Afghan Sports News
Reports filed by Abdullah Qazi
| Today in the 16th Asian Games, currently being held in Guangzhou China, Afghanistan's cricket team defeated the tournament favorite Pakistan by 22 runs. "It's a big win for Afghanistan. Every person there is watching the match and everybody is happy about this win," said Afghanistan's team captain Mohammad Nabi to AFP. With this win, Afghanistan now advances to the final, which is scheduled for November 26th. They will face off against Bangladesh, who defeated Sri Lanka by 5 wickets in their semi-final match. The final match will be very exciting as neither Afghanistan nor Bangladesh has ever won a gold medal in cricket at the Asian Games before. |
| Today in the 16th Asian Games, currently being held in Guangzhou China, Afghanistan's cricket team, this time lead by Mohammad Nabi, defeated the team from Hong Kong by 8 wickets. With this win, the Afghan team is now in the semi-finals. Mohammad Shahzad and former captain Nawroz Mangal both finished unbeaten on 20. Tomorrow, they will play against Pakistan, and the Afghan coach believes the Afghan team has a good chance of winning. “On paper Afghanistan is stronger than Pakistan and I’m very hopeful because my players are mentally and physically tough", coach Rashid Latif told AFP. |
 Mohammad Jawad Lakazee |
| Today at the 16th Asian Games, currently being held in Guangzhou China, Nesar Ahmad Bahawi grabbed Afghanistan's' first medal. He received a silver medal in the Men's Under 80 kg in Taekwondo. This is an improvement for Bahawi since in the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, he received a bronze medal. Nabil Hassan of Jordan narrowly beat him to claim the gold medal. "After four years of working hard, I made it to the final. I'm really happy," Behawi told AFP, when he reached the final against Hassan. "All my family and friends are praying for me. I fight for them, for my people and my country." As there are still many days of competitions left, Afghan sports fans are hoping their athletes pick up some more medals in martial arts and in cricket, which has become very popular in Afghanistan in recent years. (Source: www.goodafghannews.com) |
 Today is the third day of competitions in the 16th Asian Games, and so far, Afghanistan has not been able to pick up a medal in any event. The Asian Games are being hosted this year by China in the city of Guangzhou. The opening ceremony was on November 12th and the Games are scheduled to end on November 27th.In what was a big disappointment, the Afghan national basketball team lost to India on Monday night in a qualifying round game by a score of 83-76, despite Mohammad Mojaddidi's 25 point contribution to the team. The Chinese news agency, Xinhua reported that "India outshot Afghanistan 53 percent to 41." The Afghans were even in the lead at half time with a score of 38-30. India will join Iran, Japan, Qatar, Chinese Taipei and the Philippines in the preliminaries, which will start next week. Interestingly enough, in the South Asian Games which were held in February of this year, Afghanistan defeated India, so this is sweet revenge for the Indian team. As there are still many days of competitions left, Afghan sports fans are hoping their athletes pick up some medals in martial arts and in cricket, which has become very popular in Afghanistan in recent years. So far, China leads the total gold medal and the total medal count. After China, South Korea has 18 gold medals, and 50 total medals, then Japan has 13 gold medals and 61 total medals. |
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 Afghan Muay Thai Fighters Also, a recent news release sent out by the federation stated that a tournament that began on November 2nd to select members of the national team came to a conclusion on November 7th. 200 athletes from the provinces of Kabul, Balkh, Parwan, Bamiyan, Ghazni, Logar, Helmand, Herat, Nimroz, Paktya, and Maidan Wardak participated in the competitions. List of winners: Ahmad Jawaid - 63.5 KG (Noted as the best Muaythai fighter) Abdul Qayum Safari - 57 KG (Noted as the best technical Muaythai fighter) Jaffar - 54 KG Najibullah Sakhizada - 67 KG Razwan Mohammad - 71 KG |
| Yesterday a four day tennis competition started in Kabul. A total of 24 tennis players will participate in the event. The head of the Afghanistan Tennis Federation said that this is an yearly event where teenagers, young adults and adults compete. Tennis is not a widely played sport in Afghanistan, and there are very few tennis courts in the country. However, it has gained a little popularity in recent years. |
| The Afghanistan Cricket Board has announced the team members for the national cricket team that will play in the upcoming Asian Games to be held in Guangzhou, China. According to a PTI report today, one notable change is that the captain will be Mohammad Nabi, instead of Nawroz Mangal. Rashid Latif, the coach of the team, is optimistic and believes his team will do well, however, he recently told Pakistan's The News that, "A gold medal is beyond us since I don't believe in miracles but if the team performed to its potential, we can give our opponents a scare." The Asian Games are scheduled to start on November 12th. The Afghan squad (according to the PTI report): Mohammad Nabi (Captain), Nawroz Mangal, Mirwais Ashraf, Karim Sadiq, Mohammad Shahzad, Hamid Hasan, Samiullah Shinwari, Asghar Stanikzai, Shahpoor Zadran, Mohammad Sami, Aftab Alam, Gulbudeen Naib, Shabir Noori, Shafiqullah Shafaq. |
A friendly football (soccer) match was held last Friday in Kabul between Afghanistan's national women's football team and the women's football team of the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force). The Afghan team defeated the ISAF team by a score of 1-0, thanks to a goal scored by Roya Noori. The game was held in the Army Sports Club. The purpose of the game was to help the national women's team players prepare for upcoming matches against women's team from other Asian countries. |
Seven newly built sports grounds for school students in Afghanistan's province of Ghazni were inaugurated yesterday, according to a Tolo news report. The students will now be able to play football (soccer), tennis, basketball, and volleyball. The grounds were constructed in 7 weeks at a cost of $23,000. Funding for the construction work was provided by the United States government. The head of the Ghazni Educational Directorate, Hasan Mobarak Azizi, told Tolo news that the newly built grounds meet international standards. |
 Afghan bodybuilder Abdullah Habibi A team of Afghan bodybuilders will compete in the upcoming Second World Men's Bodybuilding Championship. The team left from Kabul today for Varanasi City, India where the competition is being held. The event will be from October 27th to November 1st. The official website of the event states that close to 100 countries have agreed to participate in the event. The organizing bodies are ABBF (Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Federation), IBBF (Indian Bodybuilding Federation), and WBPF (World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Federation). Bawar Hotak, the head of Afghanistan's Bodybuilding Federation told the media that the following Afghan bodybuilders will be participating: Khwaja Aqa Siddique 55 kg (Light - Flyweight) Ezatullah Arab 65 kg (Bantamweight) Abdul Sami Samadi 70 kg (Lightweight) Abdullah Habibi 100 Kg (Super - Heavyweight) |
| Afghanistan is planning on sending a 127-strong delegation to the upcoming 16th Asian Games, which are being held in the Chinese city of Guangzhou this year, the Chinese news agency Xinhua reported today. Out of the delegation, 103 are athletes, and from those athletes, 8 are female. Afghanistan will participate in cricket, athletics, basketball, billiard, boxing, golf, Judo, Karate, shooting, Taekwondo, weightlifting, wrestling and Wushu. Two very popular Afghan athletes will be participating in the Taekwondo event, Rohullah Nikpai and Nesar Ahmad Bahawe. Nikpai is the first, and so far, the only Afghan to have ever won a medal in the Olympics. In the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Nikpai defeated two-time world champion Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain to win the bronze medal in the 58 kg category of the Taekwondo competitions. Behawe was the first Afghan to win an international medal for Afghanistan, said the Xinhua report. He received the silver medal in the lightweight category (72 kg) at the 2007 World Taekwondo Championships. He had also won the bronze medal in the lightweight category at the 2006 Asian Games. Afghan sports fans are hoping these two athletes will come back from the Asian Games with gold medals. The event will officially begin on November 12th. |
 Siyar Bahadurzada, Afghan Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter and Shooto Light Heavyweight World Championship, made short work of his opponent Derrick Noble tonight in Amsterdam, at the United Glory MMA and Kickboxing World Series. He defeated Noble in the first round via TKO. With this win, Bahadurzada improves to 18 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw. See video of match below: |
October 11, 2010: Kenya beats Afghanistan in final ODI; Plans to construct standard cricket grounds in all provinces A good combination of bowling and batting from Kenya's cricket team today earned them a win over Afghanistan by 8 wickets (with 51 balls remaining) in the third and final One Day International (OD) match between between the two countries. With this win, the 3-match series win goes to Kenya 2-1. Afghanistan 188 (43 ov) Kenya 189/2 (41.3 ov) In domestic cricket, Omar Zakhilwal, the chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, and current Finance Minister of Afghanistan, announced today that there are plans to construct standard cricket grounds in all the provinces of Afghanistan in the next two years. He made the announcement during a ceremony for the winner and runner-up teams in the inter-provincial cricket tournament that recently came to a conclusion. In the final match, Nangarhar defeated Logar to win the trophy. Zakhilwal also said that the current Kabul cricket ground will be expanded so it will have the capacity for 6,000 spectators. In terms of funding for the project, Zakhilwal said $1.1 million given to Afghanistan by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will be spent on building the new cricket grounds. |
October 10, 2010: Nangarhar wins inter-provincial cricket tournament; Girls and boys cricket camps to be held in Jalalabad The final match of the T20 domestic inter-provincial cricket tournament was played today in the National Youth Cricket Ground in Kabul. In this final championship match, Nangarhar defeated Logar to win the tournament trophy. Shabir Noori of Nangarhar was declared the best player of the match for his outstanding batting. The Logar team was led by former national team player, Raees Ahmadzai, and Nangarhar was led by Hasti Gul Abid. The tournament was launched two weeks ago, and teams from 24 provinces participated. They were broken down into eight groups, containing three squads each.In order to promote the sport of cricket and to celebrate International Year of Youth, UNICEF, working with the Afghan Youth Cricket Support Organization (AYCSO), will be putting together girls and boys cricket camps in Jalalabad. AYCSO was founded by former national team player, Raees Ahmadzai. The youths will be taught how to bat, bowl and field. They will work with members of the Afghan national cricket team and a female trainer who will be brought from Pakistan. One hundred girls and 200 boys are expected to participate in the camps. Girls Cricket camp: 11 October. Venue: Sherzai Stadium-Youth Department Boys Cricket camp: 12-13 October. Venue: Nangarhar Cricket Academy |
| After losing to Kenya on Thursday by 92 runs, Afghanistan came back today and defeated Kenya by 6 wickets (with 138 balls remaining) in the 2nd One-Day International (ODI). In the second over it seemed like Afghanistan would lose as opener Noor Ali Zadran had to retire hurt, but then outstanding batting from Ashgar Stanikzai and Mohammad Shahzad ensured there would be no back to back loss for the Afghan team. Afghan bowling was also great today and Afghan fans were pleased with their team's performance. The final ODI against Kenya will be played on October 11th. Click here for scorecard |
October 7, 2010: Afghanistan loses to Kenya in ODI cricket match; T20 domestic inter-provincial cricket tournament update Just two days ago, Afghanistan easily defeated Kenya in a 4-four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup match. Today, Kenya took their revenge in the first of three One-Day International (ODI) matches scheduled between Kenya and Afghanistan. Kenya 180 (Tikolo 57, Kamande 31, Hassan 4-26, Ashraf 4-35) beat Afghanistan 88 (Zadran 41, Odhiambo 3-16) by 92 runs.Many Afghan cricket fans were surprised considering the thrashing the Afghan team gave to the Kenyans just recently. Hamid Hassan, the star of the 4-day ICC Intercontinental Cup match posted on his Facebook account the following to the Afghan fans: "Unfortunately we lost the 1st ODI today to Kenya. We bowled really well, but could not get the runs. I took 4 wickets for which I am happy with my efforts. Mirwais also bowled really good and took 4 wickets as well." Asghar Stanikzai, another national team player, asked fans and friends not be be disappointed. Winning and losing is part of the game, said Stanikzai. Fortunately for the Afghan team, there are still two more ODI fixtures left against Kenya, so they can easily make up for today's loss. The second ODI is scheduled for October 9th and the final ODI will be played on October 11th. Both will be in Nairobi. Domestic Update Today, in a quarter final match of the T20 inter-provincial cricket tournament currently being held at the Youth Stadium in Kabul, Logar defeated Paktia. With this win, they will now move on to the semi-finals. Logar is being led by former national team player Raees Ahmadzai. Previously, Wardak had defeated the Kabul to move on to the quarter finals from Group H. Kabul was the champion team from the previous inter-provincial cricket tournament. On June 10th, Kabul won the Etisalat Trophy 50-over inter-provincial cricket tournament. Click here for schedule |
| Yesterday, Afghan karate fans joined by members of parliament, 2 governors, and a delegation from the National Olympic Committee welcomed Afghanistan's national karate team at the airport as they returned home from South Africa, reported Pajhwok Afghan News (PAN) today. The team had participated in an international event, where teams from 35 different countries were present. According to the report, Afghanistan came in first, followed by Zambia and then South Africa. The PAN report did not mention if it was in a particular category. Ghulam Jilani Ghroob, head of the Karate Federation told PAN that Wahid Joya, Farid Agha Doorandish, Mubariz Hakimzada, Ezatullah Kalakani and Ali Asghar Muddaris won gold medals in the competition. Moreover, according to the report, four silver and six bronze medals were also won by the members of the team. (Source: www.goodafghannews.com) |
