New Delhi, Jun 24 (PTI) Ravaged by war, almost no infrastructure or stadium of their own, also weighed down by the politics of sports and yet Afghanistan have managed to punch way above their weight in the ongoing T20 World Cup in the West Indies.

Though the Afghanistan Cricket Board was formed in 1995, it became an affiliate member of ICC in 2001, and a decade later, earned Test status and a full ICC membership in 2017.

Cut to the 2024 T20 World Cup and the Afghans have not only announced their arrival — taking the tournament by storm by reaching the Super 8 stage –, they are now on the verge of making the semi-finals after stunning former champions Australia.

This has been primarily due to some audacious and electrifying individual and collective performances. So, what has been the reason for their sudden rise? Is it the format that allows them the freedom to excel, or is it due to their full utilisation of the recent international exposure in different T20 leagues? Former India cricketer Vijay Dahiya attributed this to their mental and physical toughness acquired from playing in different conditions on the international stage in T20 different leagues.

“This Afghan team is mentally very tough and they are hungry. They are tough physically too but in cricket mental toughness matters more. I won’t be surprised if they reach the semi-finals.

“They believe in themselves and are now a very dangerous side. They have been a phenomenon,” he told

Source: PTI News