Cricket News

Afghanistan glimpsed the greatest victory of their short international history before Sri Lanka dragged themselves over the line in Dunedin by four wickets with 10 balls to spare - and the finish was tenser than that suggests

Sri Lanka should not have too many problems opening their World Cup account in Dunedin, but it will be the manner of the performance that will be closely watched

As next opponents Sri Lanka took a rest day on Friday, Afghanistan were focused and intense in the nets under the watchful eyes of coach Andy Moles

It took only seven balls for Samiullah Shenwari's delight at Afghanistan's first appearance in a World Cup to descend into personal disaster as the focus turned once again onto umpiring confusion

Afghanistan's World Cup debut was the story of the day in Canberra but Mashrafe Mortaza's Bangladesh won by 105 runs to assuage worries of an early meltdown at the hands of the newcomers

Bangladesh are expected to win over a side that, as Afghanistan coach Andy Moles pointed out, was not even in the ICC when Bangladesh played in their first World Cup in 1999

Mashrafe Mortaza was optimistic of receiving backing from the stands during their World Cup opening match against Afghanistan, but Bangladesh's form in the warm-ups has not generated the same confidence

UAE kept pace with the asking rate in their chase of 309 but regular wickets ensured Afghanistan wrapped up a 14-run win with 10 balls still left to play

Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi acknowledged that his side were unable to sustain their level of skill and composure during the warm-up game against India, which they lost by 153 runs

ICC chief executive David Richardson has conceded that it is hard to guarantee large numbers of games for leading Associate teams Ireland and Afghanistan in their attempts to qualify for the 2019 World Cup in England

Rohit Sharma's 150 underpinned India's surge to 364 for 5 against Afghanistan in the World Cup warm-up match at Adelaide Oval, allowing MS Dhoni's team to go on to win their first match on the tour

Mohammad Nabi said Afghanistan have learned some lessons from the World T20 and believes a squad tailored to Australian and New Zealand conditions can "hopefully go to the second round"

Rahul Dravid and Graeme Smith reflect on the chances of Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and the four Associate teams to make an impact in the 2015 World Cup

Afghanistan are mixing with the big boys for the first time on cricket's biggest stage. They have the raw talent to steal the spotlight for a while

Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom has said that Ireland and Afghanistan must get matches against Full Members to give credibility to their addition to the ICC ODI rankings table

Ireland and Afghanistan have the opportunity to gain direct qualification to the 2019 World Cup if they are among the top-eight ranked ODI sides as of September 30, 2017

Afghanistan responded to their heavy defeat against Scotland by inflicting a 71-run loss on Ireland which means the final match on Monday will decide who comes out on top

A six-wicket haul from the fast bowler Josh Davey helped bundle Afghanistan out for 63 and set up Scotland's 150-run win in Abu Dhabi

Ed Joyce's 51 and a steady 52-run partnership between Andy Balbirnie and Alex Cusack helped Ireland survive a couple of batting wobbles to secure a three-wicket win against Afghanistan in their opening game of the Dubai triangular series

A strong batting display from Afghanistan's top order, powered by half-centuries from Javed Ahmadi and Nasir Jamal, helped the team to an eight-wicket victory against Scotland in Dubai