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Zimbabwe v Afghanistan, 5th ODI, Harare February 26, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff

Afghanistan 253 for 9 (Rahmat 50, Nabi 48, Mpofu 3-46) beat Zimbabwe 54 (Nabi 3-14, Hamza 3-20) by 106 runs (D/L Method) Scorecard

Rahmat Shah top scored with 50 Zimbabwe Cricket

Afghanistan's bowlers combined to roll Zimbabwe over for 54, helping the visitors seal a 3-2 series win with a 106-run D/L victory in the final ODI in Harare.

Afghanistan elected to bat and were provided a brisk start thanks to opener Noor Ali Zadran's 49-ball 46, even as Zimbabwe got regular breakthroughs early on. Noor Ali eventually fell at the end of the 15th over, a wicket that put the brakes on Afghanistan's momentum as captain Asghar Stanikzai and Rahmat Shah tried to steady the innings from 85 for 3. The pair put on 39 off 64 balls, which was followed by a fifth-wicket stand of 35 between Shah and Samiullah Shenwari. After Rahmat reached his fifty, both he and Shenwari were run-out as Afghanistan found themselves at 172 for 6 at the 40-over mark.

Allrounder Mohammad Nabi then batted with the lower order, hitting four fours and a six in his 48 off 40 balls. Dawlat Zadran hit 14 off 6 balls to lift them to 253 for 9. Medium-pacer Chris Mpofu finished with figures of 3 for 46 while the spin duo of Graeme Cremer and Sean Williams kept things tight and conceded a combined 74 in 20 overs.

Zimbabwe's response was delayed by rain and a wet outfield, leaving them with a revised target of 161 off 22 overs. They suffered an early blow, losing Peter Moor in the second over. Three balls later, left-arm spinner Amir Hamza removed Solomon Mire, before returning two more wickets off four balls in his next over to reduce Zimbabwe to 13 for 4.

There was to be no recovery, with only two batsmen getting into double-figures, as Nabi and Rashid Khan - who were both picked up by the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the IPL auction earlier this week - took combined figures of 5 for 22. Rahmat was named Man of the Match for his fifty.

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Afghanistan raze Zimbabwe for 54 to seal series - ESPNcricinfo.com

The United States remains locked in its longest war to date, a 16-year venture in Afghanistan that shows no signs of relenting. The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. John Nicholson, briefed the Senate Armed Services Committee in early February and drew much needed attention to one of the greatest fiascoes of the U.S. effort in Afghanistan reconstituting a capable, effective, and sustainable Afghan Air Force (AAF). Nicholson bluntly noted that close air support and aerial mobility are the most critical remaining gaps that need to be addressed. He couldnt be more right.

Although the Afghan National Security and Defense Force (ANDSF) has grown significantly since its post-Taliban rebirth, the ANDSF still suffers from attrition, corruption, logistics and maintenance deficiencies, and inadequate air power. The U.S. and NATO effort to reconstitute the AAF began slowly in 2007, and like most efforts in Afghanistan, it soon became mired in bad deals, mismanagement, and bureaucratic disasters.

Afghanistan has used AN-26 transport planes, the predecessor of the AN-32, since 1978. Instead of pursuing the acquisition of additional AN-32 transport planes, which were long familiar to the older Afghan pilots, a deal was cut with Alenia North America to acquire 20 Italian C-27 cargo planes for $486 million. An additional $200 million was earmarked to establish a spare parts inventory, ground support equipment, and for contractor support to keep the fleet maintained.

In the end, the program failed Alenia struggled to meet its contractual obligations and the fleet of C-27s were grounded in 2012, the program was canceled outright in 2013, and the fleet of C-27s were sold for scrap to a local Afghan construction company for 6 cents a pound, amounting to a mere $32,000. TheSpecial Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko stated in 2012 thatits imperative that the U.S. government does not repeat the mistakes made throughout this nearly half-billion dollar program.

Fast forward to 2017 and the Pentagon is again finding itself in a similar position. Nicholsons sworn testimony confirms that the U.S. government is considering replacing Afghanistans Russian-made fleet of Mi-17 transport helicopters with 53 U.S. Army UH-60 Blackhawks at a cost of $814 million. The program is heavily supported by Sen. Richard BlumenthalRichard BlumenthalLast chance to improve Afghanistans fledgling Air Force? Poll: Senate should confirm Gorsuch A guide to the committees: Senate MORE (D-Conn.). Notably, the Blackhawk helicopter is manufactured by Sikorsky at a facility in Connecticut. The Pentagon had to terminate its $554 million contract withRussias state-owned military exporter Roboronexport to provide additional Mi-17 helicopters and spare parts to the AAF in 2013 following opposition from senators such a Blumenthal over Russians military support to Syrian dictator Bashir Assad and for Russias invasion of Crimea.

