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Asia Cup: Pakistan secure final berth after 11-run victory over Bangladesh – SUCH TV
Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by 11 runs on Thursday in a must-win Super Fours match to reach the Asia Cup 2025 final, where they are set to face arch-rivals India.
Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf took three wickets each to help Pakistan defend a 136-run target at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The victory propelled Pakistan into the final, where they will be locking horns with arch-rivals India for the first time in the continental tournament’s history.
Chasing a modest 136-run target, Bangladesh could accumulate 124/9 in their allotted 20 overs despite Shamim Hossain’s gutsy 30-run knock.
Bangladesh had a dismal start to the pursuit as Shaheen dismissed Parvez Hossain Emon for a duck on the fifth delivery of the first over.
His opening partner, Saif Hassan (18), then shared a one-sided 22-run partnership with Towhid Hridoy (five) before both perished in quick succession as Bangladesh slipped to 29/3 in 5.1 overs.
Mahedi Hasan (11) and Nurul Hasan then attempted to anchor the run chase as they batted cautiously to add 15 runs for the fourth wicket until Mohammad Nawaz got rid of the former in the eighth over.
Shamim, who walked out to bat at number six, took the reins of Bangladesh’s pursuit and kept them in the hunt until falling victim to Shaheen in the 17th over.
He remained the top-scorer for Bangladesh with a gutsy 30 off 25 deliveries with the help of two boundaries.
Following his departure, Haris Rauf struck twice in his third over to reduce Bangladesh further to 101/9 in 17.4 overs.
Shaheen and Haris jointly led Pakistan’s bowling charge with three wickets, followed by Saim Ayub with two, while Nawaz chipped in with one scalp.
Bangladesh’s stand-in captain Jaker Ali’s decision to field first paid dividends as his team’s bowling unit restricted Pakistan to 135/8 in 20 overs.
Pakistan got off to a disastrous start to their innings as they lost in-form opener Sahibzada Farhan (four) and struggling Saim Ayub (zero) in the first two overs, with just five runs on the board.
Following the early stutter, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha joined experienced opener Fakhar Zaman in the middle to stabilise the innings, but the duo could add 24 to the total as the latter was dismissed by Rishad Hossain in the seventh over.
Rishad struck again in his next over, dismissing Pakistan’s last match hero Hussain Talat (three) and bringing the total down to 33/4 in 8.1 overs.
Pakistan captain Agha and wicketkeeper batter Haris then shared a brief 16-run partnership until Mustafizur Rahman got the former caught behind in the 11th over with just 49 runs on the board. Agha scored a cautious 19 off 23 deliveries, featuring two fours.
With the scoreboard reading 49/5 in 10.5 overs, Shaheen Shah Afridi was promoted and sent into bat at number seven ahead of regular all-rounders Mohammad Nawaz and Faheem Ashraf in a bid to lift the score.
The left-handed batter smashed two sixes on his way to a 13-ball 19 and fell to Taskin Ahmed in the 14th over.
Pakistan’s biggest partnership came for the seventh wicket when Haris and Nawaz added 38 runs in 24 balls, with the former leading the charge.
Haris, who appeared to have settled down, was eventually caught and bowled by Mahedi Hasan in the 18th over and walked back after top-scoring for Pakistan with a gutsy 31 off 23 deliveries with the help of three fours and a six.
Nawaz followed suit in the next over as he skied one off Taskin Ahmed and was brilliantly caught by Parvez Hossain Emon after scoring 25 off 15 deliveries, comprising two sixes and a four.
Taskin was the standout bowler for Bangladesh, taking three wickets for just 28 runs in his four overs, followed by Mahedi Hasan and Rishad with two each, while Mustafizur Rahman chipped in with one.
Happy Boxing Day!
The traditional British holiday featured a huge matchup, with Manchester United hosting Newcastle United as the only Premier League game of the day. In the end, a phenomenal strike from Patrick Dorgu was the difference, as Ruben Amorim’s squad hung on for a 1-0 victory and a valuable three points.
Take a look back at all the day’s action.
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Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver Jalen Smith made an incredible diving touchdown catch to help the team to a Rate Bowl win over the New Mexico Lobos on Friday night.
Minnesota trailed by three points in overtime and needed a field goal to extend the period or a touchdown to win the game.
