Afghanistan move ahead of Sri Lanka in T20I rankings into 8th spot
Prior to the start of second T20I Afghanistan had 86 points, two short of Sri Lanka’s tally of 88
Associate nation Afghanistan has taken great strides ever since their foray into international cricket. And their rise in T20 cricket continued as they beat Zimbabwe for the second time in two days to seal the two-match T20I series 2-0 in Sharjah. With this win – they’re seventh in as many T20Is, the war-ravaged nation moved ahead of Sri Lanka at the eighth spot on the ICC T20 Rankings. Prior to the start of second T20I Afghanistan had 86 points, two short of Sri Lanka’s tally of 88.
Afghanistan stuck to their set routine which they followed and had worked so well in the first match. Mohammad Nabi once again shouldered the run-scoring responsibilities while the spinners combined to restrict their opponent’s chase.
Nabi top-scored with a pivotal 45, propelling Afghanistan to 158/9, despite a flurry of late wickets. The spinners then came to the fore, with teenage spinner Mujeeb Zadran bowling well up front, before Nabi and the world’s number two ranked T20I bowlerRashid Khan, closed out the game to ensure a win. Afghanistan has now won all seven T20Is they’ve played against Zimbabwe.
Afghanistan’s road to success
Afghanistan played their first T20I on February 1, 2010, and have won 40 out of 63 T20Is. They were unbeaten in 11 T20Is between March 27, 2016, to June 1, 2017; defeating teams like West Indies, U.A.E, Ireland, and Oman. Afghanistan achieved their highest-ever ranking in their 63rd match against Zimbabwe in Sharjah Cricket Stadium. They have a good record at the stadium; eight wins out of 12 matches.
Following Afganistan’s recent success, they also earned the Test status alongside Ireland in July last year. And the minnows will be all geared up to play their historic-first against none other than the numero uno Test team, India.
Their next international assignment will be ICC World Cup Qualifiers 2018, starting from March 2018 in Zimbabwe. They will lock horns against the likes of West Indies, Zimbabwe, and Ireland.
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