October 5, 2010: Afghanistan defeats Kenya in 4-day cricket match; T20 domestic inter-provincial cricket tournament update On the last day of the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup match between Afghanistan and Kenya, outstanding bowling from Hamid Hassan sealed the deal for the Afghans as Afghanistan (464 and 207) beat Kenya (160 and 344) by 167 runs. With this win, all 20 points goes to Afghanistan and now they lead in the ICC Intercontinental Cup points table. They will face off against Scotland in the final in the United Arab Emirates.Click here for scorecard. 2009-2010 ICC Intercontinental Cup Table
Today, in the T20 domestic inter-provincial cricket tournament, currently being held in the National Youth Cricket Ground in Kabul, Kandahar defeated Jowzjan by 80 runs and will now move on to the second round (quarter finals). Also today, from Group H, Wardak defeated Kabul by 7 wickets. Tomorrow Group H matches continue. Click here for schedule Quarter Finalists so far: Group A: Paktia Group B: Panjshir Group C: Logar Group D: Khost Group E: Nangarhar Group F: Kunar Group G: Kandahar |
| On day three of the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup match between Afghanistan and Kenya, currently being held in Nairobi, the Kenyans rallied hard, but the Afghans were still in control and much closer to victory. This win will take them to the top of the table in the ICC Intercontinental Cup cricket competition. Currently, Scotland leads in the points table. Status of game so far: Afghanistan 464 & 207 Kenya 160 & 324/6 (82.0 ov) Kenya needs another 188 runs with 4 wickets remaining. Click here for scorecard. |
In the final match of the Afghan Australian Cultural and Sporting Association's (AACSA) all Afghan men's indoor football (soccer) tournament last night, team Aazadi Utd defeated Phantom Utd by 1-0 to win the Championship Cup. Each player received a gold medal. Phantom Utd received the Second Place Cup and all their players received silver medals. The MVP (Most Valuable Player) award went to Mojtaba Mohebee from Aazadi Utd, the Golden Gloves (best goal keeper) award went to Moe Alkozai from Afghan Warriors, and the Golden Boot (top goal scorer) award went to Jawad Sultani from Phantom Utd. An AACSA official told Afghanistan Online that a special award was given to Matten Olumnee from the Afghan Youth Network of Australia (AYNA) for his service to the Afghan community. List of teams that participated in the event: Family Fc, Afghan Killaz, Tajruba Fc, Phantom Utd, The Arrivals, Magnificent 7, Afghan Gladiators, Afghan Warriors, Cuzzz Fc, The Pooks, Annihilators Fc, Star Fc A, Star Fc B, Aazadi Utd, Bakhtar A, Bakhtar B, Afghan All-Stars, Afghan Hillsiders, Ghods and Pamir Fc. |
October 3, 2010: Day two of Kenya vs. Afghanistan cricket match; T20 domestic inter-provincial cricket tournament update On day two of the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup match between Afghanistan and Kenya, currently being held in Nairobi, Afghanistan continued the domination. Bowler Hamid Hassan ripped through the Kenyans to give the Afghan team a 304-run first-innings lead. Afghan opener Jawed Ahmadi accomplished a half-century and left Kenya 470 runs behind and still requiring five wickets. Afghanistan is now in complete control.Click here for scorecard. Today, in the T20 domestic inter-provincial cricket tournament, currently being held in the National Youth Cricket Ground in Kabul, Kunar defeated Paktika by 5 wickets and will now move on to the second round (quarter finals). Yesterday afternoon, Kunar had defeated Herat. Tomorrow, the Group G teams face off. First, Laghman will take on Kandahar in the morning, and then Laghman will go up against Jowzjan in the afternoon. Click here for schedule Quarter Finalists so far: Group A: Paktia Group B: Panjshir Group C: Logar Group D: Khost Group E: Nangarhar Group F: Kunar |
October 2, 2010: Kenya vs. Afghanistan cricket match started today; Kabir Khan to coach UAE; T20 domestic inter-provincial cricket tournament update; Sporting tournament started in Zabul province The four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup match between Afghanistan and Kenya began in Nairobi today with a big bang from Afghanistan and lots of punishment for the Kenyan bowlers. Captain Nawroz Mangal put the the team in a great position with a bristling unbeaten 168. Also, Karim Sadiq, Mohammad Shahzad and Mirwais Ashraf, posted half-centuries.So far: Afghanistan 440 for 6 (Mangal 168*, Ashraf 62*, Odhiambo 3-68) v Kenya Click here for scorecard. AFP reported today that Afghanistan's former head coach, Kabir Khan has agreed to accept a position as coach of the United Arab Emirates. "I have agreed to take over as UAE coach on a three-year deal and my target will be to help the team to the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in 2012," Khan told AFP from his hometown, Peshawar. Khan also said that the UAE team has a lot of potential. Today, in the T20 domestic inter-provincial cricket tournament, currently being held in the National Youth Cricket Ground in Kabul, Badakhshan defeated Nuristan by two wickets. That is the second loss for the Nuristani team, as yesterday afternoon, they had lost to Nangarhar by 29 runs. Nangarhar had also beaten Badakhshan by 104 runs yesterday morning. Nangarhar has now moved on to the second round. In other sports news, Pajhwok Afghan News (PAN) reported today that a month-long tournament (Khazana Tournament) has started in Afghanistan's province of Zabul. The tournament involves 32 football, 21 volleyball and 14 cricket teams. Officials told PAN that the purpose of the tournament was to encourage sports in the province and to keep young Afghans from drugs and anti-government activities. |
| Today, in the sixth day of the the T20 domestic inter-provincial cricket tournament, currently being held in the National Youth Cricket Ground in Kabul, Khost received their second win as they defeated Helmand. They will now move on to the second round. Helmand did defeat Baghlan in the next match. Tomorrow, the Group E matches start. Quarter Finalists so far: Group A: Paktia Group B: Panjshir Group C: Logar Group D: Khost Click here for schedule |
 According to an AACSA official, "standard indoor soccer rules apply with the following - teams must consist of maximum 9 registered players, with 5 players including goalkeeper on the court at a time. Group matches consist of 2 x 10 minute halves and Finals consist of 2 x 12 minute halves." 20 Afghan teams will participate, the winning team will receive the Championship Cup and all the players will receive gold medals. The team that comes in second place will receive the Second Place Cup and all their players will receive silver medals. There will also be an MVP (Most Valuable Player), Golden Gloves (best goal keeper) and a Golden Boot (top goal scorer) award that will be given out. List of teams that will be participating in the event: Family Fc, Afghan Killaz, Tajruba Fc, Phantom Utd, The Arrivals, Magnificent 7, Afghan Gladiators, Afghan Warriors, Cuzzz Fc, The Pooks, Annihilators Fc, Star Fc A, Star Fc B, Aazadi Utd, Bakhtar A, Bakhtar B, Afghan All-Stars, Afghan Hillsiders, Ghods and Pamir Fc. |
September 29, 2010: Day five of T20 domestic inter-provincial cricket tournament; ICC Intercontinental Cup tournament update Today, in the fifth day of the the T20 domestic inter-provincial cricket tournament, currently being held in the National Youth Cricket Ground in Kabul, Ghazni defeated Balkh, however, it will not be able to move on to the second round since Logar's back to back victories yesterday ensured that it will be in the quarter finals from Group C. Logar will go up against the Group A winner, Paktia in the quarter final match. Also, today, in the first of the Group D matches, Khost defeated Baghlan; tomorrow morning, they will go up against Helmand. In the afternoon match tomorrow, Helmand will face off against Baghlan.Click here for schedule ICC Intercontinental Cup Zimbabwe has informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) that they are forfeiting their match against Scotland since they cannot come to an agreement on the date and venue for their ICC Intercontinental Cup match. As a result, the ICC has awarded Scotland the full 20 points of the match, and this now puts them ahead of Afghanistan in terms of points in the ICC Intercontinental Cup tournament. Scotland is now at 89 points and Afghanistan is at 77. Because of this decision, Afghanistan needs to win all 20 points against its match against Kenya in October or else if a draw happens in the final in Dubai, Scotland will be declared the winner due to points. |
| Today, in the fourth day of the the T20 domestic inter-provincial cricket tournament, currently being held in the National Youth Cricket Ground in Kabul, Logar defeated both Ghazni and Balkh to move on to the second round of the tournament (quarter finals). It is worth mentioning that the Logar team has 3 former national cricket team players on the squad: Raees Ahmadzai, Gulbudeen, and Hashmatullah Shahidi. Tomorrow morning, Balkh will take on Ghazni in the last of the Group C matches. The match won't mean much since Logar will represent Group C in the second round due to their back to back victories today. Then in the afternoon, the first of the Group D matches will start as Baghlan will go up against Khost. Quarter Finalists so far: Group A: Paktia Group B: Panjshir Group C: Logar Click here for schedule |
September 27, 2010: Day three of T20 domestic inter-provincial cricket tournament; National team off to Kenya Today, in the third day of the the T20 domestic inter-provincial cricket tournament, currently being held in the National Youth Cricket Ground in Kabul, Panjshir defeated Kapisa by 7 runs and will now move on to the second round of the tournament. Kapisa did come back and defeat Kunduz by 7 runs in the afternoon match. Tomorrow Group C matches start. First up in the morning, it will be Ghazni versus Logar, and then Logar versus Balkh in the afternoon.Click here for schedule National Team News Meanwhile the national cricket team left the United Arab Emirates for Kenya on Monday afternoon. As scheduled, they will play a series of one-day internationals and a four-day match. Afghanistan is hoping to win the ICC Intercontinental Cup. Hamid Hassan, one of the most popular players on the team, told Afghan media that the team wants to win the competition as a gift to former head coach Kabir Khan. Also, a small line up change has occurred. Abdullah Mazari, the team's left arm spin bowler is injured and is not traveling with the team. Instead, Ezatullah Dawlatzai will go in his place. The 18-man Afghan squad will be: Nawroz Mangal (captain), Karim Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mirwais Ashraf, Mohammad Shahzad, Hamid Hassan, Samiullah Shinwari, Noor Ali Zadran, Asghar Stanikzai, Noor-ul-Haq, Ezatullah, Jawed Ahmadi, Shahpoor Zadran, Izatullah Khan, Aftab Alan, Hashmat Shahidi, and Afsar Zazai. |
 Afghan Pajhwok News reported today that former coach Taj Malik Alam has been reappointed as coach of the cricket team. According to the report, "former Pakistani captain Rashid Latif will serve as international trainer of the national side". Rashid was only recently appointed as head coach of the national cricket team, he previously served as batting coach until former head coach Kabir Khan left. "We decided to take advantages of Alam's experience in the promotion of cricket in Afghanistan and training newcomers," Afghanistan Cricket Board Chief Executive Dr. Hameed Shinwari told Pajhwok Afghan News. "He added Alam would train the Afghanistan A team and the under-19 squad." Malik was the team's head coach until Kabir Khan replaced him. He then served as deputy coach but resigned on May 19th of this year after Afghanistan lost two in a row in the 2010 Twenty20 Cricket World Cup. |
| Today, in the second day of the the T20 domestic inter-provincial cricket tournament, currently being held in the National Youth Cricket Ground in Kabul, Paktia continued their winning streak by beating Zabul by 7 wickets. With this win, they are now in the second round of the tournament. In the afternoon, Panjshir took on Kunduz and beat them by 1 wicket. Tomorrow, 2 more Group B matches are scheduled. Kapisa will first take on Panjshir on the morning, and then they will go up against Kunduz in the afternoon. Click here for schedule |
| The T20 domestic inter-provincial cricket tournament started today in the National Youth Cricket Ground in Kabul. As scheduled, the first games were Group A matches - Parwan versus Paktia in the morning and then Zabul versus Parwan in the afternoon. Unfortunately, for Parwan, they lost both games. First they lost to Paktia by 6 wickets, and then they lost to Zabul. Tomorrow morning, Paktia will face off against Zabul to finish off the Group A matches, and then the Group B teams face off. First up, it will be Panjshir versus Kunduz. Click here for schedule |
 Mirwais Ashraf |
| Afghanistan's national cricket team played against the Emirates Cricket Board team today in Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The Afghan team (259/7 in 48 overs) defeated the Emirate Cricket Board team (137 all out in 33 overs) by 135 runs. This was the first of two one-day 50-over matches that are scheduled. We had reported on August 20th that two Afghan players had been nominated for an ICC cricket award, the Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year. The two members were Batsman Mohammad Shahzad and Middle-Order Batsman and Spin Bowler Samiullah Shinwari. A short-list was made recently, and unfortunately, Shinwari is now out of the competition, however, Shahzad is still in the race for the award. The other members of the short-list are Ryan ten Doeschate (Netherlands), Trent Johnston (Ireland), and Kevin O’Brien (Ireland). The winner will be announced on October 6th, at the 2010 LG ICC Awards ceremony in Bangalore, India. |
Today in Kabul, a friendly football (soccer) match was held to mark World Peace Day, however, this was no ordinary match. Disabled Afghan football players took on a local club (Sabawoon). The match ended in a 1-1 draw. According to officials from Afghanistan's Paralympics Federation, the purpose of the game was to not only mark World Peace Day, but to bring more awareness to the disabled Afghan athletes. Disabled Afghan athletes not only participate in football, but volleyball, basketball, table tennis, and even martial arts such as taekwondo. |
Afghanistan's national cricket team will soon head off to the United Arab Emirates to face off against the Emirates Cricket Board team in two one-day 50-over matches (September 23 and 24). The matches will be played in the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Because of inadequate facilities and security issues, Afghanistan plays its "home" games at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Then, from October 2-5, Afghanistan is scheduled to play in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Intercontinental Cup in Nairobi, Kenya. After that, they will play in three one day matches against Kenya on October 7, 9 and 11. The Afghan cricket team is currently at the top of ICC I Cup points table, its match against Kenya is the last match. If they win against Kenya, they will qualify for the ICC I Cup Final. The 5 day final match is scheduled to be played in the Dubai Sport City Cricket Ground in Dubai. |
