5 world records Afghanistan cricket can boast about

Cricket in Afghanistan is a lot more than just a sport. It is a major reason for spreading smiles in houses of people who have grown up to be nationals of a country constantly battling war and conflicts. And thus the Afghan cricketers are not just mere sportsmen dawning the blue jersey, but a bunch of talented cricketers who have consistently shown signs of improving into a force to reckon with.

They are the silver lining to the cloud of uncertainty and war-scare. They are the oasis to the desert of calamity. They are the celebration amidst apathy and the pall of death.

After having made their international cricket debut in 2009, Afghanistan has come a long way in the decade gone by. The fact that, on June 14 this year, they will be walking out wearing whites at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium to take on the most powerful cricket body in the world speaks volumes about their successful journey.

The journey, which began by them winning hearts but losing matches, has seen some great moments, some of which have rewritten record books. Here is a list of 5 such world records which are not only unlikely to be broken in the near future, but also worthy of being boastful about.

#5 Longest winning streak in T20I's for any team

Windies were given a dose of their own 'Champion' medicine

Under the leadership of Asghar Stanikzai, Afghanistan achieved the longest winning streak in T20I's as they won 11 matches between 27 March 2016 and 12 March 2017 on the trot.

The journey began with the most precious of all the 11 victories as the Associate ICC Member went on to topple T20 giants West Indies in a league match of the ICC WT20 in India by 6 runs. In fact, this was the only defeat the Windies had to face before beating Sri Lanka, South Africa, India and England to lift the World Cup.

The other 10 wins included 5 against Ireland, 4 against UAE and one against Oman. The fact that four of them came while batting first and six of them were successful run chases highlighted the completeness of the Afghan team.

#4 Rashid Khan as the fastest to 100 ODI wickets and the youngest to claim the Number 1 spot on the ICC Rankings

Rashid Khan in his popular way of celebrating a dismissal

Senior Afghan cricketer Mohammad Nabi had pointed out in 2016 that Afghanistan had won enough hearts and it was time for them to start producing results by winning matches. And the X-factor that helped them breach that barrier was the presence of teen sensation Rashid Khan.

A leg-spinner who has as much control and guile with his googlies as with his leg breaks and flippers, Rashid Khan has risen the rungs of the ladder of success at an exhilarating pace. Having made his debut just a month after turning 17 in 2015, it has taken the wrist spinner less than three years to account for 100 ODI wickets and earn the reputation of a trickster.

Having scalped his 100th wicket in only his 44th ODI appearance, Rashid comfortably broke Mitchell Starc's record of 52 matches. Not just this, the wily leg-spinner also became the youngest occupant of the numero uno position of the ICC Rankings as he went atop the lists for ODI and T20I bowlers.

#3 Best win percentage amongst all international teams in T20Is

Their current captain Asghar Stanikzai has been most successful of all

Afghanistan have won 41 out of the 63 T20Is they have featured in, losing the remaining 22. This gives them a win percentage of 65.07%, putting the ahead of all of ICC's permanent and associate members.

Their record is followed by India (63.4%), Pakistan (61.38%), South Africa (58.82%), Australia (54.54%), New Zealand (52.31%), Windies (51.66%), Sri Lanka (50.93%), England (49.47%), Bangladesh (31.08%) and Zimbabwe (24.1%), all of whom are permanent ICC members since long.

The Afghans have been led by Nawroz Mangal, Mohammad Nabi and Asghar Stanikzai with their respective win percentages being 46.15% in 13 matches, 50% in 12 matches and 76.31% in 39 matches.

#2 Mohammad Shahzad scoring half-centuries in two separate international cricket matches in one day

Shahzad is famous for his cocky celebrations

I bet you got to be reading this over and over again to make sense out of it. In a strange but true turn of events that unfurled on January 20, 2017, Afghanistan's opening batsman Mohammad Shahzad entered his name into record books as the first man to score fifties in two different international matches on the same day.

In the inaugural Desert T20 Challenge in Dubai, the wicketkeeper-batsman first scored an aggressive 60 ball 80 against Oman in the semi-final of the event before racing to a 40 ball 52 against Ireland in the final of the event that was played on the same day.

Number 9 on the ICC Rankings for T20I batsmen, Shahzad is an integral member of the successful Afghanistan team who has to his credit 2239 ODI runs and 1816 T20I runs which have come at a strike rate of 136.23.

#1 The youngest cricketer to captain an international team: Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan with the ICC World Cup Qualifiers winners' trophy

On March 4, 2018, when he led his troops on to the park to take the field against Scotland in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers, Rashid Khan became the youngest cricketer ever to lead an international team.

Khan, 19 years and 165 days of age, broke the record of Arran Brindle who led England Women's cricket team in an ODI at the age of 19 years and 260 days. In terms of Men's cricket, the record was previously held by Rajin Saleh of Bangladesh who led his country in an ODI in the ICC Champions Trophy of 2004.

Rashid Khan, also the first player from an association nation to be picked up in the history of the IPL, has shown that this is just the beginning of a long and illustrious cricketing career that shall help his country win many matches and trophies in the years to come.