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What Does Cricket’s Test Status Mean For Afghanistan

On Thursday night Afghanistan and Ireland were approved as Full Members by the International Cricket Council (ICC), meaning they have become cricket’s 11th and 12th Test-playing nation respectively.

In the run up to the decision, there had been much speculation that the two countries would be granted this status after having applied to the ICC earlier this year to have their status upgraded from Associate Members.

The applications were put to the ICC board in London on Thursday, which unanimously voted in favor of their upgrade.

Announcing the decision on Thursday night, David Richardson, the ICC Chief Executive said: “I’d like to congratulate Afghanistan and Ireland on their Full Membership status which is the result of their dedication to improving performance both off and on the field resulting in the significant development and growth of cricket in their respective countries.

“Both have clearly demonstrated they meet the new criteria and as such have made the progression to Full Membership,” he said.

As a Full Member, Afghanistan will now be able to play Test cricket, which is considered the pinnacle, or the highest standard, in this sporting code.

Also, all Full Member nations are automatically qualified to play ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals.

Test cricket is the longest form of cricket and is considered its highest standard and matches are played only between national teams that enjoy this status.

After Thursday’s board meeting, the total number of countries to have Test status rose from 10 to 12 – Afghanistan and Ireland being the two new nations.

The last nation to gain Full Membership was Bangladesh, 17 years ago.

A Test match sees two national teams of 11 players play a four-innings match, which may last up to five days (or longer in some historical cases).

It is generally considered the most complete examination of a team’s playing ability and endurance and the name Test stems from the long, grueling match being a "test" of the relative strengths of the two sides.

The ICC currently has 105 members and membership is a hierarchy system. There are three categories of membership: Full Members, Associate Members, and Affiliate Members.

In the highest category, there are 12 Full Members; the 2nd category has 37 Associate Members and lowest category has 56 Affiliate Members.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board was formed in 1995 and became an Affiliate Member of the ICC in 2001 and was awarded Associate Member status in 2013.

For Afghanistan, their rise in cricket has been phenomenal and Thursday’s decision by the ICC was the culmination of years of hard work and dedication by the cricket sector in the country, including the players.  

On Thursday night, Shafiq Stanikzai, ACB’s chief executive said: “Another day that we can lock in our history and be proud (of).”

Thursday’s vote was not just an endorsement of Afghanistan’s on-field talent but it was also a seal of approval for the efforts made in recent years to develop the sport.

As ESPN stated, since 2005, both countries have demonstrated their readiness for five-day cricket through their dominance in the Intercontinental Cup, the ICC's first-class competition for Associates.

Afghanistan and Ireland currently sit in the top-two spots in the current edition of the competition, and Afghanistan holds a one-point lead after securing an innings victory at Greater Noida over Ireland earlier this year.

But these two teams will now be leaving the Intercontinental Cup behind at the end of the year, and start playing Test cricket with the world’s top teams.

No Test matches have as yet been scheduled for the two newcomers but it is widely speculated that Afghanistan and Ireland will meet each other next year in their maiden Test matches.

The Full List Of Test Nations Are As Follows:

Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe, West Indies, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England and Ireland. 

What Does Cricket’s Test Status Mean For Afghanistan

In gaining Test status, Afghanistan’s hard work and dedication to improve performance on and off the field has been acknowledged.

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On Thursday night Afghanistan and Ireland were approved as Full Members by the International Cricket Council (ICC), meaning they have become cricket’s 11th and 12th Test-playing nation respectively.

In the run up to the decision, there had been much speculation that the two countries would be granted this status after having applied to the ICC earlier this year to have their status upgraded from Associate Members.

The applications were put to the ICC board in London on Thursday, which unanimously voted in favor of their upgrade.

Announcing the decision on Thursday night, David Richardson, the ICC Chief Executive said: “I’d like to congratulate Afghanistan and Ireland on their Full Membership status which is the result of their dedication to improving performance both off and on the field resulting in the significant development and growth of cricket in their respective countries.

“Both have clearly demonstrated they meet the new criteria and as such have made the progression to Full Membership,” he said.

As a Full Member, Afghanistan will now be able to play Test cricket, which is considered the pinnacle, or the highest standard, in this sporting code.

Also, all Full Member nations are automatically qualified to play ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals.

Test cricket is the longest form of cricket and is considered its highest standard and matches are played only between national teams that enjoy this status.

After Thursday’s board meeting, the total number of countries to have Test status rose from 10 to 12 – Afghanistan and Ireland being the two new nations.

The last nation to gain Full Membership was Bangladesh, 17 years ago.

A Test match sees two national teams of 11 players play a four-innings match, which may last up to five days (or longer in some historical cases).

It is generally considered the most complete examination of a team’s playing ability and endurance and the name Test stems from the long, grueling match being a "test" of the relative strengths of the two sides.

The ICC currently has 105 members and membership is a hierarchy system. There are three categories of membership: Full Members, Associate Members, and Affiliate Members.

In the highest category, there are 12 Full Members; the 2nd category has 37 Associate Members and lowest category has 56 Affiliate Members.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board was formed in 1995 and became an Affiliate Member of the ICC in 2001 and was awarded Associate Member status in 2013.

For Afghanistan, their rise in cricket has been phenomenal and Thursday’s decision by the ICC was the culmination of years of hard work and dedication by the cricket sector in the country, including the players.  

On Thursday night, Shafiq Stanikzai, ACB’s chief executive said: “Another day that we can lock in our history and be proud (of).”

Thursday’s vote was not just an endorsement of Afghanistan’s on-field talent but it was also a seal of approval for the efforts made in recent years to develop the sport.

As ESPN stated, since 2005, both countries have demonstrated their readiness for five-day cricket through their dominance in the Intercontinental Cup, the ICC's first-class competition for Associates.

Afghanistan and Ireland currently sit in the top-two spots in the current edition of the competition, and Afghanistan holds a one-point lead after securing an innings victory at Greater Noida over Ireland earlier this year.

But these two teams will now be leaving the Intercontinental Cup behind at the end of the year, and start playing Test cricket with the world’s top teams.

No Test matches have as yet been scheduled for the two newcomers but it is widely speculated that Afghanistan and Ireland will meet each other next year in their maiden Test matches.

The Full List Of Test Nations Are As Follows:

Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe, West Indies, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England and Ireland. 

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