International Sports
Shanghai and Miami to host F1 sprints for first time in 2024
The United States will host two of next year's six Formula One sprint races with Miami joining Austin's Circuit of the Americas in embracing a format likely to undergo further changes before the start of the season.
Miami and China's Shanghai circuit, the latter returning for the first time since pre-pandemic 2019, will be hosting a sprint for the first time.
Austin, Austria, Brazil and Qatar all hosted sprints this season and will do so again in 2024, Formula One said in a statement on Tuesday.
China, round five on the calendar, will host the first sprint in April with Miami in May, Austria in June, Austin in October, Brazil in November and Qatar in November/December.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen clinched his third title in the sprint in Qatar last October, the first time since the 1980s that a championship had been won on a Saturday instead of Sunday.
Brazil's Interlagos in Sao Paulo is the only circuit to have hosted a sprint since the format was introduced at three rounds in 2021 as qualifying for the main grand prix.
The sprint format is expected to change next season, with the Formula One Commission set to vote in January on final proposals.
The changes are likely to see sprint qualifying revert to Friday, from Saturday, with the 100km race then held the next day and followed by a qualifying session for the main Sunday grand prix.
This year the sprint qualifying and race were both held on Saturday as a standalone one-day event with grand prix qualifying on the Friday.
Other format tweaks under discussion include reversing part of the starting grid for the sprint.
Formula One, whose calendar expands to a record 24 races next year, is unlikely to expand beyond six sprints in the near future while the sport assesses the viewing figures and engagement.
The sport's own data showed bigger audiences for all the sprints this season, with the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin showing 6% growth over the three days compared to the regular format in 2022.
The broadcast audience for the sprint race on Saturday was 31% up on regular qualifying the year before while the Friday qualifying audience was 139% up compared to that for the second practice session in 2022.
"Since its creation in 2021, the Sprint has been consistent in delivering increased audiences on TV, more on track entertainment for the fans at events and increased fan engagement on social and digital platforms," said Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali.
International Sports
Real Madrid down Brest 3-0 to earn Champions League playoff seeding
Holders Real Madrid made sure they would be seeded for Friday's Champions League playoff draw by beating Stade Brest 3-0 away in the last round of the first phase on Wednesday.
Rodrygo scored the first and last goals after 26 and 78 minutes respectively while Jude Bellingham netted the second in the 56th following a smart pass from Lucas Vazquez.
Despite the loss, Brest will also feature in the two-legged playoffs as an unseeded team in their first European campaign.
Real reached the Champions League knockout phase for the 28th consecutive year and extended their winning streak to five matches in all competitions.
Real finished in 11th place with 15 points from eight games, and will face either Manchester City or Celtic in the playoffs.
"Top eight was our objective but we didn't do well in some games", Rodrygo told Movistar.
"If we play City it will be difficult as always but they are all tough opponents."
Brest are 18th with 13 points and will meet either Paris St Germain or Benfica in the next round.
"We saw the difference between a team used to this competition and us. It would be a shame to be drawn against Paris," Brest midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou told Canal+.
Possible Champions League playoff and last 16 opponents ahead of Friday's draw:
AS Monaco or Brest will face Paris St Germain or Benfica in the playoffs. The winners will meet either Liverpool or Barcelona in the Round of 16.
Sporting or Club Brugge will face Atalanta or Borussia Dortmund in the playoffs. The winners will meet either Lille or Aston Villa in the Round of 16.
Celtic or Manchester City will face Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the playoffs. The winners will meet either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the Round of 16.
Feyenoord or Juventus will face AC Milan or PSV Eindhoven in the playoffs. The winners will meet either Arsenal or Inter Milan in the Round of 16. - REUTERS
International Sports
Tickets for ICC Champions Trophy final to go on sale only 4 days before match
Tickets for the 2025 Champions Trophy final, scheduled on March 9, will be available only four days prior to the match, the ICC has confirmed.
Announcing the sale of general tickets on Monday for the eight-team tournament, which starts on February 19, the ICC said tickets for the final will be available after the first semi-final, which is scheduled to be played on March 4.
The reason for the late release was due to the hybrid model put in place for the tournament because of India's refusal to travel to Pakistan for the event.
As a result, it was decided India would play all their matches in Dubai, including the knockouts should they reach them.
Dubai will host the first semi-final, however, regardless of whether India reaches the last four or not.
However, if India does reach the final, that too will be played in Dubai.
The second semi-final will be played in Lahore, and should India not make the final, that game will also be played in Lahore.
The ICC on Monday said the tickets for the Pakistan leg of the Champions Trophy, comprising 10 matches and the Lahore semi-final, will go on sale from Tuesday (2 pm Pakistan time).
Tickets for the Dubai leg are not going on sale yet, the ICC said adding that "information would be made available in the coming days".
Tickets for matches in Pakistan are priced from 1000 Pakistan rupees for the general category, while the premium category starts from 1500 rupees.
