Afghanistan is swiftly moving towards shedding their minnows tag. The Asian team was recently rewarded by the International Cricket Council with Test-playing status.
Asghar Stanikzai's men will achieve a new high on Tuesday, July 11, when they step on the field at the Mecca of Cricket -- Lord's -- for the first time. The 10th-ranked One Day International side will play a 50-over-exhibition game against Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
The star-studded MCC side will be led by former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum. Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq is part of the squad along with his former international teammate Yasir Shah.
West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul will also feature in the historic tie. While Kumar Sangakkara, who had been piling up runs at will for Surrey in County Championship earlier this year was initially part of the squad. However, the Sri Lankan great pulled out due to injury leading to the inclusion of Warwickshire star Sam Hain.
While the MCC squad looks strong on paper, Afghanistan will fancy their chances in today's outing. While the historic occasion will get them fired up, the team has some big names, who have been making consistent impact at the international level.
Leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who took Indian Premier League 2017 by storm with 17 wickets at 21.05, will be the man in focus. Mohammad Nabi, who also impressed in his maiden IPL stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad, will also relish the challenge of playing against big names.
Skipper Stanikzai will bank on pacers Shapoor Zadran, Dawlat Zadran and young gun Farid Malik to deliver the goods.
Regardless of the result, it is a huge honour for Afghanistan team for being invited to play at one of the prestigious international venues of the game. It is just a reflection of how much cricket in the war-torn nation has improved and Tuesday's match is yet another opportunity for the rising limited-overs team to impress the cricket fraternity.
Squads
Marylebone Cricket Club: Brendon McCullum (c), Sam Hain, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Samit Patel, Chris Read, George Dockrell, Chris Rushworth, Stuart Meaker, Tim Murtagh, Yasir Shah
Afghanistan: Asghar Stanikzai(c), Noor Ali Zadran, Samiullah Shenwari, Mohammad Nabi, Shafiqullah Shafiq(w), Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Javed Ahmadi, Dawlat Zadran, Shapoor Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Afsar Zazai, Nasir Jamal, Farid Malik
When does the match start, where to watch it live
The exhibition fixture between MCC and Afghanistan begins at 11am local time, 10am GMT and 3:30pm IST. Live streaming information is listed below.
Worldwide: www.lords.org, Lord's Facebook page, Lord's Youtube Channel
