Cricket fans in India will get to see the Afghanistan cricket team practising and playing their home games on the nation's soil now on as the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Noida remains their new base.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the BCCI and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Thursday with the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority, to allot the stadium in Noida as their home ground.
"Afghanistan was quite keen to shift their home base to India for some time now and it has been BCCI's vision to expand the game globally and help associate and affiliate members of ICC," BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said. "In this direction, we identified this ground and Greater Noida authorities were open and cooperative to offer this ground to Afghanistan Cricket Board."
Thakur also commended on the performance of the Afghanistan national cricket team, who participated in the ICC Cricket World Cup for the first time in history earlier this year.
"Afghanistan have done well in the last two years and to qualify for the World Cup. It showcases their hard-work. And they will play in India and like India played a big hand in Bangladesh becoming a full member, India will also play a big part in Afghanistan becoming a full member as well," said Thakur.
"Not only they will play their matches here but will also get added support like a chance to get help from top coaches and a chance to rub shoulders with India's best cricketer's.
"Greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid might not travel to Kabul but can certainly give these players a tip or two when they are in India. So BCCI will certainly help them in every manner," he said.
The cricket stadium in Noida has hosted a Ranji Trophy game between Uttar Pradesh and Baroda.
