Sport

Starc hat-trick brightens damp Day 2 of World Cup 2023 warm-up matches

Published

3 years ago

October 1, 2023

Australia and Netherlands got some game-time under their belt in the first round of warm-up matches on Saturday, albeit in a match that ended in no result. Elsewhere, the India-England clash was called off without a ball being bowled.

Australia won the toss and opted to bat however the match was eventually abandoned due to rain.

But Thiruvananthapuram finally got to see some warm-up action at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 after Friday’s clash between South Africa and Afghanistan was abandoned due to rain.

Saturday’s action was also truncated by rain, with only a 23-over-a-side game possible after a late start.

Having already played three games in India recently and familiar with the conditions, Australia decided to experiment with their batting order by giving their lower order a chance with the bat.

Steve Smith opened the batting with Josh Inglis but the latter’s stay at the crease was cut short by a peach of an inswinger from Logan van Beek. Smith, meanwhile, was on the attack and scored a fiery 55 off 42 balls laced with four boundaries and three maximums.

Australia lost Alex Carey and Glenn Maxwell in quick succession to the spin of Roelof van der Merwe and Shariz Ahmad respectively. Mitchell Starc came in at No.6 after Smith’s dismissal, and gave a good account of himself with an unbeaten 24 off 22 balls. Skipper Pat Cummins at No.7 couldn’t do the same.

Cameron Green gave the innings some much-needed impetus as well with a 26-ball 34 as Australia finished at 166/7 in 23 overs.

In reply, Netherlands were blown away by Mitchell Starc’s fiery spell that contained a stunning hat-trick. With three almost identical in-swingers, Starc removed three batters for golden ducks. He first trapped Max O’Dowd in front of the stumps before rattling the woodwork of Wesley Barresi and Bas de Leede.

Mitchell Marsh removed Vikramjit Singh soon after and Netherlands never managed to recover from the early loss of wickets. Colin Ackermann and Scott Edwards were the only two batters to get to double-digit scores and saved the Dutch from slipping further.

Just as a result was in sight, the rain returned in the 14th over and the match was abandoned with Netherlands at 84/6.

The Dutch will continue their stay at Thiruvananthapuram as they play their second warm-up game against India on Tuesday, 3 October. Australia head to Hyderabad to take on Pakistan on the same day.

England vs India

The warm-up match between India and England in Guwahati on Saturday was abandoned due to persistent rain. The only action possible was the toss, which Rohit Sharma won and elected to bat.

But just as the players were about to take the field, it started pouring and never relented.

Both teams will be hoping to get some game-time before the World Cup begins in the second round of warm-up matches. England will remain in Guwahati to face Bangladesh on 2 October while India travel to Thiruvananthapuram to face Netherlands.

Watch all warm up matches live

Ariana Television Network kicked off its live broadcast campaign of the ODI World Cup on Friday, September 29. Sadly, Afghanistan’s first warm up match – against South Africa – was rained out.

Both Afghanistan’s warm up matches will be broadcast live, on Ariana Television, along with other key matches. However, the balance of matches will be streamed live on our website.

Ariana Television broadcasts of warm up matches will start at 12:30pm on Friday, Saturday, Monday and Tuesday. Live coverage of other matches, on the same days, will be streamed on our websites.

For the full warm up broadcast and streaming schedule see table below.

Related Topics:#WorldCup Australia Cricket featured Netherlands

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India take 2-0 lead in 3-match series against Afghanistan

Afghanistan suffered an early setback when Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed for a duck by Arshdeep Singh in the second over, following a maiden from Jasprit Bumrah in the opening over.

Published

3 hours ago

September 16, 2026

Ariana News

India sealed the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan with a seven-wicket victory on Tuesday, chasing down 160 in just 14.5 overs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

Sanju Samson led the charge with a blistering 57 off 22 balls, striking seven fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 259.09. Abhishek Sharma added 39 from 19 deliveries as India raced to 82 without loss during the powerplay.

Afghanistan were restricted to 159/8 after being asked to bat first. Captain Ibrahim Zadran top-scored with 37 from 33 balls, while Rashid Khan provided late acceleration with 28 off 16. India’s Nitish Kumar Reddy was the standout bowler, claiming a career-best 3/24.

Afghanistan suffered an early setback when Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed for a duck by Arshdeep Singh in the second over, following a maiden from Jasprit Bumrah in the opening over.

Ibrahim and Sediqullah Atal attempted to rebuild the innings, but India continued to take wickets whenever Afghanistan threatened to establish momentum. Ibrahim fell for 37 in the ninth over to Nitish, leaving Afghanistan at 67/4.

Atal made 12 before being dismissed by Ravi Bishnoi, while Darwish Rasooli briefly accelerated the scoring with 26 off 15 balls, including two sixes. Arshdeep Singh ended his innings.

Rashid then struck three fours and a six in his 28 from 16 balls to lift Afghanistan towards a competitive total, but Nitish dismissed him in the final over as Afghanistan finished on 159/8.

India’s response was emphatic. Samson and Abhishek attacked from the outset, bringing up 50 in only 4.4 overs before reaching 82 without loss at the end of the powerplay.

Samson reached his half-century from just 20 balls before Rashid Khan struck twice in the space of four deliveries, removing Abhishek for 39 and then Samson for 57.

Rashid completed his three-wicket haul by dismissing India captain Shreyas Iyer for 11, but the damage had already been done.

Ishan Kishan remained unbeaten on 38 from 23 balls, while Tilak Varma finished 15 not out as India reached 163/3 in 14.5 overs to win by seven wickets.

The victory gives India an unassailable 2–0 lead in the series, with the third and final T20I scheduled for Thursday at the same venue.

Brief scores: Afghanistan 159/8 (Ibrahim Zadran 37; Nitish Kumar Reddy 3/24) lost to India 163/3 in 14.5 overs (Sanju Samson 57; Rashid Khan 3/36) by seven wickets.

Sport

Nabi reaches 2,500 T20I runs

Published

14 hours ago

September 15, 2026

Ariana News

Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has reached another major milestone, becoming the first Afghan player to score 2,500 runs in T20I cricket.

Nabi reached the landmark in his 142nd T20I innings. He has scored seven half-centuries in the format, with a highest score of 89.

The veteran all-rounder continues to add to his record-breaking career and remains one of Afghanistan’s most experienced and influential players in international cricket.

Afghanistan is currently playing India in the second of a three-match T20I series. Fans in Afghanistan can watch the series live on Ariana Television.

Sport

ACL: Abu Muslim Farah 4-0 Istiqlal Kabul; Omar Zawak 3-1 Sarsabz Yashlar

Published

2 days ago

September 14, 2026

Ariana News

Abu Muslim Farah and Omar Zawak secured convincing victories on Monday as the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan continued in Kabul.

In the sixth match of the competition, Abu Muslim Farah produced a dominant performance to defeat Istiqlal Kabul 4–0.

Mahboob Hanifi and Omid Popalzai found the net in the first half to give Abu Muslim Farah a two-goal advantage at the break. Alireza Panahi and Farzad Tajik added two more goals after halftime, completing a comfortable victory and earning Abu Muslim Farah all three points.

In the seventh match, Omar Zawak defeated Sarsabz Yashlar 3–1, with Shadab Malekzada stealing the spotlight.

Malekzada scored all three goals for Omar Zawak to complete an impressive hat-trick. Mehran Khas scored Sarsabz Yashlar’s only goal, but it was not enough to prevent Omar Zawak from claiming a convincing win.

Upcoming Fixtures

The Afghanistan Champions League Roshan continues on Wednesday with two matches: