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ATN secures exclusive rights to broadcast Afghanistan’s tour of Sri Lanka

Ariana Television Network has done it again – this time by securing exclusive rights to broadcast Afghanistan’s upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.

All matches, which includes a Test, a three-match ODI series, and three T20Is, will be broadcast live on Ariana Television.

The team is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka on January 30 and the Test will start on February 2 in Colombo followed by the ODI series, which starts on February 9, and then the T20Is, which will get underway from February 17.

With most of the focus on the two limited-overs formats, Afghanistan ended up playing just one Test match over the better part of the last three years. Now, however, they’ve found space in the calendar and have two separate all-format series taking place between February 2 and March 18.

Seven days after the end of their tour of Sri Lanka, Afghanistan will be in the UAE hosting Ireland for a one-off Test match between February 28 and March 3. This series also includes a limited-overs leg as Afghanistan build towards the next T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in the West Indies and the USA in June.

Afghanistan’s tour of Sri Lanka was always going to feature a Test match and three T20Is.

“The addition of these three ODIs,” ACB chief Mirwais Ashraf said, “is a significant move to ensure a complete and comprehensive tour which not only provides good exposure to Afghanistan Cricket but will also foster stronger relations between the two nations.

“Playing Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka is always tricky but is a challenge that Afghan Atalan can easily embrace,” he said.

The upcoming tours of Sri Lanka, and then the home series against Ireland, will help the team to prepare for the important T20 World Cup.

Afghanistan tour of Sri Lanka

February 2-6, 2024 One-Off Test
February 9, 2024, 1st ODI
February 11, 2024, 2nd ODI
February 14, 2024, 3rd ODI
February 17, 2024, 1st T20I
February 19, 2024, 2nd T20I
February 21, 2024, 3rd T20I

Stay tuned!

Fans across Afghanistan can tune in to watch this exciting tour that will be brought to you live and exclusively by Ariana Television Network.

Watch this space for updates, news, and broadcast schedules!

Good News! ATN secures exclusive rights to broadcast ILT20 live in Afghanistan

It’s another round of good news from Ariana Television Network as this time, the cash-rich International League T20 (ILT20) 2024 will be broadcast live and exclusively on Ariana Television.

The much-awaited league gets underway on Friday, January 19, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium and the opening clash will see defending champions Gulf Giants take on Sharjah Warriors.

The 34-match ILT20 tournament, now in its second season, brings a touch of pizazz to the cricket league arena with all its prizes up from grabs.

For starters the winning team will walk away with $700,000 after a glittering trophy ceremony on Saturday, 17 February, while the losing finalists will get $300,000.

In addition, the tournament’s very own and unique belts for individual award winners will be up for grabs once again plus a $15,000 prize per individual award.

The best batter will be awarded the Green Belt, which was won last year by Desert Vipers’ opener Alex Hales. He will no doubt be aiming, this year, to add the belt once again to his collection.

Gulf Giants’ fast bowler Chris Jordan won both the White and Red Belts last season (best bowler and most valuable player awards) while the Blue Belt was collected by UAE captain Muhammad Waseem who plays for MI Emirates.

The Blue Belt can only be awarded to a UAE player, which the ILT20 decided to hand out to motivate and reward their local players in front of a global audience.

In addition to these belts, the player of the match award winners for each of the 34 games will get $1,500.

Build-up to the event

ILT20 organizers pulled out all the stops in the past two weeks in the build up to the tournament by hosting events across the UAE.

For fans in the country, the Dubai Mall, Mall of Emirates, Zahia Mall in Sharjah, and Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi were key venues where the iconic trophy was on display and where meet and greet sessions with cricket legends were held.

ILT20 Broadcasts

Fans across Afghanistan can tune in to watch this thrilling event that will be brought to you live and exclusively by Ariana Television Network. The first match will be broadcast from 6pm on Friday, but watch this space for news and further updates.

ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023

The start of the exciting ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is just one day away and fans around the world are gearing up to watch the global extravaganza, which will of course end in celebration for one team and millions of fans.

Afghan fans meanwhile have not been forgotten about as Ariana Television Network has secured the exclusive, and live, broadcasting rights for all matches, which will be played in India.

Games will be broadcast live each day on Ariana Television, while concurrent matches will be live-streamed on Ariana Television’s website.

This World Cup, which starts Thursday, will meanwhile provide a sharp focus for one-day international cricket (ODIs) and a chance to show how the 50-over game has evolved since India last staged the tournament in 2011.

In recent years, critics have complained that ODIs, which were once the economic driving force of the game, are now often reduced to what they say are “meaningless” bilateral series.

