Shillong, November 10: Hashmatullah Shahidi, the captain of the Afghanistan cricket team, emphasized the need for prioritizing One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Test cricket to elevate their global standing.
As per IANS, currently positioned sixth with eight points, Afghanistan must secure a substantial victory against South Africa in their upcoming match and rely on a Pakistan loss to England to progress to the semi-finals.
Expressing the significance of 50-over and Test cricket, Shahidi stressed the surplus of T20 leagues and the importance of diversifying the game format for their improvement. He urged the Afghanistan Cricket Board and the International Cricket Council (ICC) to facilitate more matches to foster their progress.
Despite playing 29 ODIs against teams like West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan between the previous and current World Cups, the discontinuation of the World Cup Super League has affected Afghanistan’s fixture guarantees against larger cricketing nations.
The upcoming cycle schedules 33 matches, with only six against top-eight teams, and none against prominent cricketing nations like Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, or Pakistan.