On third down, Drake Lindsey found Smith between three Lobos defenders. Smith dove and made the wild catch to give Minnesota the 20-17 win.
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Minnesota wide receiver Jalen Smith scores a touchdown in overtime in front of New Mexico safety Austin Brawley (21) during the Rate Bowl Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
The Golden Gophers led 14-6 after Darius Taylor scored a touchdown. But on the ensuing kickoff, Damon Bankston returned a kick 100 yards for a touchdown. New Mexico’s trick play two-point conversion tied the game.
The bowl victory marked Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck’s seventh since he became the Golden Gophers’ head coach. Minnesota hasn’t lost a bowl game under Fleck and hasn’t lost a bowl game since the 2014 season, when Jerry Kill was the head coach.
GEORGIA TECH COACH BRENT KEY DEFENDS STATE OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL AMID WIDESPREAD CRITICISM
New Mexico safety Austin Brawley and safety Tavian Combs (7) react after losing to Minnesota in the Rate Bowl Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Lindsey was 18 of 28 with two touchdown passes, both to Smith.
The Lobos went viral during the game for their turquoise uniforms, but they didn’t do enough to distract Minnesota’s defense.
New Mexico quarterback Jack Layne was 14-for-25 with an interception.
Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck, wide receiver Jalen Smith and safety Albert Nunes lift the trophy after defeating New Mexico in the Rate Bowl Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
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Minnesota finishes the season with an 8-5 record. New Mexico fell to 9-4.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Brooks Koepka’s decision to leave LIV Golf years after becoming one of the notable faces to join the renegade league sent shock waves through the sport this week.
Koepka played in the LIV Golf series for more than three seasons, winning five events and taking home the PGA Championship in 2023.
Golf commentator Brandel Chamblee on Friday offered his two cents on fans clamoring for Koepka to return to the PGA Tour, writing in a post on X he disagreed with the notion.
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Brooks Koepka of Smash GC plays his shot from the third tee during the quarterfinals of the LIV Golf Michigan Team Championship at The Cardinal at Saint John’s Resort Aug. 22, 2025. (Aaron Doster/Imagn Images)
“I certainly disagree with this,” he wrote. “Allowing Brooks Koepka to return to the PGA Tour with no consequence, would undermine the very meritocratic foundations that make the PGA Tour legitimate — not because of who he is, but because of what his return (will) signal.”
Chamblee said there should be a penalty of some kind for Koepka or anyone else who jumped to the league, which is backed by the Saudi Arabian government.
“LIV did not merely offer an alternative league, it fractured fields, diluted competitive meaning, triggered legal warfare, undermined sponsorship stability, and forced structural change across all of professional golf,” he continued. “Koepka was not a passive bystander, he was a marquee legitimizer.
“You don’t punish him for being influential, but you cannot pretend his influence didn’t matter. His credibility made LIV viable, his stature normalized defection and his success (especially after joining LIV) validated the disruption.”
Brooks Koepka acknowledges the crowd on the fifth green during the first round of the British Open at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)
Chamblee suggested a penalty would suffice and being reintegrated into the PGA Tour would be the route that officials should go with.
“A penalty would not so much be a punishment as it would be an acknowledgment of choice and the consequence does not need to be punitive to be meaningful,” he added. “He could be made to re-qualify for the PGA Tour (his 5 year exemption for winning the PGA Championship for majors may stand but not for the PGA Tour).
“He could have limited season eligibility and/or a suspension tied to prior contracted breach. The players who stayed on the PGA Tour paid a price. They had to absorb the uncertainty, play in weaker fields, shoulder reputational risk and take on a greater responsibility of protecting the tour’s continuity.”
Ultimately, Chamblee wrote, the penalty wouldn’t be about punishing anyone but rather the consequences for sending a ripple effect through the sport and protecting the PGA Tour.
“It is about whether the PGA Tour believe commitments mean something. If elite players can destabilize the system, take guaranteed money and then return instantly because they are popular or successful, the message is that rules apply only to the expendable,” Chamblee wrote.
“If excellence alone erases consequences then the PGA Tour ceases to be a meritocracy and becomes a marketplace of convenience. Great players most certainly deserve respect, but institutions deserve protection.”
Brooks Koepka plays a shot from a bunker on the second hole during the second round of the U.S. Open June 13, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
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LIV Golf said Koepka was leaving the series to prioritize the “needs of his family and staying closer to home.”
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