Sport

Sports fans in for a treat, as ATN secures rights to 4 key cricket tournaments

Published

3 years ago

May 18, 2023

Last Updated on: May 30, 2023

In line with providing world-class sport entertainment, Ariana Television Network (ATN) is thrilled to announce it has done it again for all cricket fans across the country.

This time, ATN has managed to secure the broadcasting rights to four major international tournaments, which means June through to November will be an action-packed sporting period for viewers in Afghanistan.

The four cricket events that will be broadcast live on Ariana Television are as follows:

ICC World Test Championship; the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023; ACC Asia Cup; and ICC Cricket World Cup

ICC World Test Championship

The first tournament that will be screened live on Ariana Television will be the ICC World Test Championship. This will run from June 7 to June 11.

The world’s top-ranked Test teams, India, at No.1, and Australia, at No.2, will take each other on in this exciting final next month, scheduled to be held at the prestigious Oval Cricket Ground in London.

India were the runners-up of the previous edition where they lost the final to New Zealand.

This time however, they seem better prepared with three back-to-back Test series wins against Australia; the last one being in the run-up to the start of the IPL in March.

ICC World Cup Qualifier 2023

This tournament will follow close on the heels of the World Test Championships, in fact it starts just two days after the Oval Test wraps up.

The ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 will run from 18 June to 9 July 2023 and will be played in Zimbabwe.

There are two spots up for grabs in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup which takes place at the end of the year.

The teams that will battle it out for one of the two spots are Ireland, Nepal, Netherlands, Oman, Scotland, Sri Lanka,

UAE, USA, West Indies and Zimbabwe.

Eight teams have already qualified. They are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa.

ACC Asia Cup

The Asia Cup, scheduled for September, will now also be broadcast live by ATN. This is the only continental championship in cricket and the tournament is played in both the white-ball formats – ODI and T20I.

It was established in 1983 when the Asian Cricket Council was founded as a measure to promote goodwill between Asian countries and the first ODI edition of the competition was played in 1984 in which three teams – India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka participated. T20I was only introduced in 2016.

For this year’s tournament, the groups and format were announced on 5 January 2023, with the six teams split into two groups of three.

A total of 13 matches will be played, which includes six league matches, six Super 4 matches, and a final.

India, Pakistan and Nepal, have been placed in Group A, while the defending champions Sri Lanka are grouped with Bangladesh and Afghanistan in Group B.

The top two teams from each of the groups will progress to the Super 4. From there, the top two teams will play each other in the final.

ICC Cricket World Cup

After months of world-class cricket tournaments, the year will be rounded off by the all-exciting ICC Cricket World Cup.

Once again, this tournament will be broadcast live by ATN.

This One Day International (ODI) tournament will see 10 countries battle it out for the trophy, which was last won in 2019 by England.

The tournament will be hosted by India with dates rumored to be from 5 October to 19 November. However, some reports indicate the final might be held on 26 November.

Originally, the tournament was scheduled to be played from 9 February to 26 March 2023 but, in July 2020, it was announced that the tournament would be delayed to an October–November window, following the disruption of the qualification schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

England are the defending champions, having won the previous edition in 2019, defeating New Zealand in the final.

This line-up meanwhile comes on the heels of ATN having secured the rights to broadcast the exhilarating IPL tournament this year, which is currently ongoing.

Cricket fans who haven’t yet tuned in to watch the daily matches can do so from the comfort of their own homes by simply tuning in to Ariana Television or stream live on ATN websites.

ATN will meanwhile publish all schedules and broadcasting times ahead of each upcoming tournament. So be sure to watch out for updates on our website.

Related Topics:#ACC #CricketTournaments ArianaNews ATN featured ICC Sports

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ILT20 teams required to field at least two UAE and Afghanistan players in Season 5

Published

6 hours ago

November 15, 2026

Ariana News

The DP World International League T20 (ILT20) has introduced new playing conditions for its fifth season, with a significant emphasis on giving UAE and Afghan cricketers a guaranteed role in every team’s starting line-up.

Under the revised regulations, all six franchises must include at least two players from the UAE and two from Afghanistan in their Playing XI, alongside a minimum of one player from an ICC Associate Member nation.

The changes represent an important opportunity for Afghanistan’s cricketers, ensuring that at least two Afghan players feature in every team’s starting eleven throughout the tournament.

