table of contents
Afghanistan’s crushing defeat to India in the one-off Test has raised questions over their survival in the longest format of the game. The team was struggling badly with both bat and ball and after the match, former India all-rounder Madan Lal questioned whether Afghanistan was ready to play Test cricket.
But former Indian wicketkeeper Saba Karim has a different opinion on the situation. Karim supported the Afghanistan team and called for more patience to continue their journey in Test cricket. Embarrassed, Allah Ghazanfar sends a warning to the Men in Blue.
India completely dominated the only test match played in Mullanpur. The Indian cricket team put Afghanistan under immense pressure by scoring a huge score of 564/8. In reply, the touring team was bowled out for just 152 runs in the first innings and 112 runs in the second innings, with India winning the match by a huge innings and 300 runs. After which Shubman Gill climbed up the ICC Test rankings.
Madan Lal raises questions on Afghanistan’s place in Test cricket after heavy defeat
This crushing defeat led to strong comments from Madan Lal, who felt that Afghanistan still had a long way to go in red-ball cricket. He questioned the logic behind awarding Test status based on white-ball performance and suggested that a team must be strong in red-ball cricket before expecting success in Test cricket.
“Why have they (Afghanistan) been allowed to play Tests? I don’t understand the logic behind giving Test status to Afghanistan. I also don’t understand why affiliated countries are given Test status on the basis of their ODI and T20I records,” PTI quoted Madan Lal as saying.
“I think they should focus on ODIs, because they are a very good T20 team. Playing Tests is like jumping the gun. First of all, they should learn how to play and last for 50 overs.”
Madan Lal says Afghanistan needs more red-ball experience and better infrastructure
He also pointed to Afghanistan’s consistently low scores in Test cricket and said the format demands proper infrastructure, regular first-class cricket and strong preparation. He admitted that Afghan players have talent, but they are not getting enough performance as per the demands of five-day cricket.
The former Indian cricketer said, “Look, they scored just 152 and 102 runs in this match. In their last match eight years ago, they were bowled out for 109 and 102 runs. Is this a good advertisement for Test cricket? It requires a lot of infrastructure and facilities to play a five-day Test. It is absolutely zero in Afghanistan. So, what do they do? The players are not bad. It’s just that they are not used to playing five-day cricket.”
Saba Karim defends Afghanistan and urges patience
Meanwhile, Saba Karim reminded everyone that Bangladesh also faced similar struggles for many years after entering Test cricket, but they gradually improved with time and experience.
Karim believes that Afghanistan should also be given that opportunity instead of hasty justice. He believes that the team has already shown its quality in white-ball cricket and if it gets enough support and regular matches, it can progress in Test cricket as well.
“Look, Bangladesh also did not play standard Test cricket in the first decade and a half after its debut in 2000. But not too long ago, they beat Pakistan in Pakistan. So let’s show a little more patience with a war-torn country like Afghanistan,” Karim said.
Afghanistan hopes to make a strong comeback in ODIs
Afghanistan have played only a limited number of Test matches since their debut in 2018 and have participated in only two multi-Test series so far. Despite his struggles in the traditional formats of the game, he has made impressive progress in ODI and T20 cricket over the last few years.
The focus will now turn to the upcoming three-match ODI series against India starting on June 13 in Dharamsala, where Afghanistan will hope to make a strong comeback.