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Zimbabwe v Afghanistan, 3rd ODI, Harare February 21, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff

Zimbabwe 129 (Musakanda 60, Naib 4-27, Rashid 3-29) beat Afghanistan 126 (Stanikzai 31, Williams 3-15, Mpofu 3-24, Chatara 3-30) by three runs Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

File photo - Chris Mpofu set in motion a stunning comeback from Zimbabwe with two wickets in the 27th over Getty Images

Harare Sports Club. Afghanistan are cantering towards a target of 130. They need 16 runs more, off 24 overs, with five wickets in hand, to win a third successive ODI series against Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe have never defended so low a total in one-day internationals. The match is in the bag, right? Enter Chris Mpofu. Add some handy work from wicketkeeper Peter Moor, vital spin support from Sean Williams, and rash batting from Afghanistan's middle and lower order, and what you have is an unbelievable three-run win for Zimbabwe.

When Mpofu began the 27th over, it hardly seemed like the match was turning so dramatically. Mohammad Nabi, who was still new to the crease, dispatched the first ball of the over, a length delivery, over long-off for six. He took a single next ball, and the well-set Samiullah Shenwari was back on strike. Afghanistan needed nine. Shenwari went after a short, wide one, and under-edged; the ball was dying on keeper Moor, but he dived forward and held on. The very next ball, new man Najibullah Zadran's shot selection was suspect - he tried to pull a short one from outside off - and top edged. Moor held on again.

Six needed off 23 overs, three wickets in hand. Left-arm spinner Williams, bowling his fifth over, tossed it up on middle and Nabi missed the cut. Bowled. Williams sent down a maiden. The very first ball of the next over, the Mpofu-Moor pairing was at it again. This time it was a short ball angling down leg, which Rashid Khan edged to be caught behind. Another wicket maiden and it was back to Williams. No. 10 Amir Hamza managed to get two off the first ball, Graeme Cremer misfielding amid all the tension. He kept out the next one, but could not hold himself back off the third ball; a big swing at a delivery tossed up on off ended in the hands of Richard Ngarava at point. Zimbabwe had won by three runs, keeping the series alive. To complete their first ever ODI series victory against a spirited Afghanistan side, they will have to win the next two games too, on February 24 and 26.

Zimbabwe had little to cheer after choosing to bat. The only real contribution of note came from Tarisai Musakanda, who scored 60 out of their total of 129. Only one other batsmen - Malcolm Waller, who finished unbeaten on 36 - made it past 10 as the home side imploded in 32.4 overs. Much of the damage was done by the medium pace of Gulbadin Naib and the legspin of Rashid Khan, who must have still been in a happy daze from his success at the IPL auction. He was also on a hat-trick at one point in this match.

When the players broke for lunch, Afghanistan were comfortable at 63 for 3 in 13 overs with captain Asghar Stanikzai and Shenwari at the crease. New-ball bowler Tendai Chatara got Stanikzai soon after the interval, though - another catch to keeper Moor - helping Zimbabwe take a step in the direction of one of the most stunning comebacks.

ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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Afghanistan lose 5 for 5 to mess up 130 chase - ESPNcricinfo.com

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere criticized German states that refuse to deport rejected Afghan asylum seekers in an interview on public broadcaster "ARD" onMonday night. He said that the states had neglected to address the topic at a recent meeting. The German government's stance, one contested by several states, is that parts of Afghanistan are sufficiently safe to send people back there.

"Back then, the states said that they weren't experts on foreign policy," de Maiziere said. "They said that they wanted and had to rely on the national government to evaluate certain countries." De Maiziere criticized Schleswig-Holstein specifically for refusing to follow the national government's guidelines without talking to him first.

Germany's most northern statehad declared last week that it would stop all deportations to Afghanistan for three months - the maximum amount of time states are allowed to halt deportations without Berlin's permission.

Afghanistan: safe or not?

A young boy carries a sign saying 'Afghanistan is not safe!' at a demonstration against deportations on February 11

In Germany, there has been a tense debate over whether rejected asylum seekers should be deported to Afghanistan. The federal German administration has come under fire including from its own human rights commissioner because it considers parts of Afghanistan safe even though much of thecountry iscaught in battles between Taliban fighters and state troops, and terror attacks are frequent.

