Sport

Nabi-Eisakhil become first father-son duo to bat together in a top-tier T20 league

Eisakhil made 92 for Noakhali Express against Dhaka Capitals in Sylhet on Sunday. It was Eisakhil’s first overseas franchise league match, having made his competitive debut three years ago.

Published

8 months ago

January 12, 2026

Ariana News

Hassan Eisakhil batting with his father Mohammad Nabi, making them the first father-son pair to bat together in a top-tier T20 league, was the icing on the cake of his match-winning knock in the BPL.

Eisakhil made 92 for Noakhali Express against Dhaka Capitals in Sylhet on Sunday. It was Eisakhil’s first overseas franchise league match, having made his competitive debut three years ago.

Nabi presented Eisakhil with the Noakhali cap before the toss. The Noakhali team management, under fire after the side lost their first six matches, finally chose Eisakhil, the 20th player they have used in this tournament. He proved his worth right away, as he struck seven fours and five sixes in his 60-ball stay, having added 53 runs for the fourth wicket with Nabi. He had earlier put on 101 for the opening stand with Soumya Sarkar.

There were shades of his father’s style in Eisakhil’s batting. He too holds the bat quite low down and has a languid stance. Eisakhil’s penchant for driving on the up was also evident, though he started off with square cuts and flicks. He played an imperious pull too, reminiscent of Nabi.

The father-son duo started batting together in the 14th over. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Nabi’s long-time Afghanistan team-mate and now playing for Dhaka Capitals, got the father-son duo to hug as soon as they got together in the middle. There was plenty of encouragement from Nabi, as Eisakhil dominated their partnership. He also continuously explained to Nabi what he had picked up from the bowler’s hand and how he executed certain shots, particularly the straight sixes.

Nabi contributed 17 off 13 balls, before falling to Abdullah Al Mamun; Eisakhil followed him soon after, falling to Mohammad Saifuddin in the following over. Nabi has seen enough of Eisakhil in competitive matches, having played six matches against him in his short career. A video clip of Eisakhil hitting Nabi for a six went viral last year.

The pair has also been training together in the BPL. Nabi arrived late for Noakhali, but spent much time in the training ground with his son. Nabi did throwdowns, apart from bowling to Eisakhil. There was the sweet moment when Eisakhil helped Nabi to pack his bags after the training. Given Eisakhil’s performance in this game, he is all set to get more game time with his father in the XI.

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Abu Muslim Farah beat Sarsabz Yashlar 3–0 in sixth season of ACL opener

Fans across Afghanistan can watch today’s second and third matches live and exclusively on Ariana Television.

Published

7 hours ago

September 11, 2026

Ariana News

Defending champions Abu Muslim Farah made a winning start to the sixth season of the Afghanistan Champions League, defeating Sarsabz Yashlar of Faryab 3–0 in the opening match.

The match, played Thursday evening at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium, saw Abu Muslim Farah dominate proceedings and secure all three points with a convincing performance.

Omid Popalzai opened the scoring in the first half, before Mahboob Hanafi and Omid Rajabi added two more goals after the break to seal a comfortable victory for the defending champions.

The sixth season of the Afghanistan Champions League features 10 teams, with the competition being played on a home-and-away format in Kabul.

Today, Friday, Omar Zawak Loy Shindand will face Khurasan Faryab at 3:30 p.m., while Istiqlal Kabul will take on Toofan Herat in the third match of the day.

Ariana Khost and Umar Zawak Loy Shindand are among the new teams competing in this season’s tournament.

Fans across Afghanistan can watch today’s second and third matches live and exclusively on Ariana Television.

The sixth season of the Afghanistan Champions League will run until November 21, with the participating teams battling for the championship title.

Sport

Afghanistan Champions League Season 6 kicks off today: Abu Muslim Farah face Sarsabz Yashlar

The match is scheduled for 7:30pm Kabul time and will mark the start of a season running until November 21.

Published

1 day ago

September 10, 2026

Ariana News

The sixth season of the Afghanistan Champions League kicks off Thursday, September 10, with defending champions Abu Muslim Farah facing Sarsabz Yashlar of Faryab in the opening match.

The match is scheduled for 7:30pm Kabul time and will mark the start of a season running until November 21.

Ten clubs will compete in the league, with matches played in a home-and-away format in Kabul.

Abu Muslim Farah will begin their title defence against Sarsabz Yashlar, while Ariana Khost and Omar Zawak Loy Shindand are among the new additions to this season’s competition.

The other participating teams are Aino Mina, Arman FC, Istiqlal Kabul, Khurasan Faryab, Sorkh Poshan Khafi and Toofan Herat.

Fans across Afghanistan can watch the opening match live and exclusively on Ariana Television from 7:30pm Kabul time.

The Afghanistan Champions League will continue through November 21, with clubs competing for the Season 6 title.

Sport

Afghanistan to host Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in the UAE in three-format home season

All the matches will be played in the UAE, though the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has not yet announced the venues.

Published

2 days ago

September 9, 2026

Ariana News

Afghanistan are set to host Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in October-November in a packed home season that will include matches in all three formats.

All the matches will be played in the UAE, though the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has not yet announced the venues.

The season will kick off on October 9 – six days after the final of the Asian Games T20 tournament in Japan, should Afghanistan make it that far – with a one-off Test match against Bangladesh.

An ODI tri-series will follow from October 17 to 23, with Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe facing each other once before the top two teams meet in the final.

Afghanistan will then take on Zimbabwe in a three-match T20I series from October 27 to November 1. The two teams will then face off in two Test matches, the first from November 5 to 9 and the second from November 13 to 17.

Afghanistan have already played a Test match this year, against India in New Chandigarh in June. The three matches against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe will take Afghanistan’s total for the year to four Tests – the most they will have played in a calendar year so far.

Afghanistan have played two Tests against Bangladesh so far, winning one and losing the other. They have played five against Zimbabwe, winning two, losing two, and drawing one.

“We are pleased to confirm this important period of international cricket for the Afghanistan National Team,” ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said. “Playing Bangladesh and Zimbabwe across different formats will provide our players with valuable competitive opportunities and offer our supporters an exciting period of international cricket.

“The Afghanistan Cricket Board remains committed to providing our national team with regular, high-quality international cricket. We highly value our relationships with the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Zimbabwe Cricket and appreciate their cooperation in making these important assignments possible.”

Afghanistan vs Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in the UAE, 2026-27

One-off Test vs Bangladesh October 9-13

ODI tri-series
Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe October 17
Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe October 19
Afghanistan vs Bangladesh October 21
Final October 23

Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe T20I series
1st T20I October 27
2nd T20I October 29
3rd T20I November 1

Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe Test series
1st Test Nov 5 – 9
2nd Test Nov 13 – 17