Sport
Messi’s World Cup chase takes center stage in Qatar

Lionel Messi’s hopes of winning an elusive World Cup will come up against the tactical scheming of veteran coach Louis van Gaal as Argentina face the Netherlands in Friday’s quarter-final at Lusail.
Messi, 35, once again carries his nation’s hopes on his shoulders as he looks to crown an extraordinary career that includes seven Ballon d’Or awards and multiple club titles, but only one Copa America to show for his efforts with Argentina, Reuters reported.
Messi can expect little in the way of sympathy from the 71-year-old Van Gaal, who is determined to give the Dutch their first World Cup title after runners-up finishes in 1974, 1978 and 2010.
The coach’s planning will largely focus on containing Messi and catching Argentina on the break, as Van Gaal thumbs his nose at his critics by playing a brand of football at odds with the usual attacking Dutch approach.
The tactical plan is key to his side’s hopes of winning tomorrow as the Dutch look to take revenge for their semi-final defeat in 2014 when Argentina beat them in a shootout.
“We can surprise teams with our plan. We were also the better team then and Messi didn’t see much of the ball,” the coach told reporters this week.
He can also point to a run of form that has seen the Dutch go 19 games without defeat since he returned to the hot seat for a third spell 15 months ago.
Messi spoke briefly about the Dutch threat after Argentina’s 2-1 win over Australia in the round of 16, where he marked his 1,000th career appearance by scoring and being named Man of the Match.
“Another difficult one is coming,” he said.
Messi can expect vocal support from Argentine fans in Qatar, who are set to vastly outnumber their orange-clad Dutch counterparts.
On the losing side against Germany in the 2014 final, where Argentina failed to add to World Cup triumphs in 1978 and 1986, Messi was grateful for the support.
“These are incredible moments. We want to thank all the people who are here. The whole of Argentina would love to be here,” he said.
Quarterfinals
Friday: Brazil v Croatia & Netherlands v Argentina
Saturday: Morocco v Portugal & France v England
Where to watch
Afghan fans need not miss out on any of the excitement of this year’s tournament which is being broadcast live and exclusively by Ariana Television in Afghanistan.
For the full broadcast schedule CLICK HERE
Sport
Torch relay starts final leg as Hangzhou prepares for Asian Games

The torch relay for the Asian Games 2023 began its final stage in Hangzhou in China on Wednesday morning, marking the start of the final countdown towards the much-anticipated inauguration of this grand event.
Scheduled to open on Saturday, September 23, the 19th Asian Games is poised to become the largest edition to date. It will feature 12,500 athletes from 45 countries and regions, all vying for glory across 40 sports, 61 disciplines and 481 events.
During Wednesday’s relay, Olympic badminton champion Chen Yufei, who clinched the women’s singles crown at Tokyo 2020, held the honor of being the first torchbearer among the 203 individuals entrusted with this significant role, CGTN reported.
Notable figures such as accomplished gymnast Zou Jingyuan, who has garnered an impressive trio of world titles on the parallel bars, and tennis star Wu Yibing, the first male player from the Chinese mainland to secure an ATP Tour title in the Open Era, also graced the relay as distinguished bearers.
The flame has journeyed across 11 cities in Zhejiang Province, namely Huzhou, Jiaxing, Shaoxing, Ningbo, Zhoushan, Taizhou, Wenzhou, Lishui, Jinhua and Quzhou, before returning to Hangzhou on Wednesday to culminate its final leg. The relay has seen the participation of over 2,000 torchbearers, spanning a wide age range from 14 to 84, each contributing their unique spirit to this showpiece event.
In line with the Games’ theme of being “Green, Smart, Economical, Ethical,” the torch relay ingeniously integrates a digital component. The online relay, known as the “Digital Torchbearer,” was inaugurated after the Asian Games flame collection ceremony on June 15.
So far, an astounding number of over 100 million people have engaged in the Asian Games’ online torch relay, exemplifying the widespread enthusiasm and involvement surrounding this momentous occasion.
Sport
ACB name squad for Asian Games Men’s Cricket competition

