No one is ready for test cricket. ANd you cannot practice it.
Thats how it is.
You could had made Afghanistan play first class cricket for 5 years, yet the performance at international level would had not made a difference.
You guys keep mentioned Ireland, let me remind you Afghanistan has beaten Ireland in Intercontinental cup.
Also, Ireland was playing in Irish conditions. There the fast bowlers got assistance. Trust me, if Afghanistan was playing in Ireland, Shapoor Zadran, Yamin, infact even Mirwais Ashraf would had got assistance from it.
Ireland's batting also bottled, the only reasn why they scored runs in second innings was Pakistan's fielding.
Afghanistan is not Test material yet. But as a test team they will improve by playing more test cricket, then their players taking that knowledge back to first class .
If you guys actually watched the match you would know how Afghanistan was learning from the match itself.
In past, guys like Rashid were picking up wickets in firstclass by throwing in a googly or two. There he relied on his variety, while in the Test game, he had to rely on consistent line and length. Rashid couldn't drop 3 balls at one place, but after he did that he got wickets...
Look you cannot expect Afghnistan to improve without even playing Test Cricket. They will improve by playing more test. Not first Class, but more Test. Because in Test they have interaction with international players and see what they do and get beaten by the ones better then them and try to immolate what they did.
Asghar Stanikzai didn't know how to make tactics. ANd that was alright. Because you can't expect to learn Test Strategies by playing first class with guys who have no knowledge of test cricket or guys who are yet to play against good cricketers.
Other nations took years to win their first game or become a better side.
The reason why ICC gave Test Membership to Ireland and Aghanistan was not because they thought that they could challenge other teams all of a sudden. But because they saw potential in these two teams.
Usually over the years what we have seen that if one associate has its rise, the rise only last 5-6 years after which the teams performance starts to deteriorate. Canada and Kenya are good examples of this.
Canada was a good side when John Davison was the captain, after he left the team sucked.
Ireland and Afghanistan proved that their rise was short term, they showed that they have the POTENTIAL, hence they got the Test Membership.
Also, the guys who are bashing Afghanistan and claiming Ireland is a better Test side. let me remind you, Ireland had to play the same old cricketers which have been in the team for the last 10 years.
The Afghanistan team has many players come and go. And this shows that better players are being produced in Afghanistan.
10 years ago, the team was being captain by Nowroz Mangal(before him Allah Dad Noori), whos main bowler was Dawlat Ahmadzai and Hasti Gul. After that that they got Shapoor Zadran and then Hamid Hassan came along. After which Dawlat Zadran was unearthed. THey got Yamin from the under 19s, and now they have got Rashid and Mujeeb.
So you see, this team has transitioned. They keep producing players, its not the same faces that have been playing for the last 10 years.
Guys like Karim Sadiq, Noor Ali Zadran, Khaliqdad Noori and Raees Ahmadzai were important figures in Afghan set up who have retired or were not playing in this test because better players then them were unearthed.
Back in 2013, when Afghanistan defeated Ireland in the Intercontinental Cup, the team had Nowroz Mangal, SHabir Noori, Samiullah Shinwari, Mirwais Ashraf and Izatullah
And today, we had many new faces. Why? Because it shows that more players are being produced, better players are being produced which is why the ones in the team end up getting replaced.
Please stop expecting a new team to start winning in test. Atleast 5-10 years needs to be given to let it learn and get used to test cricket by actually playing it.
