Fast-rising Afghanistan will open another chapter in their remarkable story when they play their first one-day international against former world champions Australia on Saturday. War-torn Afghanistan, who gained affiliate membership from the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2001, took a giant leap two years ago by finishing fifth in the World Cup qualifiers.
That earned them the right to play one-day internationals. They built on their success by qualifying for the World Twenty20 in 2010 and again earned the right to play the same event in Sri Lanka next month. Afghanistan are regarded as a success story in international cricket with most of their players learning the game while living in refugee camps on the border with Pakistan after the Soviet invasion of their country in 1979.
Afghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal admitted playing Australia is a big occasion for his team. “Definitely, it’s a big occasion for us and we want to make the best use of it,” said Mangal. “We have done well against Scotland and Ireland but given a chance against Australia is a big thing and we are excited about it.”
Afghanistan took the first step towards playing bigger teams when they faced Pakistan in a one-day match in Sharjah in February and although they lost by seven wickets their performance proved they deserved more chances. “We are thankful to Australia and to the ICC for making this possible,” said Mangal, who has played 21 of the 22 one-dayers Afghanistan have contested so far.
