Afghanistan to negotiate with ECB to play their home matches in England
Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) chiefs have requested the England Cricket Board (ECB) to let them play their home games on English soil. With Afghanistan in political turmoil due to the Taliban takeover, they risk being isolated by the ICC and other cricketing nations.
The Asian cricketing team currently uses Sharjah as its home ground and that's likely to continue. However, they expect the ECB to help them develop the sport by letting them play as hosts in England against neutral opponents.
Afghanistan National Cricket Team Squad for the World T20 Cup 2021. https://t.co/exlMQ10EQx
Afghanistan Cricket Board chief executive Hamid Shinwari aims to visit the United Kingdom next year. Shinwari says they will hopefully reach a consensus with the ECB to host major international teams to scale new heights.
"We plan on visiting the UK next year and hopefully sign an MOU with Afghanistan to play regular series with an international team (in England). This would give us a big boost and support the youth of Afghanistan," Shinwari was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
Afghanistan could lose a massive opportunity to play a Test against Australia later this year. With the Taliban prohibiting women's cricket in the country, Cricket Australia has threatened to cancel the fixture in Hobart. However, the ACB has asked their counterparts for some time to convince the Taliban government.
We want to build girls' cricket, we are committed to building facilities: Afghanistan Cricket Board Chief
Joined ACB as the CEO. A new journey of cricket development in Afghanistan! https://t.co/CrOtLBodOB
However, Hamid Shinwari has declared that the women's cricketers have still not left Afghanistan and they want to develop their game.
"Our women players are still here - they have not left Afghanistan, most are in Kabul or the other provinces. We want to build girls cricket, we are committed to building facilities,so they can play as long as our cultural requirements are met," Shinwari added.
Afghanistan have so far played only one game in England, which came in the 2019 World Cup. The hosts won the match comfortably by a margin of 150 runs, as skipper Eoin Morgan smashed 17 sixes in his 71-ball 148.