Mohammad Nabi lauds BCCI's support for Afghanistan cricket's journey

Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi praised the BCCI's support, citing the Kandahar ground and IPL exposure. He reflected on Afghanistan's 24-year cricket journey and expressed confidence for the T20 WC 2026, also welcoming the WTC expansion.

BCCI's support crucial for Afghanistan cricket: Nabi

Veteran Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, who is currently representing Dubai Capitals in the ongoing ILT20 2025-26 edition, on Friday highlighted the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) support for Afghanistan Cricket. "BCCI helped a lot during that journey. The Indian government built a ground in Kandahar. Most of the players are also playing in the IPL. Last year, around 9-10 players played in the IPL. They gave us a lot of exposure, and the experience we gained from that has helped us on the national team as well," Nabi told ANI.

'It's been a long journey'

The 40-year-old Nabi revealed Afghanistan Cricket's journey so far. The veteran cricketer added that there have been many ups and downs in the middle, but Afghanistan is now playing at a higher level. "It's been a long journey since 2001; now it's 2025. It's been like 24 years of bringing Afghanistan cricket to this stage, starting from zero. I'm really happy, and I'm still enjoying my cricket as well. It's a lot of up and down in the middle, and now it's at a high level of cricket in Afghanistan. Playing a lot of World Cups, playing a semifinal in the World Cup. We will do our best to bring major events to Afghanistan." Nabi told ANI.

Hopes high for T20 World Cup 2026

When Nabi was asked how the subcontinent pitches could help Afghanistan during the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026, the 40-year-old said the conditions would suit their players. He added that many of them have played in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which would help them. "We will try our best in this ICC T20 World Cup 2026 because the conditions will be suitable for the Afghanistan players. Also, many players have played many IPL games in these conditions. Hopefully, we do better than we did at the last World Cup," the 40-year-old said.

On World Test Championship expansion

Earlier, it was reported that the ICC World Test Championship is likely to expand to 12 teams next year, adding Afghanistan, Ireland, and Zimbabwe, and that this will scrap the divisive two-tier system for a single, unified league to boost participation and global reach in Test cricket.

When Nabi was asked about the expansion of the World Test Championship, the 40-year-old said, "It will be great to play the ICC World Test Championship. Hopefully, we do well. It will be a great experience to play with the high-level test teams." (ANI)

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