Afghanistan Cricket
Afghanistan Cricket History
The name Afghanistan brings into our mind images
of a war torn nation with many radical groups fighting for power and supremacy.
Afghanistan also faced some foreign invasions from USSR and USA later. But the
nation is slowly coming back to the much cherished prosperity. Cricket has
played a great role in bringing some solace for these people. Cricket is a
bonding force for these people who are otherwise divided in terms of their
caste, creed and politics.
Evolution of Afghanistan Cricket
Evolution of Afghanistan Cricket
Cricket began to creep into Afghan blood when
they were in Pakistan refuge camps due to Soviet invasion. You can see some
similarity in the style of cricket in Afghanistan to that of Pakistan due to
the very same reason. Even after returning from refugee camps, these Afghan
boys didn't let cricket go from their heart and blood. Slowly it gained
popularity across the nation. The parents of these young boys were initially
opposed to the idea of cricket as they feared that their sons wont earn much by
going after this silly game. But later the scenario changed. Taliban government
was against the sport and they banned cricket. But later they removed the ban
and even sought help from Pakistan to nurture the game. Taj Malik was the man
behind developing the game in Afghanistan. He gave coaching to the raw talent
and developed them into a team. Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) was formed in
1995. Nawroz Mangal was their first cricket team captain for international
games.
Introduction to the International Arena
Afghanistan played their first ODI against
Scotland which they won by 89 runs. Their introduction to T20 was not so smooth
as they lost the match to Ireland. But it was way back in 2010 and Afghanistan
team looks a really different outfit now. Ireland was defeated in T20 and ODI
series by Afghanistan in the recently concluded tournament which was held at
Dehradun in India in 2019.
Afghanistan played their first test against
India at Bangalore in 2018. But it was a forgettable performance and they were
no match for the mighty Indians. But their test membership was a great step
towards the future. Afghanistan became an affiliate member of ICC in 2001. It
gained membership of Asian Cricket Council in 2003. Slowly and steadily
Afghanistan cricket grew. In 2010, Afghanistan qualified for their first T20
world cup. It was just a start and they had nothing to boast about their
performance in the tournament. In 2016 T20 world cup, they improved their
performance and reached upto the super 10 level.
Afghanistan reached the 50 over world cup stage
in 2015. Their first game was against Bangladesh in the Australian Capital,
Canberra. Afghanistan registered their first world cup win again Scotland. They
were the champion in world cup qualifier in 2018 and a set to lock horns with
the opponents in the world cup 2019 to be held at England and Wales.
Afghanistan Cricket
Achievements
Interestingly Afghanistan holds the record
for the highest T20 score. They scored 278/3 against Ireland at Dehradun in
February 2019. Afghanistan had also other moments of glory too. They had
defeated Zimbabwe when they toured the African nation in 2015. West Indies were
tied 1-1 in an ODI series later. Sri Lanka too tasted defeats at their hands
when the island nation was bowled out for 158 against 249 made by Afghanistan.
Afghanistan attracted world attention when the held India for a draw in Asia
Cup 2018. Mohammed Shehzad was the hero of the match when he scored a gritty
124.
Afghanistan Cricket Today
Afghanistan have never played an international
match in their home. Sharjah stadium was selected as their home ground for
international matches. As per agreement with BCCI, Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik
sports complex in Noida was also opted as home ground for them. Currently work
is going on to build cricket stadiums in Afghanistan. They have almost
completed the work of Kabul national cricket stadium, Ghazi Amanullah
International stadium and many more are waiting for the final completion works.
Afghan spinners Rashid Khan(left) and Mohammed Nabi(right)
along with Shikhar Dhawan during IPL
Currently many Afghan players find themselves
picked by T20 Premier Leagues across the world. Some of the players have made
their way to the T20 clubs in India, Australia, Pakistan and so on. Among all,
Afghanistan spinners like Mohammed Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman seems to
be of greatest demand. These Afghan spinners are expected to bring some glory
to the nation when they participate in their second 50 over world cup to be
played in England and Wales. The Afghan batsmen too have some quality and the
once minnows of the game are expected to display some tough cricket for their opponents.
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