Afghanistan Cricket Team News & Matches
Captains: Hashmatullah Shahidi (Test, ODI), Rashid Khan (T20I)
Coaches: Jonathan Trott (head coach), Hamid Hassan (bowling coach), Andrew Puttick (batting coach)
First international match: 2009
Cricket board: Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB)
Coaches: Jonathan Trott (head coach), Hamid Hassan (bowling coach), Andrew Puttick (batting coach)
First international match: 2009
Cricket board: Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB)
Afghanistan Men's cricket team history
Afghanistan's rise in international cricket is one of the most remarkable stories in the sport's history. Cricket took root in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan during the war years of the 1980s and '90s, spreading rapidly among the youth on their return home. The Afghanistan Cricket Board was formed in 1995, and by 2001, the country had joined the ICC as an affiliate member.
Their ascent through the divisions of international cricket was swift. Between 2008 and 2009, Afghanistan won three consecutive ICC World Cricket League tournaments, progressing from Division Five to Division Three and making it to the 2009 World Cup Qualifier. It earned them ODI status and they made their first appearance at an ICC senior tournament in the 2010 T20 World Cup.
Afghanistan qualified for their first 50-over World Cup in 2015. Though they won just one match - a memorable one-wicket victory over Scotland - their energy, flair and spinners showed a glimpse of the exciting team they would be in the future.
Superstars like Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan came in the 2010s. The latter became one of the most sought after T20 players in the world later in the decade.
In 2017, Afghanistan were granted Full-Member status alongside Ireland, and they played their inaugural Test in 2018. Their first Test win came in their second Test, against Ireland in 2019.
A few months later, they thrashed Bangladesh in Chattogram in a match dominated by Rashid. But political instability, limited Test fixtures, and the lack of a settled home base curtailed their progress in the longest format.
Afghanistan consistently punched above their weight in T20Is, going past the league stages in multiple T20 World Cups, and getting to the semi-final in 2024.
In ODIs, their most successful campaign came in the 2023 World Cup in India, where they beat England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Netherlands, and narrowly missed out on a semi-final berth. In 2024 they won four ODI series on the trot, beating Ireland, South Africa, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
Despite the change of political regime in 2021 and growing international scrutiny over the lack of women's cricket in the country, the men's team continues to go from strength to strength, having long shed the minnows tag and becoming a force to reckon with in a few years.
Afghanistan Men's Cricket Team's Current Ranking
Tests: 11
ODIs: 7
T20Is: 9
ODIs: 7
T20Is: 9
Afghanistan Men's Cricket Team Records
Tests: Most runs | Most wickets | Highest totals | Lowest totals
ODIs: Most runs | Most wickets | Highest totals | Lowest totals
T20Is: Most runs | Most wickets | Highest totals | Lowest totals
ODIs: Most runs | Most wickets | Highest totals | Lowest totals
T20Is: Most runs | Most wickets | Highest totals | Lowest totals
Afghanistan Men's Cricket Team Trophies and Milestones
Team Fan Ratings
Top Run Scorers
In last one year392
Innings: 3Average: 130.66
272
Innings: 3Average: 90.66
134
Innings: 3Average: 44.66
335
Innings: 8Average: 41.87
318
Innings: 9Average: 35.33
314
Innings: 10Average: 44.85
75
Innings: 3Average: 25.00
72
Innings: 3Average: 36.00
67
Innings: 2Average: 33.50
Top Wicket Takers
In last one year11
Innings: 2Average: 14.54
5
Innings: 4Average: 41.00
4
Innings: 2Average: 40.25
21
Innings: 9Average: 11.33
19
Innings: 11Average: 15.15
16
Innings: 8Average: 19.50
9
Innings: 3Average: 8.11
8
Innings: 3Average: 9.87
4
Innings: 3Average: 18.25