In an interview with Times of India, Afghanistan’s Cricket Board (ACB) CEO Shafiq Stanikzai said that India had helped Afghanistan enormously in the past few years in terms of developing cricket in the country.
Stanikzai says that India’s Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has played a huge role in the rapid rise of the game in the strife-torn nation, the Times of India reported.
However he acknowledged that Afghan cricketers trained a lot in Pakistan in their early years and some even starting playing the sport in refugee camps across the Durand Line.
The team from the war-ravaged nation even made its T20 and ODI debuts against Pakistan.
Since then, the side has come a long way, regularly playing in ICC world events before earning their Test status last June.
Stanikzai feels Afghanistan's growth has been faster since they made Greater Noida in India their home ground in 2015.
"BCCI's role has really been immense. Since we moved to India the team has done well. The conditions in India suit the team quite well. The support we receive from BCCI has been instrumental," Stanikzai said.
Asked by Times of India how he would compare India's role to Pakistan in his team's growth, Stanikzai said: "In Pakistan we trained a lot in initial stages. Their (PCB) support was also tremendous.
"But since we moved to India, we have achieved big. We were associates and playing in a lower tier when practising in Pakistan. Since we moved to India we are performing well. We have reached a stage where we are playing with the best," he said.
"So, comparatively, it is bigger. Financially it is helping us quite a lot. It is cost effective in comparison to playing in UAE.”
Conditions-wise it was also good he said adding that “it is easy to convince other boards to come and play in India. So, from different perspectives, it is better to play in India," said Stanikzai the CEO.
The ACB is also close to getting a second home ground in India, most likely in Dehradun, reports the Times of India. It is also in talks with the BCCI for facilitating junior tours.