Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Shafiq Stanikzai says the BCCI has played a bigger role in the rapid rise of the game in the strife-torn nation. Afghanistan cricketers trained a lot in Pakistan in their formative years and some of them even picked up the sport in refugee camps on the other side of the border. The team from the war-ravaged nation even made its T20 and ODI debut against Pakistan. The side has come a long way since then, regularly playing in ICC world events before earning their Test status last June. Stanikzai feels Afghanistan’s growth has been faster ever since they made Greater Noida their home ground in 2015.
“BCCI’s role has really been immense. Since we moved to India the team has done well. The conditions in India are suiting the team quite well. the support we receive from BCCI has bee instrumental,” Stanikzai told.
“since we moved to India, we have achieved big. We were associates and playing in a lower tier when practising in Pakistan. Since we moved to India we are performing well. We have reached a stage where we are playing with the best.”
“So, comparatively, it is bigger. Financially it is helping us quite a lot. It is cost effective in comparison to playing in UAE. Conditions wise too it is good. It is easy to convince other boards to come and play in India. So, from different perspective, it is better to play in India,” said the CEO.
Afghanistan would be playing their maiden Test in Bengaluru from June 14 to 18.
