Afghanistan’s cricketers have traveled continents, lifted trophies and gained global recognition, but one deeply personal ambition remains unrealized – the chance to play an international match in their own country. For Rashid Khan, that absence still weighs more than any silver objects collected abroad.
Decades of conflict have meant Afghanistan has never hosted a full international meeting in Kabul. With infrastructure repeatedly damaged and security concerns lingering, the team has been forced to adopt overseas headquarters as makeshift homes. Throughout different phases, Greater Noida, Dehradun and Lucknow in India, along with Sharjah and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, have served as Afghanistan’s de facto bases.
Despite the prolonged exile, Rashid refuses to give up the dream.
“Yes, to be honest, that is bigger than the World Cup, for me, for the team and for each individual. We play an international match in Afghanistan and then all these people will see what the people are like in Afghanistan, how they welcome the players and how they enjoy cricket and that is something that is more than a dream, to play international cricket in your own country,” said Rashid, speaking on the eve of Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup clash against New Zealand.
The Afghan captain acknowledged the love the team receives wherever they travel, especially during their spells in the IPL, but stressed that nothing compares to playing against their own.
“When we play IPL here (in India), when we play an international match, we see how much support for their international stars from the local fans and how much love they give them, like we get so much love, I’m not saying we don’t get love here.
“Whenever we play here, we get a lot of love and support, especially playing in the IPL and also in the World Cup we played (2023), we haven’t felt like we are away from Afghanistan. But when you play in your own country, it is a different feeling and the world will also see the country Afghanistan, how beautiful it is. But hopefully, one day we will make that possible for an international team to come and play cricket there,” he said.
Beyond the absence of homegrown internationals, Rashid highlighted another structural challenge: the lack of a robust domestic cricket ecosystem. He admitted that talent identification becomes increasingly difficult without regular white-ball competitions.
“We don’t have a lot of cricket in Afghanistan, especially the shorter format. We have four-day cricket but not a lot of white-ball cricket and then as a captain it becomes very difficult to choose the team because you don’t have many options like in India where a lot of tournaments are held every day and you see a lot of talents,” he said.
According to Rashid, what Afghan cricket misses most is sustained competition, something he believes is essential for growth.
“For me, what we are missing right now is competition. When you have competition, you do your best. Any Afghanistan spinner who wants to play for Afghanistan will know that he will have to compete with Rashid, compete with Noor or Mujeeb. The target is very high and I also have to work very hard.
“I feel like if we have that kind of competition in batting as well, we will go to a different level. But that only happens when you have very strong domestic cricket, you have a lot of competition at home, that’s where you can get the talent and I hope we focus more on our domestic cricket. But whatever you see on TV, it’s just natural talent,” he said.
Rashid also expressed his desire to see Afghanistan’s women cricketers represented on the international stage, although he acknowledged that such decisions are beyond a player’s control.
“I feel like that’s the kind of criteria for, I think, being a full member. So the ICC, the Afghanistan Cricket Board, they have the best idea. But we love to see anyone representing Afghanistan on any stage, it’s a proud moment. But I think it’s all about the decision that the CBA and the ICC have to make, sometimes things as a player, you don’t have much control and we only think about the controllable things.
“But in this situation, we’re in a kind of situation where you can’t really have much say in it, but yes, the support that you have is always there, but more important people come and make the decision and carry it forward,” he said.