This is a list of cricket grounds in Afghanistan . The Afghan national cricket team does not play its home matches inside Afghanistan due to security threats and the lack of international standard facilities. [1] [2] [3]
Stadium | Location | Capacity | Status | Notes | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ghazi Amanullah International Cricket Stadium | Ghazi Amanullah Town | 14,000 | Completed | ||
Kandahar International Cricket Stadium | Kandahar | 9,000 [1] | Completed | ||
Khost Cricket Stadium | Khost | 8,000 [1] | Completed | ||
Helmand Cricket Stadium | Lashkar Gah [4] | 8,000 [1] | Completed | ||
Sherzai Cricket Stadium | Jalalabad | 8,000 | Completed | ||
Laghman Cricket Stadium [5] | Mihtarlam | 7,000 [1] | Completed | ||
Kabul International Cricket Stadium | Kabul | 6,000 | Completed | ||
Paktia Cricket Stadium | Gardez | 6,000 [1] | Completed | ||
Paktika Cricket Stadium | Sharana | 5,000 [1] | Completed | ||
Zabul Cricket Stadium | Qalat [6] | 4,000 [1] | Completed | ||
Kunar Cricket Ground | Asadabad | 1,000 | Completed | Construction of the ground was funded by a $100,000 grant by the Asian Cricket Council. | |
Balkh Cricket Stadium | Mazar-i-Sharif | Unknown | Under Construction |
The economy of Afghanistan is listed as the 147th largest in the world in terms of nominal gross domestic product (GDP), and 127th largest in the world in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP). With a population of around 41 million people, Afghanistan's GDP (nominal) stands at $7.43 billion as of 2024, amounting to a GDP per capita of $200. Its annual exports exceed $1.2 billion, with agricultural, mineral and textile products accounting for 94% of total exports. The nation's total external debt is $8.0 billion as of 2024.
Jalalabad is the fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 356,274, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part of the country, about 130 kilometres (80 mi) from the capital Kabul. Jalalabad is located at the junction of the Kabul River and the Kunar River in a plateau to the south of the Hindu Kush mountains. It is linked by the Kabul-Jalalabad Road to the west and Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, to the east through Torkham and the Khyber Pass.
Nangarhār, also called Nangrahar or Ningrahar, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country and bordering Logar, Kabul, Laghman and Kunar provinces as well as having an international border with Pakistan. It is divided into 22 districts and has a population of about 1,735,531, the third highest of the country's 34 provinces. The city of Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar province. Nangarhar province is famous for its fish and karahi dishes.
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.
Tarinkot, also spelled as Tarin Kowt, is a city in south-central Afghanistan, serving as the capital of Uruzgan Province. It sits at 1,317 m (4,321 ft) above sea level, and is connected by a road network with Kandahar to the south, Nili in Daykundi Province to the north, and Malistan in Ghazni Province to the northeast.
Kama is a district in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, to the east of Jalalabad. Its population, which is 100% Pashtun, was estimated at 180,000 in 2012. The district is within the heartland of the Mohmand tribe of Pashtuns. The district centre is the village of Sanger Srye Kama. The districts includes most of the Kama Valley.
Afghanistan has long been known for diverse wildlife. Many of the larger mammals in the country are categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as globally threatened. These include the snow leopard, Marco Polo sheep, Siberian musk deer, markhor, urial, and the Asiatic black bear. Other species of interest are the ibex, the gray wolf, and the brown bear, striped hyenas, and numerous bird of prey species. Most of the Marco Polo sheep and ibex are being poached for food, whereas wolves, snow leopards and bears are being killed for damage prevention.
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.
Sport in Afghanistan is managed by the Afghan Sports Federation. Currently, cricket and association football (soccer) are the most popular sports in Afghanistan. The Afghan Sports Federation has promoted many types of sports, including basketball, bodybuilding, boxing, bowling, cricket, football, golf, mountaineering, paragliding, skating, skiing, snooker, taekwondo, track and field, volleyball, and weightlifting. The traditional sport of Afghanistan has been Buzkashi, which is now occasionally seen in the northern parts of the country.
Energy in Afghanistan is provided by hydropower followed by fossil fuel and solar power. Currently, less than 50% of Afghanistan's population has access to electricity. This covers the major cities in the country. Many rural areas do not have access to adequate electricity but this should change after the major CASA-1000 project is completed.
Kabul International Cricket Stadium is a cricket stadium in Kabul, Afghanistan, which opened in 2011 and can accommodate around 6,000 spectators. It is the first international cricket stadium to be constructed in the country and is the home of cricket in Afghanistan.
Ghāzī Amānullāh International Cricket Stadium, Jalalabad is an international standard cricket stadium in Afghanistan. It is located in the heart of Ghazi Amanullah Town, a new suburb of Jalalabad in Nangarhar Province.
Kandahar Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The stadium is used mainly for association football matches.
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.
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.
Khost International Cricket Stadium, also referred to as Khost Cricket Stadium, is a cricket stadium in Khost, Afghanistan. It is owned and operated by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). Work on the cricket ground was completed on 30 December 2016, with more than 50,000 spectators present in the inaugural ceremony, a record crowd for any sport played in the country. The stadium was constructed with financial assistance from Germany.