Rashid calls for more Tests for Afghanistan
sharjah — Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan hopes the country can get to play more Test cricket as it will help them improve in what is the pinnacle of the sport.
It has been a rapid rise for the likes of Afghanistan and Ireland, who had been knocking on the doors for some time now.
And while they are the latest entrants to join the big boys as Full Members, their Test future looks a bit hazy. Afghanistan and Ireland were approved as Full Members by the ICC at their AGM in London in June last year and while Ireland played against Pakistan in their only Test this May, Afghanistan were welcomed into the fold with a Test against India in June.
Afghanistan face a long wait to play their next Test with it being a battle of the equals as they take on fellow entrants Ireland in one Test next year. But that series, which also includes five ODIs and three T20Is, in February, is yet to be confirmed.
Another Test is scheduled against Ireland in March, one against Zimbabwe in August and against the West Indies in November. But these are yet to be confirmed.
Afghanistan and Ireland are also not part of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship which begins next year, with only nine Full Members taking part.
Rashid, who has played 52 ODIs and 35 T20Is, felt that the more they play Test cricket, they will get better and better. “The more we play, our skills will improve,” said Rashid Khan, who is captaining Kabul Zwanan in the Gulbahar Afghanistan Premier League (APL).
“We haven’t played many Test matches and the more we play, there will be changes and improvement. You would get to know how to bowl on certain pitches. So, we get to learn when we play more. The youngsters can also benefit from the overseas players and coaches. It will help us as we will be playing a lot of Tests in the future,” he added.
Rashid Khan pointed to their only Test against India where they folded up at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in just two days. He said that they were probably overawed by the occasion but as each session went by, things improved.
“When we played our first Test against India, in the first session, we didn’t know what we were doing. It was a special occasion and maybe we were a bit overawed. But as each session went, we were getting better,” Rashid Khan said.
India were all out for 474 in their first innings with Rashid Khan taking two for 154. Afghanistan could only muster 109 and following on, they did no better, making 103 as India won by an innings and 262 runs.
When we played our first Test against India, in the first session, we didn’t know what we were doing
Rashid Khan