At the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, a little known 21-year old tomato seller from Kenya was making his presence felt. His gentle leg-breaks were making life difficult for opposition batsmen throughout the tournament and it seemed that his team’s semi-final finish would only catapult him and Kenya to greater cricketing heights.
Cue 2016 and Collins Obuya’s decision to not pursue a full-time career in medicine in favour of cricket has backfired. The man who used to sell tomatoes went on to become captain of the national side, but it is a side that is a mere shell of its 2003 incarnation. Since 2003, Kenya has faded away, having qualified for only two more 50-over World Cups and one World Twenty20.
Just months after Kenya wrapped up its 2003 campaign, Afghanistan held its first-ever national cricket trials. After starting their journey in world cricket in the World Cricket League Division 5 in 2005, five years later, the war-ravaged nation was on the big stage competing in the World Twenty20 held in West Indies. In 2015, they made their 50-overs World Cup debut in Australia and won their first match at the big event, defeating Scotland. Later in the year, they won a historic bilateral series against Zimbabwe. On Sunday, they defeated West Indies in their last group game at the 2016 World Twenty20.
Afghanistan are now a busy cricketing nation as is exemplified by their 17-year old leg spinner Rashid Khan, who has played at the U-19 and senior levels for the team within the span of a mere three months.
As of 2016, Afghanistan are ranked tenth in the One Day International rankings and ninth in the T20 rankings, ranking above Test playing nations in both cases. Improbable as it sounds, a mere 13 years after the first trials were held, the time is ripe for Afghanistan to be granted Full Member status by the International Cricket Council.
Afghanistan’s isolation
The statistics back up Afghanistan’s case for inclusion. For starters, they look to be on par if not better than the two lowest-ranked Test teams, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in head-to-head matches. Since their inception, Afghanistan have played 22 ODIs and T20 Internationals against the pair, winning 14 of them and have displayed consistency in the shortest format, winning five out of six matches.
Afghanistan recorded consecutive ODI and T20 series triumphs against Zimbabwe, one of which came in Zimbabwe. On this evidence, it will be intriguing to have the two teams pitted against each other in the longest format to see if the South Asian nation can withstand the rigours of five-day cricket.
In terms of their results against other Associate nations, Afghanistan stand head and shoulders above the rest. Their waltz into the Super 10 stage of the 2016 World Twenty20 was just another indication of why Afghanistan belong in a league higher than their Associate counterparts.
Where Afghanistan loses out though they is that they just do not play enough against the other Full Member nations, barring Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.
The 70:20:10 principle where 70% of all learning is said to have been obtained from on-the-job experience hence, makes it very difficult for Afghanistan to gain vital big match and in-game know-how from matchups against the cricketing bigwigs. The skewed nature of the ICC’s current revenue sharing model ensures that the poorer Associate and Affiliate nations remain where they are and play a negligible amount of matches against the big boys during the current eight year period (2015-2023).
Consistently good
The records will show that Afghanistan lost their first three matches at the current World Twenty20. What the records will not reflect is the fact that they ran all their opponents close and at various times during their encounters, even had the upper hand even if for the slightest of moments.
Against Sri Lanka, Afghanistan recovered from 51/4 and during portions of the match, choked Sri Lanka’s middle-order. Their lapses in fielding undid them as they conceded boundaries at crucial moments.
A steady availability of funding means that top cricketing nations have the financial capability to hire physiotherapists, fielding and fitness coaches. The associates, most of them fielding part-time cricketers have their fielding standards compromised due to an uncertainty of their long-term cricketing plans.
Against South Africa in their second outing, their spirits were not dampened after they had conceded a massive 209 as Mohammad Shahzad teed off from the word go and put up more than 100 runs in their first ten overs for the loss of only two wickets.
Their inexperience was their undoing in this match as the rising required run rate saw them going for extravagant shots as they lost wickets at regular intervals to be shot out for 172. This was however, an achievement for Afghanistan as they posted the highest ever total by an associate team against a top-eight team.
A well-deserved victory
It was their match against England which showed that they belonged on the world stage. The English, opting to bat first were thoroughly outclassed for the first 17 overs of their innings, staring down the barrel of defeat, having been precariously placed at 57 for 6 and 85 for 7. The Afghans were unable to keep their cool thereafter as the last three overs of their innings, which in sharp contrast to what had occurred before, yielded 44 runs.
In reply, they lost the influential Shahzad early and stuttered to 127 for 9 in their 20 overs, again playing rash shots at inopportune moments. Although their lack of game time at the highest level let them down, at the end of the day, they were short by a mere margin of 15 runs. This was especially good progress as seven of the players on the day were in the team when they were thrashed by England four years ago in the 2012 World T20 held in Sri Lanka.
Coming into the dead rubber against table toppers West India, the Afghans played like they had nothing to lose on that most treacherous of pitches, Nagpur. Having put into bat, they recovered well from 56 for 5 to end up with 123 for 7 on a difficult batting track and then the spinners did an effective job of restricting the West Indies to 117 for 8 clinching a famous six-run win.
This was Afghanistan’s second Full Member scalp at the World Twenthy20. If anything, this was a timely reminder to cricket’s governing body that cricket should be more inclusive. It is hard to think that after beating two Test playing nations, there is every chance that they may not be able to qualify for the ten-member 50-over World Cup to be held in 2019. ICC President Shashank Manohar and Co need to wake up and right the wrongs of the past to ensure that Associates like Afghanistan have a chance to duke it out against the big guns to write the next chapter of what has already been a fantastic story so far.
Inexperience and fitness are issues that can be resolved over time and this will give heart to the Afghanistan players, who fought so bravely over the course of the tournament. The immediate matter at hand is to provide sustained exposure at this level irrespective of the mismatches that might occur. This is necessary lest Rashid Khan drift away slowly and turn into another Collins Obuya.
