Sport
Afghanistan World Cup hero Shapoor Zadran retires from international cricket
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Afghanistan left-arm fast bowler Shapoor Zadran has announced his retirement from international cricket.
Zadran retires following a distinguished career that spanned for more than 10 years, with the veteran pacer playing a major role in the rise of Afghanistan cricket.
A mainstay in the initial stages of Afghanistan’s cricketing journey, Zadran featured in three ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaigns and was the hero of the side’s first-ever victory at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2015 when he hit the winning runs against Scotland in Dunedin.
But having not played an international match since he featured against Ireland at Greater Noida in 2020, Zadran has decided the time is right to retire as the 37-year-old revealed the news via his Facebook page.
“Today is the day I never wanted to face, but it eventually comes for every player. After 22 years of service, sacrifice, and love for cricket, I officially announce my retirement from international cricket. This has been one of the toughest decisions of my life because cricket has been more than just a game to me; it has been my passion, identity, and purpose,” he wrote.
“Since childhood, I dreamt of representing Afghanistan, and looking back now, I am proud to have played a part in raising our nation’s flag on the international stage.”
Zadran played 80 international matches for Afghanistan, claiming 43 wickets in the ODI arena and a further 37 scalps in T20I contests.
Sport
Afghanistan cricket team will never be taken lightly again: Trott
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Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott said no side would “ever again” take Afghanistan lightly after they knocked England out of the Champions Trophy on Wednesday.
Ibrahim Zadran’s heroic 177 helped Afghanistan post 325 against England in Lahore, before bowlers held their nerve to seal an eight-run victory.
The win comes in a series of Afghanistan’s victories against established cricketing nations at major ICC events. In 2024, they defeated New Zealand and Australia en route to the T20 World Cup semi-finals, and eased past England and Pakistan at the 2023 World Cup.
Trott felt that collective body of work has permanently altered perceptions of Afghanistan’s cricket side. “What happened in the World Cup, T20 World Cup, and [now], I say this to the players: Afghanistan’s never going to be taken lightly ever again.
“In the past, perhaps people would have seen the fixture and thought it was a little bit easier than playing a historic Test nation. But in this format, in these conditions, I don’t see that. I see every game that we play is going to be competitive and every game we go into I expect to win. Australia aren’t going to take us lightly.”
That Trott’s focus has shifted immediately to Afghanistan’s final group game on Friday demonstrates his side is focused on the tournament as a whole and not just the odd upset win. The clash against England was an eliminator for both sides but crucially, not a qualifier.
“Since I’ve been coach we’ve played against Australia three times and we’ve been in the game each of those games,” Trott said. “I’ll tell the players to enjoy tonight. I’m going to make sure when they wake up tomorrow, they’re ready for Australia immediately. The focus is on Australia. That’s how the players are going to be and that’s what I’ll tell the fans.”
On Ibrahim Zaran who scored 177 off 146 balls, the highest score in the tournament’s history, Trott said that it was a “memorable knock for him and one that he ‘ll remember for a long time.
“This innings showed the quality of Ibrahim as a player,” Trott said. “I think he played some fantastic cricket shots, certainly the straight six off Jofra Archer comes to mind, and some various other shots. I’m really pleased for him. He’s been out for a little bit of time and he’s looked a little bit out of rhythm. But hopefully he’s found it now. He’s certainly found it, but hopefully he can continue this form, which is a memorable knock for him and one that he’ll remember for a long time but hopefully he can repeat it again on Friday.
“When I took over, there was a rawness to the side. A lot of it is to do with preparation and how they think about themselves and the work they do off the field, with which you give yourself the best chance on the field. The guys play a lot of cricket, they play a lot of franchise cricket, which is good because they’re developing and playing with the world’s best players and seeing how they perform. They bring that experience back to the Afghanistan side and throw it in the melting pot and we get nights like this.”
Cricket fans across the country can watch all Champions Trophy matches live on Ariana Television.
For updates, fixtures and schedules be sure to follow Ariana Television and Ariana News’ digital platforms.
Sport
England knocked out of Champions Trophy by Afghanistan
Omarzai, who finished with impressive figures of 5-58, ended Root’s classy knock when the batter fell caught behind trying to play the ramp shot.
