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Despite all odds, the rise and rise of Afghanistan in T20Is | Cricket News


NEW DELHI: Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan last year, the country has changed a lot. The aftermath of the chaos caused officials of the Afghanistan Cricket Council to leave the country, UAE residency visas have been arranged for nearly two dozen players to avoid travel problems, sponsors begin to withdraw, ICC full membership is at threatened by the Taliban’s stance against women’s cricket. But that was not enough to stop the national men’s team as they have surpassed all odds to continue to shine in the international arena, especially in the shortest form.
Before starting the ongoing version of Asian Cupmost cricketers expected Afghanistan to put on strong performances – and they lived up to that record – beating both Sri Lanka (by 8 points) and then Bangladesh (by 7 points) to became the first team to qualify for the Super Quarterfinals.
The Afghans, currently ranked 10th on the ICC T20I team standings, will now face Sri Lanka in their first Super Four match on Saturday, September 3 after the island nation won the previous two thrilling matches. Bangladesh on Thursday. Bangla Tigers were eliminated from the tournament.
The two pretty big wins over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh (both of which are ranked higher than Afghanistan in the T20 team rankings by 8 & 9) can’t really be called upside down, considering the extent to which the Afghanistan T20I team has won. steady progress.

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Image credit: Afghanistan Cricket Twitter handle
In a year 2016 World Cup T20 At Super 10, they stunned the eventual champion, the West Indies. That result was called an upset at the time – but things have changed a lot as the reputation of Afghanistan T20 cricket has been in the spotlight ever since.
The rise of Afghanistan’s T20 cricket is one of the biggest success stories in the sport as a whole. The war-torn nation made its debut in an ICC tournament during the 2010 T20 World Cup in the West Indies. They were awarded Test status in 2017 and have qualified for all major international tournaments since.
Afghanistan is largely thanks to the success of some of the best T20 players out there – the likes of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Najibullah Zadran are world-class players. They have honed their skills playing cricket around the world, including in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Rashid and Mujeeb are currently ranked 3rd and 9th in the T20I pitchers rankings, respectively, while captain Nabi tops the ICC T20I all-around athlete rankings.

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Photo AP
The team is currently coached by former British pitcher Jonathan Trott and former Pakistani fast pitcher Umar Gul, who recently joined the team as bowling coach.
Afghanistan has a limited schedule in the ICC Future Tour Program (FTP). It is the cricket franchise that has played such an important role in honing the skills of Afghan players that the likes of Rashid and Nabi have become sought-after names in tournaments around the world. . Star spinner Rashid thinks competing in 20 tournaments around the world has helped most of the Afghan players at a time when they are experiencing a glaring lack of international cricket.
One of the things that really stands out for Afghanistan T20I cricket right now is the number of all-round players they boast. An all-rounder, especially in the game’s shortest form, is worth its weight in gold. The current Afghanistan squad of 16 at the Asian Cup has up to 5 players participating in the final round.

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Photo AP
Add to that the fact that they have also prepared the great giants in their ranks. Afghanistan in fact holds the record for the highest overall T20I team with a total of 278. It was registered against Ireland in Dehradun in 2019. The Czech Republic equaled that record by setting 278/4. before Turkey in the same year. While most of these records and numbers involve ‘younger’ teams, Afghanistan has repeatedly shown they can beat some of the big boys over the past few years as well. And they’re just getting stronger.
They also became the first country in the T20Is to hold the record for the most consecutive T20I wins (12). Romania and India also have 12 consecutive wins against T20I.
Afghanistan has a pretty decent record in the T20Is overall, having played 101 games since 2010, winning 68 and losing 32, with a draw. Their win rate is 67.82% which is one of the best among all ticketing nations and the best among those ranked in the ICC top 10 for T20I cricket.

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Photo AP
The Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) also has a role to play in nurturing talent for Afghanistan. Greater Noida has been their home ground in the past. BCCI made it available to them in an effort to ‘expand the game globally and help link and unite members of the ICC’.
Afghanistan has changed bases over the years, from Sharjah (2010-2013) to Lahore (2013-2015) to Greater Noida (2016-2018). They have returned to the UAE again since the beginning of 2019.
By reaching the Super Four at the ongoing Asian Cup, Afghanistan has shown what they can do. They are getting better and stronger with their time in the shortest form of the game and it wouldn’t be surprising if they take down some of the top teams at the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.





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