Afghanistan coach Rashid Latif said on Wednesday that the war-ravaged nation needed Test status for its cricket team to fully develop and it could be ready in three years.
The former Pakistan Test player, speaking after his side crushed Hong Kong in the Asian Games quarter-finals to set up a mouth-watering first ever match with Pakistan, said Afghanistan had many talented players.
Last year the country rose to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Division One, narrowly missing out on a place in the World Cup to be held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh next year.
They qualified for the World Twenty20 held in the West Indies earlier this year by winning qualifying rounds in Dubai.
But Latif said only Test status could give the game the boost it needed.
“I’m not interested in Twenty20 cricket or 50-overs cricket. We need to compete in Test cricket. If a country has Test cricket you can improve your cricket at the grassroots level.
“Bangladesh had Test cricket (from 2001) and after that they greatly improved but I think this Afghanistan side is better than their current team.
“Afghanistan have a lot of talent at youth level and national level but very limited facilities. There is no good ground in Afghanistan.”
But he said despite these drawbacks “in two or three years we should be ready to apply for Test status”.
Afghanistan currently falls far short of the requirements for Test status, including a lack of suitable grounds and facilities and an absence of first-class domestic cricket.
The team have also played the vast majority of their cricket outside the country.
But work on the country’s first international cricket stadium started this week, with the government hoping the game can contribute to peace and stability.
The renovated stadium will serve as the main hub for hosting both domestic and international events and will accommodate more than 6,000 fans, officials said.
Afghanistan, who have one-day international status, are in danger of being frozen out by an International Cricket Council’s proposal to limit the number of teams that participate in the 50-over World Cup to 10 teams.
This would likely shut out countries such as Afghanistan from the four-yearly showpiece.
Bowler Merwais Ashraf said he was disappointed about the proposed move, because it would shut off the only route for Afghanistan to qualify for the tournament.
“We want to play for Afghanistan in Asian Cricket Council and ICC tournaments. Our dream is to qualify for the 50-over World Cup,” he said.
