Sport
Cricket: Hamid Hassan appointed as national team’s bowling coach

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said Wednesday that Hamid Hassan will take over as the national team’s bowling coach.
Hassan has a long history as a national cricketer and will take up his new role during Afghanistan’s upcoming three-match T20I series against Pakistan in the UAE later this month.
Following the announcement of his appointment, Hassan said: “Cricket has been my life over the past two-three decades and is in fact something that has been my passion for my whole life. It’s a difficult decision for me to retire from the game I love the most, but I’m doing this for the sake of my country and my team.”
He went on to say that “at the same time, I’m honored and pleased to have the opportunity to take the role of the bowling coach of our National Team. I have enjoyed every bit of my playing career with this team, and the opportunity to work with our young bowling group is something I am looking forward to. I’ve been watching our fast bowling group closely and am excited to work with them to make this group as strong as or even stronger than our spinning department.”
Hamid Hassan has played 38 ODIs for Afghanistan from 2009-2019, picking up 59 wickets at 22.54 with the best per-inning figures of 5/45 to his name. He has also represented Afghanistan in 25 T20 Internationals (T20Is) during the period, having picked 35 wickets at 16.57 having the best figures of 4/22 to his name in the format.
The announcement comes just two weeks away from Afghanistan’s series against Pakistan which starts on March 25.
Sport
IPL 2025: League boss says tournament could grow to 94-match format in 2028
IPL expanded to its current 74-match format in 2022 following the sale of the Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchises.

IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal said this week that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is actively considering expanding the Indian Premier League (IPL) season to a whopping 94-match format for the next media-rights cycle, which will start in 2028.
However, the board has no plans to introduce new franchises.
IPL expanded to its current 74-match format in 2022 following the sale of the Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchises.
There had however been plans to grow the format to 84 matches for this year’s season but this did not materialize due to time constraints and broadcasters’ aversion to too many double-headers.
However, Dhumal told ESPNcricinfo in a recent interview that an expansion from 2028 is possible.
“Definitely, that might be an opportunity,” Dhumal said. “We’ve been discussing in ICC, we’ve been discussing in-house in BCCI.
“Given how the interest of the fan is changing with regard to bilateral and ICC events, in regard to franchise cricket and T20 cricket, we’ll have to talk more seriously about it and see how we can create maximum value for the stakeholders of the game.
“Ideally, we’d want a larger window, or to maybe go on from 74 to 84 or 94 at some point… So that every team gets to play against every team home and away, for that, you need 94 games.
“Given the window and the kind of commitments that we have with regards to bilateral cricket and ICC events, that may not be possible in the short term. But given the landscape, how it is changing and evolving over the years, maybe at some point in time we would look and take that option,” he said.
According to ESPNcricinfo, the duration of the IPL’s window will form part of the discussions next year when boards thrash out the details of the next future tours programme (FTP).
Officials at multiple franchises have told ESPNcricinfo that they would prefer a 94-match season, but an increase would likely depend on broadcaster interest.
TV and streaming numbers typically drop midway through the IPL season, which broadcasters privately attribute to viewer fatigue. The 2025 edition will stretch to nine weeks, with 12 double-headers scheduled, and an increase to a full home-and-away season would likely require two more weeks in the international calendar.
Dhumal described the IPL 2025 season as a success, hailing the “competitive spirit” among teams and the emergence of several young Indian players. He also believes that it would be good for the IPL to have a first-time champion this season, with Delhi Capitals (DC), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Punjab Kings(PBKS) and LSG all in the mix for the playoffs at this stage.
“Every year, it’s been growing,” Dhumal said. “We are very glad how the fans have loved this tournament, and the broadcast numbers and in-stadia numbers are all phenomenal. We are hoping to carry on with this being a special edition, the 18th edition. We are very sure that it’ll continue to grow in the way we’ve seen over the last 17 years.”
Sport
Afghanistan A to play one-off Test against Sri Lanka A
A number of players in the squad have however already played in the national side.