 Rashid Latif Afghanistan's new head coach, Rashid Latif announced to the media today that he believes he can lead the Afghan national team to test match status within two years. Test matches are long, lasting up to a maximum of 5 days. Four innings are played between two teams of 11 players. Many consider it the ultimate test of playing ability and endurance in the sport of cricket. The test status is determined by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Yesterday, Latif resigned as the Pakistan Cricket Boards (PCB) wicket keeping coach at the National Cricket Academy in Pakistan after he was handed a notice over a critical statement he made on the recent match-fixing scandal involving the Pakistani team. Reports say that three of the team's best players had taken money to bowl no-balls during a test match against England in August. Latif told reporters that he was very impressed with the talent of the Afghan national cricket team. "Some of the Afghanistan players are so talented that they can break into any international team and my target will be to guide them to test status within the next two years," Latif said. "They are an exciting team and my thinking and mentality, as a straightforward person, matches that of the Afghan players... They, like me, cannot tolerate wrongdoing," Latif added. |
 Siyar Bahadurzada Yesterday, on the anniversary of the September 11th attacks, Siyar Bahadurzada, an Afghan MMA fighter and current Shooto Light Heavyweight World Champion, posted a blog on his site about the September 11th attacks and unleashed a verbal attack on Osama bin Laden, the man the West believes was responsible for the attacks. The blog, which is titled, "September 11th, A Black Day in the History of Mankind" also talks about how Afghans have gotten a bad name. Here are some excerpts:
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A Ramadan volleyball tournament that has been going on for the past month in the province of Ghazni came to a conclusion on Wednesday night. In the final, Azadi 'A' team defeated Ittehad 3-1 to win the championship, and Noor Aqa from Azadi 'A' became the most valuable player of the match. Ittehad ended up in second place, Azadi 'B' finished third, and Aab Rasani finished in fourth place. |
Tonight, in the final match of the Dr. M.A. Shah Lephone Night Trophy-2010 competition, also known as the Ramadan Cup, the AYCA Afghanistan cricket team defeated the A.O Blues Cricket Club by 6 wickets and 61 runs. A.O Blues Cricket Club is Dr. Shah’s team, the organizer of the tournament. The match was played in the Asghar Ali Shah Cricket Stadium in Karachi, Pakistan. Thousands of fans attended the event and it was also broadcasted live in Pakistan and Afghanistan. See scoreboard below for details:  |
 MMA fighter Abdul Mohamed Panjshir born Afghan MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter Abdul Mohamed competed on Saturday in the KUMMA (Knuckle Up MMA) - Kings of the North event in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. He defeated his English opponent Ian Jones by submission (guillotine choke) in 1 minute 40 seconds of the the first round. With this win, Abdul Mohamed improves his record to 18 wins, 8 losses, and 3 draws. Mohamed competes in MMA's lightweight and welterweight divisions. He has been competing professionally since 2003. He was the former Cage Rage World Lightweight Champion, and held the Cage Rage British Lightweight Champion title until the Cage Rage organization folded. The folding of the organization left Mohamed as the last ever British Lightweight Champion. Mohamed trains and fights out of Widnes, England. |
 Mohammad Zekria, the head of Afghanistan's Judo Federation has announced that an Afghan Judo team will participate in the upcoming 4 day Judo World Cup in Tokyo City, Japan on September 9th. This will be the first time that an Afghan team will participate in the Judo World Cup. The Afghan team consists of Friba Razayee, who represented Afghanistan in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Atefa Hussani and Sayed Hussain Hussaini. The team is confident that they will do well and win medals. Athletes from 150 nations will participate in the competition. |
September 3, 2010: AYCA Afghanistan cricket team wins semi-final match against Pak Korangi Cricket Club Tonight, the AYCA Afghanistan cricket team defeated Pak Korangi Cricket Club by 6 wickets in the semi-final match game of the Dr. M.A. Shah Lephone Night Trophy-2010 competition, currently being held in Karachi, Pakistan. AYCA (Afghan Youth Cricket Association) is now in the final, which is scheduled for Monday, September 6th. See scoreboard below:  |
On August 6th, Afghan MMA fighter Siyar Bahadurzada successfully defended his Shooto light heavyweight world championship title in Brazil by defeating Carlos Alexandre Pereira in the first round by KO (knock out). See video below: |
After resigning last week when his demands for higher pay and benefits were rejected by the Afghanistan Cricket Board, Rashid Latif has changed his mind and will now be returning as coach for the Afghan national cricket team. The ACB had been talking with Latif for a few days now and have convinced him to rejoin the team under the previously agreed terms. Former head coach, Kabir Khan welcomed the news, he posted on Facebook that both parties made a good decision to resume working with each other. |
Tonight, the AYCA Afghanistan cricket team defeated the Pakistan Cricket Club by 8 wickets in their fourth game of the Dr. M.A. Shah Lephone Night Trophy-2010 competition, currently being held in Karachi, Pakistan. This is a big win as the Pakistan Cricket Club is considered one of the toughest teams in the competition. Because of this win, AYCA (Afghan Youth Cricket Association) is now in the semi-finals. Pakistan CC: 92 all out in 20 Overs Afghanistan: 94/2 in 15 Overs |
Tonight, the AYCA Afghanistan cricket team defeated Pakistan's Mullakatiar Cricket Club by 2 wickets & 147 runs in their third game of the Dr. M.A. Shah Lephone Night Trophy-2010 competition, currently being held in Karachi, Pakistan. With this win, AYCA (Afghan Youth Cricket Association) is now in the quarterfinals. Much credit for today's win goes to Samiullah Shinwari, who took 5 wickets and 2 runouts. The next match for AYCA Afghanistan is against Pakistan Cricket Club on August 31st. Pakistan Cricket Club is the strongest team of the tournament, so the Afghans will have to stay focused. |
 The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced the schedule and the setup for the upcoming domestic T20 inter-provincial cricket tournament. It is scheduled to begin on September 25th, and all games will be played in the National Youth Cricket Ground in Kabul. There will be 24 teams, divided into 8 groups - 3 teams in each group. See setup below: Groups: Group A: Paktia, Parwan, and Zabul Group B: Kunduz, Panjshir, and Kapisa Group C: Logar, Balkh, and Ghazni Group D: Khost, Baghlan, and Helmand Group E: Nangarhar, Badakhshan, and Nuristan Group F: Kunar, Paktika, and Herat Group G: Kandahar, Laghman, and Jowzjan Group H: Kabul, Wardak, and TBD (to be determined)* * Teams from Ghor, Daikundi, Bamiyan and Kuchi will first compete for this spot. Group A Matches: September 25 @ 9 am: Parwan vs. Paktia September 25 @ 1 pm: Zabul vs. Parwan September 26 @ 9 am: Paktia vs. Zabul Group B Matches: September 26 @ 1 pm: Panjshir vs. Kunduz September 27 @ 9 am: Kapisa vs. Panjshir September 27 @ 1 pm: Kapisa vs. Kunduz Group C Matches: September 28 @ 9 am: Ghazni vs. Logar September 28 @ 1 pm: Logar vs. Balkh September 29 @ 9 am: Balkh vs. Ghazni Group D Matches: September 29 @ 1 pm: Baghlan vs. Khost September 30 @ 9 am: Khost vs. Helmand September 30 @ 1 pm: Helmand vs. Baghlan Group E Matches: October 1 @ 9 am: Badakhshan vs. Nangarhar October 1 @ 1 pm: Nangarhar vs. Nuristan October 2 @ 9 am: Nuristan vs. Badakhshan Group F Matches: October 2 @ 1 pm: Herat vs. Kunar October 3 @ 9 am: Kunar vs. Paktika October 3 @ 1 pm: Paktika vs. Herat Group G Matches: October 4 @ 9 am: Laghman vs. Kandahar October 4 @ 1 pm: Jowzjan vs. Laghman October 5 @ 9 am: Kandahar vs. Jowzjan Group H Matches: October 5 @ 9 am: Wardak vs. Kabul October 6 @ 9 am: Kabul vs. TBD October 6 @ 1 pm: TBD vs. Wardak Final Group Matches: October 7 Group A Winner vs. Group C Winner October 7: Group B Winner vs. Group D Winner October 8: Group E Winner vs. Group G Winner October 8: Group F Winner vs. Group H Winner |
August 28, 2010: AYCA Afghanistan defeats Malir Gymkhana Cricket Club After losing to Korangi Al-Fatah yesterday, AYCA (Afghan Youth Cricket Association) Afghanistan came back tonight and defeated Malir Gymkhana Cricket Club by 5 wickets in the their second game of the Dr. M.A. Shah Lephone Night Trophy-2010 competition, currently being held in Karachi, Pakistan. Tomorrow, AYCA Afghanistan will play against Mullakatiar C.C. |
August 27, 2010: AYCA Afghanistan loses to Korangi Cricket Club Even with help from national team players, the Afghan cricket team - AYCA Afghanistan, lost against the Pakistani club - Korangi Al-Fatah, in their first game of the Dr. M.A. Shah Lephone Night Trophy-2010 competition, currently being held in Karachi, Pakistan. The Korangi Cricket Club beat AYCA Afghanistan by 3 wickets. Tomorrow, AYCA Afghanistan will play against Malir Gymkhana. |
August 26, 2010: Youth Taekwondo Competition Held In Kabul; Afghan Youth Cricket Team In Pakistani Tournament; Taj Malik Back As Coach? A three-day, under 8 years old, taekwondo competition was held in Kabul. About 160 children from 40 different clubs participated in the event. The competition put together by Afghanistan's National Olympic committee. The aim of the competition was to choose the Under-8 athletes for Afghanistan's National Taekwondo Team. Taekwondo is a type of martial art originating from Korea. Cricket News Afghan cricket players left today to participate in the Dr. M.A. Shah Lephone Night Trophy-2010 competition currently being held in Karachi, Pakistan. The senior team from the Afghan Youth Cricket Association (AYCA) will be participating, however, thanks to help from the Afghanistan Cricket Board, many national team players are also being sent. The Afghan squad will be: Khaliq Dad Noori (Captain), Khan Mohammed, Asghar Stanikzai, Mohammad Shahzad, Samiullah Shinwari, Hamid Hasan, Abdullah Mazari, Badshah Hussein, Juma Gul, Mohammad Nabi, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Shapoor Zadran, Jawaid Ahmadi and Emal Hotak. The team manager is Shafiqullah Asmat Stanikzai. Below is the schedule for the Afghan team and the finals: Friday, August 27, 2010 - Afghanistan vs Korangi Al-Fatah Saturday, August 28, 2010 - Afghanistan vs Malir Gymkhana Sunday, August 29, 2010 - Afghanistan vs Mullakatiar C.C Monday, August 30, 2010 - 1st Quarter-final (A1 vs C2) Tuesday, August 31, 2010 - 2nd Quarter-final (B1 vs D2) Wednesday, September 01, 2010 - 3rd Quarter-Final (A2 vs C1) Thursday, September 02, 2010 - 4th Quarter-final (B2 vs D1) Friday, September 03, 2010 - 1st Semi-final (Winner 1st QF vs Winner 3rd QF) Saturday, September 04, 2010 - 2nd Semi-final (Winner 2nd QF vs Winner 4th QF) Monday, September 06, 2010 - The Final In Afghanistan, the matches will be on Shamshad TV. Cars, motorcycles and cash prizes will be given out to the winning team and best performing players. Taj Malik Alam Is Back? Reports are circulating that former national team head coach, Taj Malik Alam, may be the national cricket team's head coach again. Malik was the team's head coach until Kabir Khan replaced him. He then served as deputy coach but resigned on May 19th of this year after Afghanistan lost two in a row in the 2010 Twenty20 Cricket World Cup. Other candidates for the coaching job are Darren Lehman (Australia), Andrew John Bichel (also from Australia) and Steve Elworthy (South Africa). However, there are reports that the ACB has rejected the Australian and South African coaches as a result of their high salary requirements. |
 Siyar Bahadurzada's new website Afghan Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter and Shooto light heavyweight world championship, Siyar Bahadurzada announced today on his Facebook site the launch of his official website,www.siyarmma.com. On his site, he posted that his next opponent in the United Glory MMA and Kickboxing World Series taking place in Amerstdam on October 16, 2010 may be Nick Thompson. It's not confirmed. Thompson is an American MMA fighter; he holds a professional record of 38 wins, 13 losses, and one draw. Thompson has fought in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and in Bodog Fight, he was actually a former Bodog Fight welterweight champion. Thompson currently fights for World Victory Road, a Japanese organization. |
Robina Jalali represented Afghanistan as a sprinter in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Below is a video about her running for a seat in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Her official site is: www.robinajalali.com |
Rashid Latif Afghan media is reporting that Afghanistan's new national cricket team's batting coach and recently made, acting head coach, Rashid Latif has resigned. Reports say that he gave a long list of demands to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) which included a major raise and other benefits for him and his family such as paid medical insurance, if Kabir Khan was not restored as head coach again. The ACB did not accept his demands and instead accepted his resignation. Some Afghan fans supported ACB's decision and referred to Latif's action as "blackmail" and "unprofessional", while other's had harsh words for the ACB leadership. One fan posted on Facebook: "Afghan Government should bring professional people to ACB. These corrupt finance ministry officials will destroy the Afghan Cricket." The comment was directed against ACB chairman, Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, who is also Afghanistan's Ministry of Finance. The same fan posted the following: "I know most of the Afghan players. Afghan cricket is like kingship. There is a family-hierarchy and nepotism in bringing new players to the team and talent is buried down in gutters. It is time for the Afghan Govt to take action and remove the ECONOMISTS and MEDICAL DOCTORS from the cricket affairs"ACB CEO Hamid Shinwari told the media that he is working with the ICC (International Cricket Council) to get a coach from Australia, South Africa or England. Afghan fans have doubts this will bring a strong coach to the team, as the ACB cannot afford to pay much. Both Kabir Khan and Rashid Latif are from Pakistan. Whatever they do, the ACB will have to act quickly, as the national team is scheduled for a major tour in October. |
 This is the first time that an Afghan cricket player has been nominated for an ICC award. The Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year award recognizes the efforts in all international matches of the outstanding cricket players from the teams outside the ICC Full Members. The other nominees are: Ashish Bagai (Canada), Richie Berrington (Scotland), Muddassar Bukhari (Scotland), Tom Cooper (Netherlands), Ryan ten Doeschate (Netherlands), Trent Johnston (Ireland), Kevin O’Brien (Ireland),and Paul Stirling (Ireland). The nominations were made by a five-man ICC selection panel. It was chaired by former West Indies captain and current chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee, Clive Lloyd. The winner of the award will be selected by a group of 25 cricket personalities (former players, members of the media, and representatives of the elite panels of ICC umpires and referees) from around the world. Other award categories include: People's Choice Award, Cricketer of the Year, Test Player of the Year, ODI Player of the Year, Emerging Player, Twenty20 International Performance of the Year, Women’s Cricketer of the Year, Umpire of the Year and Spirit of Cricket award. |
