Once a country of fans that had to cheer for Pakistan, Afghanistan have made giant strides to become a Test-playing nation.
Though the war-torn nation will likely take time to establish their foothold in the Test arena, they are excelling in shorter format cricket.
At the 2016 ICC World T20 in India, they managed to get a win over eventual champions, the West Indies.
Subsequently in next year’s IPL, new stars such as Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi were picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad. Khan has gone on to become the number bowler in the shortest format, as well as fastest to 100 wickets in ODI cricket, displacing talismanic Mitch Starc.
After last year’s IPL, Khan played in the Caribbean League, the Bangladesh League and then in Australia’s Big Bash League, and was recently named the ICC Associate Cricketer of the Year.
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In recent World Cup qualifiers, the Afghans turned things around after losing their first three matches, eventually beating the Windies in the final to earn the final spot at the 2019 event.
Former coach Dean Jones believes the Afghans are better prepared for the Test debut – which will take place next year against India – than Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and even New Zealand.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Baheer Shah has pushed Don Bradman into second place, with an average of 121.77, while Asghar Stanikzai, Nasir Jamal, Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi are no pushovers either – so there is a bright future for Afghan batting.
Spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman is the youngest player to feature in the IPL, at 17 years and 11 days, and has become the backbone of the King’s XI Punjab bowling line-up. He’s got the googly, off-spinner, leg break – everything.
With the nation brimming with talent, Afghanistan is well paced to make a name for itself in the cricketing world.
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