The dearth of improving nations in world cricket has been a source of concern for many at the game's highest levels for some years now. With Zimbabwe's significant progress in the Test arena during the 1990s having been halted by a significant number of factors, and with the once-rapid development of a young and talented Bangladesh side having all but come to a stop altogether, the ICC is beginning to look to its Associate and Affiliate Members to provide the potential for future growth.
Future Growth In The Cricketing Community
Many had assumed that the next new nation to receive One-Day International (ODI) status, following Bermuda and Ireland in 2006, would come from Asia - a logical assumption, with the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong having both played ODIs in the past, and with Nepal dominating all comers in Asian youth cricket.
Few, however, entertained the thought that the next nation to gain ODI status might be one in which cricket had been illegal until as recently as the year 2000; but on 17 April 2009, the Afghan cricket team shocked the cricket world in defeating Namibia to secure a top-six finish in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers, and ODI status for the next four years.
A Triumph Over War And Political Chaos
For a nation that had not so long ago been ravaged by war and run by a hard-line government that forbade the playing of sport, this was quite an achievement. So fast has been the Afghan rise to prominence, and so recent the destruction and chaos that reigned in the country, that some key players, including middle-order batsman Raees Ahmadzai, are unsure even of their own age. In a time where players in England or India reaching their early thirties have every performance scrutinised as fans and pundits attempt to determine whether or not they are 'past it', this is a sobering thought.
While many other ICC Associate Members have survived for short periods on expatriates from Test nations - the United States, Canada, and Hong Kong being prime examples - Afghanistan's success is an almost entirely home-grown product. All of their squad are of Afghan origin; the only 'outside influence' exerted on their players is the fact that many of them learned their cricket in nearby Pakistan, while in exile from the Taliban government during the 1990s.
A Fight For The ICC's Attentions - And Its Money
Afghanistan's success has not been achieved through a strictly-regimented programme designed to promote the game across the country, such as that which sees the Chinese Cricket Association aiming for Test status by 2020, or through an influx of ex-Test players from Pakistan or India. It was achieved thanks to a talented group of committed players, whose love of the game was nurtured from an early age and allowed to blossom by the hard work of the Afghanistan Cricket Federation.
Players such as fast bowler - genuinely fast bowler, having been clocked at 90mph - Hamid Hassan, and batsman Karim Khan, have proven that the old adage which claims that "talent will out" still holds true. Afghanistan's success is a lesson to all of those ICC Associate and Affiliate Members who are content to allow cricket to remain a niche sport in their region, not to risk their spot as an Affiliate or Associate Member, and to survive on payments the ICC hands out to all its members every year.
With only six turf wickets existing in the whole of Afghanistan, the team are unable to celebrate their newly-gained ODI status with so much as a home fixture. However, thanks to the ambition and belief of the players, the groundwork has been laid for a bright and successful future for Afghan cricket.
While ICC funding serves a worthwhile purpose in keeping cricket in several smaller countries alive, there is certainly a case to be made for directing more of it towards ambitious and enthusiastic countries such as Afghanistan. If the global cricket community is to truly grow, it cannot remain content to allow so many members to rest on their laurels, and the example of the Afghanistan Cricket Federation should be held up as a beacon for all other cricketing nations aspiring to greater things.