 Kabir Khan denies he resigned and says a dispute with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has forced his departure. However, the ACB says they have messages from him that they are willing to make public that confirms his resignation."I texted our chairman of ACB regarding some issues which I was not very happy with, and stated that if they don't let me work freely without interfering I will rather leave the job with honor and dignity," Kabir told Cricinfo. He did not intend those words to be interpreted as a resignation. Khan said that the ACB leadership was getting involved in the decisions he was making as the coach of the team such as the recent decision to not enforce the follow-on against the Scots in a recent match. Khan said that the ACB was interfering with his coaching and it was frustrating him. Khan also said that he was frustrated with the ACB's selection process and the fact that he was not listened to when it came to the selection of cricket players. Khan wanted younger players to build up a great team in the future. He communicated that he was also disappointed with ACB Chairman Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal for not following up with him on his grievances and instead took action based on the CEO's (Hamid Shinwari) side of the story. Many cricket fans agree that Kabir Khan has done a lot for Afghan cricket, even the ACB acknowledges this. It's unfortunate that the relationship has to end this way. |
An Afghan Judo teacher who was jailed during the Taliban rule for teaching Afghans Judo is now currently training American soldiers stationed in Afghanistan. See video below: We often hear stories of how American service members train Afghans, but sometimes they trade roles. Air Force Staff Sgt. Lance Heinzelman reports on a local worker who is helping Americans get their kicks in Afghanistan. |
Rumors are circulating online that the coach of Afghanistan's national cricket team, Kabir Khan has forwarded his resignation to the head of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). An online Afghan cricket news site reports that in a phone interview with them, an official from the ACB media department told them that Kabir Khan presented his resignation to ACB Chairman Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal via email and SMS message. Apparently, Khan's resignation was accepted by the ACB. The same site reports that they contacted some members of the team and that they were not aware of the resignation, however, "Kabir Khan hinted to them that he may no longer be with the Afghan team." The Afghan team is scheduled to be in Afghanistan Thursday morning. |
Yesterday, Afghanistan 225 for 1 (Sadiq 114, Shahzad 100) beat Scotland 224 for 9 (Watts 55, Drummond 35, Zadran 3-69) by nine wickets (with 114 balls remaining). The first day of the One Day International (ODI) series went very well for the Afghan team, Karim Sadiq and Mohammad Shahzad achieved unbeaten centuries. However, on day 2, they found batting much tougher. In the second match, which was played today, Scotland 121 for 4 (Watts 55) beat Afghanistan 120 (Shenwari 46, Davey 5-9) by six wickets (with 97 balls remaining). Both games were played at Cambusdoon New Ground, Ayr. |
 PCB Logo PTI reported today that the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) has rejected Rashid Latif's proposal to have a ODI (One Day International) series against Afghanistan in October of this year. According to the report, the PCB rejected the proposal because the Pakistani team "is busy in the coming months". Rashid Latif, a former Pakistani wicketkeeper-batsman, is Afghanistan's new batting coach. Latif had announced early in the month that he would write to the PCB about hosting a ODI series against Afghanistan as a way to reviving cricket in Pakistan, and to provide a chance for the Afghan team to play against a well developed team. In 2009, Pakistani militants attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team. In the attack, 8 people were killed and seven Sri Lankan players were wounded. An assistant coach to the team was also wounded. The incident has made Pakistan look unsafe for international cricket competitions. |
 The 4-day ICC Intercontinental Cup cricket match between Scotland and Afghanistan concluded today with Scotland losing by 229 runs. Today, bowler Hamid Hassan bagged five wickets to help Afghanistan finally end Scotland's suffering - they had been completely dominated on all 4 days. Scotland had been been given a target of 546 runs, so they had a mountain to climb on the last day, and it was just too much for them. Summary: Afghanistan 435 (Shenwari 102, Stanikzai 93) and 249 for 5 dec (Shahzad 105*) beat Scotland 139 (Nel 36, Hassan 6-40) and 316 (Chalmers 67, Hassan 5-114) by 229 runs. With this win, Afghanistan climbs to the top of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2009-10, and another step closer to the final. The final is scheduled to be played in November in the United Arab Emirates. Current points table as published on the ICC (International Cricket Counicl) site.
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August 14, 2010: Champion Afghan MMA fighter to fight again on October 16, 2010; Volleyball competition was held in Zabul  Bahadurzada after his win on August 6th Afghan Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter and Shooto light heavyweight world championship, Siyar Bahadurzada announced yesterday on his Facebook site that his next fight will be on October 16, 2010. The fight will be in Amsterdam and he will be participating in the "United Glory Kickboxing and MMA World Series". His opponent is yet to be named. On August 6th, Bahadurzada successfully defended his Shooto light heavyweight world championship title in Brazil by defeating Carlos Alexandre Pereira in the first round by KO (knock out). Afghan Volleyball News An eight day volleyball competition was recently held in Qalat, the capital of Afghanistan's Zabul province. Winners were given prizes and cups. In the final championship game, team "Afghan Club" defeated "Barq" 3-1. The third place position went to team "Sheikh Mathi". Organizers said the purpose of the event was to help encourage Afghan youth into more healthy activities. |
August 13, 2010: Yet another day of domination - Afghan cricket team further increase lead against the Scots Afghanistan's national cricket team continued to dominate and further increase their lead against Scotland in the ICC Intercontinental Cup - thanks to outstanding batting by Mohammad Shahzad, who achieved his second first-class century, and superior bowling from Hamid Hassan. Scotland which is now 139 and 95 for 2 (Chalmers 37, Berrington 5) will require another 451 runs to beat Afghanistan which is now 435 and 249 for 5 dec (Shahzad 105, Haq, 2-66) with eight wickets remaining. Clearly, Scotland has a mountain to climb and will need almost a miracle to avoid defeat on the final day. |
August 12, 2010: Afghan domination over the Scots continue in the second day of the Intercontinental Cup In the second day of the ICC Intercontinental Cup in in Ayr, Afghanistan continued to dominate Scotland, this time by its bowlers, as Afghanistan 435 (Shenwari 102, Stanikzai 93, Sadiq 67, Shahzad 54) and 0 for 0 now lead Scotland 139 (Hassan 6-40) by 296 runs (with 10 wickets remaining). |
Rashid Latif, the Afghan national cricket team's new batting coach seems to have done a good job so far, as the Afghan batsmen dominated Scotland today (349 for 5 wickets) in the first day of the ICC (International Cricket Council) Intercontinental Cup fixture in Cambusdoon New Ground, Ayr (United Kingdom). Noor Ali Zadran and Karim Sadiq set the pace early on in the game and then Asghar Stanikzai kept up the momentum. |
 Sensei Qahar Azadani Kancho Hatsuo Royama, President of Kyokushin-kan International recently appointed Qahar Azadani to Branch Chief and Vice President of Kyokushin-kan International – Honbu in Afghanistan. Kyokushin-kan is a type of full contact Karate. On August 8, 2010, Mohammad Seyar Azadani, President of Kyokushin-kan Afghanistan posted an open congratulatory letter on the internet about Qahar Azadani's appointment. The letter stated: "Sensei Qahar Azadani’s efforts on development of Kyokushin-kan in Afghanistan are admirable. In fact, his Kyokushin Karate background and the medals he has obtained from both national and international championships are well recorded in Afghanistan Karate history." Afghan Swimming News Yesterday, a swimming competition was held at the Tasadi Khana Sazi swimming pool in Kabul. The competition was held so that the members of the National Swimming Team can be chosen. Pajhwok Afghan news reported that 300 people participated, and 30 of the best swimmers were selected for the national team and just as many for the youth team. |
 Siyar Bahadurzada (center) after the fight Afghan Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, Siyar Bahadurzada, successfully defended his Shooto light heavyweight world championship title tonight in Brazil by defeating Carlos Alexandre Pereira in the first round by KO (knock out). With this win, Bahadurzada improves his record to 17 - 4 - 1 (Win - Loss - Draw). Bahadurzada recently signed up to fight for Strikeforce, a famous MMA organization that competes against the well known UFC, headed by Dana White. He was also recently interviewed by "Fighters Only" magazine, issue 66. Bahadurzada trains and fights out of Holland. |
 Nadjib Sirat Sirat's motivation is to improve the image of Afghanistan and Afghans in the eyes of the world. He is tired of seeing his country portrayed only as a nation filled with war and terrorism. He believes if he succeeds, it will be a positive thing for his nation. The other motivation is to promote Alpine sports in Afghanistan. He is hoping the climb will inspire other Afghans to practice Alpine sports. With help from Afghanistan's Olympic Committee, he has already established the Afghan Mountaineering Federation. Sirat plans on ascending the 29,029-foot summit from September 1 to 20. He will be carrying a 22 pound backpack, 9 pounds in oxygen tanks and a satellite phone. Sirat also has plans to conquer Mount Noshaq, Afghanistan's tallest mountain, in a first ever all-Afghan expedition next year. On July 20, 2009, two Afghan mountaineers, Malang Jan Darya and Amruddin Sanjar, made history by becoming the first Afghans to successfully climb Afghanistan's highest peak. The two men planted Afghanistan's flag on the top of the 7,492-metre (24,580-foot) mountain. |
Rashid Latif In 2009, Pakistani militants attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team. The incident has made Pakistan look unsafe for international cricket competitions. In the attack, 8 people were killed and seven Sri Lankan players were wounded. An assistant coach to the team was also wounded. According to the AP report, Latif told a Pakistani newspaper that he will write to the Pakistan Cricket Board to arrange a series some time in October. AFP reported on July 28, 2010 that Afghanistan had already agreed to send a cricket team to Pakistan to appear in a club-level event from August 12th to September 6th. |
 Siyar Bahadurzada (right) at the airport with his trainer Martijn de Jong and friend Cesario Siyar Bahadurzada, Afghan mixed martial artists and currently the reigning Shooto light heavyweight world champion announced earlier this week on his Facebook site that he has arrived in Brazil. Bahadurzada is in Brazil to defend his title against Carlos Alexandre Pereira on August 6th. The previous date of August 7th was incorrect, according to Bahadurzada. On his Facebook site, he said that the wrong date was due to a "communication mistake". He posted the following note to his fans: "I'll try my best to make u guys proud again!" Bahadurzada trains and fights out of Holland, and has a record of 16 - 4 - 1 (Win - Loss - Draw). He was recently interviewed by "Fighters Only" magazine, issue 66. Cricket NewsA cricket tournament devoted to the message of peace in Afghanistan has recently begun in the capital of Afghanistan's eastern province of Paktia. Cricket is one of the most if not the most popular sport in Paktia province. The event is sponsored by the NGO (Non Governmental Organization) Sahar Culture and Sport Organization. The head of the NGO, Gul Karim Sahar, told Afghan media that "the purpose of this tournament is to show that we want peace in the country. We do not want our beautiful youth to be killed in fire of wars. Let’s spread the message of peace in all corners of the country, let’s unite.” Thirty two teams will participate - they are divided into eight groups. Here are the groups and the teams in them: Group A: Dawlatzai 1, Etihad Mahland, Jihad Mena, and Pohantoon Group B: Ittifaq, Lesa, Sadat Gardezi, and Shaheed Dr. Najib Group C: Esazoy, Khyber, Shaheen, and Super Star Group D: Khwazak, Roud Ahmadzai, Taandsahar, and Zamzam Group E: Abdulshakoor Rashad, Afghan, Niazullah Ahmadzai 1, and Taand Group F: Pakhtunkhwa, Islam Qala, Teera, and Zurmat Group G: Ahmadabad, Atal Ahmadzai, Tandar Qoli Ordu, and Zurmat Niazai, Group H: Azizyar Company, Dawalatzai 2, Niazullah Ahmadzai 2, and Sayed Karam |
 Dawlat Ahmadzai Over the weekend, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced that they have appointed Dawlat Ahmadzai, the former fast bowler of the national team as the new domestic development manager. Ahmadzai's role will be to help develop cricket inside Afghanistan. Ahmadzai has already been quite active with AYCSO (Afghan Youth Cricket Support Organization), an organization currently promoting cricket amongst the Afghan youth. AYCSO was founded by another former national team member, Raees Ahmadzai. During a recent interview for the ACC (Asian Cricket Council) website, Ahmadzai laid out this idea to develop cricket in Afghanistan: "Afghanistan can be divided into four zones and each zone should have Under-15, Under-16 and Under-19 teams and also a senior team. Then we can make tournaments between the zones and also within the zones themselves. If this is done, we can create strong junior teams and the future of Afghanistan cricket will be bright. We can also spread cricket in this way and start building grounds as well." Cricket Team Established In Ghor Over the weekend, the ACB also announced that a cricket team has been established in Afghanistan's Ghor province. According to Afghan media, the governor of the province, Sayed Iqbal Munib expressed his support for the new team and has promised to provide new equipment for the team. As result of the successes of the national cricket team, cricket has become a very popular sport in Afghanistan, and its popularity amongst the youth grows every day. |