Afghanistan Cricket Board’s (ACB) Selection Committee on Wednesday announced the 15-member AfghanAbdalyan Squad for the Asian Games Men’s Cricket Competition, which will be played from September 27 to October 7 in Hangzhou, China.
Veteran All-rounder Gulbadin Naib will lead the AfghanAbdalyan squad which features Mohammad Shahzad, Karim Jannat, Sediqullah Atal, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Qais Ahmad, and Afsar Zazai, who have represented Afghanistan in the past.
The squad also includes Noor Ali Zadran, Zubaid Akbari, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Sayed Ahmad Shirzad and Shahidullah Kamal who recently featured in the ACC Men’s Emerging Asia Cup 2023 in Sri Lanka.
The AfghanAbdalyan squad also features Wafiullah Tarakhil, a talented Afghanistan U19 middle-order batter, who was part of the Afghanistan Future Stars lineup during the Afghanistan Home Tri-Series against Bangladesh U19 and Sri Lanka U19 in Abu Dhabi in March-April earlier this year.
As per the tournament’s rule, AfghanAbdalyan will feature in the event from the quarter-finals stage, which is scheduled to take place on October 3-4, followed by the semi-finals on October 6, and the grand finale on October 7 in Hangzhou, China.
The third-place play-off match which will be played for the bronze medal, will also be held on October 7.
AfghanAbdalyan Squad for the Asian Games Men’s Cricket Competitions:
Gulbadin Naib (C), Mohammad Shahzad (VC & WK), Sediqullah Atal, Zubdaid Akbari, Noor Ali Zadran, Shahidullah Kamal, Afsar Zazai, Wafiullah Tarakhil, Karim Jannat, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Nijat Masoud, Sayed Ahmad Shirzad, Qais Ahmad and Zahir Khan.
Reserves: Nangyal Kharoti, Mohammad Ibrahim and Allah Noor Nasiri.
ACB Chief Selector Asadullah Khan: “We are aiming to provide these players with multiple opportunities to demonstrate their abilities on the international stage. This Asian Games event is also a good opportunity for them to do well and further groove for the higher level cricket. Our buildup has already been started for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and we are working to prepare a strong group of players for that event.”
Sport
World Cup 2023: Warm-ups, schedules and venues

Australia and India will have to switch to World Cup mode just three days after they finish their ODI series next month in Rajkot when they take on Netherlands and England respectively in warm up matches on September 30.
Afghanistan will meanwhile face South Africa in their warm up match on September 29, the same day that Pakistan meets New Zealand and Bangladesh faces Sri Lanka.
India will travel to Guwahati for their first warm-up, while Australia will fly to Trivandrum for their match. Both these sides, along with Afghanistan and New Zealand have warm-ups scheduled in different cities.
The other six teams will all be stationed in one city for their warm-ups. Hyderabad plays host to Pakistan, while Guwahati hosts England, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The southern coastal town of Trivandrum will host Netherlands and South Africa.
India and Pakistan will round off the tournament’s warm-ups by playing Netherlands and Australia respectively on the final day on October 3, before the teams disperse towards their respective venues for their tournament opener. All warm-up games are day-night fixtures that will commence at 2pm local time, with all 15 members of the playing squad permitted to play.
In a late development, ESPNcricket reported Wednesday afternoon that police in Hyderabad have expressed their inability to provide adequate security for the Pakistan-New Zealand warm up match due to festivals taking place there at the time.
The teams are scheduled to play a warm up match on September 29 but Hyderabad Cricket Association has taken the decision to let the game be played “behind closed doors” – or without spectators.
Observers say this will impact the fans who bought tickets for the match. There has been a question mark over this warm up match after Hyderabad police told the local association that it would struggle to meet the security demands put in place by the ICC for World Cup matches including the warm-ups.
This is because of two major religious festivals, which take place around the same date as the match and involve large crowd gatherings.
Hyderabad is one of three venues, along with Trivandrum and Guwahati, that will host the warm-up segment of the tournament, to be played between September 29 and October 3, before the tournament proper starts on October 5.
Once again Ariana Television Network (ATN) will bring all the fun directly into the homes of cricket fans across Afghanistan. In addition to broadcasting World Cup matches live daily, ATN will also broadcast the warm up matches live.
So with just days to go before this thrilling tournament gets underway, be sure to keep an eye on our website and social media platforms for all updates and broadcast schedules.
-
Sport4 days ago
India beat Sri Lanka by 10 wickets to win Asia Cup
-
Sport4 days ago
Race for top ODI team ranking hots up ahead of World Cup
-
World4 days ago
Turkey could part ways with EU if necessary, Erdogan says
-
Latest News3 days ago
Kabul-Jalalabad highway closed to traffic due to landslide
-
Climate Change5 days ago
Storm Lee makes landfall in Canada, downing trees and knocking out power
-
Sport4 days ago
Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament: Hindukush Strikers and Maiwand Champions face off in final
-
Business4 days ago
Over 80,000 square meters of Afghan carpets exported monthly: Union
-
Sport2 days ago
Afghanistan to send over 100 athletes to Asian Games 2023