Sport
ACB confirms all-format tour to Sri-Lanka and home series against Ireland
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Monday confirmed dates for the all-format tour to Sri Lanka and the all-format home series against Ireland in the United Arab Emirates.
Afghanistan will first tour Sri Lanka for a one-off test, three ODIs, and three T20I matches from February 2 to 21, and will then host Ireland for as many matches from February 28 to March 18 in the UAE.
AfghanAtalan’s away tour to Sri Lanka begins with a solitary test match at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Colombo from February 2 to 6.
The one-off test match will be followed by three ODI matches which are scheduled for February 9, 11, and 14 at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo, followed by three T20Is on February 17, 19, and 21 at the Dambulla International Cricket Stadium.
From Sri Lanka, Afghanistan will travel to the UAE where they will host Ireland for an all-format series comprising a test, three ODIs, and three T20Is from February 28 to March 18.
AfghanAtalan’s home series against Ireland will also begin with a one-off test match at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi from February 28 to March 3. This will be followed by three ODI matches on March 7, 9, and 12, and three T20I matches on March 15, 17, and 18 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Mirwais Ashraf, Chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, on Monday said fruitful discussions with Sri Lanka cricket officials led to the inclusion of three ODIs in this tour, which already included three T20Is and a Test match.
He said: “The addition of these three ODIs is a significant move to ensure a complete and comprehensive tour which not only provides good exposure to Afghanistan Cricket but will also foster stronger relations between the two nations. Playing Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka is always tricky but is a challenge that AfghanAtalan can easily embrace."
Meanwhile, Naseeb Khan, the CEO of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, expressed his pleasure over the action-packed season for AfghanAtalan for the next few months which will help in the run up to the upcoming ICC Men’s T20I World Cup in the Caribbean & USA in June.
“The year 2024 is a very busy and full of high voltage competitions for the Afghanistan national team which is a very good and positive sign for Afghanistan cricket. The upcoming tours of India, and Sri Lanka, and then the home series against Ireland will help us to prepare the team for the much-important T20 World Cup. Eagerly looking for the multiple series upfront.”
The confirmation of the dates for these two tours comes just days ahead of the start of Afghansitan’s T20I series against India.
The event kicks off on Thursday, January 11, with the first T20I scheduled to be staged in Mohali’s Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, followed by the second on January 14 in Indore and the final on the 17th in Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Cricket fans in Afghanistan will get to watch all three matches against India live on Ariana Television after ATN secured exclusive rights to broadcast the series.
Thursday’s cricket fest will start at 5pm Kabul time so be sure to stay tuned!
Sport
Afghanistan clinches ODI series victory against Zimbabwe
Afghanistan's national cricket team triumphed over Zimbabwe by 8 wickets in the third and final One-Day International (ODI) to claim the series victory.
In a dominant bowling display, Afghanistan dismissed Zimbabwe for just 127 runs in 30.1 overs. The Afghan batsmen then chased down the target comfortably in 26.5 overs, losing only 2 wickets along the way.
The standout performer of the match was Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, who took a remarkable 5 wickets, while Rashid Khan supported with 3 wickets. Azmatullah Omarzai and Farid Ahmad each claimed 1 wicket.
The first match of the series was abandoned due to rain, but Afghanistan bounced back strongly in the second match, securing a commanding 232-run victory.
This series win follows Afghanistan's earlier success in the T20I series against Zimbabwe, further cementing their dominance in international cricket.
Sport
Bangla Tigers lift Lanka T10 Super League title
Player of the match and player of the series was Titan’s skipper Dasun Shanaka.
Hambantota Bangla Tigers beat favorites Jaffna Titans by 26 runs in Thursday’s Lanka T10 Super League final at the Pallekele Stadium in Kandy.
The Tigers produced a fine all-round performance to beat the Titans, who had won all their matches in the lead up to the final.
Player of the match and player of the series was Titan’s skipper Dasun Shanaka.
Hambantota Bangla Tigers, put into bat first, posted 133 for seven from their allotted 10 overs through some useful contributions from their top order batsmen.
The openers Mohammad Shahzad and Kusal Perera added 35 runs from 2.4 overs before they suffered a middle order collapse and reached 59 for three at the halfway stage of the innings.
However, skipper Dasun Shanaka and Shevon Daniel revived the innings with a fourth-wicket partnership of 44 runs in three overs.
Shanaka made 21 with two sixes and two boundaries while Daniel struck 26 with one six and three boundaries before Kennar Lewis and Dhananjaya Lakshan added the finishing touches.
Chasing 133 runs for victory, Jaffna Titans lost wickets at regular intervals and they eventually finished at 107 for six despite a fighting unbeaten half century from middle order batsman Tom Abell.
Richard Gleeson wrecked the Hambantota Bangla Tigers’ innings with excellent figures of three wickets for 21 while Shanaka captured two wickets for four runs.
Sport
Afghanistan crush Zimbabwe by 232 runs in second ODI
Afghanistan defeated Zimbabwe by 232 runs in the second ODI on Thursday to secure a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Sent to bat first by Zimbabwe who won the toss, Afghanistan posted 286-6 in Harare.
Sediqullah Atal scored 104, his first hundred in an international match. Abdul Malik followed with 84.
In reply, Zimbabwe scored 54 runs before being bowled out in the 17.5 overs.
Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar and Naweed Zadran took three wickets each. Fazlullah Farooqi picked up two wickets and Azmatullah Omarzai one.
This was the second match of the ODI series between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe. The first was abandoned due to rain.
The third and final game of the series will be played on Saturday.
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