Pakistan to play Afghanistan in a T20 match at Sharjah

Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul Haq, in a match against Afghanistan

Pakistan will play Afghanistan in a T20 International match at Sharjah on December 8, as a goodwill gesture to help in the development and improvement of cricket in Afghanistan.

It has been confirmed by a PCB spokesman, that the two teams will meet in the United Arab Emirates, according to reports from NDTV.

“Giving Afghanistan an international match is our contribution towards the development of the game in the neighbouring country,” the spokesman said.

There was an agreement made in March earlier this year where the PCB had pledged to support Afghanistan, not only to improve the level of cricket played in the nation, but to also work for the development of infrastructure.

Afghanistan cricket has been on the rise,and the team was able to qualify for the 2010 and 2012 T20 cricket World Cups. But they ended up losing all of their matches.

They now need to take the next step up and be able to beat some of the international sides, and therefore the more opportunities at the top level for their development.

This will be the first game for Afghanistan outside of the ICC world events, indicating the paucity of international encounters for the side.

Mohammad Murad, the chief executive of the Afghanistan Cricket Board has conveyed great happiness over the recent developments.

“We are excited by the opportunity to play against a full (ICC) member nation,” said Mr.Murad.

“Win or lose, the experience gained by our players will be absolutely invaluable.” he concluded.

The ICC has granted Associate member status to Afghanistan earlier this year in June, which has been in recognition of the achievements made by the team in such a short span of time.