“We are thrilled to announce the official ticket on-sale for the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025. This is a significant moment for cricket in Pakistan, hosting their first global cricket tournament since 1996,” ICC Chief Commercial Officer Anurag Dahiya said in a statement.
Sumair Ahmad Syed, the tournament director and PCB COO, meanwhile said the tickets have been made "affordable" to ensure "fans from all walks of life can be part of this historic spectacle, making it a celebration for all generations of cricket lovers."
“We have made tickets not only affordable but also easily accessible through the official online platform and more than 100 outlets across Pakistan,” he said.
India and Pakistan are both in Group A, along with Bangladesh and New Zealand.
Afghanistan meanwhile is in Group B, along with Australia, England, and South Africa.
Broadcast Rights in Afghanistan
Cricket fans across Afghanistan will be able to watch the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy live, thanks to Ariana Television and Radio Network (ATN), which has secured the exclusive rights to broadcast the event on Ariana Television.
For news and updates on the event, be sure to follow Ariana Television and Ariana News’ social media pages.
The match schedule is below.
International Sports
ILT20: Desert Vipers in 10 wicket triumph over Sharjah Warriorz
Desert Vipers rode on Fakhar Zaman’s unbeaten 71 and Mohammad Amir’s four-wicket haul to cruise to a win that consolidated their position at the top of the standings
The Desert Vipers got back to winning ways at the DP World ILT20 in the UAE on Wednesday in what can only be described as a scintillating performance against Sharjah Warriorz.
The Desert Vipers rode on Fakhar Zaman’s unbeaten 71 and Mohammad Amir’s four-wicket haul to cruise to an emphatic 10-wicket win that consolidated their position atop the standings.
The Desert Vipers wasted no time in their chase as Alex Hales got them off to a flyer with a flurry of boundaries. He clobbered Tim Southee for three fours and then smashed Adam Milne for a maximum as the side raced to 20/0 inside the first two overs.
Zaman joined in on the action with some clean hitting as he went after Bangladeshi pacer Junaid Siddique in his first over. He went across the stump and cut him away for a boundary and then struck a beautiful pull shot for four more.
Zaman was in his groove and seemed to have a simple target - to not let the bowlers settle in.
He went after Ashton Agar, hitting him for a massive six.
The Pakistani batter darted down the track for the next delivery and hit it straight past the bowler as the Desert Vipers put up 47 runs after five overs. At the same stage in the first innings, the Sharjah Warriorz were 18/4.
The gulf in batting was evident as the required run rate dipped below three runs an over and the Desert Vipers’ batsmen made merry in the middle.
Hales was happy to play the supporting role while Zaman fired on all cylinders.
He targeted Siddique again in the seventh over, using all his might to muscle the ball over long on and into the stands. Zaman brought up his half-century soon after, his second of the season, in 30 balls.
It was a matter of time before the Desert Vipers chased down the target and Zaman accelerated that process by executing a textbook slog-sweep to hit Agar for six and followed that up with a lovely six over long-on to wrap up the contest in style.
Zaman finished on an impressive 71 in 39 balls while the Desert Vipers clinched a commanding 10-wicket victory.
Earlier, the Desert Vipers won the toss and chose to bowl.
Player of the match, Mohammad Amir said after the game: “As a new-ball bowler, you try to swing the ball. I believe you have to bowl according to the wicket and hit the right areas. You need to adapt as quickly as you can to conditions, as a bowler. I saw the movie Pushpa 2 last week and the hero did that, so I was doing the same [on his celebration]. We have got a great bowling unit.”
Sharjah Warriorz captain Tim Southee said: “It's tough when you're six for 30 odd, but the beauty of this competition is we have got a couple of days off, dust ourselves off and again meet these guys. When you have got 90 on the board, you need to get early wickets but a couple of dangerous batters and you are as good as done after that.”
Thursday’s matches
Dubai Capitals will take on Gulf Giants at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday, January 23, at 7pm Kabul time.
A pre-match program will be broadcast on Ariana Television from 6.30pm. The pre-match show and the match will be broadcast live across Afghanistan on Ariana Television.
The full broadcasting schedule is as below.
-
Latest News4 days ago
Polio-Free Afghanistan to roll out new campaign
-
Business4 days ago
Afghani weakens by 7% against US dollar in one week
-
Latest News5 days ago
Flights halted for Afghans approved for special US visas
-
Health5 days ago
CIA now says COVID-19 ‘more likely’ to have come from lab
-
Regional4 days ago
Iran’s weakening will not harm Iraq, deputy parliament speaker says
-
World4 days ago
Trump imposes tariffs, sanctions on Colombia after it refuses deportation flights
-
Latest News5 days ago
Iranian Foreign Minister arrives in Kabul for talks with IEA
-
Latest News3 days ago
TAPI project making ‘rapid’ progress: Herat governor