Afghanistan’s Test Cricket Struggle: Eight Years Later, Still Waiting for More Opportunities

Afghanistan became a Test-playing nation in June 2018, and for the country’s cricket fans, it was a proud and historic moment. Former Afghanistan batter Rais Ahmadzai still remembers that day clearly. As Afghanistan walked onto the field against India in Bengaluru for their first-ever Test match, it felt like a dream had finally come true.

The match itself did not go as planned. Afghanistan lost to India inside two days by an innings. But despite the defeat, there were positives. Their bowlers showed promise, and the team quickly proved that they belonged at the highest level.

In their next few Test matches, Afghanistan defeated Ireland by seven wickets and Bangladesh by 224 runs. After their first six Tests, they had won three matches. The only other team to achieve a similar start after entering Test cricket was Australia.

At that point, many believed Afghanistan would continue growing as a Test side. However, things did not go according to plan.

Too Few Tests for a Test Nation

Since becoming a Test nation in 2018, Afghanistan have played only 12 Test matches. They did not play a single Test in 2022 and played only one Test in 2023.

Even after eight years in Test cricket, Afghanistan are yet to play a Test match against major teams like Australia, England, and South Africa.

According to Rais Ahmadzai, this is one of the biggest problems facing Afghanistan cricket.

“We love to play Test cricket, but we have only played a handful of matches,” he said.

He believes that if a country is investing money and effort into first-class cricket, it should get the chance to play at least eight to ten Test matches every year.

At the moment, Afghanistan play only one or two Tests annually. As a result, players spend most of their time playing white-ball cricket and find it difficult to switch back to the longer format.

Missing Out on the World Test Championship

Another challenge for Afghanistan is that they are not part of the World Test Championship (WTC).

Recently, there were discussions about including one-off Test matches in the next WTC cycle, but the proposal did not receive much support.

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi hopes that strong performances in the future will help change that.

He believes Afghanistan have enough talent and quality to compete in Test cricket, but they need more opportunities against stronger opposition.

“We have first-class cricket in our country and our players gain experience there,” Shahidi said. “But Test cricket against top teams is different. We need more chances to build our team.”

Lack of Continuity Hurting Progress

One of the biggest signs of Afghanistan’s stop-start Test journey can be seen in their team selections.

In just 12 Test matches, Afghanistan have handed out 41 Test debuts. That is the highest number among teams that became Test nations after World War II.

Even more concerning is that 23 of those players have played only one or two Test matches.

Without regular matches, it becomes difficult to build an experienced and settled Test team.

The Gap Between Domestic and Test Cricket

Afghanistan’s main first-class competition is the Ahmad Shah Abdali Trophy. The tournament includes four teams that play each other twice before a final.

While Shahidi believes the quality of domestic cricket is improving every year, Ahmadzai feels there is still a significant gap between domestic cricket and international Test cricket.

That gap becomes harder to close when the national team rarely plays Test matches.

Why Young Players Prefer T20 Cricket?

Afghanistan has produced some of the world’s most exciting T20 stars. Players like Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Azmatullah Omarzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad, Qais Ahmad, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman regularly play in T20 leagues around the world.

Young cricketers naturally look up to these stars and want to follow the same path.

As a result, many youngsters focus more on white-ball cricket than Test cricket.

To address this issue, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has introduced a rule allowing players to participate in only three overseas T20 leagues each year.

The goal is simple: encourage players to take domestic cricket more seriously and strengthen the country’s first-class system.

Afghanistan Need More Fast Bowlers

Ahmadzai believes another major challenge is the lack of quality fast bowlers.

He says Afghanistan needs more pace-friendly pitches so fast bowlers can develop properly.

At present, spin bowlers often come into the attack after only ten overs in domestic matches.

Because players like Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Noor Ahmad are role models, many youngsters want to become spinners instead of fast bowlers.

Ahmadzai believes that if fast bowlers start taking 25 to 30 wickets in a first-class season, more young players will be encouraged to become pacers.

A Different Afghanistan Team Today

Despite all these challenges, Afghanistan remain confident ahead of their upcoming Test against India.

The team recently held a skills camp in Kabul and played three three-day practice matches in Jalalabad to prepare for the series.

Shahidi says this is a much stronger and more experienced team than the one that played India in 2018.

He pointed out that he has scored two double centuries in Test cricket, while Rahmat Shah has also scored a double hundred. Afghanistan’s bowlers have also produced five-wicket hauls in the format.

According to Shahidi, these achievements prove that Afghanistan’s players have the patience, discipline, and mindset needed for Test cricket.

The Real Challenge Is Opportunity

Afghanistan’s biggest problem is not talent.

They have skilled batters, quality spinners, and players who have succeeded around the world. What they lack is regular opportunities in Test cricket.

Eight years after becoming a Test nation, Afghanistan are still waiting for a proper place in the Test cricket system.

They want more matches, stronger opponents, inclusion in the World Test Championship, and a chance to prove themselves over time.

For now, Afghanistan’s journey in Test cricket remains unfinished. But with the talent available in the country, they continue to believe that bigger opportunities will eventually come.

                                               

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