Afghanistan national cricket team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Afghanistan women's national cricket team.

Afghanistan
Afghanistan Cricket Board logo.png
AssociationAfghanistan Cricket Board
Personnel
Test captainHashmatullah Shahidi
One Day captainHashmatullah Shahidi
T20I captainMohammad Nabi
CoachLance Klusener
History
Test status acquired2017
International Cricket Council
ICC statusAffiliate Member (2001)
Associate Member (2013)
Full Member (2017)
ICC regionACC
ICC Rankings Current[5] Best-ever
Test - 9th (1 May 2020)[1]
ODI 10th 10th (26 December 2015)[2][3]
T20I 8th 7th (5 May 2019)[4]
Tests
First Testv.  India at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, India 14–18 June 2018
Last Testv.  Zimbabwe at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi; 10–14 March 2021
Tests Played Won/Lost
Total[6] 6 3/3
(0 draws)
This year[7] 2 1/1 (0 draws)
One Day Internationals
First ODIv.  Scotland at Willowmoore Park, Benoni; 19 April 2009
Last ODIv.  Ireland at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi 26 January 2021
ODIs Played Won/Lost
Total[8] 129 62/63
(1 ties, 3 no result)
This year[9] 3 3/0
(0 ties, 0 no result)
World Cup appearances2 (first in 2015)
Best resultGroup stage (2015, 2019)
World Cup Qualifier appearances2 (first in 2009)
Best resultChampions (2018)
Twenty20 Internationals
First T20Iv.  Ireland at P. Sara, Colombo; 1 February 2010
Last T20Iv.  Zimbabwe at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi; 20 March 2021
T20Is Played Won/Lost
Total[10] 84 58/25
(1 tie, 0 no result)
This year[11] 3 3/0
(0 ties, 0 no result)
T20 World Cup appearances4 (first in 2010)
Best resultSuper 10 (2016)
T20 World Cup Qualifier appearances4 (first in 2010)
Best resultGroup stage

Test kit

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Kit right arm redborder.png

ODI kit

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Kit right arm redborder.png

T20I kit

As of 20 March 2021

The Afghanistan men's national team (Pashto: د افغانستان کرکټ ملي لوب‌‌‌‌‌‌ډله‎, Persian: تیم ملی کریکت افغانستان‎) represents Afghanistan in international cricket.

Cricket has been played in Afghanistan since the mid-19th century, but it was only in the early 21st century that the national team began to enjoy success. The Afghanistan Cricket Board was formed in 1995 and became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2001[12] and a member of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in 2003.[13] After nearly a decade of playing international cricket, on 22 June 2017, at an ICC meeting in London, full ICC Membership (and therefore Test status) was granted to Afghanistan. Alongside Ireland, this took the number of Test cricket playing nations to twelve. It is the first country to ever achieve Full Member status after holding Affiliate Membership of the ICC.[14][15]

The team is ranked 9th in Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket as of January 2021,[16] and holds the world record for the highest ever T20I score, with their score of 278/3 against Ireland at Dehradun on 23 February 2019.

In August 2021, concerns and doubts were raised over the participation of Afghanistan national cricket team in the future international matches ever since Afghanistan was brought under the control of the Taliban.[17][18] Concerns were raised over the safety of Afghan national cricketers and their families who were still in Afghanistan during the Taliban takeover on 15 August 2021.[19] As of 31 August 2021, three of the Afghanistan women's national cricket team had evacuated to Canada, while the others were afraid of how they, as women, would be treated by the Taliban.[20]

Taliban spokespersons stated that the Taliban would not disrupt the men's cricket team's participation in international matches and that they would allow Afghanistan to play its first ever bilateral series against Pakistan in Sri Lanka which scheduled to start in September 2021.[21][22]

Despite the political turmoil, Afghanistan cricket team's media manager Hikmat Hassan confirmed that Afghanistan would participate in the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.[23]

History[]

Pre-ODI history[]

The earliest record of cricket in Afghanistan is of British troops playing a match in Kabul in 1839, though it appears that no long lasting legacy of cricket was left by the British. In the 1990s, cricket became popular amongst the Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan, and the Afghanistan Cricket Board was formed there in 1995. They continued to play cricket on their return to their home country.[12] Like all sports, cricket was initially banned by the Taliban, but cricket became an exception in 2000 (being the only sport in Afghanistan to be approved by the Taliban) and the Afghanistan Cricket Federation was elected as an affiliate member of the ICC the following year.[24] The cricketing style, reflecting the background of development in refugee camps in Pakistan, is like the style characteristic of Pakistani cricketing practice generally, the emphasis on fast bowling and wrist spin for example.

The national team was invited to play in the second tier of Pakistani domestic cricket the same year,[12] and the tour brought international media attention to Afghan cricket when the US-led invasion of the country began whilst the team was in Pakistan. The team lost three and drew two of the five matches on the tour.[24]

Originally the Taliban regime in Afghanistan had banned cricket as they had banned most other sports, but in early 2000 there was a change of heart and the government wrote to the Pakistan Cricket Board asking for the PCB's support for an Afghan application to the ICC[citation needed]. The conflict in Afghanistan shortly afterwards led to a large number of Afghan refugees fleeing to Pakistan, where some learned to play cricket, and the presence of Pakistani peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan later helped this process.

