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Afghanistan on a high after upsetting England and Pakistan at Cricket World Cup

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:00 GMT

The Afghanistan team arrived in India with an aim to qualify for the Cricket World Cup semifinals. And after the half-way stage of the tournament they have already put the defending champion England and 1992 winner Pakistan on the verge of elimination.Afghanistan shocked England by 69 runs at Delhi in one of the greatest World Cup upsets and then followed that with an authoritative eight-wicket win over Pakistan in Chennai.With probably the best spin attack at the World Cup, Afghanistan will fancy their chances against Sri Lanka and the Netherlands in the upcoming games before facing high-flying South Africa and a rejuventaed Australia in their final two matches.Whether Afghanistan could achieve their ultimate target of qulaifying for the semifinals or not, they have surely made their mark with their two stunning victories over England and Pakistan.Ex-Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, who coached Afghanistan 10 years ago, believes it will be big achievement for the Afghans if they fini...

K’Andre Miller’s OT goal gives Rangers 4th straight win, 4-3 over Canucks

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:00 GMT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — K’Andre Miller scored his first goal of the season in overtime lifting the New York Rangers over the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 on Saturday night.Miller took a pass from Chris Kreider and buried it behind Canucks’ goaltender Casey DeSmith at 3:48 of the extra period, giving the Rangers (6-2-0) their fourth win in a row.“It’s always good to get the first one out of the way,” Miller said. “I thought we had great team effort from start to finish.”Carson Soucy had tied the game for Vancouver with a blast from the blue line at 15:42 of the third period.J.T. Miller, on the power play, and defenseman Tyler Myers, short-handed, scored goals for the Canucks (5-2-1), who had won three in a row but were playing back-to-back nights. Filip Hronek had two assists.“On a back-to-back usually we come out flat,” Canucks captain Quinn Hughes said. “When we get tired in the second or third, mistakes kick in. There was none of that.“For us, if we’re going to play like...

Talton’s 4 FGs, Toney’s pick-6 help Nevada beat New Mexico 34-24

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:00 GMT

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Brandon Talton kicked field goals of 34, 47, 52 and 22 yards, Richard Toney Jr. returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdowns and Nevada beat New Mexico 34-24 Saturday night.Brendon Lewis completed 8 of 16 passes for 92 yards and added 64 yards rushing on 11 carries for Nevada (1-6, 1-2). The Wolf Pack, who beat San Diego State 6-0 last week to end a 16-game skid, has won back-to-back games for the first time since they won the first two games of the 2022 season. Talton’s 47-yarder gave Nevada a 6-0 lead early in the second quarter and, two plays from scrimmage later, Toney’s pick-6 made it a two-score game. Jamaal Bell scored on a 9-yard run with nearly 4 minutes left in the first half and Lewis ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 21-0 at intermission. Dylan Hopkins was 18-of-34 passing for 271 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions for New Mexico (3-4, 1-2 Mountain West). Jeremiah Hixon finished with four receptions for 116 yards, in...

Keane throws 3 of his 4 TD passes in 3rd quarter, Fresno State holds on to beat UNLV 31-24

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:00 GMT

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Mikey Keane threw three of his four touchdown passes in the third quarter to help Fresno State beat UNLV 31-24 Saturday night. Keane threw a 31-yard scoring strike to Tim Grear Jr. to open the scoring before the Runnin’ Rebels got a 41-yard touchdown pass from Jayden Maiava to Ricky White, a 30-yard field goal by Jose Pizano and a 4-yard TD run by Jai’Den Thomas with 33 seconds left in the first half that made it 17-7. The Bulldogs (7-1, 3-1 Mountain West) went three-and-out on the first drive of the second half but then scored on each of its remaining four third-quarter possessions. Keane hit Mac Dalena for a 2-yard touchdown and then Eric Brooks for a TD from 10-yards out to give Fresno State a four-point lead. Dylan Lynch added a 36-yard field goal before Keane threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Malik Sherod that made it 31-17 with 3 seconds left until the fourth quarter. Maiava completed 21 of 35 passes for 268 yards with two touchdowns and two intercep...

Eichel scores in SO as Golden Knights bounce back from first loss, beat Kings 4-3

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jack Eichel scored the only goal in the shootout and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 on Saturday night to bounce back from their first loss of the season.Mark Stone, Michael Amadio and William Carrier all scored in regulation for the Golden Knights, who improved to 8-0-1 one night after a 4-3 overtime defeat to the Chicago Blackhawks.“You want to cash in as many points as you can early in the season,” Carrier said.Logan Thompson made 29 saves through overtime before stopping all three attempts in the shootout. Thompson has saved 31 of 38 attempts (81.6%) in eight career shootouts.“He likes the show, right?” Carrier said of Thompson’s shootout prowess. “We kind of knew if we were going there, we had a good chance of winning. He loves it. I mean, he’s young, he’s got the energy, and it feels great.”Drew Doughty, Alex Laferriere and Trevor Lewis each had a goal for the Kings, who have dropped four of five at home to start the season. Cam Talbo...

