Afghan domesic problem

I wrote this article a while back- enjoy!

Afghan domestic problem

The current situation in Afghan domestic cricket, and how to improve it

Eitan Shai

Ever since Afghanistan started their rise to the top, their standard of cricket has improved dramatically. Unfortunately, their domestic structure has not progressed at the same pace. This leads to a very large number of players selected in the Afghanistan national team, who totally fail. Good examples of that are Najibullah Zadran, Afsar Khan and Javed Ahmadi, who were (and still are) very talented players, but they were thrown in too early,before they had developed enough. The big problem is that there is a very big gap between domestic level and international level, that causes uncertainty who is ready for the step up.

My solution is to totally revolutionize domestic cricket in Afghanistan, and to make a clear pathway to the national side.

 I base my formula on the successful early-90's Zimbabwe domestic system, which produced players such as Tatenda Taibu, Mpumelo Mbangwa, Sean Ervine and Everton Matambanandzo, all of which were world-class, and if not for the politics of the country, would have turned Zimbabwe into one of the top 

sides in world cricket.

The plan will work as follows:

First, establish a countrywide network of club cricket. This ensures that no talent will be missed, and enables young players to get playing time

Next, make provincial tournaments, where the best cricketers from the clubs can get selected. These tournaments will be separate for each province, and generally include 4-5 teams each.

Following that, establish nationwide domestic competitions, with one team per province, that compete in the 3 different formats of the game- a t20 competition, a separate 50 overs competition, and a totally different multi-day tournament. Cricketers that do well in these competitions must get the chance to progress forward, but only in the format they excel in. For example, if a player such as Javed Ahmadi does well in the t20 tournament, but not so well in the 50 overs, he must only be selected for t20. For each of the provincial teams, a world-class coach must be hired, to help the players develop.

After that, make an agreement with Pakistan that Afghanistan will send two teams every year to participate in Pakistan's domestic competitions. The players in those two teams must all be players who have done well in the Afghanistan provincial set-up. The reason behind this move is that Pakistan's domestic competitions are of a much higher level than Afghanistan's will be for a long time, so playing there is a big step up for the players, who can learn a lot, and the administrators can select the best few.

The best players from there will be selected in the Afghanistan A team, made of the best performers in the level above. This team will have full=time coaching by the best coaches available, to help them make the final step up. This A-team will regularly tour overseas, and will play matches against sides like lower-level Associates and Full member top domestic teams.

Finally, the best from the A-team can get selected for the national team. By now, they will already have proven themselves against top-level opposition, in various conditions, and in all situations, and any technical problems they might have had have all been solved. By now, only the players who will succeed will have survived, and they will no disappoint.

If Afghanistan implements this structure, they will definitely perform, beat everyone, and become one of the best sides in the world.

Yours truly,

E.Shai