In 2001, the Afghan side took part in a four-match tour of Pakistan, visiting Peshawar and Rawalpindi, and the team also visited in 2003 and 2004. In 2004 Afghanistan played in the Asian Cricket Council Trophy in Kuala Lumpur - the regional qualifying competition for the ICC Trophy - and performed respectably, with the highlight being a surprise win over hosts Malaysia.

They played in two Pakistani tournaments in 2003, winning their first match that year. They began playing in Asian regional tournaments in 2004, finishing sixth in their first ACC Trophy. More success began in 2006 when they were runners-up to Bahrain in the Middle East Cup and beat an MCC side featuring former England captain Mike Gatting by 171 runs in Mumbai. Gatting was dismissed for a duck.[24]

They toured England in the summer of 2006, winning six out of seven matches. Three of their wins came against the second XIs of Essex, Glamorgan and Leicestershire.[13] They finished third in the ACC Trophy that year, beating Nepal in a play-off match.[24]

They won their first tournament in 2007, sharing the ACC Twenty20 Cup with Oman after the two tied in the final.[24] They began their qualifying campaign for the 2011 World Cup in Jersey in 2008, winning Division Five of the World Cricket League.[25] They finished third in the ACC Trophy Elite tournament the same year,[13] and won a second consecutive WCL tournament, Division Four in Tanzania later in the year.[13]

In January 2009, Afghanistan progressed to the 2009 World Cup Qualifier by winning Division Three of the World Cricket League in Buenos Aires, topping the table on net run rate ahead of Uganda and Papua New Guinea.[26]

ODI status[]

The national team at Rotterdam, 2010 ICC WCL Division One

In the 2011 Cricket World Cup qualifying tournament, Afghanistan failed to progress to the World Cup, but earned ODI status for four years.[13] Their first ODI was against Scotland in the 5th place playoff, having previously beaten the Scots earlier in the tournament; Afghanistan won by 89 runs.[27]

In the Intercontinental Cup Afghanistan played its first first-class match against a Zimbabwe XI in a four-day match in Mutare. During the match, which was drawn, Afghan batsman Noor Ali scored centuries in both his innings, making him only the fourth player to do so on their first-class debut. Later, in August 2009, they played the Netherlands in same competition at the VRA Cricket Ground, winning a low-scoring match by one wicket.[28]

Afghanistan then took part in the 2009 ACC Twenty20 Cup in the United Arab Emirates. Afghanistan were drawn in Group A, a group which Afghanistan topped at the end of the group stages by winning all five of their matches. In the semi-finals the Afghans defeated Kuwait by 8 wickets.[29] In the final they met the hosts, the United Arab Emirates, whom they defeated by 84 runs.[30]

On 1 February 2010, Afghanistan played their first Twenty20 International against Ireland,[31] which they lost by 5 wickets.[32] On 13 February 2010, Afghanistan first defeated the United Arab Emirates by 4 wickets to make their way to the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 to be in the West Indies in April 2010. Later the same day they defeated Ireland by 8 wickets in the Final of 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier and won the qualifier.[33] Afghanistan were in Group C of the main tournament, with India and South Africa. During their first match against India, opening batsman Noor Ali hit 50 runs, helping Afghanistan to a score of 115 in their 20 overs. Despite this they lost the match by 8 wickets.[34] In their second match, the team were reduced to 14/6 at one stage, before a late rally from Mirwais Ashraf and Hamid Hassan helped Afghanistan post 88 all out, resulting in a loss by 59 runs.[35]

The teams Intercontinental Cup campaign continued in 2010, with wins over Ireland, Canada, Scotland and Kenya before they beat Scotland by 7 wickets in the final in Dubai.[36] Also in 2010, they won the ACC Trophy Elite tournament in Kuwait, beating Nepal in the final[37] and finished third in Division One of the World Cricket League in the Netherlands.[38] They took part in the cricket tournament at the 2010 Asian Games in China and won the silver medal, losing to Bangladesh in the final.[39]

In 2011, Afghanistan begun playing in the 2011-13 ICC Intercontinental Cup. They beat Canada and drew with the UAE.[40] In the parallel one-day league, they won two matches against Canada and lost twice to the UAE.[41] In March 2013, they played two T20 Internationals against Scotland in UAE and prevailed in both matches. They also won two ODIs in World Cricket League Championship against the same opponents. Afghanistan drew level with Scotland in second in the WCL Championship table after the two convincing wins that boosted their hopes of securing automatic qualification for the 2015 World Cup.

