Afghanistan's head coach Jonathan Trott is not yet ready to agree to the media narrative conversation that Afghanistan has found the key to success when chasing a target on Indian soil. Trott's side registered their third consecutive victory in the ongoing World Cup on Friday. Afghanistan restricted the Netherlands to a low total of 179 runs. The Afghans successfully chased down the target in 31.3 overs, losing just three wickets. This is their third victory while chasing a total and now they are also one of the likely contenders for the knockout spot.

Also Read: Hardik Pandya is ruled out of the ODI World Cup 2023

When asked about Afghanistan's recent success, Trott expressed caution about claiming they have completely mastered the game of cricket. He talked about the importance of confidence and capitalizing on opportunities.

"I'm very wary to say that you can crack anything regarding the game of cricket. As soon as you think you've cracked this game, it cracks you back, trust me. But I think we should be confident in everything we do, everything that we've done we should take with us, but also analyze the things and areas we need to work on. So today I thought our fielding was good, we improved on that and we got some good run-outs and we were presented with opportunities and we took them. And that's all you can do when you're fielding. Still things, other little areas to work on maybe with the bowling and with the batting as well but, you know, can't complain and I'm very, very proud of the boys in the change room," Trott said in the post-match conference.

Afghanistan's star all-rounder Mohammad Nabi will retire from ODI cricket after the Champions Trophy 2025 to be held in Pakistan. Afghanistan Cricket Board Chief Executive Naseeb Khan gave this information on Friday.

Also Read: Most Player of the Match awards in T20I cricket history

"Yes, Nabi is retiring from ODIs after the Champions Trophy and he informed the board about his desire," Naseeb told Cricbuzz. "He told me few months back that he wants to end his ODI career after the Champions Trophy and we welcome his decision. After the Champions Trophy, what I understand is that, he is expected to continue his T20 career, and that is the plan until now," he added.

However, after the Champions Trophy 2025, Nabi will continue to play for Afghanistan in T20 cricket. Mohammad Nabi is currently a part of the Afghanistan team, where he is playing the ODI series against Bangladesh in Sharjah. Afghanistan team won the first ODI by 92 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the series.

Nabi had taken 84 runs and one wicket in 79 balls in the first ODI. Now the second and third ODI matches are to be played on November 9 and November 11 respectively.

Nabi's ODI career

Nabi is one of the most experienced players of Afghanistan's ODI team. He made an impact by scoring a half-century in his first ODI against Scotland in 2009. Nabi has so far scored 3,549 runs in 165 ODI matches and has also taken 171 wickets with one 5-wicket haul to his name.

Recently, in the first match of the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, Nabi scored a brilliant 82 runs. Due to which his team was able to score a strong score and then defended it with the help of Allah Ghazanfar's six wickets.

Also Read: Most wickets in every T20 World Cup edition

Took retirement from Test in 2019

Senior all-rounder Nabi had announced his retirement from Test cricket in 2019. While playing only 3 matches in Test, he has taken 33 runs with the bat and 8 wickets with the ball. Apart from this, he has also shown his talent in 24 matches of IPL. Nabi has scored 215 runs in this league at a fast strike rate of 143.33 and has also taken 15 wickets in bowling. Nabi has led the Afghanistan cricket team to victory on many occasions with his experience and all-round play.

The Champions Trophy 2025 is slated to begin on February 19, 2025, with Pakistan facing New Zealand in Karachi.

Cricket Australia has announced a 14-member squad for the three-match ODI series against Pakistan. The series will kick off from November 4th to 10th.

Australia Skipper Pat Cummins is set to return to the set-up after his last outing in the 2023 World Cup triump against India. After Australia's T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, Cummins had a brief stint in Major League Cricket and took rest for two months after that.

Fraser-McGurk in team; Head and Marsh rested

Cricket Australia has announced the squad early this morning, on Monday, 14 October. The team has a good blend of both experience and youth. Jake Fraser-McGurk got another chance to showcase his talent, hoping to steal a permanent spot in the team. Earlier, he played just one match (T20I) in the England series.

Cooper Connolly and all-rounder Aaron Hardie also got their name after a stellar performance against England last month

The regular names in the white-ball squad, like Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, and Josh Hazlewood, also got their names in the squad.

However, the top-order batters Travis Head and Mitch Marsh are granted paternity leave and will miss the tournament.

Cameron Green, one of the most prominent youngster in the squad, will miss the series due to his injury. He will necessarily miss the game for at least six months as he will have to undergo surgery for his lower back pain.

