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Afghanistan's national cricket team has made significant strides in the white-ball formats, achieving notable victories against top-tier teams in recent years.
However, their Test cricket journey remains a challenging endeavour, with only nine Test matches played in the last six years. Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afghanistan's cricket captain, believes that increased exposure to Test cricket is crucial for the team's development. Shahidi emphasized the need for regular opportunities against top teams to improve Afghanistan's Test cricket performance. Drawing parallels with New Zealand's rise in the Test rankings, he stressed that consistent matches would allow the team to refine their skills and gain valuable experience. "If we get a lot more chances with the good teams, we will improve, and our cricket board is doing that job," Shahidi stated to media as quoted by ESPNcricinfo on Sunday. He highlighted the importance of playing multiple-match series to better prepare and perform in the red-ball format. Afghanistan's achievements in ODIs and T20Is are commendable. Ranked ninth in ODIs and tenth in T20Is, they have defeated teams like England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in the ODI World Cup and reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup by overcoming New Zealand, Australia, and Bangladesh. Despite these successes, Shahidi expressed a strong desire to excel in Test cricket, underscoring the team's courage and willingness to accept challenges. "We want to show to the world our best format is Test cricket," he said, motivating his teammates to seize opportunities and showcase their talents on the global stage. The captain also pointed out the difficulties of transitioning from limited preparation time to the demands of Test cricket. "If you look at our past, we get one Test match and we start preparing for that ten days before. So it's not easy to come to red-ball cricket," Shahidi explained. He believes that playing a series of back-to-back Test matches would significantly enhance the team's ability to judge the ball and perform better in the red-ball format compared to mere net practice. Despite the uncertainty of their upcoming Test match due to forecasted rain and thunderstorms, Shahidi remains optimistic about Afghanistan's future in Test cricket. He called on his teammates to use these opportunities to make a mark and join the ranks of the sport's big names. "This is the place and time to show," he urged, confident in the team's potential to excel with more consistent exposure to Test cricket. (ANI)
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