The Afghanistan men's national cricket team represents Afghanistan in international cricket. Cricket has been played in Afghanistan since the mid-19th century, but it was only in the early 21st century that the national team began to enjoy success. The Afghanistan Cricket Board was formed in 1995, becoming an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2001 and a member of the cricket confederation, Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in 2003. After nearly a decade of playing international cricket, on 22 June 2017 full ICC membership was granted to Afghanistan. Alongside Ireland, this took the number of Test cricket playing nations to twelve. Afghanistan is the first country to achieve Full Member status after holding Affiliate Membership of the ICC. In view of the persistent conflict and insecurity in Afghanistan, following this status, the team moved to a new home ground in Dehradun, in India. The current home ground of the Afghanistan Men's Cricket team is the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board is the official governing body of cricket in Afghanistan. It is Afghanistan's representative at the International Cricket Council (ICC) and was an associate member of ICC from June 2013 until becoming a full member in June 2017. Before that it was an affiliate member and has been a member of that body since 2001. It is also a member of the Asian Cricket Council.
Cricket in Afghanistan is the most popular sport in the country, which is represented internationally by the Afghanistan national cricket team. Afghanistan's border with the Test playing nation of Pakistan has helped the game to take root. Pakistan's former batsman Inzamam ul Haq has coached the Afghan national team in the past. Afghanistan became a full member of the International Cricket Council on 22 June 2017, enabling the national team to participate in official Test matches.
Mohammad Shahzad Mohammadi is a former Afghan cricketer. He is a right-handed opening batsman and a wicketkeeper. He made his international debut for Afghanistan in August 2009 against the Netherlands.
The Shpageeza Cricket League is a Twenty20 cricket tournament organized by the Afghanistan Cricket Board every year in Afghanistan. The Shpageeza tournament is established with eight franchises, including players from the national team, overseas, players from the ‘A’ team and players from the under 19 team as well as elite performers from the respective regions participating in this tournament. In addition, ACB has given the league an identity by franchising all team while players will be selected through a draft for each team.
Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament is a four-day cricket tournament in Afghanistan played between regional teams, each representing a number of Afghan provinces.
Amo Sharks or Amo Region is one of eight regional first-class cricket teams in Afghanistan. The regional side represents the following provinces in the north of Afghanistan: Balkh, Faryab, Jowzjan, Samangan, and Sar-i-Pul. The team is named after the Amo, a river in northern Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Band-e-Amir Dragons or Band-e-Amir Region is one of eight regional first-class cricket teams in Afghanistan. In the 2017 Shpageeza team auction, the Band-e-Amir Dragons team was bought by Paragon Business Group, a Finance and investment company, and it will play as the Paragon Band-e-Amir Dragons in this competition. The Region represents the following provinces in the centre of Afghanistan: Ghazni, Bamyan, Daykundi, and Maidan Wardak. The team is named after Band-e Amir, a series of six deep blue lakes in Bamyan Province.
Boost Defenders or Boost Region is one of eight regional first-class cricket teams in Afghanistan. The region represents the following provinces in the south and southwest of Afghanistan: Kandahar, Helmand, Nimroz, Uruzgan and Zabul. The team is named after Bōst, the historical name of Lashkargah city in Helmand Province.
Mis Ainak Knights or Mis Ainak Region is one of eight regional first-class cricket teams in Afghanistan. The region represents the following provinces in the southeast of Afghanistan, to the south of the capital Kabul: Khost, Logar, Paktia and Paktika. The team is named after Mes Aynak, an archaeological site in Logar Province.
Speenghar Tigers or Speenghar Region is one of eight regional first-class cricket teams in Afghanistan. The region represents the following provinces in the east of Afghanistan, to the east of the capital Kabul: Nangarhar, Laghman, Kapisa, Kunar and Nuristan. The team is named after Spīn Ghar, a mountain range in the region.
The 2017 season of the Shpageeza Cricket League, also known as SCL 5, was the fifth edition of the Shpageeza, a professional Twenty20 cricket league established by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in 2013. The tournament featured the six teams that played in the previous season. The 2017 season was reported to be played from 18 to 28 July 2017, but took place in September 2017, with the Kabul International Cricket Ground hosting all the matches.
The Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament is a cricket tournament organized by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) that forms part of the Afghanistan domestic cricket season. Starting from the 2017 season, following announcements from the ICC earlier in the same year, the tournament is recognized with List A status. The first ever domestic List A matches played in Afghanistan took place at the start of the 2017 edition of the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament on 10 August 2017 at Khost Cricket Stadium, Khost. It is named after Afghan King Amanullah Khan. The winner of the first tournament was Spin Ghar Region.
Nijat Masood is an Afghan cricketer, who mainly plays as a right-arm medium bowler. He made his international debut for the Afghanistan cricket team in June 2022.
Munir Ahmad Kakar is an Afghan cricketer. He made his international debut for the Afghanistan cricket team in March 2021.
Bahir Shah is an Afghan cricketer. In domestic cricket, he plays for the Speen Ghar Tigers, and he has also played for the Afghanistan under-19 cricket team. Since his debut in 2017, Bahir has set several records in first-class cricket.
The 2018 Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament was a List A cricket competition that took place in Afghanistan between 10 and 27 July 2018. It was the second edition of the competition to be played with List A status, following the announcements by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in February and May 2017. Six teams competed; Amo Region, Band-e-Amir Region, Boost Region, Kabul Region, Mis Ainak Region and Speen Ghar Region. Speen Ghar Region were the defending champions.
The 2019 Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament was a List A cricket competition that took place in Afghanistan between 10 and 24 September 2019. It was the third edition of the competition to be played with List A status, following the announcements by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in February and May 2017. Five teams competed; Amo Region, Band-e-Amir Region, Boost Region, Mis Ainak Region and Speen Ghar Region. Boost Region were the defending champions.
The 2024 Qosh Tepa National T20 Cup was the inaugural season of the Qosh Tepa National T20 Cup, a Twenty20 cricket competition played in Afghanistan. The tournament is scheduled to take place from 1 to 13 May 2024. Five regional teams will compete in a double round-robin league, with the matches being held at Kabul. In March 2024, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed the fixtures for the tournament. The competition will serve as the preparation for national players and the criteria for team selection ahead of the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
The Qosh Tepa National T20 Cup, is a domestic Twenty20 cricket competition in Afghanistan, organized by the Afghanistan Cricket Board and first contested during the 2024 season.