Australia Squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Australia vs Pakistan: Fixtures

First ODI: November 4: Melbourne
Second ODI: November 8: Adelaide
Third ODI: November 10: Perth

The Pakistan team was heavily trolled when they waved the Chinese flag in the India versus China match in Asian Champions Trophy final match in China. But then, a totally different picture came in front when pakistani chess players chose to appreciate the Indian Contingents. India, standing out as the winner in both male and female and male chess Olympiads, got a heartwarming but not unusual gesture from the Pakistani contingent.

Pakistan players chose to pose with the Indian players, holding the flag. The photo stands out as an utmost flagbearer of peace. 

For a long time, critics and enthusiasts have been trying to promote sports as a mode of friendship. and why not! Seeing the two neighbours excelling simultaneously should be a matter of pride! But whenever situations favoured, trolls took the internet.

Pakistani fans donning Virat Kohli's jersey to Indian fans appreciating rookies like Shaheen Shah. the 90s kids have been idolizing both Sachin Tendulkar and Wasim Akram at its peak! Yet the tag "big-arc' rival got stuck to these countries due to geopolitical unrest!

A fan who has always wanted to shed off the hate every time a Mohammed Amir hugs a Virat Kohli is presenting four such instances when the GAME PROMOTED PEACE AND NOT HATERED!

Shahid Afridi

A household name, may be for his excellence or for him coming back from retirements, had shown his respect for his neighbour in 2018.

2018 St. Moritz Cricket Tournament in Switzerland, a tournament was played on frozen lake in sub-zero temperature. A matting wicket was made on the ice to play. A charity match where not just Afridi but legends like Shoaib Akhter, Virender Shehwag, Zaheer Khan, Graeme Smith, Andrew Symonds, and many others attended.

A handful of Indian and Pakistani fans were there, who urged Afridi to pose with them. One had an Indian flag that crumbled when Afridi requested "flag seeda rakho apna (straighten your flag).

This broke the internet with love. Not only that, he acknowledged fans from both countries for showering the bulk of love he got.

Even in a Legends' League match, he was seen giving an autograph to an Indian fan on his flag.

𝑩𝑰𝑮 𝑴𝑨𝑵 𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯 𝑨 𝑩𝑰𝑮 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑻 😍

Shahid Afridi gives an autograph to a fan on the Indian flag 🙌#LLC2023 @SAfridiOfficial pic.twitter.com/LonnLwlDAt

— Cricket Pakistan (@cricketpakcompk) March 19, 2023

Read also: A Bronze costs just USD 100: Trembling Future of Pakistan Hockey Team

Shaheen Shah Afridi 

Amidst trolls for mimicking KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's departure to him, there's another side to this young left arm fast bowler.

During the Asia Cup, when the suspended match at Colombo frowned the fans, Shaheen brought a gift to his contemporary best Jasprit Bumrah, and definitely some awe moment to the fans.

Shaheen congratulated Bumrah for his baby boy and gifted him stuffs for his son Angad. Burmah's wife, the sports presenter Sanjana Ganseshan too appreciated Shaheen's gesture.

An introduction to Shaheen's kindness is now leading to gate where he showed respect to Bumrah's country. In the 2022 World Cup match at Sydney, Shaheen was seen sighing an Indian flag offered by a fan. 

Arshad Nadeem

The bromance between Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj Chopra is not unknown to the athletics fan. The amount of respect each one has for the other has reached to their own residence, with their mothers claiming the other athlete as like their own son.

However, the competition here is not exactly "fierce," as in cricket. The mutual respect has restricted it to "entertaining" competitions.  A proof? Definitely!

The Budapest World Championships got the first ever medallist for Pakistan. It was their Arshad Nadeem winning the silver with a throw of 87.82 metres. Neeraj Chopra got the gold with 88.17 m. 

However, Nadeem felt short of Pakistan's flag while posing. When Neeraj offering his own flag, Nadeem accepted to stand holding it and pose, showing respect not just to his mate but to India as well.

Read Also: Cricket versus "Sports": A friend or a foe?

Shahzaib Rindh

Not so common name for the common fans, but the Salman Khan fan and a Karate champion Shahzaib Rindh held both Pakistan and India's flags promoting peace.

In a Karate combat event, the Pak rising star defeated the Indian opponent Rana Singh by 2-1 contest. However, emerging victorious, he waved both the flags and voiced his urge to promote peace.

“This fight was for peace. We are not enemies, we are together. Together we can do anything. This fight is for Pakistan and India’s friendship and being closer,” Shahzaib stated after the fight.

