Tag: Afghanistan

Afghanistan cricket bosses on Wednesday expressed disappointment that Australia had scrapped a men’s T20I series because of deteriorating women’s rights in the Taliban-ruled country and called for “politics-free cricket”.

Cricket Australia said it had received advice “that conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse” and postponed the three-match series scheduled in August, likely to have been hosted by the UAE.

“The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) expresses disappointment over Cricket Australia’s decision to postpone yet another bilateral series against Afghanistan and reiterates its stance on neutral and politics-free cricket across the globe,” said a statement.

The decision, announced Tuesday, was the third time since 2021, when the Taliban returned to power, that Australia have refused to play Afghanistan outside of international tournaments.

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Cricket has surged in popularity inside Afghanistan in recent years, fuelled by triumphs over bigger nations on the international stage.

But under the Taliban government’s brand of Islamic rule, women are effectively barred from the game, as part of a raft of restrictions on women in Afghanistan that the United Nations has labelled “gender apartheid”.

The ACB urged the Australian government “not to impose its policies on cricket boards” and “focus on supporting the development of cricket”.

“ACB advocates for keeping cricket distinct from political influence, considering the game’s significance in Afghanistan and its connection to the happiness and joy of the Afghan nation,” the board said.

Before the return of the Taliban, Afghanistan’s cricket board was slowly making progress in growing the game among women — even contracting a small number of semi-professional players in 2020. Most of those eventually fled to Australia.

READ: PCB reveals schedule for West Indies women’s tour to Pakistan

Cricket Australia (CA) has postponed the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, citing restrictions on women’s rights in Afghanistan. 

The CA made the decision in consultation with the Australian Government and will continue to engage with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in “anticipation of improved conditions for women and girls in the country”.

“Over the past twelve months CA has continued to consult with the Australian Government on the situation in Afghanistan. The government’s advice is that conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse. For this reason, we have maintained our previous position and will postpone the bilateral series against Afghanistan,” stated CA.

“CA continues its strong commitment to supporting participation by women and girls in cricket around the world and will continue to actively engage the International Cricket Council and work closely with the Afghanistan Cricket Board to determine what actions could be taken to support the resumption of bilateral matches in the future.

“We again thank the Australian Government for its support.”

For the unversed, the three-match T20I series between Australia and Afghanistan was scheduled to take place in August this year.

This is the third time Australia have cancelled a bilateral fixture or a series with Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of Kabul in August 2021.

Earlier they postponed the one-off Test against the side scheduled to be played in Hobart in November 2021 before withdrawing from an ODI series against, supposed to be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in March 2023.

READ: Wanindu Hasaranga comes out of Test retirement for Bangladesh Tests

Afghanistan’s star leg-spinner Rashid Khan has returned to the national squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Ireland.

Rashid Khan has been out of action since the ICC World Cup 2023 in November, due to a back injury which required him to undergo surgery.

He travelled with the squad for the T20I series against India after the surgery, however, he could not partake in the series owing to his rehabilitation.

The star spinner also missed the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9, as well as the Big Bash League (BBL) and SA20.

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Khan will lead the Afghanistan team, while his fellow spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman will also participate in the series after recovering from his injury.

“The plan is to represent the country in the upcoming series and the training has been underway, thankfully it went well and I hope that the following few days will also be well so that I can wear the national jersey again and continue to do well for my country,” Rashid Khan said in an interview posted by Afghanistan Cricket Board on March 9.

The three-match series is scheduled to take place in Sharjah on March 15, 17 and 18.

Afghanistan squad for Ireland series

Rashid Khan (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediq Atal, Ijaz Ahmadzai, Ishaq Rahimi (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Nangyal Kharotai, Azmat Omarzai, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Wafadar Momand, Farid Malik, Naveen Ul Haq, Fazal Haq Farooqi

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A first five-wicket haul in Test cricket for Mark Adair put Ireland in a strong position after the opening day of their one-off Test against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

The Northern Irish all-rounder posted figures of 5-39 to help bowl the opposition out for 155 after Afghan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and elected to bat.

