Sport
Afghanistan national team player to retire during T20 World Cup
Former Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan has said the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match against Namibia on Sunday will be his last.
Afghan, 33, has represented Afghanistan in 114 ODIs and six Tests, and if he plays Sunday's game, will have featured in 75 T20Is.
Only Mohammad Nabi has played more international matches for the country.
With 4,215 runs so far across formats, he is Afghanistan’s third-highest run-scorer of all time.
Afghan announced the news in a video on social media on the eve of the fixture. This was confirmed by the Afghanistan Cricket Board in a statement on social media that said, "Afghanistan’s ex-captain Asghar Afghan who holds the highest winning streak as a captain in T20 internationals surpassing Indian legend MS Dhoni by one extra win, decides to bid farewell with all formats of cricket in Afghanistan’s third match against Namibia.
"[ACB] welcomes and respects his decision, expresses gratitudes for his services to the country. It will take a lot of hard work for young Afghan cricketers to fill his shoes."
Having featured in the U17 side for Afghanistan, Afghan made his senior debut in 2004. He has since been a key member of the Afghanistan side that enjoyed a meteoric rise up the ranks from Division 5 in 2008 to playing a 50-over World Cup in 2015 and becoming a Full Member nation in 2018.
Afghan has been skipper for 115 of the matches he's played, including in the country's maiden Test. He has been captain in 52 T20Is, and led in 42 wins, putting him one ahead of MS Dhoni, who won 41 of the 72 matches he has led.
He retires with a century in both ODIs and Tests, having made 164 in the first innings against Zimbabwe in Abu Dhabi earlier this year.
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Sport
Afghanistan crush Bangladesh in landmark match at Sharjah
Mohammad Nabi's 84 off 79 balls and Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar's six-wicket haul led Afghanistan to a 92-run victory over Bangladesh in Sharjah on Wednesday in the first one-day international of a three-match series.
Chasing a mediocre 236, Bangladesh were bowled out for 143 as they lost their last eight wickets for 23 runs in Sharjah, which became the first venue to host 300 men's international matches.
Afghanistan were reeling at 71-5 before captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (52) and Nabi lifted them to 235 in 49.4 overs.
Bangladesh cruised to 120-2 in the chase led by captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, but they collapsed after Nabi broke the partnership.
Sharjah will also host the remaining two matches in the series.
(Reuters)
Sport
Afghanistan bat first, hand ODI debut to Sediqullah Atal
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss against Bangladesh in the first ODI in Sharjah on Wednesday afternoon and opted to bat first.
Shahidi said after the toss the reason for choosing to bat first was that “the pitch looks good and the ball moves a bit under lights”.
As the match got underway, Afghanistan handed a debut to left-hand opening batter Sediqullah Atal, with regular opener Ibrahim Zadran ruled out due to an ankle injury.
Atal, however, has played six T20Is already.
Afghanistan enters the series on the back of a 2-1 win against South Africa in September, while Bangladesh are playing their first ODI in eight months.
Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has also included some familiar faces including Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi along with
Fazalhaq Farooqi, Azmatullah Omarzai and Gulbadin Naib.
Afghanistan are coming off a 2-1 win against South Africa, even as Bangladesh are playing their first ODI in eight months
But Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto is leading his squad in the three-match ODI series as they look to bury their misery after being thrashed by South Africa in their two-match Test series last week.
Bangladesh meanwhile sit eight in the ICC ODI team rankings – just ahead of Afghanistan at ninth.
But Afghanistan are on a high in limited overs cricket, having beaten top nations including England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in last year's World Cup held in India.
Sport
Afghanistan to tour Zimbabwe for all-format series
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said the tour will take place from December 9 to January 6
AfghanAtalan will tour Zimbabwe next month for an all-format series that will feature two Test matches, three ODIs and three T20Is.
According to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) the tour will take place from December 9 to January 6.
First up will be a three-match T20I series to be played on December 9, 11 and 12 at the Harare Sports Club.
This will be followed by a three-match ODI series on December 15, 17, and 19 at the same venue.
The tour will conclude with a two-match Test series in Bulawayo, with the first Test scheduled from December 26 to 30 and the second from January 2 to 6.
Mirwais Ashraf, Chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, said in a statement that “this year (2024) has been quite productive for us both domestically and internationally, and we’ve had good achievements.
“We are committed to striving hard and adding more bilateral cricket to our calendar in the next year and bringing more glory to our nation,” he said.
“The all-format tour to Zimbabwe is a significant event for us. We have a rich history with Zimbabwe, and playing there has always been challenging, but it’s a challenge I believe the AfghanAtalan can face confidently,” he added.
Zimbabwe Cricket’s Chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said December 26 and January 1 “Test matches are iconic cricket fixtures that we are delighted to be adding to our calendar this festive season and we are looking forward to celebrating in style one of the finest traditions in the sport’s long history.
“Before the Test series, scheduled for Bulawayo, we will start off with some T20I and ODI action in Harare to complete a full tour, a clear demonstration of our commitment to improve our game across all formats.
“Matches between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan are always intense and exciting affairs and we have no doubt the players will once again serve up some great entertainment befitting such a historic tour.”
The AfghanAtalan squad will arrive in Zimbabwe on December 6, where they will have two practice sessions before the first T20I match on December 9.
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