Sport

Afghan cricket team arrives in Pakistan; Ghazanfar ruled out due to injury

The ICC meanwhile said on Wednesday that Afghanistan has confirmed its spinner swap for the event.

Published

1 month ago

February 12, 2025

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

Afghanistan’s national cricket team arrived in Lahore, Pakistan, on Wednesday, ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy which gets underway next week.

Players and support staff touched down in the country on Wednesday morning. The team will enjoy a day of rest before starting their practise sessions on Thursday.

Their first match is scheduled for Friday, February 21 at the National Stadium Karachi.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 marks the tournament’s return after an eight-year hiatus and is set to kick off on Wednesday February 19.

As the host nation and defending champions, Pakistan will compete against seven of the world’s best teams to retain their title.

The eight teams are divided into two groups for the tournament’s opening stage. Each team will play three group-stage matches, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals.

Group A features Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and New Zealand, while Group B includes Afghanistan, England, Australia, and South Africa.

The tournament opener will see the home team, Pakistan, face New Zealand on February 19th in Karachi. However, India will play all their matches in Dubai, citing security concerns as the reason for not traveling to Pakistan.

Afghanistan squad

The ICC meanwhile said on Wednesday that Afghanistan has confirmed its spinner swap for the event.

Teenage spinner AM Ghazanfar has been ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury. Left-armer Nangyal Kharoti has been drafted into the squad as a replacement.

Ghazanfar’s absence is a blow to Afghanistan’s spin department as they are already missing experienced spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

“Afghanistan’s young spin-bowling sensation, AM Ghazanfar, has been ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy due to a fracture in the L4 vertebra,” the team confirmed in a statement.

Ghazanfar sustained the injury during Afghanistan’s recent tour to Zimbabwe and is expected to be sidelined for at least four months.

“Nangyal Kharoti, who was part of the reserves pool, has been promoted to the main squad for the Champions Trophy. Additionally, Mujeeb Ur Rahman continues to miss the ODI action, until he has fully recovered,” the statement read.

Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran. Reserves: Darwish Rasooli, Bilal Sami

Afghanistan’s Group Stage Fixtures:

21 February – Afghanistan vs South Africa, Karachi
26 February – Afghanistan vs England, Lahore
28 February – Afghanistan vs Australia, Lahore

Cricket fans meanwhile can stay tuned with Ariana Radio & Television Network (ATN) as all Champions Trophy matches will be broadcast live across the country.

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Sport

IPL 2025 celebrates 18 years of immense success

Published

2 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.

Sport

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.

Sport

Asian Cup: Afghanistan’s beach soccer team arrives in Thailand

Published

1 week ago

March 11, 2025

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: )

Afghanistan’s national beach soccer team arrived in Thailand on Tuesday to participate in a training camp ahead of the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Thailand 2025.

Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) said in a post on Facebook that a 10-day training camp has been organized for the national beach soccer team in order for the players to enhance their skills ahead of the tournament.

The Afghan national beach soccer team is placed in Group C of the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup 2025 alongside the beach soccer teams of Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia.

AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Thailand 2025 will kick off on March 20 and run through to March 30. Thailand is the official host.