Former Australia captain Ian Chappell recently said in a column on ESPNCricinfo that “the ODI has been reduced to virtually depending on a World Cup year for its importance.”

Other experts say the game is too “predictable” and that it has become “boring”.

These sentiments are not however shared with millions of fans around the world who consider ODIs a stalwart of the International Cricket Council’s schedule.

Observers say that perhaps the biggest on-field development since 2011 has been the change in what constitutes a big total.

There have been 24 occasions on which a total of 400 has been passed in ODI cricket and 15 of those have come since the 2011 World Cup.

In fact World Cup-holders England have lifted the world record for an ODI total to 444 in 2016; 481 in 2018 and again last year with a staggering 498 against the Netherlands.

But despite the negative opinions of some critics, ODIs, which date back to 1971, are not going anywhere anytime soon.

Instead, there will be some thrilling matches over the next few weeks, including at least one much anticipated clash between Asian giants and arch-rivals India and Pakistan.

Ten teams are already well into their warm up matches in India, and each team will play every other team once in the league stage. The top four will go through to the semi-finals.

So, who are the favorites to lift this year’s trophy?

Well, experts point towards India as having a good chance, given that they are hosts and have the home crowd on their side and that they are also No.1 in ICC’s ODI rankings.

England might also have a shot as they are defending champions, who won the T20 World Cup last year, and they remain the fastest-scoring batting line-up in ODIs.

Then there is Pakistan, who held the No. 1 ranking until India took it from them.

New Zealand were losing finalists at the last two ODI World Cups as well as the 2021 T20 World Cup. They have a core group of highly experienced, skilful players who will no doubt want to go one better this time.

The experts point out that Australia meanwhile might find themselves seriously tested by Sri Lanka in Lucknow, while New Zealand could face the same predicament by both Bangladesh and Afghanistan in Chennai.

Afghanistan may also pose a big threat to Pakistan, who don’t really have a gun wicket-taking spinner, when they meet in Chennai.

The opening game on October 5 will pit England and New Zealand against each other in Ahmedabad. The final will be on November 19.

There will be six day games, starting at 10.30am local time, but every other match will be day-night contests, starting at 2pm India time.

There are however reserve days in case of rain for both semi-finals, scheduled to take place in Mumbai and Kolkata on November 15 and 16, and the final.

Afghanistan’s first match will be against Bangladesh on Saturday, October 7, in Dharamsala.

The fixtures are as follows?

• Afghanistan vs Bangladesh: Saturday, October 7, 2023, Dharamsala
• Afghanistan vs India: Wednesday, October 11, 2023, Delhi
• Afghanistan vs England: Saturday, October 14, 2023, Delhi
• Afghanistan vs New Zealand: Wednesday, October 18, 2023, Chennai
• Afghanistan vs Pakistan: Monday, October 23, 2023, Chennai
• Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka: Monday, October 30, 2023, Pune
• Afghanistan vs Netherlands: Friday, November 3, 2023, Lucknow
• Afghanistan vs Australia: Tuesday, November 7, 2023, Mumbai
• Afghanistan vs South Africa: Friday, November 10, 2023, Ahmedabad

Ariana Television Network will keep fans up-to-date on all the news and on broadcasting and streaming details. So be sure to check back here, regularly, for the latest World Cup news.

ACC Asia Cup 2023 on Ariana Television

The schedule for the 2023 Asia Cup, co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka, was officially announced on Wednesday evening. The tournament will run from August 30 to September 17.

Pakistan will take on Nepal in the opening match of the 2023 Asia Cup in Multan, the ICC confirmed. 

The tournament, which will be played in 50-overs format, has six teams divided into two groups of three teams each.

Pakistan, India and Nepal are in Group A while Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are in Group B. The tournament will follow a hybrid model with Pakistan hosting four matches across two venues and Sri Lanka hosting the remaining games.

The iconic clash between India and Pakistan is set for September 2 in Kandy. 

The six group-stage matches will be followed by the Super 4s, beginning September 6. 

The final will be played by the teams that occupy the top two spots at the end of the Super 4s on September 17 in Colombo. 

Afghanistan’s first match in the Group Stage will be on September 3 in Lahore, Pakistan, against Bangladesh. The team will then play Sri Lanka, also in Lahore, on September 5. 

The Asia Cup will be broadcast live by Ariana Television Network, starting on August 30. Broadcasting details, final fixtures and match reports will also be published on ATN’s digital sites daily – providing cricket fans with all the information they need.

The fixtures as revealed by the ICC on Wednesday evening as below.

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