Sport
England wins toss, elects to bowl in World Cup match against Afghanistan
England won the toss on Sunday morning and elected to bowl first in what will be a crucial game for Afghanistan, which has suffered heavy defeats in both their opening games, by six wickets to Bangladesh and by eight wickets to India.
They have made one change with Najibullah Zadran losing his place in the middle order to Ikram Alikhil.
The two countries have only met twice before with England winning convincingly on both occasions – by nine wickets at the 2015 World Cup in Sydney and 150 runs in Manchester four years ago.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, are currently at the bottom of the points table with two losses from the two matches they have played.
The match against India was also played at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi so Afghanistan will at least be familiar with the conditions.
Batters are expected to play a major role in England’s clash against Afghanistan. In many ways, the defending World Cup champions finally arrived at the tournament in their second game in Dharamsala. After a nine-wicket loss in Ahmedabad against New Zealand, their players fired in all departments against Bangladesh as England managed a 137-run win.
The Jos Buttler-led side would hope to continue a similar run in Delhi. The Arun Jaitley wicket has proved to be good for batting thus far. And England batters, reputed for their aggressive approach, can make the most of the likely suitable conditions when at the crease.
The Afghanistan side would love to get their act together in the World Cup. They’ve impressed in phases but haven’t been able to click as a unit but would surely like their senior players, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, to give a better account of themselves in the upcoming matches.
Squads
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen ul Haq.
England: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
Key Players
Afghanistan – Mohammad Nabi
Though they haven’t won a single ODI since July, Afghanistan came close to causing a major upset against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup at the back of a belligerent 65 from 32 balls by Mohammad Nabi.
Nabi is one of the veterans of the Afghanistan setup, who continues to contribute in all departments on and off the field. He might have missed out in the first two games of the tournament, but England would ignore Nabi at their own risk.
The hard-hitting lower-order batter is also a canny customer with the ball. And Afghanistan would love for Nabi to be at his very best in both departments.
England – Reece Topley
After a lackluster showing with the ball in Ahmedabad, England were on top of their game in Dharamsala. A big factor was Reece Topley’s 4/43 which included the big wickets of Shakib Al Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim.
England would like to complement their all-out attacking approach with the willow with a new-ball operator who can assure them of early breakthroughs going ahead in the tournament. Topley did well in Dharamsala, and he can reassure England greatly if he does well in Delhi too.
For fans in Afghanistan
Ariana Television Network is the official broadcasting partner in Afghanistan and has the exclusive rights to broadcast and stream Cricket World Cup 2023 matches into the homes of fans, live, each day.
As we fight the global quest to Stop Piracy, we appeal to our fans in Afghanistan to tune in to Ariana Television or visit www.arianatelevision.com, and stream matches live.
Please don’t support pirate broadcasters and websites streaming pirated versions!
Afghanistan’s fixtures still to come, that will be broadcast live on Ariana Television are as follows:
• Afghanistan vs England: Sunday, October 15, 2023, Delhi
• Afghanistan vs New Zealand: Wednesday, October 18, 2023, Chennai
• Afghanistan vs Pakistan: Monday, October 23, 2023, Chennai
• Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka: Monday, October 30, 2023, Pune
• Afghanistan vs Netherlands: Friday, November 3, 2023, Lucknow
• Afghanistan vs Australia: Tuesday, November 7, 2023, Mumbai
• Afghanistan vs South Afri
Sport
ILT20: Nissanka fires Gulf Giants to four-wicket win over Dubai Capitals
Azmatullah Omarzai dented the innings at crucial moments, finishing with 3/46 and tightening his grip on the White Belt for leading wicket-taker.
Pathum Nissanka produced his second consecutive half-century of the season on Saturday to guide Gulf Giants to a convincing four-wicket victory over Dubai Capitals, taking them to the top of the DP World ILT20 Season 4 standings.
Nissanka smashed 67 off just 31 deliveries in a dominant display that included six fours and five sixes. His 97-run stand with James Vince (50* off 45) proved decisive in the Giants’ chase of 161, which they completed with seven balls to spare at Dubai International Stadium.
Earlier, the Capitals posted 160/6 thanks to useful contributions from Sediqullah Atal (35), David Willey (29) and Jordan Cox (31). Captain Dasun Shanaka added late impetus with an unbeaten 23 off 9 balls, including two sixes in the final over.
But Azmatullah Omarzai dented the innings at crucial moments, finishing with 3/46 and tightening his grip on the White Belt for leading wicket-taker.
The Giants’ reply wobbled briefly after the early loss of Rahmanullah Gurbaz (9) but Nissanka took charge, hammering James Neesham for three sixes in the fourth over as the Giants cruised to 60/1 by the end of the powerplay. He reached his half-century in just 23 balls.