Ireland won the WCL Championship with 24 points, and Afghanistan came second with 19 points, was qualified for World Cup. Holland, in fourth, face Namibia next month, while fifth-placed UAE host Ireland later in March. There will be a further two rounds of games, with the top two teams guaranteed a spot at the next World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.[42]

Afghanistan also inflicted a crushing defeat on Scotland in their ICC Intercontinental Cup match in Abu Dhabi. Afghanistan (275: Shah 67*, Davey 4–53) beat Scotland (125: Taylor 48*, Dawlatzai 6–57 and 145: Coetzer 57, Dawlatzai 5–37) by an innings and 5 runs. Izatullah Dawlatzai took eleven wickets.[43]

In December 2011, Afghanistan took part in the ACC Twenty20 Cup in Nepal, where they were drawn in the same group as Hong Kong, Oman, Kuwait and the Maldives.

The event was a qualifier for the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, but Afghanistan have already qualified for the event in the United Arab Emirates.[44] Further matches in the 2011–13 Intercontinental Cup and the associated one-day league will be played in 2012 against the Netherlands and Ireland and in 2013 against Scotland, Namibia and Kenya.[45]

Afghanistan played its first One Day International against a Full Member of the International Cricket Council in February 2012 when they played a single match against Pakistan at Sharjah. Afghanistan also took on Australia Cricket Team for only ODI at Sharjah in August 2012.

In July 2014 Afghanistan toured Zimbabwe to play its 1st full series against a full member. The 4 match ODI series finished 2–2 and the 2 match first class series finished 1–1.

With their victory over Zimbabwe on 25 December 2015, Afghanistan entered the top 10 of the ICC's ODI rankings for the first time.[46]

Associate Membership[]

Afghanistan received its Associate Membership on 27 June 2013.[47] The decision was taken on the ICC's annual meeting on 26 June 2013 in London, England, and was attended by ACB CEO Dr Noor Muhammad Murrad. The nomination request had been sent by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) last year based on the continuous progress made by former ACB CEO Dr Hamid Sheenwari, especially in its cricket development.

"Afghanistan is the only country that receives the Associate Membership in a short period of time in reward to the efforts Afghanistan made for the promotion of cricket," Dr Noor Muhammad, CEO of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), said on the ACC website.

Becoming an Associate would mean higher funding and, importantly, more exposure for the passionate and cricket-starved players from Afghanistan, a war-torn country. So far, the ICC was paying $700,000 in annual funding to Afghanistan, which is now likely to rise to $850,000 based on the Associate status.[48]

In March 2013, Afghanistan received a boost after a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the development of Afghanistan cricket ahead of the 2015 World Cup.

The PCB will provide technical and professional support, including game-education programmes, coaching courses, skill and performance analysis, and basic umpiring and curator courses. High performance camps for emerging players will also be organised. The PCB-regulated National Cricket Academy (NCA) will help in improving technical, tactical, mental and physical skills, and will host lectures on doping, anti-corruption and various codes of conduct. The finance for the project will be decided later, with the NCA-related activities likely to be subsidised.[49]

In April 2013, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) was allocated US$422,000 (22,400,000 AFN approx.) from the ICC's targeted assistance and performance programme. The world governing body of cricket approved the grant at its IDI (ICC Development International) board meeting, which concluded in Dubai.

ACB chief executive officer, Noor Mohammad Murad, said the board had requested a total of $1 million in assistance. "The ICC approved $422,000 for now. They will send a delegation to visit the ACB in two or three weeks, and will decide [from there] whether or not to approve the rest of the money," Murad told AFP.

The money, to be given over three years, is aimed at developing more competitive teams among ICC Full, Associate and Affiliate members. Previously, countries such as the Netherlands, Scotland, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Ireland have received assistance through a similar programme. According to an ICC statement, the funding for the ACB is for the development of the National Cricket Academy in Kabul.

Afghanistan became an Affiliate member of the ICC in 2001. In 2009 it attained one-day status till 2015. Over the last two years, the ACB has undergone organisational restructuring in a bid to provide better leadership and find qualified staff to run cricket administration in the war-torn country. They are currently developing their domestic cricket infrastructure, and have signed a two-year deal with the Pakistan board for the development of Afghanistan cricket ahead of the 2015 World Cup.

Last year, the Asian Cricket Council decided to nominate Afghanistan for Associate membership with the ICC, with the request being looked into at the ICC's annual conference in June. At present the ICC provides about $700,000 a year in funding. Based on current distributions, that will rise to $850,000 once Associate status is assured.[50]

2015 Cricket World Cup[]

Main article: Afghanistan at the Cricket World Cup

Afghanistan made their World Cup debut in the 50 over format of the game against Bangladesh at the Manuka Oval in Canberra, Australia. The match resulted in a 105 run defeat.[51]

The competition saw the team compete against elite cricketing nations such as Australia, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, New Zealand and England. Qualification for the tournament was a historic feat for cricket in Afghanistan, one amplified by the fact that the team included many players who picked up the game in refugee camps outside their long-suffering country.[52]

On 26 February 2015, Afghanistan won their first World Cup match against Scotland, winning by one wicket. The team however, lost all its remaining games and were knocked out of the tournament in the opening round.

Post-World Cup tours[]

The team visited Zimbabwe for the second time in October where Afghanistan clinched a historic one-day international series over Zimbabwe after a 73-run victory in Bulawayo saw them win 3–2.

