"If we don't play against top teams regularly then this will keep happening" - Asghar Afghan on Afghanistan faltering in close matches in T20I cricket 

Former national team captain Asghar Afghan has lamented Afghanistan's lack of cricket against the top sides. He believes that the team's inability to get across the line in close matches stems from the absence of consistent cricket against sides who hold the top set of spots in the ICC rankings.

Afghanistan made quite an impression at the recently concluded 2022 Asia Cup by winning both their group matches. Mohammad Nabi's side, however, suffered narrow losses to Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the Super 4 stage, sealing their exit from the competition.

The recurring trend of coming short in close matches has affected the team in terms of getting them to the next level.

Opining that the pattern of losing close matches will continue if Afghanistan are given a similar schedule in the future, Afghan said in an interview with the Hindustan Times:

"The biggest factor is our schedule. We don't play that often against bigger teams and that's the reason why you see us not being able to win close contests and last-over finishes. It happened against Pakistan. If we don't play against top teams regularly then this will keep happening."

Afghan continued:

"We will drag the match till the end but won't be able to close it. We can't produce multiple world-class players if we don't play against world-class teams. We play against quality opposition only once a year and that too maybe in a multi-nation tournament, things can never improve like this."

Afghanistan have been handed the opportunity to play against the renowned sides in the updated ICC Futures Tour Programme ranging from 2023 to 2027. Apart from the high-profile ICC tournaments and the Asia Cup, they are slated to play bilateral series against the likes of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, West Indies, New Zealand, and Australia in the four-year period.

"Our senior players don't play in it and prefer to play leagues abroad" - Afghan on the fragile state of domestic cricket in Afghanistan

Afghanistan's current domestic structure holds tournaments across all formats, but it is far from concrete when compared to other nations. Once players break through to the national team and catch the eye of an overseas franchise, they rarely return to play domestic cricket due to a comapct schedule.

Urging the nation's cricket board to work on their domestic cricket framework, Afghan said:

"Unfortunately, our domestic cricket is not as strong as it should be. The board needs to work on it a lot. From what I have seen over the years, our domestic cricket is not taken seriously. Our senior players don't play in it and prefer to play leagues abroad."

He added:

"This also affects our young players, who don't know how to deal with pressure situations in big matches against big players. We have a lot of talent in Afghanistan. If we get regular matches in domestic cricket as well at the international level, our team can go a long way."

Will Mohammad Nabi's side stir things up in Group 1 of the Super 12 at the T20 World Cup 2022? Let us know what you think.