Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 8 (ANI): Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said on Sunday that his team wants “one good home venue” in India instead of going from place to place, as they cannot play international cricket at home currently.
Afghanistan will be playing a one-off Test against New Zealand in Greater Noida on Sunday. Speaking ahead of the match to the media, Shahidi talked about having at least “one good venue” for the team in India, a country which has played a big role in their development over the years. They have played their other home Tests in Dehradun, Lucknow, and in United Arab Emirates (UAE) Abu Dhabi.
The skipper said that sticking with one home venue will make them much stronger and effective in red-ball cricket.
“If you see, India is our home, and when we host teams, the other nations have played more cricket than us here,” Shahidi said while addressing the media.
“So hopefully we will get one good venue here in India, and we stick with that. If we stick with one venue, it will be more effective for us,” he added.
Shahidi also said that Afgahanistan players have a fine record in first-class cricket because they play at their home venues in Afghanistan.
“We know our own conditions very well. So hopefully that time comes in the future that teams come to Afghanistan. Then our average will be even higher than what it is right now and hopefully our cricket board and BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) give a good venue for us in India and we play a lot of cricket in one venue,” he added.
Squads:
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Baheer Shah Mahboob, Ikram Alikhil (WK), Shahidullah Kamal, Gulbadin Naib, Afsar Zazai (WK), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ziaurrahman Akbar, Shamsurrahman, Qais Ahmad, Zahir Khan, Nijat Masoud, Farid Ahmad Malik, Naveed Zadran, Khalil Ahmad and Yama Arab.
New Zealand: Tim Southee (C), Tom Blundell (WK), Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (VC), Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Kane Williamson, and Will Young. (ANI)
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