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World Cup: Afghanistan stun England in major upset win

Published

1 year ago

October 15, 2023

(Last Updated On: )

Afghanistan registered a stunning 69-run win over England in the first major upset of the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Afghanistan bundled England out for 215 to script just their second Cricket World Cup win, eight years since their last against Scotland in Australia. This time, it was the defending champions at the receiving end.

Put in to bat on a wicket that had yielded big runs recently, Afghanistan mustered a decent total, but then outdid the England bowlers with their spin trio reigning over the famed English batting line-up.

After putting on a decent total on the board, Afghanistan needed early breakthroughs to really push England onto the backfoot and Fazalhaq Farooqi did just that by shaping one back into Jonny Bairstow to trap him in front for two.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman added to England’s panic when a quicker one slid through quicker to nip out Joe Root’s stumps. At 33/2, England were in early trouble and Afghanistan had their eyes set on something special.

With Dawid Malan gifting a simple catch to cover off Mohammad Nabi and Jos Buttler cleaned up by Naveen-ul-Haq after a jittery time in the middle, Afghanistan were well and truly on top before the 20th over.

They pressed England further immediately after with Rashid Khan snaring the big scalp of Liam Livingstone in the 21st over, leaving the defending champions reeling at 117/5.

Harry Brook held the England innings together, compiling his second ODI fifty and warding off the Rashid threat admirably, but he kept running out of partners. When Nabi sent back Sam Curran, caught at slip, with the score still under 150, Afghanistan had truly stamped their authority on the game.

Chris Woakes and Brook promised a revival with a secure stand, but Mujeeb broke through with a tight over at the end of which Woakes’ stumps were pegged back.

Mujeeb came back to dismiss Brook and the rest of the line-up failed to counter the Afghanistan spinners as Afghanistan pulled off a memorable upset win.

Put in to bat, England were treated to a rampant Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who put the defending champions in defensive mode with an onslaught that saw Afghanistan race to 45 inside the first six overs.

With boundaries flooding from one end and Ibrahim Zadran blocking his end out pretty well on a flat wicket, the breakthrough just didn’t come for England.

Flaying criticism around their slow powerplay starts, Afghanistan dug into England’s bowling attack with Sam Curran being at the receiving end of Gurbaz’s fury. The opener smashed him for two fours and a six in the ninth over that saw 20 runs coming.

Gurbaz soon completed a 33-ball fifty and celebrated it next over by upper-cutting Mark Wood over the third man fence with a sublime shot.

Adil Rashid eventually broke through for England, sending back Zadran in the 17th over. The batter’s heave the leg-side was safely pouched by Joe Root at mid-wicket.

One brought another as Rahmat Shah was out stumped off Rashid in his next over. What was turning out to be a slight blip on their course soon turned into a mini-collapse as Gurbaz was run out the very next ball with skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi erring in his judgment of a single.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz played one of the shots of the tournament when he uppercut Mark Wood for a six during his fast-paced 80 in Delhi.

With Gurbaz gone for 80 and Afghanistan losing three wickets in three overs, England sensed an opening to come back into the game.

Part-time spinners Liam Livingstone and Joe Root struck in between some lusty hits from Azmatullah Omarzai and Ikram Ali Khil as Afghanistan lost half their side in the 33rd over with the score still under 200.

If England hoped to run through the lower middle-order, that didn’t quite materialise with Ali Khil holding his end up quite well. Mark Wood bounced out Mohammad Nabi, but Rashid Khan curbed his instincts to ensure Ali Khil had decent company heading into the death overs.

It took a gem of a catch from Root near the ropes for England to break the 43-run stand between Ali Khil and Rashid with the latter falling to his namesake from the England side.

Mujeeb ur Rahman, though, got going for Afghanistan, slamming a sequence of four, four and six off Sam Curran to push Afghanistan late in the innings. Ali Khil joined him with some cracking shots too after his half-century.

England broke the stand before the final two overs with the wicket of Ali Khil and also prized out Mujeeb the first ball next over, but a competitive total had already been compiled. The 284 put on is Afghanistan’s second-highest score in the Cricket World Cup.

Related Topics:#WorldCup Afganistan ArianaNews england featured

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ACB names Afghanistan A squad for tri-nation series

Published

6 hours ago

March 24, 2025

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Monday announced Afghanistan A squad for the upcoming tri-nation series against Sri Lanka A and Ireland A in the UAE.

The tour will be held from April 7 to May 2, 2025, in the UAE, which will feature a total of seven One Day matches, along with Afghanistan competing in a four-day match against each participating team.

The tour will begin on April 7 with a four-day match between Afghanistan A and Ireland A. The only four-day match will be followed by the start of the Tri-Nation One Day series on April 13, with Ireland A taking on Sri Lanka A in the series opener.

The Tri-Nation 50 Overs Series will be played in Abu Dhabi in a round-robin format, where each of the three teams will face each other twice. The top two teams from the first round will advance to the final, which is scheduled for April 25 at the same venue. Following the conclusion of the Tri-Nation Series, Afghanistan A will face Sri Lanka in a four-day match from April 29 to May 2, marking the end of the event.

Currently, Afghanistan A are undergoing a training and preparation camp in two separate groups in Nangarhar province, gearing up for both the white and red ball formats of the series.

“The Tri-Nation series and the two four-day games are incredible opportunities for our emerging cricketers to showcase their talent on the international stage and further develop their skills,” ACB CEO Naseeb Khan stated. “We are committed to identifying promising players for the red-ball format as part of our plans to build a strong red-ball team and improve the overall standard of red-ball cricket in the country.”

ACB Interim Chief Selector Ahmad Shah Suliman Khail added: “We have selected our squad to strike a balance between providing opportunities for our players and ensuring the competitiveness needed to win matches. The squad includes nationally contracted bench players in various roles, along with some top-performing and impactful emerging players.

“We hope they perform well and, with their abilities and preparations, continue to develop their skills and contribute to the team’s success during the tour.”

Afghanistan A Squad for the four-day matches: Darwish Rasooli (C), Abdul Malik (VC), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Afsar Zazai (WK), Riaz Hassan, Imran Mir, Bahir Shah Mahboob, Ijaz Mehri, Shams Ur Rahman, Ismat Alam, Zia Ur Rahman Akbar, Arab Gul Momand, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Ibrahim Abdulrahimzai, Bashir Ahmad and Fareed Ahmad Malik.

Afghanistan A squad for the Tri-Nation Series: Darwish Rasooli (C), Sediqullah Atal (VC), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Mohammad Ishaq (WK), Abdul Malik, Zubaid Akbari, Ijaz Mehri, Bilal Ahmad Tarin, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Farmanullah Safi, Qais Ahmad, Zia Ur Rahman Akbar, Naveed Zadran, Khalil Ahmad, Abdul Rahman Rahmani and Bilal Sami.

In addition, Mohammad Saleem, Khalil Gurbaz, Yama Arab, and Faridoon Dawoodzai are part of the reserve pool with both squads.

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

Published

3 days ago

March 21, 2025

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

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.

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IPL 2025 celebrates 18 years of immense success

Published

6 days ago

March 18, 2025

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

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.