Sport
Afghans eagerly gear up to watch their team face off against Scotland in T20 World Cup match
Amid all their concerns and economic woes, Afghans have something to look forward to on Monday night when their national team take on Scotland in the ICC World Cup T20 tournament in the UAE.
The national cricket team is scheduled to face Scotland in their first official match at about 6.30pm Kabul time.
For Afghans in the country, the match can be viewed live on Ariana TV, which has the rights to broadcast the tournament. For online viewers click here to watch the match.
Cricket fans across the country have high hopes that their team will do well - especially as Afghanistan is ranked number eight in T20 cricket - and many said Monday that a win would bring some much needed joy to the nation amid trying times.
“In these difficult and anxious days, our only joy is this sport and we support the Afghan national cricket team and we hope that our players can achieve a good result for Afghanistan in these competitions,” said Zabiullah Zadran, a resident of Paktia.
"It is sports and athletes who bring happiness to the people, and we are very happy that our national cricket team qualified for the World Cup." said Khaibar Sharifi, a resident of Kabul.
"I urge all cricket fans to pray for the victory of the Afghan national cricket team in the World Cup. It is a great honor for Afghanistan and a very happy time, we are a very upset people," said Hayatullah Durani, another Kabul resident.
Meanwhile, national cricket team players say they will put every effort into the match in order to secure a win for their countrymen.
Mohammad Nabi, captain of the Afghan team, says currently, cricket is collectively the only source of happiness for Afghans. Nabi added that the team is in good spirits and that Afghans back home are hoping for a win.
"Afghans all talk a lot about the team squad on social media, and Inshallah (God willing), the players will try to shine well, also the team's morale is very good,” Nabi added.
“In this round of the World Cup, we promise our compatriots to play [well and] display best performances,” said Najibullah Zadran, a national cricket team player.
Afghanistan, which was an automatic qualifier, is in the second group with Scotland, Pakistan, Namibia, India and New Zealand.
Ariana Television Network has broadcasting rights of the T20 Cricket World Cup, which is being co-hosted by Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
This is the Afghan team's third appearance at the T20 World Cup but won only two matches at the 2016 event. This year, the team is looking to win more matches and progress further in the competition.
Already last week, Afghanistan beat reigning World Cup holders West Indies in a warm up match.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE MATCH LIVE AT 6.30PM KABUL TIME
Sport
Zimbabwe’s opening ODI against Afghanistan abandoned
Afghanistan won the toss and put the hosts into bat but it took four hours before any play was possible, with the game by then reduced to a 28 overs per side.
Heavy rain led to the abandonment of the first one day international between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan at the Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.
Afghanistan won the toss and put the hosts into bat but it took four hours before any play was possible, with the game by then reduced to a 28 overs per side.
Azmatullah Omarzai took 4-18 in 4.2 overs as the visitors made good inroads to have Zimbabwe 44-5 in the 10th over before the rain returned and ended hope of further play.
The second of the three match ODI series will be played at the same venue on Thursday.
Sport
Lanka T10: All three matches abandoned due to rain
Relentless rain on Monday resulted in all three Lanka T10 Super League matches being abandoned without a ball bowled at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.
All teams except for the Jaffna Titans had been anxiously waiting to play their remaining matches of the league round in order to qualify for a place in the second stage of the inaugural event.
The matches that were affected were Nuwara Eliya Kings v Galle Marvels; Hambantota Bangla Tigers v Colombo Jaguars; and Jaffna Titans v Kandy Bolts.
All six teams grabbed a point each from the results which meant that Jaffna Titans, Hambantota Bangla Tigers, and Galle Marvels have qualified for the second stage of the tournament.
Prior to Monday, however, Jaffna had already clinched their spot to play in Qualifier 1. They head the standings with 10 points winning four of their six matches with two No Results.
Following Monday’s result Hambantota finished second with seven points to join Jaffna in Qualifier 1.
Galle also had the same number of points (7), but on the net run rate had to be content with the third spot, which meant that they will play in the Eliminator.
Who will play Galle is the big question here for three teams with four points each in the running – Colombo, Kandy, and Nuwara Eliya.
The three matches scheduled for Tuesday will decide the fate of the remaining three sides.
Weather permitting, the matches scheduled are: Colombo Jaguars v Jaffna Titans; Kandy Bolts v Nuwara Eliya Kings; and Galle Marvels v Hambantota Bangla Tigers.
Currently, Colombo, with a better net run rate, are placed fourth, with Kandy and Nuwara Eliya in fifth and sixth places respectively.
The knockout games are scheduled for Wednesday, December 18, with the final on Thursday, December 19.
Matches, depending on the weather, will be broadcast live on Ariana Television from 2:30 pm Tuesday.
Sport
ATN once again seals deal to broadcast upcoming IPL across Afghanistan
Next year’s event will kick off on March 14 and run through to May 25. That’s just over 10 weeks of exhilarating cricket.
Ariana Television and Radio Network (ATN) has once again secured the rights to broadcast another thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) live and exclusively in Afghanistan.
That’s right, fans will once again be treated by Ariana Television to all the thrills, spills and unforgettable IPL moments in the comfort of their own homes.
Next year’s event will kick off on March 14 and run through to May 25. That’s just over 10 weeks of exhilarating cricket.
While we know the event will run from March 14, the complete IPL 2025 schedule, including dates for knockout matches, and the final, is yet to be announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Next year’s tournament, like in the past, will see ten teams competing in 74 matches.
Kolkata Knight Riders are the defending champions, having won their third title in the 2024 edition after beating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final.
The teams are:
– Chennai Super Kings
– Delhi Capitals
– Gujarat Titans
– Kolkata Knight Riders (defending champions)
– Lucknow SuperGiants
– Mumbai Indians
– Punjab Kings
– Rajasthan Royals
– Royal Challengers Bangalore
– Sunrisers Hyderabad
IPL 2025 sees some exciting team changes, reshuffled lineups, and strategic player acquisitions.
For instance, Rishabh Pant broke the auction record on day one of the two-day IPL Auction in Jeddah when Lucknow Super Giants got the star wicket keeper for a whopping $3.20 million.
Punjab Kings in turn snapped up Shreyas Iyer for $3.17 million.
The IPL Auction also saw one cricketer becoming the youngest ever to be sold on auction.
Indian’s 13-year-old cricketer Vaibhav Suryavanshi, from the eastern Indian state of Bihar, went to the Rajasthan Royals for $130,500 after coming into the auction at a base price of $35,591.
Seven Afghan players were snapped up for next year’s season, including Rashid Khan who was retained by Gujarat Titans for $2.1 million.
Karim Janat will make his debut at the IPL and was picked up by Gujarat Titans for just over $88,000; Noor Ahmad Lakanwal was signed by Chennai Super Kings for $1.18 million; Azmatullah Omarzai was sold to Punjab Kings for $284,000; Rahmanullah Gurbaz was resigned by Kolkata Knight Riders for over $236,000; Fazalhaq Farooqi went to Rajasthan Royals for $236,000 USD; and 18-year-old young spinner Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar was signed by Mumbai Indians for $568,000.
While match details have not yet been announced, cricket fans across the country can watch this space and follow Ariana Television’s social media platforms for news and information ahead of the tournament.
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