They are the first non-Test-playing country to win a multi-game bilateral ODI series against a Test side. The Afghanistan cricket team toured the United Arab Emirates to play the United Arab Emirates cricket team in December 2016. The tour consisted of three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. Afghanistan won the series 3–0. The Afghanistan cricket team toured Bangladesh in September and October 2016 to play three One Day Internationals (ODIs) matches. This was Afghanistan's first full series against a Test-playing side other than Zimbabwe and was the first bilateral series between the two sides.

Ahead of the ODI series there was a fifty-over warm-up game between the Bangladesh Cricket Board XI and Afghanistan in Fatullah. Afghanistan won the warm-up match by 66 runs and Bangladesh won the ODI series 2–1.

In February 2017 the International Cricket Council (ICC) awarded first-class status to Afghanistan's four-day domestic competition.[53]

The Afghan cricket team toured Zimbabwe between January and February 2017. The tour consisted of five One Day International(ODI) matches. Prior to the ODI series, the Afghanistan A cricket team played five "unofficial" ODI matches against the Zimbabwe A cricket team. All of those matches had been designated List A status. Afghanistan won the initial List A series 4–1 and the ODI series 3–2. 2017

The Ireland cricket team toured India during March 2017 to participate in a series of matches against Afghanistan, consisting of three T20 matches, five ODI contests and an ICC Intercontinental Cup match.[54] All the matches took place in Greater Noida. The Afghan team were highly successful, emerging victorious in both the T20I series 3–0 and the ODI series 3–2. Afghanistan also won the ICC Intercontinental Cup match, by the margin of an innings and 172 runs.

The Afghanistan cricket team completed another tour in June 2017, this time facing the West Indies.[55] The tour marked Afghanistan's first bilateral tour against a full member nation other than Zimbabwe. (Later that month, Afghanistan itself was awarded that status). The tour was less successful for the Afghans, who were convincingly defeated 3–0 in the T20 series.[56] They performed better in the ODI series, seizing a 1–1 draw after the final match was washed out with no result. Afghanistan registered their first win against Sri Lanka in Asia Cup.

Towards Test status[]

Afghanistan qualified for 2012 ICC World Twenty20 held in Sri Lanka as the runner up of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier and joined India and England in the group stage. In the first match against India on 19 September, Afghanistan won the toss and elected to field. India posted 159/5 in 20 overs but Afghanistan fell short of that target by scoring 136 in 19.3 overs. In the second match against England on 21 September, Afghanistan won the toss and again elected to field. England set a target of 196/5 (20 overs) but Afghanistan were all out for 80 in 17.2 overs. England and India qualified for the Super Eights and Afghanistan were eliminated as a result of this match.

On 3 October 2013, Afghanistan beat Kenya to finish second in the WCL Championship and qualify for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, becoming the 20th team to gain entry into the tournament overall. Afghanistan secured their passage to Australia and New Zealand in 2015 by beating Kenya comprehensively for the second time in succession in Sharjah, sealing their maiden World Cup qualification. They finished second in the World Cricket League Championship — nine wins in 14 matches — and joined Ireland as the second Associate team in the 2015 World Cup, while the remaining two spots for Associates will be decided by a qualifying tournament in New Zealand in 2014. Afghanistan will join Pool A at the World Cup along with Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and another qualifier.[57] On 24 November 2013, Afghanistan beat Kenya to qualify for the 2014 T20 world cup.

In March 2014, Afghanistan beat Hong Kong in the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 but could not make it to the next stage of super 10 having lost the two matches to Bangladesh and Nepal.

On 25 February 2015, Afghanistan won their first Cricket World Cup match beating Scotland by one wicket. Afghanistan participated in the World Twenty20 2016 in India. They were unable to qualify for the Semi-Finals of the International Tournament. They defeated the eventual champions, West Indies, during their final group match of the tournament.

Their third match was against the full member test team Zimbabwe. They played exceptionally well beating Zimbabwe by 59 runs. Afghanistan qualified for the Super 10 stage of the tournament as a result of this match, while Zimbabwe were eliminated. Afghanistan progressed to the second phase of a World Twenty20 tournament for the first time. On 25 June 2016, Lalchand Rajput was named as head coach of Afghanistan Cricket Team replacing Pakistan's Inzamam ul Haq and his first tour with team will be tour of Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands in July and August. He was chosen ahead of Mohammad Yousuf, Herschelle Gibbs and Corey Collymore[58] Rajput is in line for a two-year contract, but that decision would be finalised after the upcoming tour of Europe.

In July 2016, ACB unveiled a strategic plan and set targets for Afghanistan cricket team to be a top-six ODI team by 2019 and a top-three team in both T20Is and ODIs by 2025.[59] In order to achieve this, ACB created a proposal to be presented to BCCI, to secure annual bilateral matches against India and teams touring India beginning the following year.[60] Shafiq Stanikzai, Chief Executive of ACB, said the draft had been presented to BCCI president Anurag Thakur in May and further discussions occurred during the ICC Annual Conference in Edinburgh in June 2016.