An otherwise excellent day for Ireland was dampened by the late fall of the wickets of Curtis Campher for 49, ending a 60-run third-wicket stand with Harry Tector, and of nightwatchman Theo van Woerkom.

Ireland appeared to be cruising in reply until a late Afghan fight-back led by spinner Zia-ur-Rehman left Andy Balbirnie’s side four wickets down and 55 runs short of the Afghan total.

With less than half an hour of play left in the day, the Afghanistan left-armer claimed Campher, one shy of a half-century, and Van Woerkom clean bowled.

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Without their injured talisman Rashid Khan, Afghanistan struggled to find fluency in their first innings and only had four batters reach double figures on what appeared to be a good batting surface.

Mark Adair opened his account for the day in the seventh over when he had Noor Ali Zadran caught by Balbirnie for just seven.

Then when fellow opener Ibrahim Zadran, Noor Ali’s nephew, fell for 53 it capped off a middle-order collapse where Afghanistan went from 66-3 to 90-6.

An undefeated 41 from Karim Janat, however, gave them some respectability.

Ireland’s response seemed to be faltering when both openers fell within 10 overs until the partnership of Campher and Tector.

Still without a win since gaining Test status in 2017, Ireland will resume play on day two with Tector (32 not out) and Paul Stirling in the middle.

Afghanistan also became a Test nation in the same year and have since claimed three wins in the format, including one against Ireland in 2019.

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Sri Lanka’s T20I captain Wanindu Hasaranga has voiced strong criticism against umpire Lyndon Hannibal after he did not rule a no-ball during the third T20I against Afghanistan.

During the final T20I of the three-match, Afghanistan defeated Sri Lanka by a narrow three-run margin in a last-over thriller

Needing 19 runs from the last over, Sri Lankan batter Kamindu Mendis scored two fours in the first three balls of Wafadar Momand.

The next ball went above the waist height of the batter, who had shuffled down the pitch, but the umpire did not rule it a no-ball, resulting in the Sri Lankan captain’s blasting remarks after the match.

“That kind of thing shouldn’t happen in an international match,” Wanindu Hasaranga said.

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“If it had been close [to waist height], that’s not a problem. But a ball that’s going so high… it would have hit the batsman’s head if it had gone a little higher.

“If you can’t see that, that umpire isn’t suited to international cricket. It would be much better if he did another job.”

Mendis asked the umpire to check the no-ball, however, according to ICC playing conditions players can only ask the umpire to review a decision in case of a dismissal.

A dot and wide ball followed the last ball six from Mendis, which was not enough as they required 10 to win.

Despite the loss, Sri Lanka won the series 2-1 after winning the first two games by margins of four and 72 runs respectively.

READ: Naveen-ul-Haq set to join Peshawar Zalmi squad

SHARJAH: Mohammad Nabi’s blistering 47 went in vain as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) edged Afghanistan by 11 runs in the second T20I here on Sunday.

The host team’s bowlers Muhammad Jawadullah and Ali Naseer bowled Afghanistan for 155 in pursuit of 167 to register an 11-run victory and level the series 1-1.

UAE got off to a flying start after opting to bat first as their captain Muhammad Waseem and Aryan Lakra raised a brilliant 72-run opening stand.

Qais Ahmed put the brakes on their progress with the wicket of Waseem, who departed after a quick innings of 53 runs from 32 balls, featuring four boundaries and three sixes.

Afghanistan bowlers capitalized after the first wicket as UAE slipped from 72-1 to 127-7, with Lakra standing firm amidst falling wickets on the other end.

Akif Raja joined Lakra at the fall of the seventh wicket in the 17th over and together they added 39 runs from 19 balls to push UAE’s total to 166-7 in their allotted 20 overs.

Aryan Lakra scored an unbeaten 63 off 47, with the help of three boundaries and four sixes, while Akif Raja scored 13 off 11 with two boundaries.