The requirement must also be maintained during matches when substitutions or Super Subs are introduced. If a UAE, Afghan or Associate player leaves the field, a replacement from the same group must be used when a team has selected only the minimum required number.

The new rules are part of a wider effort by the ILT20 to strengthen the participation of regional and Associate cricket nations, while providing greater opportunities for emerging talent alongside established international stars.

The league has also revised its concussion replacement regulations. Teams will no longer need to submit a list of potential concussion replacements before a match. However, any replacement must be medically approved, like-for-like and cleared by the match referee. The minimum player representation requirements must also be maintained.

Other changes include the introduction of a new ‘batter zone’ to determine Wide deliveries on both the off and leg sides, while the existing 60-second stop clock will now apply to the batting team as well as the fielding side.

The batting team will receive two warnings for failing to be ready within the allotted time between overs. From the third offence onwards, the opposition will be awarded five penalty runs.

Season 5 will run from November 21 to December 20, 2026, featuring six franchises and some of the biggest names in international cricket.

Among the Afghan stars expected to feature are Rashid Khan and Fazalhaq Farooqi for MI Emirates, and Mohammad Nabi for Sharjah Warriorz, alongside a wider pool of Afghan players across the franchises.

The tournament opens on November 21 with Desert Vipers taking on MI Emirates in Dubai.

For Afghanistan, the guaranteed minimum of two players in every team’s starting XI is particularly significant, offering its cricketers increased exposure, valuable competitive experience and a prominent role in one of the region’s leading T20 competitions.

The season will be broadcast live and exclusively across Afghanistan on Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN). Fans can also follow ATN’s social media platforms for the latest updates, match schedules and further information throughout the competition.

Sport

Afghanistan trail Zimbabwe by 180 runs at stumps on day two of second Test

Published

1 day ago

November 14, 2026

Ariana News

Afghanistan ended the second day of the second Test against Zimbabwe at 159 for six after 48 overs, trailing by 180 runs at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Zimbabwe, who resumed day two with a strong position after reaching 250 for five on the opening day, were bowled out for 339 in 114.5 overs in their first innings.

Afghanistan faced a challenging task in reply but managed to score 159 runs while losing six wickets by the close of play.

With a deficit of 180 runs and four wickets remaining, Afghanistan will look to build a stronger batting performance on day three and reduce the gap.

The second Test remains finely poised, with Zimbabwe holding the advantage heading into the third day.

Sport

Debutant Naseer Khan strikes four as Afghanistan fight back against Zimbabwe in second Test

Zimbabwe were well placed at 201 for one after nearly 58 overs, but Naseer triggered a middle-order collapse, taking three wickets in eight overs. Zimbabwe lost 3 for 12 during that period, and slipped from 201 for 1 to 250 for 5 at stumps.

Published

2 days ago

November 13, 2026

Ariana News

Afghanistan fought back against Zimbabwe on the opening day of the second Test in Sharjah, with debutant left-arm spinner Naseer Khan Maroofkhil claiming four wickets to halt Zimbabwe’s strong start.

After winning the toss and opting to bat, Zimbabwe made a solid start through Innocent Kaia and Ben Curran, who put together a 98-run opening partnership. Naseer broke the stand with his first delivery after lunch, trapping Curran lbw for 44.

Kaia then combined with Brendan Taylor for another strong partnership, adding 102 runs for the second wicket. Both batters reached half-centuries before Naseer turned the game around.

Kaia, batting on 96, was trapped lbw while attempting a slog sweep. In his next over, Naseer dismissed Zimbabwe captain Brian Bennett for a duck before Ziaur Rahman took a tumbling catch to remove Wessly Madhevere, who was caught at long-off after attempting to loft a delivery that stayed low.

Zimbabwe lost further momentum as Taylor and Antum Naqvi adopted a cautious approach following the three quick wickets. The pair added just 21 runs in nine overs before Naqvi struck a six off Naseer.

Taylor moved into the 90s with a boundary off Naseer, but Ziaur Rahman ended Naqvi’s 44-ball stay on eight runs, having him caught at first slip.

Taylor remained unbeaten on 96 at stumps, while Tafadzwa Tsiga was not out as Zimbabwe closed the day at 250 for five, leaving the second Test finely poised.