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Tournament debutants Afghanistan sent England packing from the Champions Trophy after opener Ibrahim Zadran’s epic 177 set up their narrow eight-run victory in a Group B thriller on Wednesday.
Zadran produced the highest score in the tournament’s history to help Afghanistan overcome Jofra Archer’s three early wickets and rack up 325-7.
Joe Root’s classy 120 kept England alive in the chase until the 46th over but Afghanistan chipped away with regular wickets, eventually bowling them out for 317 with one ball left in the innings.
England were eliminated after their second successive defeat in the tournament and Jos Buttler risks losing the captain’s job after overseeing yet another poor campaign in an ICC event.
“I don’t want to say any emotional statements right now,” Buttler said at the presentation ceremony.
“For myself and the guys at the top, we should consider all possibilities.”
Afghanistan also beat England at the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.
“As a team we are happy,” Afghan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said.
“I know the whole nation will be happy. We’ll look towards the next game.”
Archer produced a three-wicket burst after Shahidi elected to bat in a contest that several British politicians wanted England to boycott over the curtailment of women’s rights in Afghanistan under the Taliban’s rule.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz dragged one on to his stumps, Sediqullah Atal was trapped lbw and Rahmat Shah holed out to leave Afghanistan tottering on 37-3 in the ninth over.
Zadran combined in a 103-run stand with Shahidi (40) to prop up Afghanistan while Azmatullah Omarzai (41) and Mohammad Nabi (40) chipped in with useful cameos down the order.
Zadran needed 106 balls to bring up his sixth ODI hundred and went on to overcome England opener Ben Duckett’s 165 against Australia on Saturday as the highest individual score in the history of the tournament.
His 146-ball blitz, studded with six sixes and 12 fours, earned Zadran the player of the match award.
England looked ragged towards the end of the Afghanistan innings when misfielding and injuries to Mark Wood and Liam Livingstone compounded their problems.
Wood limped off the field after bowling eight wicketless overs but Livingstone returned to send down a tidy, two-wicket final over.
England stuttered early in their reply, losing Phil Salt and Jamie Smith inside seven overs.
Duckett (38) got a reprieve when Shahidi dropped him at mid-off but the opener could not make the most of it.
Harry Brook (25) and Buttler (38) could not convert their starts but Root scored on a run-a-ball rate despite battling cramp towards the end of his knock.
Omarzai, who finished with impressive figures of 5-58, ended Root’s classy knock when the batter fell caught behind trying to play the ramp shot.
Jamie Overton made 32 and a hobbling Wood returned to bat again but England fell agonisingly short of the target.
Afghanistan, coached by former England batter Jonathan Trott, must beat Australia on Friday to make the last four.
Cricket fans across the country can watch all Champions Trophy matches live on Ariana Television.
For updates, fixtures and schedules be sure to follow Ariana Television and Ariana News’ digital platforms.
Sport
Champions Trophy: Afghanistan’s skipper ‘confident’ ahead of high-stakes match against England
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Afghanistan skipper Hashmat Shahidi says Wednesday’s ICC Champions Trophy match against England will be a challenge but that the team “has worked hard to reach the level they are at” and are ready to play every game “with confidence”.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference, he said the team “will try their best to beat them again”. This was in reference to their win over England in 2023.
According to him, the team will try to put in a better effort with the bat in Wednesday’s match after their 107-run defeat against South Africa last week.
For Afghanistan and England this is a high-stakes match as both teams hope for their first win in this tournament.
With India and New Zealand having already booked their berths in the semi-finals from Group A, all eyes will now be on Group B. All four teams – Afghanistan, Australia, South Africa and England – are still in the fray.
Shahidi meanwhile welcomed recent comments by former cricketers and commentators lauding Afghanistan’s achievements but pointed out that even though some experts have said the team stands a good chance of securing a berth in the semifinals they still have to work hard.
Shahidi noted that it was the world’s top eight teams in the tournament and that it was a tough challenge for them. He said: “We have to give our 100%” on the day if we want to beat these teams.
In conclusion, the skipper said while good spin bowlers alone could not win a match, he is sure the team’s batters “will come back stronger” for Wednesday’s game.
Wednesday’s match in Lahore will start at 1:30pm and will be broadcast live and exclusively on Ariana Television. The pre-match show will start at 12:30pm.
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