s so much talk about him.”
Mayank has been sidelined with a back injury and was close to returning earlier this season before a freak toe injury — sustained after stubbing it against his bed — caused an infection that further delayed his comeback. While Langer did not provide a definitive return date, he indicated that the pacer is edging closer to a much-anticipated return.
“He’s keen to get going. The NCA have done a great job with our bowlers — they got Avesh Khan and Akash Deep back for us, and now hopefully Mayank as well,” he added.
The 21-year-old speedster took the IPL by storm last season with his raw pace and wicket-taking ability, consistently clocking speeds above 150 km/h. His return will be a massive boost for LSG, who have had to manage a severely depleted bowling lineup since the start of IPL 2025.
LSG’s injury crisis began before the season opener with Mohsin Khan, Mayank, Avesh Khan, and Akash Deep all unavailable. The franchise brought in veteran Shardul Thakur to bolster the attack, and the move has paid dividends. Thakur has picked up seven wickets in four matches, including a match-defining 19th over against Mumbai, where he gave away just seven runs despite facing the dangerous duo of Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma.
Akash Deep made his return on Friday, finishing with figures of 4-0-46-1, while Avesh has played three matches but has struggled with economy, collecting just two wickets so far.
While LSG’s bowling resources have been stretched thin, the performances of Thakur and the gradual return of key players have kept them competitive.
Entertainment
Art remains immortal: Assam CM condoles death of legendary actor Manoj Kumar

Guwahati, April 4: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday condoled the death of ace Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar and asserted that art remains immortal.
Taking to X, Sarma mentioned, “Even today, Manoj Kumar ji’s films inspire countrymen and fill them with energy to dream new dreams. Many of my childhood memories are associated with the songs of his films.”
“Whether an artist lives or not, his art remains immortal. Om Shanti,” he further mentioned in the X post.
Veteran actor and film-maker Manoj Kumar breathed his last on Friday at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. He was 87.
Reportedly, the medical reports reveal that Manoj Kumar’s death was caused by cardiogenic shock resulting from an acute myocardial infarction, a severe heart attack.
The reports also indicated that he had been struggling with decompensated liver cirrhosis in recent months, which had worsened his health.
The legendary actor was admitted to the hospital on February 21 when his health deteriorated.
Dr Santosh Shetty, CEO and Executive Director at Kokilaben Ambani Hospital, said in an official statement, “Veteran actor Shri Manoj Kumar ji passed away peacefully at the Kokilaben Ambani Hospital early this morning at around 3:30 am, due to age-related health issues. He had been hospitalised for the past few weeks.”
Following the news of his passing, tributes quickly flooded in from celebrities, politicians, and fans alike.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his sorrow, mourning the loss of the legendary actor-director.
Taking to his X handle, he tweeted, “Deeply saddened by the passing of legendary actor and film-maker Manoj Kumar ji. He was an icon of Indian cinema, who was particularly remembered for his patriotic zeal, which was also reflected in his films. Manoj ji’s works ignited a spirit of national pride and will continue to inspire generations. My thoughts are with his family and admirers in this hour of grief. Om Shanti.”
Sports
IPL 2025: ‘Aggression isn’t about hitting sixes but showing correct intent’, Venkatesh on KKR’s win over SRH

Kolkata, April 4: Kolkata Knight Riders vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer provided valuable insights into his team’s comprehensive 80-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2025 on Thursday and explained that aggression isn’t about hitting every ball for a maximum; it’s about showing correct intent.
Iyer, who smashed a brilliant 60 off just 29 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes, played a crucial role in taking KKR to a formidable total of 200 after a cautious start at the Eden Gardens in a replay of the last edition’s final.
“A basic but very important meaning of aggression is to show positive but correct intent when we play cricket,” Iyer explained when asked about KKR’s batting approach.
“If we are 50 for six and I still go and tonk everything, that’s positive but not correct. If we are to call ourselves smart cricketers, it’s very important to read any situation and then react accordingly.”
The left-hander clarified that KKR’s definition of aggression isn’t about mindlessly hitting every ball for boundaries. “Aggression does not mean hitting every ball for a maximum. It’s about how you understand the conditions and can maximise the conditions in your favour,” he elaborated.
Iyer credited his teammates — especially skipper Ajinkya Rahane and young batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi — for providing valuable inputs during the strategic timeout that helped him assess the pitch conditions better. Stitching a crucial partnership of 81 in 51 balls, Rahane scored 38 runs, while Raghuvanshi hit 50.
“The main communication was by Ajinkya and Angkrish. The messages they sent during the time-out made us understand that it’s not an easy pitch to just go out there and hit. You have to take your time,” he said.
KKR’s batting strategy relied on Iyer and Rinku Singh laying a foundation before accelerating in the death overs, knowing they had destructive batters like Andre Russell waiting in the dugout. “I have that luxury because we have Rinku, Ramandeep (Singh), and (Andre) Russell in the back end. Even if I take a few balls, I know that I can cover it to an extent. We still have our engine room which can demolish any bowling attack,” Iyer added.
When discussing SRH’s ultra-aggressive batting approach that faltered against KKR’s bowling attack led by Vaibhav Arora and Varun Chakaravarthy (who took three wickets each), Iyer mentioned, “We’re not comfortable with any score when it comes to SRH. A team which is ultra-aggressive always carries the risk of losing wickets, and that’s what we wanted to exploit.”
Iyer also expressed appreciation for facing star Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, who recently returned to cricketing action after a long layoff due to injury. “The cricket fan in me is very happy to see Shami Bhai back and running in full flow. It was extremely challenging to play him in the Ranji trophy as well, but here in T20, the bowler also has a mindset that if they err, they can get hit for a boundary,” he concluded.
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