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Theekshana and Sams bowl out Dubai Capitals for 104 and lift Sharjah Warriors to nine-wicket win

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A happy Sharjah Warriors skipper Tom Kohler-Cadmore said on Monday after beating Dubai Capitals by nine wickets in their ILT20 match that his team played brilliantly.

“The guys were brilliant in the first innings and made our job easier. This isn’t the easiest place to play spin, and to have someone (Maheesh Theekshana) who can bowl three overs in the powerplay is brilliant. Everyone’s chipping in, just about finding consistency.”

Sharjah Warriors’ Johnson Charles received the green belt for the highest run getter of the tournament so far with 200 runs from five matches whereas Theekshana received the white belt for most wickets (11).

Theekshana weaved magic with the ball producing unplayable deliveries to bag four wickets for 20 runs.

His guile and artistry with the ball resulted in Dubai Capitals being bowled out for 104 runs in 18.2 overs.

Theekshana was well-backed by Daniel Sams, who bagged 3 for 28 with his accurate left-arm medium pace. Together they helped Warriors register an emphatic nine-wicket win in the 14th match of the DP World ILT20 season 2 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Chasing the moderate target, Warriors raced to victory in 13.1 overs.

Warriors won the match with 41 balls to spare.

Capitals had come into this match after a defeat to defending champions Gulf Giants and surprised everyone by opting to bat first after winning the toss, unlike all other teams that had elected to bowl.

On the other hand, Warriors, fresh from a win over Desert Vipers the day before this match, carried the momentum and have now shot up the points table to the second slot from the fifth position while Capitals slipped to the fourth slot.

Speaking after the match, Capitals captain Warner admitted that his team did play poorly: “We weren’t good enough with the bat. We are all accountable for that. The wicket played a bit different than we expected, and we need to give credit to them for the way they bowled. Our shot selection wasn’t good enough.

“We need to go back to the drawing board and be brave. We are being a bit too conservative, need to show more intent. We’ll be back in Dubai where we are a bit more confident about the conditions,” he said.

Talking about his spell, Player of the Match, Theekshana said: “The surface was a bit slower than yesterday and it got better for me. We have got experienced players, and we are performing well as a team. In Abu Dhabi (next match), I have bowled in the T10 and the 2021 World Cup as well. I know the wickets there, so hopefully I can get better out there too.”

Tuesday’s match

Tuesday, January 30, will see Desert Vipers take on MI Emirates at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The match will start at 7pm and will be broadcast live on Ariana Television.

Fans across Afghanistan can however tune in at 6:30 pm to watch the pre-match show.

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Rashid Khan plans to build cricket academy and stadium in Nangarhar

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Afghanistan national cricket team player and Afghan Wireless Brand Ambassador Rashid Khan says he plans to establish a major cricket academy and a stadium in eastern Nangarhar province.

Rashid Khan made the remarks at a press conference held at the AWCC office in eastern Afghanistan.

He said building a well-equipped cricket ground and a large academy in Nangarhar is one of his plans and that he intends to begin the project after completing his other commitments.

“It is my dream to have a good cricket ground in my home province, Nangarhar. I have it in mind. Once I am done with my other work, I will undertake the construction of a large academy and a cricket ground in Nangarhar,” Rashid Khan said.

Rashid Khan also said his biggest dream is to help Afghanistan win the Cricket World Cup.

“My biggest dream is for us to win the World Cup for Afghanistan. It would be a great honor for us,” he said.

Meanwhile, AWCC officials in the east thanked Rashid Khan for his cooperation with the company and for choosing Afghan Wireless as his commercial partner.

Ataullah Sahel, head of AWCC in the eastern zone, said: “Rashid Khan has been the brand ambassador of Afghan Wireless for about two or two and a half years. It was the dream of Afghan Wireless leadership and employees to have national player Rashid Khan as our brand ambassador.”

The head of Nangarhar’s Telecommunications and Information Technology Department, the head of ATRA in the eastern zone and ACB officials also attended the meeting.

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Abu Muslim cruise to 4-0 win over Aino Mina as Panahi hits hat-trick

Abu Muslim Farah will face Arman FC on October 5, while Aino Mina Kandahar will take on Istiqlal Kabul on October 6.

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Abu Muslim Farah produced an impressive performance to beat Aino Mina Kandahar 4-0 in the 34th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan in Kabul on Friday.

Alireza Panahi opened the scoring in the 30th minute with a close-range finish before doubling Abu Muslim Farah’s lead six minutes later. The Farah-based side went into halftime with a comfortable 2-0 advantage.