Fifita leads Arizona to 27-24 win over No. 11 Oregon State

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:00 GMT

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Noah Fifita threw two touchdown passes to Michael Wiley in the fourth quarter and Arizona beat No. 11 Oregon State 27-24 Saturday night for its second straight win over a ranked opponent.The Wildcats (5-3, 5-2) had a week off following a 44-6 win over then-No. 19 Washington State that matched their largest margin of victory over a ranked team.Arizona maintained its momentum against Oregon State (6-2, 3-2) behind Fifita.Fifita threw for 275 yards on 25-of-32 passing and three touchdowns, hitting Wiley on passes of 40 and 3 yards in the final quarter. The Wildcats also held Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei in check most of the night while limiting the Beavers’ run game.Uiagalelei hit Jimmy Valsin III on a 20-yard touchdown with 1:38 left, but Oregon State couldn’t come up with the onside kick. Uiagalelei finished with 218 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-30 passing.Fifita has played well since Jayden de Laura injured his ankle in Week 4, throwin...

Pastrnak score twice as Bruins beat Red Wings to improve to 7-0-1

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:00 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — David Pastrnak scored his second penalty-shot goal of the season and banked in an empty-netter, leading the Boston Bruins past the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 on Saturday night.Pavel Zacha and Charlie McAvoy scored first-period goals and Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves for the Bruins, who improved to 7-0-1. Boston posted NHL records with 65 wins and 135 points last season.Joe Veleno sent a wrister over Swayman’s left shoulder from the slot, slicing it to 2-1 midway into the third period.But Pastrnak was awarded the penalty shot when he was slashed by defenseman Jake Walman breaking to the net. The Bruins winger went down the middle, shifted the puck a few times before lifting a wrister over Ville Husso 11:19 into the third period.Pastrnak fired a shot off the side boards near center ice that caromed into an empty net for his team-leading eighth goal with just over 2 minutes left.Husso made 27 stops for the Red Wings, who dropped their third straight game.GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4, KINGS...

Israel launches expanded Gaza ground operation — but won’t use the I-word

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:00 GMT

It increasingly looks like Israel has launched its much-anticipated ground invasion of Gaza — but officials won’t use the I-word to describe the campaign.Speaking to his nation Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s fight against Hamas had entered “the second stage of the war” following a decision by the war cabinet to expand ground operations in Gaza. Standing alongside Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and unity government partner Benny Gantz, Netanyahu acknowledged that what comes next will be a long, hard-fought battle.“This is our second independence war. We’re going to save our country,” he said.But Daniel Hagari, a military spokesperson, later framed the operation more modestly to reporters, saying the Israel Defense Forces would be “gradually increasing its ground activity in the Gaza Strip and the scale of its forces.”The careful wording belies reports of heavy fighting by relatively small IDF units who have pushed into Gaza, supported by tanks, ...

Rutte doesn’t rule out NATO top job

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:00 GMT

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he doesn’t rule out taking on the position of head of the NATO defense alliance.The post of NATO secretary-general is “very interesting,” Rutte said in an interview on Dutch radio on Saturday. Rutte, who plans to leave domestic politics after the Dutch election in November, following his government’s collapse in July, has previously said he wasn’t interested in taking on such a large international role as the NATO leader.But on Saturday, Rutte said being chief of the defense alliance would mean he “could still contribute.” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has changed NATO, and the members’ calculus about who can lead the alliance. The war has put a new spotlight on the organization, making the secretary-general job more politically sensitive and high-profile than in the past. Jens Stoltenberg, who has been the NATO chief since 2014, over the summer agreed to stay on in the position until Octobe...

Internet being restored in Gaza; Israel offensive continues

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:00 GMT

Internet and phone connectivity were being restored for many people in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, even as Israel intensified its strikes on the besieged enclave.The Israeli military’s heavy bombardment of Gaza had cut off most communications in the area late Friday, as military officials suggested an anticipated ground assault against the Hamas militants was starting. Connections were restored to many in Gaza early Sunday, according to the telecom company Paltel, Internet-access advocacy group NetBlocks.org and confirmation on the ground, the Associated Press reported.Israel’s military operations in Gaza continued overnight, while Palestinian factions in Gaza fired more rockets into Israel, the BBC reported.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the expanded military operations in Gaza the “second stage” of what will be a “long and difficult” war with Hamas.This is “only the beginning” of the next phase of war, Netanyahu told a pres...