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Qais Ahmed and Azmatullah Omarzai picked two wickets for Afghanistan, while Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mohammad Nabi grabbed one scalp each.

In response, Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz laid the foundation for Afghanistan with a 47-run opening stand which was broken by Ali Naseer in the sixth over.

Gurbaz was the first man to depart after an anchoring 21 off 17.

Afghanistan skipper Ibrahim Zadran (4) became the second victim of Naseer in the next over with 63 runs on the board.

Zazai continued to attack before he also fell prey to Naseer after scoring 36 runs from 27 balls, laced with two boundaries and three sixes.

After Zazai’s departure, Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran stitched together a 26-run partnership before Jawadullah dismissed Zadran to end the budding stand.

Darwish Rasooli was also bowled by Jawadullah in the same over, while Azmatullah Omerzai was dismissed on the first ball of the next over by Junaid Siddique, slipping Afghanistan to 99-6.

Qais Ahmed then played an 18-run cameo off 13 balls, laced with two boundaries and one six before Naseer returned to end his brief stay on the crease.

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Nabi was the only ray of hope for Afghanistan as they lost three more wickets in quick succession with 128 runs on the board.

Afghanistan needed 39 runs from 13 balls with one wicket in hand.

Nabi took control and knitted a tenth wicket partnership with the last man Fazalhaq Farooqi, who got to play only two balls during his stay on the crease.

Nabi struck Junaid Siddique for 19 runs in the penultimate over with three boundaries and one six.

However, with 20 required off the last over, he only managed eight runs before getting out on the penultimate ball, ending an entertaining yet fighting knock.

Nabi top-scored for Afghanistan with a blistering 47-run knock which conceded 27 balls and featured five boundaries and two sixes.

Ali Naseer returned with bowling figures of 4-24, while Jawadullah picked 4-26 for UAE.

READ: Junaid Khan named as Pakistan U19 team’s bowling coach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has sanctioned Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen Ul Haq over their desire to be released from the annual central contracts on Monday.

The ACB announced that the spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, as well as pace bowlers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen Ul Haq, will not be granted NOCs (no-objection certificates) for any franchise league for the next two years, as well as revokement of their current NOCs.

Afghanistan board through a statement also announced to delay their annual contract after these players expressed to opt out of central contracts and play more franchise cricket.

“The insistence on not signing the central contract for these players was their involvement in commercial leagues, prioritising their personal interests over playing for Afghanistan, which is regarded as a national responsibility,” the board statement added.

“By opting for their release, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to take disciplinary measures against these players.”

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The statement further shed light on the fact that the decision to sanction the trio stems from their prioritization of league cricket over national duty.

“The decision by the Afghanistan Cricket Board is made with a focus on national priorities, aligned with the ACB’s core values and principles,” the statement further said.

“It highlights the necessity for every player to maintain the ACB’s principles and prioritise the country’s interests above their personal ones.”

Notably, Naveen-ul-Haq was picked by Peshawar Zalmi during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9 Draft held earlier this month, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Fazalhaq Farooqi remained unpicked.

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AHMEDABAD: Afghanistan men’s cricket team on Friday, has officially been knocked out of the ICC World Cup 2023 semi-final contention.

Afghanistan, who are sixth in the World Cup standings with eight points in as many matches, needed to win their last fixture against South Africa by a hefty margin of 438 runs to go past New Zealand’s superior net run-rate.

Despite failing to make it to the semi-finals, Afghanistan’s run in the ICC World Cup 2023 was a historic one.

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The nation, who had just one victory in World Cups, stunned the world in this year’s edition by triumphing against three former champions England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka while also coming close to stunning the five-time champions Australia.

Afghanistan had restricted Australia to 91/7 while defending 292, however, a sensational double-century from Glenn Maxwell, swept away their hopes of another historic victory, which would have also bolstered their position for semi-final qualification.

