Afghanistan’s national buzkashi team is set to participate in an international Kokpar tournament scheduled to take place in the city of Turkistan, in Kazakhstan this month.

According to the Afghanistan National Buzkashi Federation, the event will be held from March 15 to March 21, 2026, marking the revival of the tournament after a nine-year break.

The tournament will bring together teams from several countries where the traditional horse-mounted sport is widely played.

Participating nations are expected to include Afghanistan, China, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Türkiye.

Buzkashi — known as Kokpar in Central Asia — is one of Afghanistan’s most iconic traditional sports. Played on horseback, riders compete to carry a goat carcass across the field and score points in a goal area.

The sport has deep cultural roots in Afghanistan and across the broader Central Asian region.

Afghanistan has historically been one of the strongest competitors in the sport, with skilled riders known for their endurance and horsemanship. The Afghan team previously participated in the same international tournament in Kazakhstan in 2017.

Officials say the upcoming competition provides an opportunity to showcase Afghanistan’s traditional sport on an international stage while strengthening sporting ties between countries that share a long history of equestrian culture.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced that the Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka series, originally set to start on 13 March 2026 in the UAE, has been postponed to the last quarter of 2026 due to logistical challenges, including flight restrictions arising from the Middle East conflict.

The series, Afghanistan’s first hosting of Sri Lanka, was scheduled for three T20Is at Sharjah Cricket Stadium (13, 15, 17 March) and three ODIs at Dubai International Cricket Stadium (20, 22, 25 March).

Despite preparations and coordination with the Emirates Cricket Board, unforeseen developments made travel and operational planning unfeasible, ACB reported adding Sri Lanka Cricket Board was fully informed, and the postponement was made with their consent.

The UAE remains the preferred venue, and new dates will be announced later.

White-ball behemoth India etched their name deeper into cricketing history on Sunday as ​the first side to lift the men’s Twenty20 World Cup for a third time with a ruthless demolition of New Zealand ‌in a lop-sided final at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

More than 86,000 predominantly Indian supporters packed into the world’s largest cricket ground did not get a nail-biter, but they left elated as the hosts cantered to a 96‑run victory with almost comical ease – becoming the first team to retain the title in the process, Reuters reported.

The victory will taste particularly sweet ​for India since it came at a venue where they were beaten by Australia in the final of the 50-overs World Cup ​three years ago.

India were in the box seat after each of their top three batters hammered blistering half‑centuries, propelling ⁠the total to a mammoth 255‑5.

Opener Sanju Samson produced his third successive 80-plus score, maintaining his red-hot form in the business end of the tournament, ​which also fetched him the player-of-the-tournament award.

New Zealand needed a blazing start to keep pace but it never arrived.

India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah showed once ​more why he is regarded as the finest all‑format bowler of his generation, returning remarkable figures of 4‑15 on a flat track to claim the player‑of‑the‑match honour.

With the T20 World Cup now sitting alongside the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup, India are currently in a league of their own in limited-overs cricket.

“I have 10 more years (of cricket) ​left in me and I want to win 10 more ICC (International Cricket Council) titles. That’s my goal,” India all-rounder Hardik Pandya said.

Head coach Gautam ​Gambhir said the team led by Suryakumar Yadav reaped dividends of their team-before-self philosophy.

“My simple philosophy with Surya has always been that milestones don’t matter. It’s the trophies ‌that matter,” ⁠Gambhir said.

EARLY SHOCK

India went into the home World Cup as overwhelming favourites but their campaign was far from flawless.

A defeat by South Africa jolted them out of any complacency and they did not put a foot wrong in the tournament after that setback in Ahmedabad.

Samson, who was not even India’s preferred opener at the start of the tournament, was a key architect of their successful campaign, though he saved his best for when it truly mattered.

“It feels ​like a dream. Very happy, very ​grateful. Out of words, out of ⁠emotions, it’s a bit surreal,” Samson said.

“I was in the 2024 World Cup team where I didn’t play. I kept visualising, kept on working and this was exactly what I wanted to do.”

New Zealand, chasing a maiden ​limited-overs World Cup crown, found the night slipping away in phases.

Skipper Mitchell Santner won the toss but little ​else went right for ⁠them.

They could not contain India’s fiery top order, and by the time James Neesham produced a three-wicket over, India had breached the 200-mark in 15 overs.

Their own top order, so devastating in the semi‑final against South Africa, unravelled on Sunday and at 72‑5 by the ninth over, a comeback looked implausible and it ⁠never materialised.

India ​amassed 92-0 in their powerplay compared to New Zealand’s 52-3 in those six overs.

Santner said ​New Zealand lost the match at powerplays – both with the ball and bat.

“They showed their class again tonight with that batting performance,” Santner said. “That was the tale of the day – the ​two powerplays. You’re not going to win a chase in the powerplay, but you can lose one.”