Afghanistan's men's cricket team is the representative of Afghanistan in international cricket. They have been playing the sport since the mid-19th century and have achieved much success in recent years. This article will look at the history and evolution of the national cricket team. It will also look at recent developments, and how the team performed during the Asia Cup.
T20 status for Afghanistan
Afghanistan has been very successful in T20 cricket. In 2010, Afghanistan qualified for its first ICC T20 tournament and was then invited to the T20 World Cup in West Indies. Afghanistan was granted full Test status following the T20 World Cup. Since then, it has qualified for all the major international tournaments.
Afghanistan has also been nominated for Associate membership of the ICC, which will give them additional funding. Afghanistan currently receives $700,000. Associate status will allow them to increase that amount to $850,000. Afghanistan's World Cup debut was against Bangladesh last year in Canberra. They lost by 105.
afghanistan's performance in the Asia Cup
The Asia Cup has been a success for Afghanistan and it has impressed the cricketing community. Both their matches against Pakistan (and Sri Lanka) were played with conviction, and the national side was able post a respectable score. Unfortunately, the team lost the final against India. Virat Kohli recorded his first T20I century and ended a long streak without an international 100. India scored 212 runs for two while Afghanistan posted 20 runs for 5. After their defeat to Pakistan, the players were exhausted both physically and emotionally.
Since August 2021, the Taliban regime has imposed severe laws on the population based on the Holy Scriptures reading. Although most forms and entertainments are prohibited, cricket is still allowed to be played. The Afghanistan Cricket Board continues to work hard to improve facilities and bring the game to more areas of Afghanistan. The organisation is currently facing financial difficulties due to the reductions. However, it is worth giving credit to the Asia Cup team for their performance. It gave hope to a country that had suffered so much.