Sport
Skippers unveil trophy for maiden Test match between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka and Afghanistan skippers, Dhananjaya de Silva and Hashmatullah Shahidi respectively, on Thursday unveiled the trophy for the maiden Test match between the two nations at the Independence Square in Colombo.
The Test, which gets underway on Friday, will be Afghanistan’s 8th red ball match since gaining test status in 2017.
Senior Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan will miss the one-off event as he continues to recover from back surgery. Qais Ahmed, whose only Test came five years ago, has been named in the squad in place of Rashid.
There are also four uncapped players in the squad – Noor Ali Zadran, Zia-ur-Rehman, Mohammad Ishaq and Naveed Zadran.
Noor Ali, who is related to Mujeeb ur Rahman and Ibrahim Zadran, is the most experienced of the four with 74 international caps to his name in ODIs and T20Is.
The 35-year-old is yet to make his Test debut. He, however, made his ODI debut as early as 2009, in Afghanistan’s first ever ODI.
Afghanistan’s last Test came in June 2023, when the team lost to Bangladesh by a huge margin.
The tour of Sri Lanka also includes three ODIs and as many T20Is, which follow the one-off Test.
Sri Lanka meanwhile hope to revive their flagging test fortunes with new five-day captain Dhananjaya de Silva taking the helm for the Test.
The island nation is ranked in 8th place on the ICC’s Men’s Test Team Rankings, while Afghanistan is ranked 11th.
Sri Lank’s last match in October last year saw a humiliating innings and 222-run loss to Pakistan in their worst ever home defeat.
Three uncapped players are among Sri Lanka’s 16-member squad.
Afghanistan Cricket Board chair, Mirwais Ashraf, meanwhile said last month that the board and team “are committed to strengthening our red-ball cricket and building a formidable test side as well.”
Test squads
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Noor Ali Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Bahir Shah, Nasir Jamal, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Qais Ahmad, Zia-ur-Rehman, Zahir Khan, Yamin Ahmadzai, Nijat Masood, Mohammad Saleem, Naveed Zadran.
Sri Lanka: Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), Kusal Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ramesh Mendis, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Udara, Chamika Gunasekara, Milan Rathnayake.
Stay Tuned to Ariana Television!
Fans will be pleased to know that this exciting tour will be screened live and exclusively in Afghanistan on Ariana Television.
First up is the Test which is scheduled from Friday, February 2 to 6.
The match will start at 9am Kabul time but a pre-match broadcast starts at 8am on Friday.
Afghanistan’s national football team went down 2-1 to Myanmar in their first match of the third round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.
The match was held on Tuesday at the stadium in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar.
The only goal for Afghanistan was scored in the 14th minute by Omid Popalzay.
Afghanistan is in Group E along with Myanmar, Pakistan, and Syria.
The national team’s next match will be on June 10 against Syria. The venue is still to be decided.
Afghanistan’s national beach soccer team was defeated 6-4 by Indonesia in their third and final match of the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup 2025, resulting in their elimination from the tournament.
The match took place on Tuesday in Thailand.
In their first and second games, Afghanistan lost to the United Arab Emirates and Iran, respectively.
Afghanistan Cricket Board’s National Selection Committee this week finalized the Afghanistan National U19 team squad for the upcoming Youth ODI Series against Nepal, as well as the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers scheduled for next month in Nepal.
The selection process for the National U19 Team included rigorous training and preparation camps over the past five months.
The final phase of the team’s training concluded in Khost province, where the top 19 players engaged in skill development, fitness training, and multiple practice matches.
The squad is set to depart for Nepal later this month, where they will meet the home U19 side in three Youth ODIs from April 3 to 9 in Mulpani.
The team will then proceed to the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers, which will take place from April 13 to 19 in the same country.
The Future Stars are scheduled to face Oman, Hong Kong, the UAE, and the host nation Nepal in a round-robin format.
The team that finishes at the top of the table will qualify for the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup 2026 in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Interim Chief Selector, Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil: “Qualification for the U19 World Cup is our ultimate goal. Keeping this in mind, we have prepared our squad through rigorous training and multiple preparation phases, which helped us finalize the 17-man squad.
“The boys have shown great enthusiasm and readiness to perform at the international level, and we are confident that they will do well in both events.”
Afghanistan Squad for the Nepal Youth ODI Series and the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup Asia Qualifiers: Mehboob Khan (Captain & Wicket-Keeper), Khalid Ahmadzai (WK), Uzair Khan, Faisal Khan, Barakatullah Ibrahimzai, Nazeef Amiri, Aziz Miakhil, Wahidullah Zadran, Zaitullah Shaheen, Hafeez Zadran, Abdul Aziz Khan, Nasratullah Nooristani, Khatir Stanikzai, Salam Khan, Izat Noor Shirzad, Kamal Khan and Rohullah Arab.
Tahawol: Concerns over rising tensions between Iran-US reviewed
Afghanistan has the right to access Amu River’s water: Uzbek minister
Health minister meets with Qatari envoy over building of 400-bed hospital in Kandahar
Saar: Russia-Ukraine Black Sea deal discussed
UN ‘deeply disappointed’ over ongoing ban on girls’ secondary education
Next German chancellor: We need to learn from experience in Afghanistan
Afghanistan cricket team will never be taken lightly again: Trott
Floods in Farah and Kandahar claim the lives of 29 people
Saudi Arabia confirms $500 million pledge to Afghanistan, Pakistan polio campaign
Islamabad says Afghanistan is trying to build border post on Pakistani territory
Tahawol: Concerns over rising tensions between Iran-US reviewed
Saar: Russia-Ukraine Black Sea deal discussed
Tahawol: Overview of recent developments in Türkiye
Saar: Discussion on US tariffs against some countries
Saar: US position on Iran’s nuclear program discussed
-
Latest News5 days agoAmerican freed by IEA reunited with wife, former cellmate, in US
-
International Sports4 days agoBoxing legend George Foreman dies at 76
-
International Sports4 days agoRCB bring fireworks to opening night of IPL 2025
-
Latest News5 days agoEighteen injured after dispute between two brothers in Helmand
-
Regional5 days agoHamas studies US ‘bridge’ proposal for truce as Israel escalates return to war
-
Latest News3 days agoTorkham border reopens for pedestrians
-
Latest News5 days agoBan on girls’ education in Afghanistan will be ‘catastrophic’: UNICEF
-
International Sports3 days agoIPL 2025: Sunrisers on a batting rampage; triumph over Rajasthan Royals