After a record-breaking T20 performance against Ireland, it is no surprise that headlines are once again dominated by Afghanistan in cricketing circles.
Generally it has been the success of the Big Bash League that has seen a greater level of appreciation for Afghan cricket among Australian fans, with Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi in particular being dominant forces in the BBL.
Excitement has been bubbling for a long time, and it has been T20 cricket that has allowed Afghanistan to prove its worth at the international level.
With its 3-278 against Ireland, Afghanistan was able to prove that it had more strings to its bow than just good spinners.
Of course we as the general public are only as aware of Afghan cricket as what appears in front of us, which means Khan, Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman are all we know.
In amassing so many runs against Ireland we can finally see that there is some exciting and young talented batting coming through the ranks as well.
Hazratullah Zazai is now in the record books following his astonishing 62-ball 162* and has immediately become the face of the future of Afghan cricket’s batting.
A tall, attacking batsman, Zazai’s limited List A and ODI form has been poor, but the constant factor about his game is his willingness to take the game on – he averages 39 at a strike rate of 93 in domestic First Class cricket.
As we have seen in the shortest form of the game, one innings can make a player, and Zazai has put his name on the lists of clubs all over the world in all types of T20 competitions.
His opening partner against Ireland, 22-year-old Usman Ghani, is perhaps the more highly rated prospect of the two and will likely be the key batsman in all three forms of cricket for Afghanistan.
The future is exciting for Afghanistan. Having already moved past Sri Lanka in the ICC T20 rankings, it wouldn’t surprise to see this team continue to move past others with more global experience added to the ranks.
It’s easy to look at the most talked about T20 and produce reactionary content about Afghanistan’s batting, but the truth is Ireland also got to 194 and conditions heavily suited the batsmen.
However, the art of batting can only see improvements with greater exposure and experience, and as this team develops its own identity we will see a more dominant force.
Afghanistan’s Hazratullah Zazai. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
At the present time only captain Asghar Afghan provides stability to the batting order in all formats of cricket.
Afghanistan has a swashbuckling, fearless approach to its cricket, which can often be detrimental, but it’s the product of a team new to true international exposure, placing a greater emphasis on entertainment rather than carving out a genuine strategic approach.
Captain Afghan is the perfect middle-order batsman, and his combination with Nabi provides excellent experience to help develop the young batsmen coming through the ranks.
Given Afghanistan will start to play more Test cricket, it is important to look at the country’s developing talent as a whole rather than solely focus on T20 cricket.
In exploring unknown names to many, we are provided with a truly refreshing a unique perspective on following an entire country’s development into cricketing relevance and are uncovering a number of gems who will begin to gain exposure in multiple global domestic competitions and, hopefully, in the first-class arena as well.
Perhaps the most encouraging performer to emerge from Afghanistan’s Test debut against India in 2018 was Hashmatullah Shahidi, a 24-year-old left-hander who plays with quite a low centre of gravity, playing the ball relatively late and powerfully over all regions of the ground.
Keep the name Munir Ahmad in mind for the future. The 23-year-old is a wicketkeeper who will likely be playing international cricket sooner rather than later, particularly with Mohammad Shahzad’s ability to field. Ahmad averages 50 in first-class cricket and 48 in List A cricket and is a batsman more in the mould of Asghar Afghan. His sensibility and understanding of game situations are gaining a lot of respect among followers of Afghan cricket, and he is sure to be a player for the future.
Another batsman worth keeping notes on is Afghanistan’s under-19s captain Rahmanullah Gurbaz. At just 17 years of age he already has six 50s in 13 first-class innings and is the shining light from a batting perspective for his country. More of an opening batsman, Gurbaz has an aura about him that could see him being the lynchpin batting at No. 3 for his country over the coming decade and a half. Afghanistan is not afraid to blood its youth – Khan, Ur Rahman and Qais Ahmad in particular – so expect to see his name in the next 12 months.
Of course it is the multitude of talented spinners Afghanistan is producing that has the cricketing world in awe, with all these young players emulating what they’ve seen from clips of Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan and other elite spin bowlers.
This is what will continue to assist Afghanistan in rising up the ranks in limited-overs cricket, where they will likely select three or four spinners in matches while the fast bowling depth develops.
When looking at the longest form of the game, however, it will be the batsmen that lead Afghanistan to future successes.
Afghan cricketer Mujeeb Ur Rahman. (Ishara S Kodikara/AFP)
ODI cricket will allow Afghanistan to develop its core batsmen and begin to structure more intelligent and effective innings.
By the time the country starts to play Test cricket more regularly it will have a number of batsmen who all provide something different, and Afghanistan will be able to post scores of 300-plus against similarly rated teams.
Breaking the international T20 record against Ireland is historical and will be fun to talk about for the time being, but it is an extremely positive sign for Afghanistan that may be overlooked.
The excitement machine of world cricket will be one to watch in the future, and with a likely core group of Zazai, Ghani, Shahidi, Ahmad and Gurbaz to match the incredible quality of Khan, Ur Rahman and Qais Ahmad, this team will do good things on the international stage.
For now let’s enjoy what Afghan cricket has to offer and look forward to seeing the entertainment they will provide in the 2019 ODI World Cup.
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