While Blumenthals sales pitch for U.S.-manufactured Blackhawks might fall in line with the"America First" message President Trump conveyed in his inaugural address, plans to transition the AAF from one of its most relied upon aircraft the Mi-17 amid Afghanistans heaviest fighting in years, is a grave mistake.

Nicholson warned Congress that it would take 21 months from the initial approval decision to field the first refurbished and upgraded UH-60 to the AAF, and any further delays in making such a decision would further widen the critical Afghan aerial capability gap. Nicholson further warned that with the AAF unable to field the UH-60s until 2019, the burden would fall upon U.S. aviation and authorities to bridge the gap, which would put U.S. campaign objectives at serious risk.

Extending the life of the fleet or replacing expended Mi-17s should be considered essential in the short term to provide the AAF with an organic aerial mobility and fires capability until a reasonable transition time to UH-60s is achieved. A hard stop in the AAFs usage of Mi-17s in 2017 and 2018 will unnecessarily put the lives of the ANDSF at risk and further threaten U.S. objectives in Afghanistan.

As a man who disdains bad deals, President Trump and must carefully balance the America First policy with the ground realities of Americas longest fought war. The proposed acquisition of UH-60 Blackhawks given the current situation in Afghanistan is reminiscent of the bad deal cut with Alenia in 2008. The additional years worth of training, which would include retraining pilots, ground crews, and logistics and maintenance personnel, would further delay the anticipated 2020 timeline for a fully functional Air Force. Given the precarious nature of Afghanistans fragile National Unity Government and the ANDSFs continuing fight against a robust and growing insurgency, the additional years needed for training and transition are an unrealistic luxury that Afghanistan and its allies cannot afford.

Matthew C. DuPe is a senior South Asia analyst for the U.S. Defense Department. Matthew Archibald isindependent researcher and consultant on South Asian issues. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency of the U.S. government.

The views expressed by this author are their own and are not the views of The Hill.

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Last chance to improve Afghanistan's fledgling Air Force? | TheHill - The Hill (blog)

Two students were tragically and needlessly killed in Laghman Province, and seven others and a teacher injured, when a mortar round struck their school. We cannot let children and schools continue to become victims of this escalating conflict, said NRC Country Director in Afghanistan, Kate O'Rourke. Education is increasingly becoming a casualty of the conflict.

Around 10am Saturday 25 Feb, a mortar round struck a state-run classroom in the Shaheed Mawlawi Habib Rahman High School in the Besram area of Alingar District, in the Eastern province of Laghman.

Everyone was in class when we heard the sound of a mortar being fired nearby, said Abdul Latif Kochai, the School Principal. Our students and nearby villagers frantically transported those injured to the hospital. The medical staff tried their best to treat them. Two of our male students diedone in Grade 7, the other in Grade 11.

The day before, armed clashes between armed opposition groups and Afghan security forces had intensified near Besram, located near the border between Alingar and Mehterlam districts.

Neither side has accepted responsibility. However, around two hundred villagers protested later that day outside the Laghman Provincial Governors Compound in Mehterlam.

This is tragedy for the families of these children and their communities. The aspirations of these students and teachers to contribute to a better future in their country have been destroyed in this senseless incident, said ORourke. "The rise in attacks on education in Afghanistan undermines the progress made in the last decade. Afghan parents must increasingly choose between their childrens education and their safety."

International Humanitarian Law proscribes attacks on educational institutions by military forces.

The Afghan Government is commended for being one of the first signatories to the Oslo Safe Schools Declaration. It must investigate all attacks on schools and hold those found responsible accountable, said Will Carter, Head of Programme, NRC Afghanistan.

The Government should not dismiss any information before it has conducted a thorough investigation. There is no evidence to suggest that the school was occupied by the Taliban, or had in some way become a legitimate military target. Instead, students were studying.

Facts

The Government of Afghanistan endorsed the Oslo Safe Schools Declaration in a meeting hosted by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 29 May 2015, along with 36 other States. To date, 59 States are signatories to the Declaration.

The number of people displaced due to conflict has increased in Afghanistan over the past five years. More than 600,000 persons were internally displaced due to conflict in 2016 alone. On top of this, more than 600,000 Afghans returned from Pakistan between July and December 2016, with the majority settling in eastern Afghanistan.

In 2016, NRC supported the education of approximately 80,000 Afghan boys and girls affected by conflict and emergency in Afghanistan, including 10,000 in the Eastern region. This work is primarily funded by the EU (ECHO), Norway and Sweden (Sida).