July 29, 2010: Afghans win medals in international Taekwondo tournament; National cricket team to move training camp location  This year, the 2nd Asian International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) Championships took place in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from July 23rd to the 25th. Besides Afghanistan and host country Vietnam, there were participants from such countries as Japan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, India, Indonesia, China, and Nepal. The fighters competed in 12 performances and 10 fighting events. While none of the members of Afghanistan's National Taekwondo Team won gold, the team did pick up 8 silver medals and 2 bronze medals. Cricket News Due to the recent bad weather (heavy rain and flooding), the Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to move the national cricket team's training camp from the Nangarhar Cricket Academy in Jalalabad to the National Youth Cricket Ground in Kabul. However, the grounds in Kabul are inadequate and online reports say that the team plans on leaving earlier than scheduled for the upcoming tournament in Scotland. |
AFP reported today that Afghanistan will send a cricket team to Pakistan to appear in a club-level event. The aim of the event is take a step in reviving the sport of cricket in Pakistan, after an attack in March 2009 by Pakistani militants on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore suspended any chances of an international cricket tournament being held in Pakistan. Many countries felt that their players would not be safe in Pakistan. In the attack, 8 people were killed and seven Sri Lankan players were wounded. An assistant coach to the team was also wounded. According to the AFP report, "the 16-team Twenty20 tournament will be held here [Pakistan] from August 12 to September 6, with a total 10 million rupees (117,000 dollars) prize money on offer." During this time, Muslims will be celebrating the holy month of Ramadan. As a result, the games will be held at night - after breaking of the fast. Rashid Latif, the new batting coach of Afghanistan's national team, had also recently expressed his concerns for the damage done to cricket in Pakistan as result of the attack, and hopes Afghanistan can help revive the sport back in Pakistan to how it was before the attacks. Besides Afghanistan, Hong Kong will also be sending a team to Pakistan. |
July 26, 2010: Afghans participated in Martial Arts festival; ACB to hold coaching and umpiring courses in the fall  Logo of 2010 World Martial Arts Festival Cricket News In an effort to further build the cricket infrastructure in Afghanistan, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced that it will provide coaching and umpiring courses in October 2010. The ACB's technical department, headed by former national team player Hasti Gul Abed will be registering interested individuals. In order to qualify for the courses, the person must be a citizen of Afghanistan, posses at least a 12 grade education certificate and be able to understand English. The instructors and trainers will be provided by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). |
| Today, The Telegraph (UK) did a story on lightweight southpaw Afghan female boxer Shahla Sekandari. According to the published story, Sekandari is planning on being the first female boxer to represent Afghanistan in the Olympics. Women's boxing will be an event for the first time in the 2012 Olympics. The story highlights the difficulties women athletes face in a conservative country like Afghanistan. Many of their family members do not want them to be athletes, and would prefer more traditional roles. Besides the upcoming Olympics, Sekandari is planning on competing in the International Boxing Association’s Women’s World Championship in Barbados in September of this year. She will represent Afghanistan and fight against women from such places as Kazakhstan, China and India. In 2009, at the Asian Indoor Games, Sekandari won a bronze medal in the Women's Light Weight 64kg category. |
| A friendly Kyokushin-kan tournament was held this week in Kabul between teams from Kabul and Nangarhar provinces. Kyokushin-kan is a type of full contact Karate. The event was organized under the supervision of Sensei Mohammad Seyar Azadani, the Branch Chief and President of Kyokushin-kan Afghanistan. Azadani was the first Afghan to obtain a Kata championship title for Afghanistan when he placed third in the 2004 All Middle East Kyokushin Kata Championships. The tournament was held in four age categories - Children, Cadet, Juniors and Seniors, and each team consisted of 35 fighters. According to a press released issued by event organizers, the "purpose of this tournament was to increase friendship, mutual understanding, and to improve and develop Kyokushin Karate in the provinces." A Kyokushin-kan Instructors' Training Seminar is scheduled to be held on August 6th in Afghanistan's western province of Herat. The Chief Instructor will be Sensei Mohammad Seyar Azadani and the seminor will include the following: Basic Techniques Training
Photos from the event in Kabul    |
July 21, 2010: ACB has chosen cricket squad to play in upcoming ICC Intercontinental Cup in Scotland The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced the national team members that will play in the upcoming ICC Intercontinental Cup in Scotland.The following players were selected by Haji Ahmad Shah, ACB's Chief Selector and approved by ACB Chief Executive Officer, Hamid Shinwari: Nawroz Mangal (Captain), Karim Sadiq (vice Captain), Mohammad Nabi, Mirwais Ashraf, Mohammad Shahzad Muhmadi, Hamid Hassan, Samiullah Shinwari, Noor Ali Zadran, Asghar Stanikzai, Shahpoor Zadran, Abdullah Mazari, Aftab Alam, Khaliq dad Noori, Noor ul haq Malikzai, and Mohammad Jawed Ahmadi The reserve players will be Ezatullah Soha, Hashmat Shahidi, Zakiullah Zaki, Murad Ali, and Zamir Khan. The team will first train in the Nangarhar Cricket Academy in Jalalabad, before leaving for Scotland on August 5th. Reports say that New batting coach Rashid Latif will be with the team during training and they leave for Scotland. The national team will participate in their fifth ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Scotland on August 11, and then its two One Day International matches will be played against the host country on August 16 and 17. |
July 19, 2010: Young Afghan cricket team finish third at ACC U-16; Kabul province holds local tournament to pick the best Today at the Asian Cricket Council Under 16 Tournament (U-16 Challenge Cup 2010) in Penang, Malaysia, Afghanistan (61 for no loss off 8.5 overs) defeated Bhutan (60 all out off 24.1 overs) by 10 wickets to finish in the top three. Afghanistan's Shafiullah Mohammad picked up the Man of the Match award for his outstanding performance in the game. Afghanistan had lost to Iran earlier and the loss knocked them out the final match. Iran played against Oman in the final match, however, they lost by 30 runs. In domestic cricket, a tournament has started amongst the top 8 local cricket clubs from Kabul province. There are a total of 42 clubs in the province. Out of this competition, the best performing players will be chosen to represent the province in the upcoming Domestic T20 inter-provincial cricket tournament, which is scheduled to be held sometime in September of this year. On June 10th, Kabul won the Etisalat Trophy 50-over inter-provincial cricket tournament; they defeated Paktya by 6 wickets. |
 Siyar Bahadurzada, Afghan mixed martial artists and currently the reigning Shooto light heavyweight world champion is scheduled to defend his title against Carlos Alexandre Pereira in Brazil on August 6, 2010. His last title defense was against Brazil's Leandro Silva. Bahadurzada defeated Silva in the first round by way of a TKO (punches). TKO stands for technical knock out and is when the referee stops a fights after seeing that one fighter is so overwhelmed that he is no longer able to continue. Bahadurzada trains and fights out of Holland, and has a record of 16 - 4 - 1 (Win - Loss - Draw). Correction - August 4, 2010: The fight date was corrected from August 7th to August 6th. See report from August 4th. |
A cricket tournament that started two weeks ago in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nuristan came to a conclusion today. Teams from different parts of the province had participated. In the final match, team Paroon (Parun) defeated team Kantiwa by 10 runs. The provincial governor (Jamaluddin Badar) had told Afghan media at the start that "the event is aimed at the selection of four squads to represent the remote province in national tournaments". The governor had also said that the winners would be awarded medals and cash prizes. |
 Afghanistan (blue) versus Iran (red) at U-16 Today at the Asian Cricket Council Under 16 Tournament (U-16 Challenge Cup 2010), currently being held in Penang, Malaysia, Afghanistan (111 all out off 39.3 overs) lost to Iran (113 all out off 33.4 overs) by two runs in a semi-final match. The match was a major upset and Afghan fans were disappointed as they believed the Afghan team had a very good chance of easily defeating the Iranian team and finishing first in the event. Iran will go now go up against Oman in the finals and Afghanistan will face off against Bhutan for the third place finish. |
 Afghanistan's national gymnastics team came home this week from Tajikistan after competing in an Asian gymnastics competition. Seven countries participated in the event. The Afghan team came in third place by winning 13 bronze medals in the second round of the competition. The Director of Afghanistan's National Olympics Committee, Mohammad Zahir Aghbar, addressed the team upon their arrival and congratulated them on their medals. Since the fall of the Taliban, gymnastics has made a come back in Afghanistan, however, the sport is still very much under funded. |
July 16, 2010: Report: Rashid Latif will be the new batting coach for Afghanistan's national cricket team Rashid Latif Latif told AFP, "I have decided to join the Afghanistan team as batting coach and help them improve at international level". Latif wants help from other Asian countries to improve the team's performance. He told AFP, "They need more and more cricket to improve and once other Asian countries like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka tour them or invite them, Afghanistan cricket team will improve". Between 1992-2004, Latif played 37 Tests and 166 one-day internationals. The Afghan team is scheduled to be in Scotland in August where they will play one four-day match and two one-day internationals. |
The current head of Afghanistan's Cricket Board (ACB), Ajmal Shinwari, announced his resignation and his replacement in a press conference held today in Afghanistan. Hamid Shinwari, the current Chief Selector of the ACB will replace him as head of the ACB. Ajmal Shinwari resigned to purse his educational goals abroad. Hamid Shinwari was the one who picked the squad for the ICC WCL Division 1 tournament held in the Netherlands recently. He angered many of the players because of his picks, and they threatened to sit out the tournament. Eventually, the issue was resolved. On the ACB Facebook account, the following has been posted: Hamid Shinwari replaces Aimal Shinwari as a CEO |
July 14, 2010: Afghan fans upset with national cricket team's performance at ICC WCL Div 1; Domestic Cricket Update Many Afghan cricket fans are upset that Afghanistan's national cricket team did not do better at the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 tournament that was held in the Netherlands recently. Out of 6 nations, Afghanistan finished in third place. They lost to Ireland and Scotland - both are teams that they have beaten in previous competitions. Fans blame their "poor" performance on the fact that before the tournament had begun, the players were too busy fighting against the Afghanistan's Cricket Board's (ACB) various decisions and threatening to go on strike. The fans argue that too much time was wasted on drama and not enough was dedicated to prepare for the competition. Some fans protested by not welcoming the team at the airport. Domestic Cricket Update On the domestic cricket front, the ACB has postponed the upcoming Domestic T20 inter-provincial cricket tournament until after Eid al-Fitr, which will be in September. They want the players to spend the month of Ramadan, which starts in August, with their families instead of focusing on the competition. The ACB also said that the grounds they will be playing on will be further developed to improve the organization of the event and to accommodate bigger crowds. The ACB also announced that in all future domestic competitions, a team representing the Kuchis (Afghan Nomads) will also be present. The Kuchis will be participating as a provincial team. |
 Qayum Zazai Today at the Asian Cricket Council Under 16 Tournament (U-16 Challenge Cup 2010), currently being held in Penang, Malaysia, Afghanistan (78 for 3 off 21.1 overs) defeated Bhutan (74 all out off 28 overs) by seven wickets. Qayum Zazai was awarded the Man of the Match award. The coach of the team, Asadullah Khan said, "I am happy for the boys. They fought hard and played well. Maybe they were a little slow at the beginning but they settled down and did their job and now we are in the semi-finals." Their semi-final game will be on July 17th. |
 Afghan U-16 Team Yesterday, in the first game of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Under-16 competition, Afghanistan (39 for 1 off 9.4 overs) defeated Maldives (38 all out off 13.4 overs) by 9 wickets. The U-16 tournament is currently being held Penang, Malaysia. The team from Maldives struggled from the beginning. Afghanistan coach Assadullah Khan was happy with the win and said his team did very well, especially in bowling, however, he still saw room for improvement. Shamsurhman Karokhil was given the Man of the Match award. On Wednesday (July14th), Afghanistan will go up against Bhutan. |
Shahzad Reprimanded It was reported today that Afghan national team wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad has been reprimanded after apparently breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the team's match against the Netherlands yesterday. Shahzad has pleaded guilty to the level 1 offense and has accepted the proposed sanction. He was found to be have breached 2.1.8 of the code which relates to conduct “contrary to the spirit of the game”. According to an ICC press release, "The incident took place in the eighth over of Afghanistan’s innings when Shahzad, on a caught behind appeal by Adeel Raja, showed his upper arm indicating to umpire Norman Malcolm that the ball had not touched his bat." Mangal and Shinwari part of ICC WCL Division 1 teamAfghan national cricket team captain Nawroz Mangal and Nangarhar province native Samiullah Shinwari were named part of the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 team of the tournament. The team (in batting order): 1. Paul Stirling (Ireland) 2. Ashish Bagai (Canada) (wicketkeeper) 3. Tom Cooper (The Netherlands) 4. Nawroz Mangal (Afghanistan) 5. Kevin O’Brien (Ireland) 6. Neil McCallum (Scotland) 7. Thomas Odoyo (Kenya) 8. Samiullah Shinwari (Afghanistan) 9. Trent Johnston (Ireland) (captain) 10. George Dockrell (Ireland) 11. Mark Jonkman (The Netherlands) 12th man Gordon Drummond (Scotland) Cricket Workshop In Balk Province The Afghan Youth Cricket Support Organisation (AYCSO), working with the Afghan government, held a cricket workshop in the capital of Balkh province, Mazar-e-Sharif late last week. Former national team player, Raees Ahmadzai who founded AYCSO said that the goals of the workshop were to help promote cricket among the youth in the province, and to improve the skills of Afghanistan's future cricket players. At the end of the workshop, each participant got a cricket uniform, a bat, a ball and a cap. According to their website, "The Afghan Youth Cricket Support Organization (AYCSO) is an Afghan NGO, committed to brightening children's lives through cricket." |
