1996 – 2009

Before the first ball: Afghanistan, India and the road to 2010

This archive covers thirty years of cricket, but the two national teams did not meet until May 2010. The reason is simple: for most of that period Afghanistan did not have international status. This page explains what happened in between.

Timeline

  1. 1995 The Afghanistan Cricket Federation is founded, largely by players who learned the game in refugee camps in Peshawar, Pakistan.
  2. 2001 Afghanistan becomes an ICC Affiliate member; the first national squad plays regional games in Pakistan.
  3. 2004–2006 Asian Cricket Council Trophy campaigns; Afghanistan reach the 2006 final and earn Associate-level fixtures.
  4. 2008 Starting in World Cricket League Division Five in Jersey, Afghanistan win three divisions in a row (Div 5, Div 4, Div 3) within twelve months.
  5. 2009 World Cup Qualifier in South Africa: Afghanistan finish fifth, miss the 2011 World Cup by one place but are granted ODI status on 19 April 2009. Their first ODI is against Scotland the same day.
  6. 2010 Afghanistan qualify for the ICC World Twenty20 and are drawn with India and South Africa. The first Afghanistan vs India match is played on 1 May 2010 in St Lucia.

India's role in Afghan cricket

India has been Afghanistan's most important cricketing partner. The BCCI offered the Greater Noida, Dehradun and Lucknow grounds as Afghanistan's home venues, hosted their inaugural Test in 2018, and Afghan players such as Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Rahmanullah Gurbaz built global reputations in the IPL. That relationship is why every Afghanistan vs India fixture, including the 2026 T20Is in Delhi, is played with an unusual mix of rivalry and goodwill.

Continue to the 2010 season or see the full head-to-head record.