Their fourth victory in the ICC World Cup 2023 came against the Netherlands last Friday.

Opting to bat first, Afghanistan could only manage 244 runs despite all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai’s unbeaten 97.

The right-handed batter smashed seven boundaries and three sixes on his way to top score for the side.

But his sensational knock was not enough as Afghanistan failed to post a mammoth total on the board.

Besides Omarzai, Rahmat Shah and Noor Ahmad, who scored 26 each were the next notable run-getters for Afghanistan.

Right-arm pacer Gerald Coetzee was the pick of the bowlers for South Africa as he returned his career-best figures of 4/44 in his 10 overs while Keshav Maharaj and Lungi Ngidi bagged two wickets each.

When this story was filed South Africa were 31/0 in six overs in pursuit of a modest 245-run total.

A victory would guarantee South Africa the second spot in the standings and they will then face third-placed Australia in the second semi-final on November 16.

READ: Glenn Maxwell doubtful for Bangladesh clash after double-century heroics

AHMEDABAD: Rassie van der Dussen’s unbeaten half-century, paired up with Andile Phehlukwayo’s cameo lifted South Africa to beat Afghanistan by five wickets in their last ICC World Cup 2023 group fixture on Friday.

Chasing a modest 245, South Africa knocked off the winning runs for the loss of five wickets and 15 balls to spare.

Proteas openers Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock gave their side a head start to the 245-run pursuit as they added 64 runs for the first wicket before both perished in quick succession.

Quinton de Kock, who was the core aggressor of the opening stand, scored 41 in 47 deliveries, hitting two boundaries and three sixes while Bavuma scored a 28-ball 23.

Coming out to bat at number three, Rassie van der Dussen, put together an important 50-run partnership with Aiden Markram, who could score 25 in 32 balls.

Heinrich Klaasen (10) had a brief stay at the crease and could share a 23-run stand with van der Dussen before Rashid Khan castled him in the 28th over.

Hard-hitting batter David Miller then joined van der Dussen at the crease and the pair could stitch a 49-run partnership before the former perished after an anchoring 24.

His 33-ball knock featured one boundary and a six.

Rassie van der Dussen then finally got subtle support in the form of Phehlukwayo and they powered South Africa over the line with an unbeaten 65-run partnership.

Phehlukwayo played a crucial 39-run cameo in 37 deliveries while van der Dussen top-scorer for the Proteas with a 95-ball 76, laced up with six boundaries and a six.

For Afghanistan, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi picked up two wickets each while Mujeeb Ur Rahman made one scalp.

After opting to Bat, Afghanistan lost their three wickets inside 11 overs with a mere 45 runs on the board.

Azmatullah Omarzai came down to bat at number five, joining Rahmat Shah and together they added 49 runs for the fourth wicket before Lungi Ngidi dismissed the latter at a total of 94 runs.

Afghanistan soon slipped to 116-6, bringing out Rashid Khan (14), who added 44 runs with Omarzai for the seventh wicket before getting caught behind.

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Noor Ahmed then played a 26-run cameo and added 44 runs to the total with Omarzai during their eighth-wicket partnership but Coetzee dismissed him in the 46th over leaving Afghanistan struggling at 204-8.

Omarzai fought valiantly adding 40 more runs with the last two batters before South African bowlers wrapped up the innings on the final ball of the innings.

Omarzai remained unbeaten at 97 from 107 balls, with the help of seven boundaries and three sixes.

Coetzee picked four wickets for South Africa while Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj picked two wickets each.

READ: Rachin Ravindra named ICC Men’s Player of the Month for October 2023

AHMEDABAD: Afghanistan have won the toss and elected to field first against South Africa in the 42nd ICC World Cup 2023 match at Narendra Modi Stadium.

Afghanistan

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil (wk) Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq

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South Africa

Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD:

Overall ODIs: Matches 1, South Africa 1, Afghanistan 0

ODI World Cup: Matches 1, South Africa 1, Afghanistan 0

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