Etisalat boost for Australia-Afghanistan match at Sharjah

The forthcoming Australia-Afghanistan one-day international has received a major boost with Etisalat Afghanistan coming on board to sponsor the much-anticipated tie which promises to put the emerging South Asian cricket power on centre-stage.

Presented by Alokozay, the Etisalat Afghanistan Cricket Cup, as the match is called, will be played on Saturday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

It will be 205th at the historic venue which has already entered Guinness World Records for staging the maximum number of ODI games.

Etisalat Afghanistan is no stranger to cricket in the South Asian country having been the official mobile partner of the country’s national team, but it would the first time the group, headquartered in UAE, would be extending its corporate support to the team on international level.

The first telecom company to launch 3.75G services in Afghanistan, Etisalat Afghanistan has taken various initiatives to help Afghan community in the fields of education, health, sports and other social endeavours.

Being held under the auspices of the Emirates Cricket Board, the match has taken special significance as it will be first for the fledgling Afghan national team against Australia, easily one of the best one-day sides in the world.

The ‘home advantage’ could come in handy for the Afghanistan team as they have been familiar with the conditions at the Sharjah Stadium, having played here a number of times besides holding regular training sessions for the past four years.

The staging of this match is a reflection on the Sharjah Cricket Club's drive to help develop cricket in South Asia’s new cricket power.

“Afghanistan needs all the support they can and we are delighted to offer them playing facilities at the stadium. It's great to see a company of the stature and profile of Etisalat extend support to the match. We hold them in high esteem and value their contribution to cricket,” said Waleed Bukhatir, vice-chairman of the Sharjah Cricket Club.

“We look forward to welcoming both the team teams and hope the match will produce a great finish so familiar to Sharjah. Whatever the outcome, the Afghanistan team will definitely emerge richer in experience,” he said.

“Everyone in world cricket is really impressed with how cricket has flourished in Afghnistan and matches like this one will only add to their confidence,” he added.

Australia will be led by Michael Clarke in this one-off match while Nawroze Mangal will captain the Afghanistan team. The match, which is also supported by Ten Sports, Khaleej Times and Channel 4, will start at 6pm and may continue in the wee hours the next day.

The squads:

Australia: David Warner,Matthew Wade (wicketkeeper), Michael Clarke (captain), George Bailey, Callum Ferguson, Michael Hussey, David Hussey, Daniel Christian, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Johnson, Xavier Doherty, James Pattinson, Alister McDermott, Mitchell Starc, Steve Rixon (Coach), Gavin Dorey (Team Manager)

Afghanistan: Nawroz Mangal (captain), Nabi Eisakhil (vice-captain), M. Shehzad Mohammadi, Karim Khan Sadiq, Noor Ali Zadran, M.Javid  Ahmadi, M. Asghar Stanikzai, Najeebullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwarai, GulbadinNaib, Dollat Zadran, Shapoor Zadran, Izzatullah Dawlatzai, Mohammad NasimBaras, Mohammad Sami Agha, Hamid Hassan, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Kabir Khan (coach), Shafiqullah Asmat (Team Manager).
 

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