On 25 July 2016, Afghanistan confirmed its first full series against West Indies a top-8 ranked Full member.[61] Its earlier full series came against a permanent member of ICC was against Zimbabwe. Afghanistan toured the Caribbean islands in mid-June 2017 and played 5 ODIs and 3 T20Is.

On the same day, it was announced that Afghanistan would host a full series against Ireland at Greater Noida.[62] Besides a 4-day intercontinental cup match, Ireland and Afghanistan would play five ODIs and three T20Is in March 2017. Afghanistan won the T20I series 3-0 and in the process set a new T20I record of 11 consecutive victories.

On 22 June 2017, the International Cricket Council (ICC) awarded Afghanistan full Test status, along with Ireland.[63] In December 2017, the ICC confirmed that Afghanistan were scheduled to play their first Test against India, in late 2018.[64] According to the ICC Future Tours Programme for 2019–23, Afghanistan are scheduled to play thirteen Tests.[65] In January 2018, both the ACB and the BCCI confirmed the Test would be played in June in Bengaluru.[66][67]

In June 2018, Afghanistan lost their maiden Test match, to hosts India by innings and 262 runs, despite being able to all-out a strong Indian team in the first innings.

Rise as a Test team[]

In March 2019 against Ireland, Afghanistan achieved their first Test match victory in their only second Test match, becoming the fourth team after Australia, England and Pakistan to win one of their first two Tests.[68][69]

In September 2019, Afghanistan beat hosts Bangladesh by 224 runs in a one-off Test tour. Rain almost resulted in the match being drawn, but finally the weather cleared, allowing the spin-unit of Afghanistan to take the final four wickets.

5 – 9 September 2019
[1]
v
 Bangladesh
342 (117 overs)
Rahmat Shah 102 (187)
Taijul Islam 4/116 (41 overs)
205 (70.5 overs)
Mominul Haque 52 (71)
Rashid Khan 5/55 (19.1 overs)
260 (90.1 overs)
Ibrahim Zadran 87 (208)
Shakib Al Hasan 3/58 (19 overs)
173 (61.4 overs)
Shakib Al Hasan 44 (54)
Rashid Khan 6/49 (21.4 overs)
Afghanistan won by 224 runs.
Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram
Umpires: Nigel Llong (Eng) and Paul Wilson (Aus)
Player of the match: Rashid Khan (AFG)
  • Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat.
  • Rahmat Shah and Rashid Khan became the first players to score a century and take 10 wickets in a Test for Afghanistan, respectively.

Grounds[]

Afghanistan do not play their home matches in Afghanistan due to the ongoing security situation and the lack of international standard facilities. Afghanistan played their 'home' Intercontinental Cup fixture against Ireland at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Sri Lanka. Following Afghanistan's World Twenty20 qualifying campaign they played two One Day Internationals against Canada at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium in the UAE, after which the stadium was named the 'home' ground of Afghanistan.[70]

As plans to resurrect Afghan cricket at least three international standard cricket stadiums have been built in Afghanistan. In 2016, Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida became the home ground for the Afghanistan national cricket team after they decided to shift their home ground from Sharjah.[71][72][73] In June 2018, after acquiring test status, Afghanistan changed their home base to Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun, Dehradun.[74] In May 2019, Afghanistan Cricket Board requested BCCI for a new home stadium.[75] In August 2019, BCCI approved Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow as new home stadium for the team.[76]

The following are the main cricket stadiums in Afghanistan:

Secondary Home Grounds (outside Afghanistan)[77]
  • Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah (2010-2016)
  • Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex, Greater Noida (2017)
  • Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun (2018-2019)
  • Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow (2019)
  • Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi (2021)

Team Colours[]

In test matches, Afghanistan wears cricket whites, with optional sweaters and vests for cold weather, with the ACB logo on the right breast of the shirt, the manufacturer logo on the leading arm sleeve and the sponsor logo on the center of the shirt. The fielders wear a red baseball-style cap or a white sunhat with ACB logo and the batsman helmet is coloured similar, with the Flag of Afghanistan above the ACB logo. In limited-overs cricket, Afghanistan wears a blue uniform in ODI (or a grey uniform in T20), with splashes of green, red, black and occasionally, yellow. The ACB logo is featured on the right breast of the shirt and the sponsor logo on the center, with the inscription "AFGHANISTAN" beneath the sponsor logo and the manufacturer logo on the leading arm sleeve. For ICC Tournaments, the sponsor logo goes to the non-leading arm sleeve. The fielders wear a blue baseball-style cap or a red sunhat. The helmets are also red. The current sponsor is Alokozay Group and the kit manufacturer is TYKA Sports.[78]

Period Kit manufacturer Sponsor (chest) Sponsor (sleeves)

Current squad[]

This lists all the players who have played for Afghanistan in the past 12 months and the forms in which they have played.

