Sport
Rashid to take ‘one game at a time’ ahead of T20 World Cup opening match against Uganda
Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan intends to take it one game at a time in the team’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, which will get underway on Tuesday in the West Indies.
Given their arsenal of high-class spin bowlers and the improvement in Afghanistan’s batting in recent years, many have touted the Asian side as one of the teams capable of making it to the semi-finals of this year’s T20 World Cup.
While appreciative of these predictions, Rashid said he wants to focus on the cricketing action. Rashid said it was a big honor for the team to be seen as one of the favorites to make the semi-finals.
“They have mentioned Afghanistan is going to be there for semis,” Rashid said. “We take that as a very positive sign.”
He also said looking back at his team’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup campaign in India last year, the players believe that nothing was impossible for them as a side.
In last year’s tournament, Afghanistan defeated the likes of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and England, and ran eventual champions Australia close.
“But for us, we don’t look to those things a lot. It’s all about how we’re going to be there in the ground, delivering. We were very near in the last World Cup as well to be in the semis.
“We were just one game away from being in the semis and that’s where I feel like the belief started that nothing is impossible for us as a team. So yeah, looking forward we are really excited about this World Cup. We take one game at a time and then see how it goes.”
Rashid was confident of Afghanistan’s groundwork prior to the tournament.
“I think preparation has been great so far. The way the guys have been prepared, and they had that preparation back home in Afghanistan,” he said.
“A couple of weeks back, we had a domestic T20 competition, which really helped them to get that kind of preparation they need as a player and as a team. And then we’re here two weeks earlier as well. So, we got that full preparation, what we wanted as a team.
“We’re just about focusing on one game at a time and making sure we do the right things and take the right decisions at the right time. That’s something I think is going to help us.
“And don’t think about the next round a lot. That’s something which is an extra pressure I feel like to be as a player.”
Afghanistan begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Uganda in Guyana. Both sides are in Group C of the competition along with West Indies, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea (PNG).
WATCH LIVE!
Ariana Television Network recently secured the exclusive rights to broadcast the exciting T20 World Cup 2024 live in Afghanistan.
Fans around the country can tune in on Wednesday morning, June 4, at 4:30 am to watch the pre-match show followed by the match which starts at 5am Kabul time.
The 2026 Winter Olympics are underway in Italy, running from February 6 to 22, with events staged across Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo and surrounding alpine venues.
It is the first time the Winter Games are being hosted jointly by two cities, with Milan hosting ice events and mountain competitions spread across Cortina and nearby valleys.
The Winter Olympics were first held in 1924 in Chamonix, complementing the Summer Games revived in 1896. Traditionally dominated by European and North American nations, Norway remains the most successful country in Winter Olympic history.
Italy last hosted the Winter Olympics in 1956 (Cortina d’Ampezzo).
The 2026 Games will feature 16 sports and 116 medal events, including the Olympic debut of ski mountaineering.
Key Dates
Opening Ceremony: 7 February
Games conclude: 22 February
From high-speed alpine racing to gravity-defying snowboarding and freestyle skiing, Milano Cortina 2026 promises a showcase of elite winter sport, iconic Italian scenery and some of the most exciting Olympic competition yet.
For sports enthusiasts across Afghanistan this event is not one to be missed and can be viewed live and exclusively on Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN).
While the opening ceremony is only on Saturday, February 7, early events get underway tonight (Thursday February 5) at 10.30pm on Ariana Television. So be sure to tune in.
Afghanistan’s national cricket team defeated the West Indies by 23 runs in their second and final warm-up match ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
The match was played in India, where Afghanistan had already beaten Scotland by 61 runs in their first warm-up game.
Afghanistan will open their official World Cup campaign on February 9 in Chennai, India, when they face New Zealand.
Sport
Winter Olympics finally underway, ATN to broadcast exclusively across Afghanistan
Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN) will broadcast the Games nationwide, starting Thursday, February 5, with an exciting snowboarding event airing live from 11:00 pm local time.
The long-awaited Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games are finally underway, bringing the thrill of world-class winter sport to audiences across the globe — and for viewers in Afghanistan, all the action will be available exclusively on Ariana Television.
Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN) will broadcast the Games nationwide, starting Thursday, February 5, with an exciting snowboarding event airing live from 11:00 pm local time. A pre-show will start at 10:30 pm local time.
The coverage marks a major moment for sports fans, offering front-row access to one of the world’s biggest sporting spectacles.
From high-speed snowboarding runs to the drama and determination of elite athletes competing on ice and snow, the Winter Olympics promise weeks of excitement, inspiration and global unity through sport.
ATN said its exclusive coverage aims to bring international sport closer to Afghan audiences, celebrating athletic excellence and the Olympic spirit from the opening events onward.
With the first medals on the line and snowboarding kicking off the broadcast schedule, fans are being urged to tune in Thursday evening as the Winter Olympics roar into life.
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