The rise—and rise--of Afghanistan cricket through the ranks, from the lower levels to the highest one, has been a phenomenal one. From playing in ICC World Cricket League Division Five in 2008 to making their Test debut earlier this year--with a first ICC Cricket World Cup appearance in 2015 in between--their journey has been rapid and unrelenting. Another chapter in Afghanistan’s already impressive book will be added next year, when they take part in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England and Wales. The journey to next year’s tournament has been a turbulent one—it involved coming back from the brink at the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier earlier this year. We chart the rise of cricket in Afghanistan, from humble beginnings to performing on the biggest stage of all

Cricket was played by the British in Afghanistan in the 19th century, but it became popular among Afghans living in refugee camps in Pakistan in the 1990s. With cricket being as popular as it is in Pakistan, it was little surprise that Afghan camps just outside Peshawar saw plenty of cricket action. In the early 2000s, as Afghans started to make their way back home, they took cricket with them.

AFFILIATE STATUS BY ICC IN 2001

The cricket board itself was formed in 1995, with the national team formed in 2001; the same year the ICC granted Affiliate status to the Afghanistan Cricket Federation (now the Afghanistan Cricket Board).