 Today, Afghanistan defeated the Netherlands in their final game of the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 tournament. Afghanistan 219/5 in 46.0 overs defeated the Netherlands 218/5 in 50.0 overs by 5 wickets (with 24 balls remaining). With this win, Afghanistan finishes 3rd in the tournament, and the Netherlands finishes in fourth place. In other games today, Ireland defeated Scotland by 6 wickets in the final to win the trophy and become champions of the tournament. Also, Canada defeated Kenya by 3 wickets. Final results of the 2010 ICC World Cricket League Division 1 tournament :Winner: Ireland Second Place: Scotland Third Place: Afghanistan Fourth Place: Netherlands Fifth Place: Canada Sixth Place: Kenya |
After winning two in a row, Afghan fans were hoping the momentum would carry the Afghan national cricket team to a victory over Scotland in the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 tournament in the Netherlands. Scotland 142/8 (43.5 ov) defeated Afghanistan 141 (47.1 ov) by 2 wickets (with 37 balls remaining). Afghanistan had a poor start, however, a flurry of late wickets gave Afghan fans a hope of a miracle, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough, and so Scotland edged out a win. Scotland had also defeated Afghanistan in the warm up match on June 29th by 65 runs. Scotland will now face off against Ireland in the final, and Afghanistan will face off against the Netherlands on July 10th for the 3rd place position. Here are the standings so far:
In domestic cricket news, a tournament started earlier this week in the province of Nuristan. Pajhwok Afghan news cited the provincial governor (Jamaluddin Badar) as saying that "the event is aimed at the selection of four squads to represent the remote province in national tournaments". The governor also said that the winners would be awarded medals and cash prizes. |
After beating Kenya on Monday, Afghanistan made it two in a row by easily defeating host country Netherlands today in the ICC World Cricket League Division One tournament. Afghanistan defeated the Netherlands by 6 wickets, with 45 balls remaining. With this win, their next match against Scotland on July 9th becomes a virtual semi-final. Much credit goes to team captain Nawroz Mangal who hit 67 runs in 53 balls. Ashgar Stanikzai and Mohammad Shahzad also played well and help their captain to guide the team to victory over the Netherlands. Here are the standings so far:Match Summary: - Toss Afghanistan, who chose to field - Netherlands 202/8 v Afghanistan 203/4 (42.3 ov) - Afghanistan won by 6 wickets (with 45 balls remaining) - Points: Afghanistan 2, Netherlands 0 - Played at Sportpark Westvliet, Voorburg
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In must win situation against Kenya, Afghanistan struggled, but finally pulled off a win against Kenya in it's third official game of the ICC World Cricket League Division One tournament. Afghanistan 234/9 (50.0 ov) defeated Kenya 233/7 (50 ov) by 1 wicket (with 0 balls remaining). Afghan fans were very nervous as their team lost their ninth wicket off the penultimate ball, but thankfully, Shapoor Zadran hit the winning run to win the game for the Afghans. Next, Afghanistan is scheduled to play against the Netherlands on July 7th and then they play against Scotland on July 9th. Here are the standings so far:
Meanwhile today, officials from Afghanistan's National Olympics Committee, led by Muhammad Zahir Aghbar, inaugurated a new 1750 cubic meter playground in the Panjsad Family area of Kabul city. The cost of the playground construction was $27,000 US. Afghan actress Leena Alam was present at the ceremony, and Afghan athletes played football (soccer), and Taekwondo matches were held to celebrate the event. |
July 4, 2010: Afghans back from Muaythai (Muay Thai) competition |
July 4, 2010: Afghanistan loses to Ireland In Cricket Match In Afghanistan's second official game of the ICC World Cricket League Division One tournament, they lost to Ireland by 39 runs. Afghan batting failed against the Irish team's disciplined bowling and strong fielding. A year ago, in the same tournament, Afghanistan defeated Ireland by 22 runs, so this year, it was sweet revenge for the Irish. The match officially had started on Saturday, but after intermittent rain on Saturday afternoon, the match was forced to be carried into Sunday (reserve day). Tomorrow, the Afghan team will play against Kenya. It should be a win for Afghanistan as Kenya has already lost twice. Match Summary: * Ireland - 237-9, 50 overs (Andrew Poynter 78, Kevin O’Brien 44, Trent Johnston 42 not out, Andrew White 31; Hamid Hassan 3-53, Khaliq Dad 2-27) Here are the standings so far:* Afghanistan -198 all out, 47.1 overs (Shabir Noori 38, Karim Sadiq 25, Mohammad Nabi 23, Noor Ali 21, Asghar Stanikzai 20; Alex Cusack 5-22, Andrew White 2-30) * Man of the match: Andrew Poynter (Ireland)
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| July 1, 2010: Afghanistan Defeats Canada In Cricket Match Today's match was played at Sportpark Westvliet, Voorburg. On Saturday (July 3rd), they will play against Ireland at Rotterdam. Summary: Coin Toss: Canada won and chose to bat Canada innings (50 overs maximum) Afghanistan innings (target: 258 runs from 50 overs) Some Match Notes: Mohammad Shahzad 50 in 50 balls, 61 minutes, 6x4, 1x6 Nawroz Mangal 50 in 49 balls, 67 minutes, 3x4 In the other two matches held today, Ireland beat Kenya by 7 wickets and Scotland beat the Netherlands by 1 wicket. Here are the standings so far:
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June 30, 2010: Nabi and Hassan in Holland - ready for cricket match against Canada |
| June 29, 2010: Afghanistan loses to Scotland in cricket warm up match In a warm up match before the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 tournament begins on July 1st, Afghanistan's national cricket team lost to Scotland. Scotland won by 65 runs. Scotland scored 283 runs in 50 overs for 7 wickets, and Afghanistan lost all wickets in 47 overs for 218 runs. Afghan batting was poor, and two of their players, Hamid Hassan and Mohammad Nabi were not present. They weren't able to make it to the Netherlands from the United Kingdom in time. They were in Britain to play for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) against the Pakistani cricket team in a Twenty20 match on June 27, 2010 at Lord's Cricket Ground in London, England. The Afghan team's first official game will be against Canada at Voorburg. |
| June 26, 2010: Wheelchair-Basketball Tournament in Afghanistan A wheelchair-basketball tournament had been held in Afghanistan around end of May and early June of this year. 6 teams from 3 cities (Mazar-e-Sharif, Herat, and Maimana) participated.Click Here to read the story from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). |
June 24, 2010: Afghanistan Cricket Board will not sign Rashid Latif Rashid Latif The national team is scheduled to leave for the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 tournament on Saturday. They will do so now without a batting coach. They are scheduled to play a warm-up match against Scotland at Deventer on June 29th, and will play their first official game against Canada at Voorburg on July 1st. |
June 23, 2010: Afghanistan to participate in the Asian Cricket Council U-16 Challenge Cup 2010 Group A: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives Group: China, Oman, Myanmar, Iran Each side will be playing 40 overs in each match. Afghan squad will consist of: Jawaid Ahmadzai, Abdul Sabur Akhonzada, Ajmal Kamawal, Sayed Hakim Karimi, Shams Karokhil, Jafar Khan Katwazai, Parwiz Khan, Shafiullah Mohammad, Shaif Mohammad Murad, Naweenulhaq Tarakhil, Qadir Zazai, Qayum Zazai, Sadam Zazai, and Yusuf Zazai. According to the ACC website today, the schedule is as follows: July 12 Afghanistan v Maldives at Penang Sports Club China v Iran at Universiti Sains Malaysia July 13 China v Myanmar at Penang Sports Club Iran v Oman at Universiti Sains Malaysia July 14 Oman v Myanmar at Penang Sports Club Afghanistan v Bhutan at Universiti Sains Malaysia July 15 Bhutan v Maldives at Penang Sports Club Myanmar v Iran at Universiti Sains Malaysia July 16 China v Oman at Universiti Sains Malaysia July 17 SF1: A1 v B2 at Penang Sports Club SF2: A2 v B1 at Universiti Sains Malaysia July 18 5th/6th Playoff: A3 v B3 at Universiti Sains Malaysia July 19 FINAL: Winners SF1 v SF2 at Penang Sports Club 3rd/4th Playoff: Losers SF1 v SF2 at Universiti Sains Malaysia |
| June 22, 2010: Afghan bodybuilders at the 7th South Asian Men's Bodybuilding Championship in Nepal Afghan bodybuilders competed in the various weight classes of the 7th South Asian Men's Bodybuilding Championship in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. The competition was organized by the Nepal Body Building and Fitness Association (NBBFA). It started on June 17th and ended on June 20th. Afghan bodybuilders won four silver and five bronze medals. Here are a few photos of the Afghan bodybuilders: Afghan bodybuilder Abdullah Habibi during the Heavy Weight (+90Kg) category  Afghan bodybuilder Parwiz Shukram during the Light Heavy Weight (90Kg) category  Winners of the Welter Weight category gold medalist Aram Bam Booy Singh of India (C), silver medalist Khalid Ali of Pakistan (L) and Bronze medalist Ramin Hasanzada of Afghanistan |
| June 19, 2010: Afghan athletes visit Pul-i-Charkhi prison; Football tournament was held in Kapisa Various athletic events such as wrestling matches and a volleyball game was held today in Kabul's Pul-i-Charkhi prison. Afghanistan's National Volleyball team even took on a group of prisoners in a friendly match. Officials from the National Olympics Committee were present to encourage prisoner participation in sporting activities. Earlier in the week (June 16th), a 2 week long football (soccer) tournament came to a conclusion in Afghanistan's north eastern province of Kapisa. There were 6 teams, and each represented the different faculties of Al Biruni University. The teams were also divided into 2 groups. Sharia Law, Law and Political Science and Agriculture were in Group A, and Medical, Engineering and Literature were in Group B. In the final match, the Law and Political Science team defeated the Literature team 2-1 to win the trophy. |
| June 17, 2010: Afghan Cup 2010 This is mostly a soccer, volleyball and basketball competition amongst various Afghan sport teams based in the United States. The event is being organized by the non-profit Afghan Sports Federation. The organization was established in 1998 to promote amateur sports among the Afghan youths and adults - both men and women. The games are mostly head in the United States. Soccer Games: Howison Homestead Soccer Complex 14716 Minnieville Rd. Woodbridge, VA (USA) Time: 8 AM - 12 PM and 4 PM - 10 PM Basketball and Volleyball Games Hoop Magic Sports Academy 14810 Murdock St, Chantilly, VA (USA) Time: 12 PM - 5 PM Championship and Concert Sunday July 11, 2010 Maryland SoccerPlex Stadium 18031 Central Park Circle Boyds, Maryland 20841 (USA) |
| June 16, 2010: Afghan cricket team to camp in Jalalabad; Hassan and Nabi to play for Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC); Weightlifting competition organized in Kabul Afghanistan's national cricket team will train in Jalalabad for the upcoming ICC World Cricket League Division 1 in The Netherlands. They will start tomorrow (June 17th), and will be there for 8 days. The Afghan squad for this international competition will be: Nowroz Khan Mangal (captain), Mohammad Nabi, Karim Khan Sadiq, Mirwais Ashraf, Mohammad Shahzad Mohammadi, Hamid Hassan, Samiullah Shenwari, Noor Ali Noori, Asghar Stanikzai, Shahpoor Zadran, Shabir Ahmad Noori, Aftab Alam, Khalid Dad Noori, Dawlat Ahmadzai, and Mohammad Jawed Ahmadi. According to cricketworld.com, Afghan national team players Hamid Hassan and Mohammad Nabi will play for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) when they face off against the Pakistani cricket team in a Twenty20 match on June 27, 2010 at Lord's Cricket Ground in London, England. Marylebone Cricket Club is one of the world's most famous cricket clubs. Bowler Hamid Hassan was the first Afghan to play at Lord's when he represented Marylebone Cricket Club against a Europe XI in 2007. The full MCC squad will be: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Aiden Blizzard, Brian Lara, Ian Harvey, Mohammad Nabi, Tyron Henderson, Chris Harris, John Simpson (wicket-keeper), Glenn Querl, Chaminda Vaas, and Hamid Hassan. In non cricket news, today in Kabul, a two-day weightlifting competition was organized by the National Olympic Committee. Over 100 weightlifters from across the country are expected to participate in the competition. |
June 15, 2010: Hasti Gul Abid joins ACB; Afghanistan not at Dambulla; T20 domestic tournament scheduled to start soon Hasti Gul Abid Reports say that Hasti Gul Abid is not happy with how many of the national players have been acting recently. The players are not happy with the squad chosen by ACB's selection committee, and so they threatening to not participate in the upcoming international cricket matches in the Netherlands (WCL1 - World Cricket League Division 1) until their demands are met. Hasti Gul Abid has said he will work with the players to resolve all the issues and prevent the players from non participate in the upcoming international cricket matches. Today was the start of the Asian Cup in Dambulla, Sri Lanka. Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are competing for the Asian Cup. Unfortunately, Afghanistan was not invited to play despite winning the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Trophy Elite competition in April. This has left many Afghan cricket fans disappointed. Fortunately, they don't have to be disappointed for too long as their first international match will be against Scotland at Rotterdam on June 29th. Afghan media is reporting that the ACB has decided to start the second season of the T20 domestic tournament towards the end of June this year. ACB officials say that at least 25 teams from around the country will participate. Last year's T20 winner was Kandahar - they beat Khost in the final championship game. |
June 10, 2010: Kabul Wins Etisalat Trophy 50-over Inter-provincial cricket tournament Kabul Won the toss and elected to field first Kabul 163/4 In 39 overs Paktia 162/10 In 47.6 overs Kabul wins by 6 wickets |
