Afghanistan, who made an impressive debut in the World Cup earlier this year, continued their dream run in 2015 when they crushed Zimbabwe by 49 runs and broke into the top-10 of the International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI rankings for the first time.
Afghanistan had been dismissed for 131 at Sharjah against Zimbabwe but thanks to a four-wicket haul by left-arm spinner Amir Hamza, Mohammad Nabi’s men successfully defended the paltry score.
Afghanistan were ranked 12th when the ongoing series started and have now leapfrogged Ireland and Zimbabwe to take the 10th position in the ICC ODI rankings. They will retain their spot if they win the series.
It has been a meteoric rise for Afghanistan, whose cricket team was formed only 14 years ago after the fall of the Taliban. Afghanistan, this year, won their first ever World Cup match, beating Scotland by one wicket in a thriller.
Afghanistan followed that up with a 3-2 series victory over Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in October, becoming the first Associate team to defeat a full member in a bilateral series.