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Skippers unveil trophy for maiden Test match between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka and Afghanistan skippers, Dhananjaya de Silva and Hashmatullah Shahidi respectively, on Thursday unveiled the trophy for the maiden Test match between the two nations at the Independence Square in Colombo.

The Test, which gets underway on Friday, will be Afghanistan’s 8th red ball match since gaining test status in 2017.

Senior Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan will miss the one-off event as he continues to recover from back surgery. Qais Ahmed, whose only Test came five years ago, has been named in the squad in place of Rashid.

There are also four uncapped players in the squad – Noor Ali Zadran, Zia-ur-Rehman, Mohammad Ishaq and Naveed Zadran.

Noor Ali, who is related to Mujeeb ur Rahman and Ibrahim Zadran, is the most experienced of the four with 74 international caps to his name in ODIs and T20Is.

The 35-year-old is yet to make his Test debut. He, however, made his ODI debut as early as 2009, in Afghanistan’s first ever ODI.

Afghanistan’s last Test came in June 2023, when the team lost to Bangladesh by a huge margin.

The tour of Sri Lanka also includes three ODIs and as many T20Is, which follow the one-off Test.

Sri Lanka meanwhile hope to revive their flagging test fortunes with new five-day captain Dhananjaya de Silva taking the helm for the Test.

The island nation is ranked in 8th place on the ICC’s Men’s Test Team Rankings, while Afghanistan is ranked 11th.

Sri Lank’s last match in October last year saw a humiliating innings and 222-run loss to Pakistan in their worst ever home defeat.

Three uncapped players are among Sri Lanka’s 16-member squad.

Afghanistan Cricket Board chair, Mirwais Ashraf, meanwhile said last month that the board and team “are committed to strengthening our red-ball cricket and building a formidable test side as well.”

Test squads

Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Noor Ali Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Bahir Shah, Nasir Jamal, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Qais Ahmad, Zia-ur-Rehman, Zahir Khan, Yamin Ahmadzai, Nijat Masood, Mohammad Saleem, Naveed Zadran.

Sri Lanka: Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), Kusal Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ramesh Mendis, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Udara, Chamika Gunasekara, Milan Rathnayake.

Stay Tuned to Ariana Television!

Fans will be pleased to know that this exciting tour will be screened live and exclusively in Afghanistan on Ariana Television.

First up is the Test which is scheduled from Friday, February 2 to 6.

The match will start at 9am Kabul time but a pre-match broadcast starts at 8am on Friday.

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Sorkh Poshan Khafi rout Istiqlal Kabul 6-0 in ACL season six

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Sorkh Poshan Khafi secured a convincing 6-0 victory over Esteqlal Kabul today (Friday) in the 23rd match of the sixth season of the Afghanistan Champions League at the Football Federation Stadium in Kabul.

Reza Gholami opened the scoring for Sorkh Poshan Khafi in the fourth minute with a header before Sohrab Afghan doubled the lead in the 21st minute.

Afghan struck again four minutes into the second half to make it 3-0, while Yar Mohammad added the fourth goal in the 52nd minute.

Sorkh Poshan Khafi completed the rout with two further goals in the 68th and 70th minutes, securing a 6-0 win.

The sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League is being broadcast live on Ariana Television.

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Afghanistan Champions League: Arman FC and Aino Mina play out goalless draw

Arman FC will return to action on September 28, when they face Sarsabz Yashlar. Aino Mina Kandahar will play their next match on September 29 against Toofan Herat.

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Arman FC and Aino Mina Kandahar played out a goalless draw on Friday in the 22nd match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium in Kabul.

Both sides started the match with an attacking approach, creating several opportunities and making efforts to break the deadlock. However, neither team was able to convert their chances as the first half ended without a goal.

The attacking contest continued after the restart, with both Arman FC and Aino Mina looking for an opening goal. Arman FC continued to push forward in search of a breakthrough, while Aino Mina also created opportunities of their own.

Despite the efforts from both sides and several attempts to find the decisive goal, neither team managed to unlock the opposition defense. The match ultimately ended 0–0, with both teams taking a point from the encounter.

The match also saw Aino Mina commit 15 fouls and receive one yellow card. Arman FC committed eight fouls and finished the game without receiving either a yellow or a red card.

Arman FC will return to action on September 28, when they face Sarsabz Yashlar. Aino Mina Kandahar will play their next match on September 29 against Toofan Herat.

Matches in the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League are broadcast live on Ariana Television.

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Nepal beat Afghanistan in Asian Games cricket

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Nepal made a strong start to their Asian Games campaign on Friday, defeating Afghanistan by six wickets after bowling them out for 102.

Afghanistan, who had beaten Japan in their opening match, struggled against Nepal’s disciplined bowling attack after choosing to bat first.

Afghanistan lost their first three wickets for just 16 runs. Faisal Shinozada then steadied the innings with 30 runs from 33 balls, putting together a 39-run partnership with Najibullah Zadran.

However, Shinozada’s dismissal triggered another collapse, with Afghanistan falling from 55 for four to 65 for six. Zadran remained at the crease and scored 30, while Nangeyalia Kharote added 17 runs to help Afghanistan pass 100.

Nepal’s bowlers Lalit Rajbanshi and Kushal Bhurtel were the main contributors. Rajbanshi took three wickets for 13 runs, while Bhurtel claimed four for 21 and came close to a hat-trick.

Chasing 103, Nepal also lost two early wickets to slip to 12 for two. Captain Rohit Paudel and Sundeep Jora then steadied the innings.

Paudel remained unbeaten on 33, while Jora scored 34 as Nepal comfortably moved towards the target and completed the chase with six wickets in hand.

The victory gives Nepal a winning start to their Asian Games campaign, while Afghanistan now have one win and one defeat from their opening two matches.

Nepal will face Japan on September 26, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.

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