De Maiziere defended the national government's stance on Afghanistan. "We know of course that the safety situation is complicated, but there are safe areas," he told ARD's evening news show "Tagesthemen,"saying that the north of the country and capital Kabul were relatively peaceful.

Stefan Studt, the interior minister for Schleswig-Holstein, criticized this stance in an interview on the same program on Monday. "If Mr. de Maiziere says that there are safe regions [in Afghanistan] and I ask him where these are, and he does not give me a precise answer, then I cannot see how it's supposed to be safe there."

Stefan Studt said De Maiziere could not specify what regions of Afghanistan were safe

Schleswig-Holstein said its decision to halt deportations was based on a December 2016 report from the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), which found that the security situation in Afghanistan had significantly worsened throughout 2016 and that "no differentiation between 'safe' and 'unsafe' territories" was possible.

Five German states halted deportations

Since Berlin came to an agreement with the Kabul administration last October, allowing group deportations via chartered flights,Germany has deported a total of 59 rejected Afghanasylum seekers.

Five German states have refused to deport rejected asylum seekers to the country(mostly with the exemption of those who have a criminial record). The 11 remaining states deport Afghans, though most have some imposed restrictions -refusing for example to deport children, women or families.

There is a total of over 200,000 foreigners obligated to leave the country currently living in Germany, though roughly 150,000 of those deportation orders have been temporarily suspended.

mb/msh (AFP, dpa, epd, KNA)

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De Maiziere and German states bicker over deportations to Afghanistan - Deutsche Welle

ISLAMABAD

Pakistan and Afghanistan have issued conciliatory statements in an apparent attempt to defuse days of border tensions stemming from charges Afghan soil was used for masterminding last weeks terrorist attacks in Pakistani cities.

Pakistani troops have been staging cross-border shelling to target what authorities claimed were camps of Jammat-ul Ahrar, or JuA, a splinter faction of the anti-state Pakistani Taliban for being behind most of the deadly violence.

Islamabad maintains that JuA leaders are sheltering in Afghan border areas from where they plot and direct violence against Pakistan. Security officials also confirmed Monday, the military deployed additional heavy artillery at main border crossings to deter illegal movements.

However, Pakistani military chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Monday explained his troop build up along the Afghan border and enhanced security arrangements are aimed at fighting common enemy of terrorism.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have fought against terrorism and shall continue this effort together, the general told a security meeting of his top commanders in Rawalpindi, where the military is headquartered.

Bajwa also called for more effective border coordination and cooperation with Afghan security forces to prevent cross-border movement of terrorists and other illegal activities, according to a statement released by the militarys media wing after the meeting.

Sindh province, Pakistan, and the Afghan-Pakistan border

The deadliest terrorist attack in Pakistan targeted a famous Sufi shrine in the southern Sindh province last Thursday. The suicide blast left at least 90 devotees dead and over 300 wounded. Local affiliates of Islamic State took credit for that bloodshed.

Earlier on Monday, Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah chaired a meeting of cabinet ministers in Kabul and expressed concerns over Pakistani shelling of border areas, warning such threats would help neither side.

Afghan forces have been directed from the outset not to take actions that could fuel the tension on the Durand Line, Abdullah said referring to the frontier with Pakistan.

FILE - Chief Executive of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah.

The Afghan chief executive reiterated terrorist groups, including IS and al-Qaida, active in his country and inflicting bloodshed on Afghans were created outside Afghanistan.

Abdullah did not name any country but Kabul has long alleged that the Taliban and its allies waging years of insurgency against the Afghan government are using Pakistani sanctuaries for regrouping and plotting attacks on the Afghan side.

These groups are operating under the Taliban umbrella in areas of Afghanistan which are under the influence of the Taliban, Abdullah asserted.

Separately, the Afghan foreign ministry revealed it has handed over to Pakistan a list of 32 training centers and 85 militant leaders, including that of the Taliban and the terrorist Haqqani network, who are involved in terrorist attacks against Afghanistan.

Kabul has asked Islamabad to take action against these facilities and men to prevent them from staging the cross-border violence.

Mondays move came after Pakistan last week handed over a list of 76 fugitive militants to the Afghan government, saying they are operating from the Afghan side and masterminded recent violence on Pakistani soil, and demanded Kabul take immediate action against them.

