Cricket in Afghanistan has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years, and they head into the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 with a team as strong as it’s ever been.
Afghanistan played in it’s first ever World Cup in 2015, and have since then become a Full Member of the ICC and a team capable of competing on the big stage. Can they upset the apple cart at this year’s tournament?
ICC Cricket World Cup TV Preview – Can Afghanistan Take Their Biggest Step Yet?
Cricket and Afghanistan haven’t historically been two words that go together, at least not on the global stage. Over the past decade or so, however, the game has been gradually developing throughout the country, and they will this year play in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 ahead of teams such as Zimbabwe, Ireland and Scotland, something which might have seemed unfeasible just a few short years ago. Now, a number of their players are recognised talents around the world, with Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman all having carved a name for themselves in various leagues.
Afghanistan doesn’t have the benefit of playing against the top teams in the world like the other sides in the 2019 World Cup, with their last three series’ all coming against Ireland and Scotland – one of which they won, and two of which were drawn. Hark back to the Asia Cup last year, however, and they showed why they deserve respect. They demolished first Sri Lanka and then Bangladesh, and were unlucky to be knocked out in the Final Four after nail biting losses against Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Their rise as a cricketing nation has been fascinating to follow, and many cricket fans will be intrigued to see how they fare on the biggest stage. As such, it may be disappointing to learn that channel Nine, the official ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 free to air broadcaster in Australia, will only be broadcasting one live TV match featuring the team during Group play (1st of June vs Australia). Alternatively, Kayo offers extensive live coverage of Afghanistan’s pursuit of this most coveted trophy, with every match of this year’s ICC Cricket World Cup available live, in HD, and on-Demand for those that find them more convenient.* This includes their clash against the number one side in the world, England, which kicks off during prime-time Australian viewing at 7.30pm (AEST) on the 18th of June.
How to Stream Every Afghanistan Match at the ICC Cricket World Cup
Kayo Sports will be your best Cricket live streaming option in Australia for everything to do with Afghanistan at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 this year. Not only will all nine of the Group Stage matches involving them be aired live and available on-demand, but if they advance through to the finals, you’ll also be able to catch every delivery of those matches as well.*
And what’s more, you get access to a variety of on screen features, including SplitView – which lets you watch numerous events on one screen simultaneously – as well as No Spoilers (which hides the scores) and Key Moments (jumps straight to the events that changed the match), both of which greatly enhance the viewing experience and can be turned off for those wishing to watch on-demand. Kayo also has a “Minis” feature, which allows fans to watch a multi hours match in a replay version that’s condensed into just 15-30 minutes.* Considering every game of the tournament will run into the early hours of the morning, this mini on demand replay option will be key in allowing you to stay on top of the action.*
Simply take a moment to review the Kayo 14 days free trial, and then check out the fixtures listed below so you can start streaming team Afghanistan live to one of the many eligible devices listed in the table.
Stream live cricket on Kayo Sports
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What time does Afghanistan play? Live TV Fixtures (AEST)
TV fixtures shown as Sydney time, adjust for regional differences. ICC Cricket World Cup on-demand match replays will be made available following the conclusion of each contest. Consult the on-screen Kayo TV Guide for exact replay times. Due to licensing agreement, the team Afghanistan free to air fixtures coverage is limited to matches involving the Australian national team, semi-finals and finals.