Mustafizur Rahman and Shanaka struck in back-to-back overs to remove Nissanka and Moeen Ali, but Vince held the chase together with a composed knock. Cameos from Omarzai (14 off 12) and Tom Moores (13 off 8) ensured the required rate never spiralled out of reach, and Vince sealed victory with a well-paced fifty.
In the first innings, after Omarzai removed Shayan Jahangir early, Atal and Willey stabilised the Capitals with a 61-run partnership. But the middle overs proved costly, producing only 18 runs between the 10th and 14th overs as wickets fell to Moeen Ali, Liam Dawson and Aayan Afzal Khan. Cox and Neesham revived the innings before Omarzai returned to snuff out the momentum by dismissing Cox and Rovman Powell in the 18th over.
Speaking after the match, Giants captain Moeen Ali praised his side’s all-round display: “Getting the points while knowing we can still play better is a good sign. We squeezed them well in the middle with the ball. Nissanka is a brilliant player, and Vince controlled the chase perfectly.”
Dubai Capitals skipper Dasun Shanaka admitted his team lost control through the middle overs: “Nissanka is in the form of his life — small guy, massive hitting. We lacked intent in the middle period. We waited too long to rotate strike. Powell and I probably should have gone earlier.”
Brief Scores:
Gulf Giants beat Dubai Capitals by 4 wickets
Dubai Capitals 160/6 (20 overs): Sediqullah Atal 35, Jordan Cox 31, David Willey 29, Dasun Shanaka 23*; Azmatullah Omarzai 3/46, Aayan Afzal Khan 1/3, Moeen Ali 1/23
Gulf Giants 161/6 (18.5 overs): Pathum Nissanka 67, James Vince 50*, Azmatullah Omarzai 14; Dasun Shanaka 2/16, Mustafizur Rahman 2/26
Player of the Match: Pathum Nissanka
In the 27th match of the fifth season of the Afghanistan Champions League, Sorkh Poshan Khafi edged out Arman FC 1-0 in a tightly contested clash.
On Saturday, Sarafan Herat secured a 1-0 victory over Ettifaq Khanzadah, keeping the league race intense and unpredictable.
Looking ahead to Monday, Sarsabz Yashlar will face Sorkh Poshan Khafi at 2:00 p.m., promising another thrilling showdown for fans.
All matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television, allowing football enthusiasts across Afghanistan to follow the action and enjoy the excitement of the Champions League season.
The groups and match-ups for the FIFA World Cup 2026, set to be the biggest sporting event in history, were unveiled on Friday during a high-profile Final Draw ceremony held in the United States capital, Washington DC.
In front of nearly 2,000 international guests and millions of viewers worldwide, FIFA revealed the 12 groups of four teams for the expanded 23rd edition of the tournament. The draw marks a major milestone as excitement continues to build across the three host nations — the United States, Canada, and Mexico — and the 16 host cities preparing for the event.
FIFA announced that the full schedule, including match venues and kick-off times for the tournament’s 104 games, will be released during a live global broadcast on Saturday, 6 December.
With nearly two million tickets already sold, FIFA says anticipation for the 2026 World Cup is rapidly rising.
There are 48 teams in next year’s World Cup — an expansion from the 32 teams of previous tournaments.
Tahawol: Discussion on Afghanistan at Doha Forum
Saar: Syrian president’s remarks on Afghanistan war
Afghanistan signs agreement with DP World to bolster ports infrastructure
Syria’s President challenges West’s counter-terrorism claims in Afghanistan and Iraq
EU warns: Afghan women facing heightened risks need urgent protection
Islamic Development Bank to build standard cardiac hospital in Kabul
Pakistan will lose big market in both Afghanistan, Central Asia: Sarhadi
Afghanistan records $580m in fruit exports in six months
Türkiye leads Riyadh 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games medal table
Tashkent: Central Asian leaders say regional stability hinges on Afghanistan
Tahawol: Discussion on Afghanistan at Doha Forum
Saar: Syrian president’s remarks on Afghanistan war
Tahawol: Fresh tensions between Afghanistan-Pakistan discussed
Saar: Forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan and Iran
Tawsia: Kabul’s conditions for trade with Pakistan discussed
-
Latest News5 days agoSituation along Afghan-Tajik border “not stable,” says Dushanbe
-
Latest News4 days agoNew meeting between Afghanistan and Pakistan held in Saudi Arabia
-
International Sports5 days agoILT20: Desert Vipers defeat Dubai Capitals as new season opens
-
Health4 days agoHealth ministry holds meeting with envoys of international organizations in Kabul
-
Latest News5 days ago1.5 million Afghans living with serious disabilities
-
Business3 days agoAriana Afghan Airlines boost air trade with arrival of new cargo aircraft
-
Latest News4 days agoMuttaqi highlights IEA’s restraint as tensions rise with Pakistan
-
Sport4 days agoACL: Sorkh Poshan Khafi 6–0 Istiqlal Kabul; Sarafan Herat, Sarsabz Yashlar draw 0–0