Name Age Batting Style Bowling Style Region Formats S/N
Test & ODI Captain and top-order batsman
Hashmatullah Shahidi 26 Left-handed bat Right-arm off break Band-e-Amir Region Test, ODI 50
Test & ODI Vice-Captain and top-order batsman
Rahmat Shah 28 Right-handed bat Right-arm leg break Mis Ainak Region Test, ODI 80
T20I Captain & Spin Bowler
Rashid Khan 22 Right-handed bat Right-arm leg break Speen Ghar Region Test, ODI, T20 19
Batsmen
Asghar Afghan 34 Right-handed bat Right-arm medium Kabul Region Test, ODI, T20I 44
Ihsanullah Janat 23 Right-handed bat Right-arm medium Boost Region Test 48
Najibullah Zadran 28 Left-handed bat Right-arm off break Boost Region ODI, T20I 1
Ibrahim Zadran 19 Right-handed bat Right-arm medium-fast Boost Region Test, ODI, T20I 18
Hazratullah Zazai 23 Left-handed bat Slow left-arm orthodox Band-e-Amir Region ODI, T20I 3
Nasir Jamal 27 Right-handed bat Right-arm leg break Boost Region Test 33
Noor Ali Zadran 33 Right-handed bat Right-arm medium-fast Mis Ainak Region ODI 15
Usman Ghani 24 Right-handed bat Right-arm medium Speen Ghar Region T20 87
All-rounders
Mohammad Nabi 36 Right-handed bat Right-arm off break Amo Region Test, ODI, T20I 7
Gulbadin Naib 30 Right-handed bat Right-arm fast-medium Mis Ainak Region ODI, T20I 14
Javed Ahmadi 29 Right-handed bat Right-arm off break Amo Region Test, ODI 23
Karim Janat 23 Right-handed bat Right-arm medium Band-e-Amir Region T20I 11
Samiullah Shenwari 33 Right-handed bat Right-arm leg break Speen Ghar Region ODI, T20I 45
Fazal Niazai 31 Left-handed bat Slow left-arm orthodox Mis Ainak Region T20I 3
Wicket-keepers
Ikram Alikhil 20 Left-handed bat N/A Speen Ghar Region Test, ODI 46
Afsar Zazai 28 Right-handed bat Amo Region Test 78
Mohammad Shahzad 34 Right-handed bat Speen Ghar Region ODI, T20I 77
Rahmanullah Gurbaz 19 Right-handed bat Mis Ainak Region T20I 21
Spin bowlers
Mujeeb Ur Rahman 20 Right-handed bat Right-arm off break Speen Ghar Region ODI, T20 88
Zahir Khan 22 Left-handed bat Slow left-arm unorthodox Mis Ainak Region Test, ODI 75
Waqar Salamkheil 19 Right-handed bat Slow left-arm unorthodox Band-e-Amir Region Test 16
Qais Ahmad 21 Right-handed bat Right-arm leg break Speen Ghar Region Test, T20I 32
Amir Hamza 30 Right-handed bat Slow left-arm orthodox Band-e-Amir Region Test, T20I 4
Sharafuddin Ashraf 26 Right-handed bat Slow left-arm orthodox Amo Region ODI 17
Pace bowlers
Yamin Ahmadzai 29 Right-handed bat Right-arm medium-fast Boost Region Test 99
Dawlat Zadran 33 Right-handed bat Right-arm fast-medium Amo Region ODI, T20I 10
Wafadar Momand 21 Right-handed bat Right-arm medium-fast Amo Region Test 99
Hamid Hassan 34 Right-handed bat Right-arm fast Band-e-Amir Region ODI 66
Aftab Alam 28 Right-handed bat Right-arm medium-fast Speen Ghar Region ODI 32
Naveen-ul-Haq 21 Right-handed bat Right-arm medium-fast Band-e-Amir Region ODI, T20I 78
Shapoor Zadran 34 Left-handed bat Left-arm fast-medium Kabul Region ODI, T20I 20
Fareed Ahmad 27 Left-handed bat Left-arm fast-medium Speen Ghar Region T20I 56
Sayed Shirzad 26 Right-handed bat Left-arm fast-medium Boost Region ODI 98
Fazalhaq Farooqi 20 Right-handed bat Left-arm fast-medium Boost Region T20 5

Coaching staff[]

Position Name
Director of cricket Afghanistan Raees Ahmadzai
Head Coach South Africa Lance Klusener
Bowling coach Australia Shaun Tait

Records[]

International match summary – Afghanistan[79][80][81]

Playing record
Format M W L T D/NR Inaugural match
Tests 6 3 3 0 0 14 June 2018
One-Day Internationals 129 62 63 1 3 19 April 2009
Twenty20 Internationals 84 58 25 1 0 1 February 2010

Last updated 20 March 2021.

Test matches[]

Afghanistan played their first ever test match against India on 14 June 2018 at Bengaluru, India.[82]

  • Highest team total: 545/4 v. Zimbabwe, 11 March 2021 at Sheikh Zayed Stadium[83]
  • Lowest team total: 103 v. India, 14 June 2018 at Bangalore[84]

Test record versus other nations[79]

Opponent M W L T NR First win
 Bangladesh 1 1 0 0 0 5 September 2019
 West Indies 1 0 1 0 0
 India 1 0 1 0 0
 Ireland 1 1 0 0 0 18 March 2019
 Zimbabwe 2 1 1 0 0 14 March 2021

Records complete to Test #2415. Last updated 14 March 2021.