| Date | Event | Time | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday 1 June | Afghanistan v Australia | 10.30pm | Nine / Foxtel / Kayo |
| Tuesday 4 June | Afghanistan v Sri Lanka | 7.30pm | Foxtel / Kayo |
| Saturday 8 June | Afghanistan v New Zealand | 10.30pm | Foxtel / Kayo |
| Saturday 15 June | Afghanistan v South Africa | 10.30pm | Foxtel / Kayo |
| Tuesday 18 June | Afghanistan v England | 7.30pm | Foxtel / Kayo |
| Saturday 22 June | Afghanistan v India | 7.30pm | Foxtel / Kayo |
| Monday 24 June | Afghanistan v Bangladesh | 7.30pm | Foxtel / Kayo |
| Saturday 29 June | Afghanistan v Pakistan | 7.30pm | Foxtel / Kayo |
| Thursday 4 July | Afghanistan v West Indies | 7.30pm | Foxtel / Kayo |
ICC Cricket World Cup Streaming Guide
FeaturedKayo Sports allows you to stream Afghanistan at the ICC Cricket World Cup to a wide range of devices, giving you more flexibility than ever. You can tune into every delivery on your PC or Mac (via any of Safari, Firefox, Chrome or Edge), as well as iOS and Android mobiles and tablets, Apple TV, Telstra TV and Android TV, and Google Chromecast.*
Devices supported on Kayo
- PC/Mac: Yes – MacOS 10.12+ (Chrome, Safari, Firefox) & Windows 10 (Chrome, Firefox, Edge); web browser only
- iOS/Android Phones/Tablets: Yes – Via native apps (iOS 15+ and Android 8+)
- Hubbl: Yes – available on both the small device and Hubbl Glass
- Google Chromecast: Yes – Chromecast Ultra, 3rd Generation
and Chromecast with Google TV for optimal streaming. SplitView not available - Apple TV: Yes – tvOS 11+, 4th Generation or higher. Casting available to previous models
- Amazon Fire TV Stick – Yes
- Google TV: Yes – OS 8.0+
- Android TV: Yes – Via
app for version 8.0 andup on the following devices: Xiaomi Mi Box, Asus Nexus Player, NVIDIA SHIELD, Sony BRAVIA™ and select models of Hisense, Kogan, Mecool, Panasonic, Philips, Sharpand TCL - Samsung Smart TVs: Yes – 2017 and later models. SplitView not available
- LG TV: Yes – 2018 models or later using WebOS 4 and above. LG Netcast TV’s or via LG TV’s Web Browser Application not available.
- Hisense Smart TV: Select 2019 – 2023 models
- Gaming Consoles: Yes – PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5
Afghanistan Match Previews
Afghanistan’s opening match up will be one of their biggest as they face off against Australia on June 1. The most inexperienced team at the tournament, Afghanistan will be up against it opposed to the most successful team in World Cup history, and a good showing here will give them confidence they can match it with the best throughout the tournament.
Three weeks later, they play Bangladesh in a game they would have no doubt circled on the calendar. A team which was in the same position as Afghanistan is in today just a few years ago, Bangladesh is now the more developed cricketing nation, but as the Asia Cup showed last year there is not a lot which separates the two teams. Expect a close one in a match which both teams will be desperate to win.
West Indies’ ICC Cricket World Cup Results
Afghanistan’s history at the World Cup is significantly more limited than every other nation at the World Cup. For the first 40 years of the tournament, they weren’t even a consideration to play, and it wasn’t until 2015 that they finally got to try their hand at the biggest event in world cricket.
| Year | Result |
| 1975 | DNP |
| 1979 | DNP |
| 1983 | DNP |
| 1987 | DNP |
| 1992 | DNP |
| 1996 | DNP |
| 1999 | DNP |
| 2003 | DNP |
| 2007 | DNP |
| 2011 | DNP |
| 2015 | Group Stage |
| 2019 | ?? |
As expected, they struggled against the bigger names in the game, though they did put in plenty of competitive performances. A highlight of the tournament and indeed Afghanistan cricket history came when they defeated Scotland for their first ever World Cup win, a win which followed a tense run chase that ended with just one wicket in hand and three balls to spare.
Afghanistan World Cup Stats
| Total Record | 1-5 |
| Highest Innings Total | 232 (vs Sri Lanka, 2015) |
| Lowest Innings Total | 7/111 (vs England, 2015) |
| Highest Individual Innings | 96 (Samiullah Shinwari vs Scotland, 2015) |
| Best Bowling Figures | 4/38 (Shapoor Zadran vs Scotland, 2015) |
| Most Matches | 6 (eight players) |
*Kayo requires internet & compatible device. Data charges apply. SplitView available on selected, compatible devices. Kayo Sports service may only be used within Australia. 14 day free trial available to new Kayo customers only. HD availability subject to your Internet service and device capabilities.