Abu Muslim Farah continued to dominate after the break, with captain Sharif Mohammad extending the lead in the 79th minute with a stunning long-range free kick.

Panahi completed his hat-trick late in the match, scoring Abu Muslim Farah’s fourth goal and sealing a convincing 4-0 victory.

Aino Mina Kandahar were unable to find the back of the net in either half.

Abu Muslim Farah will face Arman FC on October 5, while Aino Mina Kandahar will take on Istiqlal Kabul on October 6.

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

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ACB announces Afghanistan squads for Bangladesh, Zimbabwe series

For cricket fans across Afghanistan, Ariana Television Network (ATN) will broadcast all these series live and exclusively.

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The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced Afghanistan’s Test, ODI and T20I squads for a busy international schedule against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Afghanistan will face Bangladesh in a one-off Test from October 9 to 13 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The match will be followed by an ODI Tri-Nation Series featuring Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, scheduled for October 17 to 23.

The first two matches of the tri-series will be played in Abu Dhabi, while the remaining two matches will take place in Sharjah.

Afghanistan will then play a three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe on October 27, October 29 and November 1, followed by a two-match Test series from November 5 to 9 and November 13 to 17. All five matches will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Rahmat Shah will lead Afghanistan in both Test and ODI cricket after recently being appointed captain in the two formats. He guided Afghanistan to a 4-0 ODI series victory over Ireland in August. The upcoming Test against Bangladesh will be his first assignment as Afghanistan’s full-time Test captain.

Fast-bowling all-rounder Ismat Alam returns to the Test squad after missing the recent Test against India. Middle-order batter Shahidullah Kamal and fast bowler Yamin Ahmadzai have also been recalled following strong performances in the ongoing Ahmad Shah Abdali First Class Tournament.

Shahidullah has scored 538 runs at an average of 76.85, while Yamin has taken 42 wickets at an average of 12.73, with both currently leading the respective batting and bowling charts in the tournament.

Experienced left-arm spinner Zia Ur Rahman Akbar also returns to the Test squad after being sidelined by injury for almost a year. Leg-spinner Khalil Gurbaz, who was part of Afghanistan’s Test squad for the Ireland Test in 2024, has also been recalled.

Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran remain rested from Test cricket following medical advice against their participation in the longer format at this stage.

In white-ball cricket, middle-order batter Darwish Rasooli has been left out of both the ODI and T20I squads, while Mohammad Nabi has been omitted from the T20I squad.

Mohammad Akram, who recently made his T20I debut at the 2026 Asian Games, has earned a place in the T20I squad for the Zimbabwe series. Young fast-bowling all-rounder Abdullah Tarakhil has also been rewarded for his performances in the 11th edition of the Shpageeza Cricket League.

Ijaz Ahmadzai and Shahidullah Kamal have also been recalled to the T20I squad, while Fareed Ahmad Malik, who was among the reserves for Afghanistan’s recent T20I series against India, has been promoted to the main 15-member squad.

ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said Test cricket remains a major priority for Afghanistan and described the upcoming matches against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe as important opportunities for the team, particularly its emerging players, to gain experience in the longer format.

He also said the ODI Tri-Nation Series will form part of Afghanistan’s preparations for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, while emphasizing the ACB’s commitment to providing the national team with regular, high-quality international cricket.

Afghanistan Test squad

Rahmat Shah (Captain), Ikram Alikhil (Vice-Captain & WK), Afsar Zazai (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Abdul Malik, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rahmanullah Zadran, Shahidullah Kamal, Ismat Alam, Qais Ahmad, Zia Ur Rahman Akbar, Khalil Gurbaz, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Yamin Ahmadzai.

Reserves: Baheer Shah Mahboob, Naseer Khan Maroofkhil, Bilal Sami, Bashir Ahmad.

Afghanistan ODI squad

Rahmat Shah (Captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Vice-Captain & WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyalai Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Yamin Ahmadzai.

Travelling reserve: Qais Ahmad.

Afghanistan T20I squad

Ibrahim Zadran (Captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Noor Rahman (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Mohammad Akram, Shahidullah Kamal, Ijaz Ahmadzai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Abdullah Tarakhil, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Farid Ahmad Malik.

Reserves: Faridoon Dawoodzai, Qais Ahmad, Nangyalai Khan.

Series Schedule:

For cricket fans across Afghanistan, Ariana Television Network (ATN) will broadcast all these series live and exclusively.

Stay tuned to Ariana Television Network for the latest news, updates, and live coverage of these exciting cricket events.

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