Diplomatist Magazine DIplomatist September 2018 | Page 86

where it hosted Bangladesh in the fi rst of a
three-match T20 series in June this year.
The Afghan team has also benefi ted from
the expert advice and mentorship provided
by Indian players and their coaching staff.
In the past, several former Indian cricketers
have been associated with the Afghan cricket
team, helping and mentoring the latter. Former
Indian batsman Lalchand Rajput mentored the
Afghan team in his capacity as head coach in
2016, and continued in the position till 2017.
Further, former Indian fast bowler Manoj
Prabhakar helped the Afghan seamers sharpen
their bowling skills.
Afghanistan’s cricket journey
Afghanistan is the 12th Test cricket playing
Full Member nation. The game of cricket has
had quite a history in Afghanistan; it has been
played and enjoyed in the country since the
19th century and the fascination for the sport
has only grown with the formation of the
national team.
Afghanistan is especially doing well in the
T20 format of the game, and is ranked 8th in the
International Twenty20 cricket rainking as of 7
June 2018, ahead of four other full members -
Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and Ireland.
A full Test playing nation status was granted to
Afghanistan in 2017 after a decade of playing
top-class international cricket.
The national team has had a string of
impressive victories in international tournaments
in the last few years. Afghanistan qualifi ed for
the 2012 edition of the ICC World Twenty20
There is no other
more popular
medium than sports
to strengthen
bilateral relations.
86 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 6 • Issue 9 • September 2018, Noida
tournament held in Sri Lanka. Further, on 3
October 2013, Afghanistan beat Kenya to fi nish
second in the WCL Championship and thus
qualify for the 2015 Cricket World Cup.
They registered their fi rst victory in the
World Cup after defeating Scotland by one
wicket in the 2015 tournament. They also
participated in the World Twenty20 tournament
held in India in 2016. Despite not qualifying
for the semi-fi nals, the Afghan team performed
beyond expectations and defeated one of the
strongest teams in the group stage - the West
Indies, which eventually went on to win the
World Cup.
In July 2016, the ACB unveiled a strategic
plan and set targets for the Afghan cricket team to
become a top-six ranking ODI team by 2019 and
a top-three ranking team in both T20Is and ODIs
by 2025. In recent past, Afghanistan has played
full series matches against the West Indies and
Zimbabwe which has helped boost the team’s
confi dence as they improve with time.
Conclusion
There is no other more popular medium
than sports to strengthen bilateral relations.
India-Afghanistan relations have undoubetdly
received a boost with India taking the initiative
to promote Afghan cricket at the international
level. Cricket has a very promising future in
Afghanistan and, as it becomes more popular in
the country, it will serve to generate signifi cant
goodwill towards India among the locals for its
support in helping the Afghan national team
become a top-class cricket team.