Afghan ambassador to Islamabad, Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal delivered the list to Pakistani civilian and military authorities shortly after he arrived back from Kabul. Speaking to VOA, the Afghan diplomat described his meetings as constructive and positive.

As a result I expect deescalation of the current tension and the creation of a more positive environment for responding to each other's concerns and grievances in a cooperative manner, said Zakhilwal

Mutual allegations of sponsoring terrorist attacks on each others territory have been at the center of political and diplomatic tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, sharing a long porous border of 2,600 kilometers. Both sides deny allegations they are supporting the militants.

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Pakistan, Afghanistan Move to Defuse Border Tensions - Voice of America

File image of Javed Miandad. (Getty Images)

New Delhi: Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad has played down big money signings of Afghanistan cricketers Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi who have been the talk of the town since getting picked at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction on Monday.

18-year-old leg spinner Rashid Khan was picked by Hyderabad for a whopping Rs 4 Crores while his teammate Mohammad Nabi also went to the defending champions for Rs 30 Lakh.

However, for Javed Miandad, it wasn't such a big deal.

"We don't care if an Afghan player or any other player is bought in the IPL for millions of rupees. Earlier, we used to feel bad when Pakistani players were not able to play in IPL, but now we have our own Pakistan Super Legaue, which is very successful," said Miandad in an exclusive interview.

Although, Miandad did conced that players from associate nations will soon be seen in other big leagues as well.

"If a product is great, it will sell across the world. Similarly, a good player will always have admirers all over the world," said Miandad.

However, Miandad was quick to warn the Afghanistan Cricket Board that they must not celebrate two of their players getting big amounts in the the IPL and should continue to focus on improving the infrastructure in their country.

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IPL 2017: Javed Miandad Plays Down Big Money Signings From Afghanistan - News18

Photo courtesy AFP

If there is no peace and stability in Afghanistan, there will be no peace and stability in Pakistan. Afghanistan has suffered from external interference and intervention of one kind or another throughout its history. It continues to be challenged by repeated interference today.

Pakistan has a choice. It can either work with the government in Kabul and with Afghanistans other neighbours to strengthen the foundations of peace and stability in the fractured and war-torn country or it can join in the scramble for Afghanistan, by seeking to stake out a maximum share of external influence in Afghanistan for itself.

Pakistan talks one policy, but walks the other. The former option working towards peace and stability is a positive-sum strategy and can be a real winner for Pakistan. Given the build-up of mutual mistrust over several decades, this option will, of course, not be easy. It will take effort and time. However, the latter option scrambling for maximum influence or strategic depth or hegemony in Afghanistan, if only to minimise the influence of a perennial adversary, India has been and will remain a zero-sum mugs game for Pakistan.

Nevertheless, given the perversity of our political and decision-making processes, we have consistently opted for the mugs game. As a result, we frittered away the enormous Afghan goodwill that Pakistan had accumulated during the Soviet occupation. After the Soviet defeat and withdrawal, we (wittingly or unwittingly) unleashed a ruinous civil war and imposed a barbaric and medieval Taliban upon the hapless Afghan people.

Our Afghan experts (those who cogently, if not credibly, articulate the interests and preferences of elite and kinetic institutions) have sought to explain away policies that fatally undermine our image and standing among the Afghan people Pakhtun and non-Pakhtun alike. Our Afghan policy, moreover, is India-centric and, accordingly, ignores Afghan realities.

We simply deny responsibility for cross-border flows of weapons and jihadis into Afghanistan, which is undermining the security of the elected regime in Kabul that we recognise. Instead, we accuse Kabul of doing the same to Pakistan at Indias behest. Moreover, we have complicated and contradictory policies towards the Afghan Taliban, as we support and oppose them simultaneously.

As a result, the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (comprising Afghanistan, Pakistan, the US and China) has, for the time being, been replaced as the main external influence on Kabul by a trilateral group comprising Afghanistan, Iran and India.

This article was originally published in the Herald's February 2017 issue. To read more subscribe to the Herald in print.

The writer is a former ambassador to the US, India and China and head of UN missions in Iraq and Sudan.

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Time for Pakistan to walk the talk on Afghanistan - DAWN.com