His words resonated deeply with fans, transcending the realm of sports and entering the realm of diplomacy. Shahzaib’s act was a reminder that sports can also inspire unity, not just rivalry.

A beautiful and powerful message by Pakistani fighter @RindhShahzaib after his victory over Indian fighter in @KarateCombat #KC45
Pakistan beat India by 2-1 in team competition in Dubai last night.. #ShahzaibRind #KarateCombat #PakvsInd #PakvInd #Unity pic.twitter.com/tCikyDBNrM

— Eco Vibes 🌍 (@EcoVibeExplorer) April 20, 2024

Sports for Peace

Here are just four instances when an athlete kept rivalry aside, by respecting the flag. But there are a good number of off-field stories that promotes love and respect between players and fands of two countries.

Amidst all the hate and political dipolitics that have poisoned the air, isn't it high time to promote sports as a torchbearer of peace and brotherhood? 

Lancashire registered a dramatic three-run victory over Worcestershire in their One-Day Cup 2024 match at the Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester. Lancashire scored 237 with skipper Josh Bohannon top-scoring with 87 runs. Worcestershire were very close to victory but Lancashire bowled them out for 234 and claimed a win by three runs. Venkatesh Iyer turned out to be the main man with his back-to-back wickets.

Read Also: Most matches played as captain

Bowling the 49th over, Iyer had to defend 16 runs off 12 balls as Worcestershire were 222/8 at the end of the 48th over. It was not a good start from him as he leaked 12 runs off the first four deliveries. With only four runs left to win from eight balls, the Indian all-rounder scalped the remaining two wickets in his last two deliveries. He dismissed Tom Hinley for 24, and Harry Darley for a duck. 

In the first inning, George Balderson scored 50 runs for Lancashire and helped them post a defendable total. Tom Hinley stole the show with three wickets while Tom Taylor and Harry Darley scalped two wickets each. Later in the chase, Worcestershire skipper Jake Libby scored 83 runs while Taylor scored 41. For Lancashire, Charlie Barnard scalped three wickets while Joshua Boyden and Iyer scalped two wickets each. 

Despite the loss, Worcestershire have qualified for the quarterfinals. 

The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to include baseball-softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash in the LA Olympics 2028.

Also Read: Cricket at Olympics 2028: Everything you MUST know

As the curtain fell on a memorable Paris Olympics 2024, the focus shifted to the next Games in 2028. LA Olympics 2028 will be the fifth Summer Olympics and ninth Games overall to be hosted by the US. While the next Games are four years away, the excitement is already building. Apart from the glamour of LA, what is also of interest is the disciplines that have been included in the 2028 Olympics programme.

Cricket's popularity will increase further

Cricket will now also be seen on the world's biggest platform like Olympics. Before this, cricket was last played in the Olympics in 1900. Cricket is the most popular sport in the world after football. After joining the Olympics, the popularity of this game will increase further. Also, many other countries of the world will participate in this game.

Last year, cricket was included in the list of disciplines for the 2028 Games. Earlier this year, international cricket formally entered the American market through the T20 World Cup with matches held in Texas, Florida and New York.

Lacrosse return to Olympics after more than a century

Lacrosse return to the Olympics after more than a century, along with baseball/softball. Flag football is non-contact version of the hugely popular American gridiron football and will make its Games debut, while squash has grown in popularity across the world and has been added to the schedule.

Over the past few decades, demand has grown for the sport to be reintroduced. Time constraints had kept the sport away, until the advent of T20 cricket, which allows a game to be completed within three-and-a-half hours and several matches to be held in a single day.

Breaking has been excluded from the LA Olympics 2028

Breaking, or breakdancing as it is more commonly known, made its debut at the Paris Olympics. However, it has not been included in the LA programme and chances are the sport will not be seen on the global stage anytime soon.

Also, it is unclear whether boxing will feature at the LA Olympics. The IOC organised the event in Paris after it stripped the International Boxing Association of its status as the sport's world body over governance and financial management issues. Rival body World Boxing said national boxing federations needed to join its ranks to ensure the sport is included in the LA line up.

Also Read: India at Olympics: India's medals at the Olympics by sports

Local organising body has the right to review Olympic programme

The Olympic Charter has a provision whereby the local organising body of an Olympic Games has the right to review the Olympic programme for each edition of the Games in order to introduce innovation and sustainability.

Accordingly, the LA Olympics 2028 organising committee proposed the inclusion of the five disciplines. Thereafter, the IOC's Olympic programme commission issued recommendations to the IOC executive board. In October last year, the executive board approved the five sports to be included for the LA Games.