Sport

Simon Taufel, Aleem Dar to lead ILT20 Season 2 match officials panel

Published

3 years ago

January 19, 2024

Two of the most respected umpires in cricket history Simon Taufel and Aleem Dar will spearhead this year’s ILT20 which gets underway at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Both Taufel and Dar will be the on-field umpires for the tournament opener between defending champions Gulf Giants and Sharjah Warriors which will start at 7pm Kabul time.

This match will be broadcast live on Ariana Television, with the pre-match program starting at 6pm.

Besides Taufel and Dar, the ILT20 Season 2 match official panel includes some of the most prominent umpires and match referees who are actively involved in all three international cricket formats.

South Africa’s Adrain Holdstock and Australia’s Rod Tucker – both from ICC Elite Panel, Sri Lanka’s Ruchira Palliyaguruge, England’s Martin Saggers, Australia’s Paul Wilson and Leslie Reifer of West Indies will be umpiring the 34-match tournament.

Roshan Mahanama, Steve Bernard and Taufel will be the match referees – Taufel will join the match referees panel after umpiring the opener.

The Gulf region’s biggest T20 extravaganza, that holds a distinction of being the second-highest watched T20 league around the world, promises yet another blockbuster Season between 19th January and 17th February, and the organizers have ensured the league is played under the watchful eyes of globally-acclaimed umpires.

While Australia’s Taufel was also part of the ILT20 Season 1 match official panel, Aleem Dar – record holder for most Tests and ODIs as on field umpire (145 and 231) makes his maiden ILT20 appearance.

Speaking ahead of the start of the much-anticipated tournament, Simon Taufel said: “I am very excited to return to the UAE for DP World ILT20’s Season 2. It was a great experience to lead the match officials panel last year and closely interact with some of the upcoming UAE ICC International Panel umpires.

“The DP World ILT20 is certainly a fine platform for young players. We are also incorporating two specialized TV umpires for the first time to improve accuracy and time efficiency – Paul Wilson from Australia and Leslie Reifer from West Indies.”

Aleem Dar also expressed his excitement at being part of this year’s tournament. He said: “I am eager and excited to be part of the DP World ILT20 which has emerged as one of the leading T20 leagues globally.

“The tournament provides a unique opportunity for players, particularly from the UAE to shine on an international stage and rub shoulders with some of the most reputed players in the world. I am delighted to be part of the match officials panel this year and look forward to a great season.”

The ILT20 Season 2 meanwhile features some of the greatest stars in the game including Australia’s World Cup hero David Warner, Andre Russell, David Willey, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Alex Hales, Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Jordan, Trent Boult, Nicholas Pooran, Chris Woakes and Maheesh Theekshana.

More than 100 international and 25 UAE players will feature in the tournament.

The month-long League will be held in iconic venues in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai with the Final scheduled to be played on 17th February at the famed ‘Ring of Fire’ Dubai International Stadium.
Match schedule

Ariana Television Network has once again secured live and exclusive rights to broadcast this exciting tournament in Afghanistan.

Friday’s opening match will start at 7pm Kabul time, but tune in live on Ariana Television from 6pm for the pre-match program.

Sport

First Test between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe ends in a draw

Published

7 hours ago

November 9, 2026

Ariana News

Zimbabwe produced a remarkable batting display to secure a draw against Afghanistan in the first Test in Sharjah, with Craig Ervine and Wessly Madhevere scoring unbeaten centuries on the final day.

Resuming the fifth and final day at 164/3, Zimbabwe finished on 523/5 in their second innings, following their first-innings total of 504. This marked the first time in Test cricket history that a team has scored more than 500 runs in both innings of a match.

Craig Ervine remained unbeaten on 206, while Madhevere scored 100 not out, as the pair frustrated Afghanistan’s bowlers throughout the day.

Ervine, aged 41 years and 82 days, became the third-oldest player to score a double century in Test cricket.

Afghanistan had posted 514 in their first innings. Afghanistan needed early wickets to put pressure on the hosts, but Zimbabwe’s batters showed patience and discipline on a pitch offering little assistance to the bowlers.

Brian Bennett scored a half-century before Mohammad Saleem dismissed him, while debutant Antum Naqvi contributed 61 runs. Naqvi and Ervine shared a 140-run partnership before Abdul Malik broke the stand.

However, Madhevere joined Ervine and the pair put together an unbeaten 208-run partnership for the sixth wicket, the highest for that wicket in Zimbabwe’s Test history. Madhevere also registered his maiden Test century during the partnership.

The result leaves the two sides level heading into the second and final Test, which is scheduled to begin in Sharjah on November 13.

Sport

Portugal beat Afghanistan 2-0 in Dakar Youth Olympics futsal semi-finals

Published

8 hours ago

November 9, 2026

Ariana News

Afghanistan’s Under-18 futsal team missed out on a place in the gold medal match at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Portugal in the semi-finals on Monday.

Portugal took the lead through Joao Carvalho, who capitalised on a goalkeeping error by Afghanistan’s Ahmad Esmaeili to score into an unguarded net from inside his own half.

Diego Ferreira doubled Portugal’s advantage before half-time, putting the European side firmly in control of the match.

Afghanistan pushed hard to get back into the game in the second half, creating several opportunities to reduce the deficit. However, they were unable to find the net, with Portugal goalkeeper Bernardo Borges making several important saves.

The victory sends Portugal into the gold medal match, while Afghanistan will now compete for the bronze medal at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

Sport

Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka by 106 runs in Under-19s Asia Cup

Published

9 hours ago

November 9, 2026

Ariana News

Afghanistan’s Under-19 cricket team secured a convincing 106-run victory over Sri Lanka in the ACC Under-19s Asia Cup in Oman on Monday, recording their third consecutive win in the tournament.

Asked to bat first after Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field, Afghanistan scored 275 runs in 49.5 overs.

Subhan Zakhail led the batting with an impressive 107 off 111 deliveries, while Abdiullah Nadarjan contributed 55 runs from 64 balls.

In reply, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 169 in 34.1 overs, falling 106 runs short of Afghanistan’s target.

Noor Ali Niazai was Afghanistan’s leading bowler, claiming four wickets. He had also delivered an impressive performance in the previous match against Malaysia, taking six wickets.

The victory marks Afghanistan’s third consecutive win in the tournament, following their earlier victories over Bangladesh and Malaysia.