In total, over 2016, NRC directly assisted 300,000 displaced persons through its wider programming in Afghanistan, which includes legal assistance, shelter, and education in emergencies. NRC maintains ten offices across the country, including in Nangarhar, which also responds to humanitarian needs in Laghman Province.

A second Safe Schools Declaration meeting is scheduled for 28-29th March 2017 in Argentina, aiming for increased commitment to the Oslo Safe Schools Declaration.

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Military fire against school in Eastern Afghanistan: Education is increasingly becoming a casualty of the conflict - ReliefWeb

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10 Police Officers Killed in Ambush by Militants in Afghanistan New York Times KABUL, Afghanistan At least 10 police officers and the wife of a police commander were killed in an ambush by Islamic State militants in the northern province of Zawzjan, a provincial official said on Saturday. Mohammad Reza Ghafori, a spokesman for ... Mosque ambush kills 10 police in northern AfghanistanAljazeera.com Afghanistan: IS militants kill 11 in mosque ambushHindustan Times Reports: Dozens Die in Violence Across AfghanistanVoice of America SBS -WBOC TV 16 -Quad-Cities Online all 26 news articles »

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10 Police Officers Killed in Ambush by Militants in Afghanistan - New York Times

AFGHANISTAN TOUR OF ZIMBABWE, 2017

Cricbuzz StaffLast updated on Sun, 26 Feb, 2017, 05:31 PM

Mohammad Nabi scored 48 off 40 in the deciding ODI in Harare. Getty

Afghanistan inched one step closer to a series win after Mohammad Nabi hit a crucial 48 towards the end of the innings to help his side post 253 on the board against Zimbabwe in the fifth and final One-Day International. With Afghanistan posting the highest score of the series, Zimbabwe will have their task cut out in the chase on Sunday (February 26).

Afghanistan opted to bat first in the decider and made four changes to their XI in their bid to seal the series. The hosts though were unchanged, following a crushing seven-wicket win in the fourth ODI at the same venue.

With teams initially struggling against the new ball throughout the series, the Afghanistan openers probably wanted to make a mark early. Mohammad Shahzad drove the first ball of the match through the covers for a boundary and fetched another two balls later, courtesy of an inside edge. Noor Ali Zadran began in similar fashion by driving one past mid-off as the visitors made 13 in the first over. There were no boundaries hit in the next three overs before Ali Zadran found the gap between mid wicket and mid on. Richard Ngarava finally struck in the sixth over by bringing one back into Shahzad that shattered the stumps.

The wicket did no harm to Afghanistan's run rate though as four boundaries were hit in the next three overs with three of them coming from Ali Zadran's bat. The flurry of boundaries took the run rate past six as the visitors made full use of the powerplay. They couldn't end it on a high note though as Ngarava made another breakthrough. Gulbadin Naib missed the ball and was trapped leg-before while attempting a flick. Ali Zadran then made full use of a free-hit in the following over by depositing the ball over deep midwicket for a maximum. The impressive 28-year-old collected two more boundaries but his dismissal in the 15th over for 46 proved to be a huge setback.

Afghanistan went through a period where they failed to find the boundary rope even once in nine overs. Asghar Stanikzai broke the shackles with a boundary over extra cover but Sean Williams got rid of the skipper in the very next over, trapping him lbw. The wicket was followed by another barren spell without any boundaries as the run rate began to dip. A terrible mix up then cost Samiullah Shenwari his wicket and then three overs later, it was the turn of Rahmat Shah to get dismissed in similar fashion. He had done a decent job until then, reaching a half-century off 79 balls.

With six wickets down by the 40th over, Afghanistan needed senior statesman Nabi to put his hand up and deliver, which he did with aplomb. His first boundary came off Williams when he smashed the left-arm spinner for a six. Even though Najibullah Zadran fell at the other end, Nabi kept the scoreboard ticking. Ngarava then the bore the brunt of the allrounder's assaault as Nabi hit him for back-to-back boundaries. Nabi and Rashid Khan were dismissed in the penultimate over but Dawlat Zadran's little cameo hurt Zimbabwe right at the death. The bowler hammered Chatara for a couple of fours and a six in the final over to take his side past 250. The previous highest score in the series was 238, which was also posted by Afghanistan, a contest they went on to win.

Brief scores: Afghanistan 253/9 (Rahmat Shah 50, Mohammad Nabi 48; Chris Mpofu 3-46, Richard Ngarava 2-37) vs Zimbabwe

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Advantage Afghanistan after Nabi's cameo - Cricbuzz