Afghanistan will go into their historic first test against India on the 14th of this month on the back of a T20 series whitewash against a Bangladesh side that has not been easy to beat in recent years.
Much as Ireland did, the Afghanistan team will go into their match against India apprehensive, not expecting any major upsets but still looking to leave a mark. For Ireland the task of leaving a mark was easier because the opposition was so volatile. While Pakistan did manage to comfortably win the game, there were moments that shone through from Ireland including their first test centurion and an early few wickets on day 4 that made a miracle at Malahide seem possible for at least a session or two.
The game was won on the back of Faheem Ashraf and Shadab Khan, newbies not even recognised as proper batsmen, putting up important partnerships, and Pakistan’s infamous inability to hold onto catches.
But even if they ended up losing the game, something naturally understandable on their first five-day outing, they did manage to announce their entry onto the largest stage of the game. By no means does this mean that the Irish are world beaters or even a competent test team as of that test, and their years of dust and thorns in the test arena have just begun, and the ICC has place the two tier test championship system for a reason.
Despite everything, what Ireland has proven is that theirs is not simply a token entry onto the test stage, and that theirs will not be a disaster like Zimbabwe or Bangladesh, bur rather a success story like Sri Lanka’s meteoric test rise.
Afghanistan, on the other hand, will have a much tougher and more stable opposition than Ireland did. India is at the top of their game right now, especially at home. But it is also in India that Afghanistan have found it in them to defeat Bangladesh in back to back games. Even those wins were no scrappy battles to the end but comprehensive victories, where they dominated the opposition for much of the games.
And while Bangladesh may be a seemingly small conquest, it is worth noting that they have improved dramatically in recent years, becoming unbearable at times at home and being much better than teams like England or even Australia in the Indian subcontinent.
Beating Bangladesh has been a significant achievement for Afghanistan. Their persistence in international cricket and the few highflyers they have produced over the years have made another achievement, their test debut, a reality. The wins over Bangaldesh have come courtesy international sensation Rashid Khan and stalwart Mohammad Nabi.
While it is big enough that they are entering the test field so soon after the development of cricket in their country, Afghanistan is brimming to do something special on the back of a seriously uplifting series win.