Afghanistan A and Sri Lanka A will take on each other from Tuesday in an unofficial Test – which will make up part of the process to increase the importance of red-ball cricket in Afghanistan.
A number of players in the squad have however already played in the national side.
All Squads
Afghanistan A
Bahir Shah, Darwish Rasooli, Ijaz Ahmad Mehri, Imran Mir, Riaz Hassan, Abdul Malik, Ismat Alam, Shams Ur Rahman, Zia-ur-Rehman, Afsar Zazai (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Arab Gul, Bashir Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Khalil Gurbaz, Mohammad Ibrahim, Mohammad Saleem, Yama Arab, Ziaur Rahman.
Sri Lanka A
Kamil Mishara, Nuwanidu Fernando, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Pavan Rathnayake, Ravindu Rasantha, Sonal Dinusha, Wanuja Sahan, Lahiru Udara (WK), Sadeera Samarawickrama (WK), Asanka Manoj, Dilshan Madushanka, Dilum Sudeera, Isitha Wijesundara, Milan Rathnayake, Shiran Fernando, Tharindu Ratnayake.
Sport
Patel and Mendis help Sunrisers beat Kings in Dhoni’s 400th T20
Fast bowler Harshal Patel grabbed four wickets and Kamindu Mendis showed his allround skill as Sunrisers Hyderabad upstaged Chennai Super Kings by five wickets in Chennai on Friday.

Patel grabbed 4-28 and was ably assisted by skipper Pat Cummins and Jaydev Unadkat — both finishing with identical figures of 2-21 — to dismiss the home team for a below-par 154 in 19.5 overs.
South African youngster Dewald Brevis was the top scorer for the Kings with a blistering 25-ball 42, cracking four sixes and a boundary on his debut for the franchise.
Skipper M.S. Dhoni failed to make his 400th T20 a memorable occasion, managing just six runs and coming out on the losing side.
Sunrisers achieved the target in 18.4 overs for the loss of five wickets with Ishan Kishan leading the way with a solid 34-ball 44 with five boundaries and a six.
Mendis struck an unbeaten 32 off 22 balls, adding 49 in an unbroken sixth wicket stand with Nitish Kumar Reddy who finished with a 13-ball 19 not out.
The victory lifted Sunrisers to eighth on the 10-team table topped by Gujrat Titans with 12 points in eight matches while five-time champions Kings are at the bottom with four points in nine.
Patel, declared man-of-the-match, attributed discipline as the key for his fine bowling.
“I figured out pretty early that hitting it on a good length around the stumps was important because it was hard to hit with the horizontal bat,” said Patel.
Dhoni blamed losing a cluster of wickets for the poor batting show.
“I think we kept losing wickets and another thing is in the first innings the wicket was slightly better,” said Dhoni. “A total of 157 wasn’t a justifiable score.”
Earlier, Chennai Super Kings were rocked by Sunrisers’s pacer Patel who ripped through the middle and lower-order batting.
The home team started on a wrong note when opener Shaik Rasheed was caught in the slip off the very first delivery of the match by fast bowler Mohammad Shami.
Seventee-year-old Ayush Mhatre was impressive in his 19-ball 30, which was studded with six boundaries, while Ravindra Jadeja managed 21 with a six and a boundary.
Jadeja’s dismissal brought Dhoni to the crease as the crowd roared to welcome their hero in his 400th T20 match but Dhoni’s stay lasted for just ten balls.
It was Brevis who assured Kings get past 150 with some lusty hitting.
Deepak Hooda also chipped in with a 21-ball 22 with a six and a boundary.
-
Latest News4 days ago
Afghanistan’s medicine output reaches 900 types: Pharma Union
-
Latest News5 days ago
Terrorist attacks in Pakistan originate from Afghanistan: Khawaja Asif
-
Latest News5 days ago
Registered Afghan refugees must return by June 30 or face deportation: Pakistani official
-
International Sports3 days ago
IPL 2025: India’s Shastri says uncapped youngsters heading for greater heights
-
Latest News5 days ago
Afghanistan will be key focus of Int’l Security Conference in Moscow, says Shoigu
-
Regional3 days ago
Panic in Pakistan as India vows to cut off water supply over Kashmir
-
Regional5 days ago
Palestinians establish vice presidency post, no candidate named yet
-
Latest News4 days ago
Pakistan delivered ‘strong and clear message’ to IEA: PM Shehbaz Sharif