June 9, 2010: Launch of Premier League Football Tournament; National Cricket Team Drama Update Ghazi Stadium, Kabul National Cricket Team Drama Update  ACB Chairman Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal An online Afghan cricket blog is reporting that Afghanistan's Cricket Board chairman Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal has accepted one of the demands from the players who are threatening to not participate in the upcoming international cricket matches in the Netherlands (WCL1 - World Cricket League Division 1). Dawlat Ahmadzai will replace the Selection Committee's pick, new comer Murad Ali. However, other demands such as replacing the ACB CEO or the Chief Selector with retired player Raees Ahmadzai was denied. Zakhilwal himself has apparently threatened to quit as ACB chairman if the players continue with their threat of not participate in the upcoming international cricket matches in the Netherlands. The report also stated that Zakhilwal has been a great administrator and fundraiser for the organization and if he actually steps down as ACB chairman, it would be a big loss. |
| June 8, 2010: Paktya defeats Laghman - will play in the finals In an exciting second semi-final match of the Etisalat 50-overs domestic competition today, Paktya (Winner of Group D) defeated Laghman (Winner of Group B) by 3 wickets. Team Paktya fans were very excited after game - dancing and celebrating their team's win. Laghman Won the toss and elected to Bat first Paktia 224/7 in 47.4 overs Laghman 223/10 in 48.1 overs The finals: Kabul vs. Paktya |
| June 7, 2010: Kabul defeats Panjshir - will play in the finals In the first semi-final match of the Etisalat 50-overs domestic competition today, Kabul (Winner of Group C) defeated Panjshir (Winner of Group A) by 159 runs. Team Kabul's captain, Noor Malikzai won Man of the Match. Kabul Won the toss and elected to Bat first Kabul 225 / 8 in 50 overs Panjshir 66/All out in 17.3 overs Next match - Laghman takes on Paktya. The winner of this match will meet Kabul in the finals. |
| June 6, 2010: Three in a row for Paktya - advances to Semi-Finals; National team drama continues Yesterday, in the fourth Group D match of the Etisalat 50-overs domestic competition, Paktya secured their second win by defeating Nuristan by 2 wickets. Then, today, in the quarter-finals, they defeated Kunduz for their third win. Kunduz had made it to the quarter-finals due to their high run rate. Paktya (Group D) joins Kabul (Group C), Laghman (Group B), and Panjshir (Group A) in the semi-finals. Tomorrow the semi-finals start - first up Kabul versus Panjshir. Meanwhile, the drama continues with the national team. Yesterday, Cricinfo reported that officials from Afghanistan's Cricket Board (ACB) had met with the national team players who have threatened to not participate in the upcoming international tournament in the Netherlands due to the ACB's selections for the squad. They will put together a four-member group of impartial persons to find and present a solution to the player's grievances to the ACB chairman, Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal. Cricinfo reported that the players want to replace Hamid Shinwari (Chief Selector) or ACB chief Aimal Shinwari with retired national team player Raees Ahmadzai. |
| June 4, 2010: Kandahar loses to Paktya; National team players unhappy with ACB In the third Group D match of the Etisalat 50-overs domestic competition, the defending champions, team Kandahar, lost to Paktya by 75 runs. Paktya won the toss and elected to bat first. They did well in terms of batting, and so did Kandahar, at least in the beginning. However, later on, Kandahar's batting collapsed. The Paktya team's bowlers also played a major role in ensuring victory for their team. It was a very exciting match. National Team Drama Pajhwok Afghan News reported Wednesday that many members of Afghanistan's National Cricket Team are refusing to participate in the upcoming international tournament in the Netherlands. Pajhwok reported that "11 of the 15 players -- Nawroz Mangal, Noor Ali, Shahpur Zadran, Muhammad Nabi, Hameed Hasan, Karim Sadiq, Samiullah Shinwari, Asghar Stanikzai, Shahzad and Mirwais Ashraf" have refused to participate. The players are apparently unhappy with the Afghanistan Cricket Board's (ACB) decision in terms of the players they selected to play in the tournament. They are upset that experienced players were dropped, and that Mirwais Ashraf was chosen as vice-captain instead of keeping Muhammad Nabi in the role. "ACB chief Aimal Shinwari blamed Raees Ahmadzai for creating problems, saying he wanted to be part of the national squad despite announcing retirement from cricket", said the report. The report also stated that the ACB chief "warned of initiating disciplinary action against those cricketers who refused to accept the decision of the selection committee." |
| June 3, 2010: Kunduz defeats Parwan by 4 wickets Today, in the second Group D match of the Etisalat 50-overs domestic competition, Kunduz defeated Parwan by 4 wickets. The team from Kunduz played very well today - much to the delight of their fans. Tomorrow's match will be an interesting match as defending champions Kandahar takes on Paktya in the third Group D match. The match will be broadcasted live by Shamshad TV. |
| June 2, 2010: Nuristan defeats Zabul; National team gets batting coach In the first Group D match of the Etisalat 50-overs domestic competition, Nuristan defeated Zabul by 19 runs. In national team news, despite head coach Kabir Khan's preference for an Australian or South African batting coach, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has reached an agreement with former Pakistani captain Rashid Latif to be the team's new batting coach. Rashid Latif Hamid Shinwari, the chief selector for the team, told Pajhwok Afghan News that they "want to give young cricketers a chance, because they are going to be our future asset." |
| June 1, 2010: Domestic cricket update: Kabul defeats Ghazni - advances to Semi-Finals The Ghazni team got lucky and was allowed by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) to advance to the Group C quarter-finals of the Etisalat 50-overs domestic competition without even playing a match. Unfortunately, their luck ran out when they played against Kabul. The team from Kabul defeated them by 147 runs. With this win, they join Panjshir (Group A) and Laghman (Group B) in the semi-finals. Group D matches start tomorrow - first up - Zabul and Nuristan. |
| May 31, 2010: National Cricket Team Squad for ICC World Cricket League Division One Announced This weekend, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) which is headed by Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, (also the Finance Minister), approved the National Cricket Team Squad for ICC World Cricket League Division One competition. According to the ACB, the players were selected based on the following criteria: 1) Best performer in the 2010 World T20 Qualifying Round, ACC Elite Trophy, and T20 World Cup 2) Having good fitness and fielding skills 3) Newcomers who have performed very well in the U19 World Cup Here are the names: Batsman: Noor Ali, Karim Sadiq, Mohammad Shahzad, Nowroz Mangal (Captain), Asghar Stanakzai, Mohammad Nabi, Shabir Noori, Murad Ali, Javed Ahmadi Bowler: Hameed Hasan, Shahpoor Zadran, Khalid Dad Noori, Mirwais Ashraf (Vice Captain), Aftab Alam Spin Bowler: Samiullah Shinwari Reserve Players: Norulhaq (Batsman), Ezitullah (Bowler), Nasratullah (Bowler), Hamza Hotak (Spin Bowler). The Selection Committee comprised of the following people: Hamid Shinwari (Chief Selector), Haji Ahmad Shah, and Assadullah Khan, and Nazeem Abdul Rahimzai |
| May 31, 2010: Domestic cricket update: Back to back victories for Kabul Yesterday, in the second Group C match of the the Etisalat 50-overs domestic competition, Kabul defeated Kunar by 3 wickets, and today, in the third Group C match, Kabul defeated Logar by 2 wickets. |
| May 29, 2010: Domestic cricket update: Logar defeats Jowzjan in Group C match Logar beat Jowzjan by 10 wickets in the first Group C match today of the the Etisalat 50-overs domestic competition. Logar had a very high run rate - this will help them to qualify for the Quarter Finals. Logar's Gulbuddin Nayeb, a former member of the national team, became the Man of the Match. Tomorrow Kabul will play against Kunar. |
| May 28, 2010: Domestic cricket update: Laghman defeats Paktika - advances to Semi-Finals Today, Laghman did it once again by defeating Paktika by 39 runs in the fifth Group B match of the Etisalat 50-overs domestic competition. Win this win, Laghman advances to the semi-finals. Laghman has become the second team to advance to the semi-finals. The first was Group A's Panjshir team. Laghman's Fazal Khan became Man of the Match; he scored 45 runs and took two wickets. Cricket fans were surprised when Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) Chairman, Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, decided to attend the event. Some members of the National Cricket Team (Karim Khan Sadiq, Shahpoor Zadran, and Raees Ahmadzai) were present as well. Group C matches start tomorrow. Up first, Logar vs. Jowzjan. |
| May 27, 2010: Domestic cricket update: Laghman defeats Nangarhar, will go up against Paktika in Quarter Finals In an exciting match today, Laghman defeated Nangarhar by one wickets in the fourth Group Bmatch of the Etisalat 50-overs domestic competition. Win this win, they have secured themselves a place in the Quarter Finals against Paktika. Paktika was promoted to the quarter-finals by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) for having the highest run rate among the three winning teams (Nangarhar, Paktika, and Laghman) of Group B. Group B match results so far: Laghman defeated Nangarhar Nangarhar defeated Herat Paktika defeated Badakshan Laghman defeated Kapisa |
| May 26, 2010: Domestic cricket update: Nangarhar defeats Herat Today, Nangarhar went up against Herat in the third Group B match of the Etisalat 50-overs domestic competition. Herat started playing well, but Zamir Khan, who became Man of the Match, helped his team Nangarhar to defeat the Herat team by 122 runs. Group B match results so far: Nangarhar defeated Herat Paktika defeated Badakshan Laghman defeated Kapisa |
| May 25, 2010: Domestic cricket update: Paktika easily defeats Badakhshan Today, Paktika went up against Badakhshan in the second Group B match of the Etisalat 50-overs domestic competition. From the start, things went badly for Badakhshan, and they finally ended up losing to Paktika by 182 runs. So far, the Paktika team has scored the highest runs in the tournament (319 runs in 50 overs for 9 wickets). Yesterday, in the first Group B match, Laghman defeated Kapisa by 93 runs. |
May 24, 2010: Etisalat Trophy: Inter-provincial domestic cricket competition updates Here are the results so far: Group A matches Day 1 (May 19th) - Panjshir defeats Helmand by 5 wickets Day 2 (May 20th) - Khost defeats Baghlan by 29 runs Day 3 (May 21st) - Balkh defeats Wardak by 21 runs Day 4 (May 22nd) - Khost defeats Balkh by 11 runs. * Note: Panjshir was supposed to play against Balkh, but a controversial rule change was made by Afghanistan Cricket Board Chairman Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal. Day 5 (May 23rd - Quarter Finals) - Panjshir defeats Khost by 141 runs. Panjshir is the first team to make it to the Semi-Finals. Group B matches (so far) Day 6 (May 24th) Laghman defeats Kapisa by 93 runs. Note: There are 4 groups, each team plays against their own group members first. Here is how it is broken down: Panjshir, Balkh, Khost, Baghlan, and Wardak are in Group A Kapisa, Paktika, Laghman, Badakhshan, Nangarhar and Herat are in Group B Jowzjan, Logar, Kabul, Kunar and Ghazni are in Group C. Nuristan, Zabul, Parwan, Kunduz, Kandahar, and Paktya are in Group D |
| May 23, 2010: Afghans and Turks play friendly football game Last week, an Afghan team and the Turkish Provincial Reconstruction Team competed in a friendly football (soccer) game. The match was held on Wednesday, May 19th in Kabul. The team from Afghanistan, beat the Turkish team 2 to 1. The goal scorers from Afghanistan were Khalid Dilawar and Elias Ahmad Manuchaher. Despite the win by the Afghan team, the head of the Afghanistan's National Olympic Committee, presented the trophy to the Turkish footballers. He said that the point of the match was not to compete against the Turks, but to promote a friendly relationship between the two countries. The Afghan players who did well did get some money out of the game - 5,000 afghanis, about $100, was given to the Afghan goalkeeper and to the two players who scored goals. |
| May 22, 2010: Taj Malik Alam submits his resignationTaj Malik Alam, the deputy coach of Afghanistan's National Cricket Team submitted his resignation on Wednesday (May 19th). He said his decision was linked to Afghanistan's losses in the 2010 Twenty20 Cricket World Cup. Many sports commentators have said that even though the Afghans lost both of their matches, the team performed well for such a new organization. Alam said that the team lost because not all the best players participated, and that a commission needs to be formed to investigate the team's "humiliating performance". In their first game of the Twenty20 World Cup campaign, Afghanistan lost to India by seven wickets, and South Africa beat them by 59 runs in the second game. |
| May 18, 2010: Domestic cricket competition |
| May 15, 2010: US based Afghan Soccer League score updates As reported earlier this month, the US based amateur Afghan Soccer League games are currently under way. 6 teams are participating in the competitions: Ariana, Khorasan, Afghan 11, Pamir, Afghanica, and Afghan United. Here are the latest scores: April 27th - Afghanica and Pamir tie 2-2 April 29th - Ariana beats Afghan 11 2-1 May 4th - Khorasan beats Pamir 2-1 For earlier game scores, see report from April 27th below. The final championship game is scheduled for June 22, 2010. |
May 11, 2010: Afghans win gold in the Asian Powerlifting Championships At the beginning of this month, a group of Afghans went to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in order to compete in the 2010 Asian Powerlifting Championships. According to Pajhwok Afghan News, there were participants from 46 countries competing in the events. Four Afghans, Ali Raza Rafezada, Jamil Arab, Ali Ahmad Shahabi and Muhammad Nadar Mujaddidi won gold medals. Despite their success, the athletes were disappointed with the lack of support they received from the government. They wanted the government to do more in terms of training and coaching for the athletes. |
May 9, 2010: Cricket Team Returns Home to Heroes' Welcome Afghanistan's National Cricket Team returned home yesterday, and they were greeted at Kabul International Airport by thousands of adoring fans. Despite being forced out of the the Twenty20 World Cup campaign, after losing to India then South Africa, Afghan fans expressed their joy at the team's overall performance this year. In April, they defeated Nepal to win the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Trophy Elite 2010 competition. Even their performance at the Twenty20 World Cup campaign was respectable for a new team. "These players left for the West Indies as heroes and they’re coming home to Afghanistan as heroes," said Shahzada Masoud, Vice Chairman of Afghanistan Cricket Board. The event was organized by Etisalat Afghanistan, a newly established GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) operator in Afghanistan. On May 7th, the Afghan cricket team's middle-order batsman, Raees Ahmadzai, announced his retirement on his Twitter page. He said that he is retiring, but will stay involved in cricket and will focus on developing the next line of Afghan cricketers. "Thanks for all the supportive messages. I have retired in order to focus on developing the younger generation of Afghan cricketers," read his Twitter feed. |
