Sri Lanka celebrate 10-wicket Test win against Afghanistan

Published

1 year ago

February 5, 2024

(Last Updated On: )

Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets with a day to spare in the one-off Test in Colombo on Monday with their opening batsmen chasing down an easy target of 56.

Afghanistan were bowled out for 296 in their second innings, setting Sri Lanka the low goal, with Dimuth Karunaratne (32 not out) and Nishan Madushka (22 not out) finishing the job within 7.2 overs.

Afghanistan were playing catch-up after conceding a lead of 241 runs in the first innings, but fought back well in their second dig with Ibrahim Zadran leading the way with a maiden Test hundred.

Rahmat Shah backed up the opening batter with a half-century but once the pair were dismissed, Afghanistan folded quickly.

Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva said Afghanistan did well on day two with the ball but his team stuck to their plan.

“When both Angelo (Mathews) and I got dismissed, it might not seem that bad but that was the point that Afghanistan felt they were back in the game,” he said.

“I think that was the crucial moment of the match. But our bowlers stuck to the plan all day (day 3), not giving runs away and keeping it tight.”

Prabath Jayasuriya finished with his seventh five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

“I’m really happy at the moment, the last couple of days were tough,” said Jayasuriya, named man of the match.

“We knew this was a batting-friendly wicket, so we were just trying to do the basics right.”

Afghanistan were looking good to stretch the game to the final day when they resumed on day four at 199 for one in their second innings.

‘Lack of experience’

However, six wickets fell in the morning session for just 52 runs as the second new ball hurt the Afghans.

Seamer Kasun Rajitha dismissed overnight batsman Rahmat for 54 and then left-arm spinner Jayasuriya ran through the middle order as the new ball offered him bounce and turn.

Jayasuriya used his arm ball — which goes straight on — to good effect, foxing batsmen who were playing for turn.

Zadran, who had batted for more than six hours for his hundred, was confused by one such delivery, and was bowled through the gate.

Jayasuriya finished with five for 107, while seamers Asitha Fernando and Kasun Rajitha shared five wickets between them.

Jayasuriya ended the game with eight wickets, having taken three in the first innings.

Despite the loss, Afghanistan’s fast bowlers were impressive, with Naveed Zadran picking up four wickets in Sri Lanka’s first innings on his debut.

Hundreds by former captains Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal helped Sri Lanka to their first-innings total of 439.

The pair were involved in a record 232-run stand for the fourth wicket, the highest-scoring partnership at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club for that wicket.

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said he was disappointed because they lost the game despite managing a “good comeback”.

“I think it’s the lack of experience in Test cricket and also not having a lot of opportunities to play red-ball cricket,” Shahidi said.

“We’re new in Test cricket and it’s a learning process for us. I hope that we learn from this game.”

The match was not part of the World Test Championship.

The teams will now move to Kandy for a three-match ODI series, followed by three T20 Internationals in Dambulla. – AFP

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AFC Beach Soccer: UAE thrash Afghanistan 7-1 in opener

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1 day ago

March 21, 2025

Ariana News

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Afghanistan’s national beach soccer team lost 7-1 to the United Arab Emirates in Friday’s opening match at the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup 2025 in Thailand.

Afghanistan will face Iran in their second group-stage match next Sunday.

In this year’s tournament, the Afghan team is placed in Group C alongside Iran, UAE, and Indonesia.

IPL 2025 celebrates 18 years of immense success

Published

4 days ago

March 18, 2025

Ariana News

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With just four days to go until the opening match of this year’s IPL, cricket fever is already taking hold and for fans across Afghanistan, Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN) will once again bring this thrilling event into the homes of Afghans in the country.

This year’s IPL is in fact the 18th season and has undoubtedly become a firm favorite on the world’s annual cricket schedule.

The popularity of the IPL is so immense that the cumulative brand value was estimated at $12 billion in 2024, a 13% increase from $10.7 billion in 2023, according to the 17th Brand Finance IPL 2024 valuation report.

According to Brand Finance, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) leads as the most valuable IPL franchise in 2024, with a brand valuation of $122 million.

This 52% growth is attributed largely to the enduring legacy of their former captain MS Dhoni.

CSK is followed by Mumbai Indians, which is valued at $119 million and
Royal Challengers Bengaluru is worth $117 million.

Defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders is at $109 million; Sunrisers Hyderabad is $85 million; Rajasthan Royals is $81 million and Delhi Capitals is $80 million.

Saturday’s opener will see KKR take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Kolkata.

IPL 2025 gets underway on Saturday, March 22, and runs for two months, ending on May 25.

IPL fans can tune in to Ariana Television from 6:15pm for a pre-match show on Saturday. The KKRvsRCB match will start at 6:30pm

For more news and updates follow us on social media and watch this space.

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Cricket Ireland cancels Afghanistan series for ‘financial reasons’

However, in the same statement Cricket Ireland confirmed a line up of action-packed cricket this summer.

Published

1 week ago

March 12, 2025

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

Ireland’s cricket board announced this week they have cancelled a multi-format series against Afghanistan scheduled for later this year.

Cricket Ireland said in a statement issued on Tuesday that they were cancelling the series due to “financial reasons”.

“One planned series that won’t go ahead for financial reasons is against Afghanistan.

“This decision is part of our management of short-term budgetary constraints, as well as our requirement to comply with the Board’s mandate to deliver balanced investment across the organisation’s strategic objectives,” said Warren Deutrom, Chief Executive of Cricket Ireland.

However, in the same statement Cricket Ireland confirmed a line up of action-packed cricket this summer.

West Indies will play six limited-overs matches in Ireland in May and June before England arrive in September for a three-match Twenty20 series.

In addition, Zimbabwe Women and Pakistan Women will tour Ireland in July and August respectively; and Ireland Women will compete in two ICC World Cup qualifier tournaments.

In addition to this, Ireland Wolves will head to the UAE to play Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A as part of a multi-format tour.

Cricket Ireland added that “further fixtures and tours in 2025 will be announced in due course”.
Deutrom meanwhile said Cricket Ireland will also invest to upgrade infrastructure and facilities across the country.

The Irish government announced last August it would build a stadium at the national sports campus in Blanchardstown, which will also stage matches of the T20 World Cup in 2030, which Ireland will co-host with England and Scotland.

“All in all, on and off the pitch, in time this will be recognised as one of the more consequential years in Irish cricket history,” Deutrom added.

In response to this news, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has clarified that the matches have not been canceled and that efforts are underway to reschedule them at a more suitable time.