3 teams that Afghanistan can defeat to win their first ever Test match
The International Cricket Council granted Test status to Afghanistan and Ireland in 2017. Both the teams made their debuts in 2018 and coincidentally, both of them lost their first Test. While Afghanistan slumped to a 2-day defeat against India, the Irishmen fought hard before handing over a victory to Pakistan.
Though Afghanistan failed to perform well in their first outing, there is always a scope for improvement. Just like their rise in the limited overs format, Afghanistan may soon rise to glory in the longest format of the game. Players like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Shahzad, and skipper Asghar Afghan, would be keen to perform their best in the Test format.
With the Afghanistan team slated to get more opportunities in the test format, here are the 3 teams against whom they can register their first victory-
#1 West Indies
Despite overcoming Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe earlier in the season, the Windies slumped to embarrassing defeats against India in the recently concluded test series. The Caribbean batsmen showed no temperament and the Indian batsmen smashed their bowlers relentlessly. Even debutant Prithvi Shaw and lower order batsmen like Ravindra Jadeja scored centuries against a struggling Windies side.
Afghanistan have defeated the West Indies side in the T20 format besides defeating them in the ODI format. West Indies batsmen have struggled to tackle the Afghan spin attack comprising Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammed Nabi. If the two sides clash soon, the Blue Tigers have a strong chance to register their first ever Test victory. Also, the Test match will be played either in India (at Afghanistan’s adopted home) or in the West Indies, both locations known for having slow pitches, which would favour the Afghans.