Rashid Khan has a World Cup semi-final on his CV and a pile of T20 league medals on the mantelpiece, yet the Afghanistan captain keeps circling back to one ambition. “That’s bigger than the World Cup, to be honest,” he said on Monday. “For me, and for the team, and every individual.” He is talking about playing a full international in Afghanistan, in front of Afghan supporters, on Afghan soil.
It has never happened. Since gaining ODI status in 2009 and Test status in 2017, the side have hosted opponents in the UAE, India and, most recently, Sharjah. Meanwhile, the images that sold Afghanistan to the wider cricket world – Shapoor Zadran sprinting round the outfield in 2015, Mohammad Shahzad doing the ‘Champion’ dance with Chris Gayle a year later – were all filmed abroad. The players are recognised everywhere except at home.
“For us, we play an international game in Afghanistan, and all the media, all these people will see how people back home in Afghanistan, how they’re welcoming international players, and how they’re enjoying cricket. That’s something which is more than a dream, to be playing international cricket in your own country.”
Afghanistan face New Zealand in steamy Chennai this week, a venue that should suit their trio of spinners. If Rahmanullah Gurbaz provides an early burst with the bat and the slow bowlers grip the surface – the old Chennai recipe – they have a genuine shot at another upset. New Zealand coach Gary Stead was measured when asked about Rashid’s threat. “We’ve seen what he can do in franchise cricket, none of that surprises us,” Stead said. “The key is not letting him bowl at new batters.” Clear, understated, very New Zealand.
Yet Rashid’s mind keeps wandering to Kabul. “When we play IPL here, when we play an international game, we see how much their [India’s] international stars are supported by the local fans and how much they give them love – like we get so much love, I am not saying we don’t get love here, but whenever we play here, we get lots of love and lots of support, especially playing in IPL and also World Cup we played, we have got a huge amount of support, we haven’t felt like being away from Afghanistan.”
“But when you play in your own country, it’s a kind of different feeling and the world will see the country Afghanistan as well, how beautiful it is, but hopefully, one day we make that possible that international team comes and they play cricket there.”
Security remains the sticking point. The Afghanistan Cricket Board say the current risk level still rules out bilateral tours. The ICC points to the same assessments. A compromise could be neutral-venue ‘home’ fixtures, possibly in Delhi or Lucknow, until confidence improves. It is hardly romantic, but it would at least shorten the travel and allow more Afghan supporters through the turnstiles.
There is also the pressing matter of women’s cricket. Since the regime change in 2021, progress has stalled and the national women’s team remains in limbo. Rashid prefers not to be drawn into politics, yet he did touch on the subject. “Oh, well, definitely, I feel like that [having a women’s team] is the kind of criteria for, I think, being a Full member, I think so, the ICC, the Afghanistan Cricket board, they have the better idea, but we love to see anyone representing Afghanistan on any stage, it’s a huge proud moment and you’re representing your country, but definitely, yes.”
The ICC has earmarked funds from Australia, England and India for female pathways; the challenge is finding a safe, sustainable structure inside Afghanistan itself. A refugee XI did manage an exhibition in Melbourne last year under the Cricket Without Borders banner, a tiny step that drew a standing ovation.
Back to the cricket at hand. In Chennai the pitches tend to break up after 25-30 overs. Rashid and Mujeeb Ur Rahman understand every ripple of such surfaces from endless IPL spells; Noor Ahmad, the left-armer, adds difference in trajectory. All three will want the cushion of a competitive total – 250 in these conditions can feel like 300. Former Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott puts it bluntly: “Bat first, scrap to something decent, then let the spinners squeeze.” Simple plan, difficult execution.
Afghanistan have made a habit of confounding expectations. Semi-finals in 2023 and 2024 moved them out of the cute-underdog bracket and into the serious-contender pile. The next leap, however, needs more than talent. It requires airports receiving touring parties, floodlights switching on in Nangarhar or Kandahar, and a packed grandstand belting out Dil Dil Afghanistan.
Until then, Rashid keeps dreaming. Test wins and World Cups are nice, he says, but they are not the finish line. Home, in sport as in life, matters.
