Sport

Rashid discusses local cricket and ‘dreams’ of playing for a home crowd

Published

5 years ago

April 8, 2021

One of Afghanistan’s star cricketers, Rashid Khan, said this week that despite the national team’s success on the international circuit, local cricket would benefit from more academies, more standardized grounds and more qualified coaches.

Speaking to The Cricketer on his rise to fame as one of the world’s best bowlers, Rashid said: “Currently, our cricket relies mainly on natural talent.

“Our cricketers have a lot of skill and natural flair, but the opportunities aren’t always there to go out there and express themselves. We would benefit from more academies, more proper grounds and a greater number of qualified coaches or trainers, so our young cricketers get the right advice on preparing for matches.

“To me, preparation is the key for a sportsman and at the moment some of our cricketers are not able to prepare properly due to a lack of facilities and coaches. Natural talent is a great thing to have, but it can only take you so far,” he said.

He said once facilities and opportunities improve in Afghanistan, the world will see “some fantastic classical batsmen, even more spinners, improved fast-bowlers and better-prepared cricketers coming through”.

“We have so much talent amongst our cricketers and once these areas are improved, there will be a lot more cricketers who are well-prepared for international cricket coming through,” he said.

Rashid also stated that the Afghan national team needs more opportunities to play Test cricket and play against the best teams.

“By playing more Test cricket, our batsmen will realise what improvements are needed by them for five-day cricket, they will learn to be patient, our bowlers will learn the art of bowling in Test cricket and our fielding will definitely improve too.

“It’s all about opportunities and chances to play Test cricket, the more chances we get, the better we will become,” he said.

Regarding the T20 World Cup later this year, Rashid said he thinks the national team will be well prepared for the tournament.

“We are known as being hard-hitting batsmen and I think we have great skills for the 20-over format.

“It will be a great opportunity for our youngsters to show the world what they are capable of and will be a boost for the careers of many of our cricketers,” he said.

According to him, playing in such tournaments is good for Afghanistan as a cricket nation and for the players.

“We are fully prepared and we know we are a very good team in the 20-over format as we have the bowling skills and the big-hitting batsmen. We just need to have the self-belief that we can beat any side as long as we play good cricket,” he said.

He said that at the 2016 Twenty20 World Cup, the Afghan team had a good tournament where they had a few opportunities to win matches but the team’s lack of experience showed in the end and they were not able to finish off matches.

He said “this time around we will go into the tournament as a much more experienced squad. I firmly believe that we will deliver in this tournament.”

Rashid also said it is one of his dreams however to play an international match in Afghanistan in front of a home crowd.

“That’s the dream. You can play all over the world, but playing in front of your own people, in front of your own beautiful crowd, in your own conditions, at your own venues is just something completely different.

“This is the advantage we are missing as we aren’t playing any of our international matches at home.” he said.

“I dream for the day when this happens and it will be a huge achievement when this occurs. It will be a day to remember for the nation of Afghanistan, it’s cricketers and all the people of Afghanistan and I hope that day is not too far away, and I wish that I am a part of that wonderful day.”

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2nd ODI: India crush Afghanistan by 170 runs to seal series lead

Published

2 days ago

June 17, 2026

Ariana News

The Indian national cricket team registered a dominant 170-run victory over Afghanistan in the second One Day International, delivering a commanding all-round performance.

Batting first, India piled up 402 all out in 49.5 overs, setting a daunting 403-run target for Afghanistan.

In reply, Afghanistan were never able to settle into the chase and were eventually bowled out for 232 in 44.3 overs, falling well short of the required total.

India’s innings was powered by a sensational top-order display. Shubman Gill led the charge with a brilliant 154 off 110 balls, striking 22 fours and 2 sixes, while Ishan Kishan lit up the innings with a rapid 125 off 79 deliveries, smashing 14 fours and 7 sixes. The duo laid the foundation for a massive total.

Afghanistan’s bowling effort saw some resistance from Rashid Khan, who picked up 3 wickets, but lacked support from the other end.

Set under pressure from the outset, Afghanistan’s batting lineup failed to build partnerships and was unable to sustain the required run rate against disciplined Indian bowling.

The match was played at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, where India’s dominant performance secured a comfortable win and momentum in the series.

Afghanistan had also lost the opening ODI by 7 wickets, giving India a strong 2–0 position in the series.

Sport

Afghanistan Champions League Season 6 set for August kickoff

Season 5 featured 10 clubs from around the country and attracted strong interest from supporters, aided by ATN’s extensive live coverage.

Published

4 days ago

June 15, 2026

Ariana News

The sixth season of the Afghanistan Champions League (ACL) has been officially confirmed, with the country’s premier domestic football competition scheduled to begin on August 19 in Kabul.

Organizers have announced that the first half of the tournament will run from August 19 to September 17, while the second half will be played from October 10 to November 9. The venue for the second phase has not yet been finalized and will be announced at a later date.

Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN) will once again broadcast all matches live, and exclusively, across Afghanistan, ensuring football fans nationwide can follow every moment of the competition.

The Afghanistan Champions League has become the country’s flagship domestic football tournament, bringing together leading clubs from across the provinces and providing a platform for emerging talent to compete at the highest national level.

The upcoming season follows a successful fifth edition of the league, which concluded in December 2025 with Abu Muslim Farah crowned champions for a second consecutive year. The Farah-based club completed a perfect campaign, winning all nine of their matches to secure the title and reinforce their status as one of Afghanistan’s strongest football teams.

Season 5 featured 10 clubs from around the country and attracted strong interest from supporters, aided by ATN’s extensive live coverage. The broadcasts allowed fans from all provinces to follow the action and helped further raise the profile of domestic football.

ATN secured exclusive rights in 2025 to produce and broadcast the fifth, sixth and seventh seasons of the Afghanistan Champions League under an agreement with the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF). The network has since played a key role in expanding access to Afghan football through nationwide television, radio and digital coverage.

The Afghanistan Champions League is regarded as one of the country’s most prestigious sporting competitions and plays an important role in developing local talent, promoting regional rivalries and strengthening the growth of football across Afghanistan.

Further details, including participating teams, fixtures and the venue for the second half of the season, are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Football fans are encouraged to follow Ariana Television and Ariana News’ social media pages for news, updates and schedules in the lead up to the event.

Sport

India beat Afghanistan by 7 wickets despite Gurbaz century in ODI opener

Published

6 days ago

June 13, 2026

Ariana News

India national cricket team secured a seven-wicket victory over the Afghanistan national cricket team in the opening match of the ODI series played on Saturday in Dharamsala.

After winning the toss, India national cricket team opted to bowl first in the rain-affected contest, which was revised from 50 overs to 25 overs.

Batting first, Afghanistan posted 194 runs in 24.5 overs and set a 195-run target for India.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the standout performer for Afghanistan, producing a stunning knock of 102 runs off just 51 balls, smashing 8 fours and 8 sixes, but his effort was not enough to prevent India from taking the win in the series opener.