Connect with us

Sport

Gulf Giants defeat Desert Vipers, confirm a top-two finish

Published

on

Gulf Giants beat Desert Vipers by 25 runs and secured a top-two finish through Shimron Hetmyer’s hard-hitting half-century in the 27th match of the DP World ILT20 at the Dubai International Stadium on Saturday.

Hetmyer, who was Gulf Giants’ hero in their previous match against MI Emirates through his last ball six, scored a stroke-filled 54 off 35 balls with four sixes and two boundaries.

He was backed by skipper James Vince’s 39 runs to help Gulf Giants post 180 for 6 in 20 overs.

Desert Vipers could muster only 155 for 6 against the tight Gulf Giants attack. Tom Curran tried hard to take his team to target through an unbeaten 42 off 33 balls with five boundaries and a six, but his efforts were not successful.

Desert Vipers won the toss and elected to bowl.

Speaking about their victory, Gulf Giants’ David Wiese said: “This was a big game for us as we wanted to confirm our place in the top two. Every single bowler has stood up when they have needed to in the tournament. Aayan Afzal Khan bowled beautifully today. The bowlers have been supporting each other nicely and everyone’s been doing the job.”

Also speaking after the match, Desert Vipers’ Tom Curran said: “Losing wickets in a cluster didn’t help us. I thought we could get to the target at one point in the game. It would have been a different story if I was batting with a recognised batter. I also thought that they got too many runs. It wasn’t a straightforward wicket. We probably got it a bit wrong with the ball and that can happen.”

Meanwhile, playoffs begin on 8 February at the Dubai International Stadium.

Cricket fans across Afghanistan can catch the LIVE telecast of this exciting cricket league on Ariana Television.

For the full broadcast schedule CLICK HERE

Sport

Omar Zawak thrash Istiqlal Kabul 5-1 in ACL

Published

on

Omar Zawak secured an emphatic 5-1 victory over Istiqlal Kabul in the 80th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan, delivering an impressive attacking performance.

The match was played in Kabul on Tuesday. Both teams struggled to find the back of the net in the first half, which ended goalless.

However, Omar Zawak stepped up their attacking efforts in the second half, scoring five goals to take control of the match. Istiqlal Kabul managed to score just once as Omar Zawak sealed a convincing 5-1 victory.

Omar Zawak will face Ariana Khost in their next match on November 12, while Istiqlal Kabul will take on Aino Mina Kandahar on the same day.

All matches of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League are broadcast live on Ariana Television.

Continue Reading

Sport

First Test between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe ends in a draw

Published

on

Zimbabwe produced a remarkable batting display to secure a draw against Afghanistan in the first Test in Sharjah, with Craig Ervine and Wessly Madhevere scoring unbeaten centuries on the final day.

Resuming the fifth and final day at 164/3, Zimbabwe finished on 523/5 in their second innings, following their first-innings total of 504. This marked the first time in Test cricket history that a team has scored more than 500 runs in both innings of a match.

Craig Ervine remained unbeaten on 206, while Madhevere scored 100 not out, as the pair frustrated Afghanistan’s bowlers throughout the day.

Ervine, aged 41 years and 82 days, became the third-oldest player to score a double century in Test cricket.

Afghanistan had posted 514 in their first innings. Afghanistan needed early wickets to put pressure on the hosts, but Zimbabwe’s batters showed patience and discipline on a pitch offering little assistance to the bowlers.

Brian Bennett scored a half-century before Mohammad Saleem dismissed him, while debutant Antum Naqvi contributed 61 runs. Naqvi and Ervine shared a 140-run partnership before Abdul Malik broke the stand.

However, Madhevere joined Ervine and the pair put together an unbeaten 208-run partnership for the sixth wicket, the highest for that wicket in Zimbabwe’s Test history. Madhevere also registered his maiden Test century during the partnership.

The result leaves the two sides level heading into the second and final Test, which is scheduled to begin in Sharjah on November 13.

Continue Reading

Sport

Portugal beat Afghanistan 2-0 in Dakar Youth Olympics futsal semi-finals

Published

on

Afghanistan’s Under-18 futsal team missed out on a place in the gold medal match at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Portugal in the semi-finals on Monday.

Portugal took the lead through Joao Carvalho, who capitalised on a goalkeeping error by Afghanistan’s Ahmad Esmaeili to score into an unguarded net from inside his own half.

Diego Ferreira doubled Portugal’s advantage before half-time, putting the European side firmly in control of the match.

Afghanistan pushed hard to get back into the game in the second half, creating several opportunities to reduce the deficit. However, they were unable to find the net, with Portugal goalkeeper Bernardo Borges making several important saves.

The victory sends Portugal into the gold medal match, while Afghanistan will now compete for the bronze medal at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending

Copyright © 2026 Ariana News. All rights reserved!