May 5, 2010: Afghanistan loses to South Africa in cricket - depart Twenty20 The Afghan cricket team gave it their best shot, but unfortunately, it was not enough to defeat the powerful South African team. South Africa 139 for 7 (Kallis 34, Hamid 3-21) beat Afghanistan 80 (M Morkel 4-20, Langeveldt 3-12) by 59 runs. With this loss, Afghanistan departs from the Twenty20 World Cup campaign. Kabir Khan, the coach of the Afghan team said in order for the Afghan team to get better, they must be given an opportunity to play more, and play against better teams. "We have not got a domestic structure in Afghanistan and preparing for a World Cup for three or four weeks isn't enough.... They have to play a lot more than a game or two. We've got ODI status and we can play Twenty20 internationals against any country in the world so the teams need to invite us," coach Kabir Khan said. On the bright side, Afghanistan was able to restrict a batting line-up like South Africa to 139. |
May 1, 2010: Afghanistan loses against India in Twenty20 Dhoni and Shahzad shake hands at the end of the game In their first game of the Twenty20 World Cup campaign, Afghanistan 115 for 8 (Noor 50, Nehra 3-19) loses to India 116 for 3 (Vijay 48) by seven wickets. Even though they lost, the Afghan team put up a decent fight; they posted a respectable total of 115 for eight, thanks to 50 from opener Noor Ali and 30 by Asghar Stanikzai. India will play their next Group C match against South Africa on Sunday (May 2nd), and Afghanistan will play against another major team, South Africa, on Wednesday, May 5th. Here's the scorecard:Afghanistan innings Noor Ali c Dhoni b Nehra 50India innings G. Gambhir c Mohammad Nabi b Dawlat Ahmadzai 4 |
| April 28, 2010: Cricket: Afghanistan defeats Ireland in Twenty20 warm-up game Today, at Providence Stadium, in Guyana, Afghanistan 134 for 5 (Stanikzai 39) beat Ireland 133 for 9 (D Ahmadzai 4-15) by five wickets in the Twenty20 warm-game. Dawlat Ahmadzai claimed 4 for 15, and Ashghar Stanikzai and Mohammad Nabi added 66 runs for the fifth wicket in six overs to seal the win and give Ireland the loss. Perhaps this is a taste of what is to come when the Afghan cricket team officially plays in the ICC World Twenty20 on May 1st against India. Coach Kabir Khan did say recently that his team will try to make an upset when they play against India. The Afghan squad is comprised of: Nowroz Mangal (Captain), Asghar Stanikzai, Dawlat Ahmadzai, Hamid Hassan, Karim Sadiq, Mirwais Ashraf, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Shahzad, Nasratullah, Noor Ali, Raees Ahmadzai, Samiullah Shenwari, Shabir Noori, Shafiqullah Shafiq, and Shapoor Zadran |
April 27, 2010: Afghan Soccer League Starts Starts Season In The U.S. The final championship game is scheduled for June 22, 2010. Here are the results so far: April 06th - Ariana beats Khorasan 3-0 April 08th - Afghan 11 beats Pamir 6-3 April 13th - Khorasan beats Afghanica 6-1 April 15th - Afghan United beats Pamir 2-0 April 20th - Afghan 11 beats Khorasan 6-5 April 22nd - Afghan United beats Ariana 3-0 For more info, check out www.afghansportsfederation.org/soccer_schedule.htm |
| April 21, 2010: Afghan cricket team's matches in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) called off The Afghan cricket team was scheduled to be in Trinidad and Tobago this week to play against local teams so that they stay in shape for the upcoming World Twenty20 Championship. Unfortunately, since ash clouds from Iceland's spewing volcano had halted air traffic across a wide swath of Europe recently, the Afghan team's travel plans had been affected. The team's matches were called off since they could not take a flight to Trinidad and Tobago. Instead they have been participating in training sessions in Dubai to make up for the warm up matches they will miss in Trinidad and Tobago. Latest reports say that the team will still be able to travel to the Caribbean to participate in the World Twenty20 Championship since travel restrictions have been lifted today. |
April 15, 2010: Boxing competition held in Kabul |
| April 14, 2010: Afghan cricket team's schedule in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) As reported earlier, the Afghan cricket team will be in Trinidad and Tobago next week to prepare for the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty20. At T&T, they will play against local teams so that they stay in shape when it comes time for the big tournament. The team's schedule is as follows:
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| April 12, 2010: Afghan Karate Team Returns Home With Medals Afghanistan's National Karate Taekwondo team arrived home yesterday and were greeting by adoring fans at Kabul Airport. The team came back from Iran, where they participated in the 2010 Jam-i-Fajr International Karate Tournament. The team did very well - overall they won 8 medals: 4 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze. |
April 10, 2010: Weightlifting Competition Starts in Kabul A weightlifting competition started today at the gymnasium of the National Olympics Committee in Kabul. 500 athletes from 15 different provinces will compete in the event in the next four days. The sportsmen will not only compete in traditional events showing strength such as dead lifts, but will also compete in just games as racing while pulling 600 pound chains. Local hero, Ali Reza Rafizada, known as "Afghanistan's most powerful man" is competing in the event. |
| April 10, 2010: Afghan cricket team will prepare for ICC Twenty20 in Trinidad and Tobago The Afghan cricket team will be in Trinidad and Tobago next weekend to prepare for the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty20 Championship to be held in the West Indies. They will be joined by such teams as Ireland. Afghanistan's first match up in the ICC Twenty20 will be against India on May 1st. Yesterday, the team defeated Nepal by 95 runs to become the ACC Trophy Elite 2010 champions. |
April 9, 2010: Afghan cricket team wins the ACC Trophy Elite Summary of match: ACC Trophy Elite 2010 FINAL: Afghanistan v Nepal at Hubara AFGHANISTAN WON BY 95 RUNS Nepal have won the toss and elected to field Afghanistan 224 all out 50 overs (K.Sadiq 58, R.Ahmadzai 52, M.Nabi 48; B.Das 3-35) Nepal: 129 all out off 40 overs (G.Malla 30, S.Vesawkar 35) Man of the Match: Raees Ahmadzai (Afghanistan) |
April 7, 2010: Afghan cricket teams beats the Hong Kong team - Make it to the ACC Trophy Elite Final Summary of match: ACC Trophy Elite 2010 Semi-Final 2: Hong Kong v Afghanistan at Unity AFGHANISTAN WIN BY FIVE WICKETS Hong Kong won the toss and chose to bat Hong Kong: 205 all out off 48.1 overs (H.Butt 63; M.Nabi 3-30, H.Hassan 3-53) Afghanistan: 210 for 5 off 44.4 overs (M.Shahzad 35, A.Stanikzai 55*, R.Ahmadzai 38, M.Nabi 35*) Man of the Match: Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan) |
April 3, 2010: In Cricket Afghanistan beats Malaysia after loss to UAE. Team has also identified their squad for the World Twenty20 Summary of both matches: ACC Trophy Elite 2010 Group B: Afghanistan v Malaysia at KOC Hubara AFGHANISTAN WON BY 1 RUN Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat Afghanistan: 236 for 9 off 50 overs (K. Sadiq 46, A.Stanikzai 41, R.Ahmadzai 64*) Malaysia: 235 all out off 49.5 (D.Warnasavithana 35, S.Kumar 61, A.Arudin 43, S.Navaratnam 33; H.Hassan 5-44) Man of the Match: Hamid Hassan Group B: Afghanistan v UAE at KEC UAE WON BY TWO WICKETS Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat Afghanistan: 217 for 7 off 50 overs (M.Shahzad 33, R.Ahmadzai 56, S.Shenwari 50*; S.Silva 3-30) UAE: 218 for 8 off 49.1 overs (A.Rehman 30, S.Ali 93*; S.Zadran 3-28) Man of the Match: Saqib Ali (UAE) This week, the Afghan team also identified their players that will participate in the World Twenty20 cup, which is scheduled to start on April 30th in the Caribbean. Afghanistan will play their first match against India on May 1st, and then South Africa on May 5th - both two powerful teams in world cricket. The Afghan team is: Nawroz Mangal (captain), Mohammad Nabi, Karim Sadiq, Mirwais Ashraf, Rais Ahmadzai, Dawlat Ahmadzai, Mohammad Shahzad, Hamid Hassan, Samiullah Shinwari, Noor Ali, Asghar Stanikzai, Shahpoor Zadran, Shabir Noori, Sayed Nasrat, and Shafiq Shafaq. |
March 21, 2010: Afghan Cricket Team In Pakistan Afghanistan's cricket team and their coach Kabir Khan are in the Pakistani city of Lahore to play four matches against Pakistan's National Cricket Academy (NCA). The Afghan team will play against the NCA in order to prepare themselves for the upcoming World Twenty20 which is scheduled to start on April 30th in the West Indies. After their matches with the NCA, they will fly to Kuwait to participate in the ACC (Asian Cricket Council) Championships. After that, they will will hold a training camp in the United Arab Emirates before flying out to play for the World Twenty20 cup.Last week, construction started on Afghanistan's first cricket stadium in Helmand province. The stadium will be built in the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Township and will cost US$5 million. The stadium will make it possible for the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) to invite other nations to play in an international standard venue in Afghanistan. |
February 23, 2010: Afghanistan defeats Canada in ICC Intercontinental Cup match Afghan cricket player, Mohammad Shahzad played an enormous role today in helping to make Afghanistan victorious over the Canadians in the fourth and last day of the ICC Intercontinental Cup match at Sharjah (United Arab Emirates). Afghanistan 264 and 494 for 4 (Shahzad 215, Nabi 80, Mangal 70) beat Canada 566 and 191 for 4 dec by six wickets. The Afghan team scored 454 runs in 93.3 overs at nearly five runs per over with only 206 runs coming off boundaries.Scoreboard: Canada (1st innings): 566. Afghanistan (1st innings): 264. Canada (2nd innings): 191. Afghanistan (2nd innings / overnight 40 for no loss): Karim Sadiq c Hansra b Rizwan Cheema 42, Noor Ali c Bastiampillai b Dhaniram 52, Mohammad Shahzad (not out) 215, Nowroz Mangal c & b David 70, Mohammad Nabi c sub (HS Baidwan) b Patel 80, Asghar Stanikzai (not out) 22. Extras: (b-5, lb-3, w-4, nb-1) 13. Total: (for 4 wickets; 106.4 overs) 494. Fall of Wickets: 1-70, 2-119, 3-282, 4-460. Bowling: Rizwan Cheema 22-0-119-1 (1w), Khurram Chohan 17-1-72-0, NR Kumar 8.4-1-43-0, S Jyoti 24-0-105-0, H Patel 8-1-47-1 (2w), S Dhaniram 11-2-30-1, R David 16-0-70-1 (1nb). |
| February 20, 2010: Afghans to participate in Tour de Pakistan Pakistan's Cycling Federation has invited Afghan cyclists to participate in the 15th Tour de Pakistan. The Tour de Pakistan is a bicycle race race held in Pakistan in which the riders cover 1,655 kilometres (1,028 miles). The event is modeled after the well known Tour de France. The race will begin on March 1st in Peshawar and will end on March 13th in Karachi. The price money is US $10,000. |
| February 18, 2010: Canada avenges loss to Afghanistan in cricket After losing to Afghanistan on Tuesday by one run, the Canadians came back today, and defeated Afghanistan by 4 wickets. The Afghan team was on a winning streak for a while, until they finally lost to the Canadians in the 2nd ODI (One Day International Series). The Afghans will get a chance to make up for the loss when they face the Canadians once again at Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) on February 20th. Afghanistan Innings - 177 all out (43.1 overs) Canada Innings - 178 for 6 (39.2 overs) |
February 14, 2010: Afghanistan beats Ireland in cricket match On top of beating the United Arab Emirates yesterday and securing themselves a place in the World Twenty20 finals, Afghanistan beat Ireland by 8 wickets (with 15 balls remaining) in Dubai yesterday. This will be the first time an Afghan team has made it to the finals of a major ICC tournament. Afghanistan will play India and South Africa in Group C of the World Twenty20. Batting all-rounder Karim Sadiq told an AFP reporter, "People in my country are very happy, and there will be big celebrations in Afghanistan when we return... I think maybe three million people will come to the city to celebrate and dance." |
| February 13, 2010: Afghanistan beats UAE in cricket match After losing to the Netherlands yesterday, the Afghan team came back strong today and beat their host, the United Arab Emirates. Afghanistan 101 for 6 (Noor Ali 38, Stanikzai 26, Silva 2-14, Fayyaz 2-14) beat the United Arab Emirates 100 for 9 (Saqib 24, Nabi 3-17, Mirwais 2-15) by 4 wickets. Afghanistan has now officially made it to the World Twenty20 finals in the West Indies which is scheduled from April 30 to May 16, 2010. |
| February 12, 2010: Netherlands defeats Afghanistan Today, Netherlands 132 for 6 (Kervezee 39, Nabi 3-23) beat Afghanistan 128 for 9 (Ahmadzai 23, Jonkman 2-23) by four wickets at Dubai International stadium. The Afghan team will need to get a strong victory against the UAE tomorrow in order to enhance their chances of making it to the World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies. |
| February 11, 2010: Afghanistan beats USA at cricket Afghanistan 135 for 4 (Mangal 30) beat USA 106 for 7 (Hassan 3-14) by 29 runs. With this win, Afghanistan is now in the Super Fours, and will play against the Netherlands on February 12th. If they do well in the Super Fours, they will then get to go to the West Indies and participate in the World Twenty20 tournament. Afghan star player Hamid Hassan wrote about the match today on his blog. Click here to check it out. |
February 11, 2010: Afghanistan at the 11th South Asian Games Crowds greeted the Afghan athletes at Kabul Airport yesterday as they returned home after participating in the the 11th South Asian Games. The games were held in Dhaka, Bangladesh this year. Besides Afghanistan, 7 other countries (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives) participated in the events. Overall, Afghanistan came in 6th place in terms of today medal count. They won 32 medals - 7 of those were gold.Here is the list of winners for Afghanistan:
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| January 28, 2010: Afghan Sports News Update The Afghan cricket team closed the week of January 24th with a win over Ireland in a 4 day match in the Intercontinental Cup. Afghanistan defeated the defending champions Ireland by seven wickets. There were some major developments this week as well. First, on Monday, January 25th, the head of National Olympic Committee (NOC), Gen. Muhammad Zahir Aghbar announced the formation of the Afghanistan Sports Committee for the Deaf. This committee will works towards encouraging and providing more opportunities for deaf athletes to participate in various sports. On Tuesday, January 26th, Afghanistan's football (soccer) team left for Bangladesh to participate in a 10-day, eight-nation soccer tournament. The Afghan team is scheduled to play its first match against India on Friday, the second match will be against Pakistan on Sunday, and the third match will be against Sri Lanka on Wednesday. |
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