Highest Test scores for Afghanistan[87]

Player Runs Opposition Venue Year
Hashmatullah Shahidi 200*  Zimbabwe Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi 2021
Asghar Afghan 164  Zimbabwe Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi 2021
Rahmat Shah 102  Bangladesh Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong 2019
Rahmat Shah 98  Ireland Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun 2019
Asghar Afghan 92  Bangladesh Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong 2019
Ibrahim Zadran 87  Bangladesh Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong 2019
Rahmat Shah 76  Ireland Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun 2019
Ibrahim Zadran 76  Zimbabwe Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi 2021
Ibrahim Zadran 72  Zimbabwe Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi 2021
Asghar Afghan 67  Ireland Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun 2019

Best Test bowling figures for Afghanistan[88]

Bowler Figures Opposition Venue Year
Rashid Khan 7/137  Zimbabwe Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi 2021
Rashid Khan 6/49  Bangladesh Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong 2019
Amir Hamza 6/75  Zimbabwe Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi 2021
Rashid Khan 5/55  Bangladesh Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong 2019
Amir Hamza 5/74  West Indies Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow 2019
Rashid Khan 5/82  Ireland Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun 2019

One-Day Internationals[]

  • Highest team total: 338 v. Ireland, 17 March 2017 at Greater Noida[89]
  • Lowest team total: 58 v. Zimbabwe, 2 January 2016 at Sharjah[90]

ODI record versus other nations[80]

Opponent M W L T NR First win
v. Test nations
 Australia 3 0 3 0 0
 Bangladesh 8 3 5 0 0 1 March 2014
 England 2 0 2 0 0
 India 3 0 2 1 0
 Ireland 30 16 13 0 1 17 January 2015
 New Zealand 2 0 2 0 0
 Pakistan 4 0 4 0 0
 South Africa 1 0 1 0 0
 Sri Lanka 4 1 3 0 0 17 September 2018
 West Indies 9 3 5 0 1 9 June 2017
 Zimbabwe 25 15 10 0 0 22 July 2014
v. Associate Members
 Canada 5 4 1 0 0 16 February 2010
 Hong Kong 2 1 1 0 0 1 May 2014
 Kenya 6 4 2 0 0 5 July 2010
 Netherlands 6 4 2 0 0 1 September 2009
 Scotland 13 8 4 0 1 19 April 2009
 United Arab Emirates 6 3 3 0 0 2 May 2014

Records complete to ODI #4275. Last updated 26 January 2021.

Highest ODI scores for Afghanistan[93]

Player Runs Opposition Venue Year
Mohammad Shahzad 131*  Zimbabwe Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah 2015
Nawroz Mangal 129  United Arab Emirates ICC Academy Ground, Dubai 2014
Rahmanullah Gurbaz 127  Ireland Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi 2021
Mohammad Shahzad 124  India Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai 2018
Usman Ghani 118  Zimbabwe Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo 2014
Mohammad Shahzad 118  Canada Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah 2010
Mohammad Nabi 116  Zimbabwe Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo 2015
Karim Sadiq 114*  Scotland Cambusdoon New Ground, Ayr 2010
Noor Ali Zadran 114  Canada Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah 2010
Rahmat Shah 114  Zimbabwe Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah 2018

Best ODI bowling figures for Afghanistan[94]

Bowler Figures Opposition Venue Year
Rashid Khan 7/18  West Indies Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet 2017
Rashid Khan 6/43  Ireland Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground, Greater Noida 2017
Gulbadin Naib 6/43  Ireland Stormont Cricket Ground, Belfast 2019
Rahmat Shah 5/32  United Arab Emirates Kinrara Academy Oval, Kuala Lumpur 2014
Hamid Hassan 5/45  United Arab Emirates ICC Academy Ground, Dubai 2014
Amir Hamza 4/17  Zimbabwe Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah 2015

Twenty20 Internationals[]

  • 12 consecutive wins, a record in the men's T20Is (5 February 2018 - 15 September 2019).[95]
  • Highest team total: 278/3 v. Ireland 23 February 2019, at Dehradun[96]
  • Lowest team total: 72 v. Bangladesh, 16 March 2014 at Dhaka[97]
  • Highest individual score: 162*, Hazratullah Zazai v. Ireland, 23 February 2019, at Dehradun[98]
  • Best individual bowling figures: 5/3, Rashid Khan v. Ireland, 10 March 2017 at Greater Noida[99]

T20I record versus other nations[81]

Opponent M W L T NR First win
v. Test nations
 Australia - - - - -
 Bangladesh 6 4 2 0 0 3 June 2018
 England 2 0 2 0 0
 India 2 0 2 0 0
 Ireland 18 14 3 1 0 9 February 2010
 New Zealand - - - - -
 Pakistan 1 0 1 0 0
 South Africa 2 0 2 0 0
 Sri Lanka 1 0 1 0 0
 West Indies 7 3 4 0 0 27 March 2016
 Zimbabwe 12 11 1 0 0 26 October 2015
v. Associate Members
 Canada 2 2 0 0 0 4 February 2010
 Hong Kong 5 3 2 0 0 18 March 2014
 Kenya 3 2 1 0 0 30 September 2013
   Nepal 1 0 1 0 0
 Netherlands 4 2 2 0 0 14 March 2012
 Oman 5 5 0 0 0 25 July 2015
 Papua New Guinea 1 1 0 0 0 23 July 2015
 Scotland 6 6 0 0 0 10 February 2010
 United Arab Emirates 6 5 1 0 0 10 July 2015

Records complete to T20I #1137. Last updated 20 March 2021.

