Afghanistan head coach Lalchand Rajput says Test status 'great thing for people of Afghanistan'

The recently concluded ICC Annual Conference awarded Test status to Afghanistan, which brought smiles to Afghanistan head coach Lalchand Rajput. Along with Afghanistan, Ireland also became a Full Member nation on Thursday, and both teams are now the 11th and 12th nations to be awarded Test status.

Rajput, who was appointed head coach of Afghanistan in June 2016, said this was a momentous occasion for the team, the staff and of course the people of the country. He also assured that the team will do their best to live up to the expectations of the ICC.

“It is a great moment for all of us and that country. It is a great thing for the people of that country. We will live up to the expectations of the International Cricket Council,” Lalchand Rajput told PTI.

Rajput replaced Pakistan‘s Inzamam-ul-Haq as head coach of Afghanistan and was chosen ahead of Mohammed Yousuf, Herschelle Gibbs and Corey Collymore. The Afghan team has had considerable success under the supervision of the 55-year-old former Indian opener. Incidentally, Rajput has also applied for the position of India’s head coach when the BCCI invited new applicants for the job.

Afghanistan Cricket has gone from strength to strength

Recently, Afghanistan beat West Indies in an ODI and leg-spinner Rashid Khan picked up seven wickets in that match.

Afghanistan Cricket Board Chief Executive Shafiq Stanikzai was also overjoyed by the ICC’s decision. “For a nation like Afghanistan, it is a huge and remarkable achievement, the entire nation will be celebrating across all five regions and different provinces, it is the perfect Eid gift. Everyone has waited for this news and has been so keen to hear this news. Afghanistan Cricket has gone from strength to strength and we dared to dream that this would happen and today it has become a reality,” he said.

“I would like to thank the ICC and the Board who have demonstrated today that they are committed to growing the global game and rewarding nations who are performing on and off the field. As an administrator, every achievement is huge and it opens the doors to new challenges and we need to work hard to maintain and sustain our development at the top of the cricket world,” he added.