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.
Mohammad Asghar Afghan is an Afghan former cricketer who had captained the Afghanistan national cricket team. Asghar is a right-handed batsman and a medium-fast bowler. In May 2018, he was named as the captain of Afghanistan, for their inaugural Test match, against India. He made his Test debut, against India, on 14 June 2018. On 2 August 2018, he changed his last name from Stanikzai to Afghan.
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.
Rashid Khan Arman is an Afghan international cricketer and captain of the Afghanistan national team in the T20I format. In franchise leagues, he plays for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Adelaide Strikers in Australia's Big Bash League (BBL), Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Band-e-Amir Dragons in Afghanistan's Shpageeza Cricket League and MI New York in Major League Cricket (MLC). He bowls right-arm leg spin and is an aggressive right-handed batsman.
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 2018–19 Afghanistan Premier League was the first edition of the Afghanistan Premier League Twenty20 (T20) franchise cricket tournament, held in the United Arab Emirates. It took place between 5 and 21 October 2018 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
The 2019 season of the Shpageeza Cricket League was the sixth edition of the Shpageeza, a professional Twenty20 cricket (T20) league established by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in 2013, and the second edition to have official T20 status. The tournament featured the six regional teams that played in the previous season. The event took place between 9 and 18 October 2019, with the Alokozay Kabul International Cricket Ground hosting all the matches. The number of overseas players participating was significantly reduced from the previous edition, with the subsequent launch of the Afghanistan Premier League making that the main franchise Twenty20 league run by the ACB.
The 2020 Shpageeza Cricket League was the seventh edition of the Shpageeza Cricket League, a professional Twenty20 cricket (T20) league established by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in 2013, and the third edition to have official T20 status. Following a request to the Ministry of Public Health due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was given approval in July 2020 to take place. The ACB also confirmed that it was their priority to run a successful tournament.
Sediqullah Atal is an Afghan cricketer. He is an opening batter, who made his international debut for Afghanistan in 2023.
The 2022 Shpageeza Cricket League was the eighth edition of the Shpageeza Cricket League, a professional Twenty20 cricket (T20) league established by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in 2013, and the fourth edition to have official T20 status. It was originally scheduled to run from 10 to 25 September 2021, with the number of teams increased from six to eight. However, no tournament took place in 2021, with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announcing that the tournament would be played in June and July 2022. The Kabul Eagles were the defending champions.
The Boost Region are one of five Afghanistan men's first-class cricket teams that make up Afganistan Cricket.It competes in the Mirwais Nika 3-Day Tournament first class (3-day) competition, Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament domestic one day competition and the Qosh Tepa National T20 Cup Twenty20 competition.
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.