Tournament history[]

ICC Cricket World Cup[]

Main article: Afghanistan at the Cricket World Cup
Year Round Played Won Tied Lost Captain
England 1975 Not eligible – not an ICC Member
England 1979
England 1983
IndiaPakistan 1987
AustraliaNew Zealand 1992
IndiaPakistanSri Lanka 1996
EnglandScotlandRepublic of IrelandNetherlands 1999
South AfricaZimbabweKenya 2003 Not an ICC Member at time of qualifying
West Indies Cricket Board 2007 Did not qualify
IndiaBangladeshSri Lanka 2011
AustraliaNew Zealand 2015 Group stage 6 1 0 5 Mohammad Nabi
England 2019 Group Stage 9 0 0 9 Gulbadin Naib
India 2023 Yet to qualify
Total Group stage 15 1 0 14 –

ICC Trophy/ICC World Cup Qualifier[]

  • 1979–2001: Not eligible, not an ICC Member
  • 2005: Did not qualify[102]
  • 2009: 5th place[27]
  • 2018: Champions

ICC T20 World Cup[]

T20 World Cup record
Year Round Position GP W L T NR
South Africa 2007 Did not qualify
England 2009
West Indies Cricket Board 2010 Round 1[103] 12/12 2 0 2 0 0
Sri Lanka 2012 11/12 2 0 2 0 0
Bangladesh 2014 14/16 3 1 2 0 0
India 2016 Super 10 9/16 7 4 3 0 0
United Arab Emirates 2021 Super 12 TBD — — — — —
Australia 2022 Qualified
Total 0 Titles 4/6 14 5 9 0 0

ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier[]

  • 2009: Not eligible, not an ODI nation at time of tournament[13]
  • 2010: Winners[33]
  • 2012: Runners-up
  • 2013: Runners-up
  • 2015: 5th position

ICC Intercontinental Cup[]

  • 2009–10: Winners[36]
  • 2011–13: Runners-up
  • 2015-17: Winners

ICC World Cricket League[]

  • 2008
    • Division Five winners[25]
    • Division Four winners[13]
  • 2009
  • 2010
    • Division One 3rd Place[38]
  • 2011–13
    • Championship Runners Up

Asian Games[]

Asian Games record[39]
Year Round Position GP W L T NR
China 2010 Silver medal 2/9 3 2 1 0 0
South Korea 2014 Silver medal 3/10 3 2 1 0 0
Total 6 4 2 0 0

Asia Cup[]

Asia Cup record[13]
Year Round Position GP W L T NR
United Arab Emirates 1984 Not eligible — Not an ICC Member
Sri Lanka 1986
Bangladesh 1988
India 1990–91
United Arab Emirates 1995
Sri Lanka 1997
Bangladesh 2000
Sri Lanka 2004 Did not qualify
Pakistan 2008
Sri Lanka 2010
Bangladesh 2012
Bangladesh 2014 Group Stage 4/5 4 1 3 0 0
Bangladesh 2016 Qualifying round 2/4 3 2 1 0 0
United Arab Emirates 2018 Super 4 4/6 5 2 2 1 0
Total 12 5 6 1 0

ACC Premier League[]

  • 2014: Winners

ACC Trophy[]

  • 1996–2002: Not eligible, not an ACC Member.[13]
  • 2004: 6th place[24]
  • 2006: 3rd place[24]
  • 2008: 3rd place (Elite)[13]
  • 2010: Winners (Elite)[13]

ACC Twenty20 Cup[]

Year Round Position GP W L T NR
Kuwait 2007[24] Joint champion with Oman 1/10 6 4 1 1 0
United Arab Emirates 2009 Champion [29] 1/12 7 7 0 0 0
Nepal 2011 Champion 1/10 6 6 0 0 0
Nepal 2013 Champion 1/10 6 5 1 0 0
United Arab Emirates 2015 Did not participate

ACC Under-19 Cup[]

  • 2014: 4th place
  • 2017: Winners

Desert T20 Challenge[]

  • 2017: Winners

Middle East Cup[]

  • 2006: Runners-up[24]

See also[]

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External links[]

  • "Afghanistan". International Cricket Council.
  • "Home". Afghanistan Cricket news site.
  • "Home". Afghanistan Cricket Official website (archived). Archived from the original on 18 February 2010.
  • "Home". Afghanistan National Cricket Board.
  • "Home". Afghanistan national cricket team History.
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